Tuesday - November 26, 2002   <9:20 PM CST>

VC Dominates October Sales   <9:20 PM CST - schu>
Vice City came in at #1 on the top ten sales chart for the month of October, outselling all the other PS2 titles.  Check the article on IGN for more.  Thanks to Insane2757 for the link.

Vercotti = Vercetti?   <9:20 PM CST - schu>
Camilo found something rather interesting over on Rockstar's GTA portal.  If you check their old BMG GTA site you might notice that Bubby is the head of the Vercotti crime family.  Vercotti, Vercetti, not far off now is it.

VC In OZ   <9:20 PM CST - schu>
Vice City's Australian release date still hasn't been pinned down, but so far the rumors point to November 28th.  Most retailers seem to be covering themselves saying that they can't guarantee a November 28th release date and that it may not be out until December 6th.  I guess we'll know in a few days.  Thanks to Lorraine, Stuart, and James.

GTA3 NY   <9:20 PM CST - schu>
GTAWolf is looking for a few GTA3 modders to help him out with a new project he is working on.  Check out the GTA3 NY site for more details if you have experience working on GTA3 mods and you'd like to help out.

New GTA Sites   <9:20 PM CST - schu>

• GTA Network
  www.gta-network.com

  
Happy Thanksgiving   <9:20 PM CST - schu>
I'll be heading home tomorrow so I probably won't update until next Monday.  I may try to do an update from my parent's house in St. Louis if I have time while I'm there.

Announcements   <9:20 PM CST - schu>

• Gamespot has a nice selection of maps that should help you find just about anything in ViceCity.  For some reason the site they originally came from had to remove the very same maps, so you might want to get them before Gamespot is asked to do the same.
• TechTV included Vice City in their list of holiday picks.  Check it out.  They also featured Vice City on Call For Help recently.  You can find a video clip here.  Thanks to Matt.
• Gate found a photoshop contest over on Fark.com with a GTA3 related entry about half way down the list.
• Looks like football games (American football) have come under fire lately for "hard hits".  ESPN recently did an article on it here.  Thanks to Andrew.
• Sorry for the delay, server problems and my internet connection have been slowing me up lately.
• The search for a new server is close to complete.  Hopefully I'll have some details on what to expect.  Mainly there might be some short downtime as the DNS transfers, but until we are ready to move I won't know for sure.

Friday - November 22, 2002   <2:44 AM CST>

Vice City Desktops   <2:44 AM CST - schu>
Rockstar has released a nice set of ViceCity desktop wallpaper.  You can get them at www.rockstargames.com/vicecity/desktops.

VC Is Out In NZ   <2:44 AM CST - schu>
EvaUnit02 is reporting that ViceCity is available everywhere in New Zealand.

LoKi sent word that his local Australian EB says they won't have VC until December 6th.

New VC Reviews   <2:44 AM CST - schu>

• Gaming Target - (99%)

Thanks to Stuart for the link.

ViceCity In FoxTrot   <2:44 AM CST - schu>
ViceCity was recently featured the newspaper comic, FoxTrot.  Check it out here or here.  If you remember back, about a year ago GTA3 was featured for a full week in The Boondocks.  Thanks to Rev Ted and Chris for the link.

Take2 Takes Angel   <2:44 AM CST - schu>
Take2 has purchased Angel Studios and has already renamed them Rockstar San Diego.  Angel is the developer behind the Midnight Club and Smugglers Run series.  Check out the full article at Gamers.com or the press release at Take2Games.com.  Thanks to Rev Ted for the link.  Here is a list of links to all of Rockstar's sites/developers:

• Rockstar Games
• Rockstar Warehouse
• Rockstar North
• Rockstar San Diego
• Rockstar Vancouver
• Rockstar Toronto

 
Crazy Sh*t   <2:44 AM CST - schu>
Don't ask, just click! (Check out the porned out version of G!).  Thanks to Screwtape for the link.

I'm not too sure what to think of the one SBF5000 sent in.  Personally I prefer MC Hawking and his GTA3 track.

Announcements   <2:44 AM CST - schu>

• I'm not sure why it took me so long, but I just noticed that my old URL (now under the ownership of Rockstar Games) has a new page to go with it.  Check out www.grandtheftauto.com and see for yourself.  They even have a link back to the old GTA site that was originally on BMG's site.
• Sorry if the updates have been rather sporadic lately.  I've been putting a lot of time into trying to find a better job and I've also been working on finding G! a new server.  So far at least the server search has gone quite well and I'm working on wrapping up a deal shortly.  Until then I apologize for the state of the forums.  They seem to actually be working worse after they were updated.  As you may have noticed the Tips section is sort of offline at the moment because all the tip threads are in the forums.

