GTA 5 Confusion With Next-Gen Employment

You have to hand it to Rockstar Games, as they give us a little information regarding Grand Theft Auto V and gamers try to find every morsel of news they can – and who can blame them? Even though the developer has been a little bit quiet of late, this has not stopped a number of rumors from surfacing, but are they now bordering on the ridiculous.

Take the idea of MotionScan, there has not been any proof Rockstar would implement this in GTA 5, but for some reason a few people hang on to the hope it will happen – even if it looks as though it will not. This now leads us to another piece of news, which was made official by Rockstar themselves.

On their website they are looking for environment artists to help design games for next-gen consoles. As you can imagine, this has now started a huge debate, as there seems to be some confusion thinking this next-gen employment has something to do with GTA 5 – but can you really blame them?

One article has reported the simple facts, but then asks if this job listing could have anything to do with the next Grand Theft Auto game, or even Red Dead Redemption 2? However, we were intrigued with what we read here, as they suggest GTA V could be coming to the Wii U. There are two things to argue this; the first is many gamers believe the Wii U not to be next-gen and the second; development of the game has to be far along now – unless it is launched on Nintendo’s upcoming console a little down the line?

Nowgamer has a feeling that GTA V will be released on the next Xbox, as it looks as though Microsoft are a lot further in development than Sony is with the PS4. There’s still the possibility of an E3 announcement for the former, as Sony has said they will not mention the next PlayStation at all during the gaming event in the summer.

We have to remember not to get ahead of ourselves here, as Rockstar has not stated Grand Theft Auto at all in the job listing; as well as their one they advertised last week to test an upcoming game.

GTA IV Wallpaper

GTA IV Wallpaper

GTA 5: Characters that could crossover

There has been some talk on the characters that will appear in GTA 5, as it has been said the game will be set in a different universe to previous versions. However, from what we are now being told, there could be a few characters that could crossover from GTA IV.

The idea of any other characters from earlier versions of Grand Theft Auto, such as 2 or 3 would not work in the upcoming version, as they are considered to be from a different universe; well that’s what’s being suggested in an article here. Each series seems to occupy a different universe, so the idea of crossovers from anything older that GTA 4 is something that would be a little hard to achieve. So for those of you who assumed they saw CJ in the GTA V trailer could wrong.

However, there is a possibility of Liberty City characters also making a showing in GTA V. This will surely be when the fun starts, as those anxiously waiting for the release of Rockstar’s anticipated game will now play a guessing game as to which character will make the cut from the two earlier versions of the franchise.

The main reason characters from Liberty City might make a showing in GTA V is because they were very much part of Grand Theft Auto 4. However, there will not be many from LC, as most of them are now dead.

Obviously Niko Bellic is a main contender to reprise his role, as well as the possibility of Jonathan “Johnny” Klebitz coming back; okay he was involved in a deal that saw him go off with Bellic’s money, but he managed to stay under the radar.

Knowing that GTA V is high def like GTA IV does narrow down the list of returning characters, this could mean Jerry Kapowitz is also in with a chance to return. It’s funny how many arguments concerning the characters of Grand Theft Auto V has caused, and for many gamers it all seems a bit pointless. Most of those who might return will have different roles to play; it’s knowing if they will be big or small. However, there’s no harm in guessing and you may have another year to keep asking who those characters will be.

GTA 5: HD Universe 'Not The Same As San Andreas' - Rockstar

Rockstar confirms how it defines the different versions of the GTA world.

GTA 5 will likely be set in a completely different 'universe' to previous GTA games - except for GTA 4, Rockstar has suggested.

The info comes from a Q&A last month when the developer confirmed how it cassifies the different 'universes' the GTA series occupies.

Answering a question about the referencing of characters across GTA 3 and GTA 4 the developer replied: "El Burro is referenced as he was also referenced in GTA 1, so it felt appropriate that he should cross “universes” – the “universes” are the worlds interpreted at different definitions, 2d, 3d and high definition, so we felt brands and radio / back ground characters would exist in both, but 3 dimensional characters would not.

"This is the logic (as far as it could be considered logical) behind it – so no, we don’t believe any GTA3 characters could exist in the GTA4 universe."

By Rockstar's logic the only key characters that could crossover into GTA 5 would be those from GTA 4, as well as The Episodes from Liberty City.

It sounds as if Rockstar does make fun exceptions, but those that think they spotted San Andreas character CJ in the GTA 5 announcement trailer may be out of luck.

GTA 5 MotionScan gives mixed reactions

The idea of having MotionScan in GTA 5 is a subject matter that doesn’t want to go away. The topic has had mixed reactions from some gamers, so why all the fuss? The moment Rockstar released the first official trailer for Grand Theft Auto V all the rumors of what to expect from the upcoming version were coming left, right and center, and top of the list was MotionScan. The reason for this was because of the face details when you see close-ups in the trailer, but that’s not proof it was or will be used.

The use of this technology in GTA V is a nice idea, one that has gained traction over the past month or so. However, we need to get real for a moment. For Rockstar to implement MotionScan in their upcoming game would take too long, as they would have to sit down with all the actors involved and go through the process of capturing them.

Knowing the scope of this game would mean thousands of actors would have to go through this process, unless the use of the technology is only used for important characters within the game? It’s no secret that this happened with LA Noire, but the big difference is GTA is a much larger game.

