Friday - March 29, 2002   <11:55 PM CST>

GTA Vice?   <11:55 PM CST - schu>
Apparently GTA Vice has quietly made its way on to Gamestop.com and GTA Miami has disappeared.  It seemed rather unlikely to me that they would name the next project GTA: Miami after a real city as opposed to naming it off of one of the original three cities in GTA (Liberty City, Vice City, and San Andreas).... and that appears to be what they are doing.  According to GameStop, GTA Vice is currently slated for an October release on PS2.  I still think it will be an intermediary title/expansion with GTA4 being the true sequel.  If you'd like to read more on GTA: Miami/Vice, check out the update I did way back on December 20th.  I also posted a bit about it on the December 18th update as well. Thanks to IdeoPraxist for the update and the IGN link.

The Seven Lifts   <11:55 PM CST - schu>
Does anyone know anything about the seven lifts in Portland, near the basketball courts (there are seven, car sized, lifts, three of which are accessible)?  The people on the GameGossip forum are trying to figure them out, but so far they don't appear to serve any purpose.

Crazy Sh*t   <11:55 PM CST - schu>
Don't ask, just click!  Ok, so that wasn't all that great...  Neither is this or this.  There is some pretty good stuff here, but you have to register to view it.

Site Updates   <11:55 PM CST - schu>
Woo, Fred Capasso hates me and my site.  I feel honored...

Wednesday - March 27, 2002   <11:45 PM CST>

Site Updates & Announcements   <11:45 PM CST - schu>

• Not much going on today...  IGN posted some more GTA3 PC shots, but they are the same shots I posted on the 25th, and I was happy to see they still don't have the shot I was sent :).

• MordisMe sent word that your local Fox station will be airing a special on how the media is corrupting children.  It's supposed to air at 9pm but you might want to check your local listing.  Funny that out of all the stations out there, Fox is doing this report :).  MordisMe also sent in the top two reasons you should bother watching this:

  • 1: GTA3 might be mentioned. I'm not sure, but it seems likely.
  • 2: Entertainment value! I bet 90% of this is gonna be bull shit! You'll either laugh hysterically at it's absurdity or throw a brick at the TV because of it. In conclusion; tune in for another of FOX's great lineup of specials. It might be comparable to either the "Glutton Bowl" or "Celebrity Boxing"
    
    
• Azz brought up a good point about the whole IGN petition thing.  Mainly that IGN was loosing lots of money and had to cut a lot of their staff just to stay afloat.  I completely agree that they have to make money to be successful and to keep the site going, I just don't really agree with the way they're doing it.  The system before was annoying, but at least I knew if I waited a week or so I'd be able to see everything on the site, but as it is now I can't view all, or even most of the screenshots from any of the game reviews/previews there.  The GTA2 shots were posted in 1999, and since I already viewed four of them (a week ago) it won't permit me to view any more of the shots there.  Granted, it greatly reduces their bandwidth requirements that would be needed to support the non-insiders, but as it is now I'm becoming a GameSpot regular, and I find myself visiting IGN less and less.  In the end I don't think pissing off their readers will help them.

Tuesday - March 26, 2002   <11:45 PM CST>

GTA3 PC & PS2 Comparison   <11:45 PM CST - schu>
I was talking to Raffa and he came up with a pretty good idea.  Basically to give you a better idea of the PC version's improved graphics you might want to check out these side by side comparisons.  It's not completely fair because the PS2 shots all seem washed out compared to the PC shots and all the shots lose something in the compression, but if the window in the background of this PC shot doesn't convince you, then I don't know what will.  Check out all the GTA3 PC shots in yesterday's update.

Building Texture Comparisons
Model Comparisons
Vehicle Comparisons

Call Out GOURANGA! - Get Spammed!   <11:45 PM CST - schu>
Apparently a number of people have been receiving emails with the message, "Call Out GOURANGA! - Be Happy!"  They then write me and bitch about spam.  In the future before you bitch you might like to know that I didn't even send the emails out, nor do I know who did.  Furthermore, if you bitch you could at least have the balls to use your real return address so I can try to explain this.

