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http://www.archive.org/ has plenty of music and video to fill your hard disk with.

One might argue that http://www.animemusicvideos.org/ is piracy, but they haven't been shut down by the RIAA yet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_of_the_Underdogs may or may not be down currently, but only over a domain name problem. http://www.the-underdogs.info/ seems to work at the moment.

http://digihosters.com/~cdosorg/ more.

...though the requisite agencies are perfectly capable of shutting down abandonware sites regarding piracy.

http://www.rockstargames.com/classics/ Rockstar makes available older games for free.

http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3148013&did=1 101 best free games.

ake this for example:
"The main-chase scene in Matrix 2 is the best I have ever seen; it's too bad the rest of the movie couldn't keep pace."

Spin enabled: "...Matrix 2 is the best I have ever seen.."

Anybody with half of an education should know this stuff.

Hey, so what if it's actually in the title of the game??

One of the stranger game covers I've seen is the original European release of Grand Theft Auto: http://www.rockstargames.com/classics/images/games .jpg

"...Grand Theft Auto..."

Somewhere, at some time, somebody said "grand theft auto" as part of a sentence... and we captured that moment!

Don't worry: cops will still be more worried about you talking on your cell phone while driving. Quick game of GTA anyone?

As for the article, well... I think an award should go the the Rockstar Games marketing department, who were obviously the ones behind the DMA Design buyout. Rockstar was well on their way to being notorious for the rock bottom low quality of their games after the PS2 launch, and having DMA Design become Rockstar North has associated an expectation of quality with the Rockstar name.

Just FYI, Take 2 owned DMA Design well before they became Rockstar North. The Rockstar North thing was just a name change. The only non-"Rockstar" GTA was GTA1 on the PC. (The PS1 version was a Take 2 game, as were all subsequent versions.)

Guess I might as well also point out that these names are all just labels. Take 2 is the actual parent company. Rockstar Games operates out of the same office with the same people. Rockstar North is, like all of Rockstar's dev teams, elsewhere... but they all operate under the Take 2 umbrella.

Thought I should clear that up since you seem to be under the impression that DMA was bought out some time after the PS2 launch. Rockstar/Take 2 has owned DMA since 1996 or 1997. You can even still see all of Rockstar's GTA web sites linked from here. The original GTA site is here.

I do agree that Take 2's reputation was not all that great for a while, though it's a fairly young company and reputations do take time to build. You're not going to start a company from scratch and instantly be one of the top publishers/developers in the world (which is what Take 2 is now).

As for the article, well... I think an award should go the the Rockstar Games marketing department, who were obviously the ones behind the DMA Design buyout. Rockstar was well on their way to being notorious for the rock bottom low quality of their games after the PS2 launch, and having DMA Design become Rockstar North has associated an expectation of quality with the Rockstar name.

Just FYI, Take 2 owned DMA Design well before they became Rockstar North. The Rockstar North thing was just a name change. The only non-"Rockstar" GTA was GTA1 on the PC. (The PS1 version was a Take 2 game, as were all subsequent versions.)

Guess I might as well also point out that these names are all just labels. Take 2 is the actual parent company. Rockstar Games operates out of the same office with the same people. Rockstar North is, like all of Rockstar's dev teams, elsewhere... but they all operate under the Take 2 umbrella.

Thought I should clear that up since you seem to be under the impression that DMA was bought out some time after the PS2 launch. Rockstar/Take 2 has owned DMA since 1996 or 1997. You can even still see all of Rockstar's GTA web sites linked from here. The original GTA site is here.

I do agree that Take 2's reputation was not all that great for a while, though it's a fairly young company and reputations do take time to build. You're not going to start a company from scratch and instantly be one of the top publishers/developers in the world (which is what Take 2 is now).

Some of them still are. I have done zero hours of actual work this week because of a certain newly-released game :-)

It's like music, or films, or just about any other creatively-based industry. 90% of the stuff produced is mass-market plasticised sugar-coated crap, but there's always that 10% left over that makes the whole process worthwhile - of course, my 10% might not be the same as your 10%...

I came to realize that PCs have started producing games that are fundamentally the same ones as the ones you get on consoles

Sometimes games are technically superior on the PC than they are on the consoles. There are also many I can't play without a mouse and keyboard (and not just Quake and friends, think Baldur's Gate 2 with all its keyboard shortcuts), which isn't an option on consoles at least AFAIK.

