Flicktitty
01-21-2008, 06:19 PM
oooh man! I can't wait! Some stores like Target have a reserve card for sale they say it comes out THIS MARCH. But gamestop (http://www.gamestop.com/product.asp?product%5Fid=200262) website says April 1st 2008 Either way i can't F'n wait!
About GTA IV...
Grand Theft Auto IV was announced on May 9, 2006 at Microsoft's E3 press conference. Peter Moore (who was Corporate Vice-President of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business division at the time of the announcement) rolled up the left sleeve of his t-shirt to reveal a GTA4 tattoo on his arm. He announced that GTA 4 would be available on Xbox 360 in 2007, and revealed that Microsoft and Rockstar Games had formed a strategic alliance in order to provide exclusive episodic content for Xbox Live, giving the community ever-expanding gameplay experiences. Take2 Interactive then issued a press release which announced that GTA IV would be released simultaneously for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in October 2007. However, the game was delayed on August 2, 2007, because some elements of the development were proving to be more time-intensive than originally expected.
GTA: Vice City and GTA: San Andreas were considered to be part of the GTA III trilogy (same graphics engine, similar characters, similar mission style, etc.) which is why this title is called GTA4 and not GTA6, as many had originally anticipated. With the GTA3 trilogy having now ended, Grand Theft Auto IV marks the beginning of a new era in the series. It follows the release of the hugely successful GTA: San Andreas, which was released for PlayStation 2 in 2004, and then later for PC and Xbox during 2005. GTA IV marks the 10th anniversary of the Grand Theft Auto franchise.
It was announced on May 21, 2007, that GTA 4 would be available as a special edition on the same day as the regular edition. It is presented in a customised Grand Theft Auto metal safety deposit box, and includes the game, a limited edition duffel bag, an exclusive keychain, a selected soundtrack CD, and a Grand Theft Auto IV Art Book, featuring never-before-seen production artwork from GTA4.
In Grand Theft Auto 4 you play as Niko Bellic, an immigrant from Eastern Europe who was persuaded (by his cousin, Roman) to move to Liberty City in order to live the "American Dream." However, it soon becomes apparent that he was misled, and the nice life that Niko was expecting is not there. According to Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey, a financial consultant for Take2 Interactive, around 150 developers are currently working on GTA 4.
Game Play...
* Niko can use a mobile phone to recieve calls and phone his contacts. He can also use it to call taxis and purchase weapons. The options presented on the phone's LCD are Phonebook, Messages, Organizer, and Camera.
* Pedestrians smoke cigarettes, read books and newspapers, drop litter, talk on mobile phones, walk in and out of buildings, and generally act like any normal pedestrian would.
* It is possible to climb and descend telephone poles, and exterior fire escapes.
* There are many different animation sets for breaking into cars. One of these involves Niko smashing the side window with his elbow, climbing into the car, and then hotwiring it.
* Niko is able to manage his funds at ATMs.
* GTA IV features multiplayer, but it's "not a massively multiplayer game," according to Rockstar's creative vice president Dan Houser.
* It is possible to surf the internet in GTA4 via internet cafés. It is available from any computer in the game, and provides a hub for all sorts of interactivity within Liberty City.
* The camera angle behind the car is closer than it has been in previous GTAs. This allows you to see more detail on the cars, and more of the verticality of the city.
* In GTA IV, you will gain a police wanted level for any crime that you commit, providing there are witnesses present. The police can only chase you if they know where you are, and they need to see you to know where you are. If you escape the search area marked on the radar without being spotted, your wanted level will disappear.
* In terms of scale, GTA IV is about the same size as GTA: San Andreas, but the map size is considerably smaller. This is mainly due to the fact there is no desert or countryside in Liberty City. Liberty City in GTA4 is the biggest city R* have ever created.
* Every street in Liberty City contains a street sign with a name on it.
* It is possible to do more than one mission at a time. For example, some missions take place over several days and may involve waiting for phonecalls or attending interviews, and you are free to carry out other business during the waiting period.
* The story can be told in a number of different ways. Rockstar are trying to give people greater freedom and sense of control over their destiny. You now have a lot more choice in what you want to do.
Technology...
* Grand Theft Auto 4 runs on Rockstar's proprietary next generation game engine, R.A.G.E., allowing for an unprecedented level of realism and interactivity.
- New sunlight and weather effects which give the city a whole different appearance as the time of day progresses.
- Volumetric lighting effects allow sunlight to stream realistically into dusty interiors. Police spotlights will likely benefit from this effect as well when helicopters kick up debris.
- Normal (bump) maps will provide much more detail in models than the underlying polygons, as well as giving materials more texture and depth.
- Road and building textures are more varied than in previous GTAs. On some roads you will find potholes, metal plates (etc) where the road has been dug up.
- Modern pixel shaders give water, glass, cars, etc.. more realistic reflections and shininess than the earlier games.
- In cars, you can see real reflections on the rear and side-view mirrors.
- In cars, you can see real reflections on the rear and side-view mirrors.
* GTA4 uses euphoria, a fully procedural animation package created by NaturalMotion. The core technology is the Dynamic Motion Synthesis (DMS) system.
- Variations in the terrain are met with realistic changes in the walking animation.
- Unique game moments. Animations are created on the fly, so each player's experience will be unique. Gamers are no longer subjected to pre-recorded animations.
- Characters will react realisticaly to being hit with gunfire, cars, and melee weapons or fists.
- Players will be able to push people out of the way, rather than "floating" past them as in older games.
- Falling/thrown characters will react as in real life- They won't simply be limp, lifeless ragdolls. Nor will they use a canned "super hero" animation like before.
- Characters (and players?) will be able to hang on to helicopters and trucks, which will swing them around as the vehicle moves.
Setting
New York, New York! Economic powerhouse, beacon of hope to optimistic immigrants, home to tens of millions of citizens, rife with crime and seedy underworld riffraff; New York City is the epitome of everything that is American. It's really no wonder that Liberty City, Rockstar's exaggerated and cynical portrayal of New York, has called itself home to more than half of the Grand Theft Auto titles in existence.
Liberty City first appeared alongside Vice City and San Andreas as one of three major levels (cities) in the original Grand Theft Auto. Due to the game being produced by a British development team, much of Liberty City - along with Vice City and San Andreas - was based on stereotypes and twisted to suit British humour. Since then, it has resurfaced as the city of choice for Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto Advance, and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. In every incarnation, Rockstar North consistently embraced the sensationalist, cynical sense of humour that was put forth in the first game.
Even when Liberty was not openly accessible to gamers in other titles, it played a prominent role in establishing the necessary storylines. In Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, the protagonist (Tommy Vercetti) and the mafia family in which he indebted to both hailed from Liberty City. In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the protagonist (Carl Johnson) returned to San Andreas after residing in Liberty City for an extended period of time.
Past incarnations of Liberty City, however, have failed to truly resemble New York. Whereas Vice City was hailed as an achievement in Rockstar's ability to duplicate the overall feel of Miami, the winding streets and communities of Liberty City seemed cold and lifeless by comparison.
Things will be different. Rockstar North has wiped the slate clean, shutting the book on the Grand Theft Auto III trilogy and choosing to start anew. Gone are the days of zombie-like pedestrians, robotic law enforcement and stale surroundings. Liberty City has returned as the setting for Grand Theft Auto IV, but this isn't the Liberty City that we have embraced for over half a decade.
Bigger, grittier, and more brutal than ever, Liberty City is back with a vengeance in Grand Theft Auto IV. Four of the five boroughs - plus a portion of New Jersey - have been recreated from the bottom up in an attempt to finally nail the atmosphere of New York City. The Bronx has become Bohan. Brooklyn has become Broker. Manhattan has become Algonquin. New Jersey has become Alderney. And Queens has become Dukes. (Although Staten Island has no counterpart in GTA IV, the reasoning from Rockstar is justifiable - it just wouldn't be any fun to play.)
