Guide Theft Auto

Welcome to my video game walkthrough site! What began as a Grand Theft Auto help site is slowly evolving into an all-around game help site (with guides for PS1, PS2, and Xbox games in the pipeline), as well as a host to some of my other interests. All of the guides are constantly updated with more detailed strategies and new tips as I play the games more.

Questions and comments can be posted in the guestbook or e-mailed to me. Please respect my hard work and do not copy any part of any of my guides, or post them elsewhere without my permission. Published on the web, they are protected by copyright law.

Gran Turismo 4

     About 84 pictures have been posted, and I'm ready to begin putting together the second video showcasing the game's complete roster.

     It's been too long since I last updated. Now that school's out, I'm working, so that's where a LOT of my time has gone. At least it means money I can spend on fixing up my Accord (CB7); I'll start posting its progress on the Cars page soon. I attended three car shows earlier in the month, Goodguys Rod & Custom (classics/muscle up through '72), Automezzi XIX (Italians - even saw an Enzo!), and one at a Ford dealer in Sioux Falls, South Dakota (few pics, but there was a Super Snake) pics of which can now be jumped to also by checking out Cars - if you care for street spots, I've seen a few nice whips recently as well (be sure to pick up the current issue of Automobile magazine. A fellow Coloradoan I met over at GTPlanet.net a ways back was featured for his car spotting hobby). I would have attended two, possibly three, other shows in one weekend, including my first Concours d'Elegance, if it hadn't been for an unfortunate death in the family out of state. There's always next year.

     Less time at home also means less time on game guides, but I'm still working on two: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 (currently at the Shipyard) and DRIV3R (third from last mission in Istanbul). Several other new game purchases keep distracting me too....

Gran Turismo 5

Weather, night racing, and damage have been sorta-confirmed in an interview conducted with Kazunori Yamauchi (translated from German):

FIVE QUESTIONS ON KAZUNORI YAMAUCHI The senior Vice President of SonyComputer entertainment is Schöpferder Gran Turismo Reihe.Die

Diagram of „GT5 Prologue “is unbelievable realistic. What kannman at this play still-improve?
Kazunori Yamauchi: GT5wird a larger selection of vehicles and-stretch offer. And willal more feature fürOnline Communitys to order. In addition we work with high pressure on a lifenear diagram representation for rains and Night.

How do you create it to transfer the cars so realistically indas to play?
In order graphically in such a way to copy from cars that they resemble injeder position their model, brauchenwir the genuine models. With the AUDI R8 was heavy esbesonders to reproduce high-quality Materialiendes of interior. Also with that Body was not simple it, the level, this unbelievable precision to express.

Not only the cars, also each individual Baumam Nürburgring similar sees to his material Gegenparterschreckend. Do such details affect the play behavior?
We have largest respect for characteristic Kraft of the cars and also nature. Therefore we regard each detail very carefully - also if it is only one shrubs at the edge of the racing course. Our passion and our employment fall perhaps not always immediately up, but they affect under-consciously each player.

Which play variants can expect the fans of GTschon soon?
We work on, also weather changes which can affect a running to copy. And also damage to we soon to simulate can.

Do we dare a view into far future which Gran Turismo 9 everything will offer?
It falls me heavily to far-foresee the developments in such a way. Gran Turismo grows with that automobile industry. If we regard the future vonGT, we regard always also the future that automobile industry.

HipHopGamerShow

As big a PlayStation fanboy as the Hip Hop Gamer seems to be, he got a great interview with God of War and Twisted Metal Black director and designer David Jaffe. You'll definitely want to check that out if you have any interest in Jaffe's work.

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Need for Speed: Shift

Producer Jesse Abney explains the direction the developers are trying to take NFS with Shift, stating that they're not pretending to try to top Gran Turismo. “We’re going after… what it means to be in a race, in a grid of hard competitors who will battle for position, and who will make the organic nature of the race more about performing at that level and less about the challenge of driving in a straight line.” They look at games like GT, Forza, and Grid (?!) as the high water mark.

