Thursday - October 31, 2002   <10:30 AM CST>

PC Vice City Previewed   <4:30 AM CST - schu>
I'm not sure how legit this is so I sent it off to Rockstar for verification.  If it is legit, it is the first actual confirmation of the PC version of Vice City.  "Officially", Rockstar will only say that the PC is NOT included under their agreement with Sony that made all GTA titles PS2 exclusives until 2004. That agreement only applies to other consoles (Game Cube, XBox, etc).

They won't say when or if a PC version will be released and they probably won't make an announcement until a month or so after the PS2 version is out. That being said, I'd guess that we won't hear anything official until December.  Just to make it clear, I'm not coming down on the PC version, I just want to make sure the preview is legit and the information is correct.  Thanks to mrpink for tracking that preview down.

ConnecteD Goes Live   <2:51 AM CST - schu>
The ConnecteD portion of ViceCityRadio.com is live so you should be able to access the special content using your VC soundtrack cds.

Tons of New VC Cheats   <2:51 AM CST - schu>
//355 personally tested around 35 VC cheats and compiled them into a nice list for everyone.  I've added all the new cheats to the VC cheats section.  I'd like to thank //355 for taking all the time to find, test, and send me all the cheats.  Believe me, after copying them from his list I can tell you that it was no small task.

New VC Reviews & Articles - Updated  <10:30 AM CST - schu>
A lot of new VC features are out, and even those in the mainstream press seem to be very positive.  I wrote this before I read ABC New's latest journey into sensationalism.  This has to be the most poorly balanced view of Vice City yet.  Please feel free to reply (responsibly) in their forum, my post was cut off, but I got most of my points in.

• Curmudgeon Gamer (First Impressions)
• ABC News - Good Morning America (F' ABC)
• USA Today (Article)
• CNN (Article)
• Time (Article)
• WORTHPLAYING.com (Review - 10/10)

Thanks to zakk, Pietak, Jess, Steve, aD, John, and IdeoPraxist.

Slow Shipping For Play.com?   <4:30 AM CST - schu>
Peter wrote in to warn all his fellow Play.com pre-orderers about the wait they may be facing.  Apparently the UK retailer's default free shipping method is first class post, but according to their site it may take 3-5 working days to get your order.

Announcements   <2:51 AM CST - schu>

• Happy Halloween! - I'm headed to Chicago tonight for Halloween so the next update might not happen until Monday.
• I added links to new VC Reviews and Articles to the VC Reviews section.
• I just finished reading Curmudgeon Gamer's first impressions.  If you're not familiar with loading games on a C64 then you might want to read his update to see what the VC intro screens are all about :) ...  I never had a tape drive for my C64, so the first time I saw the intro during the preview I felt the need to ask where the ,8,1 was :)
• There is nothing quite like tearing down the street in a jeep, then blowing through a police barricade with "You Got Another Thing Comin'" playing in the background.

Wednesday - October 30, 2002   <12:11 AM CST>

VC Cheat Codes   <12:11 AM CST - schu>
I added five cheat codes that were all confirmed by multiple people.  Thanks to Rob, Eliot, Jordan, 355, FiReStArTeRo0o, Rvhsfootballplyr, and Gary.

More Pre-Order Madness   <12:11 AM CST - schu>
I figured I'd post one more of these.  I'm just amazed how accommodating most of the software stores have been.  I just remember back when I was kid and the managers were always total pricks and watched you like you had a prison jumpsuit on or something.  Guess they thought I was going to swipe that new copy of Jumpman for my C64 :) ...

Ray's Software Etc Adventure:
" Back to give you a little report on my visit to Software Etc. They told us to be there at 8:00pm to get the game, and obviously they told about a million others too. The line wasn't that bad, it was right down the hall of the mall. 8:00 hits and they tell us that the truck is late and should be there between 9 and midnight. They also announced that since we had to wait, they'd be passing out stuff, giving 80s trivia questions, and those who waited till they got the game would get a free Vice City strategy guide and a bunch of other goodies. Unfortunately i had to leave, but i left my receipt and such with my friend, i left, did what i had to do and went home. He called me at 2:30 a.m. saying he was on his way back from the mall and was gonna drop off the game. He told me that they got the games around 2:00 and began giving them out. Insane stuff there. So i guess i wasn't that lucky to get mine 'early' cuz technically it was 10/29. Heh."

  
Trails & Other Stuff  <12:11 AM CST - schu>
I just wanted to make everyone aware of the Trails setting in VC display options.  Turning it off will disable the blur effect but it will also disable a lot of the other visual effects like the heat waves and that sort of thing.  I generally play VC with it on, but it's worth trying both ways.  Off will basically make everything more clear, but it just doesn't have the same feel with it off.

Oh, one other thing worth trying.  Try holding down the brake and accelerate buttons at the same time :) ...

New GTA Sites   <12:11 AM CST - schu>

• Vice City World
  www.gameshop.f2s.com

  
Announcements   <12:11 AM CST - schu>

• VC arrived at my apartment around noon on Tuesday.  I was freaked out because I tracked it in the morning and it said they tried to deliver it but they never rang my buzzer and they didn't leave a sticker, so I called their 800 number and they said they'd send the truck back around.  It turns out that the FedEx guy knows me a little too well and figured I was sleeping late so he didn't want to bother me until later in the day :) ...  Anyway, I have my copy and I've been playing it on and off since noon.
• According to IdeoPraxist, the Canadian media is jumping all over Vice City.  He sent in a link to this article on CTV.
• Rockstar North updated their site with a few new VC screenshots in the Showroom section.  Thanks to Philip and hokaleeky.  The new shots were added to page 20.
• If you got your copy of VC today you may notice that GOURANGA and other GTA fan sites are mentioned in the back of the VC manual :) ...

Tuesday - October 29, 2002   <4:30 AM CST>

VC Day Is Here!   <4:30 AM CST - schu>
ViceCity should be hitting shelves all over the US today.  Good luck to everyone on getting a copy.

