The old and unwieldy GTA4 thread*

[RobertR1]

So it Looks like Microsoft has finally announced what it's Exclusive DLC deal w/ Rockstar really means, according to Microsoft each episode of DLC content will be equal to the games San Andreas and Vice City for Ps2/Xbox. They have also stated that Digital Downloads will be the new way to deliver the GTA "Expansions."

So it looks like with this new announcement if you were planning on playing the Vice City/San Andreas versions of GTA IV the 360 is the Definitive version to get, with the first expansion arriving as early as Fall this year and the next one to follow-up in 2009.

GTAIV DLC

* When MS says exclusive, they mean that no other system can have DLC content for GTAIV

* It will be bigger than a lot of people think. GTA3 Vice City and San Andreas were basically expansions of GTA3. Think of the DLC that way. We are talking major expansion for GTAIV
* No price has been discussed yet. It's up to Rockstar on whether or not they will charge for it
* If successful, DLC may be the new way to deliver GTA expansions

http://www.n4g.com/xbox360/News-114529.aspx

 

[dobwal]

You think that MS would really hype these massive expansions even before GTA4 hits as a way to definitely push the 360 GTA4 as the must have sku.

When I say hype I mean more details other than they are "big" and "exclusive".

 

[RobertR1]

Perhaps they'll do a price drop with exclusive marketing rights and strong push as it gets closer to release?

 

[AlNom]

Geebus... that's still pretty big for an expansion. With new cities, they can't be reusing a significant amount of assets from Liberty City. They have to be promoting larger hard drives. Aren't Vice City and San Andreas a few gigabytes each? And that's with low resolution assets too...

 

[-tkf-]

You think that MS would really hype these massive expansions even before GTA4 hits as a way to definitely push the 360 GTA4 as the must have sku.

When I say hype I mean more details other than they are "big" and "exclusive".

And sell more xboxes with Harddrives

Ironic that this exclusive deal is on the platform where the hardware is not included.

Still sounds like some major additions but excuse me for being sceptic. The way it´s presented it seems like several "full" games exclusively on one platform and all in downloadable form.

 

[Zassk]

You think that MS would really hype these massive expansions even before GTA4 hits as a way to definitely push the 360 GTA4 as the must have sku.

They probably want to produce enough consoles to sell before they push this.

 

[wco81]

MS paid $50 million for the exclusive content and Rockstar may charge on top of it?

It will be the same Vice City and San Andreas content with higher resolution and graphics?

Maybe Rockstar will think that if they give the DLC for free, it could compete with future GTA shrink wrap games.

 

[AzBat]

I didn't read it as GTA IV DLC including Vice City or San Andreas. I read it that the content will be _like_ the size of those games. So more like they'll be adding more suburban cities to the existing Liberty City.

* It will be bigger than a lot of people think. GTA3 Vice City and San Andreas were basically expansions of GTA3. Think of the DLC that way. We are talking major expansion for GTAIV

Tommy McClain

 

[Tap In]

I didn't read it as GTA IV DLC including Vice City or San Andreas. I read it that the content will be _like_ the size of those games. So more like they'll be adding more suburban cities to the existing Liberty City.



Tommy McClain

of course

It is to be read as each of those cities size are an "example of the scope" of those extended maps which would comprise each of the DLC packs.

 

[AlNom]

If they're going to be as big of a release as Vice City or San Andreas, it'd be pretty silly not to have retail packaging... And if they're going to promote the Arcade as the cheapest route to playing GTA, then simultaneously promoting the fact that they have exclusive DLC is rather inane (not to mention evil). (edit: ...people who buy Arcade would have to buy a stupidly priced hard drive)

On such a scale, one would be looking at several gigabytes worth of material per "pack". That's just as enticing to 20GB SKU owners as shoving a finger up a pie hole and adding some lube just to make it easier; the pie hole still gets the finger.

[/rant]

 

[Brad Grenz]

Hmm. Exclusive DLC big enough to be it's own game... I wonder if we'll just end up with PS3 versions being sold on discs. That would be kinda funny.

MS paid $50 million for the exclusive content and Rockstar may charge on top of it?

No, MS loaned Rockstar $50 million against expected sales of these DLC expansions. If less than $50 million dollars worth are sold the money has to be repaid to MS. There was never any suggestion the new content would be free to gamers.

 

[bRoNx]

No, MS loaned Rockstar $50 million against expected sales of these DLC expansions. If less than $50 million dollars worth are sold the money has to be repaid to MS. There was never any suggestion the new content would be free to gamers.

This is what I find most confusing! AFAIK, MS got the exclusive deal by paying R* $50m - except MS expect to have this money paid back either by sales, or topped up by R*.

So how exactly does R* benefit from this? I'm sure I've missed something along the way!

And as for the episodic content, I don't think it'll be the Vice City/San Andreas equivalent - as in the episodic content being like GTA4.1 and 4.2, but rather they'll just be either extra cities for the first game, or more likely, just extra side stories to further expand on the background of some characters (like their lives leading up to GTA4).

