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While playing GTA IV last night, I came across an armoured truck. I recalled that there was something special you could do with them to get lots of cash, so I decided to look it up on the ‘net to see what you needed to do. Turns out, all you have to do is blow the thing up, and cash is littered around the burning remains of the vehicle. Good to know.

However, before I found that helpful little tidbit, I came across this on Yahoo Answers:

For those who don’t know, Yahoo Answers is a place where someone can post a question, and those who frequent the site can collaboratively provide a number of answers to said question. This works… in theory. Obviously, the above didn’t help the dude asking the question (or me, for that matter), but it provided a good laugh.

Once in a while when I’ve been playing GTA IV for a bit, I’ll opt to use the cheat codes to give myself health and armor, as well as all weapons, and go fucking crazy. Sort of a stress relief, ya know?

I had the game on auto-save, and had been playing out the story for two hours this afternoon when I decided to lay waste to Rockstar’s version of Manhattan. Seeing as how my game had been saved automatically, I figured that I would manually save later, so I gave myself everything, and set to work. I was blowing up cars, bringing down helicopters, and generally raining down pure Armageddon for about an hour, and was going to quit, when I remembered that as I was in a cop car, I could partake in vigilante mode. I selected a crook, and then chased after him as he sped off for his life, and finally brought him down.

As soon as he died, the game auto-saved again.

Two hours of actual story progression, gone.

Fuck.

It’s not really surprising that the game would automatically save after a mini-mission like that, but still, after having cheats enabled, you’d think that Rockstar would have programmed GTA IV to put up a warning stating that the game was about to save and give you the option of not overwriting your previous auto-save which DIDN’T have cheats enabled. Seeing it from the other side, I guess I could have turned off auto-save prior to going on a killing spree, but it just didn’t occur to me.

Ah well. I’ll remember that for next time. It just means that I’ll be playing parts of the story over, and perhaps I’ll do better this time round. Still, that’s pretty fucking irritating.

I always find it amusing, and also somewhat irritating, how there are those that have nothing else to do with their time than complain about things… more often than not just to hear their own voice within the media. The Grand Theft Auto series has been a constant target by those individuals ever since GTA3, and perhaps even before that, although I don’t think GTA or GTA2 were on their radar back then.

Essentially, the GTA series give you the ability to do anything you want. There are set missions that you have to go through to progress and eventually complete the game, but outside of those missions, you are free to interact with the world you are in as you wish. You have the ability and the CHOICE to go on a rampage and murder as many people as you want, just like you have the CHOICE to be a lunatic in the real world and go on a murderous rampage. You have the CHOICE to go to a hooker for her services, just like in real life. You have the CHOICE to go to a store and buy clothes, just like in real life. You have the CHOICE of going to a diner, ordering some food, and then shooting everyone in the establishment, just like in real life.

…I’m going to stop this aspect of the rant as the word “choice” has been written so many times that the word is starting to lose meaning to me…

Anyway, with a “sandbox” game like GTA IV, you have the ability to interact with the environment any way you wish. The media, and other organisation, tend to focus on how you can do these things, and how THAT is wrong. Well, yes, they are right… it IS wrong to do them, but you don’t HAVE to do them, just like in real life. For example, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), is causing a stir because in one aspect of the game you can take friends out to go drinking, and if you choose to do so instead of hailing a cab (which Niko suggests), you can attempt to drive. You don’t HAVE to, but you can, just like in real life. MADD even goes so far as to try to shame Rockstar into pulling the game from store shelves:

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ju16X_-nwrLKNTDz01XO2wzB_e3AD90CH47G0

That’s just bullshit. There is NOT a mission in the game that specifically encourages drunk driving, but because you can do it in the game they are offended? Get off your high horse, MADD. You are doing good things in the real world, but stick to the real world, and leave the virtual worlds alone… UNLESS you are going to go after ALL the movies and TV shows that have ever had drunk driving in them, and issue the same shaming tactics upon them.

