Rockstar announced the second expansion for GTA IV, subtitled "The Ballad of Gay Tony" and it promises to be "something that is both epic and very innovative" to the GTA IV world.

It's not surprising that Rockstar can once again surprise us with one of their games, and this one starts with the title. GTA IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony is the second expansion to the GTA IV universe, after last February's The Lost and Damned and will follow a brand new story that focuses more on the corruption of the high-end night life.

From the Press Release:

"Liberty City is the most vibrant game world we've created yet. The episodic structure has allowed us to interweave stories, gameplay and atmosphere in a whole new way," said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. "The team at Rockstar North have yet again surpassed themselves, and made something that is both epic and very innovative. This episode's focus on high-end night life contrasts with the biker gangs portrayed in The Lost and Damned, whilst giving us a lot of new gameplay possibilities.

Grand Theft Auto IV's second downloadable episode, The Ballad of Gay Tony injects Liberty City with an overdose of guns, glitz, and grime. As Luis Lopez, part-time hoodlum and full-time assistant to legendary nightclub impresario Tony Prince (aka "Gay Tony"), players will struggle with the competing loyalties of family and friends, and with the uncertainty about who is real and who is fake in a world in which everyone has a price." - Rockstar Games

Rockstar plans to release the second episode later this fall on Xbox LIVE for $19.99 or 1600 MS points, which will require players to have GTA IV for Xbox 360 and Xbox Live membership to download. However, Rockstar is also releasing a compilation entitled, Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City, which will include both expansion episodes together on a single disc exclusively for Xbox 360 and will not require a copy of the original GTA IV to play. The compilation is set to go for US$39.99.

By Sean Mirkovich

Posted by Scott Bartley at 10:43 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

The new ”Mission Variety„ trailer for the upcoming Prototype has been released. If you want to see how the game play works, and how you can use your powers you should check the video after the jump. The director from the game also explains how the different powers work, as well as emphasizing that over-the-top action must be matched with over-the-top missions.

Full video after the jump

Posted by Jan Birkeland at 1:46 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 )

local system builder Playtech have teamed up with Microsoft-sponsored Team Sidewinder to kick off the first ever Lan Jam in Auckland. The event should see a good mix of competetive and casual gamers, if you're in the area (North Shore) for the 16th and 17th of May, feel free to pop in for a look and some hands on gaming.

If you want to compete you have to sign up, details on the games and specs on the machines after the jump. Note that the PC's used for this will go on sale after the even, at ridiculous prices.

Hit the jump for more details -->

DATE: 7pm Friday 15th to 6pm Sunday 17th May
LOCATION: Playtech Albany
SEATS: 40 SEAT PC LAN + Xbox Stations
COMPETITIONS: Halo Wars (xbox), Call of Duty 4, Team Fortress 2, Left 4 Dead.
COST: $20 entry fee.
PRIZES: Cash and Product Prizes supplied by Microsoft, Playtech, Gamevault and Red Bull.

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS AND DRAWCARDS
All 40 Top Spec'd PC’s provided by Playtech - all NEW equipment provided meaning games played on a level playing field - just turn up and play! (see specs below)
All xbox consoles and big screen TV’s provided - Halo Wars and other xbox games.
PC competitions organsied and run by Gamevault
Cash and Product Prizes supplied by Microsoft, Playtech, Gamevault and Red Bull.
Red Bull Hummer will be there on Saturday for night time 10m x 10m building projection console gaming action.
Game Planet Halo Wars ladder lead up to find 20 players to play the 2 best TSW players.
BBQ outside the store
Clearnet coverage including interviews and online video coverage
TSW players at event to compete against entrants.
Playtech in store specials for Lan competitors
COMPETITION FORMAT
Double Elimination for all Competitions
Sign up for Comps will be Fri Night / first thing Sat Morning.
Matches to start early Sat morning.
PLAYTECH PC RIG SPEC'S
Intel Core 2 Duo E7400
4GB DDR2-800 memory
Thermaltake V9 Gaming Case
Brand new 40nm GPU from ATI with 512MB GDDR5 (yet to be released to Market)
Microsoft x6 Gaming Keyboard
Microsoft x8 Gaming Mice
Microsoft Lifechat 3000 Gaming Headsets

SIGN UP HERE http://www.teamsidewinder.com/forums...topic=7525&hl=

Posted by Jan Birkeland at 1:10 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )