Sony Computer Entertainment America announced today that, as expected, Grand Theft Auto IV sales on the PlayStation 3 have been very strong and have drove sales of the console itself within the first 24-hours of launch.
“From our position, the launch of Grand Theft Auto IV has been tremendous in driving traffic to our stores, as well as providing a vigorous lift in PS3 console sales over this time last week. We attribute the growth to a huge fan base of PS2 owners who see this title as the trigger for the PS3 upgrade they’ve been planning,” said Bob McKenzie, Senior Vice President, Merchandising, GameStop Corp.
“I think brand loyalty is going to kick in for Sony, starting today,” said Wedbush Morgan industry analyst Michael Pachter. “There is a huge installed base of loyal PlayStation 2 owners who have been looking for a reason to upgrade, and they have strong previous ties to the Grand Theft Auto franchise on PlayStation platforms. Add to that a number of other big exclusive games for PS3, including Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, Metal Gear Solid 4, LittleBigPlanet, and SOCOM: Confrontation, to name a few, and it seems like Sony’s in a great position right now.”
“Grand Theft Auto fans who love the game grew up on PlayStation and we believe that rich heritage will be a deciding factor for many gamers at retail,” said Peter Dille, Senior Vice President, Marketing & PLAYSTATION Network. “This enthusiasm for Grand Theft Auto IV, combined with the excitement behind Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, Metal Gear Solid 4, LittleBigPlanet, and Resistance 2 will further drive PS3 hardware sales.”
With this and so many other AAA games coming out this year, you can't go wrong purchasing Grand Theft Auto IV on the PlayStation 3, or even getting the console for the game.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Grand Theft Auto IV Drove PlayStation 3 Sales
Madden NFL 09: Gillette Stadium Trailer
Electronic Arts released a new trailer today of Madden NFL 09. The new trailer showcases a game going on in the Gillette Stadium with the New York Giants playing the New England Patriots. Enjoy!
First Real Screenshots of Splatterhouse Surface
Tiscali Games have obtained the first real images of Namco Bandai and BottleRocket's upcoming Splatterhouse. The screens are quite violent and bloody. View them at the link.
[Splatterhouse Images]
Resistance 2: New Media Coming this Month
A new Insomniac Games e-mail update lets us know that due to upcoming media events this month, such as PlayStation Day on May 6, 2008, we are going to see some new images of their upcoming Resistance 2. We will update you next week when that occurs.
For those that want more on the game now, check out Bryan Intihar's blog where he does a Q&A on things such as the 60-player online feature.
Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3: Action Feature Trailer
Capcom's upcoming downloadable shooter, Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 is looking smooth in this new trailer released today. For our and Capcom's sake, we hope it doesn't turn out like Rocketmen. Enjoy the video!
WipEout HD will Feature In-Game Picture Taking
In a new interview with Studio Liverpool, they reveal a new feature for WipEout HD. The game will feature a Photo Mode, which will enable players at any point during a race to take a picture and save it on their PlayStation 3 HDD as a JPEG image. It's "make your own screenshot" in a game.
["A racing sensation unlike any other game."]
Grand Theft Auto IV: Yes, Apples are Fruits
[Flickr Find: Grand Theft Auto hides Apple and iPhone parody]
Grand Theft Auto II for PlayStation Network Countdown Timer on Official Website?
On the official Grand Theft Auto II website, a new countdown timer has appeared that ends in less than ten days. The logo for Grand Theft Auto II appears along with a Grand Theft Auto: London symbol. Could this mean we will be seeing this on the PlayStation Network soon? There have been rumors a while back. Why else would this old page be revived?
[GTA2] [Rockstar counting down to GTA2 on XBLA and PSN?]
Update: Debunked. It appears the clocks are just supposed to delay the current time but are glitching. The page hasn't been touched in years.
Grand Theft Auto IV: GT PS3 vs. Xbox 360 Comparison
The GameTrailers comparison for the two versions of Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto IV Is now up. There seems to be some good and some bad differences between the two. If you notice on the PlayStation 3 version, the GetaLife building pops-in, then out, such as that glitch in the Steinway Beer Garden. Rockstar should fix that. You decide for yourself, however.