About GTA IV...
Grand Theft Auto IV was announced on May 9, 2006 at Microsoft's E3 press conference. Peter Moore (who was Corporate Vice-President of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business division at the time of the announcement) rolled up the left sleeve of his t-shirt to reveal a GTA4 tattoo on his arm. He announced that GTA 4 would be available on Xbox 360 in 2007, and revealed that Microsoft and Rockstar Games had formed a strategic alliance in order to provide exclusive episodic content for Xbox Live, giving the community ever-expanding gameplay experiences. Take2 Interactive then issued a press release which announced that GTA IV would be released simultaneously for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in October 2007. However, the game was delayed on August 2, 2007, because some elements of the development were proving to be more time-intensive than originally expected.
GTA: Vice City and GTA: San Andreas were considered to be part of the GTA III trilogy (same graphics engine, similar characters, similar mission style, etc.) which is why this title is called GTA4 and not GTA6, as many had originally anticipated. With the GTA3 trilogy having now ended, Grand Theft Auto IV marks the beginning of a new era in the series. It follows the release of the hugely successful GTA: San Andreas, which was released for PlayStation 2 in 2004, and then later for PC and Xbox during 2005. GTA IV marks the 10th anniversary of the Grand Theft Auto franchise.
It was announced on May 21, 2007, that GTA 4 would be available as a special edition on the same day as the regular edition. It is presented in a customised Grand Theft Auto metal safety deposit box, and includes the game, a limited edition duffel bag, an exclusive keychain, a selected soundtrack CD, and a Grand Theft Auto IV Art Book, featuring never-before-seen production artwork from GTA4.
In Grand Theft Auto 4 you play as Niko Bellic, an immigrant from Eastern Europe who was persuaded (by his cousin, Roman) to move to Liberty City in order to live the "American Dream." However, it soon becomes apparent that he was misled, and the nice life that Niko was expecting is not there. According to Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey, a financial consultant for Take2 Interactive, around 150 developers are currently working on GTA 4.
Game Play...
* Niko can use a mobile phone to recieve calls and phone his contacts. He can also use it to call taxis and purchase weapons. The options presented on the phone's LCD are Phonebook, Messages, Organizer, and Camera.
* Pedestrians smoke cigarettes, read books and newspapers, drop litter, talk on mobile phones, walk in and out of buildings, and generally act like any normal pedestrian would.
* It is possible to climb and descend telephone poles, and exterior fire escapes.
* There are many different animation sets for breaking into cars. One of these involves Niko smashing the side window with his elbow, climbing into the car, and then hotwiring it.
* Niko is able to manage his funds at ATMs.
* GTA IV features multiplayer, but it's "not a massively multiplayer game," according to Rockstar's creative vice president Dan Houser.
* It is possible to surf the internet in GTA4 via internet cafés. It is available from any computer in the game, and provides a hub for all sorts of interactivity within Liberty City.
* The camera angle behind the car is closer than it has been in previous GTAs. This allows you to see more detail on the cars, and more of the verticality of the city.
* In GTA IV, you will gain a police wanted level for any crime that you commit, providing there are witnesses present. The police can only chase you if they know where you are, and they need to see you to know where you are. If you escape the search area marked on the radar without being spotted, your wanted level will disappear.
* In terms of scale, GTA IV is about the same size as GTA: San Andreas, but the map size is considerably smaller. This is mainly due to the fact there is no desert or countryside in Liberty City. Liberty City in GTA4 is the biggest city R* have ever created.
* Every street in Liberty City contains a street sign with a name on it.
* It is possible to do more than one mission at a time. For example, some missions take place over several days and may involve waiting for phonecalls or attending interviews, and you are free to carry out other business during the waiting period.
* The story can be told in a number of different ways. Rockstar are trying to give people greater freedom and sense of control over their destiny. You now have a lot more choice in what you want to do.
