The following is yet another mod that demonstrates that Grand Theft Auto 4 for the PC truly is the most versatile game in recent memory. Or, at least offers the kinds of flexibility that matters to regular folks like you and me; I know already that much more can, and perhaps has been done with Second Life. But who the hell wants to deal with furries?

Granted, it’s not quite as fleshed out as one might hope. Meaning, you don’t start out as Arnold, and how bits and pieces of his flesh don’t deteriorate as he gets shot, to reveal the T-800 underneath. But it’s still pretty neat nonetheless.

It’s also a reminder of how there honestly hasn’t been any good Terminator games, like ever. There’s certainly been a few, but if they were actually any good, I’m pretty sure we would be able to remember it. At least that one game in which he faces off against Robocop was “interesting”…

Via Cult of Mac comes something for those of us who would like certain iPhone and iPad games a lot more if we could only, you know, control them properly…

Doesn’t look half bad; I’ve certainly seen worse Dual Shock wannabes. And using the audio jack as the control port is kind of ingenious! Though that also means you won’t be able to play games and listen to audio via headphones either. Oh well.

Though the real issue is how, at the moment, only two games support the device. And you just saw them, and no, they aren’t anything special. Basically, game makers will need to get their hands on the appropriate software to add such functionality into their titles, either right off the back or via updates.

So will Rockstar give these little guys the time of day by adding 60beat drivers into their iOS port of Grand Theft Auto 3? Unless the controller sells an ass load, I doubt it. Plus, much time is put towards creating those virtual buttons, and I can see a few not wanting to concede that actual buttons are indeed better.

But you never know. Though also, at $50? That’s another issue right there.

First, we’ve already seen Katamari, Minecraft, Halo, all done via Minecraft. Well, behold, Grand Theft Auto V, but in block form…

… True, it’s just the launch trailer, redone, and not a real deal game. At least not yet. The lack of cars, which is at the very heart of every single GTA is also a fairly major blow, but it’s impressive nonetheless!

Though pretty much everything pales in comparison to the following: it’s an actual video game built within Minecraft…

… It’s a tad bit rudimentary, but I repeat: it’s an actual video game built within Minecraft. And what have you been doing with your life lately? One can actually download the game and check it out for yourself! Just follow Joystiq‘s lead.

Moving on, here we have a bunch of kids reacting to the game and the phenomena…

… Yes, that Minecraft convention is a very real thing…

And finally, here we have a fairly recent clip from everyone’s favorite video game lovin’, proficient at After Effects Asian on the internet. Though this one features either his girlfriend or sister…

It’s funny how Rockstar’s overly macho sensibilities, which used to make my eyes roll, have become part of an extremely effective and winning formula. Sorry, but I wasn’t so keen on earlier efforts, like GTA 3, in which attempts at appealing to a more “mature” audience were way too rough around the edges, and which came off as rather juvenile as a result. Yeah, I used to write off Grand Theft Auto as “that cop killing, hooker banging game.”

Though I was clearly in the minority, and they did well enough to make money. LOTS of money, and all those profits were smartly put back into the product. Which meant they could hire the right artists to get the intended message across. Furthermore, the tech also caught up, hence why I’m foaming at the mouth for GTA 5. As is tons of other folks.

The key to their success has been knowing their audience and not listening to the distractors (like the haters, such as myself once upon a time… hey, I have no problems admitting that I was wrong). And Rockstar probably knows already that if they ever tried the following, they’d lose all their street cred, which is pretty much impossible for anyone to accumulate these days…

Via Destructoid. Anyhow, since we’re talking about GTA, here’s what the Taiwanese CGI news crew predicted the game would look like, shortly before the official trailer was unveiled…

Speaking as a card-carrying fan of Next Media Animation, my initial reaction was “seriously, that’s it?” But then it reminded me of Bully, and I totally wouldn’t mind another one of those, especially if it revolves around a bunch of 4 years olds.

Honestly, it’s not much… mostly confirmation of what many had been guessing or assumed… but that’s better than nothing.

Like how, obviously, the game takes place in their version of Los Angeles, Los Santos, plus other places. Story-wise, all we know is how: “Grand Theft Auto V focuses on the pursuit of the almighty dollar in a re-imagined, present-day Southern California.”

Basically, there’s no DC action, which was a place I figured might be touched up, given the legal tender roman numeral. Though more importantly, it has finally been confirmed that online multiplayer is indeed back! Single player-wise, it’ll still be the combination of open world and mission based storytelling that we all know and love.