LEGO Indiana Jones: Dangerous Times Trailer
LucasArts released a new trailer today for their upcoming Indiana Jones title, LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures. The new video showcases various gameplay in the game, such as elephant riding, motorbike riding, car chases, and fighting. Enjoy!
Metal Gear Solid 4: Revived Trailer
A new trailer for Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots was released today where we see a quick history of Metal Gear Solid and then we see Young Snake in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots in what seems to be a remake of Shadow Moses from the first game, with the headline coming up "Is it possible to Replay MGS!?". Well Kojima, is it!? We want to know now! Watch the trailer and enjoy!
Grand Theft Auto IV's Liberty City Gets Google Mapped
If you are still trying to find your way around Liberty City in Rockstar's recently released Grand Theft Auto IV, then this Google Map version of the city may help.
The Google map pinpoints many mission locations as well as all the restaurants, game places, streets and such for easy finding. View the map at the link.
[GTA 4 Liberty City Map]
US PLAYSTATION Store Update: May 1, 2008
Downloadable GamesEnjoy the update!Demos
- echochrome ($9.99)
Game Add-Ons
- Dark Sector demo (free)
Game Videos
- Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore Downloadable Songs ($1.49 each) (list of new songs)
- Rock Band Add-Ons
- “Zero” by Smashing Pumpkins ($1.99)
- “Time-Sick Son of a Grizzly Bear” by The Mother Hips ($1.99)
- “Red Tandy” by The Mother Hips ($1.99)
Themes and Wallpapers
- echochrome trailer (free)
- NBA Ballers: Chosen One TV Spot (free)
- Turok "Bring It" Trailer (free)
- Turok - "Kane" Gameplay Trailer (free)
- Dead Space Announcement Trailer (free)
- Dead Space Ship Date Trailer (free)
- Kung Fu Panda Trailer (free)
- Battlefield: Bad Company Redford Blog (free)
- Wyclef’s “Fast Car” Music Video (free)
- echochrome wallpapers (4) (free)
- Kung Fu Panda wallpapers (3) (free)
PLAYSTATION Store Worldwide
EU PLAYSTATION Store Update: May 1, 2008
The European PlayStation Store updated just a bit ago, and we have the list of new content for you below. Not much, really.
PSP Games
- Ape Quest (£8.99)
Demos
- Ape Quest Starter Pack (free)
Add-ons
- Need for Speed Pro Street - Bugatti Veyron (£1.99)
- Need for Speed Pro Street - Mclaren F1 (£1.99)
- Need for Speed Pro Street - Premium Car Pack (£3.49)
- Need for Speed Pro Street - Premium Car Pack 2 (£3.49)
- Snakeball - Team Mode Pack (£1.99)
- Kane & Lynch: Dead Men - Fragile Alliance Maps (free)
Theatrical Trailers
-Iron Man trailer (free)
Themes and Wallpapers
- Dark Sector Theme (free)
- Rainbow Six Vegas 2 Theme (free)
- HAZE Theme (free)
- HAZE Wallpaper (free)
Rockstar Working "Around the Clock" on PlayStation 3 Grand Theft Auto IV Fix
According to a Take-Two Customer Support, Rockstar Games are working "around the clock" to fix the freezing issues some have experienced in Grand Theft Auto IV.
The rep said "A patch is being worked on around the clock to address the issues. It's bound to be. That's how they address this sort of thing. It is being worked on. We're looking into it. You will hear from us if a patch is released. A patch is usually the way it's been done."
The Rockstar rep also offered some help on how to possibly stop the freezing. One would be removing the installed game data then reinstalling it, that worked for me as I got no more freezing after that. It would do it quite frequently before that. There are others that aren't so much fun, but I recommend that one. We will update you when this patch is released.
[Rockstar working "around the clock" on PS3 GTA 4 fix]
Valkyria Chronicles: New Gameplay and Cinematic Videos
SEGA has released three new videos of their upcoming RPG (already released in Japan), Valkyria Chronicles. The new trailers show two pieces of gameplay, along with one cinematic video. Enjoy!
