It’s been out for a week now and what are people saying about the latest installment in the GTA series? I seriously have not heard anything bad. Well, there is the fact that the game freezes for some PS3 units and for the Xbox but Rockstar was able to release a patch within days of the first reports. It hasn’t happened to me yet – and I am crossing my fingers that it never will, but in case it does, I am glad that the patch is available.

As for the game play – I have nothing to complain about really, at least for now. It is everything that I have been expecting. I think I am about at 20 something per cent of the game and I have been having all sorts of fun. No doubt that it is quite harder than the old GTA installments. Driving a car or a bike is not that easy – controlling that helicopter with the movements of the controller is worse – but it is all part of the challenge!

No more to say about that for now – GTA IV rocks!

Something on the lighter side – have you read Jeremy’s post on how his wife ruined GTA? It is quite hilarious, really. He writes about his wife tried her hand at it and obeyed ALL the laws! You should read it for yourself.

I downloaded a new demo from the PlayStation Store last weekend and got a few surprises. Talk about Echo Chrome has been circulating for quite some time now but it was not until I tried it for myself that I was able to appreciate the game. Echo Chrome is so simple when it comes to graphics. It is like comparing a child’s art doodles to a masterpiece by Picasso.

Yet it delivers a different kind of gaming experience. Imagine black and white drawings (simplistic drawings – lines and curves) in 3D. That’s it! The beauty of the game lies in the 5 different laws that apply to the world of Echo Chrome. At the beginning of the demo, you are introduced to the 5 different perspectives – I forgot what they all are (too lazy to turn the PS 3 on as I write). You have to remember these perspectives in order to succeed at the game, though.

The challenge is in you, the player, being able to manipulate the environment so as to utilize the different perspectives and guide your character through the pathways in the game. The game seems easy and simple enough – until you actually try it. I think the graphics and the simplistic explanation of the perspectives are cunningly deceptive. They give you this false sense of belief that everything is easy. Trust me, it is not – and that is the fun of it!

The game will be released for the PS3 and the PSP.

We’ve always known that GTA IV would create a lot of noise and the nearer the release date is, the louder the noise will get. I know I shouldn’t have been surprised when I read several blogs announcing a pirated version GTA IV being released. Kotaku excitedly announces:

At around 11:50am Greenwich Mean Time, the PAL version of Grand Theft Auto IV for the Xbox 360 was ripped and leaked to various torrent sites by a ground called iCON. This would of course enable burning a copy for the home console. Meanwhile, the NTSC version is expected within the next 48 hours. YouTube clips have been popping up online of the game’s opening and early missions — but as of posting, many of the clips have been taken down. The retail release is a mere six days away. This isn’t the first GTA game leaked as San Andreas was as well. And it was leaked a week before, too.
We haven’t verified whether the 6.32 GB file really is the full game, but there are plenty of listings on torrent sites now and we contacted Rockstar for comment.

Can’t wait to see what Rockstar will say – not that I can make any use of the version as I don’t have an Xbox 360.

Another piece of news to make waves comes from Amazon, which just released the revealed the soundtrack for the game. News For Gamers lists the tunes down:

Soviet Connection (Theme from GTA IV) by Michael Hunter
Dirty New Yorker by Mobb Deep (feat. Havoc & Prodigy)
No Sex for Ben by The Rapture
No Fraid A by Munga
Where’s My Money by Busta Rhymes
I Want You by C.J.
Rocky Mountain Way by Joe Walsh
Stand Up Jamrock by Bob Marley & The Wailers and Damian Marley
Liberty City: The Invasion by Seryoga
Vagabond by Greenskeepers
On a Journey by Electrik Funk
Nickname by Qadir
Holy Thursday by David Axelrod
War is Necessary by Nas
Zombie by Fela Kuti
5:23 (Maiden Voyage) by Global Communication

A few more days to go…

Only a few more weeks and GTA IV will finally be out! I am sure that countless gamers all over the world are impatiently waiting for the day that they can get their hands on the first copies of the latest in one of the greatest game franchises in the history of video gaming.

