http://www.gtapsp.com/news/gtapsp.com.rss This RSS feed was generated out of the newsdatabase of GTAPSP.com website. http://www.gtapsp.com The latest (and probably final) PlayStation 2 Grand Theft Auto game is now available for purchase in all territories around the world.Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories sells for $19.99 in the United States and is rated M for Mature. In Europe you can pick it up for €29.99 or £19.99 if you live in the UK. The game is identical in content to the PSP version (which was released last year), with the exception that the multiplayer mode has been removed and the game should be smoother and feature crisper graphics and effects.It's the final step on the path to Grand Theft Auto IV which is coming in early 2008 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. http://www.gtapsp.com Rockstar Games have released the official trailer for the PlayStation 2 version of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. Check it out below: http://www.gtapsp.com French gaming website Jeux Actu have released four further screenshots of the PlayStation 2 version of GTA: Vice City Stories. Check them out below: You can now also find every screenshot on the new PS2 Gallery page. http://www.gtapsp.com One of the UK's top gaming websites, Eurogamer, has today managed to break Rockstar's silence about the precise nature of the PS2 version of GTA: Vice City Stories.Contradictory to what other websites have been claiming recently, the game will include no multiplayer modes whatsoever with the only improvements being a greater draw distance and enhanced "graphics" and performance.It's sounding more and more like this is a game being made only for those without PSP's - if you can swallow the lack of multiplayer support the game will be yours for just £19.99 when it goes on sale in early March.Source: Eurogamer http://www.gtapsp.com The Official US PlayStation Website has been updated and now carries the first three screenshots of Vice City Stories on PS2. Check them out below: Source: PlayStation.com (Thanks to GTAReactor!) http://www.gtapsp.com A quick check of online retailers has indicated that when Vice City Stories is released for PlayStation 2 in the UK it will be priced at the same £19.99 point as Liberty City Stories was last year. Both Gameplay and Play.com list this price although both are willing to ship the title for just £14.99.This would indicate that the pricing structure for the title will remain the same as Liberty City Stories globally. If this is the case the game will be $19.99 in the US and €29.99 across Europe. Presently, however, no retailers outside of the UK are offering the title for pre-order. http://www.gtapsp.com This one has been a long time coming. Rockstar Games today put an end to weeks of rumour mongering by announcing that GTA: Vice City Stories will be released for PlayStation 2 on March 6, 2007 in North America and March 9 in Europe.No specifics about the game have yet been disclosed and a price has yet to be announced. GTAPSP.com will provide coverage of this, the latest title in the Grand Theft Auto series.Press Release: Rockstar Games announces Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories for PlayStation®2 http://www.gtapsp.com The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) have again published a listing for GTA: Vice City Stories, which retains its 18 rating. The decision is likely in response to a submission of a PS2 version by Rockstar.Additionally, Australia's Office of Film & Literature Classification have also given the game the same rating as before - MA15+.I'm totally puzzled as to why Rockstar have not announced this title yet, as it's clearly in a very advanced stage development.BBFC: Vice City Stories Rated 18OFLC: Vice City Stories Rated MA15+ http://www.gtapsp.com Following on from earlier reports that Vice City Stories appeared on ESRB's website, the title has now appeared on PlayStation.com - the official home of the PS2 platform.Moreover though, the game now also has a model/serial number - a unique identifier that Sony awards to every title when it goes through the certification process. Vice City Stories on PS2 will be "SLUS-21590" in North America. This is the most compelling evidence yet that the game is coming to PS2 - these numbers are not invented unless they have a purpose. All that's missing from this story is an official press release, although I expect to see one of those soon.Game Page: Vice City Stories PS2 at PlayStation.com http://www.gtapsp.com Update: The listing has now disappeared from the official ESRB site. Make of that what you wish.I've been waiting a while to make my first mark on this site in 2007 and I think there will be a number of people pleased by this news - a PS2 port of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories is pretty much confirmed.The news comes from the official ESRB website which lists a PlayStation 2 version of the game with the same M rating and descriptors meaning that Rockstar has submitted this for rating.The only thing missing from this news post is an official press release - expect one of these very soon. As always, GTAPSP.com will be providing coverage of any ports, regardless of platform.PS: Look out for my coverage of Grand Theft Auto: IV which will be coming later this year. http://www.gtapsp.com Last night was a big night in the North American games industry - the annual Spike TV Video Game Awards were handed out to deserving winners in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, this year's Grand Theft Auto title, Vice City Stories, managed to pick up absolutely none of the three awards it was nominated for. It was beaten in the Best Soundtrack, Best Handeld Game and Best Supporting Actor by Guitar Hero 2, New Super Mario Bros. and James Galdolfini in The Sopranos respectively.Quite disappointing for Rockstar but I'm sure there's a good reason for it - the general public (who were able to vote directly for these awards) are tired of GTA and the series needs some new inspiration. I'm sure a GTA PSP title would win some awards if it introduced a new environment for players to explore.To view the full list of winners, click here. http://www.gtapsp.com Update: This offer has now closed.One of the UK's top online retailers, Play.com, have already banished GTA: Vice City Stories to their bargain bin, slashing a whole £15.00 off the street price.The move comes less than ONE WEEK after the release of the game and makes it one of the quickest titles ever to have such a great amount slashed off its price and it is almost certainly the first PSP title to see this sort of activity.The possible explanations for this are quite limited and would generally relate to overordering (deliberately or otherwise) on Play.com's part. As I pointed out on Tuesday, Vice City Stories hasn't been as popular as many would have hoped, thanks to lower-than-series-average review scores and poor word of mouth.Once again I take the opportunity to remind Rockstar Games that PSP is a very capable platform with a lot of die hard users - certainly an informed market who would respond well to a brand new (read: no more recycling) title appearing on the handheld.The price with Play.com appears to be valid only for today and is certainly not an error. Depending on the uptake of this offer, it may last longer. If you've not yet bought yourself a copy then £19.99 may be the price that gets you interested.Buy Now: Vice City Stories for £19.99 @ Play.comThanks to Gareth Morris for informing me! http://www.gtapsp.com Last year, one week after the release of Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, I was able to post an article about the success of that game in climbing to second place in the UK charts.This year though it's clear that UK gamers are becoming more and more savvy to Rockstar's annual recycling program. The game has only made it to number 6 in the all formats chart, beaten by the likes of Need For Speed: Carbon and even The Sims 2: Pets. Not to worry though, the game has sailed to the top of the PSP chart - quite a feat, what with the market being so cutthroat and titles like Open Season and 50 Cent Bulletproof to beat off.Want to do better next year, Rockstar? Make an original game with a new city and watch as both PSP system sales and your unit sales go through the roof.Expect to see Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories with a big red "REDUCED" sticker on it not far into the new year.Data Source: Chart Track http://www.gtapsp.com UK-based gaming site Eurogamer finally have a review of GTA: Vice City Stories today, ahead of the game's release in the country tomorrow.The final score given to this, the tenth game in the series was 8/10. A good score which any game developer would be very proud of and perhaps one of very few impartial reviews of the game online. Author Tom Bramwell claims that "a lot of Vice City Stories feels old" and that the only people who should really be buying it are those who haven't yet hit their "GTA ceiling".Full Review: GTA: Vice City Stories @ Eurogamer http://www.gtapsp.com EdisonCarter, in his seemingly endless quest to unearth every secret in every Grand Theft Auto title ever developed, has stumbed upon the first cheats for Vice City Stories. There's a lot of them and I've made some brand new images to illustrate the PSP's buttons.I'd also like to quash some nasty rumours that have been flying around the web recently. The release date for GTA: Vice City Stories in Europe, including the UK still stands as this Friday and the game WILL make this date. The only countries with a confirmed alternative date are Spain, Australia and New Zealand where the game launches on November 10th.Full Details: Vice City Stories Cheats http://www.gtapsp.com I've spent the past hour or so collecting all the information I could find about the Vice City Stories soundtrack. Being in the UK I can't get my hands on a copy of the game until this Friday but I've done my best (mainly using MTV Urge) to compile as complete a track listing as I can.See the track listing on the new Sondtrack page! http://www.gtapsp.com It's October 31st, Hallowe'en or whatever you want to call it which means that Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories is in stores in North America today. The game carries a suggested retail price of $49.99 and is rated M for Mature by the ESRB.Rockstar Games have today updated the official website of the game to include links to download the game's soundtrack on MTV's music service, Urge. If you already have this application installed and live in North America, click here to be taken right to the store to purchase or view the tracks. They will be available on iTunes in mid-November.It's also becoming clear today that Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories can be exploited using many of the common "homebrew" applications which are available on the web for PSP. One gamer who managed to pick up the game early at a market in France has managed to capture digital images of the game in action.These new images are the first to be released of the game which haven't been through a rigorous rendering process which overestimates the hardware's potential. These are a much more accurate representation of what the game will look like on your PSP than any screenshot released by Rockstar previously. There are 14 in total, a sampling of which you can see below: Check out the rest on the Screenshots page! >>Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories will be released this Friday, November 3rd in most countries in Europe and the following Friday, November 10th in Australia, New Zealand and Spain. http://www.gtapsp.com IGN.com, one of the only sites which has been consistently favoured by Rockstar over the years for releasing information about Grand Theft Auto games has finally posted its review of GTA: Vice City Stories.Overall they've given the game an "Outstanding" rating of 9.0/10. I've always taken IGN's reviews with a pinch of salt and with the many negative reviews and the knowledge that IGN have their feet well and truly under the Rockstar boardroom table, I'd have to say this is a very, very leniant score indeed.Review: Vice City Stories @ IGN http://www.gtapsp.com Brand new screenshots of Vice City Stories have just been sent out by Rockstar. All nine appear below: http://www.gtapsp.com Another review of Vice City Stories has been published online today. GamePro (who also publish a magazine of the same