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Tag: Grand Theft Auto V

  • ‘Grand Theft Auto Online’ Update Brings Heists and More

    Despite the disastrous launch of Grand Theft Auto Online last year, developer Rockstar has consistently been updating the title since its release, adding features, in-game items, and generally whipping the game into playable shape. Now that the game has cultivated a community of dedicated players, Rockstar is on the verge of making some of its most major Grand Theft Auto V updates ever. The developer today announced several new updates that will be coming to Grand Theft Auto Online this spring.

    The biggest change coming to GTA Online is a feature that fans have been calling for since the game was released. Sometime this spring Heist missions will be introduced. The missions will allow players to team up and take on challenging heists for the possibility of big rewards.

    Starting with next week’s update players will be able to create their own “Capture” jobs using the job creation tools. Like the player-created deathmatch and race jobs, Rockstar will be taking the best capture jobs and featuring them as “Rockstar Verified.”

    The next big content update for GTA: Online will also be coming this spring. The “High Life” update will bring cars, motorcycles, and clothing designed for high-end GTA Online consumers and those who thought the “Business” update was a bit too stuffy. The update will also come with a new bullpup rifle, options for high-end apartment player housing, and a new “Mental State” character statistic that will show how aggressive players are.

    In addition to the spring updates, Rockstar today teased a few of the improvements that will be coming to the game in the future. Most of these updates will be minor fixes and features to fine-tune the GTA Online game world, including a “no-contact” race option to prevent player collisions, an RP bonus for leaving job feedback, and increased payout for parachute, race, deathmatch, and LTS jobs.

    Most importantly, though, the developer will be bringing back the original in-air physics for motorcycles and bicycles. This will allow players to perform stunts and tricks that were made impossible by the change. Though Rockstar considers these physics to have originally been a bug, the developer has not stated that it is “open to keeping unintended ‘glitches’ in the game if players enjoy them and they aren’t causing any negative impact to gameplay or fairness in any way.”

  • Lindsay Lohan To Sue Grand Theft Auto Makers

    For all of you Grand Theft Auto V enthusiasts, do you think the character on the cover of the game is Lindsay Lohan? She thinks so, and is planning on suing the makers of the game, Rockstar, for using her likeness for the character without her permission. TMZ reports that Lohan is planning on making Rockstar pay “serious money” for using her image without giving her the credit she deserves.

    The girl on the cover is shown wearing a red bikini, holding a smart phone and flashing a peace sign. Gamers have been trying to figure out who the girls is and have compared her to Sports Illustrated model, Kate Upton, among others.

    So, is the girl actually Lohan, or is it someone else? Model, Shelby Welinder says that she was hired by Rockstar through her agency to model for the game in Fall 2012. “It’s nice to see all these people referring to me as a porn star and a slut,” Welinder said. “Quite entertaining to say the least. I worked for Rockstar and signed a release that said I’d be listed in the game credits.”

    Welinder posted a video on Vine that shows her modeling for the cover of the popular game, and even has an invoice that shows she was paid for the photo shoot by Rockstar.

    Welinder took to Twitter to let off some steam and voice her disgust with Lohan for thinking that she is the character on the cover.

    Other Twitter users also showed their amusement with the lawsuit.

    Tell us who you think the character is in the comments section below.

    [Image via Twitter]

  • Lindsay Lohan to Sue GTA V Makers for Using Her Likeness in Game

    According to TMZ, Lindsay Lohan is suing the makers of Grand Theft Auto V for using her likeness in the game. TMZ says that their sources tell them Lohan is expecting “serious money” from Rockstar for using her likeness in the game. Neither Lohan nor Rockstar have commented on the situation so far.

    Fans of GTA V have been scrambling to figure out exactly which character Lohan believes Rockstar modeled after her. So far, two characters with a similar likeness or background have been mentioned. The first character is featured on the cover of the game (see below) and the other character is a celebrity that has problems with her parents and the paparazzi. Considering the latter character is minor, it’s probably safe to assume Lohan’s lawsuit is referring to the cover character based on her compensation expectations.

    Check out the photos below of the character in GTA V that looks most like Lohan and then an image of Lohan. Do you think the character is clearly based on Lohan? Respond below.

    (image)

    (image)

    One thing that may very well kill Lohan’s chances for any compensation from Rockstar–assuming TMZ’s sources pan out–is the fact that another woman says that she was inspiration for the character in the photo above. According to NowGamer, model Shelby Welinder said that she was hired to model for the game.

    “I worked for R* and signed a release that said I’d be listed in the game credits,” Welinder said. Welinder also shared an image of an invoice that proves Rockstar Games paid her. See a video Welinder posted to her Vine account to see which woman you think most resembles the GTA V character in question.

