Saturday - September 25, 2004   <2:02 AM CST>

GTA GBA
It seems like the rumors about a GameBoy Advance version of GTA have been around ever since the GBA was released, but now those rumors are actually coming to fruition.  Gamespot is reporting GTA's imminent release on the GBA about a week or so before San Andreas hits the shelves.  So far it looks like the GBA version just might break through the stigma created by the previous GTA handheld releases. 

• GTA GBA is being developed by Digital Eclipse with support from Rockstar North.
• This GBA version is not a direct port of any of the previous GTA's.  It is an entirely new story arc that takes place in Liberty City around GTA3's time frame.  In the story you play Mike, who along with your friend Vinnie, try to leave the Mob.  Vinnie takes a car bomb in the face, you are framed for his death, and so begins the story.
• GTA GBA harkens back to the days of the original GTA opting for an overhead view.  Most of the game is a 2D with some pseudo 3D elements.
• GTA GBA is an objective based game where you'll be out performing a variety of jobs and you will of course be able to do whatever you want between jobs.
• Gamespot reports that there is a large selection of cars and people in the game .
• The animation on the GBA is smooth both while on foot and behind the wheel.  It also reflects the actual handling of the car you're in.
• The audio side of things features music, sound effects, and even voice overs.
• The GBA version is an M (Mature) rated game, one of the few on GBA.

Check out Gamespot's full article for more details.

GTA SA Delayed
This is old news, but with my cable company difficulties I haven't been able to post anything, so just in case you haven't heard yet...  GTA SA has been delayed by one week.  As far as delays go, a week is hardly a delay at all.  According to Gamespot's article Rockstar will be using the extra week for additional testing.

Announcements
Been offline for awhile now because the cable company screwed up my order (take Comcast's install date and triple it - if I would have known that when I ordered I would have ordered earlier).  They "assure" me they will be actually show up this Sunday for their appointment.  I'm actually doing this update from a friends house but I expect to be back online this Sunday after they finish up.  If you haven't gotten an email back lately this would be why...   Anyway, my new apartment is looking pretty nice but I still have a lot of stuff to move out of storage in Milwaukee.  Not that anyone cares, but I have to bitch to someone about it...

Saturday - September 11, 2004   <11:30 PM CST>

GTA:SA PC Confirmed
IGN dug through Take2's financial report and found a nice bit of news.  As you know Take2 is Rockstar's parent company and every time they release their quarterly financial results there is usually something to be found.  This quarter's report reveals that the PC version of GTA: San Andreas will be released approximately one year from now in the third quarter of 2005.  No mention was made of an XBox version.

Friday - September 3, 2004   <11:30 PM CST>

Rural GTA
The weekend comes once again and so do the San Andreas updates from IGN and Gamespot (video preview).  This weekend both Gamespot and IGN lead with big four page updates centered on the rural areas of San Andreas.  Making a huge rural area work in a GTA type setting initially sounds challenging at best.  It's spread out and difficult to keep the action going, but after reading these previews you'll begin to see that San Andreas' countryside is more than just an area to drive through to get from point A to point B:

• San Andreas' countryside is said to encompass nearly 50% of the total landmass so it will be a huge area to explore.
• The countryside will be home to a dozen smaller towns, each with their own population, quirks, and landmarks.
• Vehicles in the country towns will fit the setting, so you'll see more RVs, ATVs, pickup trucks, monster trucks, mountain bikes, tractors, bulldozers, combines, riding mowers, semi-trucks w/ removable trailers, etc.... of course the big question is where will R* hide the General Lee?  Ok, so it's not in the South, but it would be cool to find that stashed in a barn somewhere.
• Driving/riding from the countryside into the city will be a seamless transition and will really show off the care and detail put into the map as the rural areas slowly build up to the suburbs and then into the cities.
• As was already announced previously, the view distance in the countryside will be greater than that in the city so when you take the time to bike all the way up Mt Chiliad you'll be greeted by a fantastic view, and not just a bunch of fog.
• Gamespot mentions a new motorcycle called the Wayfarer which looks a lot like a Honda Gold Wing
• The ATV is very fast and can easily perform different stunts.
• The monster truck features four wheel steering just like its real life counterpart.
• The bulldozer features a working front end loader and rear wheel steering and with the addition of lots of new breakable objects the possibilities for wreaking havoc should seem obvious.  Although it does seem like a bulldozer would leave you pretty vulnerable, but maybe you can pull an A-Team and use the loader to protect yourself :)
• The country side areas feature both dirt and paved roads.
• New mini-games include downhill mountain bike races and timed semi-truck deliveries/smuggling.
• San Andreas features a fully implemented flight model with new physics and planes (ex. Crop Duster) along with a new interface showing your altitude.
• New jacking animations will mix things up a bit adding a little more action into the process of vehicular theft.
• The hand to hand system will be more advanced than any of the previous GTAs and will also feature blocking moves.
• Add the shovel and the Desert Eagle to the list of weapons.  The more you use the Desert Eagle the better you are able to control it's massive kickback.
• Clothing stores include Binco (cheap retail), SubUrban (more expensive hip-hop fashions), and ProLaps (expensive sports themed clothing store).
• Some of the hairstyles include cornrows, afro, shaved head, and Jheri-curl.
• The game engine features foliage on the fly :) meaning that as you walk around, the foliage is generated around you for a more realistic look with underbrush, fallen trees, and rocks all created dynamically.
• The moon will go through different phases and the night sky in the countryside will be much more visible than it is in the city.
• San Andreas' weapon system will allow you to improve your skills in six different areas, including reload time, fire rate, accuracy, weapon stance and movement, and dual weapons.  The more you use any particular weapon the more you'll improve your skills with that weapon.