So we've hit that inevitable slow-news period after a game is released and the excitement dies down. And since there's not much else to talk about, we may as well start speculating on the next GTA (which Rockstar has now undoubtedly began working on). Visit our new GTA 5 site (GTAV.NET) for all the latest news, rumours and updates concerning the next GTA. If any solid info arrives, you'll find it there first.

Today, rumours emerged that the game will be set in LA. It began with a slightly bizarre report on VG247 and was later followed up by an article on Eurogamer which claimed that Rockstar was "definitely" researching locations around Hollywood. It could (like most rumours) be a load of bollocks, but at least it gives us something to talk about. Register at the GTA 5 forum and post your thoughts.

Rockstar has released a new patch (Patch 7) for the PC version of Grand Theft Auto IV and Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City. Users will be prompted to install the update the next time they log on to Games for Windows Live. Rockstar has indicated that downloadable versions will be made available on the Rockstar Games Support site.

The changes made by this patch are as follows:

GTA IV

v. 1.0.7.0 / 1.0.6.1 (Russian) / 1.0.5.2 (Japanese)

• fix a bug causing tree leaves to look transparent
• fix a bug that prevented uploading of rendered videos to Social Club when attaching certain music tracks
• fix for clip capture "OFF" slowdowns occuring when near waters edge
• expose "detonate" in custom key mapping options menu for Grand Theft Auto IV, Lost and Damned so users can remap "down" arrow key

EFLC

v. 1.1.2.0

• fix a bug causing tree leaves to look transparent
• fix a bug that prevented uploading of rendered videos to Social Club when attaching music tracks from the Ballad of Gay Tony
• fix for clip capture "OFF" slowdowns occuring when near waters edge
• fix for slowdown occuring when getting in a boat during "Sexy Time" mission in The Ballad of Gay Tony
• expose "detonate" in custom key mapping options menu for Lost and Damned so users can remap "down" arrow key
• EFLC now has it's own settings file called "SETTINGS_EFLC.CFG" to avoid possible conflicts with GTA IV installations

Link: Patch 7 Discussion at GTAForums.

Rockstar has just announced the first Episodes from Liberty City PC Video Editor contest, entitled "Base Jumping Extreme Film Festival". From the official announcement:

Strap on a parachute in The Ballad of Gay Tony and use the PC version’s in-game suite of video editing tools to make the most creative contest entry clip you can. A balls-out short action film? A base jumping commercial? An aerial music video? A creative montage of parachute stunts? We know you’ll amaze and surprise us as always.

The possibilities are endless. Just make sure it's at or under 5 minutes in length, and somehow, someway – parachuting or base jumping features prominently.

The lucky contest winner will walk away with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 470 graphics card, along with a prize pack of limited edition Grand Theft Auto n' Episodes from Liberty City swag. Two runners up will also receive Rockstar prize packs.

All submissions must be done via Social Club TV using the in-game video editor. Submissions must be tagged with "base-jumping contest", and will be judged based on editing skills, user ratings, and overall creativity. Official rules and eligibility legalities can be found here.

The contest closes on May 14th, so start jumpin!

Related Links:
Episodes from Liberty City PC Video Editor Contest: Base Jumping Extreme Film Festival

It's Rockstar Week on Steam, which means there are an abundance of discounts to be had! For the next 3 hours, Grand Theft Auto IV is on sale for $7.50 USD, and the entirety of the Rockstar collection is up for 50% off ($42.49 USD instead of $84.99 USD). (More discounts will follow.)

A complete listing of the games included in the Rockstar Collection package can be found on the Steam website. Don't forget to join the Rockstar Games Official Group on the Steam Community to receive up-to-date alerts whenever new discounts are announced.

Note: Apparently the discounts on individual titles aren't available in Europe, however the 50% discount on the Rockstar collection is available.

Related Links:
Rockstar Discount Week on Steam - Shack News
Rockstar Collection package on Steam

Last weekend, Rockstar Games provided ten fan site administrators with the opportunity to visit New York City and play Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City on PC and PlayStation 3. In addition, we were given the chance to play Rockstar's upcoming western game, Red Dead Redemption, which is scheduled for release on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on May 18, 2010. The impressions below are based on our experience of the Xbox 360 version.

In total, representatives of six GTA fan sites attended the event. Myself (adamcs), Andy, illspirit and Jevon represented The GTA Network. We spent the first half of Saturday playing Episodes from Liberty City at Rockstar’s headquarters in Manhattan. If you’ve yet to try EFLC then it’s something we strongly recommend. The episodes offer an entirely fresh way of exploring Liberty City with new missions, new vehicles, additional music and more. The episodes offer something different, so if there was a particular aspect of GTA IV you didn't like, be sure to give the episodes a try.

In the evening we headed out to Brooklyn to play Red Dead Redemption, which is being developed by Rockstar San Diego. If you've been living under a rock for the past few months, then check out the official Red Dead Redemption website to see what it's about. We spent the first couple of hours playing single player and the remainder of the event playing multiplayer.

Read our individual impressions below...

Grand Theft Auto IV's two episodic expansions, The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony, are now available on the PC and PlayStation 3 platforms in North America. The episodes can be downloaded separately on Games for Windows LIVE / PlayStation Network or they can be picked up as part of the Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City bundle. Downloading the episodes requires an original copy of Grand Theft Auto IV whereas Episodes from Liberty City does not.

If this is your first time playing the episodes, here are some resources to help you with the game:

Mission Guide Interactive Map 100% Checklist Cheats

Mission Guide Interactive Map 100% Checklist Seagull Guide Cheats

The episodes are available in Europe and Australia this Friday, April 16th.

Related Links: The Ballad of Gay Tony Forum; The Lost and Damned Forum.

Rockstar has announced that Patch 6 for the PC version of Grand Theft Auto IV will be available on Games for Windows LIVE very soon. The patch will include all the enhancements found in the PC version of Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City, which releases tomorrow in North America.

The most significant changes are the removal of the Social Club application required to launch the game, and enhanced multiplayer security to protect against cheaters. The Moon, which has been absent in the PC version up until now, is available "with simulated lunar phases". Oh boy!

The full list of changes is shown below:

Rockstar Games Social Club

• Remove Rockstar Games Social Club application
• Separate RGSC application no longer required to launch game
• Social Club login now occurs during the launch process

Shadows

• A new, less memory-intensive, and better-looking scalable shadow solution has been implemented
• Enhanced Night Shadows added with user-selectable level of detail (replaces Shadow Density)

Performance

• Rendering optimizations have been made to improve performance, particularly when enabling shadows
• User-configurable graphics settings have been added for shadow control
• Improved memory management

Multiplayer

• Enhanced security to isolate users from cheaters and hackers

Episodic Content

• Provide in-game support to purchase "The Lost and Damned" and "The Ballad of Gay Tony" (Not available in Russian/Japanese Versions)

Bug Fixes

• Vehicle shadows re-enabled between 8pm and 6am
• Fix floating street textures
• Pedestrians in vehicles appear further out from the player to allow for long range sniping
• The Moon has been implemented with simulated lunar phases
• Fixed garbled text in Japanese Multiplayer menus
• "RESC 10" error fix for specific hardware configurations

Link: GTA IV PC Patch 6 Announcement.

A new trailer featuring the PC version of Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City was released today:

The game releases tomorrow (April 13th) in North America, and April 16th in Europe.

Watch the first clip from the PC version of Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City, created using the in-game video editor:

(UPDATE - 6TH APRIL) A second clip has been released. Rockstar has promised that more clips will be made available throughout the course of this week.

The first screenshots from the PC version of Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City were released today:

The game will be released on April 13th in North America and April 16th in Europe.