It might further interest you to know that I am not only person in the world to use the word "gouranga".  You need only check the About section to learn more about the word.  From what I understand it is used by Hari Krishnas (where DMA originally learned of the word) and it is also used by people in the movement to legalize drugs (mainly marijuana) in the UK.  I've also heard that this movement also spray paints this same slogan on bridges and overpasses in the UK.  Anyway, I doubt this will even reach any of the people who are bitching to me, but if it does, please send me the original email with the full header intact so I can at least try to track down the source of the emails.  In the end it might not do any good because faking a return address is so a easy a two year old could do it, but at least I'll have somewhere to start.

Support GTA3 PC!   <11:45 PM CST - schu>
Recently I came across some information as to why the PS2 version of GTA3 was in such short supply when it was initially released.  It turns out that many of the major retailers ordered GTA3 - PS2 in very small quantities because they didn't believe it would sell that well.  Mainly they were basing their sales figures on how GTA2 sold, regardless of the all the great press GTA3 was getting.  Hopefully GTA3 PC won't suffer from the same problem, however I have a plan to combat this.  I haven't figured out all the details yet but I'm checking with a friend of mine who works with a distributor to get some more ideas on what we can do to drum up some more support for the title on PC.

Monday - March 25, 2002   <11:56 PM CST>

GTA3 PC Screens & Release Date!   <5:01 PM CST - schu>
Rockstar released a press release today confirming GTA3 PC's May release date (as reported by many of the retail sites).  But that's not all...  Some of the sites that were sent the release, including mine, also received exclusive screen shots.  Below I've posted the shot I was sent, followed by two that were posted on GameSpy Daily, and the press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ROCKSTAR GAMES ANNOUNCES "GRAND THEFT AUTO 3" FOR THE PC

Top Selling Videogame of 2001 Heading to PCs Worldwide

New York, NY -March 25, 2002 - Rockstar Games, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:TTWO) high-end video game publishing division, confirmed today that its best-selling tour de force "Grand Theft Auto 3" will be available for the PC platform in May 2002.

"We look forward to building on the astronomical success of 'Grand Theft Auto 3,'" said Sam Houser, president of Rockstar Games. "We are extremely proud of what we have achieved with 'Grand Theft Auto 3' and now we are pleased to bring it back home to the PC where this franchise began."

"It is an honor to work on the Grand Theft Auto games," said Les Benzies, development director for Rockstar Studios, developers of "Grand Theft Auto 3." "The PlayStation 2 version was a terrific achievement for us and now, we're looking forward to maximizing the game's potential for the PC. We know that there is an enormous, avid fan base out there that has waited patiently for the PC version of 'Grand Theft Auto 3'. The final product will blow them away."

Released in October 2001 for the PlayStation 2, "Grand Theft Auto 3" has sold phenomenally well gracing the top of the national charts everywhere it has been released. With only five months in retail thus far, the title has taken the videogame industry by storm. In addition to receiving more than 25 awards, including several "Game of the Year" commendations, "Grand Theft Auto 3" has garnered critical acclaim from all corners of the media. From articles in The New York Times, The Associated Press and USA Today to a cover story in Sony's Official PlayStation Magazine, the press has unanimously praised the game for its technical innovation and groundbreaking design.

For more information about "Grand Theft Auto 3" for the PC please visit: www.grandtheftauto3.com.

Thanks to Rev Ted, BOOGIE, and the fine people at Rockstar Games...

More GTA3 PC Screens   <11:56 PM CST - schu>
Andy tracked down some more screens for GTA3 PC at Gamespot and at IGN.  I think it's funny how IGN says they have the "first screens" of GTA3 PC when GameSpy really had them posted hours before everyone else :).  Anyway, here are the new shots:

Once again, thanks to Andy for submitting the links.  If anyone else spots some new shots out there, please let me know.