Wednesday - November 20, 2002   <11:00 AM CST>

New Zealand & Australia - Release Dates   <11:00 AM CST - schu>
kingrj59 is reporting that his local Noel Lemmings called him and said that they just got ViceCity in and that were going to start selling copies tomorrow (November 21st)!  EvaUnit02 also wrote in confirming the Nov 28th release date and he also mentioned that the NZ OLFC has classified ViceCity giving it an 'R18: Contains Violence' rating.

Stuart called up his local Australian EB and was told that they should be putting ViceCity on sale on the "28th of November at the earliest."  I suppose you can take "at the earliest" however you want.  At this point the 28th doesn't sound half bad when you compare it to a possible December release.

New Reviews & Articles   <11:00 AM CST - schu>

• Curmudgeon Gamer
  The Curmudgeon Gamer over on LinuxGames.com has released a partial review based on what he's played so far.  As always he takes an extremely detailed look that goes well beyond the bounds of your typical review.
• IGN Insider
  IGN Insider has released an article entitled "Raining on the Vice City parade."  The article takes a critical look at ViceCity's accomplishments and shortcomings.
• The Onion
  Nick spotted a great new article that pokes fun at the whole violent video game issue.  Check it out over at The Onion.  I actually just picked up this issue today :) .

  
Announcements   <11:00 AM CST - schu>
If you have visited the forum lately you probably noticed that it's extremely slow, when it works at all.  As you may or may not know I have been looking into a new server and I've made significant headway.  Basically I'm awaiting a final counter offer before I gear up for the move.  Hopefully I'll have a date for the actual move soon.  Until then, please feel free to bash your keyboard in whenever the server spits back an error message.

Monday - November 18, 2002   <5:00 PM CST>

GTA On NPR   <5:00 PM CST - schu>
The Tavis Smiley show on NPR featured a segment on video game violence that primarily focused on Vice City.  The segment is well balanced and even Dave Walsh, who previously made an ass out of himself in the DC Sniper article, actually redeems himself a little.  I was happy to hear that censorship was not mentioned even once and that Walsh's main concern was educating parents on the rating system and enforcing the rating system at the retail level.  You can find the audio clip on NPR.org or just click here to listen to the real audio clip.

Vice City In Rolling Stone   <5:00 PM CST - schu>
Shane sent word that the latest issue of Rolling Stone features an article on Vice City.  The article reviews Vice City and also gives a decent history of Rockstar and it's founders.  I checked their site but so far I haven't been able to find it online.

More VC Help   <5:00 PM CST - schu>

• Gamespot has released their ViceCity game guide.  The guide is free for everyone to view and includes tons of information including hidden package maps, unique jump maps, property maps, and a map of ViceCity's hot spots.  All the maps they have are originally from www.all-vice-city.fr.st.
• IGN FAQs
• IGN GTA Board

Thanks to Mike Murakami and Insane2757.

ViceCity DVD   <5:00 PM CST - schu>
Josh stuck the ViceCity DVD in his computer's DVD drive and found a lot cool text and dialogue in the American file.  Just open it using Notepad and take a look.

VC In NZ   <5:00 PM CST - schu>
EvaUnit02 sent in a list of release dates in New Zealand based on retailer expectations.

• GPstore - Nov 20
• Central Park Interactive - Nov 21
• The Gamesman - Nov 21
• Electronics Boutique - Nov 22
• Dick Smith Electronics - Nov 20
• Noel Leeming/Computer City - Nov 21
• Bond & Bond - Nov 21

New GTA Sites   <5:00 PM CST - schu>

• EvilEd's VC Forum
  www.eviled.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=24

  
Announcements   <5:00 PM CST - schu>

• Nerve.com did a great interview with David Cross.  If your a Mr. Show fan, or not, it's definitely worth a read.
• IGN put ViceCity on their holiday buyer's guide.  Thanks to Insane2757.
• Some of you may have noticed that your digital cable or satellite guide shows an episode of Extended Play featuring GTA: Sin City.  This is NOT a new GTA game, it's just a typo.  From what I can tell they ran the original VC review in a new episode of Extended Play with some additional comments by the host tacked on the end of the show.  I guess the numerous posts on their forum got some attention :). Basically he says that they liked the game they just didn't think it was "perfect".  I could probably go on about what other games they thought were "perfect", but I digress.

