Rockstar have today released a much needed update to Grand Theft Auto III for iOS. Version 1.30 of the game adds features that many players have hoped would be added, myself included. The full change log is as follows.
 

• iPhone 5 widescreen support
• iCloud save game support for seamless progression across all your iOS devices.
• Custom playlist support*
• Various stability and bug fixes.

*To create a custom playlist, create a playlist in iTunes titled “GTA3”

 
iPhone 5 support and iCloud save games and sync support are an extremely welcome additions which we're sure many players will be happy about. Two other noticeable yet unmentioned fixes include a slightly refreshed app icon, as well as this they have finally fixed the name of the app, which now correctly says "GTA III". Lovely stuff.
 
You can update GTA III right now from the App Store on your devices, or from iTunes. If you don't already own a copy, here's a link to the iTunes store page, it'll currently set you back just $ 4.99 (£2.99 / 3,99 €).

 
Rockstar have just announced two special edition versions of GTA V that are now available for pre-order, and unlike other games (such as CoD) which bundle stupid, pointless crap with their game, Rockstar have included some pretty nice stuff with theirs. All pre-orders will additionally get access to pilot the Atomic Blimp (pictured above), "hawking Los Santos’ finest tire company (whose products are available in any LS Customs garage)."
 
First up, the Special Edition, this includes:

Full retail copy of Grand Theft Auto V
 
Collectible SteelBook with Exclusive Artwork
This special SteelBook features double-sided, never-before-seen artwork of Michael, Trevor and Franklin. Custom color and metallic treatments bring out the detail of the artwork created exclusively for this SteelBook.
 
Blueprint Map
This exclusive, additional 21.5” x 26.75” map displays a blueprint view of Los Santos and Blaine County. Cryptic markings indicate locations for fast cash and other points of interest for the up-and-coming entrepreneur. 
 
Special Ability Boost
Michael, Franklin and Trevor each have a unique special ability. With this boost, the special ability bar will generate 25% faster.
 
Stunt Plane Trials
Single player Stunt Plane Trials let you take on additional aerial challenges spread throughout Los Santos and Blaine County.
 
Bonus Outfits, Tattoos and More
Michael, Franklin and Trevor get bonus outfits in their wardrobes, character specific tattoos at tattoo parlors, and special deals from shopkeepers across Los Santos and Blaine County.
 
Additional Weapons
When visiting Ammunation stores in single player, merchants will have special weapons in their inventory available for free: the Pistol .50, Bullpup Shotgun and melee Hammer.

Click the image above for full details

The Grand Theft Auto V Collector’s Edition includes all the contents of Grand Theft Auto V Special Edition as described above plus:
 

Grand Theft Auto V Security Deposit Bag with Logo Key
Inspired by the heists in Grand Theft Auto V, this custom 10.75” x 8.5” money bag features a pop-up style lock and laser cut logo key to secure important items. The reverse side features a pressed Rockstar Games logo on the security mount with a framed ID window.

Grand Theft Auto V New Era 9FIFTY™ Snapback Cap
This exclusive New Era 9FIFTY™ cap features an embroidered Los Santos logo on the front, a stitched, black Rockstar Games logo on the wearer’s left side, a Grand Theft Auto ‘V’ logo applique on the opposite side, and snapback closure for an adjustable fit.

Custom Characters for Grand Theft Auto Online
Get classic Grand Theft Auto characters to use within the Grand Theft Auto Online Character Creation System.

Unique Vehicles and Garage Property
Players will instantly receive a garage to store custom vehicles. In single player, the garage will be stocked with the 1930’s style Hotknife hotrod and the CarbonRS sports bike. In Grand Theft Auto Online, players will get the high-end Khamelion electric car.


The Grand Theft Auto V Collector’s Edition comes packaged in a premium outer box featuring a foil embossed Grand Theft Auto V logo on the top, finished with a matte, scuff-resistant film lamination, housing all of the contents.

 

Click the image above for full details.

The Grand Theft Auto V Collector’s Edition and Grand Theft Auto V Special Edition are the perfect way for fans to celebrate the return of GTA, with special digital content and exclusive Grand Theft Auto V physical items. Grand Theft Auto V Collector’s Edition will retail for 9.99, while the Grand Theft Auto V Special Edition will retail for .99. All versions are now available for pre-order until September 17, 2013 while supplies last.

Look for online pre-order links to be updated at www.rockstargames.com/V/preorder starting later today.

via Rockstar Newswire

Remember those three new screenshots we saw from EDGE Magazine last week? Well Rockstar have added high res digital versions of them on the official website now, along with a brand new one too.
 

 
See all the GTAV screenshots in our gallery.

