The reviewer in question, Hilary Goldstein, editor-in-chief at IGN's Xbox 360 channel, talked to GameDaily about the GTA IV review mini-hubbub, chalking up Fritz's concerns to a possible grudge.

Goldstein theorizes that "if Variety didn't get the game early then you're looking at somebody, I don't know, who had a grudge on his shoulder because he didn't even have the game yet and we'd already put out the review." He thinks that to break an agreed upon embargo, similar to the one we agreed to with Rockstar for our own GTA IV review, would be a bigger ethics violation.

While I don't think that sums up Variety's particular concern and IGN editors swear everything's kosher, that no money or promises were exchanged, I think it's simply a matter of frustration with how coverage in the video game media industry is handled, how it's doled out to established video game outlets like IGN and not to those not known for their video game coverage. What may be simply a sign of an immature, capitulating industry, one populated with zealous fans, may not be as ethically troubling as it is indicative of one that needs to grow.

Media Coverage: IGN Says Variety May Have 'Grudge' [GameDaily]

The publisher said that more than 30 million sessions of the game, totalling 32 million hours of gameplay, were logged from April 4 to April 12. Sheesh, you guys really do live your COD.

"Infinity Ward is extremely grateful for support from our loyal Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare community around the world," said Robert Bowling, community relations manager, Infinity Ward. "From the beginning, we were committed to do our best and that continues now with the Variety Map Pack. We can't wait to get back online with everyone."

Hit the jump for the full release.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Variety Map Pack Sets Xbox LIVE Marketplace Record
Surpasses One Million Paid Downloads in First Nine Days

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Apr 21, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq:ATVI) announced today that the Call of Duty 4(R): Modern Warfare(TM) Variety Map Pack, developed by Infinity Ward, has set a new record for the number of paid downloads on Xbox LIVE(R) Marketplace for the Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, surpassing one million downloads in the first nine days since its release. Additionally, from April 4 to April 12, Xbox LIVE members played more than 30 million sessions and logged more than 32 million hours of gameplay. Available exclusively for download via Xbox LIVE online entertainment network now through April 24, the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Variety Map Pack expands the experience of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the worldwide best-selling game in units of 2007, according to The NPD Group, Chart Track and The GFK Group. Since its release, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare has sold in excess of nine million units worldwide.

The Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Variety Map Pack includes four new multiplayer maps featuring a variety of locations, while supporting split-screen and system link play for 800 Microsoft Points. The Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Variety Map Pack will be available for download via the PlayStation Network beginning April 24 for $9.99.

"Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare delivers one of the best online multiplayer experiences ever," said Will Kassoy, senior vice president, global brand management, Activision Publishing, Inc. "We are excited to be able to expand that experience and deliver to fans a new variety of locations and environments which have all of the intensity they have come to expect with Call of Duty."

"Infinity Ward is extremely grateful for support from our loyal Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare community around the world," said Robert Bowling, community relations manager, Infinity Ward. "From the beginning, we were committed to do our best and that continues now with the Variety Map Pack. We can't wait to get back online with everyone."

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products. Founded in 1979, Activision posted net revenues of $1.5 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2007.

Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands, Australia, Japan and South Korea. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company's World Wide Web site, which is located at www.activision.com.

It's a huge talk. I can't digest it all into bullet points for you. But he delves into the origin of the 3D GTA titles, more or less saying that Take Two's 1999 acquisition of DMA (which became Rockstar, and now Rockstar North) was to answer an internal dispute of whether Grand Theft Auto could be done in 3D. We know the answer to that.

Fritz asks Houser if, at any point, the creators doubted that the level of detail put into GTA III would even matter, much less become the baseline expectation of the sandbox genre as we know it. Houser answers with a visionary's conviction:

I remember when we were talking about 60 or 80 different speaking parts, I remember it was such a big production issue, but the thing we never spoke about was, "Are people going to care about it?" Our attitude always was, "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing. If they don't' like it..."

