GTA IV

[bhodi]

It's here. I have it!






Jack Thomson's on the case:

Mrs. Zelnick
Strauss Zelnick, Take-Two Chairman's Mother
New York, New York Via e-mails to intermediaries

Re: Your Son, Strauss Zelnick

Dear Mrs. Zelnick:

Your son, as you may know (or maybe you don't know), is Chairman of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., whose most popular video games are the Grand Theft Auto murder simulator games banned in some countries but sold to children here.

Your son last week was reported to have said the following about Grand Theft Auto IV, due to be released Tuesday, April 29: "We've already received numerous [GTA IV] reviews, and to a one, they are perfect scores. My mom couldn't write better reviews..." Taking your son's thought, I would encourage you either to play this game or have an adroit video gamer play it for you. Some of the latter gamers are on death row, so try to find one out in the civilian population who hasn't killed someone yet.

What you will see in your son's game, if this iteration of GTA is anything like its predecessors, is incredible interactive violence aimed at police officers (whom you can shoot in the head and see the blood spray), innocent bystanders (whom you can run over with your car just for the heck of it), and of course the plentiful female prostitutes you can have sex with and then filet with a knife or stomp with your feet in order to get your money back. Experts note that the recent plethora of cop killings is caused in part by your darling son's entrepreneurial energy. There are three policemen dead in Alabama because of Grand Theft Auto. I was on 60 Minutes about it. I hope Strauss has provided you with a flat screen tv to see the grief of the bereaved families that fills the screen.

The pornography and violence that your son trafficks in is the kind of stuff that most mothers would be ashamed to see their son putting into the hands of other mothers' children, but, hey, your son Strauss has recently assured the world that he is "a Boy Scout, everybody knows that." I'd love to see the merit badges that Scout Troop handed out. Is there a Ted Bundy merit badge? If so, your loving son deserves one now. It should be red and green, for obvious reasons.

With Passover having just come and gone, it is appropriate to note the following from the Old Testament, Proverbs 22:6:

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

Mrs. Zelnick, did you train up your son, Strauss, to make millions of dollars by pushing Mature-rated video games to children? Any kid can go right to little Strauss' corporate web site and buy GTA IV with no age verification. Strauss is even marketing the new Grand Theft Auto IV on World Wrestling Entertainment tv shows seen by millions of kids. If you trained up Strauss to do this, then shame on you.

But maybe the explanation for your son's corporate sociopathy is to be found in Old Testament Proverb 29:15:

"The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame."

Maybe you, Mrs. Zelnick, were so taken by your handsome son that you spared the rod and spoiled the child. That would explain why he has brought you, by the way he presently acts, "to shame."

There's another mother you would do well to talk to. Mrs. Crump in Alabama had a son who was a police officer. He's now dead because a teenaged boy unwittingly trained himself to kill him on Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. She has a grief she carries every day that only a mother can know.There are other such mothers in the heartland of America whose inhabitants your son simply sees as commercial targets.

Your son, this very moment, is doing everything he possibly can to sell as many copies of GTA IV to teen boys in the United States, a country in which your son claims you raised him to be "a Boy Scout." More like the Hitler Youth, I would say. Happy Mother's day, Mrs. Zelnick, which this year is May 11, two weeks after your son unleashes porn and violence upon other mothers' boys. I'm sure you're very proud.

Sincerely,
Jack Thompson

[cmlancas]

First!

Yes!

Is anyone shocked? I mean what, is this the fourth one now? Or sixth? I lost count. 

[eldaec]

Sixteenth.


 

[Tairnyn]

IGN offers a decent review and gives it a 10/10 rating. I had planned to buy this along with a few friends anyhow, but it's nice to know that it will be a good game worth playing on its own merits.

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/869/869381p1.html

[KallDrexx]

IGN offers a decent review and gives it a 10/10 rating. I had planned to buy this along with a few friends anyhow, but it's nice to know that it will be a good game worth playing on its own merits.

Meh, AC got a bunch of 100% reviews before it came out and yet the gamer reaction was still extremely mixed.  I stopped putting any weight into game reviews.

