Happy April Fools 2010!
Thursday, September 2nd, 2010
Chinatown Wars HD coming to iPad next week!
Chinatown Wars is making its way to Apple's iPad in an upgraded HD version. Straight from the horse's mouth:
In addition to the wide range of features developed specifically for the previous App Store iterations, including intuitive Multi Touch user interface controls, adjusted difficulty levels and iTunes customizable radio station Independence Radio, Chinatown Wars HD comes to the iPad with brand new, updated high definition graphics.
The game will be priced at $9.99 on the App Store, and will be released on September 9th.
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010
Official Social Club Multiplayer Events Calendar for July - September 2010
Rockstar have updated the multiplayer social club events calendar for July - September 2010. Games being played in the events include both The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony, as well as Red Dead Redemption.
The full list of events is as follows (taken from the Rockstar Newswire):
Gamertags/PSNs will be posted on the Rockstar Newswire the day before each event. You can also keep an eye on the Social Club Multiplayer page.
If you've never taken part in one of our official scheduled events, during the times and dates listed below you'll be able to:
- Play with and against members of the Rockstar Games, including some of the folks who helped create the games themselves
- Watch the live video stream of the action as it happens, for those of you who prefer to spectate or are too shook to throw down with us
- Jump in to the live chat as you watch, talk smack with other Social Club members and with us here at Rockstar
The full list of events is as follows (taken from the Rockstar Newswire):
- Tuesday, July 13 (4-7PM Eastern)
Red Dead Redemption
For PlayStation 3 on PlayStation Network
Join us for this Red Dead event on PlayStation Network, playing all game modes including the Outlaws to the End Co-Op Missions DLC.
- Friday, July 23 (4-7PM Eastern)
Red Dead Redemption
For PlayStation 3 on PlayStation Network
- Saturday, July 24 (1-4PM Eastern)
Red Dead Redemption
For Xbox 360 on Xbox LIVE
A back-to-back weekend of western wildness. Grab your mount, choose a title and load your rifle. This should be a great doubleheader of Red Dead on PSN and XBL.
- Thursday, August 12 (4-7PM Eastern)
Episodes from Liberty City
For PlayStation 3 on PlayStation Network
We're taking it back to the streets of Liberty City on PSN. Expect plenty of GTA Races, Team Deathmatch, Witness Protection and more. Also keep an eye out for a special giveaway during this event to be announced.
- Friday, August 27 (4-7PM Eastern)
Red Dead Redemption
For Xbox 360 on Xbox LIVE
Sharpen your skills with the best rifle and pistol in your arsenal and bring it.
- Thursday, September 9 (4-7PM Eastern)
Red Dead Redemption
For PlayStation 3 on PlayStation Network
Join us on PSN. Stay tuned for some special announcements and surprises - rest assured that we''ll be riding out and playing any and all Red Dead DLC during our events as they get released.
- Friday, September 24 (4-7PM Eastern)
Red Dead Redemption
For Xbox 360 on Xbox LIVE
Posse up on Xbox LIVE. The first Red Dead event for autumn will include giveaways and more.
- Thursday, September 30 (4-7PM Eastern)
Episodes from Liberty City
For Xbox 360 on Xbox LIVE
Tearing up LC online from Algonquin to Alderney. Ready your Buzzards and APCs folks, it's going to be an explosive evening. Also look out for a special giveaway during this event.
Gamertags/PSNs will be posted on the Rockstar Newswire the day before each event. You can also keep an eye on the Social Club Multiplayer page.
Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010
Rockstar not showing at E3 this year
Fans expecting an announcement for the next GTA will be disappointed to hear that Rockstar Games will not be showing anything at this year's E3 in Los Angeles. A company spokesperson told C&VG that Rockstar will be focussing efforts on it's own "dedicated press rounds" when the company is ready to make announcements.
Rockstar were due to show off the very under-the-wraps Max Payne 3 and dark, gritty, period piece L.A. Noire.
Just a couple of weeks ago you may have read about EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich, who "confidently predicted" that GTA V would be shown in a non-playable form at E3. He wasn't the only analyst falsely getting people's hopes up though, you may also remember back in March Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey predicted Rockstar may even come forth with a pre-E3 announcement.
We'll of course be keeping you up to date with any developments that do arise regarding GTA V, so keep an eye on your news feeds for more on that.
"In the end, we feel we simply don't have enough time to show as much as we would like in the time available"
Rockstar were due to show off the very under-the-wraps Max Payne 3 and dark, gritty, period piece L.A. Noire.
Just a couple of weeks ago you may have read about EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich, who "confidently predicted" that GTA V would be shown in a non-playable form at E3. He wasn't the only analyst falsely getting people's hopes up though, you may also remember back in March Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey predicted Rockstar may even come forth with a pre-E3 announcement.