Well, here is something more to whet GTA enthusiasts’ appetites – the GTA Social Club. What is this all about? It is basically an online home to anyone who plays GTA. Here’s more information from Gaming Bits:

Grand Theft Auto IV has gone gold for the Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 . Take-Two CEO’s Ben Feder said GTA IV is “in production and in trucks en route to retailers” during Take-Two’s shareholders’ meeting. We’ll see how tightly retailers can keep the game under wraps. I wouldn’t be surprised that random leaks and early eBay auctions surface.

In addition to GTA IV going gold, the Rockstar Games Social Club has launched and is now taking early registrations. There’s a nice giveaway sweepstakes contest if you register before GTA IV’s release.

From the Social Club: “The Rockstar Games Social Club is now open for pre-registration. This is a members-only destination for leaderboards, statistics, tournaments, ongoing special competitions, virtual events and more for Rockstar titles beginning with the launch of Grand Theft Auto IV on April 29th. Register your membership now to set up your profile and ensure that you will be able to check your stats and participate on day one of game release.”

Register on the Social Club website before the release of GTA IV (4/29/08) and you’ll be entered for a chance to have your portrait illustrated by Rockstar Games in “Grand Theft Auto style.” One Grand Prize Winner will be selected.

I scrambled to pre-register in the hopes that I would be one of the first to do so. Unfortunately, I was way up in the 20 something thousand…still, I have the chance to get my portrait drawn!

I never thought I would see this day – I was wrong. It seems that video games are becoming that prevalent that real life rock bands are seeing them as a good venue for releasing their singles. Well, at least one specific video game – Rock Band. I remember way back in the day when radio was the main means of releasing songs. Not anymore!

In an unprecedented move, rock icon Motley Crue is set to release their newest single “Saints of Los Angeles” through the video game Rock Band. This single is available for download through Xbox Live or the PlayStation Store. Of course, it isn’t for free, but the price is quite reasonable at 99 cents.

Motley Crue is not the only band that is going down this path. Def Leppard, another 80s favorite, is set to release their new single entitled “Nine Lives.” The band, however, chose another video game for their venue. Guitar Hero III enthusiasts will be able to download this latest single from Xbox Live on April 24 and from the PlayStation Store on May 8.

But wait – there’s more! There are rumors going around that Metallica has something in the works for Rock Band as well. Though nothing has been substantiated as of yet, it seems that the band just might release their new single through Rock Band as well.

I don’t know about you, but I think that this is quite revolutionary and presents a lot of exciting possibilities for musicians and their fans.

These words always make me perk up in anticipation – undocumented, PS3, and unveiled. Put together, they simply mean that there is something new and exciting that I can do with my PS3, right? Well, let’s say almost always. In this case, I was a bit disappointed when I read the post in PS3 Vault – the title held so much potential!

So what is it all about?

Apparently, someone has discovered a way to blow out the dust that tends to accumulate inside the PS3 casing and the fan. If you do this, you just might extend your PS3’s life – if only because you have removed all the accumulated dust inside. Another perk – well, it depends on your perspective, really – is that you can make your PS3 sound like an Xbox360. (Really now, though, who would want that?;))

Anyhow, here is the video that is being circulated on YouTube. Oh, by the way, this only works for the 40GB version and not on anything else.

Those of us who have had the PS3 for quite some time now would think back to the day that we first turned the console on and held the Six Axis controller in our hands. I don’t know about you, but I still remember that day clearly. I was certainly not one of the first people to have gotten a PS3 unit but that didn’t take anything away from my first experience with my PS3. Though the Six Axis controller was not a DualShock, it did serve its purpose. Well, actually in my case, it still is serving its purpose.

Still, the news from Sony that they are discontinuing production of the Six Axis controller due to the release of the DualShock 3 controller last week was most welcome! I can just imagine playing tons of PS3 games with this new controller – just like the one I had for the PS2, but which, I am sure is definitely going to be better!