As well, the whole big “issue” with hiring a hooker in the game, having sex with her, and then killing her afterwards for her money. I’m going to use the word again: that is a CHOICE that you have in the game, just like you would in real life. There isn’t a mission in the game that says you have to go to a hooker, or even kill her afterwards to get your money back, but you can if you are demented enough. The same thing happens in real life ALL THE TIME. Why do you think some prostitutes keep tabs on each other? It takes a certain level of person to use their services anyway.

The end result? If you don’t like the game, don’t play it, and shut the fuck up. If you don’t want your kids to play the game, then don’t let them, and shut the fuck up. If you only want to hear your opinion voiced within the media (Jack Thompson), or are using the controversy surrounding the game to gain votes (Hillary Clinton), get a fucking life, and shut the fuck up.

GTA IV is rated “M” for “Mature”. How about all of you act the same?

This is the best GTA of the series by far. All the hype was completely warranted, and I’ve found that I can’t stop playing it… well, I was successful right now, but only because I’m dead tired.

Rumour has it that the Rockstar Social Club will allow you to track your stats online. I’m not sure how in depth they’ll be, such as listing all the minor stats you can see within the game (people killed, shots fired via a certain weapon, etc), but in the meantime I’ve decided to list some of the “important” stats for my gaming here in the new “GTA IV Stats” section. Sure, it may paint me as a psychopath, but bear in mind that this is all fun and games, and nothing you have to worry about from me in real life.

MUUUAAAHAHAHAHAHA!!

…but it is 1:30am, and I’m tired from a lack of sleep last night, and will pass out should I attempt to play it right now… or, I fear I might play it until dawn. Either way, I’m saving the gaming for tomorrow night (even though it is Tuesday right now, I still have yet to sleep, hence it referred to as “tomorrow”).

I was one of those guys and gals that stood outside of Best Buy at Yonge and Dundas tonight, waiting until midnight for the store to open up and start selling the game. I didn’t think I had to worry about them running out of stock, and in the end I was right. When I got there, the lineup easily had 300-400 people ahead of me, and once it was midnight, they let in 10 at a time. By the time I got to the front, I looked back, and the line was still stretched out to where I had first lined up. Seems I was not the only one yearning for this game.

While standing in line, it was fun to listen to people chat about all things GTA, and other geek-related topics. One guy behind me joked about how he as just standing in line to buy some RAM for his machine, while his friend said he was going to buy Windows Vista. Another guy in front of me was telling his girlfriend about all the things you could do in the game, ranging from jacking cars, to laying waste to crowds of civilians if you so chose. He even mentioned about how in GTA3 that you could beat someone to death with a baseball bat, and keep pounding them and pounding them, even though they were dead, and the body wouldn’t disappear for a while. Glad to know I’m not the only sick fucker that figured that out too.

Anyway, now that I have the game, I can rest easy knowing that I can play it soon, and not have to worry about not finding it anywhere, even if that worry was unfounded. I’m really looking forward to the multiplayer aspect of the game, and I think I’ve already sold my brother on the idea of rampaging around Liberty City, and seeing how long we can last while being chased down by the cops.

Looking forward to it!

When it comes to sites that review games, I personally only check out IGN. They always seem to have pretty much my tastes in gaming, and their reviews are really good and down to the point. Also, they always have a healthy supply of images of the game before and after it is released, and they are pretty good about putting together video reviews, so you can see the game in action while they talk about it.

Anyway, the last time they gave ANY game a 10 out of 10 was for “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” almost 10 years ago (this post has a lot of “10″s), and that was a phenomenal game. For IGN, and pretty much any other gaming review site, to give a game a 10 out of 10, that says something, as they don’t just hand those scores out all the time.

Here’s IGN’s review on GTA IV (for the Xbox360 as I don’t have a PS3… yet):

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/869/869381p1.html

To say that I am eager to play this game is an understatement in the extreme.

It’d been a while since I’d last checked Internet Tablet Talk, which is a site all about tablets, software for them, etc. It’s basically all about the Nokia n810 right now, which is what I have, so I try to go there once in a while to see what new things are available for my n810. This recent visit did not disappoint!