More Pre-Order Madness   <4:30 AM CST - schu>
A lot of lucky pre-order people are playing VC tonight, unfortunately I'm not one of them.  Mine won't arrive until a little later today so I'm going to sleep and wait for my door buzzer :).  Anyway, the best pre-order story by far was sent in by Mark Adams whose pre-order came in late at because of bad weather:

"I went to GameStop to pick up Vice City and they didn't have it, due to the fact that the planes at DFW were all backed up due to bad weather.  So, as this announcement was made a lot of people left.  Around 10 O'clock there were about ten people left in the store.  I just wanted to say that the Gamestop employees at Coppell Texas were very nice they gave us free food, drinks, and even a free mag for being so understanding and polite.  They also popped in the Vice City Radio Box set so we could listen to it. The game finally did come at 11:45,  I just wanted to know if anybody else was delayed due to rain and how they were treated by the management.  Sorry if this letter doesn't make sense I am very tired I have been playing Vice City all night."

I just thought it was really cool that the GameStop employees held out until the VC copies arrived and even gave out free food and drinks to the customers.  I realize that they were probably waiting for their copies as well, but it's still great to hear they held out so long.

New VC Reviews   <4:30 AM CST - schu>
The first batch of online reviews rolled in today.  IGN released a truly massive six page review (stuck in Insider limbo of course).  They also gave it a higher score than GTA3, which got a 9.6, but nothing has matched their bs score of 9.8 for Gran Turismo 3 A-spec.  I realize it's a great game, but I just don't see how driving around in circles can compare.  GameSpot gave both GTA3 and VC the same score of 9.6.  As it stands now I'm waiting to read any of the reviews until I get my copy from FedEx and get a chance to play it.

• PS2.IGN.com - (9.7/10)
• GameSpot - (9.6/10)
• Gamers.com - (10/10)
• VC Fan Reviews

Thanks to Mike Murakami, Cal, Kenshin, and ganja.

Ted Visits BestBuy   <4:30 AM CST - schu>
Rev Ted sent in another report on BestBuy and it looks like some locations will have copies out on the shelf later today.  Here is his report:

"Dropped by Best Buy today.  The placard was out on the shelves, "As Advertised: $39.99", but no games.  I asked the fellow who is apparently in charge of these kinds of things at the store (stocking manager or somesuch), and was told (in a rather definitive tone I might add) "tomorrow".  So, I'll probably pick it up tomorrow (checking in the morning and afternoon), and go get my $5 back for my Nov 4 pre-order at GameStop (though I will be sure to thank them for their courtesy anyway...they've got a great crew down here). Also, local GameStop has several of the boxed-set soundtracks, but they "can't sell them until the 2nd"."

  
NZ Classification/Pre-Order Report   <4:30 AM CST - schu>
aD sent in the following report on VC in New Zealand:

"Phoned local retailers today, got release dates which varied from the 8th Nov. to the 29th Nov. Baah either way.

Rang our classification office (www.censorship.govt.nz), and discovered that games which their Australian counterparts rate above 15+ get rated here, this of course will include VC. It takes up to 2 weeks! to rate a game and it hasn't even been submitted to them yet. Argh! So things looking grim here.

Sorry for all the exclamation marks, I imagine that you are in Exclamation mark heaven now with VC on your doorstep."

Thanks to aD for the report.

Kent Paul   <4:30 AM CST - schu>
Jon spotted an article on Kent Paul over on UK.Playstation.com.  I think it's mainly a rehash of what is on the VC crime board, it's still interesting nonetheless.

Announcements   <4:30 AM CST - schu>

• The new shots from Gamespot are up.  I also added a new link to a QuickTime version of the US VC commercial, along with six shots from the movie, on the first movie page.
• THAguyINgta3 sent in a rather extensive ViceCity review so I posted it in the forums in a new VC fan reviews thread.
• PR2005 was so sick of Habbo Hotel that he actually set up a chat room for me :).  Anyway, it's currently being tested, just click the chat link on the nav bar and it should pop up.  Right now I can't seem to get the damn thing to load correctly.
• Some idiot is actually selling VC cheats on Ebay, and even bigger idiots are bidding on them.  Thanks to zeno for emailing me about this.
• I hate to even mention it, but Raw316TNN noted that his local Wal-Mart will be carrying ViceCity and should have it in stock tomorrow.  Once again, if you want to make a deal with the devil, call your local Wal-Mart to see if they have it in stock.  I do realize that in some towns, Wal-Mart is really your only option, but if you have a choice, you might as well save $10 and get it from BestBuy.

Monday - October 28, 2002   <3:45 AM CST>

GTA3 Receipt Busts Car Thief   <3:45 AM CST - schu>
IdeoPraxist sent in this article featured in the Courier Times.  The article is about a car thief who was busted after leaving his GTA3 rental receipt inside one of the cars he stole :) ...

VC In The NYTimes   <3:45 AM CST - schu>
ViceCity is featured in the Style section of Sunday's NYTimes.  The story is actually pretty good and gives a decent history of Rockstar Games, and how Terry Donovan and Sam Houser came to be affiliated with the GTA series.  The only catch is that you'll have to register a fake email address with the NY Times to view it.

VC For $39.99 & Other Pre-Order Details   <3:45 AM CST - schu>
ViceCity is in BestBuy's ad for this week and shows that it will be available this Wednesday.  They might not be the first store with VC on the shelves, but at just $39.99, they certainly have the cheapest price in town.  Check your local BestBuy ad for details.  derek wrote me about this and says he'll probably drop his Nov 4th pre-order and pick it up a few days earlier and save $10.  Once again, I'd annoy your local BestBuy for details to see if it might be in any earlier than Wednesday.  Thanks to derek, LdyMox, Rob, and simi.

JWeb55 also spotted ViceCity in the CompUSA ad.  According to the ad it will be available there on Tuesday for $49.

Steve heard from his local Jacksonville, FL GameStop that his store would not be getting VC pre-orders in on Monday night.  The only reason I'm mentioning this is to emphasize that you need to call your local store to be sure.  Not all stores will have VC available on Monday night.

Erik asked his local GameStop how they are able to sell VC on Monday night before everyone else.  They said that their manager is going to drive out to the airport to pick up the shipment as soon as it comes in so they don't have to wait for the overnight shipping to get it to them.  Apparently Rockstar has authorized some retailers to do this and release the game early.  Anyway, if you are lucky and get your copy on Monday you might want to thank your local store clerk for getting it to you early :) ...

ZMan's local EB will be selling VC as early as 6pm on Monday night and will hold pre-order copies for 48 hours.  It seems Gamestop isn't the only place with an early bird special.