Another downside is memory; as using MotionScan would take a lot of it and we know how developers would much rather use the memory for other aspects of a game. There is one other important factor we need to consider, some readers have suggested that Rockstar has already confirmed they have no intention to use the technology – although we have no account that they ever said such a thing. However, it would make sense considering how long it would take – unless they have been working on the game for much longer than we thought?

Don’t get us wrong, we would love to see MotionScan used in GTA V; due to the fact that it gave L.A Noire added realism. An article here believes that the use of MotionScan would distract gamers from what makes Grand Theft Auto games so great, and that is the drama, and satirical humor, but would you agree with that?

There has been speculation that GTA V will not be released until 2013, but a recent job listing on Rockstar North for game testers would prove otherwise. The biggest debate regarding this game is its release date, and going on a 2012 release it could give the next Call of Duty game a run for its money, but would you agree?

What rumors have you heard for Grand Theft Auto 5, which are almost impossible to happen, in your opinion?

GTA 5 in May means 2013 Release Date

Two impressive launches on the way from Rockstar Games include GTA 5 and Max Payne 3, and while a release date has been confirmed for the new Max Payne game, the same cannot be said for Grand Theft Auto V.

The big month of May – It’s the view of some blogs that GTA 5 may see a knock-on effect from the launch of Max Payne 3 in May, and this month is likely one some publishers are known to avoid considering the big titles Rockstar plan during May.

This article takes a look at some of the sales in May for previous titles, like L.A. Noire and Red Dead Redemption, and also studies the time left for GTA 5 to release in 2012. They look at the potential for the next Grand Theft Auto game to come in early 2013, which we’ve heard before with certain release dates on pre-orders. Analysts are split on a release window with some expecting the title next year, and others (Michael Pachter) believing GTA 5 would be targeted at Christmas 2012.

Take-Two likes big game releases in May, so does this mean May 2013? We know Max Payne 3 is the big game for May this year, and history shows us this is the best month for Take-Two when it comes to their biggest games, which they don’t come much bigger than Grand Theft Auto 5. You can see 2010 NPD results for Red Dead Redemption on PS3 and Xbox 360 here, which shows the level of success partly thanks to a May release. This year saw L.A. Noire take the top spot in the same month, and we’re sure GTA 5 would achieve much more than these two games with a May release.

When would you like to see GTA V released, and also when do you think Take-Two would like it? Most analysts are pretty sure the game would come before the end of Take-Two’s next financial year, which would be before April next year but we find it hard for Take-Two to want anything other than a May release considering past success. You can see a couple of videos below, the first is a new video from Max Payne 3’s Design and Technology Series and the second shows the GTA 5 trailer once again.

You can read some more GTA 5 release analysis in this article, which looks at the months of September and October this year. Those of you wanting to play the PS3 demo of Mass Effect 3 should read this article that points to Valentine’s Day. If you’re thinking of getting the Wii U then you might be interested in rumors pointing to GTA 5 launching on Wii U as well.

In Summary: If GTA 5 is going to launch in Take-Two’s favorite month of May, then it looks like you’ll have to wait until May 2013.

Grand Theft Auto III Tops iPhone Sales Chart

Every week, we rounds up the top-grossing iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad applications, as current that day in the iTunes App Store. This week's U.S. revenue charts see Grand Theft Auto III and Kick the Buddy earning top iPhone sales, while Battle Nations and The Sims: FreePlay emerge as big sellers on the iPad.

These charts allow end users to see who is making the most money on the App Store that day. It differs significantly from the Top 10 Games chart, which is ranked by sales, and therefore is dominated by lower-priced titles that sell more copies.

Data comes courtesy of Apple's public sales information. All titles in the App Store's "Games" category are considered in chart rankings.

This week's top-grossing iPhone titles are:

1. Grand Theft Auto III ($4.99)
2. Poker by Zynga (Free)
3. DragonVale (Free)
4. Kick the Buddy ($0.99)
5. Infinity Blade II ($6.99)
6. Angry Birds ($0.99)
7. Card Ace: Casino (Free)
8. Tiny Tower (Free)
9. Modern War (Free)
10. Social Girl (Free)

Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto III heads the iPhone's revenue charts in its debut week, unseating last week's sales leader Infinity Blade II. Poker by Zynga continues to generate brisk microtransaction sales at second place, as Backflip's DragonVale takes third in today's rankings.

App Store newcomer Kick the Buddy ranks in at fourth place thanks to an especially popular free trial version, while Crowdstar's latest simulation title Social Girl premieres at tenth.

Here are this week’s top-grossing iPad applications:

1. Battle Nations (Free)
2. The Sims: FreePlay (Free)
3. Angry Birds HD ($4.99)
4. DragonVale (Free)
5. Card Ace: Casino HD (Free)
6. Modern War (Free)
7. Grand Theft Auto III ($4.99)
8. Smurfs' Village (Free)
9. Sonic CD ($1.99)
10. Infinity Blade II ($6.99)

Z2Live's war-themed simulation title Battle Nations leads the iPad's top-grossing apps chart for the second week in a row, while last week's second-highest earner Infinity Blade II drops to tenth place in today's rankings.

Grand Theft Auto III only manages to earn seventh place despite a strong showing in this week's iPhone results, meanwhile, as Sega's recently ported platformer Sonic CD claims ninth in its first week of release.