Check It Out: The Tempt One Story

Posted on May 10 2013, 3:13pm | Author: R* L | Filed Under: Rockstar

A quite inspirational story we felt compelled to share, "The Tempt One Story" is a documentary of legendary Los Angeles-based graffiti artist Tempt, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2003 and left completely paralyzed, save the ability to blink. After purchasing one of Tempt's pieces at a gallery show and learning of his condition, philanthropist Mick Ebeling is driven to find a way to help Tempt overcome seemingly impossible odds to continue to do what he does best - create. The emotional journey that follows chronicles how Ebeling and a team of designers and artists try to do the impossible - culminating in the creation of the EyeWriter, a groundbreaking device that allows those suffering from neuromuscular conditions to be able to draw and write using only their eyes. Check out the trailer for the documentary below, which is available to order from the official website or to stream from Reelhouse, with 30% of each sale going to the Not Impossible Foundation.

Crew Cut: The Feuds Edition

Posted on April 26 2013, 11:32am | Author: R* L | Filed Under: Games, Social Club

As we approach the one year anniversary of Max Payne 3's release, the competitive landscape of multiplayer continues to be a breeding ground for battles between Social Club Crews. In addition to scheduled matches, one of the ways rival factions can settle their differences is via Feuds, which are automatically triggered during skirmishes and give bonus XP to the first Crew to notch kills on their opponents.

Our latest edition of the Crew Cut pays tribute to those Crews who’ve not only Feuded plenty as of late, but have also been beefing consistently with some of the same squads. To evaluate these kings of conflict, we looked for the Crews that Feuded the most but also had the best win percentages.

Going by total Feuds in March, the beefiest of the beefers on Xbox LIVE were the Consumer Products (OCPC) Crew. Out of 2,559 total Feuds OCPC has 1,412 wins (55%). Over the last month, they’ve Feuded the most with the Eu Soul Brasil e VC (ESBV) Crew. Going all the way back to August, OCPC just can't seem to dominate ESBV though, racking up 135 wins against 217 losses. Their rivalry with KILLER SMOKING ACES (XKSA), which also dates back to last August, is going better with 191 total wins and 78 losses. Speaking of Eau Sou Brasil e VC, this squad ranks second with 2,001 total Feuds, winning 1,238 of them (62%). In addition to their tussles with Consumer Products, ESBV have also been Feuding a lot with the OneEightSeven (X187) Crew, trailing 79-105 over the month of March. In third last month was the LXG Crew (LXGC), winning 840 out 1,773 total Feuds (47%).
 
While not as voluminous as the aforementioned trio, credit must be given to the Fear The Wrath (FAHQ) Crew – who had an astonishing 94%, and The-Agency-xVx (AGNT) Crew – who came in at 63%.   What they lacked in overall volume (FAHQ Feuded just 612 times) they more than made up for in the epicness of their ugly, ugly beef against each other. Over the last month, FAHQ have dominated AGNT 90-14 but their rivalry goes waaay back, as evidenced in this compilation video from February. We love the intensity and passion guys, but your cardiologists might recommend you dial it back just a tad.
 
 
On PSN, the UnitedSickAssassins (USA1) Crew  had a large lead in terms of March winning percentage with a solid 70%. One of their biggest beefs was with the THE FIRST 48 (48HR) Crew, who actually had the most total Feuds (1,996) for the month and a respectable 55% win percentage. Led by Johnboy305, 48HR trumped the H-Town Goon Squad Crew (GOON) 125-57, and kept their PIMP hand strong against Paper In My Pocket, going 94-34. The second highest winning percentage out of the high volume Crews for the month was the ROTA-Forca Especial (ROTA) Crew squad with 53%. Out of 1,647 total Feuds, they won 870. In third was S-13Brasil (13BR) Crew, who had 513 wins out of 1046 total Feuds (49%).
 
Hit the jump for our look at the PC Leaderboards plus a recap of the most recent Crew Challenge face-offs on Twitch...
 

Spring Festivals and Full-Length Albums Live - Rockstar Alumni Concert Calendar

Posted on April 24 2013, 11:24am | Author: R* L | Filed Under: Rockstar, Music

As Biz Markie (a Rockstar soundtrack alumni himself via San AndreasPlayback FM) once bellowed - it's spring again. In addition to the trees and grass lookin' fresh, this also means the weather is getting ripe for music festival season and worldwide tours. The eclectic radio stations of GTA's past are well represented at Memphis' Beale Street Music Festival in May featuring Alice in Chains, The Black Crowes, The Black Keys, The Smashing Pumpkins, Hall & Oates, ZZ Top and much more. The Keys will also be playing the historic New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival along with San Andreas' Willie Nelson, Earth Wind & Fire from Vice City Stories and Gary Clark Jr from Walton's Bar in Max Payne 3. 
 
For those digging the growing trend of bands performing full classic albums live, there are a few fun options amongst Rockstar alumni this spring. Radio X's Living Colour are celebrating the 25th anniversary of their debut album Vivid (including the seminal smash "Cult of Personality") by performing it top to bottom on their current tour. Vice City's YES have gone two steps further by performing The Yes AlbumClose to the Edge and Going for the One to completion (though due to time constraints, they'll only be performing the first two at certain venues). Most interesting perhaps is the case of Queensrÿche - having parted ways last year, Geoff Tate's version of the band is currently playing their 1988 concept album Operation: Mindcrime in full. If mixing it up is more your speed, the other original members are on tour playing the hits - likely including "Queen of the Reich" from Vice City Stories.
 
Check out the full calendar after the jump...

Max Payne 3 Deathmatch Made in Heaven DLC Pack Now Available for Download

Posted on January 22 2013, 5:47pm | Author: R* L | Filed Under: Games

 
Today's launch of the Deathmatch Made in Heaven DLC Pack brings four all-new co-op and competitive modes to the realm of Max Payne 3 Multiplayer, a host of new close-combat weapons, plus Items, Achievements and more. Available for 800 Microsoft Points on Xbox LIVE and $9.99 on PlayStation Network and PC (free to Rockstar Pass owners), this pack features:
 
Dead Men Walking 2 Player Co-Op Mode
Fight endless waves of enemies as Max and Passos - using teamwork and skill to earn Grit and open up new areas of the map as well as weapons, weapon attachments, painkillers and ammo. See how long you can fend off the bloodthirsty onslaught and rack up big points.
 
Run & Stun Mode
This all-new competitive multiplayer mode casts one random player in the role of the diabolical Saci, Captain Baseball Bat Boy's nemesis - using superior strength, unlimited stamina, and a deadly combination of the new Stun Gun and a weighty melee attack to try and turn all the other players to his side.
 
Marked Man Mode
This vendetta-fueled take on Max Payne 3's Deathmatch mode awards extra points for successfully exacting revenge on adversaries as well as surviving Vendettas placed on you by other players.
 
Time Attack Mode
Rack up the kills before time runs out in the new Time Attack Deathmatch mode, where taking out multiple targets within a short period of time will earn you considerable bonus points.
 
The Deathmatch Made in Heaven Pack also includes the new single-player Challenge Arcade Mode - keeping you on your toes and putting your skills to the test across each level of the game’s story with impromptu challenges like registering headshots, dispatching enemies with explosive kills or any number of direct objectives.
 
For more details on all these modes plus the new close-combat Weapons, Items, Unstoppable Burst, Grinds and in-game accomplishments, check out the official Deathmatch Made In Heaven page at the Max Payne 3 site.

We've also added the above original illustration of Max and Passos' Hoboken standoff to our collection of official Max Payne 3 artwork at the Rockstar Downloads page in all the customary sizes and formats.
 
The Deathmatch Made in Heaven Pack is now available everywhere on Xbox LIVE and PC, as well as PSN in North America (it will also be available to PS3 players in Europe on January 30th).
 
 
Previously:

 

The Cattle Prod, Bouncing Betty & More New Weapons of the Deathmatch Made in Heaven DLC Pack

Posted on January 21 2013, 3:05pm | Author: R* L | Filed Under: Games

Tomorrow's release of the Deathmatch Made in Heaven DLC pack for Max Payne 3 brings the four co-op and competitive modes revealed earlier and lots more including this brand new set of treacherous close-combat weapons to the multiplayer arena. Check out a rundown of this new crop of weapons you’ll be able to equip for strategic use, melee attacks and to bring your opponents a special dose of debilitation and humiliation...

THE CATTLE PROD
Not just for herding livestock anymore. Use the Cattle Prod to get your enemies in line - perfect for running up on opponents in close quarters and freezing them with a high voltage shock before you finish them off with a devastating melee attack. Having a splash effect, this weapon has the ability to hit multiple targets that are bunched up close together in a defensive stance. A bunch of camping bastards waiting around the corner for you? Pop out – zap em – and then calmly unload while they’re frozen in shock.

THE NIGHT STICK
The Night Stick has been a reliable tool for civil law enforcement going back to Victorian times. In Max Payne 3 Multiplayer, you can equip it to not only issue a good old fashioned melee beatdown when in close combat -  but also to give the unlucky player on the wrong end of the stick a spawn disadvantage – poor vision, low health and stamina. The Night Stick is particularly useful in team games, where a teammate can get an easy kill on a respawned player.  

THE STUN GUN
The stun gun is an ideal weapon for incapacitating your enemy. By temporarily cutting off muscle movement, your adversary will be utterly helpless. Capable of making contact from a short to medium distance range, your target will drop to the floor instantly, giving you the ability to end them with ease. The stun gun is especially useful against players with above-average health, such as Takedown targets in Gang Wars or those using the Big Dog and Unstoppable Bursts. 

 
PEPPER SPRAY
Pepper Spray can be a dastardly and beneficial tool. Equip it in one hand with a trusty firearm in the other, and spray it in enemies’ faces to temporarily blind them. Then bring the pain. The Pepper Spray has the same blinding effect as the strongest level of the Hangover burst.
 
THE BOUNCING BETTY
A brand new projectile, the Bouncing Betty is quite the versatile weapon. If you like to snipe, just tactically place a Betty where you think enemies will attempt to sneak attack you and they will be toast. Another helpful strategy is to place them in high traffic movement areas, such as doors and entrances, guaranteeing you some kills. This weapon is also great for Gang Wars during capturing and protecting rounds. The Betty might be smaller than a breadbox but it is capable of some very rewarding destruction.
 
The Deathmatch Made in Heaven Pack will be available tomorrow for 800 Microsoft Points on Xbox LIVE and $9.99 on PC and PSN in North America (this pack will be available for PS3 players in Europe on January 30th). Of course, Rockstar Pass owners will receive this content at no additional charge.
 
Previously:

Deathmatch Made in Heaven's Four New Modes: Dead Men Walking, Run and Stun, Marked Man & Time Attack

Posted on January 21 2013, 10:44am | Author: R* L | Filed Under: Games

Tomorrow's Deathmatch Made in Heaven DLC Pack for Max Payne 3 Multiplayer features four electrifying new multiplayer modes, including the much-anticipated Dead Men Walking two-player cooperative mode.

In additional to Dead Men Walking, which puts you and a friend up against an endless onslaught of adversaries, there also the new Run & Stun mode featuring Captain Baseball Bat Boy's mischievous nemesis Saci, Marked Man which adds vendetta fueled multipliers to traditional Deathmatch and a new Time Attack mode which awards bonus points for successful kill streaks in a competitive free-for-all.
 
Check out the feature below for a preview of all four new modes, complete with screens from each one, and look for details on the new weapons and Items included in the pack later today.

 

Previously:
Deathmatch Made in Heaven Max Payne 3 DLC Is Coming January 22nd

Love Fist's Original 1986 EP Is Now Available on iTunes

Posted on January 11 2013, 10:42am | Author: R* L | Filed Under: Games, Music

Who's ready to Fist Till Morning??

By popular demand from legions of diehard Love Fist fans (looking at you, lol232 and LegionYT1994 and others), we're happy to announce that the original four-track 1986 Love Fist EP has been digitally remastered and is now available  on iTunes for the "nice price" of $0.69 per song - or get the full EP for $1.99 (look for it on Amazon in the coming days as well). This includes the smash hits "Dangerous Bastard" and "Fist Fury" that made a big splash back in those heady and hazy days in 1980's Vice City - as well as two sought-after rarities, “Down Down Down” and “Fist Till Morning." Enjoy these gems from Scottish headbanging legends, Jezz, Willy, Dick and Percy. Sorry, legendary albums The Number of the Breast and Clear the Custard are still out of print.

Love Fist EP Official Track Listing:
 

Video: A Behind the Scenes Look at HEALTH's Original Max Payne 3 Soundtrack & Score

Posted on January 10 2013, 11:52am | Author: R* L | Filed Under: Games, Rockstar, Music

Lots of new insight into HEALTH's making of the Max Payne 3 original soundtrack and score can be found in this short film just released by The Creators Project, as seen below. Via interviews with the band as well as with Rockstar, you'll get the backstory on how the game's original music came together and the technical approach to its unique dynamic scoring...

Previously:
Watch HEALTH's Official Music Video for "TEARS"
Max Payne 3: The Official Soundtrack - Now Available on iTunes

Social Club Crews

For Max Payne 3 to Grand Theft Auto V and beyond, Crews are groups of Social Club members who form persistent teams to compete and earn rewards in-game and on the Social Club website. Create a Crew or join one now - here are some Crews we've featured in the Crew Cut here at the Newswire:

Rockstar Warehouse

Rockstar on Instagram

Follow us on Instagram (rockstargames) to see original photos including events, sneak peeks of collectibles and much more.