The press release also states: “Grand Theft Auto V is another radical reinvention of the Grand Theft Auto universe… We are incredibly excited to share our new vision with our fans” sez Sam Houser, one of the chief architects of the Rockstar empire.

No word yet if there will be multiplayer characters in the single player side. Thus far, we just have one guy (and not a female lead, as some had also speculated. But one thing is clear: it’s definitely not Tommy Vercetti, from Vice City, nor the actor who lent his vocal chords to that game, Ray Liotta, as some people have thought.

How anyone could mistake that guy for Liotta is beyond me. Has any of those folks ever seen any of this movies? They’re NOTHING alike!

12:03PM UPDATE: Looks like the Rockstar servers are getting slammed but it’s official…the new Grand Theft Auto will take place in a fictionalized version of Los Angeles and be about a retired crook forced back into “the life.” We’ll have more updates as they become available later today.

Grand Theft Auto V – Trailer – 11/02/11 [Rockstar Games]

So numerous sources, close to assorted gaming blogs, have all claimed the same basic inside info: that the next GTA will be taking place where one of the most successful spin-offs of part 3 took place, that being Rockstar’s version of Los Angeles.

Well that sucks. Sorry, but I’m from the Big Apple, and like pretty much everyone here, my brain is hardwired to hate the City of Angels.

Don’t get me wrong; there’s loads of nice people out there and wonderful sights, plus their Mexican dishes trumps ours handily (for obvious reasons), but overall… it’s a nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there.

I’ve got loads of pals who recently moved there, mostly to work on assorted television projects, and they all say the same thing: “Man, the people here… and as much as the subways sucks, it still beats this traffic.” But I digress.

On the flip side, and it’s the truth: us New Yorkers are spoiled. It’s not the center of the universe, and perhaps a change of scenery will be a good thing. Personally, between the two GTA3 spin-offs, I enjoyed Vice City the most, but Rockstar has the tropics somewhat covered with Max Payne 3. Also, it already got it’s own follow-up, via Vice City Stories for the PSP.

Moving on, and perhaps even bigger, are rumblings of how this time around, there will be multiple characters. A concept that was already tested via GTA4 and it’s DLC offerings, Lost and Damned and Ballad of Gay Tony, which had a bunch of different folk, from varying walks of life, all sharing the same turf.

And this time around, perhaps we can have everyone from the get-go, with a far stronger element of interaction. One still has to wonder if Niko Bellic would have played a stronger role in Johnny Klebitz and Luis Fernando Lopez’s stories if the actor playing Niko hadn’t walked away due to money issues.

Then again, it’s a risky move, walking away from the chance to make loads more money after the fact, by nixing DLC side-stories. Unless they have something much bigger in store… which is pretty much a guarantee.

Naturally, since it’s only been announced, there’s not a whole lot of info to cull over. At this point, only the logo has been unveiled. But to many, knowing that it’s finally happening is more than enough…

… If you got o Rockstar’s website, that’s all you’ll find. Quite the bold move. At best you’ll see all the way at the bottom a date, in which the first look of the game will be provided.

So, some thoughts…

I’m not saying it might be the most anticipated games of all time, but it’s definitely up there. One thing to consider, and this is something I’ve constantly pointed out, is how folks have been coming up with their own “next” iterations of the franchise.

Meaning, at the very least, there’s a baseline level of expectation. At least on a visual level. Modders have been able to tinker with game modes, but for the most part, they’ve had to stick closely with the source material. This new game will have to redefine itself by breaking new gameplay ground. Or at the very least, dish up a truly compelling narrative. Something Rockstar has had pretty good luck with as of late.

Aside from what it’ll be, the next quest is when it’ll come out. Given Rockstar’s developmental cycle, in which they like to have one big release per year, I wouldn’t expect GTA5 anytime before 2013. 2012 is already slated for Max Payne 3, remember? They could easily do two in one year, but that might steal thunder from the previously scheduled release, and I just don’t see that (the game a year scheme has really worked out super well, so to mess with such a formula would be nuts).

So, if it comes out in 2013, the real question becomes trickier to answer: what platform? As noted recently, that’s when we should be seeing the Xbox 720 possibly, and GTA 5 could be the ultimate launch title for any system.

Then again, as the clip in that link demonstrates, there’s still plenty of juice left in the tank. Also, the fact that millions upon millions of people out there already own a PS3 and Xbox 360 is also a reason why the next game will land on familiar territory. Guess we’ll all find out what the deal is next Wednesday!

