Rockstar Newswire

KDR STARS

We all know that it takes more than fragging to climb the Social Club Crew Leaderboards. You need to complete objectives in Gang Wars, hunt down Grinds and play together as a Crew if you want to earn the kind of XP that separates the contenders from the pretenders. However, this week we'd like to pay homage to those Crews that have their sights fixed firmly on their opponents' foreheads. These are the Crews with an average Kill/Death (K/D) Ratio higher than two, meaning their members have inflicted death more than twice as many times as they've been killed themselves. They may be scattered through the leaderboards but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be fear running afoul of them online.

The G0d Given Greatness Crew on Xbox 360 may have a cocky name, but they're backing it up with their 2.34 KDR and their 88% Feuds average (387 won), despite having only 12 members. We reckon they should get in touch with the U Got Smacked Clan and set up a grudge match; this German Crew has nine members and a KDR of just over two, but they're still ahead of G0d Given Greatness by around 100 places on the global leaderboards.

The Skullz Crew are long-time fans of GTAIV multiplayer (as you can see from their website) and it's good to see them repping well in Max Payne 3 on PC with a very respectable 2.45 KDR average. Hitting the 2.0 mark dead on on PC are Pro and Deadly Crew, proving that their motto of "only for pro and perfect players ONLY!" is not just hyperbole. We've found just one XBox 360 Crew who have broken the 3.0 barrier - mad props to the four Crewmembers of Team Avarice who are up to a superhuman 3.4 KDR. They've also racked up a 0.82 win PCt and taken 90% of all their feuds. Their motto is currently "We're recruiting", but if you fancy it, make sure you know what you're getting yourself in for.

Crews with a KDR higher than two are harder to find on PS3, but the four members of crybaby killers1 Crew are making up for that with a great score of 2.62 and a daunting Feud record of 94% (482 won). While everyone else on PS3 has a lot of catching up to do there, previously featured Crew HOT Clan can proudly display a 2.11 KDR as well as another emblem featuring a GTA femme fatales, Misty.

EMBLEMS OF THE WEEK

Every week we see a new emblem on Social Club that pushes the boundaries of everything we've seen before. This week was no exception and we are spoilt for choice for emblems to feature. However, it was impossible to ignore these two gems that Stumpy4770 has come up with for the San Andreas and Sons Of GTA Crews. The shading detail on the clothing is fantastic and stumpy4770 has really captured the spirit of each Crew (although what happened to CJ's feet?!).

CuddlyBunnie2 is another user who has devoted a lot of time to the Emblem Editor, and is a self proclaimed "huge fan" of YourTaxesAtWork. From the impressive gallery in CuddlyBunnie202's Friendly Neighbor Crew, we've picked out this awesome impression of Catwoman. (CuddlyBunnie2020 also has the dubious honour of having published the first emblem on Social Club inspired by Sir Elton John!) Iknowthatfeel has also drawn inspiration from The Dark Knight with this spooky rendition of Bane emerging from the shadows for San Andreas SF Crew. Great work guys.

Thanks to everyone who has got in touch via Mouthoff and via the Newswire comments to promote their Crew and their emblem over the past few weeks. We’re really glad that you’re all enjoying the Crews feature of Social Club and that you are committed to having a successful Crew with an emblem to be proud of. If your Crew isn't featured in the Crew Cut, please remember that there's some fierce competition out there and we can't feature them all. We do check out every Crew that is sent our way, and we are tracking you all very closely so get back in game and online and show us what you got! Also Crew leaders, make sure you connect your Twitter and Facebook accounts to your profiles so that when your Crew is featured we can give you a shout out on our other media platforms.

On Friday July 27th, we returned to the frontier provinces of Red Dead Redemption for an official Social Club Multiplayer Event that heralded the start of a full weekend of Triple XP on both PS3 and Xbox 360, and when the spout was turned off come Monday, we quickly got several players asking for more. Expect another weekend of Red Dead bonus XP coming up in the future...

Make sure you check back in the multiplayer events page for several more exciting dates this month - including sessions for Max Payne 3 and Grand Theft Auto IV (including the Episodes modes). Also expect the brand new fall calendar of events to be announced later this month.

In the event last Friday, all four RedDeadDevs began with about a half hour of Free Roam, each in separate lobbies. RedDeadDev4 claimed the Armadillo Saloon in Land Grab to kick things off, accumulating around 98 seconds of time before Karlomig007 stormed in the back door and took him down with a shotgun blast to the chest. After a few more minutes of the ongoing fight between the two, RedDeadDev4 ended the match victorious, gaining 543 XP. Good fight. Moving on to West Elizabeth...

RedDeadDev4 and RDL_Eames take down crazygta2196 and Genesicity during Stronghold in Blackwater.