We'll of course be keeping you up to date with any developments that do arise regarding GTA V, so keep an eye on your news feeds for more on that.
Friday, May 28th, 2010
Grand Theft Auto IV and EFLC PC Patch 7
Rockstar Toronto have released a new patch for the PC versions of GTA IV and EFLC. Patch number 7 will be downloaded automatically next time you sign in to Games for Windows LIVE when playing the game. Downloadable versions of the updates will be available on Rockstar's support site soon. The patches contain the following changes:
GTA IV
v. 1.0.7.0 / 1.0.6.1 (Russian) / 1.0.5.2 (Japanese)
EFLC
v. 1.1.2.0
GTA IV
v. 1.0.7.0 / 1.0.6.1 (Russian) / 1.0.5.2 (Japanese)
- fix a bug causing tree leaves to look transparent
- fix a bug that prevented uploading of rendered videos to Social Club when attaching certain music tracks
- fix for clip capture "OFF" slowdowns occuring when near waters edge
- expose "detonate" in custom key mapping options menu for Grand Theft Auto IV, Lost and Damned so users can remap "down" arrow key
EFLC
v. 1.1.2.0
- fix a bug causing tree leaves to look transparent
- fix a bug that prevented uploading of rendered videos to Social Club when attaching music tracks from the Ballad of Gay Tony
- fix for clip capture "OFF" slowdowns occuring when near waters edge
- fix for slowdown occuring when getting in a boat during "Sexy Time" mission in The Ballad of Gay Tony
- expose "detonate" in custom key mapping options menu for Lost and Damned so users can remap "down" arrow key
- EFLC now has it's own settings file called "SETTINGS_EFLC.CFG" to avoid possible conflicts with GTA IV installations
Monday, May 3rd, 2010
Fansite exclusive Red Dead Redemption screens!
A quick plug for our newest addition to the network; Rockstar have kindly sent over some awesome exclusive fansite screenshots to RedDeadPlace.com, why don't you go ahead an check them out?
If you're not already pumped for Red Dead Redemption, something is wrong with you or you've been away from the Internet for too long. This game is going to be an instant hit and I urge all you GTA fans to check out screenshots and trailers (you can find them on RDP or the official site) and get yourself up to speed with things. The game will be released on 18th May in North America and 21st May elsewhere. And if you haven't already joined, you could become one of the founding members of the forums and help kickstart a great community!
If you're not already pumped for Red Dead Redemption, something is wrong with you or you've been away from the Internet for too long. This game is going to be an instant hit and I urge all you GTA fans to check out screenshots and trailers (you can find them on RDP or the official site) and get yourself up to speed with things. The game will be released on 18th May in North America and 21st May elsewhere. And if you haven't already joined, you could become one of the founding members of the forums and help kickstart a great community!
Thursday, April 29th, 2010
First Episodes from Liberty City video contest announced
Rockstar have just announced the first video editor contest for Episodes from Liberty City, entitled "Base Jumping Extreme Film Festival".
In honor of the recent release of Episodes from Liberty City for PC, and with it, all new The Ballad of Gay Tony and The Lost and Damned channels at Social Club TV - we present the first in a series of Episodes from Liberty City Video Editor Contests: "The Base Jumping Extreme Film Festival".
Strap on a parachute in The Ballad of Gay Tony and use the PC version's in-game suite of video editing tools to make the most creative contest entry clip you can. A balls-out short action film? A base jumping commercial? An aerial music video? A creative montage of parachute stunts? We know you’ll amaze and surprise us as always.
The possibilities are endless. Just make sure it's at or under 5 minutes in length, and somehow, someway – parachuting or base jumping features prominently.
Strap on a parachute in The Ballad of Gay Tony and use the PC version's in-game suite of video editing tools to make the most creative contest entry clip you can. A balls-out short action film? A base jumping commercial? An aerial music video? A creative montage of parachute stunts? We know you’ll amaze and surprise us as always.
The possibilities are endless. Just make sure it's at or under 5 minutes in length, and somehow, someway – parachuting or base jumping features prominently.
The lucky winner will receive an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 470 graphics card, along with a Rockstar prize pack of limited-edition Grand Theft Auto and Episodes from Liberty City collectibles. Two runners up will also receive Rockstar prize packs.
Details on how to enter this competition:
To enter, you'll need to upload your video to Social Club TV using the Episodes from Liberty City PC in-game video editor anytime between today and May 14th, inclusive - and make sure to use the tag "base-jumping-contest". Go to the Base Jumping Extreme Film Festival channel page at Rockstar Social Club TV to watch video entries as they start flowing in (and vote on the ones you like the best).
Rockstar will then pick the clip that wows us the most, looking at editing skills, user ratings, and overall creativity.
Rockstar will then pick the clip that wows us the most, looking at editing skills, user ratings, and overall creativity.