Basically, it’s a chance to play the upcoming game on a movie theater-sized screen. How it’ll work is beyond me; I guess one person will play and everyone else in the room will watch on. Talk about pressure! It’s one thing to suck in a room full of your friends, or on the internet, but in a public gather filled with a couple hundred strangers? Yikes.

At the very least, everything will be in the 3D, so even if you totally blow, it’ll be especially eye pleasing. There’s also going to be some behind the scenes look at the game, some kind of multiplayer tournament, and prize giveaways. For those interested, and to purchase tickets, simply head on over to this page for more info.

Meanwhile, remember my rundown of Max Payne 3 from earlier this morning? Well, that wasn’t the only thing Rockstar was showing off at their booth earlier this weekend, at the New York Comic Con. They also had this…

I actually got the chance to play around with it for a while, and no joke, this thing is going to be BIG. Sorry, but when I’m pissed off on an A train that’s taking forever to get going, I need something a little more than Angry Birds to get the edge off, and I’m pretty sure many out there will be in total agreement.

Actually this first one is the least obtuse of the bunch; it’s a Grand Theft Auto machinima that features the healthy combination of dick jokes and spectacular stunts…

Next is a brief clip from a game that I don’t recognize, though I believe it might be Command & Conquer. Again, it’s actually fairly obvious what’s going on here, just good use of appropriate music…

The following is related to Team Fortress, that’s all I know. Other than that and it has over a million views. That’s over a million getting a joke that I’m clearly missing…

And I don’t even know about this one…

Seriously. Did you know that the Taiwanese CGI news crew had their iPad app rejected yesterday? Meanwhile, a completely brainless and shameless copy of the popular iOS game Doodle Jump managed to slip by…

… $200 says that the art was ripped off from some poor kid’s DeviantArt account. Anyhow, here’s some footage of the game in action, courtesy of IGN…

… Surprisingly, it’s still up. It also reminds me of the last lazy-ass console knock off for the iPhone to create a huge stink, Ninja Turtles. Which had nothing to do with heroes in the half shell (God, I can’t believe I used that term in a totally non-ironic, but legit serious fashion), but instead ripped off Contra of all things…

… Sadly, no one bothered to shoot any footage of the game in action. Or maybe no one had the chance; the fact that whomever was charging $5 was the primary reason for many people crying foul, which even Apple couldn’t miss, who thusly pulled the thing. Though I did find a totally different Ninja Turtle game in which you play a vaguely Koopa Troopa-ish turtle on a skateboard, similar to Master Higgins in Adventure Island, and avoid piranha plants, yet another Super Mario staple…

BTW, Grand Theft Auto 3 is coming to iOS and Android. Seriously! It was announced just today, as part of the game’s 10th anniversary (man, time sure has flown, hasn’t it). It’ll be available for iPhone 4S, iPad 2, and a bunch of different Android phones and tablets, too many to mention. And even if I did list all the names, what are the chances that you’d even know which phone model and version of the OS you currently have?

There’s also a collectable figure available for pre-sale, for a cool $150…

… To nab yours, and to seriously find out which Android devices are compatible, simply head on over to Rockstar’s blog post on the matter.

Admittedly, I’ll always prefer Max from part 1, which was just a photograph of one of the Finnish programmers, doing his best angry face. Plus I’m surprised that Rockstar, having as much money in the bank plus clout, didn’t try to use the likeness of Mark Wahlberg, who played the guy in the live action flick. But anyway…

Rockstar has another hit on their hands, no doubt, but mostly because it (either intentionally or unintentionally) hits every mark on every Rockstar fanboy’s checklist:

You’ve got another hard boiled cop story, which is what made LA Noire so compelling, plus it appears to be another tale of pathos, which is what made Red Dead Redemption so engrossing in its own right, and we’re finally getting some fun in the sun, which is why every GTA4 fan has been wanting another Vice City so bad.

Comes out next spring, like all their big releases. Meanwhile, for those that haven’t heard, and for those who have yet to partake in Red Dead, an all in one Game Of The Year edition is coming out this winter, which includes the base game plus all the DLC in one convenient (and money saving) package. That one arrives this on October 11.

First we have something that pretty much makes everyone’s wishes comes true; the return of Vice City, but built on-top of Grand Theft Auto 4…

… Granted, it still looks a lot like the PS2 original, which I believe was the intention. For the most part, I dig, since I’m also getting serious Team Fortress 2 vibes.

Though I will admit that some of the textures look a tad bit too rudimentary, plus the water is kinda embarrassing. But hey, it’s still being worked on, so you never know! To eventually download it, be sure to bookmark this page.