Site Updates   <11:56 PM CST - schu>

• Insane2757 sent in a link to an online petition urging game publishers to stop supporting IGN.  Up until now their "Insider" program didn't bug me too much because I knew that they'd release their "insider" information to the public after a week or so, but now they seem to be requiring insider status to view more and more of their site.  I understand the need to make money, but before too long the majority of their site will be subscription based.  I suppose their readers will determine if this business model will work in the end by voting with their money.  I think I'd put more consideration into subscribing if I knew I could at least repost GTA related screenshots and information that I found on IGN, but I'm pretty sure that would violate their reader agreement.
• The chat room applet died when I moved to the new server and I've finally gotten around to installing a new applet.  I'm in the process of testing out jIRC so I can get the chat room up and running.  Hopefully by the end of the week I'll at least have a test room up and running.  Anyone have any comments on which GTA channel(s) I should configure it for?  I suppose it would be nice to have more than one, but it would also be nice if we could get all the GTA sites using the same channel on the same network to sort of consolidate the community.

Saturday - March 23, 2002   <2:31 PM CST>

GTA3 Kicks Ass at the GDC   <2:31 PM CST - schu>
As you may or may not know, the Game Developer's Conference (GDC) has been going on the last few days in San Jose California.  Every year during the GDC all the developers get together and choose which games and people to honor.  This year Grand Theft Auto 3 took home half the awards:

• Game of the Year
  Grand Theft Auto III (DMA Design/Rockstar Games
• Excellence in Game Design
  GTAIII team for gameplay in Grand Theft Auto II
• Game Innovation Spotlights
  Black & White (Lionhead Studios)
  Grand Theft Auto III (DMA Design/Rockstar Games)
  ICO (Sony Computer Entertainment)
  Majestic (Electronic Arts)
  Rez (United Game Artists)

For a full listing of the awards, check out GameSpot's article.  GameSpot also has ongoing coverage of the GDC, and it won't cost you anything to read it.  In case you hadn't noticed, IGN is getting out of hand, you can't even view all the screenshots for ANY game review without being hassled by IGN's panhandler script.  After viewing about five shots they are hitting you up for money.  Are GTA2 screenshots in that high demand that they need to restrict access to them?  I can sort of understand restricting access to new stuff in order to make some money, but restricting old reviews makes no sense to me, it only serves to annoy the hell out of me and send me off to one of their competitors.  Thanks to JL2001 for the GDC/GTA3 link :).

Friday - March 22, 2002   <11:30 PM CST>

DMA's Site Changes Over   <11:30 PM CST - schu>
illspirit sent word that DMA's site has already changed over and now auto-forwards to www.rockstarstudios.com.

Insane2757's Strange Happenings   <11:30 PM CST - schu>
I saw over on GTACenter (the love center) that Insane2757 compiled his list of strange happenings in GTA3 and posted it online.  You can check it out here.  You can also check the thread he started on this article in the forums.

Weltstadt Update   <11:30 PM CST - schu>
This is actually a carryover update from last week's confusion.  Anyway, wsm.bernd has updated the site for his new GTA2 map, Weltstadt.  This update includes new shots of the vehicles. If you want to take a look, click on the "Fahrzeuge" link @ www.weltstadtmafia.de.vu.

New Maps   <11:30 PM CST - schu>
I recently posted two new maps in the GTA Map Vault and two new maps in the GTA2 Map Vault, take a look:

New GTA Maps

• Hong Kong - (Author: Russ D)

  • Screenshot of Hong Kong
  • hk.zip (183k)

• Scumbag City - (Author: Pennywise)
  
  
  • Scumbag City website
  • Screenshot of Scumbag City
  • scumbagall.zip (4.3MB) Full Install

New GTA2 Maps

• Teen14's Residential District Mission Pack - (Author: Teen14)

  • Readme File
  • resdmissionp.zip (81k)

• GTA2: Tokyo - (Author: Treb)
  
  
  • Readme File
  • gta2tokyo.zip (2.67MB)

  
Crazy Sh*t   <11:30 PM CST - schu>
Don't ask, just click! or klikken!  or if you happen to have a lot of clay on hand, you can try this.  Rev Ted sent this link in.  I'm pretty sure GameSpot actually posted that article as one of their April Fool's Day updates.