Technology...
* Grand Theft Auto 4 runs on Rockstar's proprietary next generation game engine, R.A.G.E., allowing for an unprecedented level of realism and interactivity.
- New sunlight and weather effects which give the city a whole different appearance as the time of day progresses.
- Volumetric lighting effects allow sunlight to stream realistically into dusty interiors. Police spotlights will likely benefit from this effect as well when helicopters kick up debris.
- Normal (bump) maps will provide much more detail in models than the underlying polygons, as well as giving materials more texture and depth.
- Road and building textures are more varied than in previous GTAs. On some roads you will find potholes, metal plates (etc) where the road has been dug up.
- Modern pixel shaders give water, glass, cars, etc.. more realistic reflections and shininess than the earlier games.
- In cars, you can see real reflections on the rear and side-view mirrors.
- In cars, you can see real reflections on the rear and side-view mirrors.
* GTA4 uses euphoria, a fully procedural animation package created by NaturalMotion. The core technology is the Dynamic Motion Synthesis (DMS) system.
- Variations in the terrain are met with realistic changes in the walking animation.
- Unique game moments. Animations are created on the fly, so each player's experience will be unique. Gamers are no longer subjected to pre-recorded animations.
- Characters will react realisticaly to being hit with gunfire, cars, and melee weapons or fists.
- Players will be able to push people out of the way, rather than "floating" past them as in older games.
- Falling/thrown characters will react as in real life- They won't simply be limp, lifeless ragdolls. Nor will they use a canned "super hero" animation like before.
- Characters (and players?) will be able to hang on to helicopters and trucks, which will swing them around as the vehicle moves.
Setting
New York, New York! Economic powerhouse, beacon of hope to optimistic immigrants, home to tens of millions of citizens, rife with crime and seedy underworld riffraff; New York City is the epitome of everything that is American. It's really no wonder that Liberty City, Rockstar's exaggerated and cynical portrayal of New York, has called itself home to more than half of the Grand Theft Auto titles in existence.
Liberty City first appeared alongside Vice City and San Andreas as one of three major levels (cities) in the original Grand Theft Auto. Due to the game being produced by a British development team, much of Liberty City - along with Vice City and San Andreas - was based on stereotypes and twisted to suit British humour. Since then, it has resurfaced as the city of choice for Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto Advance, and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. In every incarnation, Rockstar North consistently embraced the sensationalist, cynical sense of humour that was put forth in the first game.
Even when Liberty was not openly accessible to gamers in other titles, it played a prominent role in establishing the necessary storylines. In Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, the protagonist (Tommy Vercetti) and the mafia family in which he indebted to both hailed from Liberty City. In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the protagonist (Carl Johnson) returned to San Andreas after residing in Liberty City for an extended period of time.
Past incarnations of Liberty City, however, have failed to truly resemble New York. Whereas Vice City was hailed as an achievement in Rockstar's ability to duplicate the overall feel of Miami, the winding streets and communities of Liberty City seemed cold and lifeless by comparison.
Things will be different. Rockstar North has wiped the slate clean, shutting the book on the Grand Theft Auto III trilogy and choosing to start anew. Gone are the days of zombie-like pedestrians, robotic law enforcement and stale surroundings. Liberty City has returned as the setting for Grand Theft Auto IV, but this isn't the Liberty City that we have embraced for over half a decade.
Bigger, grittier, and more brutal than ever, Liberty City is back with a vengeance in Grand Theft Auto IV. Four of the five boroughs - plus a portion of New Jersey - have been recreated from the bottom up in an attempt to finally nail the atmosphere of New York City. The Bronx has become Bohan. Brooklyn has become Broker. Manhattan has become Algonquin. New Jersey has become Alderney. And Queens has become Dukes. (Although Staten Island has no counterpart in GTA IV, the reasoning from Rockstar is justifiable - it just wouldn't be any fun to play.)