I agree wholeheartedly. Some first person games, I feel like I'm looking into a shoebox diorama of the world where I'm playing. Admittedly, a well rendered, often fun diorama. But it makes me wonder again why they ever did the first-person free-look in GTA III and Vice City (I will never stop complaining about that.)

There's tons more in the full interview.

Dan Houser's very extended interview about everything "Grand Theft Auto IV" and Rockstar [Variety]

Variety's Ben Fritz reports, in his shiny new video game blog, that a Grand Theft Auto movie starring Eminem was virtually a done deal with one of six major studios in place last spring.

It was such a sure thing that Variety and a number of other publications had actually done interviews and were prepping to write the article. But at the last minute the whole thing turned to ash and blew away in the wind.

It's not clear what helped convince the Take-Two folks, who have long been wooed by Hollywood to turn their baby into a movie, or why the deal fell apart, but both likely have something to do more with Take-Two management than Rockstar input.

The Grand Theft Auto Movie That Almost Was [The Cut Scene]

Warner sister company New Line confirmed it will shift allegiance to Blu-ray only as well.

Warner's other companies which include HBO and BBC, still have not announced whether they will make the shift as well, but it seems unlikely that they would go the other way. But, time is of the essence for distributors it seems as Warner CEO Barry Meyer states:

"The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger."

One more nail in the HD DVD coffin?

Warner Bros. backs Blu-ray [Variety]

The review continues to point out flaws that other reviewers made nearly no mention of, writing that Super Mario Galaxy is "evidence of how bad the Wii is for third person action games", pointing to The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess as further evidence of that claim.

Additional complaints include poor use of the Wii's motion controls and "one of the worst two-player experiences ever seen in a videogame."

Personally, I tend to disagree with Mr. Fritz's opinion of Super Mario Galaxy, as our opinions on each one of these matters are at opposite ends of the spectrum. From my experience with the game, Nintendo nailed not only the perfect balance between Wii remote usage and traditional Mario-style platforming, but also added a two-player mode that suits the Wii audience quite well. I'm also quite glad that people are entitled to their opinions, so I'm not going to work myself into a froth over it.

But I hear some pitchforks being sharpened somewhere...

Super Mario Galaxy [Variety]

Ben Fritz has an interesting column up over on Variety that points out that comparing a movie to a video game is quickly becoming a shorthand way of saying it sucks.

For today's movie critics, videogames are the new MTV musicvideo, a shorthand insult for any movie deemed too heavy on effects and visual panache at the expense of plot and coherence.

Anyone who has spent much time playing videogames — a category in which, it seems safe to assume, few established film critics fall — knows the comparison is both artistically demeaning and substantively wrong.

Fritz than launches into a defense of video games, pointing out that not all games are mindless gore-fests, sure some are, but it's absurd to bunch them all under one umbrella and about as fair as "dismissing the art of moviemaking based on "Wild Hogs.""

I think this increasingly wide-spread insult in movie reviews is mostly a product of pop culture ignorance and a sign that some movie critics are becoming increasingly detached from the mass culture they should be so versed in. Brian Crecente

300 Critics Cling to Consoles [Variety]

According to the article, the PS3's roll-out will begin this holiday season instead of this Spring. If Sony still plans on delaying the launch in the U.S. until well after the Japan launch, then it sounds likt we won't be playing on the Playstation 3 here until next year.

Here's the Variety snippets about the PS3:

Sony's new PlayStation 3 was widely expected to be introduced this spring, but will be delayed as the company fine-tunes the chips that are crucial to the success of the console's Blu-ray function. The PlayStation 3 —- which is being called "the poor man's Blue-ray" —- is vital to Sony's plans because it plays Blu-ray discs as well as videogames.

Sony will roll out the PS3 by year end, in time for the holidays. If PS3 "delivers what everyone thinks it will, the game is up," Stringer boasts.

Blu-ray is the system developed by Sony to view next-generation high-definition DVDs. Rival format HD DVD is championed by Toshiba. Microsoft recently joined the HD DVD camp, a move that came as its Xbox 360 videogame console is trying to grab market share from PlayStation, the industry leader.

Traveling Man [Variety]