Rev_Ted wrote in with a few random pre-order details.  Apparently Best Buy is not taking in-store pre-orders so it will be first come first serve.  GameStop is currently only taking second round pre-orders that will be in on November 4th, however they will refund your $5 pre-order fee if you find it someplace else first.  Lastly, he found that FYE stores in his area weren't carrying any video games so it sounds like FYE might be hit and miss, but if you're desperate, still worth a phone call.  

Sorry for making it sound as if anyone without a pre-order is completely fu*ked.  That is definitely not the case, but I would still make sure you find out which stores in your area have copies of VC coming and when they'll be available.

GameSpy's VC Preview   <3:45 AM CST - schu>
Think GameSpy is cutting it a little short?  Why even bother releasing a preview two days before it's official release date?  I figured we'll see their review in time for Christmas.  Thanks to IdeoPraxist for the link.

New GTA Sites   <3:45 AM CST - schu>

• Vice City Police
  vicecitypolice.5u.com

 
Announcements   <3:45 AM CST - schu>

• I removed the last two movies from the fourth movie page because Gamespot moved them over to pay status and the links won't work unless you're logged on there.
• I have added all the new shots from GameSpy to the VC Screenshots section.
• Anyone notice anything interesting about the name of this hospital? :)

Sunday - October 27, 2002   <1:00 AM CST>

Vice City on Gamers.com   <1:00 AM CST - schu>
Gamers.com has been updated with an all new ViceCity feature.  I already added the new shots a few days ago, but it's still a decent feature with an excellent run down on the characters.  Thanks to Insane2757.

New VC Reviews   <1:00 AM CST - schu>
More VC review scores are rolling in:

• OPM (UK) - (December 2002) - (10/10)
• OPM (US) - (December 2002) - (5/5)
• EGM (US) - (December 2002) - (10/10)

Check the VC Reviews section for more scores.  D Ice has scans of the OPM UK review posted on NeoSeeker if anyone is interested.  Thanks to Ron, pitschi2001, and D Ice.

More On EB PreOrders   <1:00 AM CST - schu>
LBhacker3k was eavesdropping at his local EB when he heard that they might be getting their copies of VC in on Monday night.  Once again, I'd call and annoy your local EB clerk for information, and of course a double check maybe an hour before close on Monday night couldn't hurt either, unless your the poor sod answering the phone that is.

Jet3004 got the "pick up your copy within 24 hours or else" speech from his local EB but they also happened to mention that they'd be giving away free strategy guides to the first thirty people to pick up their pre-orders.

More on GameStop & Friends   <1:00 AM CST - schu>
I got another report in from Mark saying that FuncoLand is also requiring that your VC preorders must be picked up within 24 hours.  I'm fairly certain that this applies to all of the GameStop affiliate stores (FuncoLand/GameStop/Software Etc/Babbages).

Mark also confirmed that his local FuncoLand is offering an 8pm Monday pickup on some VC preorders.  Once again, blah, blah, blah, check your local store.

Announcements   <1:00 AM CST - schu>

• I went ahead and added those new shots, audio samples, and movie links to the VC Screenshots section.
• If you haven't preordered VC by now you are probably SOL, but you might want to give department and electronic stores a shot.  I'd also give any local music stores that carry video games a shot as well.  Those stores don't seem to be hit as much.  Awhile back I got a tip that some FYE stores might have extra copies on hand.  No guarantees, but it might be worth a call.  No I do not work for FYE, but if they want to pay me for plugging their stores I certainly wouldn't be adverse to that idea :) ...

Saturday - October 26, 2002   <3:30 AM CST>

GameSpot's Final VC Q&A   <3:30 AM CST - schu>
GameSpot's VC Q&A series draws to an end with a session with Rockstar North's Leslie Benzies.  This one is a two page article on interaction.  From what I can tell it doesn't really have any new information, but it's still an interesting read.  Thanks to Zach.

VC Soundtrack Box Set Pictures   <3:30 AM CST - schu>
Josh was nice enough to scan and send in pictures of the packaging for the VC soundtrack box set.  Take a look:

IGN Again   <3:30 AM CST - schu>
Another slew of updates from the IGN juggernaut:

IGN Answers Your Questions
Get over to IGN and check out the results of the PSQ question and answer session.

VC Economics - Part 3
The third and final portion of IGN's VC economics article has been released.   The strange thing is that this article, contrary to the title, doesn't seem to have anything to do with economics :)  ...  I'm guessing that in typical IGN form they've posted the wrong article.  It is a one page article on the voice acting and basically covers how they did the scripting, casting, recording, and editing . Anyway it's still worth a read but right now it's stuck in Insider limbo.

The Voice Of VC
Yet another insider article from IGN.  This one is basically an interview with Ray Liotta.  Not too much new information, but they confirm some cast members (Gary Busey, Luis Guzman, Danny Trejo, Jenna Jameson, David Paymer, and Lawrence Taylor).

MC Cage on GTA
IGN did a brief interview with rapper MC Cage on his favorite video game system and his addiction to GTA3.

VC Audio Samples
IGN posted two new VC audio samples yesterday.  I don't think the first is really a sample from the game, it's basically just an MP3 of a bunch of different hip-hop and rap stars paying respect to Mr. Magic.  The second is an awesome VC commercial for the movie, Exploder.

VC Commercial
The long awaited VC commercial is now available online if you haven't seen it yet.  You can download it from IGN (small / large).

Plugged
Lastly we have IGN's Unplugged article.  They seem to have taken their VC article from issue #17 of Unplugged and dropped it in as a regular Insider article.  It's four pages long, but basically just rehashes everything we already know.  It also has a few new shots, but for some reason they are all bullshit half size shots that IGN likes to stick in their articles with no links to the full size shots...

Thanks to Insane2757, Taylor, Zach, Andy, FiReStArTeRo0o, and Rob.

Another VC Contest   <3:30 AM CST - schu>
GamesDomain is running a UK only VC contest.  Prizes include five VC soundtrack box sets, five VC money clips, plus a lot of other random stuff.  Thanks to sniKsnAK (GTA3.NO).

