Rockstar Games Announces Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony Now Available on Xbox LIVE  Marketplace and Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City Now Available at Retail Stores Everywhere

Rockstar Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), is proud to announce that Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony is now available for download exclusively from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace and at retail stores everywhere as part of Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. For the first time ever, players are invited to experience The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony, two complete games, together on a single disc as Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City. The disc-based offering does not require Internet connectivity or a copy of Grand Theft Auto IV.

“We’re thrilled to share the final chapter of this epic Liberty City tale,” said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. “The team at Rockstar North has exceeded every expectation with The Ballad of Gay Tony, creating an explosive conclusion to the Grand Theft Auto IV saga.”

In The Ballad of Gay Tony, players assume the role of Luis Lopez – right-hand man, bodyguard, and confidant to Tony Prince, the nightlife impresario of Liberty City. Luis’ story explores Liberty City’s high-end nightlife as he struggles to balance the temptations of money and vice with family loyalties. In addition to new story missions, The Ballad of Gay Tony introduces a host of new vehicles, weapons, music, television content, multiplayer features, and side activities such as base jumping and managing Tony’s various clubs.

Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City features The Ballad of Gay Tony and the first downloadable episode, The Lost and Damned, in which players explore Liberty City’s seedy underbelly as Johnny Klebtiz of The Lost motorcycle club. The Lost and Damned boasts a darker story complemented by additional metal and hard rock tracks along with gang warfare-based gameplay.

Critics are raving, The New York Times says, “with Gay Tony, Rockstar Games has gleefully ripped the final vestiges of plausible realism away from Liberty City in favor of over-the-top action…Gay Tony is one of those great, rare games in which you can lose yourself for hours just exploring and discovering new things to do."

IGN.com scored The Ballad of Gay Tony a 9.2/10, stating, “The Ballad of Gay Tony is the perfect way to close out the GTA IV saga.”

In awarding the game a 9.25/10, Game Informer stated, “The Ballad of Gay Tony delivers more explosive weapons, death-defying missions, and off-the-wall characters… Don’t miss your chance to close out the GTA IV experience in style.”

Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony, rated M for Mature by the ESRB, is available for download now via Xbox LIVE Marketplace for 1600 MS points, and as part of Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City at retail stores everywhere for $39.99 / £34.99 / €45.

For more information, log onto www.rockstargames.com/episodesfromlibertycity.

About Take-Two Interactive Software

Headquartered in New York City, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is a global developer, marketer, distributor and publisher of interactive entertainment software games for the PC, PlayStation®3 (PS3™) and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment systems, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Wii™ and Nintendo DS™. The Company publishes and develops products through its wholly owned labels Rockstar Games and 2K, which publishes its titles under 2K Games, 2K Sports and 2K Play. Take-Two also distributes software, hardware and accessories in North America through its Jack of All Games subsidiary. The Company’s common stock is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol TTWO. For more corporate and product information please visit our website at www.take2games.com.

All trademarks and copyrights contained herein are the property of their respective holders.

Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license from Microsoft.

There’s been plenty of GTA videos to go around as of late, but this is only the 2nd official trailer. After watching, you’ll be sure to start counting down the days to October 29th, when the title releases at both on Marketplace and at retail.

Shown below is a new character clip for Henrique Bardas and Armando Torres, two long-time friends of Luis Lopez, the main protagonist in The Ballad of Gay Tony.

For more about each character, read on.

Luis Lopez, Henrique Bardas and Armando Torres have been friends for their entire lives, growing up together on the streets of East Holland and Northwood. After years of small-time hustles, Luis caught a lucky break when he started working for club owner Tony Prince, eventually becoming manager of his two clubs, Hercules and Maisonette 9, while Armando and Henrique are proud to stay local, slinging drugs on the same street corners they did as kids. Loyal to the core, Armando and Henrique are both bemused by and envious of Luis’ change in status.

Brian Jeremy is a veteran member of The Lost Motorcycle Club and serves as the Club Secretary.  Brian lives and breathes The Lost, and his dogged loyalty to the gang’s incarcerated leader, Billy Grey, borders on the creepy and obsessive.  Brian detests Johnny Klebitz, Billy’s second-in-command, which has created a rift in the gang.  Brian isn’t at all happy with the way Johnny has run the club in Billy’s absence, especially the truce he has negotiated with their long-term rival biker gang, The Angels of Death.  When Billy returns, the antagonism between Johnny and Brian will worsen to a point of no return.  Eventually, one of them will have to go.

A Weazel News Special Report: Arms Smugglers Bring New Wave of Weaponry to Liberty City
In this Weazel news exclusive, Weazel’s crack team of investigative reporters and former lobbyists cut through the filter of the mainstream media to find the paranoia behind the truth to a recent string of attacks in Liberty City, which has forced the LCPD into an escalating arms race. Our Weazel News expert demonstrates these fearsome new weapons including sticky bombs, advanced sniper rifles, automatic shotguns and exploding bullets; while recently discovered footage from a Liberty City tourist appears to show a rocket-equipped military grade helicopter known only as ‘The Buzzard’ wreaking havoc in Liberty City airspace.

As Luis Lopez, experience the over-the-top nature of life at the heart of Liberty City—guns, glitz, and glamour pepper the experience as you climb the social ladder and find that the more money is involved, the more complicated everything becomes. The Ballad of Gay Tony sends off Liberty City in grand fashion, granting you access to the most over-the-top weapons and toys to cause mayhem for those bold enough to stand in your way.

The upcoming DLC for GTA IV by Rockstar, The Ballad of Gay Tony, will be releasing its first trailer this Tuesday.  While the actual expansion release isn’t due out till October 29th, we will probably be seeing more screenshots and clips as we near the launch date.  Expect the DLC to sell at a perfectly reasonable 1600 MS points ($20).

Check back Tuesday for the trailer.

Not a whole lot of action on the circulars this week.  The best deal out there is Batman Arkham Asylum at Toys-R-Us for $59.99 with a $20 gift card back.  And if you are a rewards member you can get a $30 gift card back if you buy it Tuesday the 25th between 10am and 2pm.

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Rockstar Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), is proud to announce the fall release of both the second episode of Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony – exclusively for download on Xbox LIVE® online entertainment network, and Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City, which will include both episode one The Lost and Damned, and episode two The Ballad of Gay Tony together on a single disc exclusively for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.

"Liberty City is the most vibrant game world we’ve created yet. The episodic structure has allowed us to interweave stories, gameplay and atmosphere in a whole new way," said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. "The team at Rockstar North have yet again surpassed themselves, and made something that is both epic and very innovative. This episode’s focus on high-end night life contrasts with the biker gangs portrayed in The Lost and Damned, whilst giving us a lot of new gameplay possibilities."

Grand Theft Auto IV’s second downloadable episode, The Ballad of Gay Tony injects Liberty City with an overdose of guns, glitz, and grime. As Luis Lopez, part-time hoodlum and full-time assistant to legendary nightclub impresario Tony Prince (aka "Gay Tony"), players will struggle with the competing loyalties of family and friends, and with the uncertainty about who is real and who is fake in a world in which everyone has a price.

Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City delivers two games on one disc – the all-new episode The Ballad of Gay Tony and the first episode, The Lost and Damned – together on disc for the first time – for Xbox 360 for $39.99 and will not require a copy of the original Grand Theft Auto IV to play.

The Ballad of Gay Tony will release on Xbox LIVE this fall for $19.99 or 1600 MS points and requires players to have Grand Theft Auto IV for Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE membership to download.

For more information, log onto www.rockstargames.com.