GTAIV To Receive The Trophy Treatment

Looking for a reason to pick up playing GTAIV again? Well, how about trophies? Our good friends over at TheSixthAxis have provided a list of all the trophies that will be up for grabs. Some of them include Assassin's Greed, Dial B For Bomb, and One Man Army in which you must survive for 5 minutes with a 6 star Wanted level. All in all, there are 51 trophies; 42 bronze, 5 silver, 3 gold, and that single lustrous platinum trophy. Hit up the site for the full list and description of all the trophies.

Sadly, no details have been given as to when the update will be available so all we can do is wait. So which trophies are you looking forward too? I'm itching for a nice cup of Warm Coffee.

Take Two double revenues across the last nine months

Take Two Interactive released their latest quarterly results today, and the results show continued strength in the business.

Turnover for the third fiscal quarter was $433.8 million, compared to $206.4 million for the same quarter of fiscal 2007. Similarly, net income for the third quarter was $51.8 million or $0.67 per share, compared to a net loss of ($58.5) million or ($0.81) per share in the third quarter of fiscal 2007.

This means that for the nine months before July 31 2008, net revenues were $1,214.1 million, compared to $689.2 million for the same period a year ago, almost doubling their revenues.

The strength of Take Two's results will no doubt underline their decision to resist the recent acquisition bid from EA. Grand Theft Auto IV has, of course, played a big part with over 10 million units shipped since launch.

GTA shifts 11m; we rest on laurels

Sometimes, I think PS3 Attitude ought to open up it's own gaming industry analyst firm.

One week before GTA: IV hit the streets, we predicted the worldwide lifetime sales figures and the week one sales across both launch platforms.

Here's what we said back then:

GTA: IV will sell the following numbers over the life of the game:

PS3 - 7.4 million units
Xbox 360 - 11.5 million units
Total sales - 18.9 million units

Week One sales will make up an astonishing 25% of those totals, leading us to expect a combined 4.75 million units will hit the streets next week.

Once the week one sales figures came in, it was clear we'd underestimated the percentage slightly (by about 5%), since the game managed close to 6 million copies.

Today, we can reveal that GTA: IV has sold 11 million copies worldwide on both platforms, with a split of around 45% PS3 sales to 55% Xbox 360.

So our prediction of close to 19 million units worldwide across the life of the product seems like it is going to be spot on.

GTA stunts-a-plenty

There have been a lot of GTA stunt videos, but none quite so beautifully put together as this.

I don't need to say anything else about it - just put 5 minutes of your life on hold and enjoy...

[Via WeGame]

GTA IV; Niko Bellic is the 6 million unit man

Let's just pause for a moment and think about this.

According to Take Two, GTA IV has sold 6 million copies worldwide in one week. That's around $500 million in sales (£255m). We know from Chart Track that the UK alone accounted for close to 1 million units. We also know that around 50% (give or take 5%) of the total worldwide sales were for the PS3 version.

Here are some 'entertainment market' comparisons for you:

• 'Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End' took $404 million at the Box Office in its first week.
• The combined Top Ten US movies took $438 million this weekend - if it weren't for Iron Man that total would have been $336 million.
• The iPhone sold only 70,000 units in the UK in the first week; around 500,000 were sold in the US during launch week.

Can we really compare the iPhone launch and GTA: IV? Well yes - and we just did. If you can imagine that a good percentage of GTA: IV sales involved a hardware bundle that retailed for around the same price, I think the comparison is fair!

Like I said - just think about all of this for a moment and put it in perspective.

GTA breaking records; were we right about the numbers?

In our news wrap-up 7 days before Grand Theft Auto: IV hit the streets, we came up with some projected sales figures for worldwide week one and lifetime sales.

We did this by comparing, analysing and averaging out the best analyst predictions for the ground-breaking game, and here's what we came up with:

PS3 - 7.4 million units
Xbox 360 - 11.5 million units
Total sales - 18.9 million units

Week One sales will make up an astonishing 25% of those totals, leading us to expect a combined 4.75 million units will hit the streets next week.

So how are we doing so far with our predictive skills?

ChartTrack announced that 600,000 copies of the game were sold in the UK on day one. 45% of these were on the PS3.

In the meantime, VG Chartz have put their sales estimates up and expect 1.7 million units in Europe (with the PS3 taking 60% of the overall sales) and a staggering 2.5 million in the US (with the PS3 taking 40% of the overall sales).

Adding this all together means that GTA: IV has so far reached 4.2 million consoles. 1.93 million of these are on PS3, just over 45%. For our prediction to be right, the rest of the week should see another half-a-million copies shipped.

