Viewing news posted in April 2013

New GTAV Trailers! Michael. Franklin. Trevor.

30
Apr
2013
By Chris | 30th Apr 2013 at 14:59 GMT in GTA V | 20 Comments

Here they are, three brand new trailers for GTA V. Enjoy!



Over 160 screenshots taken from the trailer have been added to our gallery. Some of these are referenced in our summary of what we saw in the trailers below.


Analysis

Michael

Michael's trailer shows how he is trying to maintain his and his family's luxurious lifestyle all while trying to manage his anger issues, which often come out in the form of some explosive scenes. Michael reveals he is "rich and miserable" as he talks to his therapist - something which doesn't appear to be working particularly effectively.

  • Song: Queen - Radio GaGa
  • Breast physics! Something that will surely excite the adolescent fans. We briefly see this with a girl dancing, and later a bikini-clad woman jumping out of the way of oncoming bikes. To be fair to the Rockstar devs, they actually bounce realistically and not in the exaggerated way you may have seen in the Dead of Alive franchise.
  • Michael drives a red Sentinel has a vanity plate that reads "KRYST4L" - interestingly his wife's name is Amanda and daughter is Tracy. Who Krystal is remains a mystery. In the opening scene, the Sentinel has a different plate.
  • We see a Securicar being smashed into by a tow truck which then crashes through a wall. This is most likely a cutscene, nonetheless we're still hopeful for some destructible elements in the environment.
  • Some brands we see are the Vapid car dealership, as well as the Vangelico jewellery store.
  • After the helicopter chase scene we see Michael crashing through a window and taking a hostage - this is likely the mission GameInformer saw in their world exclusive preview.
  • A victim is sniped and his corpse clearly shows an exit wound caused by the bullet.
  • The jet engines of a large aircraft (hopefully pilotable) are powerful enough to blast what appears to be a new model of police car up barrel rolling into the air.

Franklin

Franklin's trailer shows him to have a completely different lifestyle to Michael's. He doesn't have the riches, but he certainly has the street smarts and knowledge of how to handle guns.

  • Song: Jay Rock feat. Kendrick Lamar - Hood Gone Luv It
  • First off we see a man cleaning a Buffalo which possibly has a slightly customised paint job. This could hint at some car customisation in the game, or may simply be a different model.
  • While Franklin's dog Chop is still the only dog we've had a proper look at (not counting the one on the beach in the first trailer), the man he is talking with (his friend Lamar) can clearly be seen holding a dog lead. We suspect dog ownership will be fairly commonplace.
  • A gangbanger shot in one of the following scenes also shows an exit wound to the side of his back.
  • In a helicopter chase, we get a glimpse of the helicopter cockpit. Cockpit view when driving vehicles is something that fans have been asking for ever since GTA III, whether or not we'll see this in all vehicles remains to be seen. It could just be part of this cutscene, or perhaps only an option when flying large aircraft where the "behind view" is somewhat obstructive due to the aircraft's size.
  • In the police chase this is part of we can definitely see improvements to lighting effects, and in many other scenes too.
  • Butts to gawk at.
  • Weapons attachments - the shotgun Franklin wields in this scene has a tactical light mounted to it - another indication of customisable weapons.
  • Fire animations look a lot better than GTA IV's and much more realistic.
  • Finally, it's worth pointing out that throughout the trailer we see an awful lot of green (Grove Street Families) and some purple (Ballas), as well as graffiti alluding to Grove Street. Some fans have been vocal on forums and Twitter hoping for a cameo from CJ and/or other characters from San Andreas. It is quite possible some less famous characters will make cameo appearances.

Trevor

Finally, Trevor's trailer provides a lot a comic relief as he firmly cements himself as being a hilariously disgusting and psychotic maniac. Much of the noteworthy points have already been made while looking at Michael's and Franklin's trailers, but there are a couple of things worth mentioning in this one.

  • Song:
  • The Lost is confirmed to have a chapter in Los Santos. We see evidence of this in one of the first scenes where Trevor twats a Lost member round the face with a baseball bat. The unfortunate man is wearing a Lost jacket. The Lost logo is seen later on much more clearly in the background of this scene.
  • NPC's are shown to use their mobile phones to capture footage of Trevor's mental actions. It would be interesting if NPC's witnessed you committing crimes would call the police to your location, and if you could kill them before they were able to make the call...
  • More hints at car customisation with various vehicles in various scenes that appear to have some modifications when compared to their standard models.
  • We a see an old lady attempt to stop Trevor from strangling a man who is presumably her husband, by flailing her handbag at him. It's possible that NPC AI will cause them to react based on events happening nearby.
  • We get a much better look at those sexy new fire animations.