[Ragnoros]

I hardly like GTA, and I might get it simply because there is NOTHING on the radar until August.

Game publishers! PEOPLE BUY GAMES IN MONTHS OTHER THAN AUG-NOV!!!

[Morfiend]

I been a huge GTA fan ever since GTA2. I cant wait to get this. I will be getting for Xbox 360 for better controller and DLC. What about you guys?

[Velorath]

I been a huge GTA fan ever since GTA2. I cant wait to get this. I will be getting for Xbox 360 for better controller and DLC. What about you guys?

I have not been a huge fan of GTA.  There's nothing coming out for the next several months though, and GTA IV seens to have a lot of online options as well as controls that are supposedly much improved over previous games in the series.  Looks like a likely purchase for me.

[Azazel]

I need to source a Euro copy of this thing somehow. To avoid the local cuttage.

[schild]

If you got it for the PS3, you could just bring it in from any region.

Unless, ahem, you're getting it for the PS3 in which case, no one imports US stuff?!

[MrHat]

This might be the game make fall off the wagon.

[Azazel]

If you got it for the PS3, you could just bring it in from any region.

Unless, ahem, you're getting it for the PS3 in which case, no one imports US stuff?!

I'd need a PS3 first.

Besides, all else being equal, 360 will have DLC, so it'd be the platform of choice.

[Engels]

Que es DLC?

[LK]

Que es DLC?

DownLoadable Content.  Whatever extras they decide to sell through the game's store will be available through Live.  Live has the best system for getting this stuff.

[NiX]

My roomies a filthy pirate (but he is buying an original copy). It's insanely fun.

[stray]

I been a huge GTA fan ever since GTA2. I cant wait to get this.

Same here. Took me quite a while to finish San Andreas though -- even though it was the best one, and even though the missions and presentation were more varied and at a higher standard than before -- it's the just that the formula is getting old. So I imagine that this one will take me even longer to finish.

Won't pass it up though.

[Velorath]

Que es DLC?

MS paid Rockstar $50 mil for some exclusive downloadable content for the game.  The first of the two DLC packs is scheduled for August and is supposed to be around 10 hours long.  The second is due out next year.

[stray]

Jesus, $50 mil? That's already a mega-blockbuster game's budget in and of itself.

[Morfiend]

I been a huge GTA fan ever since GTA2. I cant wait to get this.

Same here. Took me quite a while to finish San Andreas though -- even though it was the best one, and even though the missions and presentation were more varied and at a higher standard than before -- it's the just that the formula is getting old. So I imagine that this one will take me even longer to finish.

Won't pass it up though.

San Andreas was the only one I havent finished. I got really close to the end and just kind of got bored and also sick of listening to the stupid ghetto talk. God I hated the main character in SA. Also the music wasnt great. Vice City I consider one of the best games of all time (for me). The music was awesome, and the gameplay was great.

[stray]

stupid ghetto talk

"Gimme them duckets" is a great line.

[Murgos]

I didn't care for San Andreas but Vice City and Liberty City were amazing and I did pretty much everything in both.  Probably the reason I didn't like SA as much was probably because I had burned out doing all the races, tricks and easter eggs in VC.

That was years ago though.  Now I got a 62" HD TV and I am ready to play this until my thumbs fall off and my GF dumps me.   

[Rasix]

Vice City was too goddamned hard in spots.  I had a lot of fun in SA and really didn't get stuck on any missions.  The outfits I wore committing my mayhem were worth the money alone.

I never completed it, though.  I've never beat any GTA game just because I end up getting too distracted with all of the stuff you can do and eventually lose interest.  I imagine I put in 80+ hours and rarely ever make it to the last area.

[stray]

I don't complete every mission or anything. Screw that. Just the main storylines and such. They're more fun and scripted anyways.

[Miasma]

I always wind up getting frustrated by some of the more difficult missions and start cheating to finish them.  Still enjoy the hell out of them though.  I wonder which will have the better cheats xbox or ps3...