Somehow, we think there's a chance the analysts we based the numbers on may have underestimated! Without the Asia Pacific region figures being added in, and despite the fact that many people didn't pre-order and are buying their copies this weekend, we feel that the results could break the 5 million mark quite easily.

Check back next week for the official week one figures, since the VG Chartz figures above are considered an estimate rather than fact.

GTA: IV freezing on 60Gb PS3 models?

Has this happened to you? Let us know in the comments...

There are lots of reports coming in from forums and websites around the world that GTA: IV is freezing on some 60Gb launch models.

Although we're absolutely certain that a patch will be released to fix the problem (that is what has happened every single time something like this has come along, so we'd expect the same again), it does mean that a number of people aren't able to enjoy their new purchase on launch day.

If you've had this problem, let us know in the comments section...

GameFlirt Most Wanted chart for April

Exclusive to PS3 Attitude, we bring you the monthly 'most wanted' PS3 charts at GameFlirt

GameFlirt are one of the UK's top games rental companies, and you won't find this information anywhere else - not even at the GameFlirt website.

Like the often seen Netflix charts for US movie titles, it's a great indicator of what's hot in the PS3 community.

Assassin's Creed continue to be the number one rental. In the course of running these charts, we've noticed that critically acclaimed games don't tend to stay around for too long since it would appear people would rather buy the game instead. What does this say about Assassin's Creed? It's too early to say, but the general consensus of opinion appears to be 'great look, repetitive gameplay, worth renting'.

In the meantime, Oblivion and Army of Two have dropped off the chart altogether.

Metal Gear Solid 4 remains the number one pre-rent title and GTA: IV has finally made an appearance, although coming in at fourth place suggests that most people will be buying their copy outright. Which makes us wonder if consumers are just a little wary of MGS4 and whether it really is as good as the preview videos would suggest.

Here are the charts in full.

Top 5 current rentals year-to-date:

1 - Assassin's Creed
2 - Blacksite
3 - Unreal Tournament III
4 - Devil May Cry 4
5 - Ridge Racer 7

Top 5 pre-ordered games for April:

1 - Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
2 - Haze
3 - Mercenaries 2
4 - Grand Theft Auto 4
5 - Monster Madness

Many thanks to GameFlirt for providing the data.

Click any of the links to visit GameFlirt for more details and to rent or pre-rent the titles. As a thank you to our readers anyone who signs up for the GameFlirt service via these links will receive 10 days free rental.

Tomorrow is GTA-Day, or is it?

As you can see from the countdown timer above, there are less than 24 hours to go until GTA: IV hits UK streets and doorsteps.

But as we expected would happen, some people have managed to get their copies of the game early.

The Xbox 360 version of the game has been available in PAL and NTSC format via BitTorrent for over four days now, so some people may have chosen to break the law to get their copy early.

In addition, a number of stores across Europe have broken the street date for GTA: IV. We've seen pictures of receipts for copies from Asda, to which Asda have stated that "this is an isolated incident, we had a clear message to stores not to sell early, and so any copies that have gone on sale are miniscule. We have no policy to sell before the street date, and we’ll make sure this doesn’t happen again."

One such store is in The Netherlands, where one gamer has been banned by Sony from the PSN for one week for playing GTA: IV early. He alledgedly bought the game from a store called Futurezone in Rotterdam and 'had been playing it for 4 days' before receiving an email from SCEE.

So if you have managed to precure your Grand Theft Auto experience legally and early, fight the urge to break the date yourself or you could end up banned. If you've gained your copy using less socially acceptable methods, please play it as much as you can whilst connected to the PSN...

GTA: IV European bundle finally confirmed

Remember we told you a GTA: IV bundle was definitely coming to play in Europe... well now it is definitely, definitely happening thanks to confirmation by SCEE today.

The so-accurate-you-could-use-it-as-a-targeting-device PS3 Attitude Calendar was spot on once again. Wow!

The price of the bundle will be €439 (£349) which, for a 40Gb PS3 with a standard SixAxis (still no DualShock 3 over here) and a copy of GTA: IV is, in our opinion, a little pricey.

GAME - for example - are taking pre-orders for the bundle at only £319 and that earns you £8 in reward points to spend on future items.

The bundle launches on the 29th April as you'd expect.

7 days to GTA: IV; analyst sales figures and other news

As you can see from our countdown timer above, there are now officially less than 7 days to go until GTA: IV hits shelves in the UK and Europe. Or are there?

Our wrap-up will explain some of the more important GTA: IV news that has hit the 'net over the last two weeks, including details of a possible early release.