Two new clips can be viewed at JeuxVideo.

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PlayStation 3

Trend Micro is offering AntiVirus service for the PS3 web browser, with a trial version coming with firmware update 2.70.

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Automotive

Yesterday GM announced that Saturn is to cease production two years earlier than planned, and the brand will be finished by the end of this year if not sold before then (don't count on that). Hummer is also due to die before year's end, and all of German branch Opel seems to have been put up for sale.

Automotive News

A terrible announcement has been made today: Pontiac will be completely gone by the end of 2010, with no models moving to other GM brands (though the Vibe is also made by Toyota, as the Matrix) and the G8 to cease production by the end of this year. Halting the G8 will cost GM's Australian branch, Holden, more than $750 million in lost revenue.

Tony Hawk

Geoff Keighley, of GameTrailers.com and Spike TV's GTTV, has posted comments on his Twitter page about an upcoming announcement of the next game:

"Shooting in LA today, hanging out with @tonyhawk"

"@tonyhawk, looking forward to our chat today for Spike about the new game!"

"Look it's @tonyhawk. He will be on the show soon with a big announcement."

Gran Turismo 5

amar212, a member of the GTPlanet.net boards and supposedly very reliable source of GT news, posted some cryptic information about GT5:

There are many winds blowing in the air right now, and every one of them is telling its own tale.

First wind whispers that final reunion will happen thirty nights before twelve months pass and that all winds from the whole world will reunite in the same moment for the first time.

> This hints at a release date of mid-March 2010 (eleven months pass from now), simultaneously in all [major] regions.

Second wind says there will be more than half of dozen hundreds birds flying in the beginning of the reunion on almost eight dozen of skypaths, and some of the birds will come from the past reunion just resembling the looks of the newborn birds.

> "Birds" appear to mean cars, and "skypaths" tracks (not Skylines... hopefully). So we'll be getting more than 600 cars (some of them from previous games) and almost 96 tracks. Seeing as how Kazunori Yamauchi was quoted a while back saying 5-600 cars would be impossible, I'm in a bit of disbelief about this 600 statistic. 96 tracks obviously doesn't mean 96 unique tracks; just like GT4's supposed 100 courses, this includes the different variations of each track. Expect roughtly 45 different tracks.

Third tale says that for the first time ever skypaths will not be just solid and already known but that new skypaths will be built by birdtamers from the parts of existing skypaths.

> This could possibly (not very likely) be a track builder, but that's another feature that seems very iffy. The "not solid" and "existing skypaths" clues makes me want to think we'll be able to rearrange cones, most likely on another gymkhana course.

Fourth wind is talking that birdtamers will reunite in numbers greater than ever and will be granted with ability to talk to each other, make guilds and alliances with undisputed freedom.

> Obviously, 16 cars on the track is more than ever before. New online features will include voice chat and the creation of teams.

Fifth wind says that reunion will happen in two forms, one greater than other and birdtamers will have freedom to decide which reunion they will attend. Greater reunion will ask for great sacrifice to be made in order to get all present and future treasures without new sacrifices needed, while smaller reunion will come in form already known, asking for more sacrifices if future treasures catches the eyes of the birdtamers.

> We'll have two possible options. The first is to buy the full GT5; the "greater sacrifice" being paying full retail price, but without new sacrifices like taking up harddrive space from downloads. The second option would be to update Prologue at a cheaper price, but having to sacrifice the harddrive space that would be required to store a full game. "Future treasures" pertains to post-release DLC. Or maybe there'll be a standard and Collectors editions of the game, the CE with... free DLC (?!).

Sixth wind is telling the tale about different reunion but almost the same as known one, smaller only for the eyes of those who do not want to see it in its whole glory. That different reunion will not happen in the realm same as the known one, but in the different realm which still has not been uncovered to the birdtamers. That realm will resemble realm already known but it will be divine new and made in the image of it.

