Rockstar has officially announced the Special and Collector's Editions of Grand Theft Auto V. Pre-order's start today with all participating retailers.

Special Edition - US$79.99

• Full retail copy of Grand Theft Auto V
   
• Collectible SteelBook with Exclusive Artwork
  This special SteelBook features double-sided, never-before-seen artwork of Michael, Trevor and Franklin. Custom color and metallic treatments bring out the detail of the artwork created exclusively for this SteelBook.
   
• Blueprint Map
  This exclusive, additional 21.5” x 26.75” map displays a blueprint view of Los Santos and Blaine County. Cryptic markings indicate locations for fast cash and other points of interest for the up-and-coming entrepreneur.
   
• Special Ability Boost
  Michael, Franklin and Trevor each have a unique special ability. With this boost, the special ability bar will generate 25% faster.
   
• Stunt Plane Trials
  Single player Stunt Plane Trials let you take on additional aerial challenges spread throughout Los Santos and Blaine County.
   
• Bonus Outfits, Tattoos and More
  Michael, Franklin and Trevor get bonus outfits in their wardrobes, character specific tattoos at tattoo parlors, and special deals from shopkeepers across Los Santos and Blaine County.
   
• Additional Weapons
  When visiting Ammunation stores in single player, merchants will have special weapons in their inventory available for free: the Pistol .50, Bullpup Shotgun and melee Hammer.

Collector's Edition - US$149.99

• Everything included in the Special Edition
   
• Premium packaging featuring a foil embossed logo
  The entire contents will be packaged and housed within a premium outer box featuring a foil embossed Grand Theft Auto V logo on the top, finished with a matte, scuff-resistant film lamination.
   
• Grand Theft Auto V Security Deposit Bag with Logo Key
  Inspired by the heists in Grand Theft Auto V, this custom 10.75” x 8.5” money bag features a pop-up style lock and laser cut logo key to secure important items. The reverse side features a pressed Rockstar Games logo on the security mount with a framed ID window.
   
• Grand Theft Auto V New Era 9FIFTY™ Snapback Cap
  This exclusive New Era 9FIFTY™ cap features an embroidered Los Santos logo on the front, a stitched, black Rockstar Games logo on the wearer’s left side, a Grand Theft Auto ‘V’ logo applique on the opposite side, and snapback closure for an adjustable fit.
   
• Custom Characters for Grand Theft Auto Online
  Get classic Grand Theft Auto characters to use within the Grand Theft Auto Online Character Creation System.
   
• Unique Vehicles and Garage Property
  Players will instantly receive a garage to store custom vehicles. In single player, the garage will be stocked with the 1930’s style Hotknife hotrod and the CarbonRS sports bike. In Grand Theft Auto Online, players will get the high-end Khamelion electric car.

Furthermore, any body who pre-orders before the games' release on September 17th (that includes the standard, Special and Collector's Editions) will receive access pilot the Atomic Blimp in-game vehicle:

High above the streets of Los Santos floats the Atomic Blimp, hawking Los Santos’ finest tire company (whose products are available in any LS Customs garage). Pre-order now to gain the ability to pilot the most iconic and leisurely aircraft in the Los Santos skies.

These editions are only available while supplies last: www.rockstargames.com/V/preorder

The Warriors, based on the cult-classic film of the same name, and one of my personal favourites from Rockstar's PS2-era, will be coming out to plaaaa-ay on PSN next week. Available from the 28th in the US and 29th in the UK, respectively, for $9.99 / €9.99 / £7.99.

This nearly completes Rockstar's PS2-era catalogue migration to PSN, except for Max Payne 2. No comment was teased at the bottom of the Newswire article regarding future releases, which has become the tradition of sorts. We'll keep our ears to the street though.

Rockstar has quietly released four new screenshots of Grand Theft Auto V on its official website.

Rockstar has released the artwork originally seen in the Michael. Trevor. Franklin. trailers last month. You can find a variety of sizes available for your desktop and mobile phone on the downloads page.

