Finally, after two years of waiting, Grand Theft Auto IV (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360) will be sitting on shelves in just a few days. Before you run out to get yourself a copy this Tuesday, let's recap on what we know about the game so far.

This is the first of a two-part series we'll be running for Grand Theft Auto IV (yeah, the game's that huge). So, head over to the full article for half of everything you need to know about Grand Theft Auto IV.

In able to successfully render the realm of Lucas Arts' upcoming Star Wars: The Force Unleashed game, three different physics engines were used. In a video we have for you, the developers talk about how Havok, Euphoria, and DMM take part in making the world of the Star Wars unlike any other game under the franchise.

Perhaps one of the most overlooked details in the GTA IV trailers is the unbelievable realistic motion and animation it sported. And although the dynamics cannot be demonstrated by a recorded video strip, Rockstar Games has confirmed that Grand Theft Auto IV (for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360) is already using Dynamic Motion Synthesis and (quite possibly) Digital Molecular Matter, features integrated into the euphoria engine.

Designed by NaturalMotion for LucasArts titles, euphoria is a next-generation solution for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and the PC to address the monotony of "canned" animations and in-game element reactions. By eating a bit of your platform's processing power, euphoria will generate a unique animation on-the-fly guaranteeing a unique animation sequence even if the incident was repeated in exactly the same way. The additional processing power can simulate the human body and the nervous system.

Some speculation has also arisen that Grand Theft Auto IV is the first title to sport the euphoria engine, despite the fact that LucasArts has previously made known the engine's exclusivity to their published titles. NaturalMotion still confirms euphoria to be integrated to The Force Unleashed, a next-gen Star Wars title by LucasArts to come 2008.

 

We've previously reported on the NaturalMotion's Morpheme Animation Package for the PS3, 360, and PC. Well, here's a little more on NaturalMotion's animation package that's supposedly set to improve work-flow for next-generation game developers.

NaturalMotion has announced that it will demonstrate Morpheme publicly for the first time during the 2007 Game Developers Conference at booth number 118.

Anyhow, just in case you folks were to lazy to click on that link to the previous report, Morpheme consists of two components: Morpheme:run-time and Morpheme:connect. run-time, is a run-time engine optimized for Sony's PS3, Microsoft's Xbox 360, and the PC, and ships with full source code. :connect, on the other hand, is the much touted 3D authoring application, that will streamline production work of videogame animators.

Morpheme is designed to seamlessly integrate with other 3D middleware technologies, and is even set to complement NaturalMotion's Euphoria Engine - which Rockstar loves oh so much, by the way.

Morpheme, Euphoria, Endorphin - is it just us, or does NaturalMotion have a habit?

We don't have a lot of info to give out to you guys today, but this certainly does qualify as Grand Theft Auto IV news. According to CVG, a recent Take-Two Interactive financial report has confirmed that Rockstar's previously announced episodic content for GTA IV will begin trickling out in 2008.

Episodic content has certainly made its presence felt in the videogaming market recently, and Rockstar's certainly not the first company to take advantage of it. While there are risks in releasing episodic content - episodic game gets first few releases, game doesn't sell well enough for the publisher, game gets canned, gamers are left with an unfinished game that they paid good money for -  it's highly unlikely that the same scenario could happen to something as popular as the GTA franchise.

The same report also reaffirmed that both the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game will release simultaneously. There's still no word on whether or not the latest iteration in the GTA series will use the Euphoria engine, but keep checking here on QJ for more details as they surface.

Are you familiar with the company NaturalMotion and its Euphoria Engine? No? Well, soon, you will be. NaturalMotion is actually the first company to create 3D character animation software based on DMS or Dynamic Motion Synthesis. In case you're wondering why this matters to you, please take note that the company just announced a partnership with Rockstar Games.

NaturalMotion said that Rockstar Games will now be including Euphoria in its upcoming next-gen titles. The engine will simulate the human body and nervous system that allows characters to be fully interactive, allowing them to act differently every time. CEO Torsten Reil remarked,

In Rockstar, we have found a partner that shares this vision, and is renowned for creating some of the most ground-breaking and immersive games in the industry. We are thrilled and honored to work with a partner of such high caliber, and look forward to helping create amazing titles.

Finally, NaturalMotion promises to make announcements regarding specific titles *cough...GTA IV...cough* soon.

Yesterday we gave you a bit of info about the upcoming LucasArts title Star Wars: Force Unleashed. Today we're bringing you more (bits of info, that is), courtesy of CVG.

Star Wars: Force Unleashed will use LucasArts' much-touted Euphoria engine, which, according to CVG, "calculates environmental damage such as smashing crates in real-time. One given example of the tech is how a tree will either break in two or splinter realistically depending on how you hit it. Likewise, steel will dent appropriately when damaged your fancy Force powers."

As previously stated, Rancors will make an in-game appearance. According to the CVG article, there's also the suggestion of players being able to control their own pack of Rancors - perfect for softening up those pesky goody-two-shoes Jedi Knights for a taste of your Force powers. Speaking of Force powers, CVG reports that many of the world-bending tricks from the popular E3 tech demo are present in Force Unleashed, including the "cannon ball"-like force push.

Of course, everyone knows how the Star Wars saga ends. LucasArts promises to shake up the lore, though, by delivering alternate endings in the game. Depending on how you play it, the bad guys really can win it all in this one. Xbox 360 and PS3 versions are being developed in-house at Lucasarts. Work on the PS2 version as well as the handheld versions for the PSP and DS have been outsourced to another still-unnamed developer. Sadly, still no details on a Wii version.