name in the United States) have given the game a rating of 3.75/5 which equates to a 75% score.Apparently the game fails to score a higher mark thanks to a poor storyline with lifeless characters and the failure on Rockstar's part to resolve many of the bugs which have plagued the series for years.Two years back in time has managed to knock much of the personality out of Vice City too according to the website but the soundtrack makes up for a lot of this.As I'm reading more and more reviews it's looking more like Vice City Stories will be a 'pick it up when the price has dropped' sort of game for many people and with such striking negative remarks from two websites now it's becoming hard for me to see anyone managing to justify the game's $50 price tag.There have been a few further confirmations from players who managed to get their hands on the game early today. Apparently Victor cannot dive under the water and is restricted to surface swimming only. You can't hijack the large jumbo jets seen in screenshots either.Review: Vice City Stories @ GamePro http://www.gtapsp.com The first copes of GTA: Vice City Stories are arriving with people in many places today, not just North America. Some stores appear to have broken the game's street date (officially, it's not supposed to go on sale until tomorrow in North America and Friday in Europe) and images of the game's packaging and in game photos have begun to appear online and in my mailbox. Some details:The game requires PSP firmware version 2.81 to play and will not launch on machines with a lower version. An update is included on the game disc.To be sure of being able to play right away tomorrow, download and install the latest firmware, version 2.82, from Sony today.It's a pretty safe bet that your $50 won't be going towards the salary of a level designer as the city appears to be VERY similar to the original Vice City in terms of layout.There is a pedal bicycle in the game and controls are said to be idential to San AndreasYou'll start out on the "second island" from Vice City with access to areas like the airport, army base and downtownVic can swim for over one minute before drowningThere are plenty of images of the game in action. I've reproduced the best of a bad bunch below: If you need to update your PSP, click your territory below or use the system's built in update mechanism and download via WiFi:North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand (Click your country -> Help & Advice -> PSP System Update)My thanks to James in Ohio and Enstone in France for images and details http://www.gtapsp.com 1up.com, sister site of many of North America's top gaming magazines including EGM and CGW, have a new preview of Vice City Stories today.This one focuses exclusively on one of Vice City Stories' only new features - Empire Building. They've also managed to bag the first real screenshots of this mode's interface.Preview: Empire Building @ 1up.comScreenshots: 1up.com Gallery http://www.gtapsp.com American gaming site GamePro have a new preview of Vice City Stories today.Apparently Vic cannot climb over objects or walls like CJ could in San Andreas and this may make getting out of the water even more difficult than previously thought.As has been hinted at by other media outlets, this game is a toughie. Apparently "even the first few missions can prove to be a big challenge" and I'm sure the PSP's poor control scheme will compound these difficulties.It gets really dark at night according to GamePro, so much so that playing with your PSP in bright light can be a pain. You'll want to have your machine set to high brightness and maximum battery leech for this game.Cops can swim. It's not clear just what sort of moves they will be able to pull off while in the water but a simple dive off a cliff won't be enough to evade the law in Vice City Stories. There's also the difficulty that comes with Vic drowning even if he isn't submerged - if you fall in then your first thought will be how to get out of the water.Preview: GamePro: 15 Things You Need To Know About GTA: Vice City Stories http://www.gtapsp.com UK gaming magazine PSM3's latest issue features a full review of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. The multi-page feature goes into a lot of depth and, with a final score of 91/100, focuses on more of the negative things in the game than the positives (probably because you know what the positives are going to be already).Firstly, a positive. They mention that you can get your hands on "your own private Gyrocopter" and that this is just one among many aircraft in the game. However, this is offset by their comment that swimming can be more of a pain than a pleasure because there are very few places in the city where you can get out of the water. They also seem to make it clear that Vic will die if he stays in the water, whether on the surface or underneath for too long. This leads to lots of frustration, especially with the loading screens that appear when you die.Quite boldly, the magazine also states that the game is not better than 2002's (yes, that's four years ago for those who lost count) Vice City. They're also somewhat frustrated with the nature of the missions with many of the early ones being in the familiar package delivery or retrieval style.But of course you know why you'll be buying this game and PSM3 make it clear too. The soundtrack is excellent and said to be one of the best in a GTA game to date and this is great news if you're a fan of 80's music. http://www.gtapsp.com UK gaming site GamesRadar are the first on the web to provide a full review of Vice City Stories.The final score was 8/10 - very respectable for any game but they cite "retarded AI allies" and the fact that the game isn't as much a gaming marvel as it is a technical one. They also say that there's very little innovation here and it's done little to take the series forward.As a student of Video Games, I understand how steep the innovation hill is to climb and just how difficult it can be to take an old series like GTA to a new level. I am glad that GamesRadar have given the game a score based on where the game fits into the patchwork of similar releases rather than just one which reflects how big a technical achievement it is.It's likely that next week we'll see further reviews from the likes of IGN but these will no doubt feature ridiculous near-perfect scores simply because the game has Grand Theft Auto included in its title. Games should be designed from the ground up with a format in mind and according to GamesRadar, Vice City Stories features "constant loading" which isn't going to do your temperament or your PSP's battery life any favours.Review: GamesRadar.com - Vice City Stories http://www.gtapsp.com Men's magazine Maxim's online wing is the latest place to post a preview of Vice City Stories. They've got a short list of things to look out for in Vice City when you get your hands on the game next week. Click here to read it.Also this morning someone in France has managed to get their hands on a copy of Vice City Stories - a week before the game's official release date in Europe. They've taken a few photos of the game packaging which you can check out below. Some confused webmasters are reporting that it includes a "letter to Take 2 Interactive France" when in fact it's merely the game registration card that T2 include with every game. This is firm evidence that the game will indeed make its European launch date next week and won't be delayed at the last minute like Liberty City Stories and San Andreas were. Thanks to the anonymous person who sent these in!Preview: Things To Look Out For In Vice City @ Maxim http://www.gtapsp.com IGN have a new preview of Vice City Stories today and with it being less than a week until the game's release, Rockstar have finally given the nod for the soundtrack details to be published. They also have one new screenshot of the game.They say that the soundtrack will feature over 100 individual songs, some which will be better known than others but all will be relevant to the game's setting. It's claimed that this is "the most ambitious soundtrack ever put together for a single project" and this puts it above any other GTA game and even past many films, TV series and games in terms of sheer volume of music included.It would seem that the soundtrack will not be released physically but it will be available exclusively on Urge from Tuesday until mid-November when it will rear its head on iTunes. Preview: The Music Of GTA: Vice City Stories @ IGNScreenshots: IGN Gallery http://www.gtapsp.com Rockstar games released the third trailer for Vice City Stories just moments ago. It's called In So Deep.It's part of the third update to the game's official website. There are details of the game's multiplayer modes (which are as I reported yesterday) and also news on the game's soundtrack, which is going to be available for purchase from iTunes and MTV's new download service, Urge. View The Other 8 New Screenshots >Trailer - In So Deep (Featuring Phil Collins)Official Website: GTA: Vice City Stories http://www.gtapsp.com The latest issue of PSM in the USA not only features the world's first review of Vice City Stories but they've also got a whole page dedicated to the multiplayer modes in the game. There are ten in total and you'll also be able to take advantage of a selection of power ups (just as in LCS) such as Radar Invisibility, Mega Damage, Frenzy, Health Boost, Sticky Tires and Instant Repair. The modes, in full are:Vice City Survivor - a regular deathmatch mode which you can play as a free for all or in teams.Street Rage - A standard street racing modeTaken for a Ride - This mode is most similar to Capture the Flag in other multiplayer games. You have to steal the opposing team's car and return it to your base. The team with the most cars captured when the time runs out is the winnerProtection Racket - A team based, conquest style game. When you start out you'll either be attacking or defending. If you're defending you'll have to prevent four vehicles inside your base from being destroyed and if you're attacking you'll have to take out the opposition's cars. The quickest assault on the base wins.Tanks for the Memories - There's one tank somewhere on the map. The team that spends the most time inside the tank is the winner but it's not all that simple - the opposition will carry heavy weaponry in order to take the tank out, like the game's new Rocket Launcher.Grand Theft Auto - A simple steal cars, sell cars mode. You'll have to grab specific vehicles off the street and return them to a location. The better condition the car is in when you deliver it, the more cash you'll receive. The winner is the player with the most money at the end of a given timeHit List - One player in the game is designated as "The Mark" and they must stay alive for as long as possible with every other player in the game chasing after them. However, the Mark cannot see other players on the radar nor can they stay in any vehicle for a length of time (it will explode after a period). Killing the mark results in someone else taking on that role. The winner is the player who stays alive as The Mark for the longest.Empire Takedown - Two teams, each with their own building or site. There's one set of explosives located somewhere on the level and the aim is to be the first team to grab them and deploy them at the opposing team's site. Once you're successful in rigging their building up to blow you'll have to prevent the other team from defusing the bombs while a timer counts down. When the timer reaches zero the building will explode and the winner will be declared.Might of the Hunter - Very similar to Tanks for the Memories but the aim is to score the most kills and there's a Hunter (aka the "Army" helicopter) rather than a tank. Once again players will be equipped with heavy weaponry.V.I.P. R.I.P. - Two teams - attackers and defenders and one player on the defenders' team is the VIP. The VIP must collect five briefcases, one at a time (when one is picked up another will spawn somewhere else) and then make their way to the escape point. While this is happening the attackers must try to kill the VIP. If the VIP escapes, the defending team wins but if the VIP is killed the attackers will win.I have added several new screenshots (albeit low quality ones) to the Screenshots Gallery.The game will be available in North American stores next Tuesday with a European launch following next Friday. Gamers in Australia will have to