Gamertell

I suppose it’s better late than never in the case of Bully, which is finally going to be released in Japan on July 24, 2008. Bethesda Softworks will be publishing the PS2 Bully and the Xbox 360 Bully: Scholarship Edition overseas.

In case you’re curious, the PS2 version of Bully was released in the US, Europe and Australia in October, 2006. Bully: Scholarship Edition for the Xbox 360 hit those same countries in March, 2008. So it isn’t too bad a delay for the Xbox 360 edition, but very belated in the case of the PS2 one.

I wonder how this game is going to do overseas. It may sell well, but it might also touch a nerve. Bullying in schools in Japan is a sensitive issue…

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Title: Grand Theft Aufo IV
Price: $59.99
System(s): Xbox 360, PS3
Release Date: April, 28, 2008
Publisher (Developer): Take-Two Interactive (Rockstar)
Rating: ”Mature" for blood, intense violence, partial nudity, strong language, strong sexual content, use of alcohol and use of drugs.
Pros: Great game play, great narrative story, great mechanics, great online, long game play length, great city details and nearly bug-free.
Cons: The game ends eventually, not as funny as past titles, removal of past additions, some system crashes, not enough of the city is used.
Overall Score: Two Thumbs Up, 95/100, A , * * * * 1/2 out of five

With every little bump or minor complaint I’ve had with this game, it doesn’t in the slightest way detract from the overall experience.

With an online element that really allows players to experiment and create their own modes of game play GTA IV has more under its hood then any five games. GTA IV may be an evolution that doesn’t add much that we haven’t already seen in previous titles but it certainly takes everything we’ve played before and perfects it into a truly epic experience not seen since GTA III.

Click through for the full review…

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It looks like Take-Two wasn’t kidding when it expected sales of Grand Theft Auto IV to make the Halo 3 launch look puny. According to Kotaku, the publisher has just confirmed a New York Times report that the title has generated $500 million in sales in its first week. This means that the PS3/Xbox 360 game sold 6 million copies, with 3.6 million going on the first day. This tops Halo 3‘s $300 million launch by quite a bit.

GTA IV is one of those “event” launches that eclipses everything else in the industry for a while - the sort of critically acclaimed, massive-selling game that crosses right over to the mainstream and back again. But half a billion dollars, in the first week alone? That’s pretty revolutionary.

Read [Kotaku]

While the streets might be safe for a few weeks while everyone is inside playing Grand Theft Auto IV: Vice City, it’s only a matter of time before hooligans decide to stretch their thumbs and break out of the family den or dilapidated tenement apartment (adorned with a 42 in. LCD screen cranked up to 1080p, natch).

This is the fourth time a GTA has cracked the skulls of our law- and god-fearing youth, and it’s hard not to see its influence everywhere. Take this piece in the Sunday New York Times Magazine about a group of former gang members who try to head off attempts at gangland shooting violence…

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I have never really been a fan of the Grand Theft Auto series. While I have played most of the past installments, I have never been able to get past the bad stories, horrible AI, poor graphics and the fact that Rockstar releases a game so full of bugs that, at times, it is impossible to play, most of all San Andreas if you are playing it on the PS2.

In recent weeks, however, I have been eagerly awaiting the latest game in the series to make its next-gen debut.

Due to be released on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 on April 29, 2008, Grand Theft Auto IV will take fans back to Liberty City, but don’t expect this most recent game in the incredibility successful series to be everything you remember. Expect much more…

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Take-Two-owned developer Rockstar Games recently brought game development firm Mad Doc Software which will now be known as Rockstar New England. The acquisition was announced on Friday April 4, 2008.

Mad Doc is based in Andover, Massachusetts and develops game technologies and integrating them into games for clients. Its areas of expertise span video game graphics, networking and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Its proprietary technologies, Mad 3D Game Engine and MadAI, are incorporated in Empire Earth II. Mad Doc’s notable games include Empire Earth: The Art of Conquest, Star Trek: Armada II, World War II flight simulator Jane’s Attack Squadron, Empire Earth: The Art of Conquest and Empire Earth II. Mad Doc is also responsible for the Bully port for Xbox 360 and Wii (Bully: Scholarship Edition)..

Read [Take2Games] Also Read [Game Daily]

With Grand Theft Auto IV‘s release is less than a month away (April 29, 2008), developer Rockstar Games is still trying to guarantee that gamers have a all-encompassing, all-great gaming experience. To this end, Rockstar has launched Rockstar Social Club, a new website that will provide gamers leaderboards, performance-based competitions and awards.

Rockstar Games announced in a press release that GTA IV will be the first title supported by the website it plans to support all of subsequent titles as well. The registration for the service will commence April 15, 2008, and all you need to sign up is an Xbox Gamertag or a Playstation Network ID.

As for GTA IV-specific Social Club features, Rockstar is promising the following…

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GT4.net is reporting on a PSM Spain article in which Rockstar revealed the multiplayer details for upcoming monster title Grand Theft Auto IV. The game will feature 15 multiplayer games, including racing, deathmatch, a competitive mafia game, a Cops n Crooks mode, and several others. All multiplayer modes will take place on the same map as the single player game.

Here’s the full list of modes (thus far) as posted on GT4.net:

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An international coalition of teachers unions is protesting the re-release of Rockstar’s Bully: The Scholarship Edition for the Xbox 360 and Wii, The Globe and Mail reported.

he ESRB gave both versions of the game a “Teen” rating, which means the game is suitable for ages 13 and older. That’s one below the “Mature” rating for those 17 and older. But that didn’t stop the…

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In the ongoing battle between the United Kingdom and Rockstar Games over the controversy of Manhunt 2, the legal battle over whether or not UK gamers get to play the less-than-stellar title has taking yet another turn. A UK high court has ruled that the Video Appeals Committee, which had granted Manhunt 2 an 18-certificate release in the UK, should reconsider their decision.

This new debacle comes from a interpretation of the word “harm” which the BBFC claims had been misinterpreted, resulting in an grave error of the law. This is just the latest round of back and forth debates and arguments between the…

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