Thursday - March 21, 2002   <11:30 PM CST>

More on GTA3 PC & Cidverte   <11:30 PM CST - schu>
Yesterday I reported on Cidverte's GTA3 PC page and since then I had a bunch of people email me on this with translations and more.  There really isn't anything new in the article, just the standard description of the game, however they do mention the PC system requirements.  I can't vouch for the accuracy of the requirements so I'd really wait for the official word from Rockstar:

• Pentium II 300
• 64 MB RAM
• 16 MB 3D Video Card
• Modem/Network Card Optional

Thanks to all my Italian translators, Richard, Joe, Jae, and teflon.  If you'd like to translate it yourself you can either try Babelfish , FreeTranslation.com, or try this Google translation link.

New GTA Sites   <11:30 PM CST - schu>

• ChatterBox Message Board
  gta.lunarpages.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi

AusGamer's Post   <11:30 PM CST - schu>
Evil Muthafucka sent me a link that should interest Australian gamers out there.  It's basically to a post on AusGamers.com about a recent review of the new R rating for games.

Wednesday - March 20, 2002   <10:30 PM CST>

The Italian Job   <10:30 PM CST - schu>
Rockstar is going to publish the Playstation game, The Italian Job, here in the US.  More information on the title can be found at www.rockstargames.com/italianjob.

Rockstar News   <10:30 PM CST - schu>
All of the following were yanked off the Rockstar Games news section:

• Type & Win GTA3 or R* Posters!
  You're probably already too late, but give it a shot anyway:
  www.rockstargames.com/posters.  Don't forget, the Make You Famous contest is still running as well, check www.rockstargames.com/makeyoufamous for details.
  
• Mobile Rockstar
  Rockstar Games has uploaded a Rockstar graphic to go along with the GTA3 ringtone they released awhile back.  Both the ringtone and graphic can be found at Zingy.com (here and here).  The logo and ringtone are only available here in the US right now, however they say they'll be releasing them in the UK very soon.
• GTA3 Desktops
  Check www.rockstargames.com/grandtheftauto3/desktops for all the latest GTA3 wallpaper, well worth a look...
• Rockstar Tops The Charts
  NPD is reporting that Rockstar Games lead the pack in sales with GTA3 topping the sales charts in 2001.
• Rockstar #1 on the Electric Playground
  Electric Playground named Rockstar Games the publisher of the year in their 2001 Blister Awards.  GTA3 took home top honors with awards in Most Innovative Games of the Year, Best Console Driving Game, Best Console Action Game, PS2 Game of the Year, Best Console Games of 2001, and Best Overall Games of the Year.  Christ, did any other games get awards on that show?
  
• Rockstar Games Upload Competition
  The 2nd annual Upload competition at Rockstar has just begun, read the release for details:
  

  2ND ANNUAL ROCKSTAR GAMES UPLOAD
  Back by popular demand...

  Rockstar Games Upload returns to bestow money upon talented web-savvy filmmakers, deejays, authors and designers. Celebrating the way creative works are proliferated on the Internet is what we're all about.
  Doling out $5K for the best short film, $2K for the best DJ mix, $1,500 for the best short story, and another $1,500 for the best piece of multimedia design. With category sponsorship and judging provided this year by returning sponsors, Independent Feature Project (Short-Subject Film), Flyer magazine (DJ Mixes), Vice Magazine (Short Fiction), and new category sponsor, Design Is Kinky (Multimedia/Design).
  Entries (via FTP only) through May 31, 2002.
  For all the rules, regulations, and instructions, go to the official Rockstar Games Upload site at: www.rockstargames.com/upload or www.rockstargamesupload.com.

