Grand Theft Auto IV Xbox 360

Released on 29/04/2008

• Grand Theft Auto IV Review

  Grand Theft-Anory

  Allow me to tell you a short story. It won’t take long, I promise.

  I got home late last night. Something needed doing, and lucky me, I got the call. But hey, I got a solid six hours kip so I can’t really complain. It was also a beautiful morning, which helped. It’s nice to wake up on a day like this and know that you don’t have anything pressing to do for a change. I took a walk down the street, picked up a breakfast hotdog on the way and pondered what to do with the rest of my day. One phone call later and Michelle had somewhat reluctantly agreed to go out with me again, and I was to pick her up in an hour.

  Right, so now I know what I’m doing with my hard earned time off. Next question. What to wear? Last time we went out she didn’t like my suit and pointed out that my polished black loafers looked stupid. I go casual. I get back into the car I left parked outside last night and head on up to her apartment to pick her up.

  She says I look good, and that she particularly likes my glasses. Result, all going well so far. She leaves our destination up to me, so I pick that dingy Irish bar I’d spotted the other day. A couple of drinks to see loosen up a little, and see where we go from there.

  She says I look good, and that she particularly likes my glasses. Result, all going well so far.

  An hour or two later, we leave the bar. I’m supremely tanked. Completely steaming. Absolutely clockfaced. Michelle’s moaning at me that it’s probably not a good idea for me to drive and that we should get a taxi back to her place. Screw you, woman, I’m fine to drive.

  This is where it all goes a little wonky. I remember accidentally shooting her in the knees a couple of times. Then I think she stumbled a little bit…maybe into the road? Yeah, definitely into the road. That explains how she got hit by that SUV. And then that sedan coming the other way.

  That’s when she told me that she didn’t want to see me again for a while. Bugger.

  A long, lonely taxi ride home on my own, then. What a way to end a day, eh? As I get in the opening licks of 1979 by the Smashing Pumpkins come on the radio. My driver tells me he’ll take the long way round, but I don’t really care. I settle back into my seat. I’ve got all the time in the world, pal.

  The sky suddenly grows cloudy, the light fading rapidly. A rumble of thunder announces the downpour and the people unlucky enough to be caught outside run for cover.

  Corgan’s still on the radio. I take another look out of my window. The city looks beautiful in the rain.

  Corgan’s still on the radio. I take another look out of my window. The city looks beautiful in the rain.

  I smile, I sigh. What a way to end a day. Perfect.

  And then there’s me, the real me this time, sat on my sofa with my feet up sipping a chilled beverage, smiling. I’ve had a “moment”.

  You could apply the usual metrics of quality, but then you'd be missing something. See, the story is superb, the characters are superb, the graphics are superb, the sound is superb, and the "gameplay" (in the traditional sense) is superb. But this is a Grand Theft Auto game, those should be givens.

  Sure, the huge open world and the freedom to do almost anything is a given as well, but we've never had the amount of depth that we do here. It's simply staggering. And as deep as the world is, you're eased into it with a care and a delicacy which ensures that you're never overwhelmed, yet by the same token never left champing at the bit. It's masterfully done, it really is.

  Packed with such moments, with stories, with humanity, random minutia, unique experiences and unexpected results, GTA IV is so much more than your standard, run of the mill game. Forget the mass-media coverage that cheapens the experience with yawnsome stories of extreme violence (there are far more violent games out there if that's what you want) and concentrate on what GTA IV is - an epic, lovingly crafted, cheekily-humorous and satirical take on crime-fiction which will keep you entertained for months.

  Review by: Iain Thomas
  Version Tested: X360
  Review Published: 02.05.08

  Published: 02/05/2008

• LA Noire dated?

  With Duke Nukem Forever finally getting a 6th May release date, it's only fitting that another long-awaited game should be touching down around the same time. A leaked trailer for the amazing LA Noire has suggested Rockstar's latest will be showing up in stores around 17th May.

  According to Eurogamer, it's not clear at the moment whether this date refers to a global launch or is purely when Americans can expect to play the game. Either way, it's hard to see a European launch tagging a long too far behind it.

  LA Noire was first unveiled way back in 2005, so we've waited long enough to get our hands on this intriguing game. Set in the 1940s, Rockstar's game sees you signing up with the Los Angeles Police Department and tackling crimes, via shooting and racing around in cars, of course, but also through interrogating suspects - a system that depends upon the game's amazing motion-capture that records every nuance of an actor's performance and processes it into the game.

  With a huge script and a brilliant setting, this should be just the ticket for anyone who's finished Red Dead Redemption and is itching for a bit more Rockstar brilliance. LA Noire will be available for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

• Rockstar hints at movie projects

  From GTA to Red Dead Redemption and now L.A. Noire, super-publisher Rockstar has specialised in games so cinematic that they should come with popcorn. Now it seems that the company might be eyeing a future on the big screen.

  Details have surfaced that the company has registered a trademark for a spin-off called Rockstar Films, and also owns two internet domains under the same title.

  The Rockstar Films trademark covers re-recorded video discs and other pre-recorded digital and electronic media in the field of live action programs, motion pictures, or animation featuring entertainment, namely, action, adventure, dramatic, comedic, children's and documentary themes./p>

  It has long been suggested that the publisher would make a move into movies, but in 2008 Rockstar quashed rumours that it was preparing a Grand Theft Auto movie. However, the publisher has dabbled in Hollywood, hiring director John Hillcoat (The Road) to put together a short film called The Man from Blackwater using footage from Red Dead Redemption.

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