Friday - November 15, 2002   <2:00 AM CST>

VC Behind The Scenes   <2:00 AM CST - schu>
The Rockstar webmaster tipped me off that Gamers.com will be releasing an exclusive, behind the scenes, video later today that will feature some of the actors behind the voices in the game.  I'm not sure what else will be in the video or the exact time it will be released so keep checking Gamers.com throughout the day.

New GTA Sites   <2:00 AM CST - schu>

• Rockstar Resource
  www.rockstarresource.tk

  
Announcements   <2:00 AM CST - schu>
I added a few more VC shots if anyone is interested.

Thursday - November 14, 2002   <3:00 AM CST>

Total GTA   <3:00 AM CST - schu>
Hultenius noticed that Take2's Scandinavian distributor, KE Media, recently added a new PC GTA compilation that includes GTA, GTA London, and GTA2.  I don't have any news if this compilation will be released anywhere else but I'll see what I can find out.  From what I can tell the only GTA compilation available in the US is for the Playstation, still no word if we'll ever get a PC compilation.  It seems as if North America is still one of the only places you can't find the PC version of GTA.  I'm not quite sure but this probably has something to do with the fact that ASC Games originally published the PC version of GTA in North America and might still retain the rights, even though they seem to have disappeared off the face of the Earth.

Re-Dial   <3:00 AM CST - schu>
I heard another VC number on Fever that you can try out.  Someone sent in one for the Army (1-800-BE-A-HERO) but it doesn't appear to work.

• 1-866-9-SHADEE (VC Law Firm)

  
New ViceCity Articles   <3:00 AM CST - schu>
Rupert sent in a link to a great article on The Guardian that gives a nice unbiased look at the GTA series.  The other two were sent in by Insane2757.

• The Guardian - "Vice City shows gaming has grown up"
• PS2.IGN.com - "Top 10 PS2 Most Owned"
• GameSpot.com - "My, Myself, and Tommy"

  
VC In NZ   <3:00 AM CST - schu>
EvaUnit02 sent word that the OFLC in New Zealand have put ViceCity's classification on "high priority" and they expect to classify it by next week.  You can read more about it in this thread on the GamePlanet forums.

AU.Playstation.com Contradiction   <3:00 AM CST - schu>
Cameron sent in a funny analysis of AU.Playstation.com's recent Australian ViceCity coverage.  Here is what he sent in:

Looks like the people over at playstation.com.au have no idea what they are talking about. They seem to have contradicted themselves on the same page.

Quote 1 "Australia IS getting the final, unedited version of Vice City."

Quote 2 "Vice City has been given an M15+ rating in Australia and will go relatively untouched."

Read the full article and see for yourself.

More On Australia's R-Rating   <3:00 AM CST - schu>
S3KT0R sent in another article on Australia's R-rating and why it was turned down.  You can check out the article at AustralianIT.  S3KT0R also highlighted this quote from the article:

"Mr Atkinson said he had seen data showing that 70 per cent of PS2 owners were older than 18, but his job was to be "cautious on behalf of children".

I guess I will never understand how any government can justify censorship because it's "protecting" children.  Stupid me always thought it was a parents job to protect their own kids.  Let's just hope they don't decide to "protect" the adults.

Mac PayBack   <3:00 AM CST - schu>
S3KT0R sent word that the Mac version of PayBack has gone gold and a playable demo has been released.  Check out more here and please direct any Mac related inquires to VPLTD.com.

Car Thieves Blame GTA   <3:00 AM CST - schu>
Jeff Gipson emailed in a report about something that recently appeared on the news in Kenosha Wisconsin, not far from Milwaukee where I live :)

"There was a Channel 6 news van outside of the building I live in, here in Kenosha Wisconsin.  There have been a rash of car break-ins and they had just caught the people a day ago. I live in a very low crime area, so I thought this was pretty funny.  Then I turn on Channel 6 and they are showing clips of Grand Theft Auto and saying that the thieves blamed the game for what they did, and I didn't expect this, all the reporters, one of the victims, and the Kenosha Chief of police all came out and said that any one who uses videogames as an excuse all ready has some thing wrong with them and that Grand Theft Auto is pure entertainment. Pretty damned cool since all the crap video games had taken with assorted violence and school shootings."

It's good to hear that even not everyone thinks like ABC does.

