After Bethesda Softworks’ top producer/director Todd Howard’s comments at QuakeCon last week were taken by some to mean that there were no plans to release a fifth Elder Scrolls game ever, Bethesda’s Pete Hines – vice president, PR and marketing – has decided to clear matters up via Bethesda’s official blog. Hines points out that all Howard said was that there wouldn’t be another Elder Scrolls game in the ‘near future’, implying ...

There are rumblings, going around both the Internet and our office, that GTA IV's cover system isn't up to snuff. Obviously, 'up to snuff' is an exaggeration– people are just saying that it isn't the best of its type, on the PS3. I'll admit, it's nowhere near as tight as the gunplay in Uncharted, but GTA IV provides the kind of consistency and variety that no other game can match. Compared to something frivolous and throwaway, like Army Of Two (which still received 80%), GTA IV's ...

Ok so it's almost 4pm now, and I've been playing since around 10am, and each time I tear myself away from the game to write this blog, it feels like tearing off a limb - honestly, I just can't stop playing. GTA IV really is everything we hoped it would be, it's a milestone in gaming. I've been enjoying every minute, but the game's genius hit me just a few moments ago. I was driving to a Chinese take away to extort some money ...

Roman likes titties– who doesn't, right? Anyway, this means that GTA IV will take you to the seediest strip bar ever seen in a videogame. Since relationships are key in GTA IV, both in the short and long term, I knew I'd have to tackle this situation at some point.I wouldn't mind looking at rendered breasts, were it not so embarrassing. We work in an office filled with women, however, and that means that looking over your shoulder is a priority, no matter what you're ...

One of the most immediate aspects of GTA IV is it's amazing Euphoria physics engine. Walk into a pedestrian and they stumble realistically backwards, jump out of a moving car and watch as Niko spins and rolls along the tarmac. It really underscores that 'next-gen' feeling you get from playing the game - this is an experience that just couldn't have been done on previous consoles. Our best 'Euphoria moment' so far? Well we jacked a car, but the previous occupant wasn't about ...

I'm three hours in, and I just barrel-rolled a car over a policeman. After he, as well as two other pursuers, followed me to the base of the Algonquin bridge, I ran over another policeman on the sidewalk. Three stars. To get out of this, I drove a car to a beach head near the abandoned fairground, and jumped off a pier into the water: I swam with ecstasy, hoping to reach the outside of the police's sights before being shot to death. After five minutes ...

So we've just had our first date with a lady (in GTA IV that is). She's called Michelle, she's a bit neurotic, like things to be very clean, and says she very lonely.....sounds like a catch. Firstly, we had to make sure Niko made a good impression and, on the recommendation of Roman's girlfriend, we went to a clothes store and picked up some new threads (a rather fetching blue jeans/sneakers ensemble). The store was a bit of dump to be honest, and the ...

Trust me, after losing 29 hours of your play time and writing 3,400 words on GTA IV, it's hard to dive in and start again. Niko's story is a sweeping, detailed epic that asked so much of me– since my GTA IV review experience was based in a darkened room, with only miscellaneous snacks for company, I almost begrudge the idea of playing it in broad daylight. That, though, is the nature of the GTA IV beast. Of all the games to go through again, mission ...

You won't be blown away by GTA IV's intro. There's no massive explosions, kick ass gun fights, or overblown characters. But in about 13 minutes of cutscenes, interspersed by a short player-controlled drive, Rockstar manages to infuse its protagonist with more personality than it takes most developers an entire game to do. Although Niko is a criminal, we sympathise with him. He has been dropped into this big city alone, with little direction in life, and with a cousin who has filled his head with grandiose ...

So this is the first entry in Play's GTA IV live blog, which will be updated throughout the day with our opinion on Rockstar's magnificent opus. Contrary to convention lets kick off on a sour note shall we? The Sixaxis controls. Yep, Rockstar has saw fit to include motion controls in GTAIV. Now, my hatred for the Sixaxis isn't as virulent as most other game journalists (in fact, I'm think I'm one of the very few who tolerated Lair), but I've just spent 10 sorry minutes ...

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