Those crazy cats over at IGN

[Cavalry]

http://pc.ign.com/articles/871/871415p2.html

Here's some background information. Grand Theft Auto began on the PC, but the series didn't really explode until Grand Theft Auto III, which introduced a new 3D engine that brought you into the game rather than give you a top-down, bird's-eye view like the previous two games. GTA III shipped on PS2 on October 22, 2001. The PC version was announced on March 25, 2002, and shipped two months later on May 21 and according to NPD, sold more than 400,000 copies.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City launched on PS2 on October 22, 2002. The PC version was revealed on February 14, 2003, and shipped on May 12, 2003 (The Xbox version shipped November 4, 2003 as part of a Double Pack with GTA III). NPD says Vice City sold more than 300,000 copies on PC, a slight decline.




Finally, there's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which shipped for PS2 shipped on October 26, 2004. The PC game was confirmed on September 9, 2004 (before the PS2 game shipped). It came out on June 7, 2005. This was the most infamous entry in the series, as it introduced the "Hot Coffee" scandal, which forced Rockstar to withdraw all copies on the shelves and publish a new version that had the controversial material removed. San Andreas sold almost 250,000 copies on PC. These are NPD numbers for North America.

So now I'll turn it over to you, executive editor Steve Butts and editor Charles Onyett.

--Jason Ocampo

Charles Onyett: I'd be very surprised if GTA IV didn't show up on PC within a year or so. In fact, if Rockstar never brings it over to this platform, I'd be so surprised I might even say something insane, like, "Oh GTA IV isn't coming to PC? That's surprising." But I'd assume most PC gamers want to know if it's coming over to see if they should wait to buy it. Well, it's probably going to be a long wait. I wound up holding out for the PC versions of GTA III and Vice City, but took the plunge on the PS2 version for San Andreas. I put up with the system's inferior graphics and lack of a customizable radio station because, well, I just wanted to play and was getting fed up with waiting. Apparently, my purchase tendencies mirror somewhat the declining PC sales figures with each successive version.

Spoiler

Little HL2 joke next

Charles Onyett: Jason, I think you just accidentally stumbled upon one of Half-Life 2: Episode 3's secrets. Portal's ending was just a diversion. In reality, Half-Life 2's finale will be a heated three-on-three Source-powered football contest with Alyx, Gordon, and Dog on one side (Dog as running back, Gordon as quarterback, Alyx as a wide out) versus the G-Man, the alien baby boss from the first Half-Life, and those flying slug things from Episode 2. You'd play in front of a crowd of resistance fighters, Vortigaunts, and varying ranks of Combine soldiers. The winner gets the Portal gun and a date with a few of GLaDOS's personality spheres.

(awkward silence)

Steve Butts: At the most basic level, there's no way that Take Two or Rockstar are going to pass up the opportunity to extend the economic and critical success the game is enjoying by bringing it to the PC. I'm not sure how much it costs for them to port the title over, but I'm guessing it's far less than they'll make in sales. And while it's true that the console crowds are growing a bit more adult in their tastes (is it right to use the word "mature" when discussing a game about killing cops and prostitutes?), there's definitely a huge group of players on the PC who are hungry for this kind of grown-up experience.




Outside of the Rockstar and Take Two offices, I doubt there are many who can even guess at a timeframe for the PC release. Given the past history of the series, I wouldn't be surprised if we had a PC version by the end of year. What's interesting about that is that all the other console premieres have been timed for holiday sales, with the PC version coming out the following spring. With this latest console version coming out in the middle of spring, does that mean we're going to get GTA for PC by Christmas? More importantly, does it suggest that Rockstar held the game back for six months for marketing or development purposes? They said they held it back to polish things up, but it'd be interesting to find out how much of that statement is true. Why do you guys think they changed their release strategy for this one?

Spoiler

I thought his last name was a joke at first

Jason Ocampo: It's safe to say at this point that Charles is our point man on GTA IV. Unfortunately, due to circumstances, I won't be able to even start playing until the middle of next week.

Anyway, it looks like we're in agreement that GTA IV is only a matter of when, not if. There have certainly been some interesting ideas thus far. I'd like to take a moment to invite our readers to let us know what they'd like to see in a GTA IV for PC. You can use our comment box below, or shoot over an email.

We'll see, but I've heard people say the GTA series on PC has too many controls, and end up using a console controller .

 

[TwwIX]

lol I have PC versions of each one of the games.This is the first time i've heard anybody complain about the controls.In fact, the cars handle even better on the PC.The GTA series has been very mod friendly and the majority of it's fan base consists of PC users.They will probably release the PC version within this year

 

[Kadayi]

It's not really the driving in GTA that difficult with with keyboard and mouse, it's the flying missions esp the remote control vehicles such as the infamous Zero missions in San Andreas (the termination point for many peoples San Andreas patience apparently). I generally half and half it between the two of them, using a 360 controller for driving/flying etc and switch to M&K for ground combat and general running around. Certainly a controller is an essential accessory imho.

PC release this year for sure. End of October is the likely candidate from what I've read on the subject as that's going to be after Rockstar have fulfilled their exclusive DLC commitments to Microsoft, but before the end of under pressure Publisher Take 2s financial quarter. I'm not too sure that Christmas is that major an issue for GTA IV given it's not game marketed at children, there seems little point in holding out to release then.

 

[Eejit]

Those PC sales figures don't count Steam do they?

 

[Kadayi]

Those PC sales figures don't count Steam do they?

