Tuesday - February 26, 2003   <11:30 PM CST>

NVidia Backs VC Capture Contest   <11:30 PM CST - schu>
Dteam bagged a big supporter for the Vice City capture contest.  NVidia has joined in helping with prizes for the contest.  Check out more information on Dteam's site.

New VC Commercial   <11:30 PM CST - schu>
Jen spotted a new Vice City commercial on TV.  Apparently this commercial is even better than their last.

GTA2 Multiplayer   <11:30 PM CST - schu>
Ahmad put together a new site for finding and post GTA2 servers.  Here the message he sent in:

"I am growing in knowledge of web languages and just recently have put together this site in PHP from scratch http://www.flashfx.net/gta2online. The idea has already been thought of; however, I have just scripted a new version. I am wondering if this is considered news that your will post for GTA2 gamers. Please go to the site and test it out, the script is very sophisticated. It allows users, customized by their host IP, to post their game servers for others to search for or just scroll through on the front page. The user has the ability to remove their own servers as well, customized by their host IP which allows the most options for a user without having to have custom accounts and registration junk."

Announcements   <11:30 PM CST - schu>

• Take2 has added a VC PC section to their site, however the screenshots are just the same old PS2 shots so I guess I typed this all for NOTHING, oh well...  Thanks to conan for the link.
• GTA Macreators put together a five minute video stroll through Vice City, check it out here.
• GTA3 was blamed for murder in a recent article in the Medina County News.  Later in the article they compare the accusations to an earlier case where consumption of Twinkies was blamed for causing a murder.  Anyway, read the full article here.  Thanks to IdeoPraxist for the link.
• Sorry for the apathetic update but my life is quickly going to shit which certainly isn't helping things much :) ...  On a side note, if I see another God DAMN commercial involving eXtreme sports I'm going to put my fist through the tv...

Wednesday - February 19, 2003   <11:30 PM CST>

Announcements   <11:30 PM CST - schu>

• I recreated the VC tip threads in the new forum...  Kinda sux to start from scratch but there really isn't anything that can be done.
• If you need to get anything off the old forum you better do it quick.  The old server will be up for a very limited amount of time.  I posted a message in the new forum on how to get to the old forum.

Tuesday - February 18, 2003   <5:30 PM CST>

Vice City PC - It's Official   <5:30 PM CST - schu>
Rockstar Games has officially announced the PC version of Vice City!  VC PC is expected to be released on May 15th in the North America and May 16th in Europe.  Here are a few quotes from the press release:

"We felt that we had to truly outdo ourselves when it came to developing Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and felt that we owed it to the fans to continue to keep enhancing and delivering the gameplay, cinematic graphics, production values and audio experience that have become synonymous with the Grand Theft Auto franchise," said Sam Houser, president of Rockstar Games. "We are truly humbled by the response that the game has received so far and are extremely excited to showcase Grand Theft Auto: Vice City on the PC."

"The real beauty behind Grand Theft Auto is not only the freedom that it allows the players, but also the freedom that it has given us as developers," added Leslie Benzies, president of Rockstar North. "The open ended, non-linear world of Grand Theft Auto allows us to stretch the limits of our imaginations by giving us an open canvas to work with. This was especially the case when it came to creating Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. The 80's fashion styles, music, and sensibility fueled our creativity to the fullest. We are extremely excited for the PC world to experience the fruits of our labor when the enhanced version of the game is released this spring."

GameSpot is reporting that the PC version will have "enhanced graphics and sound, additional PC controls, and several options to allow players to customize the game."  Thanks to Hurricane, IdeoPraxist, Rev Ted, Eldonb, Joseph, Taylor, and Jak.

G! Forum Back Online   <5:30 PM CST - schu>
ICEY has completed work on the new forum and it's up and running.  Right now it doesn't redirect when you go directly to forums.gouranga.com, but it that will be worked out shortly.  ICEY imported around a hundred of the most active users from the old forum.  In order to claim your old account you'll need to use the Lost Password form to have your new password emailed to you.

GTA3 - Multiplayer?   <5:30 PM CST - schu>
Rev Ted spotted an article on GTA3: Multi Theft Auto over on Blue's News.  You can find out more about the mod on their site.  I haven't tested it yet, but I'd like to hear from anyone who's tried it.  Let me know how it goes...  Thanks to Krono, Knoc, Pennywise, Rev Ted, and Insane2757.

Thursday - February 13, 2003   <2:00 PM CST>

Welcome To The New Server   <2:00 PM CST - schu>
If you're reading this then you made it to the new server.

The old server is being retired and after posting this I will be changing the DNS entries to point to the new server.  Not all the sites under the gouranga.com domain may be working at first, but most of them should be up.  I believe we are moving to a new forum system but a large group of the most active members will be transferred to preserve their ids.  The DNS switchover may take 24 to 48 hours depending on when you internet service provider updates their records.