• GTA3 PC on Cidverte
  Cidverte, Take2's Italian publishing arm, has a GTA3 PC page up.  The only problem is that it's in Italian so I have no idea if there is anything new there.  The shots all appear to be old though.

Site Updates   <10:30 PM CST - schu>
If you hate W and you're looking for something to read while you wait for GTA PC, check out Stupid White Men.

Tuesday - March 19, 2002   <10:20 PM CST>

DMA Renamed   <10:20 PM CST - schu>
That last vestige of DMA's identity was lost today when Rockstar Games announced that they are changing DMA Design's name to Rockstar Studios to more closely align DMA with the Rockstar identity.  I suppose it really doesn't matter since DMA really isn't DMA anymore anyway, but I sure will miss the DMA guy getting run over by a car.  In related news, you can check up on what some of the former DMA employees are doing.  A month or so ago I reported on their recent formation of the Real Time Worlds development studio.  Many of the original people from DMA are back at work in Dundee.

Rip The GTA3 Music   <10:20 PM CST - schu>
I posted this piece about two months ago and I finally got a chance to try this trick on my friend's DVD drive.  This does work and I ended up burning all the GTA3 music tracks to four CDs.  Each of the stations rip as one big track.  The sound seems a little tinny, but it seems like I can hear more on the ripped versions (like some of the background music in the commercials), but it might just be that my TV speakers aren't as good as my computer speakers.  Here is the original update:

Ripperoo sent in a link to a page he set up on extracting the audio off of the GTA3 PS2 disc.  You just need a PC with a DVD drive, a copy of GTA3 - PS2, and a program called MF Audio.  Here is what Ripperoo sent in:

"I don't know whether you'll be interested in this or whether you already know, but here goes.

I have been trying for two days to to find a utility that would enable me to extract the radio stations from the "GTA3" disk (".vb" files), so that I could save them as ".wavs" and then encode them to ".mp3".

I finally found what I was looking for....a utility called "MFAudio"!

I created a basic walkthrough on how the ".vb" files can be converted to ".wavs" using "MFAudio" and uploaded it to:
members.lycos.co.uk/ripperoo/gta3/gta3-extract.htm

It'll certainly save anyone who already has access to the "GTA3" disk the trouble of downloading hundreds of megabytes of MP3 files.

I think the info at the above link may come in very useful to many people as I've read in various places that lots of people would like to be able to "rip" the tracks from their "GTA3" disk and listen to them on their PC or even burn them to CD.

Anyway I hope you find this of some use."

Great news from Ripperoo!  I really don't see any legal implications for extracting the audio off the cd for your own use, but if you distribute it, that's another matter entirely.

  
Site Updates   <10:20 PM CST - schu>
Not much going on, I've returned home to Milwaukee and I'm working through the email that I forwarded back to myself.

Saturday - March 16, 2002   <3:30 PM CST>

SOE Movie Deal   <3:30 PM CST - schu>
Gate over at American-Trade.org recently reported on an SOE movie deal.  Apparently New Line Cinema is going to work with VIS to bring SOE to film.  You can read more about it at EuroGamer.

Take2 Stock On The Rise & More Miami   <3:30 PM CST - schu>
Take2 reported their earnings for the first quarter yesterday announcing a four fold gain in earnings, raising the value of their stock by 58 cents per share, to $22.58.  Read more about it at IGN.  Consequently they also mention that GTA: Miami is rumored to still be in development.  TeSjit (GTA center) earlier reported on something he read over at SonyWeb, claiming that GTA: Miami was "pure speculation".  As far as rumors go, I'd say GTA: Miami is still a very strong rumor, I'm not 100% sure it exists, but it should not be dismissed just yet.