This way, the experience for those who purchase the game on PS3 will still be complete (story-wise), but won't get the extras. Kinda like movies on DVD - both versions will have the full movie, but the 360 will have deleted scenes, alternate endings, the music videos, and all other goodness that falls under 'Special Feature' in the DVD menu.

 

[DJ12]

Weren't take two in the mire not long ago?

a $50 million "no interest" loan for a couple more hours of gameplay seemed like a good way to tide them over until GTA 4 sorts their cashflow out.

 

[sevanig]

I think that 50 mill helped make the ps3 version
And also delayed the game...

 

[DuckThor Evil]

Well to me it seems rather obvious that the expansions are probably rather substantial, considering that news + the 50 million paid... I don't understand how some you can talk about "minor side missions" or "few hours" of gameplay after that.

To me it sounds like the add ons are probably going to be around 30$ and offer proportional (full game is about 60$ so 1/2 of that) amount of content.

 

[-tkf-]

Well to me it seems rather obvious that the expansions are probably rather substantial, considering that news + the 50 million paid... I don't understand how some you can talk about "minor side missions" or "few hours" of gameplay after that.

To me it sounds like the add ons are probably going to be around 30$ and offer proportional (full game is about 60$ so 1/2 of that) amount of content.

I think the honest answer is that until we see the actual expansion (most likely/early late 2008 right around XMAS) noone will really know what exactly is going on.

I mean, DLC with a Cap of 150MB, 20GB harddrives, games the size of the orginal Vice City. Exclusive multiplayer content. It´s all over the place. And with APB on the horizon GTA4 will have to pull something special in regards to Multiplayer content to stay fresh.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Well to me it seems rather obvious that the expansions are probably rather substantial, considering that news + the 50 million paid...

Except it wasn't paid. It's not right to say people should expect $50 million worth of GTA content. That's like an MGS4 and an Uncharted or a Gears and a Halo...a LOT of money! That much on expansions would be crazy!

They are clearly going to be large extras as they are said to be of the size of previous full-disk games (unless that's a fib). The question is the nature of the content. As downloads, they can't be whole new areas because they'd be flippin' massive. If it's of the size of GTA-VC, that's several gigs last gen. And if we're talking GB sizes, that raises the idea of it being available as non-download content for PS3. If the content is small enough to fit an acceptable download size, then it can't be massive new areas so much as reusing game assets to build other parts of the city or similar, and if you're reusing assets then the size shouldn't be massive by any stretch.

Because of these uncertainties, we're faced with the possibility that XB360 won't be the only place for the best possible GTA experience because it may you you can get all the same content on other platforms, just not as downloads. Which is the crux here. If the content does remain platform unique, then XB360 does have the bigger experience.

 

[archangelmorph]

Except it wasn't paid. It's not right to say people should expect $50 million worth of GTA content. That's like an MGS4 and an Uncharted or a Gears and a Halo...a LOT of money! That much on expansions would be crazy!

They are clearly going to be large extras as they are said to be of the size of previous full-disk games (unless that's a fib). The question is the nature of the content. As downloads, they can't be whole new areas because they'd be flippin' massive. If it's of the size of GTA-VC, that's several gigs last gen. And if we're talking GB sizes, that raises the idea of it being available as non-download content for PS3. If the content is small enough to fit an acceptable download size, then it can't be massive new areas so much as reusing game assets to build other parts of the city or similar, and if you're reusing assets then the size shouldn't be massive by any stretch.

I'm intrigued why you're looking at it in terms of assets?

When they announced extra content for the 360 version, the first thing that immediately struck me was "GTA IV: Liberty City Stories I & II" it makes the most sense as an extention to the game by adding full feature/game length "episodes" which reuse 98% of the current game content whilst adding maybe a few more characters, vehicles, maybe a weapon or two..

I'm pretty sure this would be relatively small asset-wise, definitely small enough to fit into a download & yet still provide an extra 20-30 hours a piece of extra play..

 

[Shifty Geezer]

I agree. We just don't know for sure though.

 

[....]

Weren't take two in the mire not long ago?

a $50 million "no interest" loan for a couple more hours of gameplay seemed like a good way to tide them over until GTA 4 sorts their cashflow out.

Maybe that's true, but I can't see how they could have gotten into financial problems, with san andreas not too long ago, the psp gtas, psp-ps2 gta ports.

I'm also sure sony must have had foward-looking contracts with them during the profitable ps2 period(vice city, san andreas). IF they let this go, it probably was for a reason.

I also hope the radio is not too crippled due to having to fit on a single 7~GB xbox 360 disc. I've not heard as much buzz about it as I heard on previous gta's, always increasing the number of hours of music and content on radio from sequel to sequel, maybe part of the 50$ million was to insure the ps3 didn't get more radio on its version.

As for the content, the pc mod community is likely to clone this exclusive content and pass it off under the table, along with other goodies like improved HD textures. In regards to console, future gta sequels with more cities and more radio stations, are likely to be solid on only one platform, the one with the better controller, imho I prefer to have collected the series where I know they'll each come in a single disc.