wait a little longer as it won't go on sale down under until November 10th.There should be one final update to the game's Official Website prior to release and it will provide information on the game's soundtrack among other things. Check back every day as I'm sure I'll have lots of news to report between now and the game's release date. http://www.gtapsp.com Last year UK retailer Tesco.com were the first to reveal the artwork that will feature on the back of the Liberty City Stories box and this year they've done the same again. The image, which appears on the right, is the UK version of the game featuring the BBFC's 18 rating. Thanks to everyone who sent this in.Also today the first review of Vice City Stories has come to light thanks to PSM magazine in the United States. The game received a 9.5/10 rating even though they mentioned that the story missions last a mere 15 hours - that's terribly short for a game priced at $50/£35. The game failed to receive a full 10/10 rating because it's apparently riddled with many minor technical bugs. There's issues with targeting (a residual problem from previous games in the series) and the AI intelligence isn't up to scratch - your partners and gang members will often cross your gunfire, resulting in death and a mission fail. http://www.gtapsp.com It would seem that this week has been designated by Rockstar for news on Vice City Stories' multiplayer features. There have been several previews published over the past few days, all of which are dedicated to describing the fun you and your friends will be having if you're daring enough to bring your PSP's into close proximity with each other.Of course, with a new round of previews comes a whole truckload of new screenshots. There's been so many recently that I've completely lost track of which ones are 'brand new', which ones are 'new to digital' and which ones are simply new to this site, so I've uploaded every single one I could find.You can read 'new' previews of the game at UGO, Eurogamer, Gamesradar and IGN.A selection of screenshots appears below: More Screenshots: Click HereUGO.com also have two screenshots which are "exclusives" and have dirty big watermarks on them. View image 1 and image 2. http://www.gtapsp.com IGN.com have a brand new preview of Vice City Stories' multiplayer mode today. There's information about the four new game modes and details on the player limits etc.Preview: Vice City Stores Multiplayer Hands-OnNew Screenshots: IGN.com http://www.gtapsp.com Earlier this evening Gamesradar added a brand new preview of Vice City Stories to their site. The article, which focused exclusively on the game's multiplayer modes, is currently inaccessible. Whether it was published early and pulled or the site is merely experiencing some sort of fault is unclear. The main points that appeared in the article were:There will be a total of 10 multiplayer modes in the gameThere will be no online modes - just local play as in Liberty City StoriesVice City Survivor is a standard deathmatch mode but this time around there will be AI vehicles and pedestrians on the streets at the same time as human playersVice City Survivor is playable in both free for all and team-based formsMight of the Hunter is a mode similar to Tanks for the Memories from Liberty City Stories but rather than racing for a Rhino, teams must track down the Hunter military helicopter.Controlling the Hunter in Vice City Stories and gaining accurate shots against enemies is "touchy as hell" according to the writer.Tanks for the Memories also features in Vice City StoriesGamesradar say that performance is good in multiplayer although there were a few bugs - invisible opponents and choppy animation at timesOriginal Link: GamesRadar.com http://www.gtapsp.com While using photo sharing service Flickr earlier tonight I came across a whole bunch of photos from Take 2 Italy in a set titled "GTA Vice City PSP Event". It would appear that they held a game launch party ealier this month in Milan with the whole thing taking place in the back of a Rockstar branded limousine.Normally I'd let this sort of thing slip through as a part of the game production process which doesn't matter to fans. However, there are a number of people photographed in the images who look much more glamourous than others and I am inclined to believe that they are voice actors from the game. In particular there's one very well dressed lady in an orange dress who's the focus of a vast number of photographs.I'm no good with faces - I've had a bash at trying to put a name to them but with no luck. I'm looking to GTAPSP.com's visitors now to try to name any of the people in the photographs.Check out some of the photos below and leave a comment if you recognise anyone! Full Photo Set: On Flickr.com http://www.gtapsp.com Rockstar Games have released five brand new screenshots of Vice City Stories today with a focus on the weapons in the game. http://www.gtapsp.com UK gaming site Gamesradar has a new preview of Vice City Stories today which focuses on the game's side missions. There's not a lot of new information although one brand new mini game has been unveiled - beach patrol. In this Baywatch-inspired game you'll have to rescue those who get into difficulty off the shores of the city. The preview also mentions that swimming will improve Victor's stamina which means that a stats system will be implemented in the game to some degree. I'm sure we'll hear more about this closer to release.Lastly, there are a few new and improved screenshots: Preview: Sidemissions @ GamesRadar http://www.gtapsp.com UK gaming mega site Computer And Video Games have a brand new preview of Vice City Stories today. While there's precious little in the way of new information about the game, they have a bunch of new screenshots.Many of them have been published before in magazines related to the website's parent company, Future, but the holy grail comes in the form of a single image which shows Victor Vance driving a hovercraft. That's right, not only will you be able to command Jet Skis, Helicopters and Boats but now you'll also be able to use Hovercraft too.Preview: Vice City Stories Hands-On @ C&VG http://www.gtapsp.com French gaming website Jeux Video have a brand new video of Vice City Stories today. It's called Jive Ride and features some Mexicans and the Vance Brothers fighting around Escobar International Airport.View Online: Vice City Stories - Jive RideDownload: Vice City Stories - Jive Ride http://www.gtapsp.com IGN have a new article on GTA: Vice City Stories today called 'The Reinvention of Water Physics in Vice City Stories'. As you might have guessed already, this article focuses entirely on the water vehicles and the brand new physics which are in the game.There are three brand new screenshots to look at too, including notably, our first look at the game's HUD which appears to be very similar to GTA: Liberty City Stories and San Andreas.Preview: The Reinvention of Water Physics In Vice City Stories @ IGNScreenshots: Three New Screenshots @ IGN http://www.gtapsp.com The Entertainment Software Rating Board have unsurprisingly given Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories a "Mature" rating, claiming it is suitable for those aged 17 years or older.The content descriptors that will appear on the back of the game box were also revealed today. Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content and Use of Drugs will all be waiting for you when you pop the UMD into your PSP at the end of the month.The rating for North America joins the UK's 18 rating, European 18+ rating, German 16 rating and Australian MA15+ rating, all of which have been revealed in recent weeks.Source: Official Vice City Stories Website http://www.gtapsp.com American gaming sites 1UP and Gamespy have new screenshots of Vice City Stories today with 1UP posting not one but two new previews of the game.1UP.com Preview #1: Click Here1UP.com Preview #2: Click Here1UP.com Screenshots: Click HereGamespy Screenshots: Click Here http://www.gtapsp.com Mega gaming site IGN.com have a brand new preview of Vice City Stories today. There's not a lot of new information aside from confirmation that helicopter controls will be unchanged from the way they were in Liberty City Stories if you used the Cheat Device. There are a number of new screenshots too, with one showing a jet with its door open, hinting that it may be flyable.European gaming sites Eurogamer and Gamesradar also have new previews today. Gamesradar have a couple of new gameplay videos too.IGN Preview: IGN.comIGN's New Screenshots: Click HereEurogamer Preview: Eurogamer.netGamesradar Preview: Gamesradar.comGamesradar Screenshots: Click HereGamesradar Movies: Click Here http://www.gtapsp.com There's a brand new preview of Vice City Stories in the latest issue of French magazine Consoles+ this month and it includes a couple of new details about the game:Hand-to-hand combat will be vastly improved. The magazine mentions the learning of button combinations to perform special moves, San Andreas style.The multiplayer mode will support up to six players with no online component.Please take these details with a pinch of salt though - I don't know a word of French and I've trusted Google to translate on my behalf!Source: ViceCityStories-Fr.com (Full page scans there) http://www.gtapsp.com [Enlarge]GAME, the UK's largest games retailer, are offering everyone who preorders Vice City Stories with them a free 'PSP Skin'. As the image illustrates, the main colour of the pack is white so it will look best on a white PSP. The stickers, which you can apply to your PSP to give it a brand new look, will be sent along with copies of the game when it launches on November 3rd.Free Sticker Kit: With GAME PreordersThanks to PSPMan for sending this in! http://www.gtapsp.com One of the UK's leading games websites, Eurogamer, recently had the chance to sit down and chat with Gordon Hall, President of Rockstar Leeds.Hall makes it very clear that Rockstar Leeds' speciality is in data compression for handheld platforms like GBA and PSP. He goes on to state that he doesn't know "what the future holds" when asked whether San Andreas Stories is a possibility.In a seperate article on the same website, Hall also mentions that there are currently no plans to bring Vice City Stories to PlayStation 2.Interview: Eurogamer: Vice Captain http://www.gtapsp.com Rockstar Games have updated the Official Vice City Stories Website with lots of new things including a brand new trailer!You can check out the new trailer below, thanks to YouTube:You can also view the all of the latest screenshots in the gallery.Official Website: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories http://www.gtapsp.com I've taken the opportunity given by the lack of Vice City Stories news lately to produce two brand new content pages.The first is a complete overview of the Empire Building mode - something which has now proven itself worthy of its own page. If you've not been reading the news here recently or haven't paid attention to the updates from magazines about this feature then now is your chance to catch up. Head on over to the page now and read all about this fascinating new game mode.Secondly, I've created a movies page for the game which shows all the officially released videos in one place - including a few trailers which premiered on other websites earlier in the week.Lastly, due to popular demand I updated the Vice City Stories countdown which appears on all Vice City Stories content pages. It now displays the number of days not only to the North American release of the game but to European and Australian ones too.Content: Empire BuildingGallery: VCS Movies http://www.gtapsp.com The latest issue of Go>Play magazine is becoming available in the UK and it includes a six-page preview of Vice City Stories. New details:To initiate an attack on another gang's property in Empire Building mode you have to destroy their car that is parked outside.Attacks on buildings require combat both outside and inside - you must first dispose of those gang members outside and then make your way into the building to kill the othersThe magazine mentions that you have to "wreck the place" before it goes up for saleOnce you own a building you can choose the business type and size to build there and building takes about two game-days to completeOnce finished you'll be able to enter the building to save your game and you'll also be able to "make changes" to the business at the notice board. There will