We also do some maths for you and tell you just how big this release is going to be, based on working through a set of over 10 analysts' predictions.

1. Release dates

Scheduled for release on the 29th April, a story about Tesco in the UK breaking the release date emerged recently. Tesco were apparently going to launch GTA: IV on the 25th April instead.

Tesco's website has since been changed to state that the game will arrive on the 29th. But the news prompted Take2 to have retailers sign agreements that stop them from shipping early. The agreement allows the retailers to send out customers' copies on the 28th so they will arrive on the 29th.

2. Missing feature

GTA: IV has been one of the most highly reported titles ever, and that means we already know as much as we can about the game and its features. One of these gameplay elements was going to allow you the ability to listen to music any time using your in-game mobile phone (that's a cellphone, for all our US readers).

With GTA: IV confirmed as going 'gold' only five days ago, we discovered that his had actually been dropped from the game entirely. Of course, this is nothing but standard practice. Features get cut from games all the time. It's just that you don't normally get to hear about it, as the hype-machine isn't as ramped up for other titles.

3. Supply issues

For some time now, most UK retailers have been unable to guarantee the arrival of the standard version of the game due to lack of stock. The special edition is still available, but they're running out fast as people buy up the stock and take the hit on the price in order to get the game first time around.

France is apparently running out of stock fast and there won't be enough for launch day. And it is a similar story all across Europe.

4. Rockstar Social Club

The Rockstar Social Club is a portal that will bring players of various Rockstar games together, and the first major title supported is GTA: IV. You can now go a pre-register at the club which will start up properly on - you guessed it - April 29th.

Anyone who signs up before next Tuesday will be entered into a competition to win a portrait of themselves drawn in the now iconic GTA cartoon style.

The integration with the game will be interesting too. When listening to a song in Liberty City, you'll be able to pull up your phone and dial ZIT-555-0100 to 'tag' it. The song will then be waiting for you at the club where you can buy it from Amazon.

5. Biggest game launch ever?

We've been watching all the analyst predictions regarding the launch of GTA: IV and we have distilled all their best guesses into the official PS3 Attitude answer to the question of whether this will be the biggest game launch ever:

YES

We've done the work for you. PS3 Attitude have averaged out over 10 analyst* 'best guess' figures and according to the results, GTA: IV will sell the following numbers over the life of the game:

PS3 - 7.4 million units
Xbox 360 - 11.5 million units
Total sales - 18.9 million units

Week One sales will make up an astonishing 25% of those totals, leading us to expect a combined 4.75 million units will hit the streets next week. That's more than £190m in revenue ($375m /€236m), based on the standard version's street price alone.

Halo 3 sold 3.3 million units in comparison during Week One, generating £150m ($300m / €189m). Putting that into perspective against the movie industry, the number one grossing film this year is Horton Hears a Who, which has managed just £72m ($144m / €90m) thus far since being released five and a half weeks ago.

*Sources include estimates from Wedbush Morgan, Hudson Square and aggregated results from The simExchange...

So get yourselves ready for a hugely competitive online multi-player experience. We don't think you'll be hanging around trying to find someone to play with!


Don't forget you can win over 2Kg of swag in our April Competition - click the link or the big red button in the sidebar to find out more.

More GTA: IV voice talent revealed - SNL dancer edition

Another member of the voice-over squad that will be bringing Liberty City to life has been revealed, and this time it's the super-talented Joan Baker. Joan will be voicing a TV reporter in the game.

Joan is author of the book Secrets of Voice Over Success and has provided her talents for hundreds of promos, commercials, TV shows and short films.

Joan Baker is, of course, not to be confused with Josephine Baker, who according to the Digital Underground song 'Heartbeat Props' "had them hooked, they loved the way she shook her money-maker".

Although in addition to her voice talents, Joan has been seen shaking the aforementioned 'money-maker' as a dancer on an episode of Saturday Night Live.

Along with the obviously well-known Bruce Kronenberg playing Niko Bellic, David Conley as 'Gordon' and the superstar that is Kevin Breznahan playing 'Various', this is lining up to be a veritable galaxy of voice-over talent.

Where did I leave my anti-sarcasm pills again?

Metal Gear Online beta coming next week

Metal Gear Online has been offered as a beta for people that pre-order in the US and Japan, and we've been wondering what will happen to a European beta.Konami said earlier in the week that the beta was definitely coming to Europe, but still we had no details of how to get access.

Now, SCEE have confirmed that a completely open beta program will start next Thursday (17th) as part of the new store's first update. Yes - you'll be able to play MGO next week and you don't even have to pre-order MGS4.