I’ve seen demos of 2D physics engines before, where you can draw a slope, and then a ball over it, and then gravity will kick in, letting the ball drop to the slope and roll down. Or, you can draw two wheels, and then a car frame, and the software knows to link them all together into a vehicle that can roll around. I find the concept fascinating as I’ve always been interested in physics, and love taking advantage of games that use the Havok physics engine. You better believe I had a blast with Portal as well.

Anyway, there is this very rudimentary game for the n810 called “Numpty Physics“. Even though it is the very early stages, and doesn’t have much in the way of levels, or the ability to draw pendulums, or make vehicles, it is a TON of fun. I can’t wait to see if anyone takes on the task of making this game better, and creating a suite of levels.

Still, it cannot compare to “Crayon Physics Deluxe“, which while not out yet, just blows my mind. Watch the YouTube video on the site, and you’ll see what I mean. I have yet to try “Crayon Physics” though. I’m sure it would be just as fun.

…and, while checking out some videos of Crayon Physics, one of the dudes talking about the games at the Game Developers Conference mentioned “Desktop Tower Defense“… so I decided to check it out… and I just spent the last 40 minutes playing it.

It is almost 2am! Fuck!!

On April 29th, I will more than likely be at work, itching for the day to end, so I might embark upon my journey around the city to see if I can find the latest of the Grand Theft Auto series: GTA IV.

If you haven’t heard of the GTA series, then you obviously are not a gamer. If you are a gamer and you haven’t heard of the GTA series, then you are obviously not a gamer. Here is something to help you out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto

I’ve been a fan of the GTA series since the first game, aptly named “Grand Theft Auto”. This game was all the rage when I started at Interlog, and back in those days, we had more workstations than employees in the Support Dept., so we had a work machine and a gaming machine. The calls were steady, but I rarely needed to use my work machine to assist customers on the phone as I could pretty much walk them through configuring their machine while I played Grand Theft Auto; it’s called “multitasking”, and yes, I was THAT good… and still am.

Network multiplayer was a lot of fun in Grand Theft Auto, but when Grand Theft Auto 2 came out, with the spiffier graphics, I felt that the game sort of lost it’s multiplayer edge. There was nothing like screaming down a long stretch of road in a fire truck and plowing into a friend online in Grand Theft Auto; the thing was like a tank, and you could do that a few times before the vehicle blew up. In Grand Theft Auto 2, they toned it down, which took some of the fun away, in my opinion. Sure, it was a little more realistic, but damn…

I first saw GTA3 when I went down to Los Angeles for E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) in 2001. I heard that there was going to be a playable demo there, and that was one of the games that I really wanted to see. Not many people were at the booth playing it, as back then, the GTA series wasn’t as mainstream. There was this European girl playing the game and she kept dying, and asked if I knew how to play. I said I’d give it a shot, and proceeded to try and jack a car with a Mafioso in it. I got about two feet down the road before the Mobster caught up with me, ripped me out of the car, and kill me. I asked if I could give it a go again, and this time was more successful: I jacked a car, and was driving like a madman down the streets. I soon opted to start driving on the sidewalk and run over pedestrians (something I used to do in the first two Grand Theft Autos; yes, I am a twisted fucker, I know), and then I crashed the game.

In this build, there were elderly people with walkers, and as I hit an old man, he started to fly over my hood, and the walker when flying the other way… and it froze. I was delighted that I had managed to crash a demo game, especially of GTA3, and one of the dudes at Rockstar came over to ask what happened:

That was the coolest thing in my mind: The guys who put together one of the most violent games out there (at the time) were telling me that **I** was too violent for this game! It sounds silly, but I had a grin for hours on my face.

(Flash forward to when the game was released: No elderly people with walkers! I guess they couldn’t fix the bug!)

