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Max Payne 3 Screenshots Display a Dramatic Evolution in Graphics

Jonathan Leack — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 05:32:09 +0000

The Max Payne series disappeared for a few years after its second release in 2003, but rumbling and rumors turned into reality when a trailer was released only weeks ago. While the video’s emotion and action was a sight to behold for fans, nothing beats some nice high-definition screenshots, which we just so happen to have as well.

There are eight new Max Payne 3 screenshots, all rendered in-game, which can be seen below.

The power of new PlayStation hardware really shows in these screenshots, and it’s especially dramatic since we haven’t seen the series in almost eight years. Max Payne 3 will feature the same voice actor, James McCaffrey, as in the two previous games, and he will even be used for motion capture to deliver a powerful narrative. With Rockstar Games’ years of experience in their belt, this could turn out to be a real blockbuster when it releases in March of next year.

Pachter: GTA Won’t Maintain Position as Biggest Mainstream Franchise

Matt Baker — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 08:44:18 +0000

Grand Theft Auto is arguably the biggest mainstream franchise in gaming, but with Activision’s Call of Duty: Black Ops outselling GTA IV and the franchise raking in billions, its position is in jeopardy. Analyst Michael Pachter believes that, with the Call of Duty series receiving such success (especially with a yearly installment), Rockstar’s GTA IP will lose its place as the biggest mainstream franchise in the market.

Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter confidently told IndustryGamers:

Call of Duty is bigger, and GTA will not maintain its position as the world’s biggest mainstream franchise.

Pachter then said:

Eventually, Call of Duty may suffer from fatigue, and GTA could keep chugging along, but it will be 8 years before we can make that call.

The yet to be announced Grand Theft Auto V is largely believed to see a release in 2012. Analysts predict that the game will launch in late 2012 at the very earliest, and it’s hard to argue with that as it’s difficult to see Rockstar releasing the game near Max Payne 3‘s scheduled March, 2012 launch.

Max Payne 3 Brings the Pain Next March

Cameron Teague — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 16:22:31 +0000

Max Payne 3 has a new expected release window, as Take-Two Interactive has announced that the game will be releasing March 2012 in North America and Europe. Things have been fairly quiet for some time, ever since it was pushed back to allow for more polish, but now it looks like Max Payne 3 is finally nearing release.

Rockstar founder Sam Houser had the following to say about Max Payne 3:

Max Payne 3 gave us an amazing creative opportunity to evolve one of our most iconic characters. We’re excited to show fans a modern version of Max that pulls them back into his dark and twisted story.

Max Payne 3 is a collaboration of efforts from all of Rockstar Games’ global development teams and once again follows New York City detective Max Payne, who is now working private security for a wealthy family. Gangs have targeted the family he is protecting, leaving Max with the only option of killing everyone taking aim at his protected target. The game is said to be using a brand new iteration of Rockstar’s own Advanced Game Engine and the latest in Natural Motion physics.

Do you think that Max Payne 3 will make it’s March 2012 release and are you excited about the game?

Giddy Up With Free Red Dead Redemption DLC

Josh Fernandes — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 05:47:22 +0000

Last year, Rockstar released Red Dead Redemption with much anticipation from gamers. The game featured large, expansive environments, fast-paced action, and all the cougars and grizzly bears you could skin. There was just one thing the game lacked: zombies. Five months after release, Rockstar released the “Undead Nightmare” DLC pack. The DLC included a new single player campaign, as well as new multiplayer content. It turns out, Rockstar is planning even more DLC goodies for its fans.

Rockstar has confirmed that they are releasing a free DLC pack titled, “Myths & Mavericks.” The DLC is planned to release sometime in September, and will contain “fan favorite” skins. One of the confirmed skins will be Landon Ricketts, the retired gunslinger that serves as a mentor to the main protagonist. The DLC pack will also contain new maps for many of the multiplayer modes. Rockstar has also confirmed that they are working on a patch to reintroduce the original Undead Overrun multiplayer mode and will release it “in the lead up” to the DLC pack. Rockstar stated they are releasing the DLC, ”as a show of appreciation for the awesome long-term support for the game’s multiplayer modes since its release in 2010.” Let us know in the comments if this DLC pack will entice you to put those spurs back on.

