“We are very proud to be releasing Grand Theft Auto IV for the PC,” said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. “We have taken our time to ensure this version of the game is not just a quick port, but a perfectly tailored experience for the PC. We hope the PC gaming community appreciates all of the innovative features in the game. Grand Theft Auto began on the PC and we have tried very hard to ensure this version was worthy of that heritage.”

Developed by Rockstar Toronto in conjunction with series creator Rockstar North, the PC version of Grand Theft Auto IV offers a wealth of new features, including 32-player multiplayer modes - expanded from 16 on the console versions of the game; a deep, sophisticated and easy-to-use video editor tool to capture and edit in-game footage; stunning, high-resolution graphics; and the all-new Independence FM radio station that allows players to add their own songs for a truly personalized and unique in-game music experience.

Minimum System Requirements:
OS: Windows Vista(TM) operating system - Service Pack 1 / Windows(R) XP - Service Pack 3
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8 Ghz, AMD Athlon X2 64 2.4 Ghz
Memory: 1.5GB Windows Vista / 1GB Windows XP, 16GB Free Hard Drive Space
Video Card: 256MB NVIDIA 7900 / 256MB ATI X1900

Recommended System Requirements:
OS: Windows Vista - Service Pack 1 / Windows XP - Service Pack 3
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad 2.4Ghz, AMD Phenom X3 2.1Ghz
Memory: 2.5GB Windows Vista / 2.5GB Windows XP, 18GB Free Hard Drive Space
Video Card: 512 MB NVIDIA 8600 / 512MB ATI 3870

Grand Theft Auto IV for the PC is rated M for Mature by the ESRB, with an MSRP of $49.99. For more information, log onto www.rockstargames.com/IV.

[ Joystiq ]

So I grabbed the new Xbox dashboard last night. My least favorite new feature is the one were it locks up my box when I try and look at my friends list. Then I have to restart and it freezes again. Then I do that about seven more times before I throw my controller and play WOW. I liked how in the old Dashboard I could use it without it breaking my Xbox. Maybe that’s just me.

According to GameSpot (via USA Today), this will be no small DLC. Instead, this will introduce a brand new protagonist named Johnny Klebitz, a member of the biker gang known as “The Lost”. It will also leave behind the clone of Manhattan and move onto a clone of New Jersey, effectively introducing a brand new game. Reportedly, Niko Bellic will also make an appearance.

“Johnny is a very different character than Niko, with a very different background. I can’t go into too much detail on the story, because we try not to give away too much plot before the game is released. But I can say that the story will show you a different side of Liberty City,” Rockstar Games Vice President of Creative Development Dan Houser told USA Today.

Players will also be treated to new vehicles, weaponry, multiplayer modes, and an entirely new soundtrack. These new additions, however, have not yet been detailed.

On the Bungie official website, Bungie Chief Caching Officer Mat Noguch posted a detailed explanation as to why it would not decrease load times:

The Xbox 360 HDD has a section for games to use called the utility partition. Games can use this section for whatever they want to; Halo 3 uses the utility partition to cache maps as they will load faster off the HDD than off the DVD. As a side note, the utility partition can be deleted when other games are played. This is why maps can take longer to load when you play another game in between various Halo 3 sessions. (As was the case with Halo 1 and Halo 2.)

So when Halo 3 runs, if a HDD is present, we copy maps from the DVD to the utility partition (on the HDD). Think of it as an on demand install of Halo 3 to some scratch space on the HDD. Halo 3 doesn’t actually know where it’s running from, so it always assumes it’s running from a DVD. This is an unfortunate consequence of new features (namely, install to HDD) being added to the Xbox 360 after Halo 3 shipped. And as a result, it means that even if Halo 3 is already installed to the HDD, it will still copy maps to the utility partition.

Additionally, Capcom will be releasing a direct-to-download music album of hip-hop tracks inspired by the Street Fighter series. Street Fighter® Underground Remix will feature the musical flavor of artists such as DJ Qbert, Hieroglyphics, Redman, Oh No, DJ Toure, Mistah FAB and Zion I. Each artist has produced a Street Fighter tribute track that will be free of charge and exclusive to the PlayStation®Network when Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix launches.

Complimenting the Street Fighter themed content, fans can access all of the Street Fighter related material through two new branded digital destinations. Capcom’s branded store on PlayStation®Network is the only third-party company to offer a centralized area where gamers can download games, demos, themes, videos, and music. Street Fighter® II Turbo HD Remix will be one of the first games to be featured in the New Xbox® Experience with a Branded Destination Experience, which will offer a variety of Street Fighter related downloadable content including new Premium and Basic Themes.

“The idea for DAH3 was to continue the approach set in DAH1 and DAH2 as though I was a film composer writing in that period,” said Composer Garry Schyman. “Of course wah wah guitar is slathered throughout because it was so ubiquitous and influential. Personally this is my favorite of the three DAH scores. I love this style of music!”