More GTA3 Release Date Confusion   <3:30 PM CST - schu>
Still no official release date but I have a few more retail dates.  Marc sent in a email reporting that Jungle (UK) is quoting an April 12th release date with a £24.99 pricetag.  Meanwhile, US retailers seem to be setting their dates back to the end of May.  EB sent the following email out to John and other EB customers with GTA3:PC pre-orders:

"Dear EBgames.com Customer,

Thanks for pre-ordering Grand Theft Auto III from EBgames.com! As an added benefit to ordering from us, we'll keep you informed of ship date changes. We are writing to let you know that we have changed the projected ship date for Grand Theft Auto III to May 29, 2002. The publisher did not provide us with a specific date so this is our best estimate only and should not be considered firm. We will update this date again as we receive new information. As always, EBgames.com will not charge your credit card until we ship your order."

Strangely enough, K noticed that PC Gamer has a card in their latest issue that offers a 50% rebate for GTA3:PC if you trade in two other games, but the card expires on April 30th, before their quoted release date.  I'm guessing the offer will extend to whatever the release date is, they probably printed up the cards well before they changed the date on their site and sent out the email.  Thanks to John, Marc, and K for the help on this one.

SOE & GTA3 On Comedy Central   <3:30 PM CST - schu>
Comedy Central has updated their Daily Show site with links to the GTA3/SOE segment, check it out:

• Real Player 56k
• Real Player 300k
• Windows Media Player 56k
• Windows Media Player 300k

GTA3 GameBoy Advance   <3:30 PM CST - schu>
illspirit found an interesting article over on GameSpot that gives us the first glimpse into GTA3:GBA.  There are no screenshots, but by the way it's written, both illspirit and I are guessing that they either played it or got an extensive interview on it.  It will be a top down game like GTA and GTA2 but it almost sounds as if they finally want to bring a decent version of GTA to a handheld platform.  The article also confirms that the release date has been pushed back to the end of 2002, bad news for those of you who want to play GTA3 on GBA, but good news if you were hoping for a version worth buying.

New SOE & GTA Sites   <3:30 PM CST - schu>

• Zaibatsu (Relaunched)
  www.gta.pl

• GTA Forums.NET
  www.gtaforums.net

• GTA Sajten (Swedish)
  www25.brinkster.com/hultenius/default.asp
  

• SOE Informant
  www.geocities.com/soe_informant

Crazy Sh*t   <3:30 PM CST - schu>
Don't ask, just click!  I have to admit that I really don't like the Man Show, but this is pretty damn funny.

Site Updates   <3:30 PM CST - schu>
I finally got this goddamn computer too cooperate.  I basically did everything short of reinstalling the damn thing since Wednesday and it looks like I can actually send/receive email and update from here.  I've been running back and forth between Chicago and Milwaukee a lot lately so hopefully this should put me back on track for daily updates from both locations.

Wednesday - March 13, 2002   <11:00 PM CST>

Site Updates   <11:00 PM CST - schu>

• Ok, I'm back online...  I'm out of town again and finally got my email program to work here.  I'm still having a little trouble sending, but I think I figured it out, so if all goes well I'll update tomorrow with whatever news has come in.
• My host is trying to tell me I used 71 gig worth of bandwidth last month, which I don't even see how that could possible when the typical month consumes about 40-50 gig.  So, if there are any sites out there linking to files or pictures on my site or any of the hosted sites, I'd appreciate it if you host them on your own server, or send me an email asking permission.

Sunday - March 10, 2002   <5:00 AM CST>

GTA3 PC In Print   <5:00 AM CST - schu>
I just got the April issue of PC Gamer (US) in the mail today and just as Saggy said, it does contain some GTA3 stuff on page 27.  I would however like to reword what I said yesterday, here is the only part of the article that should interest you, the rest of it just describes what GTA3 is all about and about its success on the PS2.