In addition to the MGO beta, Europe will also get a Lair update that allows you to control the game using the analogue sticks, some new dragons for Lair, a Sega Superstar Tennis demo (same one that hit the US a few weeks back) and - importantly - Warhawk's Operation Broken Mirror map and APV pack.

There will also be a smattering of videos, including the latest GTA: IV trailer.

If this is how European updates are going to look in the future, we all have nothing to worry about!

GTA: IV European bundle definitely happening; probably PS3 exclusive

You know us - we hate 'rumour'. But aside from SCEE not confirming this to us directly, we have so many other sources that say this is happening it's almost embarassing.

The news is great. A GTA: IV bundle will appear on shelves in Europe the same day as the game arrives - 29th April.

And most of our sources are confirming the answer to the obvious question - is there a PS3 bundle only, or will there be an X360 bundle too?

It seems that to give the PS3 some level of exclusivity after we lost 'episodic content' to Microsoft, the PS3 will indeed be the only console to gain a hardware bundle. Nice.

The PS3 Attitude Calendar has been updated as ever.

GTA IV revealed; Niko Bellic is voiced by Bruce Kronenburg

It has been revealed that the voice actor for the main role of Niko Bellic is none other than Bruce Kronenburg.

Who?

Well, Bruce has appeared in the occasional TV episode as a mobster, notably the Sopranos and Law & Order. He has also featured as 'Man on Street' in the 2004 movie 'Noise'.

OK - so whilst he may not be Robert De Niro in terms of his CV, he does already have a good amount of videogame voice-over experience having provided his services for various characters in Max Payne, Max Payne 2 and GTA 2.

Who knew he could do a Russian accent? Maybe that will score him some diverse roles in the future instead of playing mobsters all the time - oh, hang on...

There are scant pictures of Mr. Kronenburg available, and none that are free to use, so click through to see what Niko looks like in the flesh - we'll give you a clue (2nd from left).

No GTA: IV Special Edition pre-orders in-store at GAME

That great-looking GTA: IV Special Edition set is now looking more exclusive than ever, with news that major UK games retailer GAME will not allow you to pre-order the pack in-store.

The Special Edition set comes with:

• Grand Theft Auto: IV in a special metal safety deposit box
• The GTA: IV art book
• Selected soundtrack CD
• Exclusive Rockstar keychain
• Rockstar duffel bag

A representative at GAME told us:

"The special edition is just that - very special. Because it is in such short supply, the only way we can allow pre-orders is online through our website."

We understand (although we are waiting on confirmation) that other UK game vendors are following suit with this pre-order policy.

So the message is a simple one. If you want to pre-order GTA: IV Special Edition in the UK, the only way is to grab your copy online... or we suppose you could queue up for hours outside your local shop on the 29th April, just in case they have one!

BBFC passes GTA: IV for 18-rated release

Yesterday, the BBFC passed GTA: IV for release.

On the official BBFC website, the Grand Theft Auto: IV page was updated and it clearly states 'This work has passed with no cuts'.

The game has been handed an 18 certificate as expected and was, as with most games, passed by clearing the seperate component parts - those being the gameplay footage and the cut scenes.

The BBFC page states the cut-scenes run to a length of 7 hours and 43 minutes, and they cleared over five and a half hours of gameplay footage in the process. We think it is safe to assert that the single-player experience in GTA: IV is going to take around 13-20 hours to complete, if you add together the gameplay, cut-scenes and a good amount of time for each mission.

All of this bodes well for the anticipated release on 29th April.

PS3 April Fools - roundup of the ruses

It's April Fools Day, and you know what that means.

So rather than come up with an elaborate 1st April story ourselves, we thought we'd round up what other sites have been touting as the truth so that you, the loyal reader, can divine the real from the rip-off.

Let's get started with the number one ruse of the day:

1. World of Warcraft coming to consoles - FAKE

The award for this year's 'greatest production values in an April Fool' goes to Blizzard, who not only put up a convincing WoW page for a game called The Molten Core, but also produced a full blown (and pretty funny) trailer for the fake game.

Of course, you'll immediately be tipped off by the features: 'glorious 2D animation' - 'full 192i resolution' - 'move in any of 8 unique directions' - 'has SOUND'...

The game is due to be released for the Atari 2600 platform, according to the site.

I particularly like the 'concept art' versus 'screenshot' section at the bottom of the page. Well worth a visit.

1. CBR 600 motorbike in GT5: Prologue - FAKE

The guys over at PS3 Addict put up a photoshopped picture of a Honda CBR 600 stating that "when you win every event in every class (C,B,A and S), this amazing bike will be delivered to your garage, free of charge."

