The Grand Theft Auto franchise is subject to social criticism yet again. In a prison prep course in Mississippi, comedian and activist Bill Cosby likened the game to an entrance exam for getting into prison.

Details after the link.

Well you've been waiting for a reason to play the game all over again right? The full trophy list for Grand Theft Auto IV is now out! Check out the list after the link!

Thanks to lee for the tip!

In the same analyst conference call that revealed plans for a Bioshock sequel, Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelnick announced that the releases for two of the company's PlayStation titles have been pushed back to fiscal year 2009.

The first delayed title is L.A. Noire for the Sony PlayStation 3. This Team Bondi project will reportedly be set in late-1940s Los Angeles. The decidedly film noir-style game will have players trying to solve a chain of murders.

Rockstar Leeds' PlayStation Portable title Beaterator, a music game made in collaboration with hip hop producer Timbaland, has also been delayed. Here's what Zelnick had to say about the delays:

Right now we're just pushing out the release date, and we'll be more specific as we have more information. We are continuing to develop the titles, and I think our decision was driven in part by the fact that we have such a strong release schedule for '08 and a pretty robust one.

Develop Magazine's Industry Excellence Awards broke records after gathering 500 games industry executives last night. Among them, 17 different companies and individuals claimed the 18 awards over 15 categories.

A panel of industry experts voted for the best in different categories to reward various creative achievements in game development - from visual arts to innovation. The diversity of the list gives us nothing but a positive outlook, and assurance that the market won't run out of good games if these guys are around.

Here's the list of winners that deserve our cheers:

• New Console IP - MotorStorm (Evolution/SCEE External Development)
• New Handheld IP - Crush (Zoe Mode)
• Best Use of a License - Lego Star Wars II (Traveller's Tales)
• Visual Arts - Rare (for Viva Piñata)
• Audio Accomplishment - FreeStyle (for B-Boy)
• Publishing Hero - Sega
• Innovation - Real Time Worlds (for Crackdown)
• Tools Provider - Havok
• Best Use of Online - Eden Studios (for Test Drive Unlimited)
• Services & Outsourcing - Babel Media
• Recruitment Company - Datascope
• New UK Studio - Realtime Worlds
• Handheld Studio - Rockstar Leeds
• Business Development - Blitz
• Independent Developer - Traveller's Tales
• In-house Developer - Ubisoft France
• Development Legend - Ian Hetherington
• Grand Prix - Sony

We're not sure about the exact criteria, but a good guess would say Sega earned the "Publishing Hero" award for having plenty of titles in all flavors under its belt. With Rockstar Leeds' big games in its arsenal (GTA: Liberty City/Vice City Stories), it's no surprise why the company is branded the best "Handheld Studio."

Sony's Grand Prix Award is due to 12 months of extensive support for internal and external developers to create cutting edge next-gen games.

It looks like Australia will be getting an official dose of GTA magic in the form of the Grand Theft Auto IV Special Edition. According to a new write-up over at PALGN, Rockstar has confirmed that the game will also have a recommended retail price of AU$ 149.95 to complement America's US$ 89.95 price tag.

As we've mentioned previously, the Special Edition will come with a GTA IV art book, a soundtrack CD, an exclusive Rockstar keychain, as well as an exclusive Rockstar duffel bag. Of course, you also get the PS3 or the 360 version of the game too.

Out of all the swag though, that duffel bag has us sold. Expect to hear more about the game and this duffel bag of GTA swag in the coming weeks.

We've all seen those game comparisons from one next-gen to another. But this one here, this one takes the cake. See, it's not just a mere comparison of one game with its different versions, console against console. This one is actually a comparison of two different games.

The titles in question are Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto IV and THQ's Saints Row. So it's been said that Saints Row is actually a GTA rip-off. But you can't appreciate that statement, no matter how much your gut-feel may agree, without seeing actual comparative evidence. And that is what we have for you exactly. It's actually fun watching the vid. Seeing how stunningly alike the scenes are, you can't help but feel like you're having some kind of epiphany.

Anyway, the feeling's all too hard to explain, so why don't you just click on play and see for you

In an act of pushing for more accountability on the part of video games store proprietors, a bill is now pending approval over at the New York State Assembly which will prohibit the sale of explicit and violent video games to minors, as well as requiring proper labellings for such products.

