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.
Great news for Kubrick and GTA fans: Rockstar has, for the first time, made the extremely rare San Andreas Kubrick collection available for purchase from their Warehouse.
The San Andreas Kubrick collection includes Carl “CJ” Johnson, Officer Tenpenny, Big Smoke, Ryder and The Truth. For only US$39.99 you can own one of the rarest Kubrick collectibles in existence. Given how sought-after this particular collection is online - some have doubted it's existence, others have hunted eBay for years for one - I can't see it being long before stock runs out.
Furthermore, the previously sold out Vice City Kubrick collection has been re-stocked and reissued in commemeration of the games' 10th anniversary. The collection includes Tommy Vercetti, Candi Suxx, Lance Vance, Ricardo Diaz and Ken Rosenberg.
Plus, if you've not purchased one of the limited-run 3,000 copies of the GTA III Kubrick collection, best be quick about it! Less than 200 copies remain of this iconic collection featuring 8-Ball, Claude, Donald Love, Misty and Salvatore Leone.
And one more thing... Rockstar is slashing 15% off anything you purchase in the same transaction as any one of these Kubrick collections until April 12th, 2013. Pre-orders of GTA V are not included, however a free Rockstar keychain - similar to that which was included with the GTA IV Special Edition - is included. Don't miss out on these limited-run collections.
Steam has discounted all Grand Theft Auto titles by 75% over the weekend.
- GTA III, Vice City and San Andreas are STEAMPLAY enabled; so Mac users out there can still get in on the killer deals!
- Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition contains both GTA IV and Episodes from Liberty City, for 25% cheaper than buying both separately.
- 'The Complete Pack' bundle is currently unavailable in Australia; as GTA 1 and 2 can only be acquired through the bundle, neither are available to Australians. The US and UK - plus possibly others I was unable to check - still have access to both the bundle and classic games. That being said, as is well known, GTA 1 and 2 are available free from Rockstar, along with Wild Metal, through their Classics webpage: rockstargames.com/classics/
The sale ends April 2nd, so be sure to complete your collection if you haven't already.
Bully, GTA III, GTA: San Andreas, Midnight Club 3, Red Dead Revolver, and now GTA: Vice City. Rockstar Classics are finding a second (third for some mobile-friendly titles) life through the PlayStation Network at the moment, and it appears that there is more to come. Rockstar signed off their release announcement today with this tantalizing tidbit:
"Stay tuned for future announcements on additional Rockstar titles being added to the PS2 Classics collection very soon."
Back before Christmas, along with Bully, Midnight Club 3 and Red Dead Revolver, it was noticed that GTA: Vice City Stories and the original Midnight Club 1 & 2 had been re-rated by ESRB for PlayStation 3 also.
The assumption would be that these three will be the next to be added Rockstar's PSN catalog. There are, however, memorable titles which have not yet appeared on ESRB's website which would be good contenders for re-release - including GTA: Liberty City Stories and The Warriors. Either way, more to come is guaranteed, so keep an eye out!
Continuing the 10th Anniversary celebration of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Rockstar has released Love Fist's original 1986 EP on iTunes. For a mere US$1.99 (or 69c each) the digital copy contains all four of the original songs you know and love from Vice City:
Also, don't forget to enter the Anniversay Collection Giveaway for some limited edition merch!
As part of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City's 10th Anniversary celebrations, Rockstar is digging into the archives to show some rare Behind the Scenes footage from the games development. The footage comes from exclusive interactive kiosks which were installed at London's Design Museum when the game was honored as an annual design award nominee for ‘biggest contribution to design in 2002’. The kiosks focused on Animation, Sound, and City Design architecture.
Animation has been revealed today, with Sound and City Design to follow:
Included in the embedded display above:
- “Motion Capture” - a rare video showing a cutscene between Kent Paul and Tommy Vercetti going from motion-capture through to 3D model wireframe to finished product.
- “Sketch Book” - a progression of original character sketches through to final models and now-iconic illustrations of such folks as Lance Vance, Avery Carrington, Ken Rosenberg and more.
- “Tommy Moves” - a set of clips showing the genesis of Tommy’s animations whether jumping into a Comet sports car, dive kicking a biker off his chopper or running with a chainsaw...
Most of this footage and content was once housed on Rockstar North's homepage; up until around March this year when it underwent an update which removed the interactive component - and we luckily have an archived copy:
In fact, we uploaded the majority of the video footage to our YouTube account in the early days of RockstarWatch:
The 10th Anniversary celebrations are doing a good job of showing just how much Rockstar, their games and the community has changed over time.
Can you believe it's been 10 years?
After some unforeseeable technically issues prevented it's release last week, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is now available for Android devices via Google Play. A full list of supported Android and iOS devices can be found below.
Android Phones: Motorola Atrix, Motorola Atrix HD, Motorola Atrix 4G, Motorola Photon, HTC Rezound, HTC One X, HTC One X+, Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Samsung Galaxy Note, Samsung Galaxy Note 2, Samsung Galaxy R, Samsung Epic 4G, Samsung Galaxy S2, Samsung Galaxy S3, Google Nexus 4, Sony Xperia Play, Sony Xperia Sola, Sony Xperia S / P / T & TL, Sony Walkman Z Series Media Player
Android Tablets: Acer Iconia, Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime, Asus Transformer Pad TF300T, Asus Transformer Pad Infinity 700, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 / 7.7 / 8.9 & 10.1, Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, Sony Tablet S, Sony Tablet P, Sony Xperia Tablet S, Toshiba Thrive, Toshiba Regza, Google Nexus 7, Google Nexus 10, Fujitsu Stylistic 10.1
Apple iOS Devices: iPad, iPad mini, iPhone 4, 4S & 5, iPod touch 4th & 5th Generation
It's here. Prepare for a trip down memory lane, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is now available for iPhone, iPad and Android devices.
Ten years ago you upgraded your console or PC to play the game, now you can have it in your trouser pocket for gaming on your trip in to work tomorrow morning. Whether you're one of the fans who still consider Vice CIty your favorite Grand Theft Auto experience, or you're dying to hit the beach in the beautifully updated GTA-version of Miami, you're in for a treat...
iTunes: US | UK | AU
Google Play: Delayed due to unforeseen technical issues. Now Available!
Rockstar has announced that the Grand Theft Auto: Vice City 10th Anniversary Edition will launch on iOS and Android devices December 6th.
Priced at just US$4.99, the mobile version of the game will feature the entire game and content of the original, as the GTA III mobile release did. The release will also include native high-resolution graphics and several enhancements unique to the iOS and Android platforms; including updated character models and lighting effects, new and more precise firing and targeting options, a fully customizable control layout and native support for Retina display devices.
Supported devices:
Apple iOS Devices: iPad, iPhone 4, 4S & 5, iPod touch 4th & 5th Generation
Android Phones: Motorola Razr, Razr Maxx, Razr Maxx HD, Motorola Atrix, Motorola Photon, Motorola Droid Bionic, HTC Rezound, HTC One X, HTC One S, HTC Evo 3D, HTC Sensation, HTC Droid Incredible 2, Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Samsung Nexus S, Samsung Galaxy Note 1 & 2, Samsung S2, Samsung Galaxy R, Sony Xperia Play, Sony Xperia S, P, T & TL, Sony Walkman Z Series Media Player, Samsung Galaxy S2, Samsung Galaxy S3, Google Nexus 4
Android Tablets: Acer Iconia, Asus Eee Pad Transformer, Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime, LG Optimus Pad, Medion Lifetab, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 / 10.1, Samsung Galaxy Tab 2, Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, Sony Tablet S, Sony Tablet P, Toshiba Thrive, HTC Flyer, Google Nexus 7, Google Nexus 10
A new trailer is on the way in the coming weeks, along with announcements on limited Vice City anniversary-themed collectibles.
It's hard to believe it, but Monday will mark 10 years since the epic Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was released, and much like GTA III before it, changed what our perception of a game was. The missions, the characters, the open-gameplay - Vice City took it all that one step further, and many still consider it their favorite game in the series.
To celebrate the 10th anniversary, Rockstar is releasing commemorative assets, as they did with GTA III, including never-before-seen artwork, a brand new trailer highlighting iconic scenes from the iconic game, along with music from the game in - we imagine) - a digital download. Great news for all fans out there.
Furthermore, Vice City will also be going mobile! Following the groundbreaking success of GTA III late last year on iOS and Android devices, Vice CIty will be making it's smart phone debut later this fall in stunning graphics, along with enhancements to fit with the mobile feel, and of course the full game. Considering the popularity and quality of the GTA III mobile release, this will be quite a huge feat.
Rockstar is promising more details in the coming weeks, so stay tuned. Another exciting end-of-year heading our way for sure!
