Stephen Taylor of the Daily Yomiuri wrote:

It would be easy to write about how much fun the violence and crime is in Grand Theft Auto IV, but that’s not the only aspect of the latest installment of the phenomenonally successful game series, which does make shooting and stealing very engaging.

While many gamers in Japan will have already enjoyed the delights of gratuitously blowing away Liberty City’s law enforcers through imported copies of the game, the official Japanese version was finally released yesterday.

Originally created by Dave Jones, the first GTA game was released in 1997 by Dan and Sam Houser, two brothers based in Scotland who established Rockstar Games, the company responsible for developing most of the series.

On the surface, GTA appears to be based on a simple shoot-’em-up scenario with little or no ethics, with the controversy that surrounds the series in Britain and the United States testimony to its apparent ease at offending public sensibilities on both sides of the Atlantic.

As a complete newcomer to not only the fourth version of the game but the entire concept of GTA, I approached a recent press demonstration of Grand Theft Auto IV with an open mind, though aware of the reputation that preceded the game.

more

Here is a very cool interview with voice actor (and singer) Michael Hollick who plays the voice of Nico on GTA IV by Big O & Dukes of WJFK FM

In a recent article on the New York Times, Matt Richtel wrote, “Grand Theft Auto IV, the latest iteration of the hit video game franchise, racked up first-week sales of $500 million, Take-Two Interactive, the game’s publisher, plans to announce on Wednesday. The report exceeded the sales expectations of analysts.”

“The company is expected to report it sold six million copies of the graphically violent game, 3.6 million of them on the first day.”

“The sales exceed projections of industry analysts who were estimating that some five million consumers would purchase the game in the first two weeks.”

More on this article

Union Tribune reported, “Stealing a video game is not considered grand theft because of the price. But, as one man learned Tuesday, it’s serious enough that it could cost him a felony on his record.”

“Dennis Richard Fiel, 27, suspected of robbing a GameStop store in Mira Mesa of the Grand Theft Auto IV video game, which hit store shelves Tuesday, faces felony robbery charges in connection with the Tuesday morning theft.”

“Police said Fiel went into the store on Mira Mesa Boulevard about 10:30 a.m. and sprayed employees with Mace before he ran off with two or three copies of the game, said police Detective Gary Hassen.”

“No injuries were reported.”

More on this article