Lots of blood was spilt in during Stronghold as each side worked like crazy to capture and guard the various positions around Blackwater. One of the highlights is shown above, and another came when GarfieldLouis tried to flank the enemies, coming from behind the 'Coal and Wood' building east of the Main Street point. B3NJI_Z4_ swept in to take him down, saving the day and allowing Batmanfan720, RDL_Doryan and Internetman96 to capture the street and move on to the Gunsmith Safe.

In Grand Prix, things unfolded quickly as soon as weapons became active. Bodies flew off horses as each of the eight participants battled for the number one spot. YouTube aficionados ahetFIN, ferguson99 and others are solid contributors that capture video during our events, and ahetFIN got this one on 'tape'...

Hit the jump to read the rest of the recap along with more screens, video, prize winner info and a full list of participants according to our records...

Update: The event and Triple XP have ended. Thanks to everyone that joined in.

OFFICIAL ROCKSTAR PSN IDs

FORMING A POSSE
To start the game, invite your friends, form a posse and find Rockstar, follow these steps:

1. From the main menu, press 'Start' and then enter 'Online Multiplayer' by pressing the 'Square' button, and choose 'Normal'.
2. Once in a Free Roam lobby, press the 'Select' button to open the in-game multiplayer menu.
3. Press the 'R1' button and then the 'Triangle' button to 'Show Friends'. Invite at least one friend into your posse using the 'X' button.
4. Once your friends are in the game, press the 'Triangle' button again to return to the 'Players' menu and select them with the 'X' button to 'Propose New Posse' or 'Send Posse Invite'.
5. Once you and your friends are ready to go, start up the game mode we're currently playing. We'll announce modes in the chat.

If you're looking for even more chances to play multiplayer with us, be sure to check out upcoming events on the calendar, and follow us on our Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Steam pages. We usually hop on at least once or twice a week to play...

Previously:
Red Dead Redemption PSN Social Club Multiplayer Event Recap Featuring Contest Winners and Fan Videos
Recapping the March 23rd Red Dead Redemption GOTY Xbox LIVE Social Club Multiplayer Event
Recap of the Red Dead Redemption Official Social Club Multiplayer Event on PSN (March 8) with Screens, Fan Video & Prize Winners

As part of The Majami Hiroz Show channel on YouTube (pronounced 'miami heroes' - a nostalgic "Welcome to the 80's" themed channel that pays tribute to 1980s music, movies and games in the form of original 8-bit homages), we stumbled upon their latest entry: "GTA: Vice City - Final Mission (C64 Version)".

An awesome little re-imagining of the denouement of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, "Keep Your Friends Close" - the bloody grand finale shootout at the Vercetti mansion rendered as a believable 1980s 8-bit arcade experience complete with midi-style audio, vintage pixel effects, and other appropriate trimmings.

Spoiler alert: if you never actually finished Vice City, you might not want to have the ending revealed to you through this 8-bit depiction - in which case, we recommend finishing up those old affairs properly.

Otherwise, do enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVHqL_uTqOg

In one of the most nostalgic, throwback GTAIV fan-created mods we've seen yet, community members Blaster_nl and Flitskikker have put together this impressive blending of two Grand Theft Auto universes - importing the original top-down 2D map from the first Grand Theft Auto into the 3D of GTAIV PC creating a sweet isometric remix of that original game from nearly 15 years ago.

See it in action via the video above (here's an older one as well) - some of the highlights include:

• 1:07 - rocket launcher
• 3:00 - going boating
• 3:56 - gunshots
• 4:18 - flying in a heli
• 4:45 - ouch!

Also check out another video from a similar conversion done by Garju67, also on taltigolt's YouTube channel - bringing the Grand Theft Auto III Liberty City map into GTAIV PC. Additionally there's a separate project similar to that one that's been in the works a bit longer. And if you're feeling the urge to dig in the crates, don't forget, you can always download and play the original GTA as well as GTA2 and Wild Metal absolutely free, available on our Rockstar Classics page.

Related:
Tilt-Shift: A New Perspective on Liberty City (Found via YouTube)
Found on the 'Net: Incredible Grand Theft Auto IV PC Screenshots
Google Maps Powered Street View of Liberty City (via GTANet)shots

Update: The playlist and event have ended. Thanks to everyone that joined in, whether you were chatting, watching the live streams, playing or just stopping by to enter the sweepstakes...

In this week's scheduled live-streaming official Social Club multiplayer event, HEALTH, the band behind the original Soundtrack and score of Max Payne 3 including "TEARS", are primed to join you and the Rockstar devs for some online Bullet Time® and Shootdodge™ galore in Max Payne 3 Multiplayer June 22nd on PlayStation 3 from 5-8pm Eastern. Preceding the event will be a live video stream with our own MaxPayneDev5 on our Twitch page from 3-5pm, so feel free to join us there before HEALTH goes online at 5. When that happens, two MaxPayneDevs will be featured in the dual video stream on the Social Club multiplayer events page along with a chat and special leaderboards, so expect a full evening of action.