    Welinder has mentioned Lohan’s alleged lawsuit on Twitter and seems amused that Lohan could possibly think her likeness was used.

    After looking at some other Twitter comments regarding the Lindsay Lohan/GTA V issue, it appears that other people are quite amused (and confused) by the lawsuit as well.

    [Images via YouTube]

  • Open Mic Fun: Flirting With Strippers In GTA Online Is Awkward

    Voice over IP is a common feature of most, if not all multiplayer games. Some games choose to limit who can hear in-game chatter, keeping team chat streams separate from one another. In an open-world online game like GTA Online, however, there aren’t any teams, so the in-game chat can be heard by anyone who’s logged into that particular session. This means unless fellow GTA Online players are actively muting their counterparts, they can hear all of the verbal diarrhea being spewed. This, unfortunately, includes poor attempts to flirt with virtual strippers who appear in the game.

    As you can see in the lead video, such attempts at flirtation can lead to funny and embarrassing results. Who knows? Maybe the guy being recorded was only goofing off, but the end result is pretty cringe-worthy. Again, this might be the intended reaction by the lady’s man being recorded; but if it’s not, then the awkward level increases exponentially.

    With that in mind, what did we learn from this little public service announcement? Everyone in your GTA Online session can hear what you say, unless they’ve muted you. Granted, such a feature only invites the trolls to come out, but that’s why Rockstar was kind enough to include the mute option. Of course, some players would like to do away with the default open mic status, but I’m not sure how realistic that is. Rockstar has already patched GTA Online a few times, and the open mic status remains. This means player awareness is important. When playing, keep in mind that if your mic–or PS Eye camera is on–everyone who logged in the same game can hear everything you’re saying.

    Tread appropriately.

    [Lead image via Rockstar]

  • Grand Theft Auto V Might Make It To PC After All [Report]

    Grand Theft Auto V launched on Xbox 360 and PS3 last month, and has already made more money than you’ll ever see in a lifetime. Hell, it’s even been awarded with seven Guinness World Records. Despite all this, there’s still no PC version of the game. That all might change in 2014 though.

    Eurogamer reports that Rockstar’s latest open world crime simulator will be coming to the PC in the first quarter of 2014. The report comes from multiple unnamed industry sources who said that GTA V’s PC release will be similar to GTA IV’s PC release – eight months after the console release. If that’s the case, we’ll see GTA V hit the PC in May. It’s not exactly the first quarter anymore, but it’s still the first half of the year.

    A PC version is nice and all, but what about next-gen versions? GTA V players will tell you that the game’s ambitious scope would have been better served on hardware that’s not eight years old. Well, Rockstar addressed that very subject back in July:

    We don’t have anything to share about the possibility of a next-gen or a PC platform release at this time and we are completely focused on delivering the best possible experience for the consoles people have right now.

    With the report of a PC version on the way, it makes a next-gen version seem almost plausible. After all, Rockstar could stand to make a lot of money from repeat purchases by releasing the same game on next-gen consoles, but with an improved framerate and full 1080p visuals. This generation proved that people are willing to double dip on HD remasters of older games, and the same might just be true next generation.

    [Image: Rockstar Newswire]

  • GTA Online Players to Get $500K In-Game Cash

    Given all the difficulties Grand Theft Auto Online has had, it wouldn’t be unfair to assume that the player base for the game dwindled quickly. In the nearly two weeks since the game’s debut, however, Rockstar has released two large updates for the title that seem to have gotten game working for the majority of players.

    Now, to lure players back into the fold developer Rockstar is giving away $500,000 of in-game cash to every GTA Online player this month. The “special stimulus package,” as Rockstar refers to it, could be handed out to players as early as the end of next week. Two separate $250,000 deposits will hit player bank accounts by the end of the month.

    Rockstar stated that is will be waiting to confirm it has fixed glitches that were causing players to lose progress and cash before giving away the money. The developer stopped short of calling the giveaway a mea culpa, but did say the event is related to the game’s disastrous launch. From Rockstar’s blog post:

    For players who experienced cloud server errors, connection issues, and lost game progress and characters in these first days of GTA Online, we hope this GTA$ helps to facilitate a fresh start or makes your continued life in Los Santos and Blaine County extra sweet.

    To qualify for the $500,000, players must log on, or have previously logged on, to Grand Theft Auto Online during October. Also, yet another update to the game will need to be downloaded before the “stimulus” will be handed out. In addition to implementing the system through which Rockstar will hand out the cash, the update is said to fix a glitch that can sometimes cause players to lose the cars they have purchased.