More VC Help   <3:00 AM CST - schu>
A few more links to helpful VC resources were sent in reply to yesterday's update:

• VC FAQ
  boards.ign.com/message.asp?topic=29637848&replies=71
• NeoSeeker
  www.neoseeker.com/Games/Products/PS2/gta_vicecity

  
New GTA Sites   <3:00 AM CST - schu>

• GTA Wolf
  www.gamewolf.5u.com/gtawolf

• GTA Burnout
  www.gtaburnout.tk

• ViceCity.no
  www.vicecity.no

• Sam's Site (GTA Wallpaper)
  www.apsg70.dsl.pipex.com

Tuesday - November 12, 2002   <10:00 PM CST>

VC Breaks UK Sales Records   <10:00 PM CST - schu>
250,000 copies of ViceCity were sold in the UK over its opening weekend blowing away the last record holder, Metal Gear Solid 2, by 130,000 copies!  Check out the full article at Computer&VideoGames or BBC News for details.  Thanks to Hultenius and aD for the links.

VC In Australia & New Zealand   <10:00 PM CST - schu>
Premium called around and spoke with three game shops and a K-Mart and he was told that Christmas was to blame for the 2 1/2 week delay.  Apparently the pre-Christmas stock is clogging up the pipeline.  Thanks to Premium for the update.

EvaUnit02 got someone from the NZ OFLC on the phone and was told that ViceCity has been submitted to them for classification but is still being evaluated.  Thanks to EvaUnit02.

Looking For Help?   <10:00 PM CST - schu>
Insane2757 wrote up a quick guide to finding help with VC around the web:

• guides.ign.com/guides/482089/index.html
  - IGN's Insider Guide
• www.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/game/33074.html
  - GameFAQ's Vice City section
• www.gta-network.com
  - Still a great place to get help with GTA3 or Vice
• www.gtaforums.com
  - GTA3Forums changed its name to welcome in Vice.

You can also check out the tip threads I have running, but then again our forums aren't exactly holding up too well at the moment.  Thanks to Insane2757 for the links.

New GTA Sites   <10:00 PM CST - schu>

• GTA Ideas (GTA4 wishlist)
  www.geocities.com/gtaidias
• DNK Development (GTA, GTA2, GTA3 utils)
  users.volja.net/delfi

Announcements   <10:00 PM CST - schu>

• I was researching some free webhosts for my roommate when I ran across this one.  Sounds like a decent deal for no charge at all and no ad requirement.  A friend of mine set up a political site about the evil that is Missouri's Jim Talent, and as you can see the URL isn't pretty, but hey, it's free and there aren't any annoying ads to mar your design.
• Want to check out G! at work but you keep getting busted by the man?  Check out GhostZilla.
• PitchFork posted a new article on ViceCity, check it out here.  Thanks to Elijah.

Monday - November 11, 2002   <11:30 AM CST>

Australia Gets The Go Ahead   <11:30 AM CST - schu>
Australian IT is reporting that the OFLC has cleared ViceCity for release with one minor change.  The prostitutes had to be removed from the game, just like they were in GTA3.  The change has already been made so the delay is minimal, but for some reason it won't be out until November 29th.  I'm not sure why there is a 2 1/2 week delay to release the game, but at least the OFLC has finally cleared it.  Perhaps with some luck it will be released earlier than that.  Thanks to Cameron McBride for spotting the article and sending it in.

GTA3 GBA Still Alive!   <11:30 AM CST - schu>
Rupert found a new article on the GameBoy Advance version of GTA3.  The good news is that it is still planned for release.  The bad news is that Take2 appears to be in a custody battle with Destination Software for the development rights.  Apparently Take2 moved development from Destination Software to Crawfish Interactive, a move which Destination wasn't all that fond of.  Check out the original article for more information.  If the link doesn't open properly you may have to register with Computer&VideoGames.com, a fairly painless process, then try the link again.  Thanks to Rupert!

New VC Reviews & Articles   <11:30 AM CST - schu>

• Extended Play
  TechTV's Extended Play finally got around to reviewing Vice City giving it a 4 out of 5.  Personally I thought they were overly critical of it and their review was the first to imply that VC is not GTA3's superior.  In fact they gave GTA3 a 5/5 and VC a 4/5.  On that note I think they should lay off the crack.  While there are bugs in VC, some of the ones they mentioned I have either never encountered or I've only encountered them once in a weeks worth of playing the game.  Their review will air today on TechTV.  I started a thread on their forum in response to their review.  Feel free to add to it and let them know what you think (I don't think profanity is tolerated on their forum so keep it clean).
• Computer and Video Games
  ComputerandVideoGames.com released a short article on Vice City being poised to take over the title of "biggest selling game ever".  Basically it's just a pre-review thing.

