Hands-on previews from Grand Theft Auto IV are trickling out now, and the feature list shows more incremental improvements over the last iteration of the game. Here goes:
- No more caring about getting fat or not
- You can take a cab to go anywhere on the map
- Dynamic weather effects
- Auto-saves (thank god!)
- Gears of War-inspired cover system
- Niko’s cellphone will have a vital importance in the game
- Advanced lighting
- Special physics system that makes characters behave naturally and often in distinct ways
From the preview time with the game, MTV Multiplayer’s Stephen Totilo can say that it looks has good has it looks on the trailers, that it has short loading times and a line of sight “that made buildings 10 blocks away viewable.”
Read: MTV Multiplayer, IGN or Joystiq
Please take this as a lesson: you must use protection whenever sharing a phallic object with strangers. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a real phallus or not; it doesn’t matter if you’re a person or a multinational conglomerate based in Japan. Use protection, or you will pay the price.
The price for Nintendo, according to Joystiq, is $18 million to ship Wii Remote Jackets to any customer who requests one. The problem here isn’t herpes or pregnancy; it’s broken televisions, smashed Wiimotes, and injured children. The solution: latex.
Joystiq quoted IGN for this figure, but if there’s such a story on IGN, I couldn’t find it.
Don’t forget my Name the Wii Remote Jacket Contest. Whoever sends me the best name (apart from “Wii Condom”) for the Jacket gets GGL swag!
Shrinkwrap your link!
Last Wednesday The Hollywood Reporter reported an overall $50 price drop for the Xbox 360 line, presumably in response to Sony’s recent discounts on the PlayStation 3. At that time, Microsoft refused to confirm or deny the story.
Since then, bloggers have uncovered that the unannounced price drop is real. First, both Toys “R” Us and Wal-Mart advertised a “price break” on the 20GB 360 “Premium,” with a list of $349.99.
Toys “R” Us (left), Walmart circulars.
Today, Joystiq found a Circuit City circular offering price cuts on the entire product line.
I checked Amazon.com, and the 20GB SKU is still selling for $399.99. Neither the Toys “R” Us website nor the Wal-Mart site are offering the price reduction, which suggests that only certain retailers’ brick & mortar stores are affected at this time.
Microsoft may be dropping prices in advance of three major title releases this fall: Madden NFL 08, John Woo Presents Stranglehold, and of course Halo 3.
Before you run out to Wal-Mart to save $50, be sure to read this.
