The upshot: Liberty City is no longer just a place you explore outdoors, looking for stunt jumps or the thrill of a six-star wanted level after riling up the LCPD during mis

LOS ANGELES (AP) — There's no Burger King tie-in or special flavor of Mountain Dew. No commercial directed by Peter Jackson, or even an action figure.

The run-up to "Grand Theft Auto IV" has been considerably less ballyhooed than last year's over-the-top "Halo 3" debut. Yet when "GTA IV" parks on store shelves on April 29, the latest entry in the controversial video game franchise could be the most lucrative launch in entertainment history — and one that many people may not even know about.

Analysts predict Take-Two Interactive Software and Rockstar Games' open-world, action-driving game will easily top last year's record-breaking $300 million first-week sales of Microsoft and Bungee Studios' first-person shooter "Halo 3" — and without a similar marketing bonanza.

With the launch of "GTA IV" on both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, Rockstar is seemingly steering in one direction: the downlow.

"Rockstar wants to control the message all the time," says Sam Kennedy, editorial director for the gaming site 1UP.com. "They want this to be seen and perceived exactly the way they want. That's why — outside of the official tra

PC gaming is doing fine. Just ask Blizzard.

But if you really, really think it needs an overhaul, there are some aspects in which certain industry professionals seem to have their heads up their wazoos. PC gaming doesn't need to be fixed, but it does need some maintenance work to keep on running smoothly. Here are some areas that could use attention.

OEMs: Stop Using Intel Onboard Graphics
This should be obvious. Yeah, Intel graphics solutions are cheap. And trust me, unsuspecting consumers who think they're getting powerful, up-to-date computers get what they pay for. Simply said, they're crap for games, unless the games are limited to Puzzle Quest and Peggle. If someone who unwittingly bought an Intel graphics-crippled system grew curious about, say, The Witcher or Gears of War, said consumer is out of

Holy irony, Batman! People who play violent games online actually feel relaxed after they have played a round of bloody fun.

"There were actually higher levels of relaxation before and after playing the game as opposed to experiencing anger but this did very much depend on personality type," said Jane Barnett, who headed the Middlesex study. Translation: If you're an aggressive jackass before you play a video game, you'll still be one after; and video games don't magically turn peaceful people into violent offenders.

Barnett added the research will help develop an emotion and gaming questionnaire to help distinguish the type of gamer who is likely to transfer their online aggression into everyday life.

We at GamePro believe the questionnaire will also help weed out blatant media-hungry opportunists who have used the relatively young video game genre as a platform for blatant self-promotion.

This concept art for Fallout 3, which we mentioned once before, shows Washington D.C. reduced to ashen rubble. The highly-anticipated sequel to the classic "wander the wasteland and have sex with mutant hookers" RPG is slated for a Fall 2008 multi-platform release. The story is not directly related to the one from Fallout 2, but it takes place in the same world. In 2077, nuclear war destroys most of America, forcing the survivors to hide out in underground vaults that protect them from radiation, mutants and other bad stuff. More art below.

No game play footage has been released, though the official site has a cool teaser trailer. Developer Bethesda has revealed that "America's First Choice in Post Nuclear Simulation" will take place in first or third-person POV and features a huge explorable world along with the series' trademark character creation and advancement system. When you leave your home vault to find your missing father, you'll face moral choices in addition to the pausable real-time combat system. Should you negotiate with those raiders, or just shoot them? Should you pimp your wife out for cash, or earn it yourself? Tough call.

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The first time I saw GlaDOS in Portal, I was overcome with a distinct sensation that I was in the presence of someone in pain. Troubled. At the very least, immense frustration. At first I wasn’t sure if it was the gyrations of the physical construct of GlaDOS, or if it was the tone of voice, or even the shape of the giant computer hanging from the ceiling itself. I recall pointing out to my wife that there were distinct similarities to a woman hanging upside down, but it was hard to put my finger on just what it was that made me think that. Of course, I didn’t have a lot of time to stop and stare; I was fighting for my (or Chell’s) life.

The second time I played through I turned the director commentary on, and got confirmation by way of a description of the things they attempted to make GlaDOS look like as they were making the game. What turned the light bulb on was the line “Botticelli’s Venus hanging upside down, but we decided to go with something else and use some feminine lines within the structure.” I’m paraphrasing; it’s late and I don’t feel like booting up the game again to get the quote exactly right. The spirit is there in the paraphrase, though, because I think they went

An Australian woman is facing child abduction charges in the US after trying to bring her 17-year-old World of Warcraft boyfriend back to Oz.

Tamara Broome, a 31-year-old university student, was arrested on June 26 after she flew from Adelaide to the boy's home in Greenville, North Carolina to pick up her internet beau.

Broome allegedly had an online relationship with the boy for more than a year, which began in the online game World of Warcraft. The two had also exchanged copious amounts of email and even discussed marriage.

The Azerothian love-affair has sent Broome to Pitt County Detention Centre where she will get a July 11 court date. Police have seized her laptop computer and charged Broome with attempting to abduct a child. If convicted she will face more than two years in a US jail. Broome is currently being held on a $2.35m bond.

(WoW equipment could not be seized by authorities, as it is soulbound.)

Tamara Broome

According to Australian news sources, Broome's relatives allege the teenager's parents set her up, even springing for the [air fare] to frame her.

But Pitt County Sheriff detectives call the allegations "ridiculous," claiming they will not discuss who front