Rockstar has announced that the original Manhunt will be released on PSN next week, May 14th. For $9.99 / €9.99 / £7.99 it will join nearly all of Rockstars' PS2-era games - including Grand Theft Auto III through GTA Vice City Stories, Midnight Club 1 & 2, Red Dead Redemption and Bully.

The announcement also mentions that The Warriors will be joining Manhunt on PSN in the near future.

The only remaining PS2-era titles in Rockstar's backlog now are Manhunt 2, Max Payne 2, The Warriors and State of Emergency. I've mentioned before that I can't see State of Emergency being re-released, however Max Payne 2 is near guaranteed to be seen on PSN in the future - it would complete the collection.

Manhunt 2, on the other hand, could be more tricky; if they re-release the censored version I can't see an issue, however with the controversy surrounding the game, it's hard to say whether it's a contender or not. That being said, the original Manhunt had no easy ride on the market either, and they've made is PSN ready, so let's be optimistic. Manhunt 2 was originally released uncut and adults-only on PC, until the reseller was acquired by another company who chose not to store AO games.

We'll keep you informed of any new announcements. Until then, be sure to download your copy of Manhunt on PSN May 14th.

IGN has posted a detailed 8-page article on the 16 years of Grand Theft Auto mayhem. From the early days of DMA Design in the late '80s to now, with Grand Theft Auto V on the now-not-too-distant horizon. There is plenty to be excited about, and even more to reminisce on...

"It's all about the American Dream. You start at the bottom, put in effort and time, and you make it to the top...no matter who you have to kill. Any stone player can get known and get paid if they take what they want, and survive the day. And see the next guy lining up to take what's yours and make it his. That's what makes this country great.

Gamers live the life Rockstar's built for them, 50 million of them, doing what they want and getting ahead one drive-by, one stolen ride, one felony at a time. It's a funhouse mirror on our sliding culture, envisioned by a Scot and a pair of Brits. Imitators come and go. None come close to Grand Theft Auto's excesses, successes, consequences, and stepping outside the lines. The franchise is big-time. Stocks jump at the mention of its name. So do giant-killers, lawyers, mothers, and politicians – all stepping up to take their shot at a game that turned controversy into fame, and then infamy.

A life of crime ain't easy, baby." - IGN

Summarizing this mammoth article would simply not do it justice; IGN has put in a solid effort curating the history of the biggest gaming series, be sure to check it out.

Rockstar has released 12 new screens of Grand Theft Auto V - some of which debuted initially in the previews last week.

As announced last week, new GTAV previews have been revealed today by CVG and IGN, along with several others. You can find links to each below, and the latest screens and artwork embedded here. Be prepared for information overload...

• CVG
• IGN
• EDGE
• GameInformer (1, 2, 3 and 4)
• Videogamer (1 and 2)
• OPM
• OXM
• The Telegraph
• The Guardian
• JeuxVideo (French)

Screens

Artwork

Update: Rockstar themselves have compiled a list of world-wide all previews, along with some of the stand-out content.

According to various reports and screengrabs, the original Grand Theft Auto and its sequel, GTA2, have been rated for PlayStation 3, PSP and PS Vita by ESRB.

This continues Rockstar's trend of releasing, what they consider their classic games, on the PlayStation Network. They last promised more "titles coming soon to the PS2 Classics collection" back at the end of March when Liberty City Stories, Vice City Stories, and the first two Midnight Club games made their way to PSN.

The original Grand Theft Autos are pre-PS2, with the original landing on PC in October 1997, followed by a PlayStation 1 release in December of the same year. Both are currently available for free via the Rockstars Classics page on their official site. It does bring in to question why these games have cropped up as re-ratings for PSN, considering the wording of their previous promise.

As at the time of posting, the listings on ESRB's website can no longer be found, so whether they've been removed due to error or request are, as yet, unknown.

No introduction necessary; here are the latest Grand Theft Auto V trailers introducing the three main protagonists - Michael, Trevor and Franklin.

Michael

Franklin

Trevor

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