It’s hard to believe a game that was originally released over two years ago is still coming out with new editions. GTA IV was revitalized by its two dowloadable episodes, The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony. They were so well received, some believed this is the route future GTA games should take. Whether or not you agree is subjective, but we can all agree combining everything GTA IV into one package is a sweet deal.

The first Xbox 360-exclusive episode of Grand Theft Auto IV, titled The Lost and the Damned, has been well received by critics and fans since its February 2009 release. Wedbush Morgan Analyst Michael Pachter estimates L&D has sold more than 1 million copies to date and will reach the 2 million mark by the end of October 2009. While we will wait to see if his estimates come true, Take-Two Interactive released its Q1 Earnings Report which details a list of games that will be released by October 31, 2009.

Rockstar has not confirmed what the second downloadable episode will be about but…

The last day of year (December 31, 2008), NPR’s Talk of the Nation (TOTN) show aired a segment titled titled “The Best Arts Releases Of 2008” hosted by Neal Conan.

Granted, they likely meant liberal arts, which does not necessarily mean fine art but, even so, TOTN used a video game to plug the segment. Unfortunately, not one video game was discussed during the meat of the segment.

The segment lasts about 30 minutes and highlights works that Conan refers to as “cultural contributions” which was meant to…

National Public Radio is taking a mental holiday on December 31, 2008, with most of its shows airing 2008 highlights and recaps. For the year ender of Talk of the Nation (check local listings for broadcast times), hosted by Neal Conan, NPR has been promoting a pop culture recap featuring a mention of Grand Theft more »

Remember that exclusive DLC for Grand Theft Auto IV Microsoft said would be out by August? Obviously Rockstar missed that target date and from the sounds of their Creative VP, Dan Houser, in an interview with Variety it sounds like we shouldn’t expect to see it this year at all…

Well kids, just as we were about to report the rumor that has been going around that the Xbox 360′s exclusive content may be a zombie infested outbreak in Liberty City, Rockstar made an announcement on its Rockstar Social Club that almost totally deflated our hopes.

An advertisement by Eugenics Inc. that a “contagious disease” said Social Club spark a bit of chatter earlier today causing many, including us, to speculate that the citizens of Liberty City would be turned into blood thirsty zombies. We were almost right. Instead of being the “exclusive” downloadable content that Microsoft promised us for Fall 2008, its a Halloween gag by the Rockstar folks.

Instead, its the players that will become zombies, or at least gain access to that ultra-Halloween zombie skin…

Grand Theft Auto IV was recently removed from store shelves in Thailand by the order of New Era Interactive, one of Asia’s largest game distributors. The reason is that Polwat Chino, a 19-year-old boy, killed a taxi driver while trying to recreate a scene from the game.

Ah. Yet another case of “life imitating art.” Remember the problem though. Before games, movies and any violent media, there was still violence. So, in comes the obvious step of scapegoating. The easiest thing the blame is something that really can’t defend itself. It’s the basic psychology of blame. Since the Columbine school shooting, the popular thing to blame for violence has been videogames.

We are in an age where one of crime’s biggest motives and accusations is…

Title: Grand Theft Aufo IVPrice: $59.99System(s): Xbox 360, PS3Release Date: April, 28, 2008Publisher (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…