Hey all, With the approach of Rock Stars big gun GTA IV nearing, there is much related info coming out. I would like to share some of what I have come across with you below, Starting with this new commercial.


Mandatory Disc to HDD download?
I posted a story here in the past on some info I came across about a 85 minute download for the PS3 Blu-ray version, That seems to be more rumor than fact after the new info I have come across.

It appears that there will be a 5 min mandatory download to the HDD for the PS3 version and the same download will be optional for the 360 version, If you have the room on your HDD I would recommend doing the download to speed up portions of the game.

Go to the end of this story if you would like to see the differences you will see in the PS3 vs 360 versions if you need help deciding which console to pick it up for.

Australian Rebellion
After news that some content has been cut or toned down for the Australian version, there have been reports of major cancellations of Australian preorders. Players preferring to import a full version from the United States or the UK. I understand the versions from the US and UK will also be much cheaper but I have not confirmed this. NOTE: From what I have seen, importing a verson of the game that cant be sold in Australia breaks no laws as long as it is for personal use, Businesses just can rent them out or sell them without the R15+ rating.

What the heck has been cut from the Australian version?
One report I came across claims to know the answer to this (although no one has made any confirmations). One cutscene said to be cut (maybe even from all versions) was a scene where Niko places a weapon in the Rectum of a guy who had apparently sodomised one of Nikos buddies or employers in prison in the past. There was also some rumor about a drunk driving scene or mission being removed, but can not confirm beyond rumor at this time.

What violence, sexual and drug content can we expect to see?

The following info comes straight from the Australian Rating Boards Paperwork about what was witnessed in the game.

Violence..Beyond the basic hand to hand weapon use and guns, it was stated that those killed exhibited blood spray, pooling of blood on ground, blood splatter on the walls that remains while you are in the area and ability to set people on fire, they will flail and scream before falling to the ground in flames, body remaining till you leave the area. It is stated that no damage can be done to the body after it is dead and no decapitation or dismemberment takes place.

SEX..The rating board mentioned a cut scene in the beginning of the game where a man in his underwear is tied to a bed and is being whipped by a woman (dominatrix). The report goes on to state you can go on dates with a girlfriend and have sex with her, along with prostitutes. When you pick up a prostitute she will get in the car then the camera will pan to show only the license plate of the car bouncing up and down and sexual sounds and dialogue in the background.

You will also have the ability to attend a strip club and watch, or even pay for lap dances. There is also a report of Masturbation taking place in the game, no mention of who or in what context.

Drugs..Missions such as recovering a drug lords drugs and a cutscene of a man shorting up lines of a white powder off of a table.

THE SOCIAL CLUB!!


check it out here!

What is the social club?
Well basically it is an interactive page at rockstar where you can compare your stats with other players, but not just players on your system. 360 and PS3 players will be combined together! There will be leader boards and even reports based on players activities that will map out the most violent areas of liberty city based on real player activity. Among a lot of other features that are still under wraps.

SWEET CAMEOS!


We can expect to see some cool stars making cameos as themselves in GTA IV. It has been 100% confirmed that Ricky Gervais will be in a Liberty City comedy club doing his routine, Ricky stated that he did not only the voice but was also put in a skin suit to model himself during his routine as well!, it is rumored that Chris Rock will also appear in the same comedy club along with others not yet named. Another appearance confirmed is that of Designer Karl Lagerfeld as a DJ, I dont really know who this guy is myself. Pictured above are Ricky, Chris and Karl.

PS3 or Xbox 360 GTA IV?
Are you one of those poor bastards that owns both systems and has to make the decision on which console to pick it up on? Well here is a little info I have come across on both systems to compare. Personally I think the 360 version is the way to go but make your own decision.

MUSIC
We all know the sound track will be fantastic and identical on both systems, but what about listening to your own music? Well it seems at this time only the 360 has the option to listen to your own music as a radio station, PS3 does not, but it is rumored that with the addition of PSN's Home system that this may be something that will be added in the future.

ONLINE QUALITY
PSN is a free service and XBL is a pay to use service. It has been stated that PSN still has issues such as connection issues and empty rooms while XBL is a better more reliable service. Perhaps this also will be fixed in the future. One thing that PSN is said to have that the XBL will not is SPLIT SCREEN multiplayer. To what extent the split screen is used and if it has any advantage I do not know.

DL Content
PS3 will not be left without any DLC, it is mentioned that PS3 will get its own DLC that will not be on the 360. But I can assure you that the 360 content will be leaps and bounds over anything that ps3 gets. MS has paid R* 50 million for content and dont think this will be just some cool new cars or gamer pics. As a matter of fact , the rumors going around on the news sights and hints from insiders suggest content such as entire cities, something the size of San Andreas. One of the developers stated on the subject "Consider Liberty City as a Beginning". Rockstar expects this to be the best selling game of all time and is hoping for 6 million sales the first week. I would put my money on R* achieving its goal.

News-Source: Various N4G News Stories
360-Hq Game Database: Grand Theft Auto IV for Xbox 360"