Now, back to GTA4; while running around as Niko Bellic, both avoiding and blasting cops away, did you ever wonder what it would be like to be one of the boys in blue? Well now you can, via the LCPD First Response mod.

Instead of just a teaser, how about a 25-minute long video that exhaustively details all the things that’s possible? It’s not quite finished yet either, but given that it’s version 0.95, it’s pretty damn close…

… To give it a spin yourself, here’s the link to click. BTW, as noted by the guy playing, there’s actually another mod for the game that also does the same, aptly titled, Police Pursuit Mod. He seems to feel LCPD First Response is the superior of the two, but you be the judge I guess!

I’m sure most believed it was all behind us now, pinning the violence that rocked the UK last week on video games. Perhaps you’ve heard, but the London press tried pinning it on Grand Theft Auto, which upset enough sensible folks to demand a retraction. One was issued eventually, albeit in a half-assed manner.

Well, here we go again, with the source of this week’s lame brain social commentary hailing from the former lead guitarist for Oasis. He was quoted in a recent New Zealand interview, which the Huffington Post picked up (among several outlets) as saying: “I don’t care what other people say: Brutal TV and brutal video games are a reason for this pointless violence as well. The people are immune to violence, they are used to it.”

In his defense, he goes on to say fairly sensible things, like: “The people who are at these riots aren’t poor. These are kids with fucking mobile phones and all sorts of shit. The police and government have to take drastic measures. These idiots destroy their own communities. In six weeks, when everything is forgotten, they will look stupid and realize that the houses are still destroyed, burned down or whatever. These people aren’t demanding anything, they have no goals. They just destroy their own shit. How stupid can you be?”

True, and completely sensible. Which makes his finger pointing at video games all the more perplexing. Then again, much like the rioters he’s hating on, everyone wants a scape goat and easy answer to everything. Especially rock stars who act like gigantic man-children, as Gallagher has proven to be more than a few times in the past. The funny thing is, the guys’ been complimentary towards video games in the past, somewhat, when he said Guitar Hero was… “better than two goblins trying to fuck a donkey up the arse with a laser beam.” LOL, British people!

In better news, no doubt you’ve all heard about the poor Malaysian student who not only had his jaw broken by rioters, but then had his PSP (among other things stolen) stolen while being helped by good Samaritan. Well, in addition to Sony hooking him up with a new system and a bunch of replacement games, which is certainly nice of them, the dude who did the stealing has been charged. Hey, sometimes there is justice in this world!

And again we have further proof that there’s plenty of life in GTA 4, with the help of some modding…

… Granted, it’s not perfect. The way he flies is all wrong, plus it’s not you’re able to smash and toss cars around either. But hey, it’s far more fun looking than the previous attempts at Superman games. Mostly because the simple act of just flying around has sucked ass. And that’s because previous attempts at serving up Metropolis have been paltry at best. Whereas Liberty City is perfect, given how both and Supes’ actual digs are both based upon New York City.

Here’s another clip, sans the iconic music, but with a better bird’s eye view of everything…

And one more, featuring Captain America. Though it’s really not much…

… Should have gone with Iron Man instead. Cuz of, you know, the flying. I wonder if a Spider-Man mod is possible? No doubt that’s being worked on.

And when I say GTA 3, I speak of all three flavors: the original, Vice City, and San Andreas. Which is your fave? Here’s a very good case for VC…

Though when it comes to wacky mods, for whatever reason, the best ones I’ve come across are for SA…

At least GTA 4 still gets plenty of love from the modding community (plus fans of Back To The Future)…

According to Gamespot‘s sources within Take Two, the game is indeed happening, but the most important part is how it’s “well under way.”. More importantly, it would seem a release next year is pretty likely, and the best part is how “It’s the big one.” Whatever the hell that means.

Okay, time for some questions, and answers that I’m basically pulling out of my ass, but based upon my expertise nonetheless:

1. When in 2012? Well, if things are going quite strongly, I wouldn’t be shocked if it’s as soon as next spring, which is traditionally when Rockstar games are released, around April time. Though if part 5 is indeed as big as it they’re saying, perhaps they might feel confident to go toe to toe with all the end of the year blockbusters. But my gut says no; Rockstar doesn’t want to risk not having the spotlight all to itself.

2. Where will it take place? Well, as pointed out by the source, many believe that it’s going to be somewhere that’s based upon LA, due to recent casting calls. Personally, I don’t think so. Why? Because LA Noire took place in LA, albeit a late 40s version, but I still don’t see them repeating themselves like that. My money is something more closer to Vegas or New Orleans. Or better yet, London!