> This "smaller," "different reunion" that's "not in the same realm" as the full GT5 is most likely Gran Turismo Portable, for the yet-to-be-released PSP2 ("the different realm which still has not been uncovered to the [players]," "but will be divine new and made in the image of it").

All those birds, skypaths and birdtamers from all realms will unite for the Feast. And as it is already known, it will be the Feast of the Gods.

Midnight Club LA

Rockstar has announced two vehicle DLC packs:

South Central Vehicle Pack 1 ($2.99 / 240 pts, April 16)
- '08 Mercedes CL 65 AMG (luxury)
- '08 Audi S5 (luxury)
- '09 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT (tuner)

South Central Vehicle Pack 2 ($2.99 / 240 pts, April 23)
- '08 Cadillac XLR-V (luxury)
- '08 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X (tuner)
- '07 Aston Martin DB9 (exotic)
- '08 Ducati 1098 R (motorcycle)

Cars

The Denver Auto Show ends tomorrow, and I've linked the pictures from my trip on the cars page. There were some great appearances, such as the 2010 Mustang GT & GT500 and Taurus SHO, Corvette ZR1, Gallardo LP560-4, '09 Z4, Lightning Hybrids LH4, and some very nice classic road and race cars.

Need for Speed

More Shift screens have been released.

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GTA4

The Xbox 360's second (and final) exclusive DLC package should be out before October.

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Turn 10's next game

In ForzaMotorsport.net's latest Pitpass Report, they hinted at the progress of their next mystery game (seriously, boats and helicopters?!):

Like most of the development team at Turn 10, my focus has been solely on our future project, making sure that we deliver on our aspirations for what we think are some pretty awesome community features and ways for those who love cars (and speedboats/helicopters) to interact with each other. Secrecy being what it is, now is obviously not the time to divulge such details. Besides, when we do announce our next game and show you what it looks like, it’ll be done with a bang, not just the whimper of a blog post. You’ll know when the time is right and I think our fans will like what they see. Still, progress on the game continues and Landin and I have been playing the snot out of it on a daily basis.

The past few weeks have seen the graphics really come into its own and, well, being the eyecandy junkie that I am, I’ve been spending quite a lot of time just admiring the game from a visual standpoint. Landin and I spent quite a few days this week taking screenshots just so we could have the hotness on our PC desktops as wallpapers. In fact, others in the studio began taking their own screenshots in an attempt to out-sexy each other’s photos. The end result? A huge folder full of sweet looking screenshots and wallpapers to last us well into next year. The good news is, of course, that when we can share with everyone what we’re building here, showing off the game won’t really be much of a problem. But all in due time… all in due time. Meanwhile, I’m going to continue drooling over our ever-growing portfolio of car porn, if you will.

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Game Saves

My GTA San Andreas (V1) save file has been re-posted, now better than ever.

Save Files

My GTA3 100%+ save file is now posted.

NFS Shift

AutoGaming has re-posted eight high-resolution screenshots that were previously leaked ahead of schedule.

GTA3 Guide

The Shoreside rampages are now posted, meaning the walkthrough is now 100% complete! I still have some things in the game to complete again on my own, but the save file should be up within a few days.

GTA3 Guide

The walkthrough for Shoreside's "Gripped!" offroading odd job has been posted. The last requirements of the game, the 7 Rampages, will be up soon, and the 100% save file (no cheats, deaths, or arrests) soon after that. At the same time, my ultimate save file for San Andreas will be posted as well, which includes objectives well above and beyond "100% game completion".

GTA3 Guide

D-Ice payphone mission strand posted.

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Test Drive Unlimited 2

The final update (at least for now) of TDU2 details has been released. Closed-circuit racing will play a larger role; 24-hour night/day cycle with time-specific races; the map screen will display time of day and weather; there will be a functional car wash; and driving schools will unlock cars, missions, races, and tournaments.