  • GTA 5 Awarded 7 Guinness World Records

    GTA 5 Awarded 7 Guinness World Records

    It was almost a given that Grand Theft Auto V would break some sort of record. Its predecessor, Grand Theft Auto IV, broke sales records when it was released back in 2008 and the hype for GTA V this year was quite possibly even higher than for that classic.

    Sure enough, sales of GTA V took off on day one with more than $800 million in revenue. That figure had easily hit $1 billion by the weekend. Those amazing sales numbers have now earned GTA V a place in the Guinness World Record book – six times over.

    The Guinness World Records organization this week awarded GTA V six different world records, all of them involving the speed with which the game sold. A seventh record was also awarded to the game based on its official trailer, which Guinness World Records says is the “most viewed” trailer for an action-adventure video game. Here are the records, some of which put GTA V above even movies an music:

    • Best-selling action-adventure videogame in 24 hours
    • Best-selling videogame in 24 hours
    • Fastest entertainment property to gross $1 billion
    • Fastest videogame to gross $1 billion
    • Highest grossing videogame in 24 hours
    • Highest revenue generated by an entertainment product in 24 hours
    • Most viewed trailer for an action-adventure videogame

    “GTA totally deserves to be recognized as an icon of modern British culture, and we’re thrilled to be able to feature the game in the record books,” said Craig Glenday, editor-in-chief of Guinness World Records. “Gaming is no longer a niche hobby, as GTA 5 has proved, and how exciting that it’s taken on the might of Hollywood and won! I’m also doubly proud as a Dundonian to welcome this home-grown series back into the Guinness World Records book.”

  • New ‘GTA Online’ Update Brings it Closer to Working

    When Grand Theft Auto Online was launched last week, the service was so crowded that many (if not most) players couldn’t actually play the game. Developer Rockstar issued a patch for the game within days, but players were still plagued by playability issues. Serious issues such as disappearing characters, network errors, and missing money or experience have been making the GTA Online seem like a mess for over a week.

    Rockstar has now issued yet another update for the game, promising “technical fixes, tweaks, and enhancements” that should improve player experiences. Most importantly, Rockstar claims to have fixed the glitches causing characters to disappear. Other fixes include errors that prevented missions from completing, as well as issues that were causing the game to never load fully. The entire list of fixes from Rockstar’s newswire:

    • Fixes multiple issues causing character deletion or other loss of progress
    • Fixes issues causing infinite loading, infinite sky cams, and missing interface options between jobs
    • Fixes an issue causing the “replay” option to be locked out on certain jobs
    • Fixes an issue where a player would become stuck in the mod garage when respraying a Sanchez motor bike
    • Fixes an issue where the Player became stuck inside Los Santos Customs during Online tutorial flow
    • Fixes an issue causing the loss of guns and ammo
    • Fixes issues causing GTA races ending early because of players spawning too far ahead
    • Fixes issues in Last Team Standing where sessions would not progress past the lobby
    • Fixes issues with network errors when joining Last Team Standing using Quick Job
    • Added clarifications around when a player is using a temporary character in GTA Online during Rockstar Cloud server outages
    • Adjusts the monetary penalty for being killed in a One on One match

    The update has already been pushed out for PlayStation 3 owners, and should appear for the Xbox 360 sometime today.

    In its blog post, Rockstar also issued an apology to players who had lost characters or progress due to the glitches. The developer also strongly suggests that players save their game before quitting by exiting to the single-player mode of Grand Theft Auto V.

    (Image courtesy Rockstar)

  • GTA Online Still Suffering, Rockstar Addresses Complaints

    Since it launched on Tuesday, Grand Theft Auto Online has been spotty at best. The online mode for the mega-hit Grand Theft Auto V was flooded with millions of players, causing servers to clog within minutes of its launch. It’s a safe bet that on launch day a majority of players were either not able to play the multiplayer mode or experienced severe glitches, including locked-up consoles, deleted characters, and missing limbs.

    Now, with GTA Online finally beginning to become playable for a majority of gamers, Rockstar provided an update about the game’s status and some info about what it is doing to fix the problems. Though the developer did not issue an outright apology, it did admit that GTA Online has “been a bit less than smooth” for players this week.

    A significant fix has been pushed out for PlayStation 3 owners, allowing more than a few of them to access GTA Online at one time. The developer is also working on what it is calling “instability across the GTA Online services.”

    Now that more people can access the game, Rockstar has turned to fixing the first mission. When entering GTA Online, players are forced into a tutorial car racing mission and many players have experienced game freezes and other glitches when starting the race. Rockstar stated it will be “unblocking” the mission in some way, though it wasn’t specific on whether players will be able to skip the race.