GameStop PreOrder Warning   <3:30 AM CST - schu>
ACEGOLIATH went to his local Gamestop to check on his preorder and heard something anyone with a GameStop pre-order should be aware of.  Basically it sounds like GameStop in-store preorders require you to pick up your game within 24 hours of delivery or they might end up selling it to someone else.  Anyway, here is the email he sent in, people with Gamestop preorders might want to read it carefully and check the store they preordered with to see how they handle this sort of thing:

"Today I went to my local Gamestop were Ii preordered my GTAVC 2 months ago. I had a few questions to ask.  Like you already know they are told they are getting the games in on Monday the 28th from 7-9pm (CST).  I also asked how many copies they will be getting.  Like my [email] title says they are getting exactly the amount that people have preordered before October 21st which in my case, just my store is getting more then 200 copies.  I also asked because on my preorder receipt it says you must purchase the game within 48 hours of when the game is in the store. Well I asked that and the guy said it is in 24 hours. So if you don't go get your game before 24 hours when they get it, your screwed. Well I hope everyone has good luck on the 28th or 29th whatever. Remember buy your strategy guide with the game and get 20% off."

  
EB Shipping Details   <3:30 AM CST - schu>
Electronic's Boutique (US) has posted a notice on their site about how the VC deliveries will be done:

We fully expect to receive sufficient quantity to fill all of the pre-orders we have taken. If you have not placed your order for GTA: Vice City and would like to receive a copy upon its release, we urge you to place your order as soon as possible as we will sell out before the launch date. We will update our site when GTA: Vice City is no longer available for launch delivery.

The day your copy arrives will depend upon the shipping method selected. The most up-to-date delivery schedule is as follows:

• Orders placed with one-day shipping: October 29.
• Orders placed with two-day shipping: October 30.
• Orders placed with ground shipping: October 31.
• P.O. Box addresses: October 31st to November 5.

If you have already placed an order, we will pre-authorize your credit card this week, but will not charge you until the game is shipped. If we encounter any issues processing your credit card information we will notify you via e-mail. Early processing enables us expedite the shipment of your order when the game is released on October 28.

Thanks to Opiate813 for the news.

Friday - October 25, 2002   <7:20 AM CST>

IGN's Updating Frenzy   <7:20 AM CST - schu>
Insane2757 went all out and found every new GTA related article he could over at IGN:

VC Economics - Part 2
IGN has released part two of their VC Econ article.  This installment details some of the main characters in the game and the role they play in ViceCity, however, most if it looks like it was copied directly from the crime board at ViceCity.com.  I thought it sounded familiar :) ...  For tomorrows update IGN promises a "nice surprise" so I assume that means one of two things.  Either they'll be releasing their review tomorrow, or they'll be covering a VC feature that I can't discuss.  Thanks to Insane2757 and Taylor.

IGN's VC Q&A
IGN's PSQ article will be updated today at 2PM Pacific (-8 GMT) so be sure to check out their forums for the answers to fan submitted questions.

IGN Down Under
This is basically a rehash of what we already know.  Anyway, IGN did a short article on the OFLC's (Oh Fu*k Let's Censor - ok so it sucks, let's see you do better in under ten seconds) decision to censor ViceCity in Australia.

GTA3 @ Number 5
GTA3 came in at #5 in PS2 game sales during the month of September.  Not bad considering how long it's been out and with Vice City just around the corner.

R* Welcome Mat
Check out the Rockstar welcome mat in this shot of an IGN cubicle.

  
We're Number 2?   <7:20 AM CST - schu>
Nothing hurts worse then being beat by Mickey Fu*king Mouse!  Get over there, vote, and help fix this mess.  Thanks to Insane2757.

GameStop Drive Thru - Open Late!   <7:20 AM CST - schu>
Iceflow got a call from his local GameStop with some great news.  Apparently the Rochester Michigan store will be reopening from 9pm to 1am on Monday, October 28th, so people can pick up their VC pre-orders early.  Anyway, if you did pre-order you might want to give your local game store a call and see if they are doing anything similar, and if they aren't, ask why :) ...  I don't know if this applies to all GameStop/Babbages/Software Etc/Funcoland (they are all one and the same) locations so get on your phone and check into it before banging on their door at 9pm on Monday...  In fact, you might want to give them a call even if you live in Iceflow's town because I cannot confirm or deny this report.

VC Guide & Soundtrack Now Shipping   <7:20 AM CST - schu>
As many of you have heard by now, there are people out there with the VC strategy guide and therefore all the secrets to the game.  Personally I think most of you will enjoy the game more if you don't read posts from the guide.  I've played the game and I don't even want to know everything about it until I get my copy.  Regardless, it's your call, but I would like to ask anyone posting spoilers to please put a warning in your subject and at the top of your post.  For now, I don't intend on posting any information from the guide, I'd rather find most of this stuff out for myself as I play the game.  From what I've heard, VC Resource has a lot of details from the guide in their forums.  Thanks to ÐeltaBlast, ArmyBratMojo, and JackDaniels913.

I also got a lone confirmation from Josh that he received his VC soundtrack box set in the mail yesterday.

Another Review   <7:20 AM CST - schu>
According to to mrpink, FHM gave Vice City four stars (****) out of a possible four :)

Announcements   <7:20 AM CST - schu>

• The black lines on the ViceCity map pissed freshkitten off so much that she took time out of her busy schedule to remove them.  Here is the edited map.
• 8th SnOOKER wrote in and confirmed that OPM Australia did indeed give VC a 10 out of 10 :) ...
• I added one new movie, four new pieces of artwork, and one new screenshot to the VC Media Index.

Thursday - October 24, 2002   <4:20 PM CST>

VC Economics 101 @ IGN   <4:20 PM CST - schu>
PS2.IGN.com recently posted an article that goes along with those new shots.  For some reason I saw the shots before I even noticed the article and it doesn't show up on the VC article listing there.  Anyway, this installment is part one of three and is one page long.  Here is the new information:

• ViceCity's sport of choice is football and their team is called The Mambas.  BJ Smith used to play for the Mambas but is now in retirement.

Thanks to Taylor.

VC Reviews   <6:00 AM CST - schu>
I have two reports of VC reviews and it's already bringing in some great scores.  The Australian Official Playstation Magazine gave VC a 10/10 in their November issue.  The December issue of GamesMaster also has a review, giving ViceCity a 97%.  I can only confirm the GamesMaster review, I haven't personally seen the OPM issue yet.  Thanks to [psycho]logical and Blake.