also be gang members workingThe business does not run itself though and it's possible for you to take on some of the work. The magazine gives a brothel as an example - they had to drive girls to and from clients within a time limitOnce you have your business set up you'll get a vehicle outside - Go>Play's brothel brought with it a "pimped out car with an engine that made a fantastic growling sound" but this will vary depending on what type of business you choose to set up.New screenshots: Click Here To See Lots More New Screenshots >Thanks to Rockyfella for the scans! http://www.gtapsp.com GameVideos.com have one brand new movie of Vice City Stories which focuses on the helicopters in the game:Click Here To See It1UP.com also have a new screenshot of the game. http://www.gtapsp.com IGN have two brand new videos of Vice City Stories in action. The first is named Running from the law and shows Victor evading police in a Stinger while the other is called Jet skis can fly and shows a Jet Ski leaping over Leaf Links golf course.Click here to see themI've also added one brand new screenshot of Vice City Stories to the gallery, check it out below: http://www.gtapsp.com MTV's own GameTrailers.com have a new video of Vice City Stories. The main focus of the 27-second movie is the unique jumps that can be found around the city.The movie is the first to be released by Rockstar showing the new North American release date of 31st October.Download (Right Click -> Save As): Windows Media or QuickTimeSource: GameTrailers.com http://www.gtapsp.com The British Board Of Film Classification have finally passed judgement on GTA: Vice City Stories today. The game will be rated 18 when it goes on sale on November 3rd, meaning that it's illegal for any store owner to supply it to a person below that age. Thanks to the UK's rating system the work was also classified without being cut.Interestingly, the site makes reference to further components. One of which is the trailer but two others are mysterious and have never appeared alongside a GTA title when rated by the BBFC before. They are "PLAYTHROUGH DISC 1" and "PLAYTHROUGH DISC 2". I have absolutely no idea what these could refer to but if you're more informed about this sort of thing than I am, feel free to leave a comment.Source: British Board Of Film Classification http://www.gtapsp.com MTV.com have a new preview of Vice City Stories today. It's very similar to others that have appeared online recently. They do let us know one small detail though - Rockstar Leeds have not only been working to reduce the duplication of player models throughout the city but they're also working to make the locations they appear in more realistic. One example is given - they're trying to reduce the chances of you jacking a sports car like the Banshee only to find a little old lady is at the wheel.Also today US games website GameDaily have a new preview of GTA: Vice City Stories.The editors of the site point out that 1984 Vice City will feature twice the number of polygons, vehicles and characters compared to Liberty City. They also make it clear that the soundtrack will feature a totally new lineup - there allegedly won't be any tracks in Vice City Stories that appeared in Vice City.Source: MTV.comSource: GameDaily.com http://www.gtapsp.com ComputerAndVideoGames.com has a story online today about the unlikelihood of Vice City Stories being ported to PlayStation 2 following the PSP release.Apparently Rockstar said there are currently "no plans" to port Vice City Stories to PS2 during a hands-on demo with the game.Strangely, C&VG have also published yesterday's four scanned screenshots from PSW magazine - a magazine which C&VG's parent company, Future, owns and actively promotes on the C&VG website. They credit Gamefront for the shots. (Perhaps the credit police that seem to have found a home here might like to move on to pastures new). http://www.gtapsp.com The United Kingdom's PSW Magazine has a two-page preview of Vice City Stories this month and while there aren't any new details about the game there are new screenshots. There are further (smaller) screenshots which you can see by visting this link and this one to see the full page scans.Thanks to Ja750 for scanning his issue! http://www.gtapsp.com PSW have published three brand new screenshots of Vice City Stories as part of a preview which appears in Issue 34 of their magazine. It's on sale now in Brazil. Thanks to Daniel for sending me these! http://www.gtapsp.com Here are two new screenshots of Vice City Stories, courtesy of Multiplayer.it Thanks to everyone that sent this in! http://www.gtapsp.com Gamepro.de has the scoop on the recent rating of Vice City Stories in Germany. The game was given a 16 rating, meaning that it can be sold to anyone aged 16 or over although in order for it to fit into that category several features had to be removed or toned down.German players won't be able to decapitate player models using headshots, they won't be able to pick up prostitutes in their car and they won't be able to manipulate the corpses of pedestrians or other characters.The website also notes that similar cuts were made to the Australian version of the game and while this would make sense due to the game having a similar rating in that country I can't find anything on the OFLC website to back it up.Source: Gamepro.de (Thanks GTAReactor) http://www.gtapsp.com The latest issue of PSM magazine is winging its way to subscribers as I write this post. The new issue includes a brand new preview of Vice City Stories with lots of juicy new information:A brand new mini game based around Golf will be included. Apparently one mission involves trying to beat Gonzales (a new character) at the game. You control everything with a single button - tap it to start the meter in motion, again to stop it when you reach the desired power level and again to set the accuracy of your shot. Once complete you can return to Leaf Links to play a score based golf mini-game.Empire Building is far more advanced than previously reported. Once you take over a site during a mission, the gang that previously occupied it becomes your "enemy". There will be six different business types that Vic can run, three of which (protection, extortion and prostitution) are mentioned in the article. Further business types will be revealed closer to release. You choose what type of business to set up at an acquired location and your choice will affect its level of success. For example, a smuggling business will perform better located close to Vice City Docks and AirportThe businesses themselves will be split into three categories - low, middle and high, each of which will require an increased amount of investment to provide staff and resources for. They'll come under attack too, which will mean that you'll need to provide security personnel for each one.You'll be able to save the game at any of your businesses, which means there will be more than 30 possible safe houses across the city.The employees of your businesses can be recruited San Andreas style to provide protection and support to you on the streets.Notification about attacks on your businesses comes through the in game pager. Hiring more staff to protect your business means that they will stand a better chance of defending it on your behalf should it come under attack.Pedestrians on the street may comment on your success - Rockstar say it's all about having the people of Vice City (especially those close to you) recognise your power and control.There were four brand new screenshots accompanying the article. My apologies for the quality, it looks like they were taken with a webcam! Thanks to "adamcs" for the scans! http://www.gtapsp.com Here are three new screenshots from Vice City Stories for your viewing pleasure: http://www.gtapsp.com Following today's intense round of previews from online gaming sites in Europe and North America, I've collected as many new screenshots as possible and added them to the Vice City Stories screenshots gallery here on the site. See many more new screenshots in the gallery http://www.gtapsp.com Rockstar Games have given the green light for online media outlets to publish their previews of Vice City Stories today.Gamesradar.comPreview | ScreenshotsEurogamer.netPreviewIGN.comPreview | ScreenshotsSPOnGPreview http://www.gtapsp.com The Australian Office of Film and Literature Classification recently published their rating for GTA: Vice City Stories in the country. The game will receive the same rating as every other 3D GTA game - MA 15+. The descriptors that were published along with the rating were: Strong violence, Strong coarse language, Strong drug use and Sexual references.The trend also continues in Germany, where Vice City Stories will be rated 16, just like many other titles in the series. http://www.gtapsp.com The latest issue of Official PlayStation 2 Magazine is arriving with subscribers in the USA at the moment. Included is a single page preview of Vice City Stories and while there are no new details about the game, there are two previously unseen screenshots: Thanks to Brandon for scanning his issue. http://www.gtapsp.com Electronic Gaming Monthly magazine has published two brand new screenshots of GTA: Vice City Stories in the latest issue, which should be on sale this week. The magazine didn't include any new details about the game. http://www.gtapsp.com The latest issue of Play The Playstation is winging its way into the hands of subscribers in Germany this morning and it includes a small, one page preview of Vice City Stories.According to German fansite GTA Reactor the magazine is the first to write about the previews of the game given to the media at Games Convention, which was held in Leipzig last month.The magazine mentions a new mode which will be included in Vice City Stories - Empire Building. This new side mission sees Victor trying to overthrow hoodlums and criminal organisations that own around 30 buildings and businesses across the city. Once the businesses are under your control, you're apparently able to invest your own money in them and hopefully keep them running for a profit.Certainly an interesting mini-game even if my translation isn't 100% correct.Source: GTA Reactor http://www.gtapsp.com Gordon Hall, President of Rockstar Leeds, has been busy speaking to IGN.com recently about Vice City Stories. The preview has a bunch of new details about the game along with six brand new screenshots: Aeroplanes will be included in the gameThere are a number of graphical improvements over Liberty City Stories - higher poly-count models, animated textures etc.A new system has been introduced for drawing objects in the distance although the preview doesn't make it clear just how much better it is than previous gamesWater-based racing will be seen in both single and multiplayerThe game will have more than 100 songs on its soundtrackThe targeting system has been "tweaked" and it's now possible to grapple with other characters when you're unarmedFull Preview: Click HereNew Screenshots: IGN Gallery http://www.gtapsp.com Retailers in the UK today confirmed that GTA: Vice City Stories will slip by two weeks and will be released on November 3rd.The new date first surfaced through an updated release list from Take 2 Germany but has since found its way onto product pages at Gameplay, Play, Tesco and ASDA. The new date is also reflected on the official Spanish website for the game. The news is even worse for those living in Australia. The game won't be available until November 10th there according to online retailers in the country.The best deal comes for those living in North America. The game will arrive there first, according to Amazon, on October 31st, two weeks later than planned. http://www.gtapsp.com I've now completed the first two content pages for Vice City Stories. I've filled them with all the information and images I could find following yesterday's official website update and they both take advantage of the gallery functions.Find out about Vehicles and Characters that are confirmed for the game. http://www.gtapsp.com Update: The game has also been delayed in Belgium, Luxembourg and The Netherlands, Take 2's Benelux division said today. This is looking more and more like a Europe-wide affair.Take Two have announced that GTA: Vice City Stories will slip by two weeks and will be released on November 3rd in Germany.The news comes from an updated release list provided by Take 2 Germany today.It is unclear whether the delay affects other European countries at this time although all major UK retailers are still advertising the original 20th October release date.Source: GameFront.de (Thanks, GTAReactor) http://www.gtapsp.com I've uploaded two further screenshots to the gallery: I've also updated the Vice City Stories Artwork Gallery with a few new images: More Screenshots: Click HereMore Artwork: Click Here http://www.gtapsp.com Rockstar Games just updated the Vice City Stories official website with screenshots, artwork, information and the game's first trailer.There are over twenty brand new screenshots from the game on the official website: See More ScreenshotsThe first trailer of the game, set to I Wanna' Know What Love Is by Foreigner can be found on the official site in a variety of formats.Quicktime, Windows Media, PSP and iPod.Official Website: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories http://www.gtapsp.com I've uploaded one digital screenshot to the site this morning. The shot, which has appeared in various magazines in halves and as a background to pages, was provided by one of my contacts and appears only on this GTA fansite. I've checked - no other fansite has this image in digital quality at the moment but I'm sure others will be queueing up to remove my watermark. Expect to see it on other fansites (with horrid ghosting in the corner) later today.The Internet Movie Database also updated their Vice City Stories listing this weekend. Included in this update is news about Jorge Pupo - the actor who played Gonzales in GTA: Vice City. Apparently, he's going to return and play a different role, that of Umberto Robina's father, Alberto.The new digital screenshot: Click Here To View http://www.gtapsp.com UK online retailer Play.com are first out of the gate with the new Vice City Stories synopsis - a short piece of text which is used in promotion of the game and on the rear of the game box. Vice City, 1984. Opportunity abounds in a city emerging from the swamps, its growth fueled by the violent power struggle in a lucrative drugs trade. Construction is everywhere as a shining metropolis rises from foundations of crime and betrayal.As a soldier, Vic Vance has always protected his dysfunctional family, his country, himself. One bad decision later and that job is about to get much harder. Kicked out onto the streets of a city torn between glamour and gluttony, Vic is faced with a stark choice - build an empire or be crushed.Sounds good, doesn't it? Expect to see this text all over online stores in the coming weeks and on the back of the game case when you finally get it into your hands in October.I'd also like to clear something up today. There have been a few comments on this site and others about Rockstar apprently "delaying" Vice City Stories. The truth in all this is that there is none - Rockstar's parent company, Take 2, released a statement yesterday which read as follows: "The Company's fourth quarter results will also be impacted by these factors, as well as the movement of a Rockstar PSP title based on a premier brand out of the fourth quarter."Take 2 Interactive Statement, Aug 31 2006Alone, this would indicate that Vice City Stories is delayed. However, in the same statement, the company also said that Vice City Stories is "scheduled for release in late October". As Take 2's financial year ends on October 31, there's no way that Vice City Stories is the title moved to the 2007 financial year - it must be another, unannounced Rockstar title for PSP.Synopsis Source: Play.comFull Take 2 Statement: Click HereThanks to Gareth Morris for bringing the synopsis to my attention. http://www.gtapsp.com German gaming site 4Players.de has a new preview of Vice City Stories online today. The article is accompanied by the same eight screenshots which have been floating around the web for about a week, although it does have a few new details about the game:Ving Rhames is confirmed to be the voice actor for Victor VancePart of the story revolves around Lance Vance's dependency on drugs - he's said to be a "wreck"The build of the game that the magazine saw still suffered from graphical glitches like pop-in although Rockstar assured the writer that these issues would be resolved prior to the game's releaseVic will be supported by other characters in some missions, such as Lance and Ricardo DiazThe preview mentions that Golf Carts will return, a sure indication that Leaf Links is still thereSource: 4players.de http://www.gtapsp.com The Internet Movie Database updated their listing for GTA: Vice City Stories recently and added two names to the currently light cast.According to the site, Ving Rhames, who's better known for his roles in TV shows like the 2005-remake of Kojak, is set to voice Victor Vance in Vice City Stories. The website also lists previously-rumoured actor Phillip Michael Thomas as being cast as Lance Vance once again.While this isn't a statement from Rockstar or either actor, IMDb has a reputation for providing accurate listings months in advance of movie, television and video game releases.Full Listing: GTA Vice City Stories @ IMDbThanks once again to my friend Laz at The GTA Underground for the heads up http://www.gtapsp.com The latest issue of Games Master, the UK's most read video games publication, arrived with subscribers today. Included is a two page preview of GTA: Vice City Stories and while there are no new screenshots or artwork there are a few small details which might be of interest: "Hundreds of top tunes" will be included on the game's radio stationsThe magazine tells its readers to expect "a lot of new vehicles, including all sorts of aircraft"It's going to be easy to go from land to water to air travelThe vehicles in the game will be a "mixture of old and new"The plot will feature old and new characters, most of which will be new"The story takes place before the money comes flooding in to Vice City. That means there are more poor areas on the map and some of the landmarks you'll know are yet to be built"-- GamesMaster, October 2006This week also saw the release of the latest issue of Official Playstation 2 Magazine in France and it too included a new preview of the game. While I'm no expert at reading French, online translation services (beware, they might not be 100% accurate) made these points clear from the magazine:The storyline revolving around the Vance brothers means there will be a lot of humour in the gameThe build of the game the magazine saw featured quite empty streets but Rockstar promised that they will be twice as full with pedestrians and vehicles when the game shipsRockstar has a big surprise planned for the WiFi Multiplayer modeThanks to Ultimate Taz for scanning Games Master and Genius for sharing his issue of OPS2MF http://www.gtapsp.com Rockstar Games have today pushed the boat out and started marketing Vice City Stories online for the first time. Members of the media received a huge package of goodies today which included eight screenshots of the game, six of which Computer and Video Games published yesterday and two that GAME made public a few days ago. Check out the six images which are watermark free and new to the site below: They also took the liberty of including some absolutely massive artwork images which look like they'd be more at home in a magazine publisher's toolbox. Most interestingly though, the first image, of a man clutching a gun against a large city backdrop arrived named GTA_VCS_ART_DIEGO.jpg, a sure indication that this character's name is Diego Mendez, as many people have speculated. A horizontal-format Vice City Stories logo was also provided. The three images appear below, resized to fit on most computer screens: I've uploaded the super high resolution images for everyone to see (be warned though - these images are huge and aren't for the faint hearted or those with slow internet connections!). See Diego Mendez and Laura Shrub in their original format.More Screenshots: GalleryMore Artwork: Gallery http://www.gtapsp.com As part of their campaign at Games Convention 2006 which took place this week in Leipzig, Germany, Rockstar strangely sent out a number of PS2 screenshots of GTA: Liberty City Stories, some of which I didn't remember seeing previously. Three of these appear below: As part of the same media bundle, Rockstar also included three high quality artwork images from Liberty City Stories. If only they'd done this a year ago... More PS2 Screenshots: GalleryMore Artwork: Gallery http://www.gtapsp.com PSPUpdates has the scoop on the latest issue of Go>Play, a UK magazine dedicated to PSP.The magazine's editors seem to have received that same-old preview of GTA: Vice City Stories that has been written about so frequently over the past few weeks, but they're more daring than other magazines when it comes to soundtrack information - they've named three artists that they heard on the radio in the game.Songs from Blondie, Frankie Goes To Hollywood and Depeche Mode had all made it into the game at the time the magazine saw it, although they apparently didn't mention specific song titles. Remember though that these songs are subject to Rockstar gaining a licence to have them in the game from the record companies so could be dropped before the game hits store shelves.Issue 09 of the magazine containing the preview is on sale on August 24th. It's stocked by very few newsagents due to its low readership - your best bet is WH Smith. http://www.gtapsp.com The latest issue of PSM magazine has finally hit newsstands in the United States and it includes a preview of Vice City Stories. New details:Music from The Cure is currently planned to be included - the magazine heard this playing on the radio but as with all music in the game, it's subject to change due to licensing issues etc.Thanks to the improved draw distance, you can see "considerably farther into the distance" than in Liberty City StoriesThe four missions the magazine's writer played lasted on average 10-15 minutes - compare this to Liberty City Stories' 5 minute average and you'll see it's a big improvement.Custom Soundtracks will return - you'll be able to use the Rockstar Custom Tracks application to add your own music to the game.The magazine includes two new screenshots (half of one of them appeared in another magazine previously) and two brand new character artworks: Thanks to my friends at The GTA Underground for scanning the article http://www.gtapsp.com German magazine Bravo Screenfun has a new preview of GTA: Vice City Stories. New details:Victor will receive notifications by pager rather than by cell phoneThe games controls are similar to Liberty City StoriesLater missions in the game will see the focus shift from boats to flying helicoptersThere are also three new screenshots and one better quality screenshot that we've seen before: Lastly, there's one new piece of character artwork shown in the magazine: http://www.gtapsp.com Rockstar Games have begun actively marketing GTA: Vice City Stories in Germany, Gamefront.de confirms today. Daniel Große snapped a photo of a billboard advertisement for the game in Germany close to the convention centre in Leipzig where Games Convention is taking place this week.This is a clear indication that Rockstar are likely to go live with marketing for the game worldwide very soon and that of course will include a full scale website for the game.One of 1up.com's editors also had the chance to visit Rockstar's offices in New York City last week and played Vice City Stories briefly. Obviously most of what he saw was covered by a non-disclosure agreement, but he did have something interesting to say on this week's 1upYours podcast:"They're not going to be moving it to PS2, it's going to be PSP only this time, it's much more focused on that platform. I think some of it is because the tech is a lot more focused on the handheld and I played it briefly and it was definitely an improvement over Liberty City Stories"-- 1upYours Podcast, 18th August 2006This is an interesting comment and it certainly should make those people who have said they'd hold off for a PS2 version reconsider. You can download an audio clip of the discussion about the Rockstar visit by clicking here. http://www.gtapsp.com While there haven't been any new screenshots or details about GTA: Vice City Stories for a few days, a select couple of magazines in the UK and Germany have printed new character artworks.The first, an image of a thin man clutching a bottle in one hand and a gun in the other comes from German magazine Games Aktuell. The second, showing a much larger man was published here previously and appeared in Official PSP Guidebook in the UK. I've decided to include it in this news article as I've received a better quality image. Thanks to my friends at GTA Reactor for the first image and Dupzor for sending in the cleaned up version of the second. http://www.gtapsp.com I've written about GAME, Europe's leading video games retailer, before. They confirmed back in June that Vice City Stories would be WiFi enabled. Today they've given the GTA community a bigger (and probably accidental) present though, the first four digital Vice City Stories screenshots, including two brand new ones! Thanks to GAME for leaking these! http://www.gtapsp.com The latest issue of The Official PSP Guidebook has recently become available in the UK and it includes a brand new preview of GTA: Vice City Stories.This preview appears to have been written from the same demonstration as Rockstar gave to many other publications around the world. The only new image from the magazine is the character artwork which you can find in the top right corner of this news story. Many of the article's points are the same but I've picked out the new ones to highlight here:Explosions, trees and bushes all look much better in Vice City StoriesIn terms of weaponry, sniper rifles and AK47s are confirmed but the rest of the weapons are still being decidedThe magazine refers to Vice City as transitioning through a period of "urban renewal" in 1984 - lots of familiar landmarks are there but many are unfinishedMonster Truck Racing and Basketball minigames are rumouredThere are more than 70 missions in Vice City StoriesThanks to Chris for informing me about this. http://www.gtapsp.com Take Two Interactive Germany have announced that among other products, the company will show GTA: Vice City Stories to select members of the press at this year's Games Convention, which takes place in Leipzig next week.Unfortunately, it would appear that the game is going to be shown 'behind closed doors' to select people only, presumably those invited from the media.This would mean that magazines would receive another preview, different to the one which recent articles in GamePro and GamesTM have been based on.Source: GameFront http://www.gtapsp.com Amazon.com have made the GTA: Vice City Stories Official Strategy Guide available for preorder on their website.Published by BradyGames (who have a string of GTA-related guide books to their name), this 208-page walkthrough will be available on October 25th in North America. While this date is shortly after the game ships it may change as October draws closer.While the news that BradyGames are making another GTA strategy guide will come as no surprise to many GTA fans, this is the first time that this product has been mentioned.Product Listing @ Amazon: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories Official Strategy GuideProduct Listing @ BradyGames: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories Official Strategy Guide http://www.gtapsp.com Update: A scan of the magazine has emerged and unfortunately it undermines this entire news post. The magazine appears to have collated information about the game from around the web and has made some assumptions about the game. It would appear that the magazine's writers haven't received any preview of the game from Rockstar at all. I apologise for any confusion this news post has caused.The latest issue of Play The Playstation Magazine goes on sale in Germany on August 18th. Subscribers already appear to be receiving their copies and included in this month's issue is a preview of GTA: Vice City Stories.While the magazine's editors appear to have received the same preview of the game as many other magazines, there are a few new details included:The magazine specifically states that you will not be able to modify vehicles in the gameThe game will include the same outfit-changing system as GTA: Vice City and GTA: Liberty City Stories. Victor's whole outfit can be changed but individual customizations cannot be made.The multiplayer mode is "similar" to Liberty City StoriesThe targetting system again allows you to manually control the crosshair and point weapons in any directionSource: German Fansite GTAReactor http://www.gtapsp.com As I mentioned yesterday, the latest issue of GamesTM is now on sale across the UK. There are a number of new details about the game inside:Both Sea Planes AND Sea Helicopters will be includedPhilip Michael Thomas (Lance Vance) is "the only confirmed voice talent at this stage"Binoculars, which another magazine mentioned were to be included will be a true "weapon" available for use at any time rather than being confined to one or two missionsJet skis will handle "completely differently" to any of Vice City's other waterborne craftFurther emphasis will be placed on which pedestrians appear at different times of day. The magazine mentions that party-goers will be common in the evenings while the city's bums will appear more during the early morning hoursPhil Cassidy appears in one of the game's loading screens which guarantees that he will appear in the game's storyline somewhereThe lighting of the city has been improved and more dynamic lighting will be featured, along with prettier skylinesA new Rocket Launcher will make its debut in the gameScreenshots:Removed at the request of Imagine Publishing http://www.gtapsp.com The latest issue of GamesTM goes on sale in the UK tomorrow and contains a preview of GTA: Vice City Stories.According to the magazine, Philip Michael Thomas (who voiced Lance Vance in GTA: Vice City) will reprise his role and return for Vice City Stories. He's best known for his role as "Tubbs" in Miami Vice.The magazine also notes that while draw distances, textures and models have been improved, the game suffers from the all-too-common "pop-up" where buildings and objects in the distance suddenly appear when the player is within a certain range. The game will feature an emphasis on the city's waters according to the article and seaplanes will return for VCS.Source: KikizoActor Profile: Philip Michael Thomas @ IMDb http://www.gtapsp.com The latest issue of Official PlayStation 2 Magazine UK is finding its way into subscribers' hands today and they have included a four page preview of Vice City Stories!The magazine seem to have received the same "hands-on" session with the game as Australian GamePro did. There are a few new details, many of which are divulged through screenshots rather than in text:One of the game's SMG's will be able to be silencedThe Phoenix and Stinger will returnVic appears with a tattoo on his right arm in a couple of screenshots although it is unclear whether these will be customizable.Water effects will not be purely cosmetic. Weather will affect the vehicle handling on the water so riding a Jet-Ski during a thunderstorm probably isn't a good idea.The article mentions that Vic and Lance start off living in a trailer park. Australian GamePro mentioned that one mission they saw started in their "mansion". Is this a clue that property acquisitions are back?They also took it upon themselves to print on high quality paper and have included two brand new screenshots. I have also updated the gallery with improved resolution versions of some shots I had online before.Every new and updated screenshot is below. Remember that the new gallery implementation means you can cycle through screenshots using the N and P keys on your keyboard or by pressing the "Next" and "Previous" buttons which appear when you move your mouse over the large image. This issue of Official PlayStation 2 Magazine UK goes on sale in the UK on August 10th although some people are reporting that it is available in supermarkets like Tesco already.PS: I hope people are enjoying the two latest visual additions to the site - GTA UMDs! You'll find them at the top and bottom of the page. http://www.gtapsp.com Just in time for Vice City Stories, Rockstar Games and The Medicom Toy Company have announced a new Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Kubrick Box Set.Characters that have been Legoized this year include Tommy Vercetti, Lance Vance, Candy Suxx, Colonel Cortez and Ken Rosenberg. Sand is not included.The set will go on sale later this year (although 100 sets were released at Comic Con and are now on eBay) for $35. Interested folks should note that only 3000 of these will ever be produced.Preorders are being accepted over at Toy Tokyo. You can also still buy the Grand Theft Auto III set from the Rockstar Warehouse.Source: Aeropause (Thanks Luke!) http://www.gtapsp.com The first details from Australian GamePro are beginning to trickle through. Here's a list of everything from the magazine so far:Victor Vance will be the playable character in the gameThe game is set in 1984 - two years before Vice CityPlayers will be able to take advantage of new Jetskis on the water around the cityHelicopters are flyableA new animations system has been created which improves on "previous games in the series".The game is said to be "much, much bigger than Vice City"The game will feature a multiplayer mode similar to LCSVic can SWIM!The game will incorporate a multi-tiered mission structure which is much more in-depth than LCSAll of Vice City's radio stations will return with new songsNew weather effects will be included - possibly hurricanesMany of the new buildings in Vice City are only partially completed in Vice City StoriesNew loading system - only slight pauses before missionsNew handling system on bikes which makes them much more realisticVastly improved draw distances - better than Vice City on PS2!Increased density of pedestrians, foliage, cars and objectsLess "clumping" (where groups of the same model would appear together)There is a new theme park on Ocean Beach - the star attraction of which is "Chunder Wheel" - a giant wheel which you can ride in first person view!Trip Skips are back! (The little taxi that takes you back to the location of your last mission after you die)Vic can take advantage of a new gadget - binoculars!The game features many more accessible interior areas than other titles in the seriesRagdoll physics are in and are especially noticeable when the shotgun is used on an enemy.Car damage has been significantly improved and more detail has gone into the different parts of your car that can come off like its bumpers and hood.A new effect has been added to car exhausts which makes them more realisticNew water effects have been included that make the spray from the Jet Ski and boats more realistic than in previous games. The water is also now much more transparent and tropical-looking.The magazine also has a little feature on what will NOT be in Vice City Stories:Character Customization (at least to the extent of San Andreas)Vehicle CustomizationWall ClimbingSeamless integration of outside and inside from LCS will no longer be in VCSScreenshots (Apologies for the low quality):                                     Check out the new Missions and Characters pages.Thanks to Jar-Jar for providing scans and information so quickly! http://www.gtapsp.com For San Andreas, the US press got it. For Liberty City Stories it was the UK. This year, Australian games magazine GamePro (which also publishes a different edition in the US) has the exclusive on the year's GTA game - Vice City Stories.Apparently (there are no scans to back this up - yet), the game's storyline will focus on "The Brothers Vance", that being Lance Vance from Vice City and his brother Victor, who "heads up" the Vance crime family according to the official GTA: Vice City website."Vice City Stories - The Brothers Vance - That's right readers - not only was Australian GamePro the first in the world to play Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, but we also got to put the hard questions to RockStar themselves in our world exclusive interview!"-- GamePro Official WebsiteThis is a guarantee that the title will be set shortly before Vice City as Lance died in one of the final cut scenes in the game. This also makes sense from a production point of view. By setting the two titles very close together, Rockstar Leeds have to do very little to the map. Expect changes to store fronts and the odd building but nothing else. This is cost cutting at its finest.Who are the Vance Brothers?Lance and his brother Victor both appeared in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. While Lance was a prominent main character that was seen over the course of the game, Victor made one brief appearance in a cut scene at the start. The pair are ambushed as a drug deal goes down with Tommy Vercetti and Ken Rosenberg and we are led to believe that Victor has died. According to the GTA: Vice City website, the pair had "recently arrived in town" in 1986, meaning that GTA: Vice City Stories must be set very shortly before Vice City.The news that the game will definitely be set prior to Vice City also confirms that Tommy Vercetti will not make an appearance. When he was in Vice City, he had just been released from "a long stretch" in prison in Liberty City. So, with Vice City Stories being set shortly before Vice City, that must mean that Tommy Vercetti is still in jail.The magazine includes an interview with Rockstar along with a preview of the game. It goes on sale tomorrow across Australia but may be available to subscribers today. If you've got it, be sure to let me know. Check back soon for the first details as they become available.Official Website: GamePro.com.au http://www.gtapsp.com Good news today. PlanetGTA has the scoop from Chris "Young Maylay" Bellard himself that Carl Johnson will not be making an appearance in GTA: Vice City Stories.Apparently, the voice actor hasn't been contacted by Rockstar Games to work on the title. Quite a good decision in my opinion - the CJ character was boring and lifeless and spoiled San Andreas. http://www.gtapsp.com I've been busy over the past couple of days developing new features for GTAPSP.com. Luckily for you, the first is available today.I've created a few PSP-format wallpapers out of the Vice City Stories cover art and GTAPSP.com now has a dedicated Vice City Stories PSP Wallpapers page. As usual, I welcome submissions from the community and I will try to post as many fan creations as possible on the site.Secondly, I've added new artworks to the Vice City Stories artwork page, all of which were extracted from the boxart and cleaned up by Flore from GTAForums.Thirdly, I've updated the Vice City Stories fan art page with new submissions from visitors. Perhaps you'll see your own there.Lastly, I have a piece of news for anyone in the US who hasn't yet had the chance to purchase Liberty City Stories for PSP. Circuit City will be offering the game for $19.99 this week and it will also be a part of their "2 games for $30" promotion as this image shows. http://www.gtapsp.com Unfortunately I've just discovered the source of a problem which has been causing mails to me to fail in the past couple of weeks.I've fixed the issue now but I must kindly ask that if you sent an email to me over the past two weeks that you send it again.I welcome emails from anyone, whether it be feedback, news, images relating to games or your fan created artwork that you want to see displayed on the site.To contact me, email neil@gtapsp.comMy apologies for this but unfortunately it was beyond my control. http://www.gtapsp.com Following on from yesterday's news about Rockstar releasing the boxart for GTA: Vice City Stories, the company has confirmed prices for both the US and UK versions of the game.The US version will be released on Tuesday, October 17th for a Suggested Retail Price of $49.99.The company anticipates that the UK version will receive an 18 rating from the BBFC. It hits stores on October 20th for a recommended retail price of £34.99 (that's US$64). http://www.gtapsp.com Rockstar Games have finally released the first image relating to GTA: Vice City Stories. The game's colourful box art was sent to retailers and the press today.Judging by the car which appears on the cover, the game looks to be set around the late 1970's to early 1980's. What looks like the "Infernus" from Vice City is clearly inspired by the 1982 Lamborghini Countach.Umberto Robina of GTA: Vice City fame seems to be making an appearance again, along with the biker gangs, boats and prestige that is associated with this city.Boxart: View Full Size! http://www.gtapsp.com This week's UK charts have just been released by Chart Track and the All Formats table has a new number one. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories has jumped thirty six places to overtake EA's FIFA World Cup Germany 2006 which has sat in that very position for several weeks.Interestingly, Liberty City Stories was only on sale for TWO out of the seven days this chart covers, which, as Chart Track's analysis points out, makes GTA: LCS the fastest selling PlayStation 2 game of this year.I think this proves just how powerful a budget price point can be - especially considering that the title has been available on PSP for around 9 months.Source: Chart Track http://www.gtapsp.com Update: I really should have posted this earlier, but the game is out now across Europe for €29.99 or £19.99 in the UK.Despite what other fansites may tell you, I'm proud to confirm today that the release date for GTA: Liberty City Stories on PS2 has been pushed forward in the UK - by one day. This change - which means that British gamers will be able to pick up the title from tomorrow - has been confirmed by my retail sources here in the UK.It's unclear whether the same un-delay will take place elsewhere in Europe, but I'd recommend you check your local retailers tomorrow if you're interested in playing the game a day earlier. http://www.gtapsp.com JaysFreaky, a relatively new PSP owner, decided to purchase GTA Liberty City Stories in order to use the save game exploit that allows user created code (including Edisoncarter's CheatDevice) to run on the PSP.Unfortunately though, Jay's plan didn't work. He discovered that there is a new batch of the games in stores now which not only require you to upgrade your PSP to firmware version 2.6 before playing, but also disables the exploit entirely.It's unclear when these new versions of the game were introduced but it does make Rockstar and Sony's intentions against the "homebrew community" evident.This also means that the new "Greatest Hits" and "Platinum" versions of GTA: Liberty City Stories that are in the pipeline will have the exploit disabled too. Rest in peace, homebrew.Video: See the exploit failing to work at YouTubeSource: PSP Updates http://www.gtapsp.com A couple of weeks ago, I was contacted by Rockstar Games (or at least, someone alleging to be Rockstar Games that's a very good email hoaxer) who have decided that they want ViceCityStories.com to use in their own promotion of GTA: Vice City Stories. While I've checked the authenticity of this email and verified that it at least seems to have come from their servers, no one at Rockstar Games has returned my two replies (guys, if you're reading this, send me another mail) so far.Anyway, with it being a no-contest between little old me and big corporation if it ever made it to domain name court (I can't afford a lawyer, Google AdSense isn't that good), I decided the best thing to do was prepare for future changes to the site by recompiling all content here on GTAPSP.com. My other domains will redirect to this site from now on.I've worked tirelessly on many redesigns for the site over the past few weeks, but this new look, which I call "folder" has been the one that's stuck (and been popular with the people I've previewed it to) with me. I was playing around with shapes and created the police badge, and the idea just came to me - make it like a police file.The two buttons on the left - Vice City Stories and Liberty City Stories expand out into full menus when you click on them, and you'll be taken to a "game homepage" which features just that particular game's news when you hit one. You can also find the other game's button on every page releated to one game. (VCS button appears on LCS pages and vice versa). This took an entire afternoon to code, but I think the effect is well worth the effort I put in.The reshuffling isn't all cosmetic though. You will also be interested to note that the Vice City Stories Fan Art page has now finally been put online with exciting Adobe Flash technology. You should find it visually pleasing to flick through the images, and this will be the way I present all galleries from this moment onward.Also new is a Liberty City Stories PS2 Screenshot Gallery too. The news comments are also back today, but be warned - I will be policing them much more strictly this time. If you post an inappropriate message you will be banned permanently.I want to reassure people that the forums will be back soon. No data or usernames/passwords have been lost and you will be able to resume posting in the near future. Please, give me time to clean up the horrid mess that a disruptive minority felt appropriate to bring upon an otherwise honest community.I invite every visitor to post any comments they have about the design or anything related to the site on this news post. If you find any broken links or bugs, it would be VERY appriciated if you notified me. http://www.gtapsp.com The online voting for this year's Golden Joystick awards has finally begun! The annual awards, which are the highest accolade any game released in the UK can receive, take place on October 27th. The good news is that Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories has been nominated in five of the 16 categories.It's up for the prestigious golden controller as:Ultimate Game Of The Year, Soundtrack Award, PlayStation Game Of The Year, Handheld Game Of The Year and Multiplay Game Of The Year. You can also show your allegiance to Rockstar and Grand Theft Auto in the One To Watch For 2007 and Publisher Of The Year categories.While the ceremony is going to take place in October, everyone's invited to watch a "themed gaming evening" featuring the awards on ITV4 on Thursday, 24th November.To cast your votes, Click Here http://www.gtapsp.com UK gaming retailer GAME have updated their product listing for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories with a promising addition.The company have added the "Wi-Fi Enabled" icon to the sidebar of the game page, indicating that the title may ship with multiplayer capabilities. As usual though, there's no "official" confirmation on this.Game Page: Vice City Stories @ GAME http://www.gtapsp.com Respectable UK-based gaming site Eurogamer have provided the first review of the PS2 version of GTA: Liberty City Stories from a European perspective.The article also includes a few new screenshots.I'd also like to remind all of the North American readers that Liberty City Stories is now available on PS2 in North America, priced at $19.99.Review: EurogamerScreenshots: here http://www.gtapsp.com IGN have finally gotten around to posting their review of the PS2 version of GTA: Liberty City Stories. Overall, they've given the game 8/10, saying that there's "no reason to buy this game" if you've already played the PSP version, but it does provide "a lot of game for your dollar".There are also a few more screenshots (which this time feature the game's HUD) for you to have a look at.Full Review: IGN Liberty City Stories PS2 ReviewScreenshots: Click Here http://www.gtapsp.com The web's first preview of GTA: Liberty City Stories' PS2 version has appeared online today. IGN have the scoop on the game, not that there's anything really to note.As I reported previously, the game is identical to the PSP version in every way but the multiplayer element has been removed. Of course, you also won't be able to take advantage of the PSP version's custom soundtrack functionality either. The game looks "almost the same" as it did on PSP but runs at a smoother framerate.The site also has the first screenshots of the game from the PS2 version, along with the PS2 trailer. The game is still listed as being released this coming week in North America, with the article's author stating that IGN have received a final copy of the game. Still no news as to why European GTA fans are forced to wait once again.Preview: IGN Hands-OnScreenshots: IGN GalleryTrailer: Here http://www.gtapsp.com Top UK games retailer GAME are offering a little bit of a bonus to those who preorder GTA: Liberty City Stories on PS2 with them - an exclusive postcard pack.The set features four different cards depicting the game's official artwork and three of the game's characters. It's not clear what's going to be on the reverse of each card yet though.If you order with them, they'll ship the postcards when they send out your game. Those who have ordered with GAME already will receive the bonus too.Postcards: GAME Product Page http://www.gtapsp.com Bad news today, the PS2 version of GTA: Liberty City Stories has slipped by two weeks, and will now be released on June 23rd in Europe.No indication as to when the game will release in North America is yet available, but if it's going to be delayed there too I'd expect to see retailers update their sites this morning.Quite why the game has been delayed by so long with only around a week until the original release date is unknown. It's unlikely there would be any delay in producing the title, which should have gone to manufacturing a couple of weeks ago. Perhaps someone forgot to press the giant "Liberty City Stories PS2 Hype" button. http://www.gtapsp.com The latest issue of PSW magazine has just hit newsagents in the UK, and included is an alleged "review" of the PS2 version of Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. After hearing this news, I hunted down a copy of the magazine, eager to find out what awaits people who pay $19.99 for this game.At £3.99, the magazine wasn't exactly cheap, and despite being filled with some of the worst printed videogame journalism I've ever read, there are three pages dedicated to Liberty City Stories (that's excluding the single page "splash" of GTA-chick Maria Latore).Quite astoundingly, the magazine mentions that the game is a straight port of the PSP title with every multiplayer element removed. I was somewhat hoping that the time between the PSP and PS2 releases would have given the developers some time to create an online multiplayer option, but this appears not to be the case.The seventeen included screenshots show off many of the familiar features of the game, but I'm really, really struggling to work out whether they've been captured from the PS2 or PSP version. If they are from the PS2 version, then you're in for a horrid viewing experience - there are "jaggies" on almost every surface and it doesn't appear that much effort has been put into adding to the visuals whatsoever.I was somewhat disappointed by the magazine's complete lack of mentioning the controls in the game. With so few changes, it would seem that the controller would be one of the most significant, and the way the magazine completely avoids the issue leads me to believe that the editor didn't actually play the game on PS2 at all.The final rating given to the game was eight-out-of-ten, with the bottom line being that this is a nonsensical purchase for people who already own this game on PSP. Readers in the UK should remember that the PSP version is being re-released at the same £19.99 price point in this country and it would seem that the PSP version is superior simply because of the ability to take it anywhere.Note: I am unsure of the reputability of this magazine and specifically this article. While Rockstar Games have not provided any screenshots of the PS2 version for use on the web, they haven't provided any previews of the game to magazines either. This is a strange move and certainly makes me question just how correct the information in PSW's article is.Stay tuned for more coverage of Liberty City Stories' PS2 incarnation over the coming weeks. http://www.gtapsp.com Rockstar Games today announced that the next Grand Theft Auto title to appear on PSP will be Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories.The game will be released in North America on October 17th, 2006 and will find its way to Europe three days later, on October 20th. Official Website: Click HereTake 2 Press Release: Read Here http://www.gtapsp.com Take 2 are currently holding a meeting for the media and investors in Los Angeles as part of E3. They just announced that Liberty City Stories will be making its way to the new "Greatest Hits" program that sees popular titles repackaged and sold at a budget price point. No rerelease date has yet been announced. http://www.gtapsp.com Eurogamer have managed to get their hands on Chart Track’s annual leisure software report (probably by paying the £6000 price tag) which details the UK’s game sales across 2005 from most of the top retailers.Inside were details of the sales of all of the PSP games released last year - remember, the console only launched in the UK on September 1st.As you might expect, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories was the best selling PSP title, even though it was only on sale for the final eight weeks of 2005. In total, the game sold over 360,000 copies "making it the best selling handheld title since Pokemon Yellow back in summer 2000".I'm sure this is the only evidence Take 2 need to continue investing in the Grand Theft Auto brand and specifically on the PSP platform.They also saw immense success on other formats too, which you can read about at this post on the Unofficial Grand Theft Auto Weblog.Source: 2005 UK Sales Review [Eurogamer] http://www.gtapsp.com Rockstar Games have revealed the boxart that will be used when Liberty City Stories hits PS2 in June. It's identical to the PSP one, although someone had the bright idea of turning the background white. Of course, it looks weird and certainly doesn't match the other recent titles in the series.Artwork: Liberty City Stories PS2 BoxartArtwork: The Same Image, On A PlateIn my last news story, I issued a word of caution to those thinking of upgrading their PSP firmware to version 2.7. I think I was a little premature. I've just had the chance to sample a free downloadable Japanese demo of Loco Roco, a quirky but insanely fun title. I'm sad to say this, but I value the ability to play game demos on my PSP more than any user-created modifications for a game I completed a few months ago.I'm certain Sony are on to a winner here - all they have to do now is enable the downloading of game demos from the PSP web browser, and I'm sure we'll be seeing more playable demos soon (probably at E3 next week).If you're interested in playing Loco Roco, see this topic over at the GamesRadar Forums. http://www.gtapsp.com EdisonCarter has released an update to his Cheat Device program today, which adds two new features which are pretty self explanatory. Heavy Cars and Automatically Flip Over.However, there's a black cloud over his application today - PSP Firmware version 2.7 has been released and it causes Cheat Device not to work whatsoever. If you enjoy using the Cheat Device DO NOT UPGRADE TO FIRMWARE VERSION 2.7.You can grab the latest version of the Cheat Device from the links below:Cheat Device v1.0c: US Version or UK/Euro Version. http://www.gtapsp.com Greg over at PSP-Hacks has word today about an update to the PSP's firmware that's being released in Japan tomorrow.Apparently, this update adds Macromedia Flash to the web browser and tidies up a few of the menus. Those of you lucky enough to enjoy LocationFree TV will also see some additional functionality.However, Greg also speculates that this update will close a number of the PSP's current security holes that allow homebrew applications to be run, including the Liberty City Stories Cheat Device.If you're an avid Cheat Device user, I'd advise that you leave it a couple of days to see what the community makes of this update, and whether it does break the Cheat Device.The update is released at 1am EDT, which is 6am to Europeans. There's no word yet about a US or European specific version though.Source: 2.70 PSP Firmware Update (JAP) [PSP-Hacks] http://www.gtapsp.com A small update for everyone today. I've added MSN alerts functionality to the site, which means that every time I update, you'll get a little popup in the corner of the screen if you sign up at the link below and are signed in to MSN Messenger at the time I update (or, the alert will be delivered the next time you sign in).You can also have the alerts delivered to your email address or mobile device. How cool is that? Hit the button below for more information and to sign up (it's free!): http://www.gtapsp.com Update: SPOnG has word today from Rockstar saying that the porting of the game is being done entirely by Rockstar Leeds, the same people who developed the PSP version and a studio with no experience developing PS2 games. This company's full of surprises, anyone want to guess the next one?Rockstar Games have today announced that Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories will be available for PlayStation 2 on June 6th, 2006 in North America for a suggested retail price of $19.99.The title will hit European shores the following Friday, June 9th, 2006 for €29.99 or £19.99 in the UK.The reason for the ridiculous increase in price for European consumers (who will pay $36USD, almost double the American price) was not disclosed. Nor were any further details given on what improvements to expect after the six months the title will have been exclusive to PSP by the time it reaches PS2.Read the official announcement: Here http://www.gtapsp.com Well, it's that time of year again - spring, and what better way for a webmaster to celebrate than redesigning websites?This new design has been in development for quite some time, and is finally ready for your viewing. I've tried especially hard this time round to ensure that everything is easily accessable - from the navigation "strip" on the left. The news has had a facelift and is now a lot "tighter", meaning the site looks a lot tidier.A huge new feature today is the addition of an RSS feed, for this post and all posts in the future. Grab it from the button in your address bar if you're using a modern browser, or by hitting the "RSS" button on the Navigation Strip to your left. I hope you enjoy this new look, which should hopefully be here to stay. I know it might take a little while to adjust to it, but once you have, I really do think you'll love it.There might be a few teething problems, such as pages not quite lining up exactly as they should, but I'm in the process of going through each one to make them all tidy again. Please leave any comments you have on the new look by clicking the link below. http://www.gtapsp.com?action=fullnews&id=6 Edisoncarter has released a small update to the CheatDevice program which allows you to adjust the water level in Liberty City. It makes for interesting gameplay and also means that you can drive boats pretty much anywhere.Grab the new version for the US or UK version of the game. http://www.gtapsp.com?action=fullnews&id=5 ADePSP has released two further vehicles to promote Pimp My Garage.Kettering [Get Code!]Named after Charles Kettering, creator of the Diesel engine, this car is sure to set your heart racing! It's incredibly fast in a straight line and sports a wonderful brown and blue paintjob - if it was possible to put decals on cars they'd be there. This wouldn't look out of place on a drag strip.Monster Truck [Get Code!]If you thought the Rhino was strong, you've not tried this. The Monster Truck will cruise beautifully over the top of anything in its path and is also pretty fast on smooth roads. The huge wheels are testiment to the power of Pimp My Garage.The final release date for Pimp My Garage is currently unclear. http://www.gtapsp.com Today ADePSP has decided to release three further cars that he's produced to promote Pimp My Garage, the custom car editor that you're going to be loving this weekend.Diablo [Get Code!]This Cheetah came straight outa hell with it's red exhaust and black paintjob, Handle corners at high speeds without losing control and enjoy those 20' rims on a 4' lift.Codenamed "Diablo" this car is sure to take you for a ride!Goblin '69 [Get Code!]This pimped Hellenbach GT has had its suspension completely ripped out and replaced with something quite, quite special by the specialists at PMG. Customized for lowrider slip-slide and bouncy-bounce this car is sure fun to drive. Just make sure you know what you're doing as the modifications on this little fella were not designed for the first time driver.Racer GT [Get Code!]A Stinger that thinks it's better than a Yakuza Stinger. Well it certainly goes a lot faster that's for sure. Handles those corners better too. This is one example of a pimped LCS car that is more than just big wheels and new rims...Look out for another car prior to Pimp My Garage's release! http://www.gtapsp.com?action=fullnews&id=3 At the weekend I previewed Pimp My Garage, the awesome upcoming car editor that you'll be using real soon. I also promised that I'd be bringing everyone a couple of little bonuses this week, kinda like a "demo" of the capabilities of this tool. Today, I'm proud to present the "Pimped Pink Stretch", Pimp-1. This awesome looking car will truly have your friends in awe at its huge wheels and nifty new paintjob. The handling's also very sp