Anyway, GTA3 is the reason why I bought my PS2. I was newly in Calgary, and I was anticipating the game SO much that I realised “Hey, perhaps now is a good time to get this console.” and so I did. In fact, I played so much of GTA3 that for a time, I knew how to get around Liberty City better than I knew how to get around Calgary, and even gave friends directions of where to go in this virtual world. How sad is that? Wait… don’t answer that.

I never did see what all the fuss was about certain aspects of the game, however. Sure, you could pick up a hooker, drive to a secluded spot, fuck her to get some health back, and if you were so inclined, kill her afterwards to get your money back. But, in the grand scheme of things, with all that you can do in this game (hey, I was running over seniors, remember?), I think that that was small potatoes. If parents are THAT concerned about a video game, then how about flexing some of that parental muscle and ensuring they don’t play the game? People are all too keen to not take responsibility these days.

The next two GTA games, GTA: Vice City and GTA: San Andreas were good, and stood out on their own in a lot of cases. For example, GTA: Vice City was the first GTA to offer the ability of bailing out of a moving vehicle, which came in handy if the car was on fire and about to explode, or if you were leading a bunch of cop cars towards the edge of a cliff and wanted to watch them fly off unable to break in time. It was also the first to introduce functional planes and helicopters, unlike the plane in GTA3 that flew like it’s wings were clipped. GTA: San Andreas took all that to the next level with a MASSIVE area to explore. You also had new vehicles at your disposal such as trains, full 18 wheelers (complete with a detachable trailer), sea planes and helicopters, and… oh yeah, you could swim.

All in all, I can’t wait for the new game. Part of the fun of the GTA series is the “sandbox” aspect of it; you can do what you want, when you want, and how you want. If you want to explore the city, you are free to do so. If you want to jump right into a mission, you can do that at any time. Feel like causing some shit and seeing how many cops you can get involved in chasing you and taking you down? Have at it. The amount of detail in these games is astounding, and as gaming hardware gets more and more powerful, that attention to details goes up with it. Personally, I can’t wait to drive around the city and try and find out where all the jumps are hidden.

April 29th. Only 19 days away. Starting April 30th, Molly is going to be PISSED.

As some of you may or may not have been aware, during some of my lunches I usually play Quake against some fellow co-workers. Quake has been around for over a decade, and I’m still amazed at how awesome this game is. Now, let me be clear: I am talking about Quake, the first one, not Quake 2 or Quake 3: Arena, or even the recent Quake 4. I’m talking about Quake… the one that started them all.

Anyway, after many game of Quake, and even some Red Faction (another old-skool game, but not as popular), my co-workers and I were looking for a change. We decided to try out another game that as of yet we hadn’t gotten around to, yet, was just as good, if not BETTER than Quake: Unreal Tournament.

Now, just like when I was talking about Quake, with Unreal Tournament I’m not talking about UT2K3 or UT2K4… I’m talking about Unreal Tournament. The first one of the series, and in my opinion, still the best.

One thing I’ve noticed is that with some franchises, and with some players, they expect the flashier graphics with the big explosions, the crazy weapons, etc, yet they’d trade gameplay for all of that. I just don’t understand this. It’s becoming harder and harder to find games that have good gameplay. Some of the old-skool games were amazing for this. Sure, the graphics weren’t that great, but they certainly weren’t that bad, and they focused as much on gameplay as they did with the graphics. Large franchises like Halo still have what it takes, but other like Crysis are just insane.

Anyway… enough ranting. Let’s save that for another day.

Today, we played Unreal Tournament. The game was just as awesome to play as it was when I played it endlessly back in 2000. The weapons were familiar like the back of my hand, the levels were just as I remembered them, and even though I was playing against only Simon at this time (Mike will join in tomorrow, I’m sure), we had fun pot-shots at each other, and as we were playing capture the flag on Facing Worlds with low gravity (personally my favourite level and config), I’d opt to go for the flag and win the game… while Simon could only watch. That’s right, Simon… you were no match for me today. 

Anyway, tomorrow should be a blast, as playing games during lunch is a great stress reliever, and what better way to change up the routine than welcoming back an old-skool friend into the mix.

Unreal Tournament. Awesome.