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Correcting the violent video game rhetoric

Now that GTA IV has hit store shelves, it's time for the world's anti-video game fanatics to crawl out from under their rocks and tell us all how this game and so many others ruin our children and turn them into Jack the Ripper wannabes. Of course, all those self-righteous zealots won't tell you the truth -- nothing they say is rooted in reality.

Earlier today, a colleague of mine at CNET wrote a well-written article that discusses how critics have already attacked GTA IV without even playing it yet.

Much of the discussion centered around foolhardy demagogues who have yet to actually play the game, but somehow know that it will lead to child violence: "We've seen a number of clips of the game," said Yee spokesperson Adam Keigwin. "From the clips alone, and based on GTA and Rockstar's history, (Yee) thought it very appropriate to issue a statement urging parents not to purchase the game for their children."

Huh?… Read more

Critics play chicken with 'GTA IV'

There can be little doubt that the midnight Tuesday release of Grand Theft Auto IV will be one of the biggest events of the year in video games, both from a business and entertainment standpoint--and from the perspective of politicians, organizations, and individuals seeking to derail the game due to what they expect to be an overabundance of violence and sex.

But after sifting through all these press releases, e-mails, statements, and demands that the world's retailers and parents run screaming from GTA IV, it's striking that none of the people behind these missives have seen the game, … Read more

Critics slam 'GTA IV' without test drive

To many in the video game industry, the two words "Jack" and "Thompson" engender horror and disgust.

Thompson, a self-appointed uber-critic of the industry, has spent the last few years railing away at games he deems too full of sex or violence. Never was he out in more force than during 2005's so-called "Hot Coffee" scandal, in which the monster hit Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was discovered to have hidden, but easily uncoverable, animations that mimicked sexual activity.

In the lead-up to the midnight Tuesday release of Rockstar Games' follow-up game, Grand Theft Auto IV, … Read more

'GTA IV': The good, the bad, and the sometimes ugly

If you're reading this, there's a good chance you're very interested in a video game being released Tuesday, April 29, called Grand Theft Auto IV (actually something like the eighth game in the series, depending on how you count).

We previously tried the game out a couple of times while it was still in development, and now that we've had a chance to give the final shipping version a serious run-through over this past weekend, here are our initial thoughts on the final game's pluses and minuses.

Grand Theft Awesome: The main attraction is the … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 712: Windows XP--a 'pre-downgrade' upgrade

Dell, HP, and Lenovo will offer Windows XP as a "pre-downgrade," as a convoluted way to get you out of having to buy Windows Vista. Hear that, Microsoft? The bell tolls for you. Speaking of "For Whom the Bell Tolls," Metallica is considering all the "Internet options" for its upcoming album (that includes hoping people on the Internet will buy it).

--Molly

Listen now: Download today's podcast Episode 712

GTA IV will release and Guiness World Records is watching http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=187846

Grand Theft Auto receives acclaim http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7370590.stm… Read more

Hands-on with GTA IV multiplayer

We recently got a chance to sit down with the team behind Grand Theft Auto IV and sample a handful of the highly anticipated game's new multiplayer modes. Any GTA fan will tell you that adding online multiplayer is a major change for the series, but an essential one in the era of Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network, where every high-profile release is expected to offer more than just a linear single-player experience.

At Rockstar's New York headquarters, we tried four of the dozen-plus multiplayer modes over Xbox Live, playing against other journalists and the game's … Read more

Where BlackBerrys blink at 11:15

EPISODE 72

Fox is essentially the end of network TV; we wish Russian Roulette would return in the place of Moment of Truth. Plus, we're excited for GTA IV, and will we see a 3G iPhone within 60 days? Either way, as long as it plays Quake, we're fine with it.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Music downloads via 'Grand Theft Auto IV'

Why didn't anybody think of this before? Grand Theft Auto franchise developer Rockstar Games has teamed up with Amazon.com in an interesting joint promotion.

When GTA IV comes out on April 29 and you are cruising around inside doing whatever evil deeds come to mind, you might like a particular song playing on one of the radio stations in the game. Well, you will be able dial a number on your in-game virtual cellphone and receive a text message with artist and title information. And if you've signed up to be part of Rockstar's upcoming social … Read more

Memo to EA and Take-Two: Stop using the press to negotitate

Dear Take-Two and Electronic Arts: I'm not an arbitrator. And neither are my colleagues who cover video games.

I know it's nothing new in the fast-paced world of hostile takeovers, tender offers and other forms of mergers and acquisitions, but it's beyond obvious that both Take-Two and EA are using the press--and our outreach to the public--to try to negotiate the best terms in whatever marriage the two eventually end up in.

First they worked on a possible deal behind the scenes and when EA didn't hear what it wanted from Take-Two, they took their offer public. … Read more