A comic named Tim Buckley posted a comic strip about Grand Theft Auto IV on Ctrl+Alt+Del, a comic strip and gaming oriented website, this week. The comic strip is named "The Seventh Star", should get a chuckle out of you. If not he posted another one earlier on this week about GTA IV pre-orders and the GameSpot "Pre-order Bonus", enjoy!

Rockstar has just given the official site a small update. They have finished the multiplayer section, added some new screenshots, new artwork, and updated the music section. The only update to the music section is the track listing for the Special Edition soundtrack CD which you can now buy from Amazon.com. The "More Soundtrack Releases" section still says "coming soon". We believe Rockstar may be releasing a box set as they did for Vice City and San Andreas, but nothing has been confirmed yet. We have collected all the new screenshots and artwork for you. They are below.

Screenshots:
              

Artwork:

Site: Grand Theft Auto IV

Remember how the Chicago Transit Authority removed the ads for Grand Theft Auto IV which where placed on buses throughout Chicago? Well turns out they we're under a $300,000 contract which had the ads being placed on buses for six-weeks from April 22nd. The contact and how been breached due to the removal of the ads, and Take-Two aren't at all happy about it.

Take-Two are now suing the CTA, requesting the ads be placed back on the buses and damages be payed. We'll keep you posted.

Thanks T3!

Take-Two have spilled the beans as they have reported that GTA IV has already sold 6 million copies (Remember GTA IV only was released last week!) and that it made over $500 million. Whoa! GTA IV beat Halo 3 which made $300 million.

"We knew Grand Theft Auto IV would break new ground in terms of the player's experience, with its compelling story line, extraordinary gameplay and action that ranges over a broad urban canvas. Now, it has broken sales and rating records as well. Grand Theft Auto IV's first week performance represents the largest launch in the history of interactive entertainment, and we believe these retail sales levels surpass any movie or music launch to date. We congratulate the entire Rockstar team on creating a must-have experience that takes the legendary Grand Theft Auto franchise to a new level," said Strauss Zelnick, Chairman of Take-Two.

"Rockstar's goal is to make each new title in the Grand Theft Auto franchise even better than those that preceded it, and Grand Theft Auto IV is a smashing success on that score. Grand Theft Auto IV makes full use of the power of next generation technology, and offers players an experience unique in the interactive entertainment medium. This game sets a new standard in the industry, with critics hailing it as both an artistic and technological masterpiece," said Ben Feder, Take-Two's Chief Executive Officer.

Now, will this affect the EA offer? With this amount of money raised in just one week we wonder how EA will react to this.

Thanks to Kotaku for the numbers!

After launching up GTA IV today I was prompted to download the newest update, version 1.01. Although there is nothing saying what exactly it fixed, we assume it fixes the freezes and various other problems that some PS3 users are having. Although my PS3 copy of GTA IV hasn't froze once since launch, I know this will be of great benefit to other PS3 users out there. The patch weighs in at about 18MB. No word yet when the Xbox 360 patch will be released. It should be released soon though.

Many of you may know of the very funny Conan O'brien, for those who don't, well this is a extra special surprise. In his show this week he talked Grand Theft Auto IV, and how it has been tamed down to make it less violent. He included some terrific footage showing the news game for what it is, kid friendly. All three videos are below:

In an older article from the end of March this year it was shown that the PlayStation World Magazine confirmed that the PlayStation 3 version of Grand Theft Auto IV will also have downloadable content at a later date. We all ready know that the Xbox 360 version will have downloadable content later this year, so this is spectacular news for any PlayStation3 users out there. This information comes straight from the games' senior developer, Jeronimo Barrera. GameCollision says:

The article talks about two possible scenarios, one being that Microsoft only paid for timed exclusivity and the PS3 will eventually be getting the same thing. The other, more realistic scenario, is that the downloadable content will be in the form of PlayStation Home unlockables. Considering that almost every game from here out will have some sort of Home-integration (most being game-themed wallpapers, furniture, etc.), that does make a lot of sense.

Thanks GameCollision!

Mother's Against Drink Driving, otherwise known as MADD, are a little mad over the addition of the ability to get drunk in Grand Theft Auto IV. In an official statement in which they released this week they stated:

"Drunk driving is not a game and it is not a joke," MADD said. "Drunk driving is a choice, a violent crime, and it is also 100 percent preventable."

They noted also that drunk driving claims close to 13,500 lives each year. According to MADD it is "extremely disappointed" that the game allows the player to get drunk and then getting behind the wheel of a realistic vehicle.

MADD wants the ESRB to bump the rating up to an AO (Adults Only) rating, and is also asking that out of respect for those killing in drunk driving accidents, and due to social responsibility, Take-Two stops the distribution of the game.

A little over-the-top in our eyes, it is after all only a game, and really why would Take-Two stop the distribution of the game that took 4 years to develop and has hit the stores like a hurricane since it's release last week. From "too much violence" to "too sexual" and now "to much realistic content", what's next for the newly released Grand Theft Auto? Seems everyone wants a piece of the "let's get this thing off the streets" pie. With the ESRB rating already clarifying the use of drugs and alcohol, MADD doesn't have a very strong case.

Source: GameSpot

Well news is slow round here, all the RockstarWatch staff are tucked away playing GTAIV and never coming out except for the occasional toilet trip.

The news to report is that players on GTA IV multiplayer have spotted a zombie, it is half naked and wearing a yellow speedo with the Rockstar Games logo on, the rumours are that you have to be shot by a Rockstar employee or shoot a Rockstar employee, but none are confirmed.

Been a slow news week hasn't it? Well in fact I haven't seen half of my staff for the last week at all, Grand Theft Auto fever has hit, and hit hard. However, there is some news we have neglected to share with you, so here goes...

GameSpot reported this week that after investigation of the Australian and European versions of Grand Theft Auto IV, that the only differences they noted was that the prostitution options that were evident in the American and European editions of the game have been removed from the Australian version. Removed with this was the free-movable camera, in the Aussie version it is fixed to the back of the vehicle.

Having just received a region one version of the game, we tested out a few scenarios and only found one difference so far: how the game deals with prostitution. In Australian versions of GTAIV, Niko can indeed pick up prostitutes, but once he takes said sex worker to a secluded area, the game camera shifts to a tight shot of the rear of the vehicle the pair are in and cannot be moved.

In the region one version, once Niko finds a secluded spot, an extra option pops up, asking whether Niko wants the $20 or the $50 service. Once the appropriate “service” is chosen, the act begins, but instead of a static camera, players can freely rotate the game camera around the vehicle.

This makes sense, and really was a good move by Rockstar. As the past games all had prostitution removed, apart from GTA: San Andreas which has it in. Seeing as how the prostitution in GTA IV has options, and apparently a completely movable camera I couldn't see the OFLC passing it through with an MA rating, therefore being effectively banned. So in the long run, it was the best idea to remove it, and really it's not an epic change is it?

Thanks VideoGaming247.com