Not surprisingly, the controversy regarding Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories and its alleged negative impact on gamers, young and old alike, was raised as justification for the said proposal. An excerpt of the bill reads:

One of the videos at the center of the controversy is Grand Theft Auto: Vice City... Concern about violent video games is based upon the assumption that they contribute to aggression and violence among young players... scientific evidence shows a cause-effect relationship between television violence and aggression among children that watch it. Based upon this research, similar findings are expected concerning video games and these games are believed to have an even greater impact because: 1. children like to imitate the actions of characters such as the ones they play as or against in a video game, 2. video games include much repetition and with repetition comes a behavioral rehearsal for violent activity as violent games are played over and over again , 3. rewards increase learning, and video games are based upon a reward system.

As for its impact on the proprietors, they will be required to affix a warning label to the package of such video games "to warn parents and/or guardians of violent content. Those games that necessitate the warning label but doesn't have it may be confiscated by the authorities, along with a fine slapped against the store owner.

Apart from this, the shop owner will also have to enforce restricted access to such games, like for example, storing them behind the counter and setting up a mechanism that will compel the purchaser to show their IDs to prove their age.

There's much to be said about this bill, but we will refrain from getting into that in this post. What's important is that you guys have been forewarned of what could possibly happen to New York retail stores if this bill gets passed.

To find out more about this bill, just click on the Read link below.

It's a few days older than expected, but it still opens up fresh wounds. Last week's Nightline on ABC featured a nine-minute piece on Jack Thompson, whom they've dubbed "The Virtue Vigilante." Thanks to the powers of YouTube, we've got it up for you to see.

We all pretty much know what he's about, so here are some choice quotes:

• On Grand Theft Auto as Bill Weir, the reporter, is playing the game: "Here, you're literally stomping somebody into the pavement and you can stomp them until there's a pool of blood in the street of the person you've just killed."
• On his relationship with Rockstar Games, the makers of GTA: "I want to shut down Rockstar because they're run by a bunch of sociopaths and they're a one-company crime wave. "
  

Note how Bill Weir does a good job of not particularly reacting to Jack Thompson's statements. The one thing that's kind of lost on us, though, are the most recent statistics for crimes in America. That might just be the one thing that Jack had right, even if the connections he makes are far too pointed towards blaming one medium.

If you are looking forward to Grand Theft Auto IV, then you are not alone. With the success of GTA San Andreas, and Vice City for the PS2, followed by PSP outings such as Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, the series seems to be headed in the right direction. Of course, for it to carry on the success which it has been enjoying since the launch of the original Grand Theft Auto title for the PSOne back in 1997, it takes a lot of constant improvements.

The team down at Rockstar currently has all the resources that they would ever need, and with high-powered Xbox 360 and PS3 versions planned, around 150 developers will be working on GTA IV alone, according to analyst Mike Hickey, a financial consultant for Take-Two software.

That's right, one hundred and fifty. Hickey said that Rockstar games and Take-two are "fully capable of ushering in an entertainment experience categorically superior to the prior cycle’s GTA product." With 150 developers, this game is bound to have a lot of content in it! Remember how large the map was back in San Andreas? Now imagine that map, but make it twice as big and add twice as much detail. That's how GTA IV is apparently going to be.

Call this off-topic if you will, but we just had to cover this latest piece of news about Jack Thompson. You see, he has been like a bad dream to many companies, including Take-two and Rockstar, the creators of GTA, one of the best-selling game series of all time. It seems that after a furor over an upcoming PS2 game Bully, Jack Thompson might've been caught at his own game, threatening people.

Here's what's on GamePolitics.com:

GamePolitics has confirmed that lawyers representing Take-Two Interactive, publisher of Bully, are seeking to have Jack Thompson declared in contempt of court. Although we haven’t yet seen the motion, the request would appear to relate to Thompson’s angry comments in the wake of Miami District Court Judge Ronald Friedman’s refusal to block sales of Bully. In a worst-case scenario for Thompson, the outspoken attorney could be jailed by Judge Friedman if he were ruled in contempt.

Although the maximum punishment is jail, it's quite unlikely that he'd have to spend time. He'll probably receive censure or have to pay a fine. And Mr. Thompson's response? "You want to play hardball…? You want to try to throw me in jail? You have no idea what you are unleashing in doing this. You’re at the brink…"

Now although I personally have a lot of uneasy feelings toward Jack Thompson, I don't think this is the place to vent them. But if I were the judge and I had to decide if he went to jail or not I think you would probably know my answer. In related news about Bully, I was just forwarded this Boy/Boy loving clip (you have to be at least 18 years old to be able to access the video) by one of my friends. And knowing Jack Thompson, I'd probably expect a "Bully makes you gay" lawsuit sometime next week. Until then though, stay tuned!