Rockstar have released some official wallpapers featuring artwork of the three characters that were originally seen recently after the release of the latest trailer. These artworks are expanded a little offering more detail, and are of course available in a multitude of resolutions to suit any device you might use. Check them out below in full size, or head over to the Rockstar Downloads page to grab them in different resolutions. You can also check out our own GTAV artwork page to see all the stuff released so far.
 

 
According to Rockstar we'll be seeing more artwork in the forthcoming weeks.

Expect to see more GTAV digital artwork released as widescreen desktops in the weeks ahead, including official version illustrations of some friends, family members and other known associates of our three main characters

 
via: Rockstar Newswire

The latest issue of EDGE magazine is out with their GTA V preview, and in it are three new screenshots not seen in previews from earlier this week. The magazine pages have been uploaded in this GTAForums thread and we've included the new screenshots below.
 
There doesn't actually appear to be any substantial new information in the preview, though there are a couple of interesting points mentioned, including the fact that Franklin's descent from helicopter to ground took around 3 minutes to complete when Rockstar started the demo. We haven't done any maths around this but that should give you some idea of just how massive the game is. One other point that mag makes is that it claims a lot of character switching happens automatically, which is contrary to what other previews wrote, saying we would get quite a lot of freedom around when we choose to (or not to) do this. That said, they may just have been referring the particular mission Rockstar were demoing.

We'll update this post if we can get our hands on high res digital copies of these new shots.
 

GameInformer has come up with the goods once again in the latest issue of their mag, with twelve beautiful new screenshots, which you can see in all their glory below.
 
UPDATE: Rockstar later posted these screenshots on the official website and Newswire.
 

All these and more can be seen in our complete screenshot gallery.

While the recent GTA V trailers, previews and screenshots have overshadowed pretty much every other announcement in the GTA scene this week (and quite rightly so), that's not to say there's nothing worth reporting on. A couple of popular modifications and tools received updates over the past couple of days too.
 

 
MTASA 1.3.2 Released
First up is a new version of MTASA. That's the popular multiplayer modification for GTA: San Andreas for those of you who might be new to the franchise. MTASA 1.3.2 fixes a substantial amount of bugs, and also introduces useful new functions for those of you who make maps and create mods for the game. You can read more about that in their announcement post, or check their wiki for a complete list of changes.
The MTA team also announced that they will be switching to a rapid release cycle. The team currently pushes a new release every 3-6 months, this change basically means the team will aim to release an update every month, rather like the release cycles users of Chrome and Firefox web browsers will now be used to. The more frequent updates will mean less major changes in each iteration, but will allow for fixes and small feature updates to be pushed out a lot faster than before. In general this is pretty good news, the only downside can be the ridiculous version numbers we end up with.
 
Download MTASA 1.3.2
 
OpenIV 1.4 Released
Good news for those of you who make mods for Grand Theft Auto IV. GooD-NTS has released another update to his OpenIV tool, five years after the project originally started, and an update which will apparently be the last at least in terms of adding major new features.

 
The new features in this release are quite big indeed, though. The first is the ability to create your own unique animations for peds and objects, the second is the ability to create completely new custom cut-scenes. Other new features include an animation viewer for peds and objects, cutscene viewer, package installer (to make installing and distributing mods for GTAIV easier), new UI for the texture editor, and finally the ability to set file associations in Windows Explorer so you can open files directly in OpenIV.
 
Download OpenIV 1.4

Today's previews and screenshots have now started to surface. You can see all the new shots by scrolling to the bottom of this post, and below that are links to all the articles our summary of new information is sourced from (mainly CVG).

Summary of new information in today's previews

Features / Gameplay

• Car modding makes a return! Pay 'n' Spray's now double up as mod shops and offer the ability to swap out license plates, as well as provide performance upgrades and cosmetic options such as new spoilers, grilles, and window tints. Suspension and brake upgrades can also be carried out.
• Weapons can be customised with laser sights, scopes, silencers, and high capacity magazines.
• Property purchasing makes a return from Vice City - houses, garages and businesses can all be purchased as additional sources of revenue. Different characters will purchase different types of business.
• Player customisation includes haircuts, tattoos and of course clothes
• The in-game phone, iFruit, can be used to take pictures and upload them to Social Club or your own social media page.
• The iFruit is a smartphone and even has its own apps: internet, contacts, social media, calendar, and a replay missions app. There are three more Rockstar hasn't yet detailed.
• Activities you can do include stunt jumps, flying challenges, yoga, golf, tennis and bike races. You can also pick up hitch-hikers.
• Side-missions also make a return. One example is where Michael must escort a starlet away from the paparazzi and back to her home in the hills.
• It is possible to rob ATMs and liquor stores, presumably in a way similar to Vice City.
• You can hunt the wildlife if you want to

