GTA 4 is released today. It's not a title I've been anticipating, in fact, quite the opposite.
My history concerning GTA games is... well, I never played one until the third game for PS2, which I bought because it was going cheap at the time. Before that, I had never played one.
About 9 years ago, I went for a job interview in Dundee, Scotland for the company that did the Playstation (one) version of GTA - I think it was DMA Design? I forget who's who, I remember they told me that there was a company who made Lemmings, therre was some friction between staff so it split into two companies that were physically next door to each other but there was a rivalry. One of them was the one who made GTA, and became Rockstar North, the other ported it to PS1 and I went for a job interview there. Maybe they merged together again? I knew C++ and they wanted a C programmer, so I don't know why they even asked me along, I didn't have a chance of being employed.
So yeah, when I went for an interview with them I hadn't actually played GTA yet!
Anyway. The third game, for PS2, was quite fun. I never really bothered with the missions or actual storyline, they didn't seem fun. I just liked doing what I liked around the city. The game was pretty funny at times, that's why I liked it. That had more of an impact on me than anything. I really liked the 1980s radio station as well, and ended up buying the soundtrack to the film "Scarface" as that's what they'd used in the game. I haven't seen that film either.
The subsequent games... I own a copy of each of them pn PS2 as they're so popular you can find a 2nd hand copy ridiculously cheaply. I even have two copies of "GTA San Andreas" as I bought a 2nd hand PS2 using a special offer where if you bought a PS2 it would cost £XX and if you bought it bundled with GTA:SA it cost £20 less or something. So I inadvertantly bought a copy for minus £20 (or however much it was). I don't like the later games though, as they're really buggy and that wounds me as a proud developer (see, this is how they pay for not hiring me).
So I don't care about GTA 4 being released.
But, yeah, that's what's going on today. Huge adverts everywhere, and it managed to score 10 out of 10 in the review on Gamespot. The two things - advertising and top review marks - may not be co-incidental. There are a bunch of rumours floating around.
And in the news.... oh dear. T_T
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Grand Theft Auto IV: Violence flares after launch
A stabbing and a violent mugging today marked the long-awaited release of the violent computer game Grand Theft Auto IV (GTA).
A 23-year-old was repeatedly stabbed in Croydon, south London as he walked past 100 people queuing to buy the controversial game, in which players rob and murder their way through the criminal underworld.
A hooded man with a knife - who is thought to have known the victim - jumped out of the line outside Gamestation and stabbed him several times before running away.
Meanwhile in Manchester two young men broke a teenager’s jaw and nose as they snatched the game from his hands.
The 18-year-old and his friend were followed from a store and attacked 30 minutes after buying the £40 video game, which was released at midnight.
Source
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and the article goes on... :(
I guess it ought to be noted that violent crime and muggings happen every day, and neither of the attackers had actually played a copy of the game yet.
The thing I am most shocked by with that news article is that... and it really is shocking... the Daily Telegraph appear to have a video advertisement for GTA 4 embedded in that news story about the stabbing and mugging! :O I would never have expected that!