[Source]

Rockstar Pass Detailed, DLC Announced

Matt Baker — Tue, 31 May 2011 19:16:09 +0000

As promised, Rockstar Games has announced the details of their ‘Rockstar Pass’ for L.A. Noire. The publisher has also unveiled downloadable content plans for Team Bondi’s crime thriller.

The publisher has detailed its Rockstar Pass, which they said is a new way to pre-order DLC. The pass will give players access to all L.A. Noire‘s DLC for free as they are released on the PSN, and the pass will become available upon the PlayStation Store’s return for a limited-time price of $10.00, which is a 50% discount compared to purchasing the DLC by itself. The forthcoming downloadable content includes four cases (trophies will be included in the cases), two detective suits and a collectible challenge.

Additionally, Rockstar said all seven DLC packs that were only available via pre-order will be available via the Rockstar Pass and can be purchased individually:

The Badge Pursuit Challenge for $2.00
The Sharpshooter/ Broderick detective suits to download for $1.00
Both the Naked City Vice case and A Slip of the Tongue Traffic case will be $4.00

Rockstar also announced that two new cases will be releasing this summer on the PlayStation Network for $4.00; the “Nicholson Electroplating” Arson case (June 21, 2011) and the “Reefer Madness” Vice case (July 12, 2011). The publisher said on the two new DLCs:

Inspired both by famous noir fiction and real-life crimes taken straight from the headlines, these downloadable cases will provide unique experiences for players independent of the game’s primary storyline. All of the DLC will be available for purchase through the L.A. Noire Rockstar Pass, priced after the limited discount period at $12.00 (PlayStation Network)—a 40% discount off individual DLC pricing.

Finally, the Grand Theft Auto developer revealed free downloads for Rockstar Social Club members:

As a token of thanks to fans, members of the Rockstar Social Club will also receive a free download of the Chicago Lightning Detective Suit. In addition, Rockstar will unlock the Chicago Piano machine gun for free to all players via the PlayStation Network and Xbox LIVE. Both are available now. Registration to join the Social Club is free of charge and can be accessed at http://socialclub.rockstargames.com.

Here are all the release date for the Rockstar Pass’ content:

Chicago Lightning Detective Suit (Social Club only) – May 17;
L.A. Noire Rockstar Pass (limited-time discount price) – May 31;
“The Naked City” DLC case – May 31;
“A Slip of The Tongue” DLC case – May 31;
Broderick Detective Suit and Gun – May 31;
Sharpshooter Detective Suit and Gun – May 31;
The Badge Pursuit Challenge – May 31;
Chicago Piano Machine Gun (free community unlock) – May 31;
L.A. Noire Rockstar Pass (standard price) – June 14;
“Nicholson Electroplating Disaster” DLC case – June 21;
“Reefer Madness” DLC case – July 12.

Will you pick up the Rockstar Pass, or are you angry that you still have to pay for some of the DLC? Share your thoughts below.

Rockstar’s Agent Still in Development Confirms Take Two

Matt Baker — Tue, 24 May 2011 22:41:27 +0000

After over one year of not hearing a single word on Rockstar’s PlayStation 3 exclusive, Agent, countless gamers were worried if the mysterious game had been canned. Thankfully you can cast your worries aside, as publisher Take-Two Interactive has confirmed that Agent is very much alive.

Rockstar’s parent company, Take-Two Interactive, today carried out their fiscal earnings conference and were inevitably asked the question if Agent is still in development. They confirmed that it hasn’t been canned and is still on course for a release on the PlayStation 3.