    In the meantime, with all of the troubles plaguing GTA Online, Rockstar has disabled sales for in-game cash. The developer stated that the microtransactions will go on sale again when everybody has access to the game and the service is stable (presumably when players can be guaranteed that their in-game cash won’t simply disappear).

  • GTA Online Launches Today, Here Are the Details

    Following a record-breaking launch, gamers have now had two weeks to burn through the abundant single-player content in Grand Theft Auto V. Today, the online component of the game, Grand Theft Auto Online, will be activated, allowing up to 16 players to roam around Los Santos together. Developer Rockstar today revealed a few details that fans may want to know before jumping online.

    GTA Online is free (though it will have microtransactions), though gamers will have to download a “small” update for the game prior to playing. After that, switching to the fourth character slot (the bottom one) will take players directly into GTA Online.

    Once players get there they are free to roam the city and cause mayhem at their leisure. Taking jobs and completing missions will allow players to rank up their “Reputation Points,” which will unlock more guns and clothes for purchase. According to Rockstar, the content in GTA Online will evolve over time as both the developer and players create new content for the game.

    Players will each be able to customize a character using a “hereditary-based” character creator. Players will choose parents and the level of genetic dominance seen from each. Then a series of “lifestyle” questions will be answered, determining the appearance and starting statistics of a character. In addition, players can each have homes where other players can be invited to for a meeting. Rockstar has implemented limits on these visits to prevent griefing.

  • Rockstar Details Grand Theft Auto Online, Confirms Microtransactions

    Last week, millions of gamers around the world helped make Grand Theft Auto V the most successful game launch in history. Now those same gamers are making their way through the world of Los Santos, and will no doubt find themselves facing the end credits screen soon enough. That won’t be the end, however, as their own personal story will begin in Grand Theft Auto Online.

    Rockstar took to its official blog today to update players on the status of the free Grand Theft Auto Online update coming to GTAV in October. The developer says that it still plans to roll out GTA Online on October 1, but wants players to know that it probably won’t be perfect at launch.

    The first couple of weeks we expect to be heavily focused on tuning the experience as it goes from internal testing to the reality of being played by tons of people in the real world so that all the usual teething problems for an online game are overcome. We hope it will all run incredibly smoothly, but please bear with us if it doesn’t, and help us fix any and all problems!

    During the first few weeks and throughout the life of the game, Rockstar wants the players to decide the evolution of its first persistent online world. The team wants players to tell them everything, from what kind of missions they want to see in GTA Online to how they should approach future content updates. Rockstar will also be setting up a dedicated email address for players to submit bugs and suggestions.

    Oh, and Rockstar is already prepping to make sure it has the server capacity to handle everybody logging into GTA Online when it goes live next month.:

    One thing we are already aware of, and are trying to alleviate as fast as we can, is the unanticipated additional pressure on the servers due to a significantly higher number of players than we were anticipating at this point – we are working around the clock to buy and add more servers, but this increased scale is only going to make the first few days even more temperamental than such things usually are. This is part of the problem some of you have been experiencing with the iFruit App and some Social Club services – we apologize in advance for this and thank you for your patience in this area.

    As for the gameplay of GTA Online itself, Rockstar says that players can expect all the fun of the single-player campaign but with up to 16 friends. You can take on heists, compete in races and sports, and customize your character to however you see fit.

    Rockstar also confirms that the GTA Online economy will run off of its own currency called GTA$. Players will be able to earn the in-game currency through complete missions and winning races, and that money can then be used to buy in-game items. If you don’t want to earn your money, you can bypass all that by spending real world money to purchase GTA$. Rockstar affirms that GTA Online can be fully enjoyed without spending a single dime, and that the microtransactions are only there for those who don’t want to put in the effort.

    On a final note, Rockstar says that it already has a number of expansions in the works for GTA Online, including a content creator, the beach bum pack, a Capture the Flag mode and co-op Heists missions. All of this will be made available for free as will all other expansions for GTA Online.

    [Image: Rockstar Newswire]

  • Grand Theft Auto V Mythbusters Searches For The Truth

    As you might expect, the overwhelming popularity of Grand Theft Auto V—a billion dollars in three days is astounding–has led to the creation of user-generated content celebrating the game and all the things you can do. reddit, is, of course, one of the primary ground zeroes for such content, as is the ubiquitous YouTube. For those of you who follow the video game/YouTube content creation industry, you are well aware of how lucrative it can be. For those of you who aren’t, make no mistake, the term “industry” was not used lightly.