The fact that they used screenshots that had the wrong icons included on the menu should have been enough to alert everyone to the fakeness of the news, let alone the obvious Photoshop cues and slightly wrong shadow. Still, it's a fun idea.

2. Microsoft own a patent on custom soundtracks - TRUE

Our friends at Ripten found a great piece of news yesterday and immediately it became one of the hottest topics on N4G. Why? Well, because most people called it an April Fool in the comments section!

The fact is, this patent exists and the news is real. However please don't be fooled into thinking that this stops Sony going ahead with custom soundtracks (which, of course, they have already announced will arrive in the Summer).

You can't patent an idea, just a method. Sony can do all the same things as Microsoft but just use a different method. And they can then patent that method also (which they probably already have).

It was still a good story and a great find by Patrick Steen of Ripten, who had this to say about the piece...

"It's not an April Fools. I'm doing more research to confirm the validity of the patent. Some seem to think that it is tied to actual Xbox programming, but since it was filed using Xbox 1 diagrams and then approved in 2006 (when the Xbox 360 had taken over), it is certainly not tied to a particular system and/or software program. As seen in this section of the patent; 'Although the invention has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the invention defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosed as exemplary forms of implementing the claimed invention'."

3. GTA IV delayed by Byron Review and Grand Theft Childhood - FAKE

Industry veteren Bruce Everiss has a great blog over at Bruce on Games, and he came up with this 'exclusive' this morning.

However, you should have spotted that the names of the spokespeople in the story are all characters from GTA: San Andreas. Carl Johnson. Frank Tenpenny. Melvin Harris. They're all there.

Nice work Bruce, but the wool and my eyes never did meet.

And whilst we're talking about Bruce, we think he tried to make the GTA story more credible ny posting the much more obvious 'Microsoft and Nintendo to merge' story first. Double bluff attempt - denied!

5. Sony launches a $150 PS3 with no Blu-ray drive - FAKE

Over at PSX Extreme they continued their story from yesterday about a new SKU at the FCC with the statement that Sony have announced a $150 PS3.

The reason for the massive price drop? No Blu-ray drive! You can only play downloadable games on this puppy.

You should have been tipped off by the absurdety, but in case you needed a real April Fool clue, the name of the SCEI spokeperson is Aperelli Doorichka. Not only does this person not exist, we're pretty sure that this is the phrase 'April Fool' in a different language.

6. Firmware 4.1 now supports HD-DVD playback - FAKE

Over at HDDVD.com they have proved they have a sense of humour too by claiming Sony will support HD-DVD playback in their new firmware.

Apart from the version number of the firmware being enough to tip us off, the piece contains some nice touches:

When asked why they waited this long to announce these breakthroughs, Microsoft pointed the finger of blame in Sony’s direction saying that Sony only downloaded the 360’s HD DVD emulator when it finally become free. Sony spokespeople responded that they’d have downloaded it months earlier had their Xbox Live account not been banned due to Halo 3 cheating, and mentioned problems using Visual Studio 2008 on their “Vista Capable” workstations.

Good work guys.

Did we miss your favourite? Is there a piece of news you think is fake and you need it checking over? Let us know in the comments...

April Showers? PS3 Attitude Big Three

Once again, it's that time of the month where we run down the three titles you really have to seek out in the coming month.

As a quick reminder, the PS3 Attitude Big Three takes in UK and European release dates only and is for titles that will be released in April.

You can keep tabs on the latest release dates by using the PS3 Attitude PlayStation 3 Events Calendar, which you'll also find a shareable/embeddable version in the left sidebar.

So let's get started - what should you spend your money on this month? And will April shower us with new releases (see what we did there?)...

1. Grand Theft Auto: IV [pre-order] [pre-order special edition] [pre-rent]

Yes people - it's the Big One. The wait is finally over and GTA: IV hits our shelves this month.

So much has already been said about GTA: IV that it's hard to think of anything new to say. Simply put, it is one of the most important game releases for some time on any platform.

There will also, of course, be a complete media circus around the release of the game which will distract the masses from the reality of the situation - not only is this a brilliant experience, this is an adult game with adult themes for adults only. If there are parents reading this and you buy this game for your kids, you're part of the reason we've just had a government review on gaming in the UK. Don't do it.

Getting back to the gameplay, we already know about the tons of multi-player modes and we'll expect the usual deep single player storyline. The graphics are more realistic than ever before which points to a grittier experience. That being said, all the usual wit and dark comedy that has filled Rockstar's seminal sandbox series in the past is all there.

