Nintendo's Reggie Would Love To See "Bottoms-Up" Wii GTA

Grand Theft Auto doesn't exactly leap into mind when you hear someone say "Nintendo 2.0". But new Nintendo is getting a GTA title, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, for the DS. Does that mean the Wii will get its own GTA? Says Nintendo of America honcho Reggie Fils-Aime:

All I can tell you is that since the day I walked in the door, I’ve had a very good relationship with the folks at Take Two, continue to have a good relationship. And so in our view we want just the best content coming on our platforms... You know, a GTA on the Wii is all based on what Rockstsar and Take Two want to do. And again, from our standpoint, if they build a bottoms-up game that takes advantage of what we do well, I’d love to see it on the platform.

And hey, why the heck not?

Nintendo President Talks ‘Grand Theft Auto’ Deal [MTV Multiplayer] [Pic]

Rumor: Prank Results in Half-Assed "Confirmation" of GTA IV for PC

Not sure what to make of this. Bullshit radar says "proof of nothing" because there's no reason for tech support to be looped in on a game in development. That said, two guys worked up an extremely patient, social engineering prank that had 2K Games support believing, or at least suspicious of the possibility of a hacked Grand Theft Auto IV demo on pirate sites. And in the back-and-forth, it turned up this reply from tech support:

"The PC version of GTA IV has not even been announced for release and is still in development so is not about to be released on a website."

Okay, who voted with McWhertor in the E3 betting pool? Nintendo has announced that Grand Theft Auto is hitting the Nintendo DS in the form of Grand Theft Auto: China Town Wars, a game built with a custom engine and set in a mondern-day Liberty City. Details were vague but the the news certainly stirred the crowd at the Nintendo E3 2008 press conference.

We've had handheld GTA before, but handheld GTA on a device that can play a game for upwards of 14 hours straight? That's dangerous.

Hit the jump for the full press release from Rockstar!

That guy is Seth Krauss, the less-public and certainly-not-recommended-for-disbarment other half of litigation involving Grand Theft Auto and Take Two. He's the general counsel for Take Two, and Gamepolitics ran across a profile of him in The National Law Journal. While it's not stocked with amazing conference room screengrabs or a discussion of next-gen subpoena-quashing physics, it does reveal some interesting tidbits about Take Two's legal muscle.

Whatever you think of the law or those who practice it, this guy's out there lawyerin' and lobbyin' for your rights to play — well, Take Two games, at least.

Sam Houser Still Hungry

Grand Theft Auto IV was an enormous success. Really, it doesn't get any bigger than that! So, imagine if you (yes, you) were one of the creative forces behind that title. You'd probably pack up and call it a day. Well, good thing you're not and Rockstar's Sam Houser is. The Rockstar honcho says that he (and gaming) are only getting started and that there's still so much left to be done. Says Houser:

What have I got left to achieve? Everything. We are only scratching at the surface of games' potential as a creative medium.

Fantastic to hear this kinda stuff from a guy like Houser.

Rockstar boss: Games industry has ‘limitless’ potential [MCVUK via VG247]

Burger King Welcomes Germany to Veg City

Over in Germany, Burger King is running an edgy Vice City inspired campaign called Veg City. The website has a true Grand Theft Auto-style map, and there are mini games like a sniper games, red light district multiple choice game minus vegetable fucking, and an airport baggage game. Nothing quite like pickle hookers and capsicums getting cavity searches! Imaginative stuff.

Welcome to Veg City! [Official Site via Marblehead Blog via GamePolitics]

You know the "rule." The rule that states "pornography or sexually related material exists for any conceivable subject"? A recent Suicide Girls spread is further proof of the theory, as one of its models, Bob, has taken Grand Theft Auto IV cover girl lust and turned it into an excuse to get naked. (Yes, Bob's a woman.)

This particular Lola looks to only have five fingers, so the fantasy may be blown for some of you. But for anyone looking for a NSFW thrill, carry on. Membership is obviously required, as we all know the internet doesn't give away its smut for free.

GTA A Tribute to Lola [Suicide Girls]

A GTA IV Baseball Bat? The Better To Beat You With, My Dear

From the Good Ideas Division at Rockstar Games comes new Grand Theft Auto IV branded swag that's sure to get the game violence wonks in a lather. Popular Mechanics bloggers were on the optimal end of an aluminum baseball bat recently, something they wanted to show off. No word if that's fake blood or just sloppy calzone eating. Now, the mailman has already come to my house, but perhaps Rockstar has dispatched these via UPS or DHL. They always run a bit late.

You know, I actually live in a sketchy neighborhood, Rockstar bat-givers. If I'm assaulted by a local vagrant, you'll have my blood on your hands. Just a thought.

GTA IV Baseball Bat Moves Gaming Violence From Couch to the Streets [Popular Mechanics]

Wall Street Journal: GTA IV's No Godfather

First we have a thematic discussion on Metal Gear Solid IV in the New York Times, and now we have a thorough treatment of Grand Theft Auto IV in the Wall Street Journal by Pulitzer Prize winner Junot Dìaz. Really exciting stuff, if you ask me.

Dìaz examines the art value of GTA IV, prompted by exultant commentary from the games press that calls the game on par with or exceeding film triumphs like Scarface and The Godfather - and, in an editorial well-supported by factual comparisons, he finds it comes up short:

Arise, Sirs Dan And Sam Houser?