Combat

• You can combat roll in and out of cover. There is also a "combat jog".
• You have a better view of oncoming targets thanks to a wider, Gears of War-styled field of vision
• You can run and gun fluidly while retaining control of the aiming reticule
• The reticule changes from white to red when targeted at an enemy, and flashes an X when the enemy is dead

Map / Environment

• Rockstar say the land mass in GTAV is three and a half times the size of Red Dead Redemption, with the total play area becoming five times as big once you factor in the ocean
• Wildlife spotted included deer and mountain lions
• Fully explorable ocean includes "circling sharks, deep underwater ridges, schools of fish, a barnacle-encrusted wreck and shafts of sunlight shimmering through the water"
• You can even dive for treasure (NPCs will do this too) but there are no waypoints, you'll have to explore yourself
• The ocean has amazing wave physics, especially noticeable when boats speed past you
• Some boats will include gear such as wetsuit, flippers and tanks for diving
• The population of GTAV will be 5 times that of GTA IV
• The geographic span of the map is massive. It contains mountains, rivers, lakes, military bases, farmland, desert, dense urban environments and more.
• The game has a "crazy level of detail": You can board buses for a tour of celebrity homes, there are humourous film posters are on walls, men in costumes will accost you outside the Cathay Theatre, one character was Impotent Rage (like a "crappy version of Superman") and Space Ranger.

Characters and Skills

• Each character has a unique set of attributes: Stamina, Shooting, Strength, Stealth, Flying, Driving, Mechanic, Lung Capacity
• In addition to the above, each character has a "Special". Special meters drain after use, and recharge slowly in the aftermath
• Franklin: adrenalin junkie and can slow down time while driving
• Michael: his own version of bullet time
• Trevor: frenzy mode, where he's does double damage, takes half damage, and has a unique melee attack
• The stealth skill suggests that you can use a stealth based approach to heists to draw minimal attention and perhaps walk away with a larger reward
• The character selection wheel is split into four triangles: Franklin, Trevor, Michael, and your own multiplayer avtaar
• Each character moves in a slightly different way, reflecting their different builds and styles
• Google Earth style transitions between characters are very stylish. The screen fills with static and the camera suddenly moves from your character, to above him, to very high above him, and then in reverse to the character you are transitioning to. It is quicker if the player you are switching to is nearer.
• Character switching can be done during cutscenes, manually, or automatically when AI takes control for you.
• Although you can choose to switch when you want, in-game dialogue will suggest moments when it would be a good time to switch.
• The relationship between single and multiplayer is much closer. You can quickly drop in and out of multipayer simply by pressing Down on the D-pad - Rockstar said more will be revealed on multiplayer in the future
• Trevor has an ongoing feud with The Lost.

Mission Details

• Michael has an obsession with classic films and comes up with heists based on them, which are in turn based on real world movies.
• The demo showed a mission entitled 'Blitz Play' - Michael organises a heist similar to the one he's seen in the GTA version of real life film Heat.
• Mini heists are used as preparation. Players must secure vehicles, outfits, masks, getaway vehicles, and even a crew. Locations will also be needed for dumping evidence.
• These smaller heists build up to a bigger heist. They'll require the right crew and players will have to decide between cheaping out and getting less skilled people, or paying more for highly skilled crew members that could result in a larger cut in the end.
• Crew members, who include gunmen, wheelmen, technician etc. who survive the heist will continue through to the next one and receive a skill boost
• Each of the three characters has their own job to do, it's up to you how much you want to do with each one.
• If you die the game reloads to the last checkpoint, even if the other two characters are still alive

In the big ones, there can be no mistakes: you need the right weapons and gear; you need to choose the right approach, whether it's brute force, or stealth, and plan out your tactics via a pre-mission corkboard; and you need to have hired the right crew for the right job - that's crew in addition to Michael, Franklin and Trevor. Choose to pay less and you get less qualified personnel; pay more, and you get more reliable drivers, gunmen and technicians - but they take a bigger cut. It's a balance, and it's through missions like 'Blitz Play' that you find your best approach.

If you have an hour to kill, we recommend checking out CVG's preview on YouTube, it's basically more or less the same information that we've summarised here, but in greater detail. Press play and leave it running in the background.

New Screenshots

New Artwork

The following publications have written previews of what they saw in the demo Rockstar showed them in the last few days:

• CVG article and
• Destructoid
• EDGE
• GameInformer - 1, 2, 3 and 4
• GameSpot
• IGN UK and second article
• Kotaku
• OPM
• OXM
• video preview
• The Telegraph
• USA Today
• VideoGamer

Many non-English publications also have reviews, below is a comprehensive listing of them sorted by language.