This is one title you don't want to miss out on this year, let alone this month.

2. Condemned 2: Bloodshot [pre-order] [pre-rent]

It's going to be tough with the release of GTA: IV to recommend two other titles, especially when the choice of great games in April is not as wide as we've had recently. However, Condemned 2: Bloodshot certainly requires your attention.

Coming from Sega, this is the complete opposite of their usual game genre. There's definitely no cute blue hedgehogs in this title. Gruesome? Yes. Dark? Indeed.

Similar in some ways to The Darkness, Condemned delivers an FPS that owes more to the supernatural than it does to realistic combat.

Whilst the multiplayer experience has been reported as being a little 'laggy', the single player game is a lot of fun and has gained good reviews almost across the board (Edge Magazine excepted). A patch is expected soon to iron out some sound sync issues that have been spotted in the US release.

If you're not sure whether Condemned floats your boat or not, there is a demo available at the PS Store that might help you make up your mind. We say that if you're not buying it, Condemned is surely a title worth renting instead.

3. UEFA EURO 2008 [pre-order] [pre-rent]

The choice this month is a little woeful, and that's understandable given that no-one really wants to compete with the Big One. In fact, this was almost the PS3 Attitude Big Two due to a lack of any really good games in April.

Since we're a UK-based news site, it seemed the only safe choice was to go with the regular EA FIFA update. After all, it is the only way anyone from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are going to have a chance at playing in Euro 2008.

The things that surprised me about this title when I played it recently is that is seems as if EA haven't just updated FIFA 08, they've made everything just that little bit slicker. Consequently, UEFA EURO 2008 looks like the definitive football game on the PS3 since the first next-gen incarnation of PES is very poor.

For once then, a FIFA title is actually better than a PES game. And this latest version is better than the original it is based on. If you haven't picked up a football game yet, this would be the best one to go for - despite the fact that none of our home teams made it to the finals!

That's all for this month. Did we make the right choices? Would Dark Sector be in your Big Three, or Solider of Fortune: Payback? Tell us about it in the comments...

Good Friday news wrap-up

As we're taking a short break for Easter, here's a quick summary of the news:

1. In the comments section of a post on the Official PlayStation Blog, SCEA's Takau Imasaki said of GT5: Prologue "Private races with buddies and in-game chat are all in the works... but will not be ready from day one. Will keep you posted on the progress!"

2. Staying with the PS Blog, the new official logos for Resistance 2 have been posted there as well as concept art for the multiplayer classes.

3. The new maps for Call of Duty 4 will be on the Xbox 360 for 21 days before appearing on the PlayStation 3. There's a chance this exclusivity will backfire on Infinity Ward, since this places the release of the extra four maps close to GTA: IV's arrival - we suspect CoD4 will be put back on many people's shelves for a while around that time.

4. Motorstorm 2 gets a proper name - Motorstorm: Pacifica. We know game developers are fond of their colons (make up your own joke) so it's no surprise to see one appear in the title of the next Motorstorm game.

That's it for today. Have a great long weekend and we'll keep an eye out for the best stories on Easter Monday for you.

Final GTA: IV trailer coming next Thursday

The final GTA: IV trailer before the game's release will be launched next Thursday, 27th March.

Entitled "Good Lord, What Are You Doing?" AKA "Everyone's a Rat", you'll be able to watch the trailer in the 'video' section of the recently updated GTA: IV site.

In addition, today sees another update to the GTA: IV website with new radio station reveals, downloads, screenshots and more.

Keep an eye on the Official GTA: IV website today and next Thursday for these updates.

GTA: IV online modes revealed

Word has it that there will be a total of 15 different online game modes in GTA: IV, although we only have the details of 14 of them currently.

The online gaming is accessed via your 'cellphone' - or mobile as we'd call it over here.

Initially, you will create your online character using a number of personalisations including sex, race, skin colour, hair, clothing and other features.

The multi-player will allow the host of the game to select the rules. In GTA Race and Race modes the host will decide how many laps and whic vehicles can be raced. In Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch the number of pedestrians, flow of traffic and police intervention are all selectable.

Within the Mafia Work and Team Mafia Work modes, you will play as a mafia hitman, competing to complete kills ordered by the boss over your mobile before your rivals can manage it. Think of the film Smokin' Aces and you'll be halfway there.

'Cops n Crooks' mode allows one team to play as the police and the other as the perps.

It certainly sounds like Rockstar have really put a lot into the multi-player aspect of GTA: IV. We can't wait to get our hands dirty, so to speak.