I wouldn't take the NDP figures alone, they are notoriously inaccurate and out of step with modern distribution:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gta_san_andreas

By March 3, 2005, the game had sold over 12 million units for the PlayStation 2 alone.[33] As of September 25, 2007, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is the best-selling video game in the United States,[34] ahead of its predecessors Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto III.[34] As of September 26, 2007, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has sold 20 million units,[35] with 8.6 million of those units being sold in the US.[34] As of March 26, 2008, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has sold 21.5 million units according to Take-Two Interactive.[36]

Of note are the 1.5 million units sales between Sep 2007 and now. I'd expect those figures include Steam sales. Not an unhealthy number of sales tbh, almost 3 years after the games original PC release.

 

[PriNcE oF SpAcE]

psh...flying is easy on PC you just have to set your controls properly.

 

[Kadayi]

psh...flying is easy on PC you just have to set your controls properly.

So you're recommendation is people **** about for hours figuring out the best keyboard combinations to fly the planes (because Rockstars default choices suck balls) as opposed to simply plugging in a controller and doing those missions straight off the bat? Yeah I can see the sense in that, if you haven't got a life going on or out. :dozey:

 

[Pesmerga]

A game has a learning curve?

FVCK NO!?!

 

[PriNcE oF SpAcE]

So you're recommendation is people **** about for hours figuring out the best keyboard combinations to fly the planes (because Rockstars default choices suck balls) as opposed to simply plugging in a controller and doing those missions straight off the bat? Yeah I can see the sense in that, if you haven't got a life going on or out. :dozey:

if people aren't as dense as you they won't be messing with it for hours...took me about 3 minutes to figure out a proper setup:dozey:

but anyways it doesn't matter...if you like using a gamepad then more power to you...I'm just saying it's really not that hard with mouse and keyboard if you just set it up right(I suggest turning of mouse steering....waaaaay to sensitive)

 

[Kadayi]

if people aren't as dense as you they won't be messing with it for hours...took me about 3 minutes to figure out a proper setup:dozey:

Heaven forbid that people buy software and expect the default key settings to actually work, and work well for them (I guess they are all dense). Even on a port you do kind of expect the developers to actually playtest their control scheme fully, for ease of use vs complexity. Perhaps if they'd actually done that instead of getting a blind monkey to randomly select them, they'd of realised that in VC it's actually easier to fly a normal helicopter than it is the remote control one (why the difference?) and adjusted the latter's complexity down accordingly. You don't buy a New car off the showroom floor and expect to find you'll need to adjust the tyre tracking and fit a new steering column just to get off the lot. :dozey:

 

[VictimOfScience]

Too many controls?? Try an MMORPG!! GTA is a cake-walk.

 

[Kadayi]

Too many controls?? Try an MMORPG!! GTA is a cake-walk.

There's a big difference between poor control choices VS too many controls. It's up there with reading a post and understanding it VS pointlessly responding with irrelevances. :dozey:

 

[ríomhaire]

After about 5 tries with Zero's missions I was able to fly perfectly on the PC using the default controls. I think I ended up using a combination of WASD and the Numpad, but I don't really remember. It could have been something else.

I actually plugged in a PS2 controller at once point to check it out. I much prefered keyboard and mouse (and I had previously played all the 3D GTAs on PS2).

 

[Kadayi]

I think if you took a straw poll of GTA players of their least favourite missions in the series the RC ones would be comfortably head and shoulders above the rest in terms of fun vs frustration, and principally down to control issues. I've yet to meet a GTA player, console or PC user who didn't despise those missions. Feel free to claim you are the exception to that experience, but do so in the knowledge that I don't believe you.

 

[Reginald]

Never had any trouble with flying or RC vehicles on the PC version of SA. One of my friends who only plays the GTA series (and a bit of Age of Empires) never had any problem with those missions either.

I think it's a case of hearing the outspoken minority who couldn't do it compared with the majority who did the mission then didn't rush to various internet forums and go "WHOOOOOO! I did that mission!"

 

[Kadayi]

2 people is not a Straw poll...:dozey:

 

[Baal]

I bought a PS2 solely for Vice City.

I bought an Xbox on Thursday solely for GTA IV

Infact, I spent about $1050 to play GTA IV, since I bought a new 24" monitor to make my purchase worth while (http://users.eastlink.ca/~garrymullins/setup3.jpg).

Worth every penny. I'm hoping that I'll get to play at least one more incarnation of Grand Theft Auto on my new Xbox as well, but I'm not really crossing my fingers. However the hard part is done, is it not? The engine is already created...they should be able to fire out GTA V or something relatively quickly.

 

[Kadayi]

Worth every penny. I'm hoping that I'll get to play at least one more incarnation of Grand Theft Auto on my new Xbox as well, but I'm not really crossing my fingers. However the hard part is done, is it not? The engine is already created...they should be able to fire out GTA V or something relatively quickly.

I think their viewpoint is more to deliver future episodic expansions through DLC, rather than make a completely new game. Certainly they have hinted at liberty city sized downloads.

 

[ríomhaire]

I think if you took a straw poll of GTA players of their least favourite missions in the series the RC ones would be comfortably head and shoulders above the rest in terms of fun vs frustration, and principally down to control issues. I've yet to meet a GTA player, console or PC user who didn't despise those missions. Feel free to claim you are the exception to that experience, but do so in the knowledge that I don't believe you.

I hated the first RC bi-plane one at first. Once I got the hang of the controls I enjoyed every mission.