The screenshots confirm the Mercedes SLK 55 AMG, Aston DB9 Coupe, Ferrari 288 GTO, Alfa GT 3.2 V6 24V, Ferrari F430, Lotus Elise, McLaren F1, Hummer H2, a Ducati dirt bike, Lamborghini Diablo, Camaro Z/28 (1st-gen), Ford GT, and some dune buggies and other SUVs I can't identify.

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Midnight Club LA

Details on the South Central DLC packs, due out March 12th:

Free Map Expansion:
- Map is expanded by one third
- Four new neighborhoods

$9.99/800 MS Points Premium Upgrade:
- 9 new vehicles:
   - Luxury: '08 Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG “Black”
   - SUV: '08 Range Rover Supercharged, '08 Range Rover Sport Super Charged
   - Lowrider: '55 Chevy Bel Air, '63 Buick Riviera, '64 Chevy Impala, '65 Chevy Malibu
   - Muscle: '70 Chevy Chevelle, '66 Pontiac GTO
- 26 new races
- 12 new battle maps
- 10 new delivery missions
- 100+ new red light races
- New rims and vinyl pre-sets, and body kits & hydraulics/airbags for each new car
- New music

GTA3 Guide

Shoreside Vale RC Toyz mission, USJ and package guides are now posted. Package images are coming soon.

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Test Drive Unlimited 2

Some old concept art and info has been released for TDU2. The setting appears to be another tropical island, perhaps another of Hawaii's, but the big news is the addition of offroad vehicles. Test Drive meets Test Drive: Offroad? Awesome. Other very welcome additions include dynamic weather, a cut scene-led storyline, operational windshield wipers and convertible tops, and the not-so-important yet highly detailed avatar customization (undergo plastic surgery to lose the cops?! This better not be cutting into their effort on the cars and environment). Keep in mind that nothing's for sure, as these are ideas still very early in the game's development cycle.

More to come tomorrow!

Colin McRae Dirt

CVG conducted an interview with Dirt 2's senior executive producer, Gavin Raeburn. In a big way the game will pay tribute to the late rally icon, but a return to the series's simulation roots still doesn't seem likely.

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Midnight Club LA

Rockstar has announced that a South Central site will launch next week, which will include a trailer detailing the South Central DLC pack. A map expansion will be available for free download, as well as purchasable vehicles, races, music, and more.

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Xbox Live

This week, through Feb. 28, Sears will be offering 12-month XBL cards for just $29.99.

Race Pro

Check out AutoGaming's great review - from the perspective of a PC sim fan.

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Need for Speed

An official site has been set up for World Online. It's in Taiwanese, but there is a new teaser trailer out.

Race Pro

IGN UK, OXCGN, and GameInformer provide their reviews for what is arguably the first real console racing sim, and it's looking incredible. 

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Automotive

General Motors has announced a handful of revisions to their brands. Saturn, despite recent improvements in their entire range, hasn't been very profitable in the 20 years it's been around, so all dealerships will be closed by 2011. Pontiac is being phased out as well, and will instead only sell "niche" models at Chevy dealers. Hopefully that means the Solstice and G8 models aren't going anywhere. And finally, if GM doesn't find a buyer for Hummer by March 31st, that brand may be shut down as well. I can't say I'll miss it, as the H2 and H3 were basically re-bodied Chevy Tahoes and Colorados (respectively) anyway.

Need for Speed

NFS Italia has 8 new World Online screens.

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Forza Motorsport 3

According to VG247, FM3 is reportedly set for a winter 2009 release, but Microsoft or Turn 10 have yet to make any official announcement.

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Grand Theft Auto IV

Check out reviews for GTA4's "Lost & Damned" DLC at CVG, IGN US, IGN UK, Team Xbox, TotalVideoGames, Kikizo, and EuroGamer.

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Race Pro

The Official Xbox Magazine finds answers to the top 10 questions fans have for SimBin's upcoming Race Pro.

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Gran Turismo 5 Prologue

Circuit de la Sarthe has been spotted yet again in GT5P. Check the link for the video.