You should be aware that the contest is void in certain countries and US states. See the official rules and eligibility page for more details.
So you have until the 14th May to get your entries in. Good luck!
Wednesday, April 21st, 2010
Keith "Guru" Elam (8-Ball in GTA3) dies
Some sad news to bring you today via Rockstar Games; Keith Elam a.k.a Guru of hip-hop outfit GangStarr, has passed away after a long battle with cancer. He was just 43 years old.
GTA3 players will also know him as the voice of 8-Ball, who has always been a popular character in the game.
Rest in peace.
GTA3 players will also know him as the voice of 8-Ball, who has always been a popular character in the game.
All of us here at Rockstar were saddened to learn this morning of the news that Keith Elam, professionally known as Guru of Gang Starr, has succumbed to cancer after a long battle.
Guru was truly a hip-hop legend, one of the genre's greatest voices, and we are eternally grateful for his contributions to the Grand Theft Auto series as the character 8-Ball.
Our condolences to the entire Elam family, to our good friend and his long-time Gang Starr collaborator DJ Premier, and to everyone else who had the pleasure of knowing or working with the man.
Guru was truly a hip-hop legend, one of the genre's greatest voices, and we are eternally grateful for his contributions to the Grand Theft Auto series as the character 8-Ball.
Our condolences to the entire Elam family, to our good friend and his long-time Gang Starr collaborator DJ Premier, and to everyone else who had the pleasure of knowing or working with the man.
Rest in peace.
Monday, April 19th, 2010
New website launched: Red Dead Place
Today I am proud to announce the latest website to be added to TGTAP Network: RedDeadPlace.com.
As many of you have no doubt heard by now, Red Dead Redemption is Rockstar Games' astounding new title due for release next month. If you've seen any of the screenshots or trailers for this game you'll know how awesome it's looking right now. We're pretty confident most of you guys will absolutely love it.
So we invite you all to come on over to Red Dead Place and check us out, or find out more about the game. While you're there, why not help kick-start the newest Red Dead community on the net by joining the forums? We look forward to seeing many familiar faces (names?) there!
Friday, April 16th, 2010
Episodes from LC / Red Dead Redemption exclusive fansite event!
As you may have read from some of the other fansites, I was invited out to New York City by Rockstar Games last week to preview Episodes from Liberty City on PC and PS3 before it would be released, along with webmasters from the other sites.
My write up with my impressions on the event itself, the game, and the surprise that was getting to play Red Dead Redemption, is now online. Head over to our EFLC / RDR fansite event page to read my thoughts, and to find out what us webmasters got up to while we were there.
A huge thanks must go out to Rockstar Games for putting together this event and making it as incredible as it was. I hope I'll see not just you guys but the other webmasters again sometime!
My write up with my impressions on the event itself, the game, and the surprise that was getting to play Red Dead Redemption, is now online. Head over to our EFLC / RDR fansite event page to read my thoughts, and to find out what us webmasters got up to while we were there.
A huge thanks must go out to Rockstar Games for putting together this event and making it as incredible as it was. I hope I'll see not just you guys but the other webmasters again sometime!
Wednesday, April 14th, 2010
GTA IV PC Patch 6
Rockstar has released patch number 6 for the PC version of GTA IV which features a large number of bug fixes and additional features. The patch is available through Games for Windows LIVE and a standalone downloadable version with be available soon. The majority of these new features/fixes are already present in the PC version of Episodes from Liberty City.
Rockstar Games Social Club
Shadows
Performance
Multiplayer
Episodic Content
Bug Fixes
In addition, Episodes from Liberty City players are also getting a small update (1.1.1.0) that will improve memory management and address a hardware configuration error.
Rockstar Games Social Club
- Remove Rockstar Games Social Club application
- Separate RGSC application no longer required to launch game
- Social Club login now occurs during the launch process
Shadows
- A new, less memory-intensive, and better-looking scalable shadow solution has been implemented
- Enhanced Night Shadows added with user-selectable level of detail (replaces Shadow Density)
Performance
- Rendering optimizations have been made to improve performance, particularly when enabling shadows
- User-configurable graphics settings have been added for shadow control
- Improved memory management
Multiplayer
- Enhanced security to isolate users from cheaters and hackers
Episodic Content
- Provide in-game support to purchase "The Lost and Damned" and "The Ballad of Gay Tony" (Not available in Russian/Japanese Versions)
Bug Fixes
- Vehicle shadows re-enabled between 8pm and 6am
- Fix floating street textures
- Pedestrians in vehicles appear further out from the player to allow for long range sniping
- The Moon has been implemented with simulated lunar phases
- Fixed garbled text in Japanese Multiplayer menus
- "RESC 10" error fix for specific hardware configurations
In addition, Episodes from Liberty City players are also getting a small update (1.1.1.0) that will improve memory management and address a hardware configuration error.