[Sairon]

This really is getting awesome reviews. According to the media this is "The best game ever" pretty much it seems, dethrowning Halo 3 ( Hahaha ). Well, I like sandbox, I hate the culture this game is playing on, but I consider myself a good enough human being to appreciate it anyway. I'll pick it up for my employers money and play it in our game lab with fucking kick ass super hardware and most likely grind it to death 

Oh, and as a Sony fan boy I'd say this is one of the reason for why the Wii is going to loose in the long run, multi platform high production value games isn't going to be hitting the inferior system.

( oh, I'm drunk that means that anything I say, no matter what can't be hold against me, even if I would make an argument that child rape will save mankind. )

[rattran]

This really is getting awesome reviews. According to the media this is "The best game ever" pretty much it seems, dethrowning Halo 3 ( Hahaha ). Well, I like sandbox, I hate the culture this game is playing on, but I consider myself a good enough human being to appreciate it anyway. I'll pick it up for my employers money and play it in our game lab with fucking kick ass super hardware and most likely grind it to death 

Oh, and as a Sony fan boy I'd say this is one of the reason for why the Wii is going to loose in the long run, multi platform high production value games isn't going to be hitting the inferior system.

( oh, I'm drunk that means that anything I say, no matter what can't be hold against me, even if I would make an argument that child rape will save mankind. )

Just saving that so when he sobers up and edits it, it'll be forever.

So, no pc version, and no DLC on the ps3? Kinda sucks. And I suppose the multiplayer is dependant on platform too, so if I want to play with anyone I know I'll have to get an xbox360.

[LK]

GTA4 will dethrone Halo 3, that's for sure, but Call of Duty 4 already did that anyway. :)

I'm eagerly looking forward to this game.  Too bad I can't go on vacation.

[Falconeer]

and no DLC on the ps3?

Wait. Who said no DLC on the PS3?

[schild]

and no DLC on the ps3?

Wait. Who said no DLC on the PS3?

Microsoft paid exclusive rights for DLC.

But frankly, if you exhaust 100% of the shit in GTA4, I still won't believe you.

Also, DLC is 99% bullshit and you know it. If they hold the best content hostage to make people pay extra for it, there are bigger things wrong with the industry. Vote with your wallet.

[eldaec]

So, no pc version, and no DLC on the ps3? Kinda sucks. And I suppose the multiplayer is dependant on platform too, so if I want to play with anyone I know I'll have to get an xbox360.

There will be a PC version, there is always a PC version, we go over this crap every damn time.

[Velorath]

and no DLC on the ps3?

Wait. Who said no DLC on the PS3?

Microsoft paid exclusive rights for DLC.

But frankly, if you exhaust 100% of the shit in GTA4, I still won't believe you.

Also, DLC is 99% bullshit and you know it. If they hold the best content hostage to make people pay extra for it, there are bigger things wrong with the industry. Vote with your wallet.

There might be some DLC on the PS3, but it won't be exlusive and the PS3 won't be getting the 2 DLC "episodes" that the 360 is getting.

As for 99% of DLC being bullshit, I think that's partly due to developers still trying to figure out the best way to approach it.  As a concept, it's inherently no worse than expansion packs.  You're just adding content onto an existing game.  Currently the problem with most DLC is that some developers are charging too much money for not enough content.  There are of course those who are trying to milk DLC plain and simple, like the instances I've heard of where the "DLC" is actually already on the disk, and you're really just buying an unlock code.

[TripleDES]

Needs more PC versions. 

[rattran]

No pc version for now is what I meant. By the time the pc version ships (October?) it'll be passe, so getting multiplayer action will be much harder.

[Strazos]

Demo'ed the game for a bit today. At least in the starting area, the vehicle controls are complete ass on the 360...or maybe it's just that the vehicles are ass?

Also, anyone know if they're doing the stat "grind" again, like you have to go to school to drive better and such?

[Big Gulp]

Also, anyone know if they're doing the stat "grind" again, like you have to go to school to drive better and such?

From what I've read they nixed the RPGish grinding, but you can still play dress up.  Of course, as an inveterate junkie regarding watching numbers rise and bars go up I'll miss the RPGish stuff.

ETA:  I also preordered the game, and I'm just glad they moved past the "black folks like to say nigger!" stage of the series.  San Andreas grated on me.