Thanks to Josh for the TechTV review link.

PayBack   <11:30 AM CST - schu>
S3KT0R is reporting that a playable version of PayBack for GBA has finally emerged from development.  PayBack is a GTA clone in development for six different platforms (Amiga, GBA, Windows, Linux, Mac, and Intent).

Forum Slowdown   <11:30 AM CST - schu>
As you may have noticed the forums are running rather slow right now, or in some cases not at all. The server traffic here at GOURANGA.com has increased exponentially maxing out our current resources. I am working with our host to come up with possible solutions. We may start using a new, more efficient, forum as a stop gap measure but my main goal is to get us moved to a better, faster server. I have no idea when or if this will happen but I will try to keep you posted.

Announcements   <11:30 AM CST - schu>
I have Rockstar's Degenatron mockup page in my links section, but apparently some people still don't know about it...  Take a look.

Saturday - November 9, 2002   <4:30 AM CST>

New VC Reviews   <4:30 AM CST - schu>

• EuroGamer
  EuroGamer has released two reviews of VC :) ...  Former GTA webmaster Mugwum wrote the first review giving VC a 10/10 while the EuroGamer editor gave it a 9/10.  Check out both reviews @ EuroGamer.
• GameRevolution
  GameRevolution also released a review giving VC an A.  Thanks to Gemini for the review link.
• Ferrago.co.uk
  Ferrago has given VC a score of 93% in their review.
• GamesRadar
  Lastly we have GamesRadar giving VC a 97% in their review.  Well actually the review is the same one that appeared in GamesMaster magazine.

Check out more VC reviews and articles in the VC Reviews section.

VC UK   <4:30 AM CST - schu>
I got a bunch of replies from people in the UK who are playing VC, so it is definitely on store shelves right now.  But I'm sure you already knew that :) ...  Anyway, it looks like people with Play.com pre-orders either have their copies already or they will be getting them next week sometime.  Game, EB, and GamePlay orders sound as if they have already been filled.  If you're still looking for copies in the UK I've heard reports that most of the Virgin Megastores have a healthy supply.  Game UK stores also seem to be doing quite well, and some actually had copies available on the 7th.  Thanks to t0sh, Andrew, StuartW, Adam, Conor, Partyboy, Ryan, Fishboy, M@, and Nicholas.

Australians Get Screwed Again   <4:30 AM CST - schu>
The Standing Committee of Attorneys General in Australia shot down the proposed R rating for games before it could even be voted upon!  If you are an Australian of voting age and any of these people are elected officials then it's time to stick it to them in the next election.  They obviously have no desire to allow adults in Australia see and hear what they choose.  Instead they've taken it upon themselves to censor the public to try and curry favor with scared parents who can't be bothered to police their own children's activities.  Thanks to S3KT0R for the link.

GTA3 GBA Cancelled?   <4:30 AM CST - schu>
Phil spotted this article over on Special Reserve stating that the GameBoy Advance version of GTA3 has been cancelled.  I wrote both Rockstar Games and the developer, Destination Software, but so far I've been unable to get an official comment on this.  Thanks to Phil for the link.

GOURANGA! Contest Winners!   <4:30 AM CST - schu>
I finally have the list of contest winners.  All the following people will be receiving either a GTA3 or ViceCity T-shirt.  The prizes have already been shipped and should arrive within a week or so.  Congratulations to all the winners :) .  The list is the order their names were drawn

• Jake Meyer (US)
• Sam Harwood (UK)
• Big Red (Israel)
• Kaveh Seidi (Sweden)
• Zachary Craw (US)
• Jack Daniels (US)
• Glen Brown (US)
• Joe Russo (Canada)
• Blazej Bucko (Poland)
• Christopher Grover (US)
• Alistair Hall (UK)
• Michael Fritts (US)
• Damien McMullen (US)
• Eric Rickett (US)
• Chris Barrett (UK)
• Desi Roychaudhuri (Canada)
• Raffaello Zucco (US)
• Noam Burshtein (Israel)
• Christian Scheb (Germany)

All of the winners completed the GTA quiz successfully and I was happy to see that a few were even saved by the bonus question :).  You wouldn't believe how many people were drawn but failed to supply the correct answers.

The BBC On VC   <4:30 AM CST - schu>
The BBC posted a very well balanced article on ViceCity yesterday that did a nice job of explaining both sides of the story.  While they did mention that some parents fear that VC will be bought for children they balanced it out well with comments from Time and quotes from someone who actually knows about video games.  I think they could teach ABC a thing or two.  Thanks to Damo for the link.