"Rockstar quietly let the word slip a few weeks ago that GTA III was coming to the PC. A key feature will be support for 16-person multiplay, and the PC version will also sport better textures at a much nicer resolution. The mouse/keyboard setup will be instantly familiar to third-person-action fans, too.  We're definitely looking forward to this one."

There is one screenshot next to the article, but I'm pretty sure it's an old PS2 shot that we've all seen a million times before.

In related news...  JL2001 sent word that the April issue of Computer Gaming World also has a short piece on GTA3 PC.  Apparently it doesn't really say much of interest but does include some screen shots.  JL wasn't sure however if they were PC or PS2 shots.  Teck also sent in an email on the CGW article with a quote from the magazine.  There wasn't much to the quote, other than the fact that it mentions improved sound for the PC version.

Thanks to JL2001, Teck, and Saggy for the help on this update.

GTA3 PC & GBA Release Dates   <5:00 AM CST - schu>
Next to the article in PC Gamer is a list of release dates for various PC titles, including GTA3.  That list shows an April 17th release date which is in line with everything we've heard so far.  Matt found something interesting over at EB however.  EB is showing a May 29th release date for PC and an October 16th release for the GameBoy Advance version.  Consequently, GameStop is also showing the May 29th date for the PC version, with an October 1st date for GBA.  As far as I know, Rockstar hasn't officially announced a date, other than Spring/Summer 2002, so I wouldn't get too set on an April date, just in case it gets set back.  Either way, I'm just hoping they take enough time to make it the best they can for PC.  Thanks to Matt for the EB links.

GTA3 Cubed   <5:00 AM CST - schu>
James Dark spotted something interesting in NGC (Nintendo Game Cube Magazine - UK).  NGC reported in issue 65 on page 14 that GTA3 would be appearing on GameCube this coming Fall.  Here is the quote James submitted:

"As if Acclaim's Burnout and Activision's Spy Hunter weren't enough, a US mag has confirmed that the PS2's superb criminal-em-up Grand Theft Auto III will be car jacking and cop blasting its way to Gamecube in autumn. Choice!"

I'm trying to verify this with Rockstar but I haven't heard back from them.  Thanks to James for the update.

Rockstar Wants You!   <5:00 AM CST - schu>
I know I've posted this before, but it seems that Rockstar has issued a new press release concerning their "Make You Famous" contest.  Here are the details:

ROCKSTAR GAMES PRESENTS A CONTEST TO "MAKE YOU FAMOUS"

Tape You And Your Friends Playing Grand Theft Auto 3 For The Chance To Appear In A TV Commercial

NEW YORK, NY - March 6, 2002-- Rockstar Games has announced a contest to reward the loyal supporters of Grand Theft Auto 3. Fans can tape themselves and their friends for the chance to appear in a Rockstar Games TV commercial. For full details about the "Make You Famous" contest, head over to www.rockstargames.com/makeyoufamous. The guidelines for entry include:

• " Entrants should send in a videotape of themselves and their friends playing Grand Theft Auto 3. The tape should show the people playing the game, not the television screen.
• " Only Mini DV format video will be accepted. Submissions on any other format will not be considered.
• " There is no limit on the length or number of entries that can be sent in.
• " Complete the "use of likeness and authorization form" found here. All participants appearing in the videotape must sign this form. Each form contains space for up to 5 signatures. If there are more than 5 people appearing in the videotape, then the participant must print out multiple forms to accommodate them. The "use of likeness and authorization form" must be sent along with the submitted videotape. Entries without accompanying release forms will not be considered.
• " Entries can be sent to: Rockstar Games - c/o "Make You Famous" - 575 Broadway - New York, NY 10012
• " Entry deadline is March 31, 2002.
• " The first 500 entrants will receive a Rockstar t-shirt. Winning entrants will receive a Rockstar sweatshirt.

SOE @ Salon.com   <5:00 AM CST - schu>
IdeoPraxist spotted a nice three page article on SOE over at Salon.com.  I haven't gotten a chance to read through the whole thing but it looks very interesting.  I'll try and post more on this after I get a chance to read though it...

