RockstarGamesUncut

A group of websites were recently invited to play Midnight Club: Los Angeles for the very first time, so today sawa bunch of hands-on previews go live. It’s the usual ones; GameSpot, IGN, 1UP, Kikizo and TeamXbox. And because they all played the same demo, they’re all pretty much the same in different words. So to make it easier for you, I have compiled links for each one:

GameSpot
‘LA itself has been re-created with some artistic license by the game’s designers because the real-life grid structure of the city would have been detrimental to the actual racing. This means that some of your favourite landmarks might be missing, but we thankfully saw the 20th Century Fox building, which Die Hard fans will recognise as the Nakatomi plaza and was the scene of the denouement in Fight Club.’

IGN
‘When the lights turn green, the handling of the cars proves extremely gratifying, with a marked difference between the different models we got behind the wheel of in our hands-on. Vehicles boast a subtly exaggerated physics that help retains the series’ arcade sensibilities, with the cars actually feeling alive in their movements, and different vehicle types feel suitably distinct.’

1UP
‘Using all sorts of namebrand parts (I tended to hit up the MOMO catalog for most of my gear), you can trick out your car in spiffy ways. It won’t be on the obsessive level of Gran Turismo, but enough to shape your car into what you want (i.e. air intakes, brakes, electronics, rims, even interiors). Besides standard parts and body modifications, there will be special Midnight Club- and DUB-edition parts and body kits that you can use as well.’

Kikizo
‘The emphasis is on no rules, zero load times and no menu screens. At the very first moment of the game, this fact becomes impressively clear: the game map isn’t actually a menu screen. It’s a realtime overhead view of Los Angeles, the interactive city you’re about to cruise around and race in. The camera literally zooms in from this satellite view, through the clouds and down to street level and right behind your car in two seconds - it makes you do a double take, and basically sets the standard for the visual polish to expect throughout the game.’

TeamXbox
‘Street racing games really have become a dime-a-dozen genre, so it’s good to see the return of a series that always stood above the crowd. Midnight Club: Los Angeles looks like a well thought out and well designed progression of the series.’

Sounds good! Oh, and there are a few new screenshots in the previews so just head to one and check em’ out.

It seems that Bully and Bully: Scholarship Edition are finally heading to the land of the Rising Sun to be released on PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360 - sorry Wii owners! ZeniMaz Asia today announced that the games will be hitting stores tomorrow, July 24th.

“We’re looking forward to bringing this fan favorite to Japan,” said Zenimx Asia’s Tetsu Takahashi.

“Rockstar produces exceptional games and we’re excited to be working with them on extending their reach to gamers across the globe.”

So all you Japanese Rockstar fans, looks like you get to finally play one of the most fun PS2 games to date and thats not all, GTA IV will also be heading to Japan later this year, so stay tuned…

MTV managed to ask Nintendo of America’s President, Reggie Fils-Aime a few questions regarding the Grand Theft Auto deal on the DS. Among the many questions, he was asked whether Chinatown Wars meant there was an increased chance of a GTA appearing on the Wii:

You know, a “GTA” on the Wii is all based on what Rockstsar and Take Two want to do. And again, from our standpoint, if they build a bottoms-up game that takes advantage of what we do well, I’d love to see it on the platform.

Reggie also mentioned that there have been no conversations with Rockstar or Take Two on getting a GTA game on the Wii, but hey, it’s possible - maybe San Andreas Stories could appear on both the PSP and the Wii like Manhunt 2 did.

Another year of E3 has passed but that’s not all for gaming shows in 2008, we still have quite a few more to come - let’s hope they awe us like they are intended to. Next month will not only see the Leipzig Games Convention, but also the Penny Arcade Expo [PAX] and then a few months later, the Tokyo Game Show. This means that there will most likely be some new Rockstar Games announcements and information released, as well as new footage and screens of their upcoming games.

In an interview with Nintendo’s Cammie Dunaway [who announced GTA: Chinatown Wars for the DS at Nintendo's E3 press conference], she revealed that Nintendo are pushing on Rockstar for some new stuff on Chinatown Wars for the PAX:

Wired: No. No, because all we’ve seen is a logo thus far. See, you guys ask things like, “Aren’t you excited about Grand Theft Auto on DS?” And I can’t even picture that in my head. Without seeing it and understanding it, no, I can’t get excited about it.

Dunaway: And you know how they are, they don’t release demos.

Wired: Yeah, they’re very Nintendo-y in that way.

Dunaway: We’re pushing on them for Penny Arcade Expo. That would be really nice, to have something to show for PAX.