New GTA Sites   <4:30 AM CST - schu>

• ViceCity Police (redesign)
  vicecitypolice.5u.com

 
Announcements   <4:30 AM CST - schu>

• Both Azz and Icey have reskinned their sites to add a touch of Vice City.  Icey also has a nice G! skin as well :)
• I got a few replies on the Price War update yesterday.  svavar svavar noted that he pays even more for VC in Iceland where it sells for $82!  If for any reason you want to convert your price over to US dollars and compare you can do so here.

Friday - November 8, 2002   <2:30 AM CST>

New VC Contest   <2:30 AM CST - schu>
UGO is running a ViceCity contest with a few copies of VC up for grabs.  Thanks to Saggy.

VC UK   <2:30 AM CST - schu>
I got a few reports from people that their copies of ViceCity were shipped earlier this week but so far I haven't heard from anyone that actually got a copy of VC today.  According to all of the UK retailers I have listed, it should be either in transit or on shelves now :) ...

VC NZ   <2:30 AM CST - schu>
Raynor is reporting that many of the New Zealand retailers have pushed their release dates back to mid-November.  I have updated the retailer list to reflect these changes.

DC Snipers & GTA3?   <2:30 AM CST - schu>
In another desperate attempt by the mainstream media to link video games and violence, now they are trying to pin the blame of the Washington sniper attacks on GTA3.  I'm sure the attacks had nothing at all to do with the gun, the extensive military training, and the snipers' mental instability :) .  If you want to read one of the worst journalistic offences since ABC's news' "sayanora hooker" quote, then click here.  Has anyone out there ever heard another gamer exclaim "I am God" while playing games?  I've been playing video games since my parents brought home an Intellivision and later a Commodore 64 and all this time I haven't once heard anyone use the phrase.  Do you know why I haven't heard anyone say that?  Simple... David Walsh is full of shit and will say whatever the story requires.  Thanks to Raoul and Jess for sending in the link to the article.

VC Price War   <2:30 AM CST - schu>
aD has been so bored waiting for VC down in New Zealand that he decided to do a price comparison from country to country after converting each price to US dollars.  I'm not sure how accurate the list is because some retailers ad tax on during check out.  Here is his list from cheapest to most expensive, followed by a portion from his email:

• Canada: $48.48
• US: $49.12
• Australia: $52.03
• UK: $54.51
• New Zealand: $59.96
• Denmark: $60.42
• Sweden: $63.74
• Norway: $74.17

  "I really did this to make a point about NZ PS2 game pricing. Not including those European countries where EVERYTHING is expensive, New Zealanders will pay quite a premium to get Vice City. Wonder who is making all that extra loot. I'm going to flick this email off to a few distributors."

  
New GTA Sites   <2:30 AM CST - schu>

• Vice City Really Rules (New Look)
  www.vicecity.reallyrules.com

    
Announcements   <2:30 AM CST - schu>

• Curmudgeon Gamer's ongoing VC coverage continues with criticism day :) ...  There aren't many criticisms, but the points he brings up are definitely valid.  One comment on the "Impossible Busts" portion of the article though.  I think Rockstar's main reason for making the cops even better at pulling you out of the car mainly has to do with the new inclusion of the motorcycles.  I'm not positive, but I think it's meant to balance it out somehow, at least that's the impression I got when I previewed it.  Regardless, I have seen at least three extremely cheap, almost glitchy, busts, one of which I avoided.  Basically it looked like the cop just slid across the screen at light speed.  I think SWAT guys might even be harder to shake than their traffic cop brethren because I had one slide right off the top of a roof as if he were magnetically attracted to my door handle.
• Extended Play did not show their VC review today, regardless of what my cable guide said :) ...  So I guess they'll feature it on Monday's show.

Thursday - November 7, 2002   <12:00 AM CST>

New VC Reviews   <12:00 AM CST - schu>

• PS2.IGN.com's Review (not new, but now it's available to everyone)
• PSM2 (UK) - (97/100)
• GameKult (FR) - (9/10)

Phil wrote the following about the PSM2 score he sent in:

"I'm very sure is the highest score they've given, beating Metal Gear
Solid 2 by one 1 percentage point, they also say its the best game of
the year, better score than that bloody Mickey mouse Kingdom Hearts game too :)"

Thanks to hokaleeky, Phil, JXB, and Insane2757.