New GTA Sites   <6:00 AM CST - schu>

• Vice City Source
  www.vcsource.tk

  
Announcements   <6:00 AM CST - schu>

• I posted a short description of my VC preview visit to NYC.  The post does not contain any information about VC, just about the visit itself and what took place.  You'll have to scroll down a bit to the bottom of that thread to find my post.
• ViceCity.com, PS2.IGN.com, and Gamers.com all released new shots recently.   I have added all 31 new shots to the VC Screenshots section.  Thanks to Lloyd, Taylor, Andy, Ronn, GTFR5000, hokaleeky, and Wages.
• It seems that GTA3 was among the titles removed from the shelves of that San Diego Wal-Mart.  Ron sent in an enlarged version of the picture on MSNBC and if you look at the left side of the picture you'll see the edge of the GTA3 box.
• GameStop has changed their VC release date to the week of November 4th for all orders placed AFTER 2pm CST October 21.  Any orders placed before Oct 21 should not be affected by the date change.  Here is a quote from their page.  Thanks to M Murakami and Mark.

  "This title is heavily allocated and we have filled out initial distribution. Orders placed after 2pm CST October 21st, 2002 will be filed the week of November 4th. Place your order now so you don't miss out!"

Wednesday - October 23, 2002   <6:30 AM CST>

Wal-Mart Sucks   <6:30 AM CST - schu>
Wal-Mart continued its never ending series of idiotic moves today when one of its stores in San Diego decided to remove at least seven different game titles from their shelves in response to the sniper attacks in the Washington DC area.  Looking at the list of titles that were removed it becomes blatantly obvious that the person who is calling the shots doesn't know anything about video games.  I find it ironic that two of the titles (Rainbow Six and Rogue Spear) are centered around counter-terrorism and defending against attacks like the ones taking place in Washington DC right now.  Instead they decided to base their decision almost entirely on the box art.  Makes me wonder how many DVDs, videos, books, magazines, toys, guns, ammo, etc they removed from their shelves (I'm guessing 'round about zero).  I'm not sure if the list of games on MSNBC is complete so I can't say one way or the other if GTA3 was removed or if GTA: Vice City will be removed.  I think it's funny that after browsing Wal-Mart's censored video game selection you can waltz over to sporting goods and pick yourself up a nice rifle, scope, and some ammunition.  And why not pick up a gun magazine and a case of beer while you're at it?  I really wish Wal-Mart would spend more time concerning themselves with giving their workers a living wage rather than worrying about what a soccer mom is going to think about the cover of the Rogue Spear box.  No, they'd rather spend time stomping out unions and supporting sweat shop labor.

The OFLC Swallows   <6:30 AM CST - schu>
I'm fairly certain that most Australians already knew about this, but if not...  Australia's OFLC struck again and decided that it's entirely too difficult to make an adult video game classification, and that they'd rather spend their time censoring any game that might be appropriate for a huge section of gamers, the 18-36 crowd.  I am guessing the changes to VC will be the same as those made in GTA3 (basically the hookers that can't do their job).  A minor change yes, but one that the original authors never intended.  Check out this petition for a new rating classification if you want to help out and tell OFLC to do their fu*king job.  Thanks to Cameron for the OFLC article link.

Announcements   <6:30 AM CST - schu>

• Definitely a 'negative news/soap box' day...
• You may have spotted the new VC ads I recently put up.  I've been getting some email on them so I decided to create page with most of the new ads on it, take a look...
• I'm still going to give the VC questions thing a shot, but IGN's PSQ thing will probably blow everything else out of the water...  Last chance to send in your VC question (ONE per person please) that may or may not be answered to questions@gouranga.com.
• Michael Moore has released a new movie that should interest just about every gamer, or anyone who has ever wondered why the US is so fu*ked up.  His new movie is called Bowling for Columbine and it basically explores violence in the United States and dispels a number of commonly held beliefs as to why gun violence in the US is so high when compared to the rest of the world.  I can't say if it will appeal to the under 18 crowd, but you really owe it to yourself to see this movie.  I saw an early screening of it last week and sat right next to the guy who wrote the review for Playboy.com so I felt the need to plug his review :) .  I take no responsibility for any minors that wander off the review page.

Tuesday - October 22, 2002   <7:30 AM CST>

IGN ViceCity PSQ   <7:30 AM CST - schu>
IGN is hosting a VC Q&A type thing in their forum, check it out here.  Thanks to Insane2757 for the link.

Rockstar In The Face   <7:30 AM CST - schu>
waterrat sent in the following email about Rockstar's Sam Houser & Terry Donovan being featured in the November issue of THE FACE magazine:

The feature they are in is basically listing a few individuals who have tried (and mainly succeeded) in making the world a less pussy-whipped place, I quote "free thinkers out there, mavericks, individuals, creative... people who make a difference".

It's kind of a top 50 thing, listed at a respectable #18

"Car Jackers:
Rockstar Games

Sam Houser and Terry Donovan from Rockstar Games can trace their insane riches back to one revelation. They saw that the interests of computer programmers (orcs, elves, military strategy) weren't as appealing as their own (hip-hop records, violence, guns, Goodfellas). So the mega-selling Grand Theft Auto was born. Embarrassment: Their anti-corporate riot game State of Emergency raised plenty of money for shareholders in Take Two Interactive Inc. Next: Like CSI, Grand Theft Auto has moved to Miami, for GTA Vice City, Pre-order: four million and counting..."

  
GTA3 In MAD   <7:30 AM CST - schu>
nick sent work that the current issue of MAD Magazine features a bit about GTA3.  The GTA3 part is in the "Monroe" cartoon.  Apparently the main character, Monroe, actually goes into GTA3's intro scene.  Thanks to nick.