3. How will it look? Amazing, one would have to assume. Though one has to wonder if all the fancy tech facial technology that was employed in LA Noire will be utilized. No doubt it will be tapped into, though not all the way like before maybe, unless they again for a full featured cast of established actors. Which you never know, since again, this new game will be so huge. Given how regarded the acting in the games have been, I wouldn’t be shocked if the next game is headlined by a major Hollywood star…

4. Other predictions? Will take up a whopping four discs on the Xbox 360, there will be no Wii U version, and sorry, no return of Niko Bellic still. I believe the actor who played him, Michael Hollick, is still on not such great terms with Rockstar (dude believes he deserves a bigger cut of the profit margin from part four, and gotta say, he is a MAJOR reason why that game worked as well as it did).

In the meantime, and I’m shocked this didn’t happen sooner, but apparently there’s a GTA porn called Grand Theft Auto XXX. For more info, including pics and clips, head on over to . Do I even need to mention it’s NSFW? Well, just in case, it’s NSFW.

Sorry, but every single point he makes is a 100% valid (and not just saying that cuz anyone with a thick Irish accent automatically sounds like they know what they’re talking about). ESPECIALLY about Grand Theft Auto 4; when I first discovered that you couldn’t automatically head towards the game’s version of Manhattan, I was legit outraged. Sorry, but I hate Brooklyn in both the real and virtual worlds equally.

I also echo his sentiment as it pertains to Rock Band, though my biggest beef is with Guitar Hero 4. I put up with as much of it’s sh*t song selection, crappy animation, and horrendous cross-promotional tie-ins as I could, yet was never able to get towards the one song, and I’m talking the ONLY song I wanted to play, aka the sole reason why I even bothered with that crap title to begin with (in addition to being a snobby Manhattanite, I’m also a Rock Band fanboy). That single tune btw? Dream Theater’s Pull Me Under. Even worse was how excited I got for the code that unlocked all the songs, except for that one. Jesus Christ.

But things have gotten better, sorta. The endings of games have improved, slightly. For a reminder of how bad things used to be, here’s a little song…

… As angry as I was to be locked out of Algonquin in GTA4, it can’t compare to the thrashing my 8-year-old self gave my bedroom in reaction to the lame-ass reward for beating Rygar.

Like the title of the post sez, it’s Grand Theft Auto for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Or at least that’s how it’s supposed to feel. Here’s the latest trailer…

Rampaging Retro City – Retro City Rampage from Vblank on Vimeo.

And as you can see, not only does it look like an 8-bit game from back it day, it both borrows elements from actual games back then. Hence why you can carjack or destroy the TMNT van from their first NES game and even the Ecto 1 from Ghostbusters! And why you also have a proton pack as an available weapon.

Not sure when it comes out… has been in development for an awful long time… but hopefully real soon. Comes out for both the Wii’s Virtual Console (which is the way to go, for so many obvious reasons) and Xbox Live Arcade.

First we have The Brothers Mario 2: Kong Country, easily one of the better Grand Theft Auto machinimas out there (for those unfamiliar with the term, its when folks make movies using game characters, environments, and tech in general). Turning Mario and Luigi might into Italian Mafioso-types is perhaps hardly original in the realm of fan created cinema, the execution is again excellent nonetheless. The in-jokes in particular, while ultimately obvious, are used for great effect (with my personal favorite being the SMB3 flight feather reference).

It’s actually the follow-up to this clip, which made its debut late last year and (not surprisingly) made the rounds pretty much everywhere…

BTW, for those interested, here’s a music vid featuring the gangsta version of the Do The Mario, as heard in Kong Country…

Again, the idea of Mario and company being all thuggish is better in some hands than others. Am only really posting it here for the sake of completeness, plus Candy Kong looks hella cute.

BTW, the basic notion of Mario and Luigi ditching their kid friendly act was somewhat suggested by Shigeru Miyamoto himself (yes, the creator of Mario and so many other classic Nintendo characters and games) I kid you not. Unfortunately, I forget when and where the statement was made… and Wikipedia is not offering much help at the moment… but basically he went on record, before a new platform was about to make its debut (I want to say before the GameCube, so this would have been the late 90s), he threw out the possibility of a different, slightly more mature adventures of Mario. Or at least wondered what it was like. Perhaps one was even in the process of being created, till his bosses went “ummm…. no.” What could have been.