Here's the 14 modes we have details for:

• Hangmans Noose
• Car Jack City
• Bomb da Base
• Bomb da Base II
• Mafia Work
• Team Mafia Work
• Deathmatch
• Team Deathmatch
• Turf War
• Cops n Crooks
• GTA Race
• Race
• Deal Breaker
• Free Roam

New GTA: IV official site goes live; breaks straight away

We had an idea that Rockstar would be putting up a new site for GTA: IV yesterday when their RSS feed included a sneaky little message. Since we couldn't actually find any real reference to it at their website, we thought it best to hold back on the news until we saw something concrete.

So what can you expect at the new, sparkling website?

Well at the moment you may get a screen full of darkness, since it would appear to be broken - probably with all the hits it must be getting.

When it is working again, it will look something like the image below. You'll find all sorts of videos, downloads, buddy icons and a map of Liberty City amongst the trinkets available.

Until then, get used to the dark. It's like Liberty City, just with a massive power cut.

In the Year of the Rat, will Sony win the race?

It will soon be the Year of the Rat.

In Chinese astrology the Rat is considered a leader and a pioneer. Rats can also be controlling, having their own way whatever the cost. Although Sony were 'born' in 1946 (which makes them a Dog - incidentally the same sign as my good self), you might say there are certain attributes of the Rat that sit well with them.

If you think it is odd to mix Chinese astrology with a Japanese company then bear with us. Although the Japanese celebrate the new year on the 1st January, they send postcards to their family and friends with the relevant animal depicted on the front - harking back to when the lunar calendar and the 12 animal signs were in use throughout Japan.

So what will this year bring, and will Sony win the ratrace against their most fierce of rivals? Just how will the Dog fair against the Rabbit (Microsoft) and the Ox (Nintendo).

Burnout Paradise is our first indication that 2008 is going to be a good one for the PS3. Yes - I know... since it is being released in January it doesn't fall into the Chinese 'lunar year' which starts in February. But since the Japanese start their year in January too, we're going to run with this one!

Then it's the turn of Devil May Cry 4 to hit our screens. There was a time when I was particularly angry with the Sheep (otherwise known as Capcom) for taking DMC to other platforms. But now we've seen it looking particularly spectacular on the PS3 we're not so unhappy. Add to that some exclusive downloadable content and the grass is certainly looking greener on this side of the fence. Maybe we'll hold off on turning Capcom into lamb chops for now.

Haze can't be ignored. Although it is yet another FPS, it is a special one. I don't honestly think that it is going to compare in any way to the Rabbit's best effort (the ever present Halo franchise) but it is truly a much deeper and more involving experience than many of the existing 'shooter' offerings available on the PS3. Call of Duty 4 excepted.

Shortly after you've managed to figure out how to squeeze those three titles into your heavy social calendar, the Tiger of Rockstar will rip your diary apart with the launch of GTA: IV. Once again it is a title that will appear on the Rabbit's platform, but we're not bitter about it. I couldn't care less if it were on every platform - just as long is it rocks our world as much as we think it will!

Around this time in the Year of the Rat, we expect that two amazing innovations will have found their way on to our favourite black monolith. PlayStation Home and LittleBigPlanet.

Home promises to be more than just a 3D lobby, although admittedly the ability to launch you and your newly-made friends into the multiplayer part of any game you own is a great feature. With huge amounts of content promised for launch and throughout the life of Home, plus the 'social networking' abilities available via the web-based portal to your Home space, Home will become many things; a replacement for the XMB, a lobby, a content viewer (both yours and content from Sony and third-parties), a casual games arena, a social networking site, a marketing tool to reach non-PS3 owners, a vanity case of game achievements, a mobile blogging/photo centre and much more.

LittleBigPlanet is surely one of the most anticipated titles of the year with it's innovative mix of gameplay, creation and sharing. If there's one title that is destined to take on the marketing behemoth that is Halo 3, this is it. 'What?', I hear you cry. How can you compare LBP and Halo 3? Think about it.

There's Halo 3 characters, faceplates, headsets, controllers and skins everywhere you look on your favourite retailer's shelves. You can get ringtones, wallpapers and themes for almost any mobile device. If there is one thing I want to see this year it's a Sackboy that I can actually buy, along with fabric pens so I can modify him, just like in the game. And a Sackboy controller. And a Sackboy gift set. Sony should be marketing the crap out of this game. I want to see Sackboy on the shelves of Clinton Cards alongside that ever-present blue-nosed teddy bear. You get the idea.