VC Observations... Again...   <7:30 AM CST - schu>
Yet another installation of VC observations for your viewing pleasure.  Please post any future observations in the forum.  In the mean time I'll try and compile all of the past installments into one section.  I'd add all them to the forum but relinking all of this stuff would probably take the better part of a lifetime.:

• Agrippa found a link to a site about the real life version of Vice City's stubby shotgun.
• If you haven't already viewed the Maverick video on ViceCity.com then you might not have noticed the plane with the ad behind it.  Thanks to Daniel.
• If you watch the new Infernus jump video on IGN you might spot the powerup at the top of the stair case.  Not to be confused with the health powerup at the end of the video.  I can't quite tell what the powerup is, but Alex thinks it's a Rampage, while Slicey thinks it's a hidden package.
• John thinks that the apartment building in this shot is the same one seen in this jump video.  It's definitely built off the same design, but I'm not positive it's the very same one.
• Richard is guessing that Candy Suxx is the woman with Alex Shrubb in this shot.  That certainly would go along with the link on the crime board at ViceCity.com.
• Ronn spotted a series of jumps on the rooftop in the background of this shot.
• It's a fairly obvious observation, but if you hadn't guessed by now, it looks like GTA3's one-armed Phil Cassidy has two arms in ViceCity, makes you wonder if he'll lose it in ViceCity.  Thanks to Daniel.
• Kevin sent in another email about the links between GTA3 and VC.  Here is what he sent in, "The preliminary story in Vice City is that the Forelli brothers, the Mafia family that Vercetti is a part of, send him to Vice City to take care of a drug deal which goes bad. They reside in Liberty City. I'm not sure if this has been mentioned yet, but one of Joey Leone's first missions in GTA3 is where you have to assassinate "Lips" Forelli by putting a bomb in his car. Perhaps one of the brothers?"
• Andy sent in a series of comparison shots between the real Fontainebleau Hilton hotel in Miami and it's close counter part in ViceCity.  You can compare the VC version (here, here, and here) with the real Miami version.  He even found shots of the pool in both VC and Miami.  I did a write-up about other locations in Miami awhile back if anyone is interested.
• Just in case you haven't picked up on the fact that there are sharks in ViceCity, Ryan wanted to give you some more proof.  At the beginning of the first trailer you'll notice one swimming near the boat Tommy's in. It's circled nicely by the sun's glare in that shot.
• As you've probably all seen by now, the district name of that area Tommy is in can be seen in this shot "Vice Point."  Thanks to wags and Fredrik.
• 8th SnOOKER IDed the rocket launcher as an RPG-7.
• This was pointed out to me a long while back, but I can't recall who told me.  Anyway, if you look closely at the fire engine you'll notice their motto on the door, "Putting out since 1872."

Announcements   <7:30 AM CST - schu>

• Insane2757 pulled out a great quote from the updated GameSpot preview that I must have overlooked, check it out...
  
  "You can look forward to player-friendly options like having a full map of the city that reveals all the relevant locations and main roads, as well as the ability to take a cab back to a mission area after getting busted or wasted during a mission attempt."
  
  I can personally vouch for how cool and useful the new "cab back to the mission area" feature is.
  
• I made a slight alteration to yesterday's update on the new stuff at ViceCity.com.  Basically I wanted to clarify that not only does the clock time adjust to your computer time, but the outside day/night cycle also adjusts to your local time.  Thanks to weirdokid99.
• Finally found The Faint's Agenda Suicide video ( QT / WM ).  Been looking for that damn thing forever...
• ComputerandVideoGames.com recently posted their VC preview.  Unfortunately there really isn't anything new.  Thanks to mrpink for the link.

Monday - October 21, 2002   <2:30 AM CST>

VC In IGN Unplugged   <2:30 AM CST - schu>
IGN's pdf magazine, Unplugged, recently featured a Vice City article in issue #17.  The article really doesn't offer anything new, save for one detail.  Unplugged is the first magazine to ever directly mention something about a DeLorean knockoff appearing in ViceCity.  Thanks to ÐeltaBlast for the link.

List of ViceCity.com Updates   <2:30 AM CST - schu>
Forelli_Boy sent in a nice list of all the things that were updated at ViceCity.com, check it out.  The following was written up by Forelli_Boy.

Crime Tree Area:

• Clock/Outside Window (time of day) synchronized with your computer time!
• Pizza on the table. One slice left.
• VICE CITY MAP. This time it's all an archipelago, with more islands.  Escobar International Airport is named after the GTA2 Industrial section of the same name. Little Dominica and Bogota replaced by Little Haiti and Havana, respectively. Other than that it's completely different from Vice '97.
• The crime tree is now complete. Tommy and Lance are connected on the Forelli's side, and we know who manages BJ Smith. KENT PAUL IS ON THE CRIME TREE, complete with voice sample. Now we'll know who the ponce looks like...he's the guy who got pushed down in the disco in Trailer 2.
• New suspects with media: Avery Carrington (video), Colonel Cortez (video/voice), Alex Shrub (voice), and Kent Paul (video/voice).
  
  Weapons Impound:

• Suspicious businesses now include a discount coupon for a Machete.
• New weapons: Brass Knuckles, Tear Gas, Tec-9, Flamethrower, and the Stubby Shotgun.

  Car impound:

• Marquis
• Blista Compact (RENAMED GPX! Therefore the Blista in GTA3 must be the Odyssey?)
• Tropic (another boat)
• Sentinel XS (An 80's version of the GTA3 sentinel, resembles a cross between BMW3 and R30 Skyline of 1970's?)
• Maverick (Helicopter)
• Caddy (The golf cart from the Kent Paul postcard)
• Moonbeam (Another GTA3 classic, retextured and hi-polyed.)
• Stinger (The Ferrari Daytona, thus continuing the Stinger's GTA Legacy as the ONLY car to have appeared in all GTA games except for GTA: London.)

  
ViceCity Map   <2:30 AM CST - schu>
As you probably noticed, the map of ViceCity now appears on ViceCity.com.  I got a few emails sent in with screen captures of the map.  I took one of the maps and ran a color correction on it.  Here is the new map alongside the original Vice Map from GTA.

Thanks to Goreomedy, phunkking, JCronic, Lloyd, TattooBoy, and HomieBear.

Hidden Shot   <2:30 AM CST - schu>
Linkin @ GTA Scraper found a hidden screenshot on ViceCity.com.  The shot appears to have been removed sometime after Linkin announced it.

ViceCity Contests   <2:30 AM CST - schu>
There are three different ViceCity contests going on right I thought I'd go over:

• GameStop & IGN's DeLorean Contest
• Electronic's Boutique's Miami Vacation Contest
• Hit The Brake's GTA Quiz / Contest

Thanks to MrPink and Linkin.