    Aside from creating awesome content, it helps to either be really early to a trend, or create a niche people didn’t know they wanted. This appears to be the case with Grand Theft Auto V Mythbusters, a combination of two great tastes that, at least in the first issue, tastes great together. The idea is simple enough, the creators–DefendTheHouse–take suggestions, or “myths” about GTA V’s gameplay, and try to determine whether they are true or not.

    The success/failure of their attempts confirms or busts these gameplay myths, which was demonstrated nicely in the first episode, meaning there are more to come:

    To generate feedback and ideas for upcoming content, the creators asked viewers for suggestions, which helps complete the “make money from YouTube” circle. More episodes, more video views, and more subscribers. And this, folks, is where the money from YouTube is made. Just ask PewDiePie about his bank account if you have any questions. As for the potential earning power of the GTA Mythbusters videos, the first one has received over 1.2 million views in only two days, and it features a healthy like-to-dislike ratio. The question is, will the creators capitalize on their opportunity and keep these viewers coming back.

    So far, the 305,000-plus subscriber count is a good sign.

    [Lead image courtesy of Rockstar]

  • ‘GTA V’ Soundtrack Released on iTunes

    Looking past all of the controversy blamed on the recent release of Grand Theft Auto V, the game itself is a technical accomplishment and very well could be the final great current-generation console game. Numerous perfect and near-perfect reviews for the game highlight its incredible scope and beautiful visual style, but GTA fans know that all of that would be a bit less without the varied soundtrack.

    Developer Rockstar today (finally) released the soundtrack for GTA V in the iTunes store. Actually, Rockstar released three separate albums related to GTA V: the Soundtrack, the Score, and the Original Music from the game. Each costs $10 separately, or they can all be bought together for $25.

    The Soundtrack features the music players will be most familiar with – the songs found on the game’s various radio stations. The album includes 19 tracks with a bit from all of GTA V‘s radio stations, including songs from Flying Lotus, Bootsy Collins, and Bob Seger.

    The Score album has all of the music that dynamically plays during the game’s many missions. According to Rockstar, the music was composed by the band Tangerine Dream; hip-hop producers The Alchemist and Oh No; and composer Woody Jackson.

    The Original Music album contains the songs written specifically for GTA V, including the song “Sleepwalking” by The Chain Gang of 1974. That song was featured in the GTA V launch trailer released back in August.

  • ‘GTA Online’ Could Have Microtransactions

    Back in August, with just one month to go before the launch of Grand Theft Auto V, developer Rockstar previewed its multiplayer vision for that game. Titled Grand Theft Auto Online, the multiplayer mode is set to launch on October 1 for everyone who bought a copy of Grand Theft Auto V.

    The release delay raised several questions, with critics chastising Rockstar for releasing an unfinished game, and fans defending the developer for allowing everyone time to finish off the game’s single-player experience. Regardless of the reason for the delay, it now appears that Grand Theft Auto Online will be a more “modern” multiplayer experience than anyone imagined.

    Though Online isn’t yet available, Reddit user 1880 found that GTA V still contains a plain XML describing unreleased content for Grand Theft Auto Online. Among the goodies are packs of money in different increments, each bearing this description:

    Cash is king in this town. Solve your money problems and help get what you want across Los Santos and Blaine County with the purchase of cash packs for Grand Theft Auto Online. All purchased cash is automatically deposited into your character’s bank account. Spend wisely, cash therapy is fleeting.

    The cash packs come in four different sizes of in-game money: the “Red Shark Cash Card” ($100,000), the “Tiger Shark Cash Card” ($200,000), the “Bull Shark Cash Card” ($500,000), and the “White Shark Cash Card” ($1,250,000). Other packs in the file include a “Collector’s Edition Pack” (Stunt Plane Trials, a special ability boost, additional weapons, garage property with unique vehicles, bonus outfits and tattoos, special deals from shopkeepers, access to the Atomic Blimp aircraft and custom characters for Grand Theft Auto Online), a “Special Edition Pack” (Stunt Plane Trials, a special ability boost, additional weapons, bonus outfits and tattoos, special deals from shopkeepers and access to the Atomic Blimp aircraft), and the stand-alone Atomic Blimp.

    While Rockstar could still be given the benefit of the doubt, it seems clear that the developer intends (or at one point intended) to monetize Grand Theft Auto Online through microtransactions. Players already making their way in the single-player GTA V experience have already complained of the difficulty of making money outside of heists, and fans could cry foul if microtransactions are seen to have affected rewards in the game.