There are also some types of games - ones that you don't just pick up and play for ten minutes, basically - that I don't think are really suited to consoles at all. Equally, there are some games - usually ones involving dance mats, light guns, or other funky hardware - that I don't think work well on PCs.

YMMV, of course, but I think to achieve gaming nirvana you still need a console *and* a computer. Hopefully in five years this statement will no longer be true, but I've been hoping that for twenty years now and it hasn't happened yet.

Oh and 3- Computer games have become obscenely ressource-hungry,

I am in violent agreement with you on this one, but then I can remember saying the same thing in 1990 when I had to upgrade the memory in my Atari ST from 512k to 1Mb so I could play Powermonger. Irritatingly this sort of "push the boundaries by releasing a game that isn't quite runnable on the hardware available today" attitude only used to be taken by luminaries like Molyneux or Carmack (who could be forgiven, as they made up for it with the games they released), whereas now everyone seems to think all PC gamers have upwards of £2,000 to spend on hardware every year.

Personally my favourite game is still the original arcade version of Defender.

Incidently for those that may have missed the 'original' series. Rockstar released updated versions (support for recent hardware) of 1&2 some time ago as free downloads. Enjoy!

I love Rockstar for making these classics available for download, but I'd also like to see GTA London (expansion) available as well. They link to sites that sell used copies for the PS1, but they don't even have the PC version on their own webstore.

http://www.rockstargames.com/gtalondon/public/intr o/index.html

Is this a localised thing, or something from GTA2? I never ran over Elvis's's...

In GTA2 (the last top-down view in the series) you could run over a line of Elvis impersonators for points, something missing from newer versions. I was referring to the also missing (since GTA2) "Kill Frenzy" mini-game where you're given a fancy weapon like a flamethrower and told to kill X people in Y seconds. If you complete the "mission" you get points.

They've removed Kill Frenzies from newer versions of GTA replacing it with with "Kill X Gang Members." I suppose it's supposed to be more sensitive since killing 40 gang members isn't as bad as killing 40 random people on the street (I guess).

If anyone's interested, you can actually get the full version of GTA2 for free from Rockstar's website (or bypass stupid soul-sucking registration for a direct download). Either way it's 345MB but worth it to see some of the game's roots and get a quick stress-reliever :)

GTA 1 and 2 are free downloads now from RockStar...

Grand Theft Auto - Free Download

Grand Theft Auto 2 - Free Download

GTA 1 and 2 are free downloads now from RockStar...

Grand Theft Auto - Free Download

Grand Theft Auto 2 - Free Download

you can download the first and second versions free off of Rockstar's site.

http://www.rockstargames.com/classics/gta.html

Grim Fandago

Oh, what a fabulous game.

if the games industry would make games worth playing

I agree. Now that the average gamer has the income to support the gaming habit, I don't think this "Gorilla" will hurt the industry.

In fact, I'm have been a VERY devoted FFXI fan since the US release. I have a 60+ character (much harder to level then WOW.) I maintained my account when WOW came out. I dealt with all of the server issues that WOW had at launch, but I stuck with it. I now have two max level characters (60 in WOW, but you can solo easily), but I'm bored. It is a very pretty game, but in the end it is shallow.

Sure, you can start new characters, try different allegiances. But I ended up going back to FFXI.

In the meantime, I've purchased EXCELLENT games such as Resident Evil 4, GTA:SA, Battlefield 2. All on different platforms, no monthly fee.

Afterall, I need a game to play while they perform maintenance.

Really cool tattoo, BTW.

Honestly.... how goddamn hard is this concept to wrap around your head? ESRB Rating : M for mature. This game contains: http://www.rockstargames.com/sanandreas/image/M.gi f Thats the ESRB rating right from the box... Where on there does it say the game is SAFE for kids to play? It's not meant for children. It even says there's strong sexual content. That would mean the "hot coffee" mod doesn't raise the bar any higher then it's already been set for!

You can download GTA 1 & 2 for free from http://www.rockstargames.com/classics/ both have fairly modest system requirements.

Here's a sneak preview of an image of the Golden Gate Bridge. LA and Vegas are next.

Here's a sneak preview of an image of the Golden Gate Bridge. LA and Vegas are next.

Here's a sneak preview of an image of the Golden Gate Bridge. LA and Vegas are next.

Here's a sneak preview of an image of the Golden Gate Bridge. LA and Vegas are next.

Here's a sneak preview of an image of the Golden Gate Bridge. LA and Vegas are next.

Here's a sneak preview of an image of the Golden Gate Bridge. LA and Vegas are next.

But, I think the Rockstar programmers did a great job!

Blurb from Rockstar.com:

"Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories is an entirely new game in the Grand Theft Auto series and brings an unprecedented mobile dimension to this epic experience. The original storyline and all new missions take place in Liberty City, featuring the interactive, open environment, superb voice talent and diverse music that have become pioneering trademarks of the series."

Sounds like it will be better than the Gameboy one looked... I'm excited, and I'm really hoping for WiFi multiplayer...

I thought people got their kicks out of car-jacking and beating up prostitutes.

Well, good thing there are still some people that enjoy kicking bad-guy ass.

One complaint I have about those that oppose videogame violence is that they never talk about the context of the violence.

There seems a world of difference between videogame violence "for great justice" and simple thug violence.

GTA and GTA 2 were available on PS1, and there was a cut-down port of GTA 2 to gameboy colour. I've played both the GTA 2 ports, they are both terrible compared to the PC version, and the fact you'd never encountered them implies they weren't that successful. I'd have thought GTA (being older and designed for less powerful machines than the playstation) would have been OK on PS1.

There may well have been other versions too.

Side note, you can download GTA 1 and 2 PC for free (and legally) at Rockstar.

Aside from Tetris and Jardinains I really never bothered with games. Too little time, too little interest. I was more concerned with creating real content that playing on my PC.

This week though I downloaded the now free for asking GTA 2 and started playing with it.

Hey - it's fun to crash cars, run over pedestrians,and generally blast the daylights out of everyone on the screen. I haven't even figured out half of how the game works, and have no clue what the end goal is, but I am enjoying myself.

The GTA series is incredibly popular, as are the various shooter games. Socially redeeming? Hardly. Artistic merit? Yah, right.

And these guys are asking why gamers are stereotyped???

...street gangs have been reported to tote Bluetooth-enabled notebook computers instead of firearms.

*makes feature request to Rockstar Games*

Soccer was gory? You should really try Manhunt...

Ah yes, I fondly remember the first GTA. It's now available for free download.

Or The Underdogs might have something for you

Except Sony doesn't make Grand Theft Auto, Rockstar Games does.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go carjack an old LTD, provoke a gang war, then go for some pizza and hookers.

I've never seen a game this hyped

You don't remember Last Week?

Piracy@rockstar.com? Well I suppose that http://rockstar.com/ would like to hear from you, but perhaps http://rockstargames.com/ is what you were looking for.

First off, I highly doubt that Gran Turismo 4[japanese] is going to be this holidays top seller for the holiday season for Sony. I'll go out on a limb here and predict that the top seller will be GTA: San Andreas.

With that fairly obvious prediction aside, Gran Turismo 4 will be a big seller, but as a December 14 release, Polyphony Digital still has time to work the bugs out of the online side before release. This seems to me to be an inadequate explanation as to why the title isn't going to include the online functionality.

ok, so its not the latest and greatest
but Rockstar has made the orig GTA free for dl

Grump

Um, from the post it mentions that GTA was only popular since GTA3, I'd have to differ. I've been playing the series since it was first avaiable for the PC back around 98.

Here's the quote I'm taling about: "GTA: San Andreas is the latest in a series of Grand Theft Auto games that only became popular when GTA 3 came out for Playstation 2."

Also, here's the link to download GTA1, it's a classic game over at Rockstar now!
GTA1 Download.

And really, if I can play BattleZone with the dual analog controls on my PS2 dualshock controller? I'd *rather* play it on the console... this and the Sonic Mega Collection are going on my xmas list, right next to GTA: San Andreas, of course...

I'm not so sure this is a good thing for the video game industry in some aspects. There is always someone trying to put the blame on the video games whenever some kid commits a horrible crime. I can just see this kind of thing being used as ammo (no pun intended) to support the case that kids are influenced by video games when comitting certain types of crimes, especially violent ones. If 30% have a favorable view of the Army after playing Americas Army, then what view will they favor after playing something like Manhunt?

GTA 3 had the Liberty Tree. Vice City had Kent Paul's 80s Nostalgia Zone! Both of these sites were launched and continuously updated a few months prior to the release of their respective games. Does San Andreas have one of these yet? If not, it's no big deal. We've still got I love bees to keep us entertained.

Although - and you wouldn't know this, since you get your entire GTA info from crappy, one-paragraph /. articles - the GTA games have all used heavily fictionalized cities, so I'm not sure how you would specifically identify a European location, aside from using local accents and a tourist area of 1000-year-old buildings.

Well, you're technically right about them being fictionalized cities, but come on. Vice City is Miami, Liberty City is New York, San Andreas is a cross between San Francisco and Los Angeles. That's not really a big secret. The only reason real city names were/are not used is that Rockstar/Rockstar North feel it limits what you can do - people expect you to be faithful as much as possible to the real city. So you spend all this time trying to mimic reality even when reality doesn't really lend itself to quality gameplay - it just wastes a lot of time. Having fictional cities lets you have a little more fun with the design of the cities, and lets you customize them for the best gameplay. But it's obvious what cities the GTA cities are based on, and it's intended to be.

Not to mention, there was GTA London, you know. This was the only GTA featuring a real city. It didn't do too well in the marketplace so it was never tried again; the thinking afterwards was people don't seem to much care about real cities in their games.

One side note - it may seem a bit of a contradiction what Rockstar San Diego does with the Midnight Club series, which does feature real cities and they're not entirely faithful to reality. But a) Rockstar really had nothing to do with the original Midnight Club (whereas many people who worked on the original GTA still work at Rockstar and Rockstar North), and b) the cities do not have to feature as much variety in Midnight Club as they do in a GTA game, since all you need to do in MC is race. There need to be a whole bunch of different types of areas and things to do in a GTA game, all spaced fairly close together (so you're not wasting too much time just driving around, and to fit in the system's memory and storage constraints). So it's really a different type of game.

What? No link? How about GTA 3? 2? 1? No? hmmm... So what you're saying is that you're a COMPLETE FUCKING HYPOCRITE. Right?

You have no problem when a video game shows a white man shooting people (so long as he's not shooting at black people right?) or even a fucking squirrel killing people, and you're cool with showing Some black sterotypes may be true, but as soon as there's a game that actually comes pretty damn close to the truth people start bitching... "Oh, it's racist..." "You're showing a black man killing - that's a stereotype.." No, it's the truth. Black people can kill. So can whites, and asians and puerto ricans and russians and anyone else. Please, just STFU!!!

Jon is the legendary programmer of such classic PC games as Wolfenstein, Doom, Duke nukem 3d, Quake 1, 2, and 3, unreal, and the upcoming doom3.

Jon Carmack had nothing to do with Unreal or Duke Nukem. Those programming teams were lead by Tim Sweeney and Todd Replogle.

And such, he far from single handedly created teh world's violent computer games. There are even more violent computer games out there.

I dont play any more console games cause they just plain suck.

Xbox doesn't have GTA:VC

You must have missed the Grand Theft Auto: Double Pack. GTA 3 and GTA: Vice City for the Xbox for the price of just GTA: Vice City. They had to wait awhile to get it, but they have it.

This is a very hot technical issue in gaming right now. The last 5 years have netted us decent techniques for doing network communications for low-latency gaming; with those in place now, we turn again to graphics.

Tribes and Tribes 2 were some of the first games to take on outdoor environments and do them well. Now, we have Unreal Tournament 2004 and Far Cry leading the pack with gloriously realistic outdoor playspaces.

It's only a matter of time before next generation gaming engines like these turn to non-linear gameplay such as what's in GTA 3 and we wind up with a world simulation that has a level of realism approaching reality.

...unfortunately, I'm not sure it was all positive. I'm quite certain that one of the hospital scenes in MP2 was the first time I thought to myself, "Enough of the fucking back story already. I want to play!"

The Max Payne team, and Sam Lake in particular, should be commended for bringing a level of depth to the story that most games in the genre have never even attempted. But there are a lot of people who believe that all that great story came at the price of disrupting the balance between exposition and gameplay. Plus, there are plenty of people who thought that the story just sucked.

On a side note: anyone else notice the resemblance between Max Payne story author Sam Lake, and Mr. Needs a Maalox himself?

they're playing whack a mole!

In Florida, a state where Chief of Police Timoney suspends the Constitution at will - calling legitimate protesters "anarchists" and using obscene violence to squash freedom of expression

Home of Disney, sponser of the DMCA and SSSCA), who profits from child sweatshops child sweatshops

A State where black people can't vote black people can't vote)
and where lawyers and judges replace voters lawyers and judges replace voters

The only thing good about Florida is Fantasy Fest and Vice City.