GTA3 Editing   <5:00 AM CST - schu>
BUSTeD has uploaded some files from the GTA3 DVD for your perusal.  So, if you don't have a DVD drive in your PC and you want to check out some of the files, check www.100megspopup.com/busted/edit3.  You may want to start by reading the editing.txt file in the listing.

GTA Community News   <5:00 AM CST - schu>

• GTA Map - Scumbag City
  Pennywise has created a site around his GTA map, Scumbag City.  You can download the map and check out all the news and information on it at scumbagcity.cjb.net.

• GTA2 Map - Weltstadt
  wsm.bernd posted some new screenshots for his GTA2 map over at www.weltstadtmafia.de.vu.  To view the screenshots click on the links at the top
  "Gebäude" --> Buildings
  "Nahverkehr" --> Rail, buses and something..
  "Stadtviertel" --> Districts of the city

• GTA2 Map Awards
  Pyro has created an award system for GTA2 maps.  If you have a good map you'd like to submit into the competition, visit his site at geocities.com/pyrogunman/index.html

Friday - March 8, 2002 <11:40 PM CST>

PC Gamer on GTA3 PC   <11:40 PM CST - schu>
The latest issue of PC Gamer has a sidebar on some of the new things we can expect to see in GTA3 for the PC:

• 16 Player Multiplayer
• Multiple Resolutions
• More familiar 3rd person shooter controls

Thanks to Saggy for the update.

GTA Miami Just Another Rumor?   <11:40 PM CST - schu>
SonyWeb.com claims they've spoken with Rockstar and that GTA: Miami is nothing more than a rumor.  Since I haven't heard from Rockstar in awhile I can't confirm or deny this, but I'll see what I can turn up.  There was one other note in the article about Rockstar's upcoming games which include, a new Midnight Club game, MTV's Celebrity Deathmatch, Grand Theft Auto 3 (PC), and a new Grand Theft Auto game.  Source:  Insane2757 & GTA3.com.

Take2 Rules the Charts   <11:40 PM CST - schu>
AVault recently posted the latest sales figures and both GTA3 and SOE are at the top of the charts, coming in at number one and two respectively.  Max Payne also made the top ten, coming in at number nine.  Thanks to Rev Ted for the update.

Crazy Sh*t
Don't ask, just click!  I'm not sure about you, but I suck at this...  You can also try this one if you like the whole rotoscoping thing.

Site Updates   <11:40 PM CST - schu>

• I'm still getting on top of email, so I should have some more updates this weekend...
• During my visit to Chicago, Gate ( american-trade.org ) got me interested in a new game about soccer hooligans, check out more on the game here.

Thursday - March 7, 2002 <8:30 PM CST>

GTA3 & SOE On Comedy Central   <8:30 PM CST - schu>
The Daily Show on Comedy Central recently featured clips of both GTA3 and SOE.  I saw it at 7pm today, so I think it was actually yesterday's show.  The main GTA3/SOE portion of the show was during Lewis Black's segment.  Their guest for that show was Milla Jovovich, she also mentioned how much she liked GTA3.  Finally, the show ended with its Moment of Zen which was some video footage of SOE.  I can't tell from their site when that episode might appear again, nor does it seem to have any footage from that show.

Site Updates   <8:30 PM CST - schu>

• I finally made it back and I'm going through email now.  Hopefully I'll have an update tomorrow.  Sorry for the extended break, but I was stranded in Chicago for awhile.
• I finally got around doing my reinstall, so I'm running Windows XP.  I guess now I have to try out some of these GTA/GTA2 XP fixes to see what works.
• While I was out of town I got a lot of time to play SOE...  So far I have to say that Revolution mode can get boring, but Chaos/Kaos mode more than makes up for Revolution mode.  If you rent or buy it, try Kaos, especially with a group of friends, before you pass judgment on it.  I also started an SOE tip thread in the forums on the G! Board.