VC Flash Map   <12:00 AM CST - schu>
Steve sent in this link to a great interactive ViceCity map.  Check it out, but be aware that it may contain possible spoilers.

UK PreOrders   <12:00 AM CST - schu>

• Ollie is reporting that his Play.com pre-order has been shipped and he thinks most Play.com people should have their copies by Monday.
• GrandDrive is reporting that GamesDepot.co.uk is still accepting pre-orders.  They are priced at £32.50 with free P+P.  Check out the full list of UK retailers here.

  
Australia - Saved or Screwed?   <12:00 AM CST - schu>
Yesterday I reported that Australia would be getting an entirely unedited version of VC and that it would be out fairly soon.  Brad wrote in with some bad news.  According to David Wildgoose, the editor of Playstation World, the people at AU.Playstation.com have it all wrong.  Here is his post from the HyperActive Forums:

"I'm not sure where our esteemed friends at http://au.playstation.com have been getting their news, but it's not entirely correct.

While it's true that Take 2 is hoping to release Vice City around the third week of November, I know for a fact that the OFLC is looking at the game today (that's Wednesday, November 6, date fans) and as such no decision has been made regarding its classification.

Take 2 has informed me personally that some elements of the game have already been edited for the Australian release - the same bits that were removed from the censored version of GTA3. Whether further aspects will need to be cut is up to the OFLC when they look at the game this week. However, Take 2 is confident that no further changes will need to be made and the game will be on shelves either late next week or soon after."

A little further down the thread b-D-g posted a response he got from TopShop about VC being delayed until the 28th:

"It is with regret that we wish to inform you that shipment of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City for Playstation 2 has been delayed until the 28th of November as a result of Australian classification issues. This date has been set by the publisher and is subject to change at any time."

As if all this wasn't bad enough, it looks like Australian customs is joining the fray and would like to piss on your day as well.  This information was posted here, and was originally obtained from GameStation:

"The Game 'Grand Theft Auto Vice City' on Playstation 2, has not been classified in your country, therefore the Australian Customs Department are legally able to seize and hold your parcel as it enters the country. For any further details on importing goods please see www.customs.gov.au.  The Game Station cannot provide any refund or replacement to you if this should happen."

GameStation is probably just covering their ass, but Australian gamers should still be aware of it.

Announcements   <12:00 AM CST - schu>

• According to my digital cable guide, TechTv's Extended Play should be featuring Vice City in today's show at 3 pm CST.  I'm not sure if that's correct though.  Their site shows that they won't be airing the VC review until Monday, so I'm not entirely sure what's going on.

Wednesday - November 6, 2002   <12:30 AM CST>

VC Uncensored In Australia   <12:30 AM CST - schu>
According to AU.Playstation.com, Australia will be getting the full, unedited version of ViceCity and they should have it before November 21st:

"Now onto the Australian release, the OFLC decision and all the other bits of garbage information that's been floating around the internet. Australia IS getting the final, unedited version of Vice City. There's nothing within the game that will offend anybody, including the sometimes touchy OFLC board. While the game hasn't been released over here yet, we've been guaranteed by local distributors Take 2 Interactive that the game will ship to Australian retailers no later than the third week of November. So there you go. Anytime before the 21st of November, Vice City will be on sale in Australia, so start saving your pennies folks!"

Brad wrote in to further confirm that the information in the article came straight from Take2, so it's looking good for Australia after all :) ... Thanks to Brad and Cameron.

ReDial   <12:30 AM CST - schu>
Saggy spotted another VC phone number posted over on the GTA Scraper forums.  The number was originally posted by tempest:

• 1-866-434-SELF (Think your way to success)

  
GameShark Codes @ The GFCC   <12:30 AM CST - schu>
The GFCC posted some GameShark codes on their site, check em out at gtavice.thegfcc.com.

ViceCity Reviewed On GameSpy   <12:30 AM CST - schu>
GameSpy finally caught up and posted a review.  They ended up giving VC a 95 out of 100.  Not bad :) ...  They also have a lot of new shots, unfortunately a lot of them are broken.

Vercetti vs GTA3 Guy   <12:30 AM CST - schu>
GameSpy has a GameSpy Grudge poll running on who would win, Tommy Vercetti or the GTA3 Guy.  Right now GTA3 Guy is in the lead.  Thanks to Rev Ted.

Dare To Compare   <12:30 AM CST - schu>
DeathByTheft has a nice article comparing VC with and without trails enabled.  Take a look.