Agent is a title that PlayStation 3 owners have been kept in the dark on ever since its E3 reveal two years ago. Both Rockstar and Sony have remained quiet about the game since its reveal, and with Rockstar saying they will not attend E3 2011, it is unlikely we will see the game at the trade show – unless it makes a surprise appearance during Sony’s five hour E3 event. The only details on Agent so far is that of which was revealed during its announcement at E3 09: the game features “espionage and political assassinations during the height of the Cold War at the end of the 1970s.”

[Via]

Cross Game Chat #39 – L.A. Noire Roundtable

Josh Fernandes — Tue, 24 May 2011 02:40:40 +0000

This week, our team does their first–hopefully of many–roundtable discussion of one of the most hyped games of the year: L.A. Noire. With the assistance of GameRev’s Daniel Bischoff, we attempt to provide not only our insights into the game and it’s place in gaming history, but also answer the eternal question: Should you buy this game?

Cam talks anime, PMC lays down the music recommendation, Josh gives a Jack Handey quote, and I make the pop-culture movie recommendation and keep it light with recommendation for the kids as well. All this and more in next exciting adventure of Cross Game Chat (yes I stole that from Robotech and would do it again).

Our News Stories:

Direct Download

iTunes

RSS

Finally, Cross Game Chat does its first ever roundtable. If you would like us to continue doing roundtable discussions on big name titles, send us an email to crossgamechat@playstationlifestyle.net. Our feature for next week will be our E3 predictions, so be sure to listen in or stop by JTV on Saturday, where you can watch the podcast live and chat with other gamers.

Cameron’s Anime Pick:

Nabari no Ou

PMC’s Music Pick

Nuttin’ but Stringz

Allen’s Pop-Culture Movie Picks:

Fist of Legend
Pete’s Dragon – for the kids

L.A. Noire Speculated to Sell Up To 4 Million Copies

Paulmichael Contreras — Thu, 19 May 2011 23:48:35 +0000

Rockstar and Team Bondi’s L.A. Noire released this past Tuesday in North America, with release due this Friday in Europe. Slated as an interactive movie more than a traditional video game, the detective adventure has been incredibly hyped, with it’s unique style and the strength of the Rockstar name making it one of this year’s biggest titles. One analyst has a prediction about the game’s sales that Rockstar Games is sure to like.

Talking to IndustryGamers, Arvind Bhatia, analyst for the Sterne Agee firm revealed his thoughts on the game’s sales potential:

We think the Street is expecting the title to sell 3 to 4 million units and so far the initial reviews seem to support this thinking. Our channel checks last week regarding pre-orders also indicated unit potential in the 3 to 4 million range.

Mr. Bhatia also pointed out that the game is currently the bestseller on Amazon.com, and has been on the top 100 list for about two months. This is likely a good indicator of the kind of sales to expected from the game.

Have you picked up L.A. Noire, or are you planning on picking it up soon? Let us know below.

Kojima Feels L.A. Noire May Change The Future of Gaming

Allen Tyson — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 01:12:29 +0000

With continued development on Snake’s saga in the Metal Gear Solid series, involvement with Metal Gear Solid :Rising and Sony’s upcoming NGP, Hideo Kojima appears to have very little time these days–not even including his new duties as VP of Konami Digital Entertainment.

So when Kojima-san is willing to take what little time he has to play what he calls “the only game” he’s looking forward to playing this year, both fans and non-fans of his work should take notice.

Hideo Kojima made a bold statement surrounding Team Bondi’s upcoming title L.A. Noire. In a recent tweet he stated that the game is more than just on his watch list: he thinks it could change the future of gaming. Kojima-san had this to say:

It seems that “L.A. NOIR” will be released in Japan on 7th July(the Star Festival). It is the most and the only game that I am looking forward to playing. English version will be released in May. I cannot wait, but as it is the detective game, I should wait for the Japanese version. This game may change the future of “adventure game.” I’ve got a big expectation!

If L.A. Noire performs well, it’s highly probable the best elements of that game could find themselves in the cinematic story-telling world that Kojima-san knows all to well. Fans of MGS may want to play L.A. Noire themselves…if just to get glimpse how their next game might be.