  • GTA V Cheats Are Back: Cars, Explosives, and More

    With Saints Row IV basically making the entire game an exercise in cheating with superpowers, players coming into Grand Theft Auto V could be disappointed to come back to the relative reality of Los Santos.

    Luckily, Grand Theft Auto V is carrying on the series’ tradition of having old-school button combination codes for cheats. And they are still in demand. The day after the game’s release, “GTA 5 Cheats” began trending on Google. It seems that GTA fans are still nostalgic for the days of infinite ammo and tanks.

    So, to give the people what they want, the currently known cheat codes for Grand Theft Auto V are below (Xbox 360 versions of the codes are in parentheses). There are no penalties for using cheat codes, though trophies and achievements will be locked while they are being used. In other words, have fun:

    Drunk – Triangle, Right, Right, Left, Right, Square, O, Left (Y, Right, Right, Left, Right, X, B, Left)
    Explosive Melee Attacks – Right, Left, X, Triangle, R1, O, O, O, L2 (Right, Left, A, Y, RB, B, B, B, LT)
    Explosive Rounds – Right, Square, X, Left, R1, R2, Left, Right, Right, L1, L1, L1 (Right, X, A, Left, RB, RT, Left, Right, Right, LB, LB, LB)
    Fast Run – Triangle, Left, Right, Right, L2, L1, Square (Y, Left, Right, Right, LT, LB, X)
    Flame Rounds – L1, R1, Square, R1, Left, R2, R1, Left, Square, Right, L1, L1 (LB, RB, X, RB, Left, RT, RB, Left, Square, Right, LB, LB)
    Recharge Special Ability – X, X, Square, R1, L1, X, Right, Left, X (A, A, X, RB, LB, A, Right, Left, A)
    Wanted Level – Lower – R1, R1, O, R2, Right, Left, Right, Left, Right, Left (RB, RB, B, RT, Right, Left, Right, Left, Right, Left)
    Wanted Level – Raise – R1, R1, O, R2, Left, Right, Left, Right, Left, Right (RB, RB, B, RT, Left, Right, Left, Right, Left, Right)
    Give Parachute – Left, Right, L1, L2, R1, R2, R2, Left, Left, Right, L1 (Left, Right, LB, LT, RB, RT, RT, Left, Left, Right, LB)
    Change Weather – R2, X, L1, L1, L2, L2, L2, Square (RT, A, LB, LB, LT, LT, LT, X)
    Slippery Streets – Triangle, R1, R1, Left, R1, L1, R2, L1(Y, RB, RB, Left, RB, LB, RT, LB)
    Slow Motion – Triangle, Left, Right, Right, Square, R2, R1 (Y, Left, Right, Right, X, RT, RB)

    Vehicles:

    Buzzard (attack helicopter) – O, O, L1, O, O, O, L1, L2, R1, Triangle, O, Triangle (B, B, LB, B, B, B, LB, LT, RB, Y, B, Y)
    Caddy – O, L1, Left, R1, L2, X, R1, L1, O, X (B, LB, Left, RB, LT, A, RB, LB, B, A)
    Comet – R1, O, R2, Right, L1, L2, X, X, Square, R1 (RB, B, RT, Right, LB, LT, A, A, X, RB)
    Duster – Right ,Left, R1, R1, R1, Left, Triangle, Triangle, X, O, L1, L1 (Right ,Left, RB, RB, RB, Left, Y, Y, A, B, LB, LB)
    Limo – R2, Right, L2, Left, Left, R1, L1, O, Right (RT, Right, LT, Left, Left, RB, LB, B, Right)
    Rapid GT – R2, L1, O, Right, L1, R1, Right, Left, O, R2 (RT, LB, B, Right, LB, RB, Right, Left, B, RT)
    Sanchez – O, X, L1, O, O, L1, O, R1, R2, L2, L1, L1 (B, A, LB, B, B, LB, B, RB, RT, LT, LB, LB)
    Stunt Plane – O, Right, L1, L2, Left, R1, L1, L1, Left, Left, X, Triangle (B, Right, LB, LT, Left, RB, LB, LB, Left, Left, A, Y)
    Trashmaster – O, R1, O, R1, Left, Left, R1, L1, O, Right (B, RB, B, RB, Left, Left, RB, LB, B, Right)

    The cheats themselves are pretty self-explanatory. To demonstrate a few of the more fun ones, PlayStation Access has put out a video showcasing its “top ten” of the above cheats. The explosive melee cheat looks particularly fun:

    (Image courtesy Rockstar)

  • Grand Theft Auto V Special Edition Contains A Hidden Message

    Rockstart made sure to include lots of expected extras with their The Grand Theft Auto V Special Edition copy of the game, including bonus weapons, additional character outfits, and a collectible book that includes artwork from the game. Again, this is pretty standard stuff as far as more expensive editions go, but Rockstar didnt’ stop there. The developers also included a hidden message on the blueprint map that is also included with the special edition.

    It’s so hidden, in fact, you’ll need a blacklight in order to see it; or, well, read the publications that have the deciphered message. Before that, however, an image of the hidden message, courtesy of GameFront.com (via Polygon):

    GTA V Hidden Message

    If you can’t make that out, or you don’t have a blacklight handy to try it yourself, worry not. The message reads:

    Great Ocean Highway
    Through North Chumask
    0.5 miles past Raton Canyon
    <- When guard rail ends Follow the dirt road Down to the Docks Bring $500,000 CASH

    As you might expect, reddit is also on the case, and if you’re curious about what can be found there, you can spoil yourself right over here. There’s also a video from a player who apparently found the stash as well. Obviously, spoilers are attached here, too.

    In other news, GTA V is well on its way to being one of the most successful for-the-home video games ever. The game has already broken the $800 million mark, and will be beyond the $1 billion plateau in a matter of hours. Keep in mind, the game is coming out on the next generation consoles as well, which means this massive bottom line will continue to grow as we approach the holiday shopping season.

    [Lead image courtesy of Rockstar]

  • Grand Theft Auto V Brings In $800 Million On Its First Day

    On Tuesday, Rockstar Games released Grand Theft Auto V to the world five years after the last game hit store shelves. Demand for Rockstar’s latest open-world action game was high, but just how successful was it?

    Take Two Interactive announced today that Grand Theft Auto V made more than $800 million in world wide sales on its first day. That means Rockstar’s latest holds the new first days sales record for a video game. The previous record holder was last year’s Call of Duty: Black Ops II which managed to sell through $500 million worth of copies in its first day on store shelves.

    Take Two is obviously pleased by GTAV’s performance, and can’t wait to make even more money when the game launches in Brazil and Japan later this year:

    “All of us at Take-Two are thrilled with the initial response to Grand Theft Auto V. Once again, the team at Rockstar Games have outdone themselves, setting the entertainment industry’s new standard for creativity, innovation and excellence,” said Strauss Zelnick, Chairman and CEO of Take-Two. “Beginning at midnight on Monday, consumers around the world gathered in anticipation to be among the first to experience the evolution of this remarkable series. In North America alone, more than 8,300 stores opened their doors at midnight to welcome fans whose loyalty and enthusiasm were rewarded with what The New York Times called ‘the most immersive spectacle in interactive entertainment’. We are incredibly proud of Rockstar Games’ creative achievement and could not be more pleased with the success of this launch.”

    Besides being a commercial success, GTAV has proven to be quite the critical darling as well. The Xbox 360 version of the game is currently sitting at a 98 on Metacritic with over 25 perfect scores. In fact, the only outlet so far to rate the game below a 90 was The Escapist who called out the game’s story for featuring morally reprehensible characters that betrays Rockstar’s history of telling stories about well-intentioned men being drawn into the darker side of humanity.

    Regardless of how the critics feel, the gamers responded with their dollars in such a manner that ensures Grand Theft Auto will remain one of the cornerstones of gaming for years to come.

    [Image: RockstarGames/YouTube]

  • GTA V Launch Day Isn’t Without Shenanigans, Violence

    As gamers across the world tuck into their latest serving of Rockstar’s critical and commercial masterpiece, Grand Theft Auto V, which officially hit the stores yesterday. By many accounts, the highly anticipated launch went smoothly enough; although, there were a couple of incidents that made headlines, including the stabbing and robbery of a 23-year old consumer in England. The gamer in question is stable condition; however, the fact that a violent crime was committed against someone who stood in the line to purchase the game at midnight only provides fuel for those who think video games are the nadir of modern society.

    The details of the crime, as pointed out by NBC’s World News section, come courtesy of London’s Metropolitan Police force:

    The three males – two boys aged 15 and 16 and an 18-year-old man – are currently in custody at a north London police station. They were arrested on suspicion of robbery in the NW9 area… The victim had been shopping and was on his way home when he was hit with a brick.

    He was then stabbed and robbed.

    A copy of Grand Theft Auto, a watch and mobile phone were stolen during the robbery.

    The motive for the attack is unclear at this stage.

    I think the motive was pretty clear here, officers. These assailants didn’t want to pay for their copy of GTA V, and so, they followed someone who was by themselves and proceeded to act like lowlife scumbags. Allegedly. Thankfully, the victim looks to be out of danger. Here’s hoping Rockstar drops an autographed copy on the guy. He deserves that much, at least.

