Grand Theft Auto IV Revs Up

By Geoff Duncan April 28, 2008

Grand Theft Auto IV Revs Up

Rockstar Games is launching Grand Theft Auto IV tomorrow, the latest installment of its controversial crime- and mayhem-infused video game franchise glorifying violence, sex, thug life, and meaningless murder. Unlike massive video game launches like Microsoft’s Halo 3,Grand Theft Auto IV has no massive advertising campaign promoting the title: there’s a Web site, a few video trailers…and that’s about it. Everything else is word-of-mouth. And yet GTA IV is expected to be one of the largest—if not the largest game launch in industry history, with sales expected to exceed 9 million copies within a few months of launch, and total sales by the end of the year possibly exceeding 12 million. And at $59.99 a pop—for either the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3—that’s a tidy profit for Rockstar.

No wonder Electronic Arts wants to take over GTA publisher Take-Two Interactive.

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Grand Theft Auto IV is sure to be greeted by new rounds of controversy: Take-Two was forced to withdraw its predecessor, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, after hidden sexually explicit content was exposed within the game. The company spent millions retooling and re-releasing the game while trying to dodge civil suits and federal investigations. GTA IV doesn’t let up, and apparently includes a good deal of content many industry watchers—and even many gamers—may find objectionable, including simulated sex acts, hookups with prostitutes and strippers, profanity, and—of course—wanton acts of violence.

The game is centered in a lightly fictionalized New York City, and offers new multiplayer options as well as the promise of a continuous stream of new content to be offered via the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live services. The game is collecting rave reviews from industry publications and insiders, many giving the game high marks and even comparing it to an Oscar-winning film…albeit a film laced with brutality and violence. Grand Theft Auto IV goes on sale April 29, with several major retailers opening at midnight to accommodate gamers’ need to be first in line. Grand Theft Auto IV is rated M for "Mature" by the ESRB, meaning it’s deemed unsuitable for children under age 17.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

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Grand Theft Auto V makes its surprise return to Xbox Game Pass today

A man drives away in a boat with stolen money in Grand Theft Auto 5 art.

Xbox Game Pass is kicking off July with a major surprise, as Grand Theft Auto V has returned to the service. Rockstar's sales juggernaut leads an otherwise light month for Game Pass, which brings Capcom's Exoprimal as a day-one launch.

This isn't the first time that Grand Theft Auto V has been on Game Pass. It was previously on the service circa 2021 but removed from it that August. Rockstar has a history of putting its games on Game Pass for a brief window before pulling it, as it also did with Red Dead Redemption 2.

Gaming

The best video games of June 2023: Street Fighter 6, Diablo IV and more

Ryu performs a special move in Street Fighter 6.

June 2023 was a month of old gaming classics successfully resurfacing. Thanks to the flurry of gaming showcases, we got promising looks at new games in stories franchises like Super Mario Bros., Fable, Prince of Persia, Forza Motorsport, and Sonic the Hedgehog. More importantly, this was reflected in some of the month's biggest launches. Franchises like Final Fantasy, Street Fighter, and Diablo, which don't receive new mainline games that often, all got new entries that lived up to expectations.
Even the cult classic Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective got a remaster. This was actually one of the strongest months for AAA games in a while, although there were definitely still some creative indies in the mix, creating a month that was quite exciting from all corners of the gaming industry. In particular, the following games stood out as the best games of the month.
Street Fighter 6

Capcom released a brand new Street Fighter at the start of the month, and it fixed almost every issue that plagued its predecessor. The core fighting gameplay felt as amazing to play as ever, bolstered by a flashy new Drive Gauge system. Those who enjoy the series for its hardcore, competitive elements will like that, as well as its multiplayer Battle Hub mode. That said, Street Fighter 6 is also the friendliest fighting game ever for newcomers to the genre. New modern controls, as well as a meaty RPG World Tour mode that teaches the ins and outs of many of the game's characters and mechanics, means there's a ton of enjoyment to be had no matter one's skill level.
“From its control options to World Tour’s RPG setup, Street Fighter 6 ensures that it can be a fighting game for pretty much any type of player,” I wrote in a four-and-a-half star review of Street Fighter 6. “You’re likely to find your physical, cultural, or gaming background represented within this game somewhere and have all of the tools at your disposal to go from flashy amateur play to seasoned pro, all in one of the best-looking games of this console generation. Street Fighter 6 is the ultimate fighting game and should be the new gold standard for the genre.”
Street Fighter 2 kicked off the original fighting game boom, and Street Fighter 4 brought the fighting game genre back from irrelevancy. There seems to be some magic surrounding even numbered Street Fighter titles, as Street Fighter 6 feels like the most accessible fighting game yet, and one that everyone will be comparing new games in the genre to for years to come. It's available now for PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Diablo IV

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Baldur’s Gate 3’s release date just got delayed and moved up at the same time

A Baldur's Gate 3 character lights the way.

The PC and PS5 versions of Baldur's Gate 3 have gotten new release dates, leading to a weird situation where the game's launch has been moved up and delayed at the same time.
Originally announced for Google Stadia in 2019, Baldur's Gate 3 is a successor to BioWare's classic Dungeons & Dragons RPG franchise and has been in early access on PC since October 2020. Its 1.0 PC release, as well as a PS5 port, were confirmed to launch on August 31 earlier this year, but that is no longer the case. In the latest community update, developer Larian Studios confirmed that Baldur's Gate 3 launches for PC on August 3 and for PS5 on September 6.
Larian admits that "this means the PC version of Baldur’s Gate 3 will be released at a time where you’ll have more time to play it," moving its launch away from late August and early September heavy hitters like Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon and Starfield. And now, the new PS5 release date for Baldur's Gate 3 gives PlayStation players a console-exclusive RPG of their own (albeit a temporary one) on the day Starfield comes out.

Still, the September 6 date is technically a delay, which Larian also explained its reasoning behind in the community update. "Baldur’s Gate 3 is targeting 60 frames-per-second, and we’re close to achieving that on the platform but need a bit more extra time," it explained. "We don’t want to compromise on quality and feel it would be a shame to downscale to 30 fps or make other compromises to hit an arbitrary date. We understand that folks may be disappointed with this, but we're close enough to reaching new heights for RPGs on the system that the benefits of a short delay outweigh the downsides of rushing the PS5 release and having to downscale."
So to clarify, Baldur's Gate 3 first launches on PC across Steam, GOG, and Nvidia GeForce Now on August 3. Then, a PS5 port comes out on September 6. Larian Studios also confirms that a Mac version is in the works and that it's "optimistic" about Xbox works once it works through the kinks of getting it to run well on both Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.