[Via]

Rockstar Teases “Much, Much More” on Max Payne, Releases New Screens

Sebastian Moss — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 21:34:50 +0000

Announced back in 2004, Rockstar has been rather silent about Max Payne 3, with the game missing its 2010 release target. Just when everyone started to fear the worst, the developer released a few images of the game and confirmed it was still alive. Now, not only has Rockstar released a few more screens of the game, they have promised that there is much more soon to come.

Over on Rockstar’s website, the developer teased: “Stay tuned for much, much more on Max…” and released the new screens of the game.

Sao Paulo's favelas are a stark contrast to its burgeoning metropolis...

The fight always seems to find Max.

Max reflects on his troubled past, while preparing for the storm ahead.

With E3 only a few months away, its not too far fetched to believe that the game could make an appearance at the show, but hopefully we will hear more about Max Payne even sooner.

Trailer Shows L.A. Noire is More Than Just Animations and Mysteries

Jonathan Leack — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 08:13:45 +0000

L.A. Noire has been a popular topic of discussion for the past few months, and you’ve likely heard that it’s a game composed of realistic presentation and mystery solving, but it’s more than that. The game also includes a ranking system to keep you working toward a goal, game-changing choices, violent combat with a variety of weapons, intriguing interrogations, and more. All of these elements culminate to provide a driven narrative with plenty of options. Perhaps the best way to explain it would be with a video, and thankfully Rockstar has provided a new trailer called “Rising Through the Ranks” which does just that.

The video below is made entirely using in-game footage of L.A. Noire, so be impressed:

L.A Noire is coming on May 17th in North America, and May 20th in Europe. We recently found out that the PlayStation 3 version will include an exclusive mission, so look out for the PS3 edition soon!

Find Clues in L.A. Noire’s Trophy List

Cameron Teague — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 19:11:56 +0000

Rockstar has revealed the trophy list for its upcoming Team Bondi developed crime thriller, L.A. Noire. The game will feature 40 trophies, including 9 hidden ones, and will feature trophies for such things as stopping suspects and interviewing suspects.

The full list below courtesy of the fine people over at Rockstar, but the developer did not specify which trophies were Bronze, Silver or Gold.

A Cop On Every Corner
Complete a single street crime case.

Johnny On The Spot
Respond to 20 street crime cases.

The Long Arm Of The Law
Complete all street crime cases.

The City Of The Angels
Reach 100% Game Complete.

The Up And Up
Complete a story case with a five star rating.

Shamus To The Stars
Complete all story cases with a five star rating.

The Brass
Achieve maximum rank.

Not So Hasty
Stop a fleeing suspect with a warning shot as an LAPD Detective.

Asphalt Jungle
Chase down and tackle a fleeing suspect on foot as an LAPD Detective.

Traffic Stop
Disable a suspect vehicle with help from your partner.

The Straight Dope
Use evidence to prove a lie as an LAPD Detective or Investigator.

One For The File
Find and inspect a clue as an LAPD Detective or Investigator.

Golden Boy
Clear a case finding every clue as an LAPD Detective or Investigator.

The Plot Thickens
Find and solve an inspection puzzle.

Lead Foot
Keep the needle above 80mph for more than ten seconds while driving.

Miles On The Clock
Drive more than 194.7 miles.

Wooden Overcoats
Bring down a total of 30 bad guys with head shots.

Dead Men Are Heavier
Shoot and kill a total of 100 bad guys.

Roscoe And Friends
Kill at least one bad guy with every gun.

Magpie
Find and inspect 95% of all clues.

The Shadow
Tail a suspect without being spotted, in a single case.

The Third Degree
Correctly branch every question in every interview in a single story case.

The Hunch
Use five intuition points in conversation with a single suspect, correctly branching each question.

Star Map
Discover all landmark buildings around the city.

Public Menace
Rack up $47,000 in penalties during a single story case.

The Moose
Tail Candy Edwards from the parking lot to her destination without using cover or going incognito.