Australia Bans Everything In Sight   <2:30 AM CST - schu>
S3KT0R sent word that the Australian government is on the rampage again.  This time their sights are set on BMX XXX.  Apparently they still haven't made a video game designation for ADULTS.  I'm sure this oversight perplexes just about every sane person on the planet, you'd think in a full year they could make some stickers that say R18+, but apparently not.

JCronic sent word that a petition to support Australian gamers has been started.  The petition will be sent to the Australian government to show support for a new video game classification for adults.

FreeLoader   <2:30 AM CST - schu>
FreeLoader has been relaunched with one minor glitch.  For the most part, the Free in their name doesn't apply because the better parts of their content will cost you a subscription fee to download.  This fee applies to GTA, GTA London, and GTA2 among other titles.  Thanks to Forelli_Boy.

Announcements   <2:30 AM CST - schu>

• Zakk sent in this interesting article about Sony's online adapter.  Among other things the article goes over ways that Vice City could have used the adapter to download new radio spots and that sort of thing.
• ViceCity cheats have been popping up all over, but I have no way to confirm if any of them are legit, although I suppose at this point it really doesn't matter.
• New artwork, movies, and screenshots have been added to the VC Screenshots section.  I also updated the weapons list in the VC Info section.
• A new audio page has been added to the VC Screenshots section.  I guess I should change that nav bar link to read Media instead of Screenshots :).
• I'm still working through VC observations, hopefully I'll have something soon.
• Credits from yesterday... Thanks to all the following people for sending in information while I was gone:  Rev Ted, Mark, Eggyroll, GTFR500, Ken, Wags, Cy Kindsfather, Zach, BUCKw££D, Pietak, Joey 'Superpukkie', Simon, Street Punk Attak, Opiate813, Taylor, Br25i, Daniel, Ronn, /\/\ ! |< /\, Lose My August, Ps2kemi, CaliGangstar, Forelli_Boy, Isaac, Dodge, CpCaveman, Jeff, Thomas, Shannon, Insane2757, MRPINK, Jeff, Richard, and weirdokid99.

Saturday - October 19, 2002   <6:00 AM CST>

Hands On With Vice City   <6:00 AM CST - schu>
As some you know by now, both Tank and I were in NYC on Wednesday to play Vice City.  Not only that, but we were the first people outside the Rockstar offices to play the final build of the game on the same day it went gold.  In fact, it came straight out of the burner at Rockstar's offices and was practically warm when it went into the PS2.  Currently, we are both under an NDA, which basically means that we are limited on what we can say.  There are lots of features that are best found on your own as you play the game, and telling you about them now would just ruin the experience.  I plan on compiling a short list of questions (10-15) to submit to Rockstar.  If you have a question you would like answered, send an email with ONE question to questions@gouranga.com.  Please include a short description of your question in the subject of your email to make my life a little easier.  I probably won't answer any emails sent to that address, I will just compile the question list from the emails.  Before you send in anything, let me clear up two things...  No, you cannot swim and there are no children in the game.

Last, but certainly not least I want to thank Rockstar for giving both of us the opportunity to preview Vice City.  I also wanted to thank Terry for making this all happen and Richard for giving Tank and me a great walking tour.  I'll drop a few details about the visit in the forums if anyone is interested.  Check out Tank's report on our visit at his great new site, GTAVice.com.

GTA Vice City is GOLD   <6:00 AM CST - schu>
Yet another update that most of you know about, but if you didn't already know, ViceCity has gone gold and is in production as you read this.  Now, if we can all just maintain our sanity for another eleven days...

ViceCity.com Updated   <6:00 AM CST - schu>
As most of you know, ViceCity.com has been updated.  This update features about 22 new screenshots, a nice overhead map of Vice City, about 7 new movies, new weapons, new vehicles, and new criminals.

GameSpot's New Updates   <6:00 AM CST - schu>
While I was away GameSpot posted a few new updates, including an updated VC preview / hands on article and a radio Q&A session with Rockstar that includes, among other things, two new radio clips.  You can find all the new bits of information below:

VC Radio Q&A

• VC will feature two talk radio stations, K-Chat and VC Public Radio.
• VCPR is basically a radio panel type thing where people argue over different topics whereas K-Chat is geared toward celebrity interviews and that sort of thing.
• Once again, Dan Houser and Lazlow scripted much of the radio banter and commercials you'll hear in VC.
• Dan Houser actually listened to and watched old 80's radio and TV commercials so they would fit in with the atmosphere.  Dan and Lazlow also mentioned that the commercials are the most difficult part of the audio to do, and usually take longer than any of the other audio production work.

  GameSpot's Hands On / Preview

• Gamespot dropped the names of a few of the bands featured on the VC soundtrack.  These include The Psychedelic Furs, Mr. Mister, and Night Ranger.
• They also confirmed that Dennis Hopper, Luis Guzman, and Miami Vice's Philip Michael Thomas also did voice work for VC.
• You'll be able to take motorcycles into some indoor environments, like the mall for instance.
• Vice City doesn't pull and punches and is at least as violent as GTA3.
• "You can look forward to player-friendly options like having a full map of the city that reveals all the relevant locations and main roads, as well as the ability to take a cab back to a mission area after getting busted or wasted during a mission attempt."

  
IGN's New Updates   <6:00 AM CST - schu>
IGN posted a couple new VC updates over the past few days.  First off, I just noticed that VC tops the list of the PS2's most wanted titles as reported by IGN's readers, but is that really much of a surprise?  IGN also posted part one and part two of an article on VC's insane stunts and jumps.  Actually I just noticed that they are the same article, just with new movies added for the second part.  This article features five new movies but it is stuck in Insider limbo for probably a week or so.  Last up is IGN's hand's on article, clocking in at three pages long and featuring five new shots.  Once again, it is also Insider content.  On the flip side, IGN has opened all the rest of their VC content, including their three part radio series to the masses.  Anyway, here is the new information from IGN's array of updates:

Insane Stunts & Jumps Part 1 & 2

• As you probably knew by now, insane stunts and jumps will be returning to Vice City and they'll be better than ever.
• You'll be able to jump off of hills, stairs, slopes, and just about anything else you can drive on.
• Certain jumps will require specific vehicles depending on the jump.
• Jumps will be everywhere and will be integrated right into the landscape making them tougher to spot.
• GTA3's biggest jumps will barely compare to those in Vice City.  If your jaw dropped in GTA3 on some of the larger jumps, it will hit the floor in VC.
• VC's currency has been deflated to match the 80's setting so $500 will go much further than it did in GTA3.