And during the day you can enter for your chance to win a Deluxe Prize Pack including a Max Payne statue, a brand new Hawaiian Shirt just like the one Max wears in the game, a bullet keychain and assorted stickers. Additionally, ten runners-up will receive a t-shirt and stickers. Fill in your details on this page under the 'Sweepstakes Entry' tab on June 22nd.

PSN IDs
Look for HEALTH's Crew in-game as the event rolls along:

• DEATH_MINUS (John Famiglietti) 
• tsutsu187 (Jupiter Keyes)

We may be announcing more band-member PSN IDs by event time so check back soon.

Keep an eye out for our official Rockstar players, marked with a special visible in-game dog tag logo:

• MaxPayneDev1
• MaxPayneDev2
• MaxPayneDev3
• MaxPayneDev4

If you can't join us for this one, don't worry as we will be going online several times this summer at times that we won't be announcing ahead of time. Sometimes we just like to jump on and play our games with the public, and when we do we always post a message on our Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Steam (for PC) pages...

INTERNATIONAL CREWS

With Max Payne 3 now on shelves across North America and Europe, we're seeing a virtual U.N. of killer CREWS lighting up the multiplayer leaderboards. Fighting for liberté, égalité et fraternité are the French Crew, who intend “Pour montrer a tous ce que nous valons” - to prove their worth to all. Over the border, the German Outlaws have amassed a force 20 strong and already have some experience points on the board; showing classic Germanic stoicism, they are prepared to “let the gun do the talking.” Further south, the Spanish Forces have a message for all Spanish-speaking Social Club members: "si entiendes esto, este es tu sitio! UNETE!". Meanwhile il Tricolore flys proudly for the Italians Inside whose motto makes their game plan clear: “bigger the guns, bigger the pain!”

PRIVATE CREWS MAKING NOISE ON THE BOARDS

One international Crew is already proving to be a talking point on the Xbox 360 Max Payne 3 multiplayer leaderboards: with 28 members, French Crew Payne Capitale currently the highest placed private Crew on the Deathmatch leaderboards and 3rd Overall. Also impressive is Ten Knobs Crew, who with just 15 members, have taken to Payne Killer as their multiplayer game mode of choice and are currently showing as #27 in the worldwide Xbox 360 leaderboards. Proving the courage of their convictions, the New York City Kings are a tight-knight Crew of 5 and are placing a very respectable #40 as of now on the worldwide Team Deathmatch boards (and their Feud win percentage ain’t too shabby either at 71% of the time of writing). They say they are "looking for serious members only who will practice regularly and compete" - so if the shoe fits, hit 'em up…

Over on the PS3 leaderboards, Pick Your Poison and Pro Kill You are jostling for position to make a mark as esteemed private Crews cracking the overall top ten. With similar membership numbers currently in the 110s and similar XP, currently Pro Kill You is showing at #9 whilst Pick Your Poison are just behind at #10. While there have been no in-game Feuds yet between those two, we’re looking forward to the carnage when they eventually meet each other in Team Deathmatch. The brilliantly-named T BAGGIN YO MOMS are proving to be a force to be reckoned with amongst PS3 playing Crews, with the DireWolvesOfWinter also sniffing around the worldwide top 40 of Payne Killer and the top 20 of the Overall PS3 leaderboards. Elsewhere United Killers Inc, led by the tireless Soopaman_2k,  are representing well at #25 as of writing on the Deathmatch leaderboards - and we'd be remiss not to shout this troop that caught our eye in the top 50 there: the CBWA aka CAREBEARSWITATTITUDE.

FAVORITE EMBLEMS

The CAREBEARS have managed to match their Deathmatch prowess with their Emblem-making skills, creating one of our favorites on the site this week - when Ice Cube meets the Care Bears, everybody wins. Others include Rodsta94’s hilarious grouchy cartoon Mexican which will represent the Fansite Banditos (led by our homeboy SimpsonsFan007 from Team Xbox) around the site and in the game. Westley’s Crew have taken inspiration from an unlikely source, the 80's fairy tale The Princess Bride, in theming their Crew - complete with an impressive likeness of Inigo (“…you killed my father. Prepare to die.”) Montoya in their emblem. Two Crews acknowledging the city settings of the Max Payne series, NYC Soldiers and Sao Paulo’s Finest have thrown up some truly intimidating artwork to inspire fear into their foes online, while enemies of BasedGod will be reaching for the 3D glasses to get the full effects of their gallery of floating castles and chimpanzees.

DEADLY DUOS

Rather than use mad emblem skills to recruit a swarm of followers, some Crews out there have elected to keep their member list ultra-exclusive - opting for a Tango-and-Cash, Starsky-and-Hutch, Cagney-and-Lacey type approach to online warfare. The Gruesome Twosome have closed out their recruiting policy at (you guessed it) just two members, and have designed a pretty special emblem to honor their duet of death. Meanwhile, the enigmatic insist has taken a full week to warm to such ideas as teamwork and comradeship, taking a full week to recruit the second member of his clipboard-wielding crew of safety fanatics, the Risk Assessors.

OFWGKTA CREW

Finally, those following us on Twitter may have seen a surprise session on Thursday held with the OFWGKTA CREW aka Odd Future. Tyler the Creator, Taco, and L-Boy (who are Taynard, TacoTakesDumps, and JilScott at Social Club respectively) from OF swung by Rockstar HQ to throw down in some Max Payne 3 FFA and Team Deathmatch as seen in the snaps below. Golfwangers can apply for membership in the official OFWGKTA Crew at http://socialclub.rockstargames.com/crew/ofwgkta_crew. Stay tuned as we'll be hosting many more of these impromptu Max Payne 3 CREW sessions with friends of Rockstar all throughout the summer and beyond - follow us on Twitter to make sure you get the word.




Stay tuned for next week's Featured Crews report as we're keeping a close eye on the rivalries of Crews-to-beat 911 NYC and PCC Crew amongst many others...

Previously:
Enlistment Roundup: The First Days of CREWS at the New Rockstar Social Club

*** THANK YOU: This weekend's debut Social Club Multiplayer Events for Max Payne 3 have concluded, but there are a lot more in store. Join us next weekend Friday May 25th at 11AM - 2PM Eastern on Xbox LIVE, and Saturday May 26th from Noon - 3PM Eastern on PSN. We'll have more great giveaways, plus the live-stream, chat, leaderboards and more. Stay tuned also for announcement of who won our first pairs of customized CREWS controllers soon.

Get ready for the very first of many official Max Payne 3 Social Club Multiplayer Events lined up, kicking off this weekend in grand fashion - this Friday May 18th from 4-7PM Eastern on PSN and this Saturday May 19th from 1-4PM Eastern on Xbox LIVE (with many more dates to follow into June and to be announced all summer long and beyond).

This is your first chance to rally your CREW to face off with and against the ROCKSTAR CREW of Max Payne 3 developers from Rockstar Studios worldwide on the live streamed broadcast (now with a double-stream as announced last week). For the first time ever, there is now a special in-game Social Club Multiplayer Event Playlist that you'll see in your Multiplayer menu of playlists active only during the scheduled event times. Just jump into that playlist to look for the Rockstar Crew (Gamertags and IDs below) in lobbies or to start your own game - there's also now a Social Club Event Leaderboard for players and CREWS to show and prove at each event.  

Plus we're giving away a truly unique special grand prize - on both Friday and Saturday during event hours, we'll have a sweepstakes open at the Event page to enter to win a pair of PS3 or Xbox 360 controllers customized with your ID and your CREW emblem. These bad boys will be blacked out, hand-painted with a serious matte black finish and solid black buttons and your CREW emblem proudly tailored on. 10 runners-up each day will also win a Max Payne 3 Prize Pack with an official tee, bullet keychain, pill box and deluxe sticker pack.

You can also join the live Social Club chat on the Events page to spectate, comment on the action, and talk about your favorite Max Payne 3 moments and modes. The Social Club chat has also been enhanced with new features to show which of your Social Club Friends are logged in so you can call out your mates and Crew members at will.
 

GAMERTAGS AND IDs
Official Rockstar players are marked with a special visible in-game dog tag logo:

• MaxPayneDev1
• MaxPayneDev2
• MaxPayneDev3
• MaxPayneDev4
• MaxPayneDev5
• MaxPayneDev6
• MaxPayneDev7
• MaxPayneDev08
• MaxPayneDev9
• MaxPayneDev10
• MaxPayneDev11
• MaxPayneDev12
• MaxPayneDev13
• MaxPayneDev14
• MaxPayneDev15
• MaxPayneDev16

And don't forget that in addition to our live streaming scheduled Social Club events, members of Rockstar Studios worldwide will be online playing Max Payne 3 Multiplayer every single day through June 15th - a non-stop month of Max Payne 3 Multiplayer with the folks who all helped create the game itself. We'll be playing about 2-3 hours each day with devs from Leeds, Lincoln, London, New England, New York, North, San Diego, Toronto and Vancouver taking turns to show you how it's done on both consoles seven days a week (and on the PC version beginning May 29th).

Make sure you're following us on our Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Steam (for PC) pages to get the word each day of exactly when we're loading up, Loading Out and heading into Gang Wars, Payne Killer, Team Deathmatch and FFA Deathmatch along with info of which Gamertags/IDs we're using for that day.