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Automotive

Lamborghini is to reveal the next iteration of the Murcielago, the LP670-4 SV, at the Geneva Motor Show next month. A quick run-down on the stats: AWD, 220lbs lighter than the standard Murcielago, 662hp, 0-60mph in 3.2 seconds, 213mph top speed, and 0.2-second gear changes (Lambo's E-gear is standard). No official word on price yet, but insiders say it'll top the base model by $84,000.

Full Lineup for WWE Legends of WrestleMania revealed

     If you're into wrestling games, Legends looks very promising. There are three main storylines, where you a) play as the winner of each match to "Relive" history; b) play as the loser of each match and "Rewrite" history; and c) "Redefine" history by making your own rules for each match. According to PlayStation: The Official Magazine's preview, the controls won't be as in-depth as the Smackdown! series, but should still provide plenty of fun. I've been watching the sport on TV since the early '90s and stopped in the early 2000s (new faces, horribly cheesy storylines), so the roster is definitely a nostalgia trip for me.

Andre the Giant
Bam Bam Bigelow
Big Boss Man
Big John Studd
Bobby Heenan
Bret Hart
British Bulldog
Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake
Dusty Rhodes
Greg "The Hammer" Valentine
"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan
Honkey Tonk Man
Hulk Hogan
The Iron Shiek
Jake "The Snake" Roberts
Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart
Jimmy Hart
Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka
Junkyard Dog
Kamala
King Kong Bundy
Koko B. Ware
Michael Hayes
"Million Dollar Man" Ted Debias
Mr. Fuji
Mr. Perfect
Nikolai Volkoff
Paul Bearer
"Ravishing" Rick Rude
Ric Flair
Road Animal Hawk
Road Animal Warrior
The Rock
"Rowdy" Roddy Piper
Sgt. Slaughter
Shawn Michaels
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin
Triple H
Ultimate Warrior
Undertaker
Yokozuna

Some old favorites are missing, like "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Owen Hart, Razor Ramon (Scott Hall), Diesel (Kevin Nash), Mick Foley/Cactus Jack/Mankind, Doink the Clown, the original Headshrinkers, Lex Luger... ah, those were the days.

GT5P News:

     - Tanner Foust uses Prologue to give some drifting tips for real life and driving games alike - especially those games with tuneable suspension.

GT5 Prologue News:

     - Greg Russell recently won a GT5P hot-lap contest, earning him a ride in Tanner Foust's 350Z Formula D drift car. Check out the video of his experience at GameTrailers.

NFS Shift News:

     - Hungarian Sim World has twelve new screens

GTA3 Guide Update:

     - With Staunton package images and King Courtney missions posted, odd jobs for that island are now complete.

Race Pro News:

     - In the interest of equality, SimBin is considering making Race Pro's successor multiplatform between the PC, PS3, and 360.

GTA4 News:

     - Lost & Damned DLC, available February 17th on the Xbox 360, is to also feature new radio tracks spanning five stations. Busta Rhymes is debuting his new song, "Conglomerate" to promote his new album, and Funkmaster Flex is getting his own show, which will include an interview with Rhymes.

NFS News:

     - Check out this interview on the three new games. Shift is practically ProStreet 2, featuring licensed and city tracks (Brands Hatch confirmed) rather than a free-roaming city. Only now it's got a better chance at succeeding with the new, more experienced developmental help.

Car News:

     - If you pay attention to car news, you may have read that Chrysler is trying to sell its Viper brand. Well, they've reportedly got three offers on it - no confirmations of who. Left Lane News, the site running the article, think the factory that currently builds the Viper may buy the brand themselves. Personally, I just hope the Viper stays American. It's one of our very few good sports cars.

     - Left Lane also has the latest details on the Ferrari F430's successor. The company is going 'green', with more emphasis on shedding both weight and displacement. Code-named F142, this new supercar will likely be turbocharged and direct-injected. Further details (including the look) are scarce, but a faster, more eco-friendly Ferrari can only mean very, very good things.