    In other, less violent GTA V launch day news, a group of young adults in New York City posed as police officers in order to cut the line at the GameStop in the Staten Island Mall. Needless to say, their attempted ruse was not successful, and the trio of criminal geniuses was arrested and charged with impersonating a police officer. All for a game that, by most accounts, had plenty of copies for its launch regions.

    Even if supply was sufficient enough to meet the demand, that didn’t mean folks weren’t aching to get their hands on a copy of GTA V. So much so, in fact, that desire almost led to some NCAA violations for the Oklahoma Sooners football team. Just ask Kass Everett, senior defensive back for the Sooners. Yesterday, Everett took to his Twitter account to let the world know just how much he wanted GTA V. This quickly snowballed to the point the Oklahoma compliance officer stepped in. Observe:


    The speed bump known as the NCAA didn’t stop Everett from acquiring the game, thanks to a female student who really likes the Oklahoma football team:

    The same picture also appeared on Everett’s tweet stream:


    The things we do for video games, and to be apart of the cool trend never ceases to amaze.

    [Lead image courtesy of Rockstar]

  • The Lead Actors For GTA V’s Main Characters Pose Together

    With the launch of the latest edition in the Grand Theft Auto series, the Internet is lighting up with giddy reaction for what looks to be Rockstar’s magnum opus. The reviews for GTA V have been incredibly positive, which acts as confirmation for Rockstar that their development/marketing money was well spent. As you might imagine, the launch of GTA V was something of a social event, with stores around the country offering midnight sale events, all in an effort to satiate the burning desire players have for living a virtual life of crime without all that real-life law enforcement hassles.

    As you might expect, social media has also been a primary source of reaction to GTA V, allowing those with relevant content to share a great opportunity to ride the current trend wave. Take the following tweet, for instance:


    The fact that it links to a Facebook post with a picture of voice actors for the game’s three primary characters makes it perfect launch day social media content. While it might have received some traction after the game’s launch, or during the pre-release marketing push, the timing of the post couldn’t be better for getting noticed. The fact that we and other publications are paying attention indicates as much.

    With that in mind, the image in question, courtesy of Facebook:

    GTA V Voice Actors

    The actors are, from left to right, Steven Ogg, who plays Trevor; Shawn Fonteno, who plays Franklin; and Ned Luke, who does the voice for Michael. It should also be noted that the Twitter accounts of each actor include their GTA V character as their theme; although, someone needs to help Fonteno with his Twitter background. The default baby blue doesn’t really work for the guy who brings a hardcore video game criminal to life, now does it?

    As indicated, GTA V is in stores now for the PS3 and the Xbox 360.

    [Lead image courtesy]

  • Grand Theft Auto V Gets The NMA Treatment

    Tomorrow is the day – Grand Theft Auto V launches on Xbox 360 and PS3. The millions of gamers across the country who pre-ordered will be able to pick up what is arguably the biggest entertainment launch of the year at midnight.

    Before you drop everything to play GTAV for two weeks straight, you might want to check out what everybody’s favorite Taiwanese animation outlet has to say about Rockstar’s latest. As expected, the focus is on the series’ trademark violence, sexuality and controversy. Beyond that, you’ll wanna stick around until the end for the cocaine road lines and grave robbing-fueled deviancy.

    Regardless of how you feel about Grand Theft Auto, it’s all anybody is going to be talking about for the next few weeks. You might as well get used to it.

    [Image: NMAWorldEdition/YouTube]

  • See GTA V’s World by Car and by Plane [VIDEO]

    The release of Grand Theft Auto V is only hours away in the U.S., and gamers are already playing the highly-anticipated title in many parts of the world. Reviews for the game have been predictably outstanding, and midnight launch events are expected to be crowded.

    One aspect of the game touched on in nearly every GTAV review is how sprawling and diverse the game’s world is. Grand Theft Auto is the series that popularized the open-world sandbox game, and so GTAV has a lot of history to live up to. The game is set in the fictional city of Los Santos, a satirical parody of the real-world Los Angeles.

    PlayStation Access today released two long, spoiler-free looks at GTAV’s Los Santos and Blaine County. The first provides a tour of the game world by air. Appropriately, the PS Access narrators take off from an airport with police desperately trying to stop them. Showing off the massive scale of the map, the tour covers the city proper, the hills surrounding it, and the more sparsely populated desert areas to the north:

    The second video provides a driving tour of Los Santos and its outskirts. Taking to the highway in a fast car, PS Access demonstrates a bit of the game’s driving systems and gives a different sense of scale for the game by showing just how much road GTAV has: