Thursday - July 31, 2003   <1:30 AM CST>

More On Manhunt   <1:30 AM CST - schu>
Rockstar recently let out some information on their upcoming PS2 title, Manhunt.  You can find out more at Computer & Video Games , Gamers.com, and below you can check out the an article that calebt pulled off of uk.playstation.com:

Manhunt exposed!

PlayStation 2
Tim Clark, Official UK PlayStation 2 Magazine
24 Jul 2003

Get the first details on what the GTA guys did next. Hardcore brutality? You better believe it.

Until this moment Rockstar's next game has been shrouded in secrecy. Now we know why. Manhunt looks like being such a brain-frying exercise in unpleasantness that to call it a game seems like missing the point. How do we know? The latest issue of PSM (our sister publication in the US) carries a six-page feature on the game, which we've cherry-picked for the benefit of you good people. So what do you want first? Okay, let's start with the plot. Think The Running Man meets The Killer and you're halfway there. Manhunt is set in a derelict city controlled by a sinister figure called The Director. Basically this guy is richer than the Sultan of Brunei, but rather than splashing the cash on snorting gak from a supermodel's belly button, this sicko gets his rocks off running a murderous game.

Here's how it works. First, The Director fakes the execution of a convict on death row. Having expected a lethal injection, the poor sucker wakes up to find himself on the rotten streets of Carcer City. The place is dotted with CCTV cameras and populated by psychotic gangs. You can see where this is going, right? The object of Manhunt is to avoid starring in your own snuff flick. You play as an inmate called James Earl Cash. Alone and unarmed he must avoid the brutal attentions of the local nutcases. With stealth playing a major part in the proceedings, according to PSM the most obvious influence is Metal Gear Solid 2. Clearly, you aren't equipped with the range of guns and gadgets which Snake relies on, so Cash will have to use his wits and aggression to survive.

As for other influences, the brooding atmosphere nods nervously at the Resident Evil series, while the use of shadow to conceal Cash from his pursuers sounds like classic Splinter Cell. But here's where it gets innovative. Apparently the most important aspect of avoiding detection in Manhunt is sound. You can distract enemies by throwing objects or misdirect their attention by knocking on the scenery and then moving position. Don't run too fast though or they'll hear your footsteps. Fortunately there's an on-screen sound meter which shows how noisy Cash is being. Throughout the game you'll be kept updated on mission goals and objectives via a radio headset by... The Director. Sure, you'd be a fool to trust such a sick puppy, but what other choice is there?

From what we can gather, the level of violence really is breathtaking. Some 20 weapons will feature in the game, each of which has a corresponding stealth-kill animation - at which point the camera shifts to a grainy CCTV perspective, allowing you to view proceedings from the same voyeuristic perspective as The Director. Firearms are rare but obviously of huge value, while melee weapons such as the baseball bat and machete will be familiar to every GTA-fan. Once the fighting spills out into the open, Cash uses a simple lock-on to target enemies. However, you're often going to need to improvise. Which might mean choking a guard to death with a plastic bag (someone at Rockstar North has seen My Little Eye) or using a shard of broken glass as a makeshift blade. Like we said, it's brutal.

"We feel pretty confident that this is going to be uncomfortable for some people," was what Rockstar's Terry Donovan had to tell PSM. And having seen the screens he's absolutely right. Sadly we can't show them to you yet, but visually it's very much Vice City plus Freedom Fighters multiplied by Silent Hill equals Manhunt. And if that hasn't got your imagination going into overdrive, well, you really are twisted.

*Manhunt will be released exclusively on PS2 in November.

Thanks to Insane2757, calebt, and Phil for the links and info.

GTA Tournament   <1:30 AM CST - schu>
A new version of GTA Tournament has been released over at www.gtat.org.  Thanks to S3KT0R for the link.

Announcements   <1:30 AM CST - schu>

• I came across a nice directory of R* sites at rockstarvancouver.com if anyone is interested.
• VC PC is still holding its own in the charts and from the some of the latest numbers, VC PC actually moved up in the charts from last month.
• Rev Ted is still at it, this time with a German 5 star review at GUN.
• In the market for a Gauss Gun?  Thanks to Gate for the link.
• Insane2757 sent in a few interesting bits of news from around the web:
  • Greece Warned Over Gaming Mess
  • GBA Outselling the PS2
  • Sony Sees Decline In Gaming Business

Tuesday - July 22, 2003   <11:30 PM CST>

VC Mods   <11:30 PM CST - schu>

• Blue sent word that the old GTA3 San Andreas mod was renamed to San Angeles and is headed for Vice City.  The mod will include a new city, storyline, vehicles, radio stations, along with some other surprises.  Check out www.sanangeles.net for more details.
• Rev Ted sent in this article from Blue's News (different Blue) regarding a new German mod for VC.  Make sure you read the comments as well...

 
Announcements   <11:30 PM CST - schu>
Rev Ted brings in another review, and yet another perfect score
GameIndustryNews - (5 / 5)
XPlay - (5 / 5)

Tuesday - July 15, 2003   <11:30 PM CST>

GTA Tops The Top Ten   <11:30 PM CST - schu>
GTA: VC and GTA3 took the #1 and #2 spots according to IGN's PS2 reader reviews, take a look.  In other chart news, VC is still holding its own in the UK sales charts at #7.  Thanks to Insane2757.

VC XBox   <11:30 PM CST - schu>
IGN is reporting that R* may be releasing VC to the XBox as early as this December.  R* cannot release the title under the GTA name on any non-Sony console until 2004, but the IGN article seems to indicate they may get past that by just releasing it as Vice City instead of GTA: Vice City.  It seems a little far fetched that their contract with Sony would have such a huge loophole in it, so it makes a little more sense that they came to some sort of compromise or that they won't actually release until just after Christmas on January 1, 2004.  Thanks to Insane2757.

GTA3 Going Cheap   <11:30 PM CST - schu>
Play.com (UK) is now selling the PC version of GTA3 for the insanely low price of £9.99 Delivered (that's around $17 USD).

Crazy Sh*t   <11:30 PM CST - schu>
This might be the best one yet.  Don't ask, just click!  Make sure you watch the original, along with the SWK Remix, SWK 2.0, Dork Clones, and of course, The Benny Hill Version.

Announcements   <11:30 PM CST - schu>

• Rev Ted is still turning up new VC reviews.  
  The latest is on Battle-Fields (8 / 10)
• Insane2757 turned up this bit of interesting gaming news from Thailand.  Looks like they are ending all late-nite multiplayer gaming in Thailand...
• Insane also turned up this list of links from Penny Arcade covering the recent battle in the state of Washington to ban sales of GTA to children (WA Bans Violent Game Sales, IDSA Challenges WA Ban, WA Ban Overturned)

Wednesday - July 9, 2003   <11:30 PM CST>

GTA3 For $19.99   <11:30 PM CST - schu>
I'm not sure when exactly it happened, but GTA3 has been added to the PS2's Greatest Hits list.  To qualify for the list a game must be out for over 9 months and sell over 400,000 copies, and most importantly, all the greatest hits go for just $19.99.  Thanks to Rev Ted.

PS3 Speculation   <11:30 PM CST - schu>
IGN recently posted an article detailing Sony's future console plans, which quite obviously include Rockstar Games.  Nothing concrete but an interesting read nonetheless.  Thanks to Insane2757.

Rockstar Updates   <11:30 PM CST - schu>

• Only five days remain in the the The Big Playback contest.  Check out www.rockstargames.com/vicecity/pc/contest for details.
• Rockstar Games upload contest has just entered its third iteration.  They are currently seeking entries for short subject film, deejay mix, short fiction, and multimedia.  You can find out more at www.rockstargames.com/upload.
• Rockstar has launched a new site for the upcoming sequel to Max Payne.  There isn't much there at the moment, but you can download wallpaper, screensavers, and buddy icons.  Check www.rockstargames.com/maxpayne2 for more details.

  
Announcements   <11:30 PM CST - schu>

• GTA: FX has added a new GTA2 multiplayer list for anyone looking to find other people to play GTA2 with.
• Insane2757's online rants are now available for anyone who is interested.