Need for Speed News:

     - Three new games are announced: NFS Shift (PC/PS3/360/PSP in autumn), NFS Nitro (Wii/DS, also in autumn), and NFS World Online (PC Asia in summer; later elsewhere). You can read full details on all three games here. The main console game is the big deal though:

"Need for Speed: Shift will be made by Slightly Mad Studios of GT Legends and GTR 2 fame, with help from EA Black Box producer Michael Mann and EA Games Europe bigwig Patrick Soderlund.

Shift focuses on simulation racing - not just the realistic movement of cars, but also driver behaviour. This, EA marketing boss Keith Munro told Eurogamer, is what will set the game apart. Also, less baggy jeans and hip-hop.

"The urban underground was a manifestation of style in some past Need for Speed games for sure, but Shift focuses less on these style cues and more on mirroring the driver experience, that athleticism of being in a wickedly-intense race, and what it really feels like to be behind the wheel," Munro told us.

A flashy 3D HUD that mimics driver head movement, inertia and G-force will help achieve this. There's a cockpit view that lets players freely look around using the right thumbstick, too.

Munro reckons serious car enthusiasts will "love" Shift, and that mainstream racers will also get on board. He's quite excited.

"Need for Speed Shift is amazing and I think it will blow people away," said Munro. "The tech behind that game, the details that only a team with such racing pedigree could accomplish, and the ability to make you feel the intensity of a race is unprecedented. I can't wait for our fans to begin experiencing it!"

And, he added: "Regarding any new Need for Speed girls I can't comment, but I'll definitely mark down one enthusiastic vote for Josie Maran." Steady on.

(Update: An EA spokesperson has been in touch to comment on the response to the first screenshot. "That is an untouched screenshot captured from gameplay footage," we're told.)"

GTA3 Guide Update:

     - All but one Staunton Island odd job are complete and posted.

GTA4 News:

     - MTV News gets hands-on time with The Lost & Damned
     - Second PC patch

GTA4 News:

     - Lost & Damned priced at $20 and to take 12-20 hours to complete.

Race Pro News:

     - 'Better Than Gran Turismo, Better Than Forza'
     - RP's history

GT5/Forza 2 News:

     - 'Forza 2 Outdone by GT5 Physics'

Gaming News:

     - Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) may be no more.

Gran Turismo 5 News:

     - Proper Graphics offers to aid Polyphony Digital in rendering cars? A brilliantly detailed Koenigsegg CCX, using GT5 specs, was sent to Polyphony but they have yet to recieve a reply. If accepted, this could mean an earlier release of the final game, allowing Polyphony to focus their efforts on physics, AI, and the like.
     - The rest of the '08 SEMA GT Awards finalists are shown.

Walkthroughs:

     - GTA3 Staunton Island USJ's posted

GameStop News:

     - 'Stop to quit trading original Xbox games effective February 9th; current stock to continue until sold out. Get 'em while you can, especially with this next deal:
     - 25% off PS2/GameCube/Xbox games (limit 5) coupon; expires January 8th.

GTA News:

     - Chinatown Wars screens

Gran Turismo News:

     - Polyphony Digital is looking to broaden their horizons with a completely new genre. I remember Yamauchi mentioning the possibility of an RPG a while back. GT5-proper's release date is also mentioned. The target time frame is still 2009, but they may not be able to make it despite constant work.

Happy New Year!

GTA3 Guide Update:

     - El Burro and Marty Chonks missions, and therefore all Portland odd jobs, complete

GTA3 Guide Updates:

     - Vigilante and Firefighter odd jobs posted. Contents converted to links.

Gaming News:

     - NFS developers Black Box Studios to relocate in June
     - RACE Pro vs Forza 2 Laguna Seca comparison shots
     - Economic troubles result in closing of Free Radical Design, developers behind such games as Haze and the Time Splitters series

GTA3 Guide:

     - Paramedic odd job posted