And after checking the Official PAX Exhibitors list, I can confirm that Rockstar Games will be present, so there is an extremely high chance something will be shown there. And Rockstar will also most likely show some stuff at Leipzig GC too - probably some Midnight Club: LA stuff and maybe L.A. Noire. I’m not too sure about Tokyo Game Show though, it doesn’t sound like Rockstar’s thing but you never know. The dates for the shows are below:

Leipzig Game Convention - August 21-24
Penny Arcade Expo - August 29-31
Tokyo Game Show - October 9-12

So not only will be possibly seeing titles we already know about, but we may also see some brand new games including GTA IV for the PC, Sony’s exclusive title, Red Dead Revolver 2 or even Max Payne 3. It should be a good few months for Rockstar…

So Take Two’s conference has to come to an end and a few of Rockstar’s titles made appearences. Firstly, a montage of GTA IV, Bully and L.A. Noire was shown - but I’m not too sure whether it was new footage of L.A. Noire or clips from the E3 2006 trailer. A new Midnight Club: Los Angeles trailer was then shown featuring techno music in the background from DJ Duo Justice. And as the conference was coming to a close, a final sizzle trailer flashed a title card for the new Red Dead Revolver game confirming it’s still in development. And that’s it regarding Rockstar at E3… not much but we should see more at Leipzig next month.

During Nintendo’s press conference earlier today, it was announced that Grand Theft Auto will be heading to Nintendo DS later this year. GTA: China Town Wars features a modern day Liberty City built on a specially designed engine for the game. Nothing else is known at the moment but expect more news other the coming weeks and months to it’s Winter release.

“This is a game that will deliver a rich, fast-paced and intense ‘Grand Theft Auto’ experience that will be truly unique to Nintendo’s handheld platform,” said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. “Rockstar Leeds, along with the team at Rockstar North, has built upon a decade of progressive design on Grand Theft Auto, and has created something fundamentally fresh and immersive.”

Update: We’ve created a board for the game over at RockstarCommunity where all discussion including wishlists and speculation can take place.

It’s been too long since we were updated on Team Bondi’s L.A. Noire, and after nearly 2 years of silence, something may be stirring for E3. According to a New Zealand games site, ButtonMasher, a ‘little bird’ informed them that some new info and a trailer will be shown via Sony’s press conference [because of Rockstar's lack of appearance] and it most likely being a PlayStation 3 exclusive.

A new trailer wouldn’t suprise me at all thanks to the total lack of news since the game was actually announced back in 2006, and what better for Sony than to show an exclusive off. Sony’s conference is at 11:30 AM PT/ 1:30 PM ET so lets hope for something…

In an exclusive interview with none other than Rockstar Game’s Co-Founder and President, Sam Houser, he revealed to MCV that although being key to creating some of the greatest games to date, the potential is only ’scratching the surface’ for Rockstar Games and the industry:

“What have I got left to achieve? Everything,” said Houser. “We are only scratching at the surface of games’ potential as a creative medium.”

So if GTA IV and Metal Gear Solid 4 are only just ’scratching the surface’, we’ve got a lot to look forward to then…

The very first trailer for the upcoming Max Payne film has been released. Max Payne stars Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis and Ludacris in the film adaption of the original game. It is due to be released October 17th 2008 but could possibly change for specific regions. From the looks of things, things are going well but the question is; will it turn out to be a decent film adaption? - Join the RockstarCommunity forums to discuss. Anyway, we have uploaded the trailer to our YouTube page for easy viewing, check it out below:

E3 is almost upon us once again, year after year delivers new games, new info, new gaming gadgets and trailers for the most anticipated upcoming titles. This year is set to be no different, and as usual, Take-Two will be there delivering a press conference.

Now, this does not definitely mean that any Rockstar-related announcements or sightings will be there but there is a possibility - maybe Midnight Club: LA, Beaterator, L.A. Noire or a new announcement [i.e. a new GTA for the PSP?]. I guess that is what’s exciting; not knowing what will happen. Take-Two is scheduled for Wednesday 16th, so keep visiting throughout the day for possible news. I’ve also included the full schedule below for those interested:

Monday, July 14

• 10.30am - Microsoft press conference
• 12.30pm - Square Enix press conference
• 1.00pm - Shane Kim roundtable
• 3.00pm - EA press conference
• 7.00pm - Gears of War 2 reception

Tuesday, July 15

• 9.00am - Show floor opens
• 9.00am - Nintendo press conference
• 11.30am - Sony press conference
• 2.30pm - Ubisoft press conference
• 4.30pm - Capcom press conference

Wednesday, July 16

• 9.15am E3 Keynote by Gov. Perry
• 10.00 am Sony roundtable
• 10.45am Take-Two press conference
• 1.00pm State of the Industry keynote
• 2.30pm Konami press conference