Rock, Paper, Shotgun

Well, finally on the PC. It’s still as un-PC as ever. Manhunt 2 is finally coming to the PC on Direct Download (with no retail release). Well, apparently it is. It doesn’t appear to be on Direct2Drive’s site in the UK, but this link will apparently work for yanks. Bar that fact it exists, what’s interesting is the fact it’s actually the full uncut game. So rather than the neutered experience that was finally released on the consoles to get its M rating, we’ll get the game which allows you to neuter people with a big ol’ pair of pliers (or similar things of equal violence). Also 3D monitor support, but I don’t know what that means. I barely know what “monitor” means. I’ll ask Alec when he gets back from holiday.

In other notes, yes, the lead character looks like yours truly if the word “gym” wasn’t as unfamiliar to me as “monitor”.

(All the images in this post click through to the full size version.)
Mr Payne is older, twelve years older, and living in Brazil. He’s no longer a cop with nothing to lose, and instead is a bodyguard for a wealthy Sao Paulo family. Rockstar have sent over a bunch of images of the new game, showing our favourite emotionally-tortured slow-mo diving dude in the process of dealing with Brazil’s unpleasantly-armed urban underworld. The game is being developed with the RAGE engine which powered GTA4, although with some modifications, including “brand-new particle physics technology to deliver spectacular, highly advanced close-quarters combat” and “an intelligent cover system”. Rockstar also report that “Bullet-Time, an addiction to painkillers, mature themes and Max’s ever-present internal monologue” will all be present in the new game. So that’s good.

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At least if the gossip spinning out of an alleged Game Informer cover story is to be believed. Via VG247, we have a low-res photo of said possible cover, showing Mr Payne looking more than a little worse for wear. A follow-up story on Deeko condenses what it claims are the salient points of the feature – our Max is down and out in Brazil, addicted to painkillers and living in a “fully-destructible world.” Sound plausible? And if it does, how do we feel about Rockstar moving the poor lad from his traditional home of New York to Latin America? Sounds good to me: potentially very colourful, as I’m not sure I can stand many more grim’n'gloomy-looking shooters.

Rockstar drops the first hint about the next installment of the grandaddy of slo-mo man-shoots:

Do you like beards? What about scars? Blood? A possible hint of a shaven head? Oh, we could talk about this for hours.

Um.
Hmm.
No, that’s it.

That Spore kerfuffle earlier in the year sure seems like spilt milk compared to Rockstar’s GTA IV balls-up. The multiple DRM systems have proven to be the least of the troubled port’s problems – seems Kieron was lucky to even get into the thing, never mind that half his graphics were AWOL.

Everyone’s having their own miseries with it, it seems. So, below the cut: a quickie poll to see how many of you lot are having problems with the game. That’s along with more ranting from me, and a list of the many fun Fatal Errors players are running into. I’m a victim of RMN40, which apparently means I need to install XP SP3. Problem is I’m running Vista. Nice!

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So – GTA’s out and its multi-step installation program is causing gnashing of teeth. Take this proper-AIM growl-piece, for example. As is only right, as it’s incredibly annoying. However, the main reason to justify the post was to stress… well, you only have to do the Rockstar online club thing if you want to play online games or upload stuff. After installing, you can skip a log-in to it to just play, saving a little time. Good luck. Of course, that doesn’t help my own particular problems…

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I think all of RPS have reviewed GTA4 PC for somebody or another – the only one I’m not sure about is Walker, and I think someone may have… actually, no, he hasn’t, apparently. Poor old Walker, eh? Anyway, while Jim’s hit the world of print, mine has hit the internet first, which means I win. I take apart the PC version for Eurogamer, mainly concentrating on the new stuff. And don’t worry, installation-worriers. I give a shout out for you. Go read here.

I also talk a load about music. RPS GTA4 mixtape, I suspect, will be incoming shortly.

IGN’s got a remarkably long Q&A up with some anonymous mouthpiece of the Rockstar hivemind, specifically detailing all the various copy protections and mandatory login guff next week’s murder simulator will require to install and run. There will, it seems, be quite a few barriers between you and your hooker-killing; the internet will not be happy.
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Rockstar, in preparation for the PC release of GTA IV on 2nd December, have released some sample movies to show off the in-game video editor. And they’ve gone bonkers.

Clearly a dream for the machinima crowd, the in-built tool will let you create your own mini-movies, which will then be shared on the Rockstar Social Club site.

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Grand Theft Auto 4 is set to appear on our boxy electronic workhorses on the 18th of November (21st in Europe, mysteriously). I wonder how many of you will be getting this on PC? Did anyone miss out on the consoles and actually wait for the PC version? I’d find it hard to argue against this being one of the best games this year, and so I’m genuinely glad it’s going to hit the PC – with “newly expanded multiplayer” – this side of Christmas. But it does beg the question: where are we going to find to fit this in around everything else that’s coming out on the PC this year? A tough conundrum, I know…

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