50% Isn't Bad   <12:30 AM CST - schu>
IdeoPraxist set up a list of the Top 20 requests for GTA4 awhile back.  He's been monitoring it for 8 months now, and according to his list, Rockstar has implemented 10 or the 20 most popular ideas.  Check out more on IdeoPraxist's list here.

Announcements   <12:30 AM CST - schu>

• The news on ViceCity.com got a minor update today with the addition of some nice quotes.  Thanks to weirdokid99.
• Please post your VC cheat code feedback, questions, test results, etc. in this thread.

Monday - November 4, 2002   <6:00 PM CST>

Rockstar Sweeps The Joysticks   <6:00 PM CST - schu>
Vice City brought in five game gongs, including most wanted game of Christmas 2002, at the Golden Joystick Awards last week.  The awards are given out by The Sun.  Read more about it at The Sun Online.  Thanks to Chris.

Operators Are Standing By!   <6:00 PM CST - schu>
Steve found one of the best Easter eggs ever.  If you listen to the ads on the radio in ViceCity you may have noticed that they mention phone numbers where you can call for more information.  The numbers are REAL!  It looks like they went all out with the 80's thing and did phone numbers instead of websites for the sake of accuracy :) ...

• 1-866-9-SAVE-ME (For Pastor Richards)
• 1-866-9-BURY-ME (For the funeral home)
• 1-866-PILLAGE (For Thor)
• 1-866-434-SELF (For 'Think your way to success')
• 1-866-9-SHADEE (VC Law Firm)

  
Bonus Tracks For Europe   <6:00 PM CST - schu>
Playstation.com UK is reporting that the European versions of the ViceCity soundtrack will include extra bonus tracks on some of the albums.  Sort of sucks because a lot of the new bonus tracks were songs I was hoping for in the US version.  Any why isn't "In Cars" on the Wave soundtrack?  And where is DEVO?  But I digress.  Check out the full article here.  Thanks to Saggy.

VC & GTA3 Ringtone & Logos   <6:00 PM CST - schu>
Take2 UK is giving away free mobile phone logos and ringtones.  These are only available to people who live in the UK and I think they are all for Nokia phones.  Thanks to Blake.

Australia's R-Rating   <6:00 PM CST - schu>
Ryan found this article about discussion within in the Australian government to approve an R-rating for games.  The article is full of quotes from paranoid groups that would like to keep you from playing the games you want all because they can't be bothered to keep track of their own damn children.  I really have a hard time understanding the viewpoint that games should be censored because parents are too stupid to take a few minutes to see what they're buying for their kids.  I think the phrase "Grand Theft Auto" sends a pretty clear message as to what the game is about.

Missing VC Saves?   <6:00 PM CST - schu>
FiReStArTeRo0o is reporting that some people on the GameFAQ's message board (including himself) have lost their save game file after saving at the Cherry Popper Ice Cream Factory.  I just thought I should post a warning and a general notice that you should always use multiple slots when saving.

Something Awful   <6:00 PM CST - schu>
aD spotted a great article on VC at Something Awful.

New GTA Sites   <6:00 PM CST - schu>

• GTA City (Polish)
  www.gtacity.com

  
VC Retailer Release Date Listings   <4:30 AM CST - schu>
I'll keep updating and reposting this list of retailer VC release dates and prices as more information comes in.  Dates that are listed before 10/28 are most likely inaccurate.  The code listed next to the Australian retailer Burn will give you free shipping when entered at checkout.

If you'd like to send in any information for other countries or retailers, I'd be more than happy to add it to this list.  Thanks to Charles, Daniel, aD, onion, LoneWolf, Ollie, Bob, flipcake, Thalarion, Delta One Zero, KANE79, Thomas, Camilo, Casey, aD, and Bob.

Announcements   <6:00 PM CST - schu>

• MrSlayerJenkins sent in two maps showing the locations of all the hidden packages and stunts in Vice City.  They have been added to the Tips & Cheats section.
• The New Zealand retailers I have listed all changed their VC release dates to 11/11 (one actually changed it to 11/21).  Check the listing for details.  Thanks to S3KT0R.
• EuroGamer posted their first impressions of both ViceCity and The Getaway.
• The Sony section of the Curmudgeon Gamer article has been updated with some more ViceCity stuff including comparisons of Sean Penn's character in Carlito's way to Ken Rosenberg in Vice City.  Side by side they almost look identical (***WARNING POSSIBLE SPOILERS***)
• I've added three threads to the forum where you can post VC Tips.  Check the Tips & Cheats section for details and please read in the instructions at the top of each thread to make sure you're posting in the right place.