GTA 4 fans will be happy to hear that Rockstar has unleashed the game’s latest DLC pack ‘The Ballad of Gay Tony’ onto Xbox Live for 1600 Microsoft Points. Now, I bought the first DLC pack and wasn’t very satisfied with spending the $20 but Gay Tony looks to be a lot better.

Don’t know what’s included in this new DLC pack? Head here and watch a trailer for the game.

Mitchell anticipates two more downloadable GTA IV episodes to be released after The Ballad of Gay Tony. He also notes that since Microsoft’s deal covers only two episodes, these later ones may end up on PS3 as well.

Most interestingly, Mitchell believes that Rockstar will debut GTA V sometime next year. He believes that the only reason it wasn’t shown or teased at E3 was “Rockstar’s track record with delivering on time.”

Another prediction was made, though he wasn’t entirely confident with it: the PSP port of Chinatown Wars may also be released on the PS2. Yes, that aging Sony console no one wants to forget.

Rockstar has added to the rumors, releasing a tweet with the words “Details on 2nd episode of GTAIV downloadable content coming soon.”

E3 is a pretty good bet.

Take Two also revealed that worldwide, the sales of GTA 4 are evenly distributed between the PS3 and Xbox 360, whereas in the US, where it has sold 5.5 million copies, the Xbox 360 version leads the PS3 by over a million games.

Take Two did not reveal how many copies of the “Lost and Damned” expansion were sold, but analysts have estimated that over a million have already been sold, and that it will sell another million by the end of October, when Take Two’s fiscal year runs out.

"Take-Two released the first installment of DLC for GTA in mid-February, and we estimate that the game has been downloaded over 1 million times to date," said Patcher. "By year-end, we think that this figure will likely double, giving us greater confidence that Take-Two can achieve its full-year earnings guidance."

The expansion costs $20 and is exclusive to Xbox 360. It can be bought both offline and online, though it still has to be downloaded through Xbox Live.

Patcher additionally expects the next full release of GTA to outsell GTA 4 by up to 50 percent due to larger hardware install base.

While no sales figures were given, it can be expected that it sold at least a couple hundred thousand units. But then again, even if it sold only a few, its $20 price tag would still ensure the record.

The expansion went live last week on February 17 and adds about ten hours of story-based gameplay. It introduces a completely new character and adds/enhances multiplayer.

New additions include rocker jacket, pixie boots and metal combats, among other things, for guys. Girls get ’60s boots, biker jacket, biker gloves, earrings and wrist bands.

The Lost & Damned is the first of two exclusive expansions for GTA 4, offering almost 10 hours of mission-based gameplay and fresh multiplayer modes.

If you didn’t already know, the new content pack for Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto IV entitled The Lost and Damned has hit Xbox Live today.

Clocking in at 1.78GB The Lost and Damned will include a whole slew of new content for 1600 Microsoft Points or about 20 bucks.

What are you waiting for? Go get it!

With the release of The Lost and Damned expansion for GTA 4 looming, new information has come up on the new multiplayer modes.

The following details are from UGO who notes that they are exclusive to the expansion, which requires a copy of GTA 4 to play. It will hit Xbox Live Marketplace tomorrow for $20.

Hit the jump for the full details.

Witness Protection

One team is cops, the other team is bikers. One of the cops is in a bus and must drive to random spots in the city to drop off government witnesses, while the other cops drive alongside the truck and provide defense against the bikers. The bikers are just trying to blow up the bus or kill the witnesses as they get out. It’s pretty frantic but very fast paced, since everyone spawns in a bike or a cop car when you die. Our well-organized team of cops will be able to keep the bikers at bay, but when the sides switched, our opponents managed to flip the bus on its side within the first 5 minutes. Whoops!

Race

Unlike GTA 4, Lost and the Damned limits racing to just bikes. The difference, though, is that everyone is equipped with a bat and can take out other racers by hitting the left or right face buttons. You can even charge your swing by holding down the button. The comparisons to Road Rage are pretty hard to ignore, though I did find it a little tough to knock someone off their bike, as each player can take at least 3 good swings before they go down.

Lone Wolf Biker

Think Kill the Carrier but everyone has bikes. Once you become “it” you have to stay alive for as long as possible. If someone kills you, they become “it,” gaining 15 seconds of invincibility to make their getaway. This was a blast, though it did end up a little ridiculous once everyone drove off into the water to chase after the “it.”

Own the City

Sections of the city are divided up and you must control them by taking out all the AI soldiers in that area. Once they’re taken out friend AI’s will populate and try to defend against the enemy team. You can boost up your AI fighters by driving a weapon van around, giving them better gear. To make things more interesting, you can’t take a territory until all of the enemy team members are out, leading to some intense bike chases.

Club Business

A lot like Mafia, but with club leaders and more tasks. I didn’t actually get to play this, but if you’re played Mafia you probably know what to expect.

Chopper vs. Chopper

Quite possibly my favorite mode of the bunch, and definitely the easiest to explain. It’s 1 on 1, with someone on a bike and someone else in an attack helicopter. The biker is just trying to survive through X number of checkpoints (or time) while the helicopter pilot is trying to kill the biker. The key here is to stay in places with a lot of cover, tall buildings and the like.

Rockstar has officially confirmed that the first Xbox 360-exclusive downloadable content pack for GTA 4 will cost 1600 Microsoft points ($20) when it hits Xbox Live Marketplace.

The price point was previously rumored by way of GameStop, who is selling pre-orders for DLC voucher codes.

The DLC will see the addition of around 10 hours of biker-themed gameplay, letting players take control of a new character. It is due out on February 17.

All this comes from Gamespot, who notes that the game has not been edited in any way and that content will be similar to the one in international versions. It isn’t known whether Rockstar actually cut any offensive content before applying for classification.

Grand Theft Auto IV comes out tomorrow on PC.

Pissing off many gamers, Rockstar has revealed that the PC version of Grand Theft Auto IV will make use of the oft-criticized SecuROM copy protection. However, some controversial features, such as install limits, won’t be utilized.

“SecuROM is the most effective form of disc based copy protection and allows us to manage authenticity on a global level for Grand Theft Auto IV,” said the developer.

As expected, the game will require a one-time activation via the Internet and the disc of the game has to be kept in the drive while you play.

While the retail physical version won’t have any install limits, digital download vendors may place their own installation limit.

Interestingly, the studio noted that those who crack and play the game will have their game experiences changed, ranging from “comical to game-progress-halting changes.”

GTA 4 is due out December 2 on PC.

Making the PC version that much more enticing, Rockstar has confirmed that Grand Theft Auto 4 on the computer will allow 32 players to play online together, doubling the 16-player limit on consoles.

This doubling is the promised “newly expanded multiplayer” that was offered when the game was announced for PC. Due out this December, the PC version will feature all the multiplayer modes of the console release.

Additionally, the PC version will feature enhanced graphics and a nifty video editor functionality that will allow creative people like you to create your own machinima. It is set for release on December 2.

It would have been cooler to give San Andreas away, but I guess Vice City is good enough.

GTA 4 is due out this December on PC, months after being available on PS3 and Xbox 360. The most notable addition is the video editor which will allow users to create their own machinima.

This comes after Take-Two sued CTA for breach of contract over the incident before the game’s release earlier this year. The ads will now appear on Chicago buses for the next six weeks after which the CTA will not run any ads for M-rated games under a new ordinance passed by the company’s board last week.

It can be noted that the GTA ads do not feature any violent or overtly sexual themes that normall prohibit advertisements from running on city buses, among other things.

Game producer Dan House revealed that the DLC release could slip out of its fall 2008 release window.

"I’m not sure. It’s going well. But we don’t know a date," he said. "We’re still figuring out a few things. We’re more focused on quality than dates, always have been."

The first of two DLC releases was expected this year, according to rumors and official statements. Officially, Take-Two has put it in its fiscal Q1 2009, which runs from November to January 30, 2009.

"We hope to be announcing [a release date] in the next few weeks," Houser concluded.

PS3 trophies are similar to Xbox 360’s achievements, which gives players notifications and points for achieving or doing something in particular games. Rockstar provided a few examples of the trophies, which can be read after the jump.

One Man Army
only those that are wily enough to survive a 6-star wanted level for a full 5 minutes will be rewarded with this one.

Dare Devil
an award for those who find and execute all of the Unique Stunt Jumps throughout Liberty City.

Chain Reaction
an Achievement for those who can pull off blowing up 10 vehicles in 10 seconds or less.

Liberty City Minute
for those who have completed the game story in less than 30 hours. As the Social Club’s Story Gang leaderboard can attest, this is not an easy feat.

"There is a virus sweeping through Grand Theft Auto IV turning many unsuspecting players into zombies," reads the newsletter from Rockstar. Zombie players are signified by a “zombie-with-yellow-briefs player skin”, with Rockstar noting that the virus spreads by killing an infected player in any multiplayer mode.

In fact, Rockstar has set up a page within its Social Club website to track the infection across the world. Those seeking to join in on the fun will need the “Let Sleeping Rockstars Lie” achievement which can be earned by killing a Rockstar developer in a ranked match.

"As we work toward the release of the PC version, Games for Windows Live affords us the opportunity to seamlessly translate the multiplayer console experience for PC gamers," said Rockstar founder Sam Houser. "The service is a natural fit for the platform and we strongly believe it will help in building a strong online community around GTA IV PC."

Microsoft notes that the game will benefit from future Live features such as redesigned game interface, out-of-game client and marketplace, among others.

GTA 4 is due out on PC on November 18.

“It has some gems in there, but they’re hard to find,” he said. “I quite like the combat and felt it was accessible, but I just… If I got my hands on the game, I’d rip out a few of the things they did and just concentrate on the core.”

“It just slightly forgot about what it was trying to be,” Molyneaux continued. “In a way, it tried to be something it was not. It felt – and again, I thought it did some things really well – that there was something slightly off about it. I’m sure that Dennis Dyack is going to come and kill me now!”

He also talked about GTA 4, which he noted was a “high spot” this year despite it having flaws. Braid, LittleBigPlanet and Spore were also mentioned, with the latter turning out better than expected by Molyneaux.

The famed developer recently oversaw the development of Fable 2, which is due out exclusively on Xbox 360 on October 24.