  IGN's VC Hands On Article

• IGN played a build of the game that was 90% complete, so some of the items in their article may have changed in the final version.
• Pressing R3 will immediately swing the camera over Tommy's shoulder so you can easily see what's in front of you.
• Pressing the start button will bring up menus that show stats, current mission briefing, a complete map of Vice City, and of course audio and video settings.
• New icons have been added to the map and to the radar showing AmmuNation locations, your home, and other significant locations.  While using the map you can use R1 to zoom in and R2 to zoom out.
• You can save the game in your "home" by running over a cassette tape icon.
• VC's cars are much more diverse in handling and physics.  They all have unique weights, speeds, handling, etc.
• Motorcycles mentioned in the article include street bikes, choppers, scooters, and dirt-bikes.  They even elaborate on a collection side mission that takes place up on the rooftops, using jumps and ramps as a timer ticks down.  (I actually got a chance to try that mission out myself, and I have to say that I did piss poor at it :) , but it was fun nonetheless)
• All of the bikes handle differently, and are just as diverse as VC's cars.
• Escaping from police on the back of a bike is a risky proposition since you are more vulnerable and they are more aggressive. However, if you know the map well you may be able hit a jump and launch yourself out of harm's way.
• You can do wheelies by accelerating and pulling back on the analog stick.  Endo / Stoppie's are performed by hitting the brake and hand-brake buttons at the same time.
• As you jump you can adjust the angle of your bike using the analog stick for a smoother, more controlled landing.
• When you're in a boat you can boat-jack other boats by coming up along side your target, hit triangle to stop piloting your boat, jump to the new boat and press triangle again.  Tommy will then yank the captain from the wheel and take over.
• TOMMY CANNOT SWIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• You can bail out of cars and bikes by hitting triangle while you're moving.  Cars and bikes will keep moving after you've bailed until they come to a stop or ram into something.
• If you decided to bail, your passenger(s) will bail with you.  But both you and your passengers will take a modest hit to your health when doing so.
• The entire set of islands that make up Vice City are NOT open to you from the beginning.  However, the new sections of the map open up a lot earlier in the game when you compare it to GTA3.  Overall it will be much less frustrating and you'll have access to the entire map earlier on.
• Rather than having to finish all the missions in one section before you can move on, VC allows you to take missions in new sections even before you finish the earlier sections. You can then choose to come back to those missions, or just keep progressing in the game.
• IGN describes one of VC's missions, Guardian Angel, in great detail.  After the article opens I highly suggest giving it a read.  I actually got a chance to play that same mission and it was a blast.
• Tommy will have more than the two different outfits you see in a lot of the screenshots.
• The peds in VC are much more intelligent than their GTA3 brethren.  Rather than just shuffle about, they will all react to you and to each other.  Police will chase the gangs and other criminals, peds will talk and interact with each other, roller skaters will accidentally bump into other peds, etc..
• If you draw a weapon near the police they will open fire, even if you don't point it at them..

  
Announcements   <6:00 AM CST - schu>

• I did not credit anyone in the news today because it probably would have added another hour or so to the update.  Thanks to everyone on who sent in email, I'll try to find a way to credit you all in the next update.  I'm using this time to add the new screenshots and movie links so they should be up soon if all goes well.
• While I was in NYC a full VC track list was posted to the internet through a miscommunication.  Basically it went up long enough to cause a stir and then Rockstar had it removed because it was never supposed to be revealed before the game came out.  I will not post the full track listing before the game comes out and I urge other GTA webmasters not to.  Please respect Rockstar's wishes on this and keep the list to yourself if you have it.  In the end, your first experience with ViceCity will be that much better if you haven't heard every song before the game is released.
• The GOURANGA! contest is officially over.  Thanks to everyone who entered and good luck.  I will try and notify the winners as soon as I can.  I chose the winners but the prize count is a bit of a mystery at the moment so it's hard to say how many people actually won.  I'll work on getting that posted next week some time...
• I've added a Buy GTA Games link to the nav bar.  Currently it's only linked up with GameStop, but I will probably add links to a few other retailers with prices, etc whenever I get a chance.

Monday - October 14, 2002   <3:00 AM CST>

Contest Reminder - PLEASE READ!   <3:00 AM CST - schu>
A number of people forgot to include their shipping address with their contest submission.  As mentioned on the contest page, I will not have enough time to contact you after the contest ends so YOU HAVE TO INCLUDE YOUR SHIPPING INFORMATION IN ORDER TO QUALIFY.  This is rush job so after picking winners I will not have enough time to send out emails and wait for replies.  If you think you forgot to include the information with your entry, simply send your shipping information and t-shirt size to contests@gouranga.com.  Please send the email from the email address you originally entered with, but make sure you get it in TODAY.  I am extending the contest deadline to 6 pm CST (-6 GMT) TONIGHT.  If you don't understand the whole timezone thing you can use this this site to convert times.  This chart also might come in handy for anyone in the US.

GOURANGA! Contest   <3:00 AM CST - schu>
(Originally posted on Thursday, October 10th)
I have a very limited time to run a quick GTA contest.  To be entered in the contest you'll have to complete a GTA quiz covering all the GTA titles in the series.  Most of the prizes, if not all the prizes, will be GTA3 related T-shirts.  I'll try to get some better stuff or some Vice stuff but I can't guarantee anything.  For more information check the contest page, and please read everything carefully (mainly the part about where to email your entry and what information to include with it).  The contest will only be running until Monday at 6 pm CST and winners will be chosen at random.

Burn's VC Shipping Deal   <3:00 AM CST - schu>
Australian retailer Burn is offering a free VC pre-order shipping deal for GOURANGA! visitors.  Despite the fact that they are located in Australia, they carry both the Australian and US versions of the game and will airmail it anywhere in the world.  If you are ordering from the US, you'd probably still be better off sticking with a US retailer since you can probably find it for the same price here with a faster shipping time.  In Australia, Burn has