(The first Grand Theft Auto IV PC event in the Official Social Club Multiplayer Events series started off with quite a bang...)

We welcomed throngs of bloodthirsty Grand Theft Auto IV PC players last Thursday afternoon to play with and against us online in the first PC platform installment of the official Social Club multiplayer events series.

It definitely got kinda’ hectic with at one point a fully maxed-out 32-player multiplayer session on Games for Windows LIVE – and was good to get to play with more folks than ever as we tore through GTA Races and Deathmatches for over three full hours.  Have a glance at the recently announced full calendar of events which covers the coming months, including Grand Theft Auto IV, Midnight Club LA, and Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City.

The next event is coming tomorrow, February 26th – with a long-awaited Midnight Club Los Angeles session on Xbox LIVE.  Look for Gamertag details to be announced later today.

Read on for a full recap of action highlights from last week’s Grand Theft Auto IV PC event - with screens for evidence!

 
(32 accounted for and ready to roll...)

Rolling into the first lobby were 32 eager drivers eyeing the finish line on the Francis International runway.  Players lined the airstrip in a vast assemblage of Liberty City’s fastest sports cars ready to roll in some GTA Race action.  Seconds after the green light, bedlam was already ensuing - with several cars flipping over as racers jockeyed for position.  A couple poor souls even ran straight into the taxiing jumbo jet as it made its way to the airstrip.  Each turn was a fierce breakneck battle as players rammed their vehicles into each other, causing the hapless to careen into walls, ramps and even the sea.

From there, everyone cruised into Star Junction, just in time to give the midtown, midday lunch crowd of pedestrians a bit of a thrill.  Definitely separated the men from the boys with expert driving required to navigate the tight turns and city obstacles compared to the previous relative spaciousness of the Francis Airport runway – more than a few would-be speedsters couldn’t quite take those tight turns and found themselves airborne, in head-ons, or completely flipped...

(Watch out for that first corner in the race, Stars In Your Eyes - it's a doozy...)

Trigger fingers were itching – so we hopped over to the moonlit northern end of Algonquin, where players grabbed their pistols and jumped into full-on Team Deathmatch.  Some climbed back into vehicles ready for some drive-bys, some camped out at sniping positions on rooftops and a few others just ran around in the middle of the road (…suckers).  Action was spread all over the city: SMG's and bullet-riddled car chases in Alderney, pistol fights with tree cover in upper Middle Park, hit-and-runs outside the tw@ Internet Cafe and two cars trying to take down a helicopter at the airport.

(The night was dark and silent...with the notable exception of sudden muzzle flashes and gunfire...)

A new crop of players entered Team Deathmatch, ready to show their skills against Rockstar's purported prowess.  Bullets flew and no one was safe from that dreaded death slo-mo, black & white death sequence.  Eventually moving the action to an industrial area, the smart team was the one that took a more elevated position, lobbing Molotov cocktails and raining gunfire down on the opposing team below.

(The battle raged on with gunfire and Molotovs from above...)

Shell shocked from all the rounds fired, and by popular demand, we went into one last quick GTA Race, with 32 players in emergency vehicles burning off the starting line in Broker.  Sirens wailing as players zigzagged around one another, gaining speed for the jump beneath Outlook's arch in the middle of the roundabout.  Incoming gunfire and collisions thwarted one player's vehicle from even being able to make it one lap, rendering his LCPD cruiser a twisted heap of burning metal... Sorry, guy!

(Looks like the LCPD needs to call the LCFD...)

Big shout again to all of you that were able to make it through for the event – here’s a quick list of attendees by our accounts – as always, apologies to anyone omitted:

If you didn’t get in on this one, mark your calendars for our next scheduled PC event which will be for Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City the Saturday after the game comes out (April 3rd).  Check the calendar announcement for more information on all upcoming multiplayer events through to the end of April.

Also, make sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook.  You never know when we'll feel like having a short-notice game...

Previously:
Social Club PlayStation Network Multiplayer Event Feb 5 Recap (Grand Theft Auto IV for PS3)
Social Club Multiplayer Events Series Calendar (Feb - April)