Monday - February 10, 2003   <5:40 PM CST>

Vice City Hidden Package Giveaway   <5:40 PM CST - schu>
Rockstar is running a new contest with tons of great prizes, including a Vice City neon sign. Here is a clip from the email Rockstar sent out:

"For our first subscribers-only giveaway of 2003, we offer you the opportunity to take home quite possibly the most coveted and requested premium item Rockstar has ever produced - the Grand Theft Auto: Vice City neon sign. You've seen it in all its glory at your local videogame retailer, you've weighed the pros and cons of orchestrating a careful heist to nab it from said retailer. In line with our efforts to keep crime a virtual exercise, we're giving you this legal alternative. Go to www.rockstargames.com/vicecity/contest, fill out the entry fields and submit. Provided your information is all accurate - and you're very lucky - the white and pink neon sign will be hanging in your bedroom, sizzling your retinas, in no time. There's also a serious package of other limited-edition Vice City items that will go to the Grand Prize Winner and 10 runners-up."

  
GTA3 & Vice City Nominated   <5:40 PM CST - schu>
GTA3 and Vice City have both been nominated for awards in The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences 2003 Interactive Achievement Awards.  Vice City is currently in the running for the following awards:

• Console Game of the Year
• Game of the Year
• Innovation in Console Gaming
• Console Action Adventure Game of the Year
• Outstanding Achievement in Character or Story
• Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design

GTA3 is up for these awards:

• Innovation in PC Gaming
• PC Action / Adventure Game of the Year

You can find out more at Gamers.com and at the AIAS.  Thanks to Insane2757.

GBA's Most Wanted   <5:40 PM CST - schu>
According to IGN, GTA3 is still in the running for the GameBoyAdvance's most wanted games.  I haven't heard anything new on the GBA version of GTA3 so I'm not sure if it's still out there somewhere or if it was cancelled.  The last I heard, Rockstar was changing developers and had some legal problems with the switch.

Former R* Programmer Reviews VC   <5:40 PM CST - schu>
Gareth Murfin, a former Rockstar North employee, recently reviewed Vice City for RushMagazine.  Here is a portion of the email sent in by RushMagazine:

"Rush Magazine (www.rushmagazine.com) is an online men's publication. We recently added one Gareth Murfin, a former programmer and voice actor for Rockstar Studios, to our full time staff. Gareth is an all around expert in gaming, and with his behind the scenes knowledge of what went into the making of the PS2 and PC versions of GTA: Vice City, he is the perfect individual to review this chart topping title.

The permanent link to the aforementioned article/review is www.rushmagazine.com/displayarticle.php?id=657. If you are a little sceptical (no hard feelings) about his credentials, you can view Gareth's online curriculum vitae at www.garethmurfin.co.uk."

   
Yahoo Year in Review   <5:40 PM CST - schu>
Both GTA3 and Vice City made Yahoo's list of the 2002 Buzz Leaders.  GTA3 was listed third and VC came in at number ten.  Thanks to Matt for the update.

Tiffany Updates Her Shrine   <5:40 PM CST - schu>
Tiffany sent in the lastest update from one the longest running GTA sites out there:

"With all the well-deserved raves about Vice City, lots of new creations for the original GTA are still being made, and I'm showcasing them at my GTA Shrine! And to think, 5 years ago this July, I would have never thought a game like this would appeal to me, let alone become my favourite PC game! *giggle* Anyways, come check out my GTA Shrine to find some great new adaptions and new ways to play an old favourite, Grand Theft Auto!

members.fortunecity.com/tiff_love or
underworld.fortunecity.com/grandtheft/321"

  
PayBack GBA   <5:40 PM CST - schu>
The PayBack site has been updated with new information on the GameBoy Advance version of PayBack.  Take a look...  Thanks to S3KT0R.

New GTA Sites   <5:40 PM CST - schu>

• Vice City for the PC Real Life Mods
  gtavc.gamehorizons.net

• GTA Sector
  gtasector.vze.com

  
Annoucements   <5:40 PM CST - schu>

• The new server is coming along and I am uploading G! to it as we speak...  Now if I could just get my FTP client to cooperate.
• Insane2757 ran across a new update and some nice shots of Driver3 over at Gamers.com.

Monday - February 3, 2003   <3:00 PM CST>

VC 2002 GOTY Awards   <3:00 PM CST - schu>
Rockstar included a list of many of the publications that have given Vice City a Game of the Year award for 2002.  Here is the excerpt from the email:

While it always pains us to toot our own horn, unfortunately for the purposes of a Rockstar Broadcast, if we don’t self-indulge, then who will? So without further ado, here’s a brief selection of G.O.T.Y. honors some institutions have seen fit to merit Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

• Game Informer, January 2003. GAME OF 2002. “[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City] took a premise that blew everyone away, and expanded it to ludicrous proportions… a scale of game we never thought would be achieved.”
• PSM, February 2003. GAME OF THE YEAR. “The depth and gameplay variety is through the roof… Vice City is a gaming experience that will have us playing well into 2003.”
• Entertainment Weekly, December 4 2002. BEST VIDEOGAME OF 2002. “The reason 'Vice City' blows every other game away isn't that it's a driving, shooting, action, or simulation game, but that it's all four combined into a criminally stylish package... a visit to Vice City is sure to keep you out all night.”
• IGN.com, January 21, 2003. BEST PS2 GAME OF THE YEAR (Editor’s Choice and Reader’s Choice). “…more mini-games, a greater, more in-depth story featuring a perfectly voice acted character… an invigorating, impressively selected soundtrack… Perhaps the addition of motorcycles is the icing on the cake, or maybe it was the way players can buy property, investing themselves in further in the story. However, you look at it, it's the most impressive game on PS2 in 2002.”
• GameSpot.com, December 26, 2002. GAME OF THE YEAR ON PLAYSTATION 2. “…everything in Vice City seems to come together in a way that almost feels impossible, like games simply shouldn't be this good.”

  
VC Soundtrack Reviews   <3:00 PM CST - schu>
Rockstar also included a listing of reviews for the soundtrack in their latest email, here is that listing:

Seems that the critic's choice of game for 2002 has also delivered a companion piece of entertainment that lives up to similar standards of excellence. Who says? Read on...

• New Musical Express, December 7 2002. Review score: 10/10. "If this amazing music from the first half of the 80's is a foreign country to you, or a country you visited but can't really remember, then, dude, this totally awesome box set is your one-way ticket to paradise."
• Rolling Stone, December 12 2002. "Extravagant enough to reflect the excesses of the 1980s... Each volume (also sold separately) comes with DJ patter, commercials and parody music that totally evoke the decadent decade in which the game is set."
• Entertainment Weekly, November 22 2002. Review score: A. "...this collection of music has more hits than a Mob boss. V-Rock thrashes out with Iron Maiden's '2 Minutes to Midnight.' Legendary radio pirate Mr. Magic drops scratchtastic tunes from Kurtis Blow and Whodini. And Radio Espantoso manages to mambo mucho with Mongo Santamaria and Tito Puente. Also, every disc includes a Vice City cheat code -- which makes this life of Vice sound pretty darn good"
• PSM, January 2003. BEST SOUNDTRACK 2002. "Vice City's soundtrack must have been a daunting effort to assemble. The work was worth it, though - it fit the game's... setting perfectly, and surprisingly featured a lot of hits from the period that other game makers might not have found cliché enough."
• Game Informer, January 2003. BEST VIDEO GAME SOUNDTRACK OF 2002. "This soundtrack not only serves to immerse you into the eighties, but more importantly to bring video games some credibility as an entertainment medium equal to that of TV and motion pictures."
• Gamespy.com, December 26, 2002. BEST MUSIC 2002. "Rockstar Games continues to push the bounds of what a game can be with Grand Theft Auto. The game's soundtrack similarly raises the bar for video game soundtracks."
• IGN.com, December 20 2002. "... the quintessential seven CD soundtrack... has burned a comet-like trail into the gaming consciousness... The result, a cross-media blockbuster box set... is a wide-ranging swath of musical one-hit wonders and real gems from the 1980s that hits on all cylinders."

For those enchanted by the sounds of Vice City, yet too trepidatious to drop $50 on anything other than a Rockstar videogame, we understand. For the likes of you, we also offer the Greatest Hits single OST CD disc containing what we've reckoned to be the very best tracks across all of Vice City's airwaves. Visit the Sony Music Store or the music retailer of your choice.

  
Strippers & Chocolate   <3:00 PM CST - schu>
Gamers.com recently sent out an email to all its members that included a segment about the Rockstar office in San Francisco.   Thanks to Thresh for sending it in:

January 30: The folks at Rockstar, after reading last week’s Thinking Out Loud, wanted to point out that the odor I’d mentioned at their new office in San Francisco isn't what I assumed. “The office is located next to a chocolate shop,” the Rockstar rep told me. “It was dairy/bread that you guys smelled. We know it was foul and we're sorry that you experienced that, but it definitely was not beer and piss.” So, now you know. Some of you will no doubt be thinking that, despite my saying that Rockstar don’t go for the bling-bling lifestyle when it comes to their offices, they do actually have it pretty good. The new office is sandwiched neatly between a strip joint and a chocolate shop. Booze, boobs, chocolate, and videogames, all within easy reach. I’m sure a bunch of you just decided where you’d really like to work.

  
Real Life Comics   <3:00 PM CST - schu>
As you may or may not know, Real Life Comics is constantly running Vice City related comics, many more than I have time to list here.  gta_player2001 sent in this link to a recent one.  Rather than listing more links, I just suggest you check their site regularly if you're interested.

Weapon of the Week   <3:00 PM CST - schu>
S3KT0R spotted a interesting article in The Village Voice on the Electrocuting Water Cannon.  Check out more Weapon of the Week listings here.

New GTA Sites   <3:00 PM CST - schu>

• VC Glitch
  www.angelfire.com/ga4/gta-vc

 
Announcements   <3:00 PM CST - schu>

• Insane2757 sent in a link to another article on Vice City sales figures, take a wild guess as to what it says :) ...   Insane also sent in yet another listing, this time for UK sales figures.  Apparently The Getaway is giving VC a run for it's money, for two weeks anyway.
• Dave pointed out that the Foxtrot comic listing was reversed.. and sure enough it was.  I have fixed the links so they are in the correct order.