New artwork was also released today, featuring the three main characters.

michael_l_th.jpg franklin_l_th.jpg trevor_l_th.jpg


So, which trailer was your favourite?

Join Kifflom for a chance to be in GTAV

29
Apr
2013
By Chris | 29th Apr 2013 at 20:02 GMT in GTA V | 4 Comments

Rockstar have updated the Epsilon Program website giving you an opportunity to join their enlightment seminar. What this actually is is a casting call where 5 lucky people will get their likeness put into the game! You have from now until the 27th May to enter, and you must be over 18 to do so. A similar opportunity was given to fans for Max Payne 3 last year.

 


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Rockstar Games is holding a “casting call” event giving Grand Theft Auto fans an opportunity to be cast as one of five Epsilon Program members in Grand Theft Auto V. If you are chosen, your features will be used to create one of the five characters in the game.

New GTA V Previews Coming 2nd May

26
Apr
2013
By Chris | 26th Apr 2013 at 19:04 GMT in GTA V | 5 Comments

Following on from the news that we'll be getting three new trailers on Tuesday, it turns out that various gaming journalists have seen the latest demo of Grand Theft Auto V, so we'll also be getting brand new previews of what they saw next week.

 

The previews, which were announced today by certain gaming websites including CVG, are scheduled to go live a few days after the trailers on 2nd May at 5PM BST (12PM EST). As these are the first previews of the game to appear since November, they are certain to contain a wealth of new information.

 

Stay tuned to TGTAP as we'll have links to previews from all the sites we can find, as well as a detailed summary of any new information.

New GTA V Trailers Coming 30th April!

25
Apr
2013
By Chris | 25th Apr 2013 at 12:51 GMT in GTA V | 3 Comments

Rockstar have just announced new Grand Theft Auto V trailers will be coming on the 30th April! Note the plural "trailers" - looks like we'll be getting three individual character trailers, possibly a bit shorter than a standard trailer but collectively worth a few minutes of footage.


UPDATE: The trailers will be online at 4 P.M. BST in the UK (that's 11 A.M. EDT if you're in the US).


Epsilon Program Screensaver and Tweets

22
Apr
2013
By Chris | 22nd Apr 2013 at 15:54 GMT in GTA V | 7 Comments

After a few months of quiet, the Epsilon Program Twitter started posting again over the last couple of days, and yesterday talked about a screensaver being released. This has led to Rockstar releasing a screensaver today which you can see a preview of and download below. The screensaver appears to show in-game scenery and some new character art.
 

 

The Goals and the Pledge of Epsilon will continue to be revealed in due time.

Install the Epsilon Program screensaver.

The Epsilon Program does not exist in just one time or place. We invite you to visit one of our enlightenment centers.
Directions will be provided in one week's time.

The Epsilon Program is an obvious scam cult and a fictional parody of the real life cult known as the Church of Scientology, as well as a elements seen in a number of religions. The program was first seen as a teaser site for GTA: San Andreas and was referenced in later games including GTA IV. It may be worth noting that the real Church of Scientology is based in Los Angeles where GTA V is also set, so how much Epsilon will feature in the game remains to be seen, but it could play a bigger role than it has done in the past. We speculate this simply due to the game's focus on money - something that both real life Scientology and in-game Epsilon both attract easily.

The History of Grand Theft Auto Documentary

21
Apr
2013
By Chris | 21st Apr 2013 at 18:22 GMT in General | 1 Comment

 

GamerSpawn last night live streamed a 45 minute documentary on the history of the Grand Theft Auto franchise, and the video of this is now available to watch as and when you want. For those who might not have heard of them before, GamerSpawn's YouTube channel racked up a substantial number of fans a couple of years ago after creating two great documentaries on the history of the Battlefield and Call of Duty franchises, the latter of which I felt was particularly good having been a huge CoD fan myself since the first game was released back in 2003.

 

Back on topic, GamerSpawn's latest documentary focuses on Grand Theft Auto. This well narrated film is an enjoyable watch and will surely bring back a lot of good memories for those of you who have played all the games. For those who are perhaps newer fans to the series you will find it particularly insightful, and if you haven't played some of the earlier games I would certainly recommend getting hold of them. While many of you may know everything there is to know about Rockstar and GTA, there are plenty who won't, and if you're one of those people, be sure to give this a watch - you'll learn a few interesting things about the company and the games.

 

Of course, covering the history of Grand Theft Auto isn't a new thing, and no doubt many of you will have read articles over the years which tend to come out during periods between releases. If you enjoyed watching this, GameTrailers' Grand Theft Auto Retrospective was also particularly notable, and we'd recommend watching that too if you have the time.