As the year progresses, we'll be hit with another massive title that is definitely staying on the PS3 only. Metal Gear Solid 4 will arrive. Every indication is that this final chapter in the story of Snake will be monumental in every way. The recent previews we've seen show the game to be something really special and the ending is promising to be as epic as you would expect. Once again you're going to have to figure out how to balance still playing GTA and LBP when this one hits. Who said gaming was easy!

Although Europe will see GT5 Prologue early in the year (February we reckon), there's a good chance the full Gran Turismo 5 experience will hit our shelves in the Year of the Rat. Promising a huge amount of detail, cars, tracks and content, along with realistic damage (hooray!), real-time weather simulation, GT-TV content, My Garage homepages/social networking and - most importantly - the Top Gear Test Track, GT5 will give us petrol-heads something to really get our teeth into once we've completed everything Burnout Paradise can offer.

Finally, we'll be sinking our teeth into the Hellghast scum once again as Killzone 2 comes to the PS3. Whether or not the screenshots you have seen are 'doctored' or not, it doesn't really matter. The fact is that this game is one hell of an FPS. Incredible graphics, amazing character animation, deep storyline, real atmosphere and pixel-perfect shooting mean that this one title may just blow your mind as well as your wallet. Another PS3 exclusive, I predict Killzone 2 will be the biggest selling of them all, which is a risky bet given the massive appeal of the games we've detailed above.

Honourable mentions go to the other games that will hit this year in retail and PS Store form; Tekken 6, SOCOM: Confrontation, Madden 09, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Everyday Shooter and Wipeout HD to name but a few. And we've ignored the possible release of those other exclusives - Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII - because we just don't believe they'll make it onto shelves this year.

And don't forget the additional hardware and PSP interactivity that is due. Soon you'll be able to buy PlayTV in Europe and add a twin-tuner Freeview PVR to the list of incredible things you can do with a PS3, and view live TV or your recorded programmes via Remote Play. There's so much more to come from the PS3 this year and much of it will be delivered, free of charge, via firmware updates and the PS Store.

Simply put, the Year of the Rat will be the best one yet for Sony. The Dog can learn new tricks, it seems.

Check out the gallery below for various screenshots and wallpapers...

US PS Store updates for 6th December

Wow. What a difference a region makes.

Fipping over to the US store is like a revelation some days. There's new games to play (PS3 and PS1), new add-ons to buy and even a multiplayer demo. If you couldn't watch the GTA: IV trailer due to internet meltdown yesterday, they've even put that up for you.

I didn't realise that by living in Europe I'd be missing out on so much. Maybe I should move to the States.

Here's the list for all you lucky US PS3 owners:

• High Velocity Bowling - game ($9.99)
• Wild Arms - PS1 game ($5.99)
• GTA IV "Move up, ladies" - trailer (free)
• Timeshift Multiplayer - demo (free)
• "Falfer Domino" - Motorstorm add-on ($0.99)
• Folklore - add-on 1 ($3.99)
• Folklore - add-on 2 ($3.99)
• Folklore - add-on bundle 1 ($5.99)
• Rock Band "Black Sabbath" - pack 1 ($5.49) (Also available, the individual tracks "N.I.B", "Sweet Leaf" and "War Pigs" - all at $1.99)
• Metal Gear Solid 4 TGS 2007 - trailer (free)
• Uncharted "Environments" - video (free)
• Timeshift "FPS Video 3" - video (free)
• Turok interview - trailer 1 (free)
• Battlefield "Frostbite" - video (free)
• The Legend of Zorro - Blu-Ray trailer (free)
• Uncharted - theme (free)
• Ratchet & Clank - theme (free)

Enjoy your update US of A... we're jealous. Here - we'll let you download the Kane & Lynch demo you didn't get in case it helps redress the balance. It doesn't, but we can pretend it makes a difference...

Remember: today is GTA: IV trailer day

Just a quick reminder for everyone.

Today is the day you'll get to see the next GTA: IV trailer. UK viewers can expect to help the internet crash at 8 p.m.

You can read more about the forthcoming video and see the box art for the game revealed by clicking the link.

New GTA: IV trailer coming, and box art unveiled

There's a new GTA: IV trailer on the way soon entitled "Move Up, Ladies".

To announce the forthcoming trailer, Rockstar have provided a neat video unveiling the official box art for the title, which is due to hit our PS3s around March to May next year.

The clever time-lapse video shows some deeply talented artists creating the box in front of you very eyes. Check it out!

You can catch the trailer on the 6th December at 15:00 EST (20:00 UK time), although the reality of the situation will be that you won't actually see it until the next day as it will melt the interweb, just like the other two!