Of course, some of you may have had your heyday with the DualShock already as units have been on sale on Gamestop since the beginning of this month. Some people have also claimed to have bought their controllers from Japan earlier this year – I am not quite sure about that. What I know is that those who have already experienced these new controllers for the PS3 have said nothing but good things – heavier, more stable, better performance, and so on. So what are we all waiting for? DualShock, here we come!

Well, if Metsbrotha is to be believed, then yes this baseball video game is the best there is. Here is what he has to say:

For you baseball fans with Playstation 3s, I strongly suggest walking down to your nearest Best Buy, Gamestop, Walmart or wherever you buy your video games from - and do yourselves a favor and pick up MLB ‘08 The Show. Simply put, this game is the most realistic baseball game I have ever played. It’s sick.

For starters, the graphics are amazing. The stadium recreations are top notch and the player movements are as real as they come. For example, if you play a game at Shea, there are cranes working on a half-done CitiField in the background. Sick.

It actually really FEELS like you are playing a baseball game, which is why I like it so much. Not since Baseball Stars on NES have I enjoyed playing a video baseball game.

Check out the YouTube video below and you’ll see what I’m talking about. I apologize in advance as the vid shows Pedro and the Mets losing to the Braves (which we all know will never happen lol). Notice how Pedro’s windup and pitching style is recreated EXACTLY in the game. Sick.

I have not really played the whole version of the game as I have only tried the demo but from what I have experienced, it does indeed have the potential to be the best baseball video game in my book. So why haven’t I bought my own copy yet? Simply because I am not really into baseball for video games. If you are, though, you might want to check it out for yourself.

As you’ve probably surmised, I have been shopping this weekend. Together with the copy of Skate, which I reviewed in the previous post, I also got a copy of Dynasty Warriors 6 for PS3 – a game which I have been waiting for for quite some time now. It came out a month ago but I have not been able to get it till this weekend. So what’s the dish?

The graphics are awesome – but I already expected that. The attention to detail and the effects will just blow your mind as you play the game! My problem is that my TV does not seem to be good enough for my PS3 games!!! I have a pretty nice Sony TV which performs very well for most anything but when it comes to PS3 games, it just doesn’t have enough resolution. For Dynasty Warriors, especially, I can barely see the map and it makes for harder gameplay.

What happens is that I usually end up just running around not knowing where I am and where I am supposed to go. I didn’t realize the importance of the map until now. It still is fun just going around whacking crowds of enemy soldiers but when I lose the level because I do not know my whereabouts and where to go, it really irks me. Maybe it’s time to get a new TV? A 1080p one, perhaps?

Anyhow, there are some changes – naturally – with Dynasty Warriors 6 like during the preparation you can choose a weapon but you don’t have your choice of officers – maybe it’s just like that in the beginning. I haven’t really made much headway because of the TV issue. In any case, it still is a game worth buying for yourself.

I have been playing Skate since I was able to download its demo from the PlayStation Home. To be honest, I never really was interested in buying the game. For one, I am no skateboarder in real life. I think that if I even dared to try it I would be the laughingstock of the most average of skateboarders out there. Yet when I tried the demo, I found myself unable to stop playing it. Ever since I started playing the demo, I knew that would buy the game and finally, this weekend, I bought my own full copy.

What can I say now? It has not failed my expectations. Perhaps one of the best things I like about Skate is the fact that you can merely roam the streets and the areas of the map. You don’t even really have to take on challenges – you only have to go around and do your tricks. The open environment is something that I really appreciate. More so, some of the tricks are not that easy to master. You need to learn how to flick the analog sticks and you get a sense of achievement when you get to master a trick. It gives you pleasure – as Joe B says in his blog, you are not merely “mashing buttons” to get the tricks done.

I am really excited about trying out the online venue but unfortunately, my Internet connection does not seem to be cooperating. I have had the game for a day or so only so I am sure that I will be able to figure this out soon enough. If I were you, I’d buy your own copy now.