Two New GTAV Artworks - Cash and Carry

15
Apr
2013
By Chris | 15th Apr 2013 at 22:59 GMT in GTA V | 5 Comments

Rockstar has released two new artworks tonight, featuring Michael and Franklin. In Rockstar's own words:

Presenting two new artwork releases, both glimpsed in our recently revealed official Grand Theft Auto V cover. This Cash and Carry pair of illustrations depicts Michael and Franklin getting things done – by sea, or by land.

Of course many other modes of transport will also be available to accommodate your travel needs across Los Santos and Blaine County on September 17th...

Click the images below to see the full versions or head over to our GTA V Artwork page to see more. Lots of different resolutions can be grabbed via Rockstar Downloads.
 

v_franklin_bike_chase_th.jpg v_michael_jetski_th.jpg

Rockstar Release High-res Digital LCS and VCS Maps

10
Apr
2013
By Chris | 10th Apr 2013 at 18:39 GMT in General | 3 Comments

In honour of the recent releases of Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories on the PlayStation Network, Rockstar have released high-res digital versions of the original printed maps that came with retail copies of the games. This follows on from a similar move they made last December with high-res GTA trilogy maps after the arrival of GTA III, Vice City, and San Andreas on PSN. Click the thumbnails below to see them in full size.

 

gtalcsmap_th.jpg gtavcsmap_th.jpg

 

Link: Rockstar Newswire

GTA Trilogy Kubricks Update, San Andreas Set Now Available

05
Apr
2013
By Chris | 5th Apr 2013 at 11:41 GMT in San Andreas | 6 Comments

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Rockstar have updated the Kubrick collection on the Rockstar Warehouse with the addition of a San Andreas box set released for the first time today. The Vice City set has also been re-released in special 10th Anniversary Edition packaging, with the original sets having sold out a long time ago. Additionally, the GTA III set is still available, with only 200 sets remaining out of the initial 3000 that were made.
 
Check out the pictures below for descriptions and links to the individual sets.
 

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Super rare and highly sought-after amongst both GTA fans and Kubricks collectors, you can now score the San Andreas Kubrick Box Set directly from Rockstar Warehouse. Featuring Carl “CJ” Johnson, Officer Tenpenny, Big Smoke, Ryder, and straight from “The Mothership,” The Truth.

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Having sold out long ago, the Vice City Kubrick Box Set is now back in stock in a special reissue celebrating the game's recent 10th anniversary. In special Anniversary themed packaging as seen above, the set includes Tommy Vercetti, Candi Suxx, Lance Vance, Ricardo Diaz, and that bonkers ambulance chaser, Ken Rosenberg.

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You can also pick up the previously released Grand Theft Auto 3 Kubrick Box Set featuring 8-Ball, Claude, Donald Love, Misty and Salvatore Leone. Only 3,000 units were ever released worldwide and we're down to less than 200 pieces currently remaining available at the Warehouse so get 'em while you can.

 

To celebrate this update, you'll receive a 15% discount off your entire order if you purchase any Kubrick set, Rockstar will also throw in a Rockstar Keychain while supplies last. You'll need to order by 12th April to take advantage of this offer.

Liberty City Stories & Vice City Stories Now Available On PSN

03
Apr
2013
By Chris | 3rd Apr 2013 at 20:28 GMT in Vice City Stories | 3 Comments

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As announced last week, today marks the release of Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories on the PSN Store, completing Rockstar Games' PS2 Classics collection on the PS3 - at least for the Grand Theft Auto franchise (other classic Rockstar titles are apparently forthcoming). Both games were originally released exclusively for the Sony PSP in 2005 and 2006 respectively, but were ported to the PS2 the following years.
 

From the dark, seedy and bustling streets of Liberty City's concrete jungle to the glamorous and hedonistic metropolis of Vice City in the 1980s. Two towns, each brimming with limitless delights and degradation, where anything can happen...

If you missed one of these two Stories when they first came out, or are ready to revisit Toni Cipriani's '98 rise to glory and Victor Vance's '84 tale of Vice - you can now pull them down digitally to your PS3.

 
PlayStation Store Links: 
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (USA / Europe) - .99 / €9.99 / £7.99
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (USA / Europe) - .99 / €9.99 / £7.99

Official GTA V Cover Art Revealed

02
Apr
2013
By Chris | 2nd Apr 2013 at 13:04 GMT in GTA V | 12 Comments

Wonder no more about how the finished GTA V mural will look, Rockstar have just revealed the full official cover art for Grand Theft Auto V!

 

actual_1364906194.jpg

 

You can also grab this cover art as a wallpaper from www.rockstargames.com/downloads.