As savvy a piss-take on modern America as the Grand Theft Auto series has become, it's always worth remembering that it's not an American series. It's a British one. Rockstar are a British company (as were DMA), their founders, British. And with the GTA series nestled securely atop the gaming world in terms of both critical acclaim and popularity, Develop are wondering...when can we expect the series to start getting some serious recognition? Sure, they may have their tongue resting gently inside their cheeks when pondering how long til we see "the inevitable coming of Sir Sam Houser, or Dan Houser OBE", but the point itself is still valid! France are down with bestowing major recognition upon noted game developers, you can't help but wonder when places like Britain (and the US) will start doing likewise.

Knights of the Sandbox City [Develop]

Teen Crime Spree Inspired By Grand Theft Auto

Six teenagers were in court today following an all-night crime spree that began late Wednesday night and lasted into the early morning hours. The six teens allegedly began the evening with a mugging outside of a Nassau County, New York supermarket, eventually parading down a Garden City street carrying baseball bats and a crow bar, robbing one motorist and smashing a passing vehicle with a bat. What would cause such behavior in our impressionable young teens? Grand Theft Auto, of course.

"It was determined that they were emulating the character in that Grand Theft Auto game, going on a crime spree" using weapons and tactics inspired by the controversial video game, said Det. Sgt. Anthony Repalone, a Nassau police spokesman.

"We got certain admissions" from the boys, Repalone said.

Good luck on using the old GTA defense boys. It might just work, unless of course the prosecutors play the "You are all obviously f***ing morons" card.

Cops: Video game inspired crime spree [Newsday.com]

Connecticut Senator Searching For "Rape Scene" In GTA IV

Connecticut Senator Gayle Slossberg (D) recently told The New Haven Advocate that the rape scene in Grand Theft Auto IV, where you earn "points for rape," is so alarming that she'd like to see a law passed that features better warning labels.

Yeah, of course, there's no rape scene in GTA IV. But Slossberg appears to be pretty convinced she'd see it, if she could only play well enough to reach that point in the game. Or so she said during a Capitol press conference, according to the Advocate.

The article says she'd like "confirmation" that there is no rape scene in the game. I suppose this is another "write your representative" situation where she could use some (polite) information?

Connecticut State Senator Alarmed Over (non-existent) Rape Scene in GTA IV [New Haven Advocate via GamePolitics]

"Hot Coffee" Class Action Suit Claims Show Very Few Were Offended

GTA IV "Beginning Of The End" For Next-Gen?

Over at GigaOM, Wagner James Au argues that the mammoth launch success of Grand Theft Auto IV is "the beginning of the end" for the next-gen. If a launch that universally successful can't budge hardware sales - and GTA IV really didn't - then "drastic changes" may be to come, says Au:

Expect to see games made for lower budgets, targeted at wider audiences (ones that aren’t fixated on high-end 3D graphics) and delivered over broadband with a micropayment program in place. Don’t expect a follow-up to the 360 or PS3 anytime soon, either. In other words, the days when so-called “next-gen” gaming reigned supreme are coming to end — instead, the industry’s future will be shaped by games like Rock Band.

Once a month or so, N'Gai Croal and I debate a video game. Usually we do it well after a game's been released. We call our exchanges Vs. Mode, co-publish them on both of our blogs, and hope that people have enough bathroom time to read them.

The latest debate concluded this morning. It's all about Grand Theft Auto IV. We talked about bringing our A game for this one. Or at least we would have if we spoke in sports metaphors. It's full of spoilers... about the game's moral quandaries, its ending and other stuff. So beware.

But if you're looking to see him have a go at me for preferring San Andreas to GTA IV and if you're interested in stuff like this...

N'Gai: I'm wondering whether the fault lies not with inconsistencies in the work of Rockstar's writing team, but with the credulity of all of us. Liberty City is filled with self-deluded characters like Playboy X, Manny and Brucie, who present themselves one way only to be exposed by their behavior. Why do we take Niko at face value? Is it just because he's our avatar? ... Maybe Niko is deceiving himself as much as do the rest of the lowlifes he runs with. Maybe as much as he believes he's fatigued with death and killing, he's actually drawn to it? Maybe we have all misunderstood Niko Bellic.

...then head to either of our sites and read the loooong debate. I'm linking to his version, because I'm classy.

Round One
Round Two
Final Round

Rockstar Patches GTA IV

Grand Theft Auto IV players logging in today for their daily fix will be greeted by a quick little patch that addresses several small issues in the game on both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Highlights include increasing the frequency and reliability of leaderboard updates on the PS3 version, fixing Cops 'n Crooks so that players can no longer earn ridiculously high scores, and my personal favorite - fixing the countdown timer for multiplayer matches so it no longer resets every time a new player enters the game, causing the assembled players to call said newbie names I cannot repeat in this space.

Other than that, a few quick fixes to address hangs and such. Hit the link for the full skinny on the newly polished GTA IV experience.

GRAND THEFT AUTO IV PATCH [Rockstar Games Social Club]

Back in February we spotted a rumor that a GTA movie starring Eminem almost happened. It was knocked down the same day by Rockstar's Dan Houser, who said "we never entertained proceeding with the project." Maybe the story pitch was crap, but even if it wasn't, now we know at least one reason why.

LA Weekly's Nikkie FInke reports on her blog that a settlement prohibits Rockstar from making a movie based on Grand Theft Auto, which is the same name as a 1977 film whose rights are owned by Fox. The settlement also prohibits Fox from making any video game based on that movie. I've never seen it, but considering all the crappy adaptations done out there, obviously this settlement was more about protecting Fox's copyrights than Rockstar's.

Interestingly, the Grand Theft Auto film in question got an updated box right around the time the original GTA craze hit (above), and you can see the similarities in the typefaces. Not sure if this was part [or provocation] of the settlement or not.

All About the Grand Theft Auto Movie [Nikkie FInke's Deadline Hollywood Daily, via Shacknews]

Real Niko Bellic Is Real Swarthy