Keep A Lid On
Complete a brawl without losing your hat as an LAPD Detective or Investigator.

Auto Enthusiast
Drive 5 different vehicles.

Auto Collector
Drive 40 different vehicles.

Auto Fanatic
Drive every vehicle in the city.

Hollywoodland
Find and inspect all gold film canisters.

Rockstar Registers More Hilarious Grand Theft Auto V URLs

Matt Baker — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 00:22:46 +0000

A few weeks ago, Grand Theft Auto creator Rockstar Games registered a batch of hilarious Grand Theft Auto V URLs. Then, more evidence pointing towards the existence of the yet-to-be-announced successor to GTA IV was unveiled – a voice actor seemingly confirmed the title. Now, Rockstar is teasing their fans once more by registering more amusing URLs.

Courtesy of the GTAForums, here is the full list of the domains registered by Rockstar:

babehardcore.com
baitman.com
bicyclecommuter.com
boobstop.com
californiahomesbyowner.com
carolinabrokers.com
cookinganything.com
couchparty.com
drcarlton.com
edrugs.com
famouszone.com
f*ckyew.com
getamexican.com
indepthappraising.com
justcanoe.com
loadoffmymind.com
pregnantandalone.com
majorflava.com
myrtlebeachattorney.com
outrageouslife.com
sexomy.com
stacysmail.com
thebetter.com
themaniacs.com
thetangible.com
thewhitefox.com
westernescapes.com
whattheysay.com

While most of these are pure gibberish, they certainly strike a familiar resemblance to the URLs registered for GTA IV.

Voice Actor Seemingly Confirms Grand Theft Auto V

Matt Baker — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 15:17:46 +0000

For the past few months the yet-to-be-announced Grand Theft Auto V has been hinted at several times in the form of tweets and job listings. Grand Theft Auto IV has, to date, sold more than an astonishing 20 million units alone, so it would only be common sense for Rockstar to be working on a successor to capitalize on the series’ phenomenal success yet again. Although the acclaimed developer has not spoken a word on the title, a tweet from a voice actor has seemingly confirmed the game’s existence.

American actor and comedian Gilbert Gottfried gave Grand Theft Auto fans delight when he recently tweeted:

just found out I’m voicing the lead in grand theft auto 5!

The tweet, however, has since been removed but was seen via the eagle-eyed folks over on The Noble Eskimo. Shortly after the tweet was taken down, the site proceeded to contact Rockstar North for any clarification on Gottfried’s involvement in the game. The developer failed to give any meaningful response; however, they did provide the with an image of a poster from a movie entitled Problem Child, a 1990 film which Gottfried played a part in.

It’s a well know fact that Grand Theft Auto V is being produced. It’s just a matter of how far along the game is in development and when Rockstar finally comes out and announces the game.

[Via]

L.A. Noire Main Story Takes ’25-30 Hours’ to Complete

Anthony Severino — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 16:06:22 +0000

Short single player campaigns are just one trend that has recently been plaguing the video game industry. Many developers forego the main story in order to spend more time building out online multiplayer modes and extend the life of the game. But not Rockstar and Team Bondi’s L.A. Noire — they’re focusing on providing a compelling story.

In typical Rockstar fashion, L.A. Noire features a massive open world. However, instead of Red Dead Redemption-style exploration, L.A. Noire will focus more on the narrative and main storyline.

During a closed-door PAX East demonstration for members of the press, Rockstar showed off the majority of one homicide case entitled, The Red Lipstick Murder. Along with playing through almost the entirety of one of the game’s 23 main “assigned cases”, a rep for Rockstar revealed that it will take roughly 25-30 hours to complete the main story. On top of the main story, there are “unassigned cases” that help build the backstory of secondary characters. These side stories will freeze the main story until they are completed. Additionally, the game will support DLC cases, some of which have already been announced as pre-order exclusives to retailers — all of which will eventually be made available to everyone via the PlayStation Store.

L.A. Noire is set for a May 17th release date in North America.