Kevin Kraff, vice president of global brand management at THQ commented, “Following his critically acclaimed original scores for DAH1 and DAH2, Garry was the perfect match to create the music for Destroy All Humans! Path of the Furon. Not only do we trust Garry’s creativity to capture our vision for the franchise, but his unique skillset and bold repertoire is a natural conduit that truly connects and immerses the player.”

Garry Schyman’s music for video games has received the Interactive Achievement Award from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences for “Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition,” Spike TV Award for “Best Original Score,” G4TV Award for “Soundtrack of the Year” and four Game Audio Network Guild Awards, including the prestigious “Music of the Year” Award. Garry Schyman is represented by the Gorfaine/Schwartz Agency. For more information on the composer visit www.garryschyman.com.

Destroy All Humans! Path of the Furon is scheduled to release for Xbox 360® in December 2008. For more information please visit www.destroyallhumansgame.com.

About THQ:
THQ Inc. is a leading worldwide developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software. The company develops its products for all popular game systems, personal computers and wireless devices. Headquartered in Los Angeles County, California, THQ sells product through its global network of offices located throughout North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. More information about THQ and its products may be found at www.thq.com and www.thqwireless.com. THQ, THQ Wireless, Destroy All Humans! Path of the Furon and their respective logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of THQ Inc. For more information please visit www.thq.com.

“We’re grateful for the incredible support that players around the world have continued to show for World of Warcraft,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “Wrath of the Lich King contains some of the best content we’ve created for the game so far, and we look forward to seeing even more players log in to experience it in the days ahead.”

“World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King surpassed all sales expectations, with 100 Gamestation stores opening at midnight to cater for a high level of demand,” said Andrew Thompson, product director, Gamestation UK. “Players queued for hours - some dressed as characters from the game - proving that enthusiasm for Blizzard Entertainment’s latest installment is at its highest level to date.”

Prior to the launch of Wrath of the Lich King, World of Warcraft’s subscriber population had grown to more than 11 million players, further strengthening its position as the world’s most popular subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game. More information about the new expansion can be found at the official Wrath of the Lich King website: www.wow-europe.com/wrath.

About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft® and the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® series, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (http://eu.blizzard.com/en), a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment’s track record includes ten #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company’s online-gaming service, Battle.net®, is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active users.

*Based on internal company records and reports from key distribution partners.

• AMD® Phenom™ X4 9950 Black Edition Quad Core 2.6GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache
• Alienware® P2 Chassis with AlienIce™ 3.0 Video Cooling
• Killer NIC™ K1 Gaming Network Card, 333MHz NPU, 64MB DDR2
• ATI® Radeon® HD 4870
• 4GB DD2 Memory

Bigfoot Networks is promoting the Holiday QuickShip with giveaways on online community sites.

According to the inaugural “Horizons” research report sponsored by the PC Gaming Alliance (PCGA):

• Online gaming is the fastest growing segment of the $10.7 billion gaming industry
• Online gaming accounted for $4.8 billion dollars in revenue, nearly double the worldwide retails sales for PC games.

The Killer NIC K1 is a high-performance network card designed specifically to improve online gaming performance.
• Improves responsiveness by bypassing the Windows® stack and reducing in-game ping
• Smoothes game play and increases frame rates by offloading network processing from the CPU to the NPU
• Features built-in gamer-grade Killer Hardware Firewall & Killer Hardware Bandwidth Control to manage and secure your gaming network with high-performance tools.

More information
KillerNIC.com featuring Alienware Aurora Online Gaming Edition
Killer NIC Facebook Fan Page
www.KillerNIC.com
Alienware Aurora Online Gaming Edition Desktop
AlienNetwork
www.Alienware.com
Alienware Twitter Page

About Bigfoot Networks
Bigfoot Networks is an Austin, Texas-based technology company that is dedicated to developing groundbreaking networking hardware and software for gamers and computing enthusiasts. By creating solutions for this passionate and dedicated community, Bigfoot aims to support the rapidly growing online and competitive gaming markets. Powered by the company’s proprietary Lag and Latency Reduction (LLR™ ) technology, the Killer™ NIC is the industry’s first network interface card (NIC) designed specifically to improve network performance for a smoother, more responsive online game experience. To learn more, visit Bigfoot Networks at www.killernic.com .

About Alienware
Alienware, Dell’s premier high-performance PC gaming brand, offers unique and award-winning computers that incorporate state–of–the–art components, innovative engineering and design, and unprecedented customer service. Alienware has been recognized worldwide as an industry leader in innovation and was ranked in PC World’s “The 25 Greatest PCs of All Time.” Alienware manufactures a diverse selection of customizable high-performance desktop and notebook systems that are targeted toward a broad range of customers, ranging from gamers to government agencies. Alienware systems are available direct within the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. For more information, please visit http://www.alienware.com or call 1-800-ALIENWARE (254-3692).

At first, I looked for something to compare Left 4 Dead too. Resident Evil? Dawn of the Dead? Perhaps 28 Days Later? None of these seemed to fit. The reason is Left 4 Dead stands on its own. Ironically, the game is presented somewhat as a film. The cinematics are great though and help to further the story which is made up mostly of you and your allies trying to stay alive. The story revolves around 4 main characters, Francis, Bill, Zoey, and Louis. Francis seems to be more of a hard-nosed Mercenary type while Bill seems to be an older seasoned person, likely with experience in war. He’s also a bit of a strategist and seems to serve as a leader figure to the group. Zoey, the lone female, is more of a fearful person, but does not hesitate to help others before herself, and Louis is a more jumpy person ready to shoot anything formerly human that moves. Together, the four attempt to escape the infection and the mass hordes of zombies ready to assail them around any corner.

The Source Engine powers this title and Valve makes excellent usage of it. Although it’s 4 years old, this engine produces excellent graphics and even a great physics engine which presents rag-dolling on a level to rival Ageia. Animations are smooth and transition well. This is nice to see and keeps things feeling seamless no matter what system you play on. The audio engine is also near perfection. The dialog goes beyond simply expressions and warnings and moves into something which gives each character their own personality. Players also recognize fallen comrades and will mourn for them in their own unique way.

From standard zombies to boomers, smokers, hunters, a witch, and a tank that could rival General RAAM, there are no shortage of monsters to fight in Left 4 Dead. Likewise, there’s no shortage of weaponry to slay the horde with including, but not limited to: Molotov Cocktails, an M4, a Shotgun, an Automatic Shotgun, a Sniper Rifle, or of course everyone’s favorite, a Pistol or two.

Gameplay is generally run and gun based; something that separates it from other zombie based games which are generally more about strategy rather than just general survival. Instead of pondering how to go about solving a puzzle, you are instead left to ponder how to stay alive and keep your team mates alive. There are random things spread throughout levels which can help you such as Pills which give a temporary boost of health. However, these items are just that: Random. They can be there one play through, but not be there the next. This provides an extra level of difficulty that I can appreciate.

Now this game is fun to play alone, but the game truly shines when you play online. Bots simply cannot think, act, react, or be nearly as dynamic as a human player can. So although Single Player is excellent, make no mistake that online is where this game truly is meant to be played. There’s nothing like getting assaulted, letting out a hearty laugh, and being verbally assaulted by your teammates for finding humor in the situation.

The gameplay breaks down like this: You and your team start out in one area. To reach the end of the campaign level, you must safely make it to a series of safe houses in between which act something like checkpoints. Once your entire team is safely inside, you are able to move onto the next level. Left 4 Dead is a game which truly encourages team work as well. You will have to keep each other alive to make it to the end. One person cannot do it alone. If there is not a full team, an A.I. will take over the missing character, completing the four person experience.

Now things aren’t all blood, gore, and dismemberment in Left 4 Dead. I wish you could play Versus mode on more than 2 scenarios. Speaking of scenarios, I found it a bit disappointing that the game only includes 4 scenarios to play on. Perhaps more will be added later. These scenarios can take anywhere from half an hour to over an hour to complete depending on the difficulty level you specify and how many times you and your team dies. The upside to this is how the levels can vary each playthrough. Now when I say vary, I do not mean in the Diablo sense. This one is more closer to a very nice or a very mean dungeon master. If you are doing too good, expect more zombies, less ammo, and less health to be around. Likewise, expect the exact opposite if you are doing poorly. This leaves a well rounded experience that ensures a new experience each time around. There are a few minor bugs to contend with such as sometimes, albeit rarely, headshots are not recognized as such and instead will serve as nothing more than a catalyst to anger a zombie as opposed to an instant “kill”.

In summation, this game is one to enjoy for a long time to come and the experience is worth every bit of currency spent, merely just for it’s social aspects and replay value alone. Whether playing with friends or a random group of individuals online, you’re guaranteed an enjoyable experience that will never be the same twice.

Score Breakdown

Presentation: 10/10

The presentation of this game is excellent and shows Valve’s integrity and ability to produce high quality work time and time again.

Graphics: 9.5/10

We were able to play with all settings maxed at our monitors native resolution and still achieve perfect frame rates. Chalk one up to the Source Engine. Even in it’s 4 year old form, it still has the power to produce excellent lighting in addition to rendering shadows, massive zombie hordes, excellent animations, and provide a level of detail to rival many titles of the day.

Sound: 10/10

Absolutely near-perfect voice acting and a great soundtrack, even up to 7.1, gives Left 4 Dead the edge in Sound. Hear that crying? Turn off your flash light.

Gameplay: 9/10

A simplified control scheme via Keyboard and Mouse or Controller keeps gameplay moving quickly without the player having to reach for the correct or desired button. The never ending rushing zombie hordes will keep you on your toes and moving. Stay in one place to long and expect to be ambushed.

Lasting Appeal: 9/10

Although short, Left 4 Dead features excellent replay value which should keep any individual coming back for more.

Final Score: 9.5 out of 10 (*This is not an average)