Adding to the deluge of trailers from Spike TV's Video Game Awards is the upcoming DLC for Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned. Watch the world premiere trailer in the full article!

Spike TV's Video Game Awards is looking like the event to end the year with a bang. Joining God of War III and Uncharted 2's official premiere at the event is The Lost and Damned, the upcoming DLC for Grand Theft Auto IV.

The Grand Theft Auto franchise is subject to social criticism yet again. In a prison prep course in Mississippi, comedian and activist Bill Cosby likened the game to an entrance exam for getting into prison.

Details after the link.

Move over Niko Bellic, there's a new bad ass in town. Meet Johnny Klebitz, a member of Liberty City's biker gang, The Lost. He'll be the star of the upcoming DLC for Grand Theft Auto IV, which will be available on February 17.

Details after the link.

They say love brings out the best and the worst in people. We suppose that applies to just about everyone including video game characters. When Jimmy Hopkins of Bully: Scholarship Edition (for the Wii and Xbox 360) sets out to get himself some this Valentine's, he bites off more than he could chew. See what goes down when you view the video after the jump!

Develop Magazine's Industry Excellence Awards broke records after gathering 500 games industry executives last night. Among them, 17 different companies and individuals claimed the 18 awards over 15 categories.

A panel of industry experts voted for the best in different categories to reward various creative achievements in game development - from visual arts to innovation. The diversity of the list gives us nothing but a positive outlook, and assurance that the market won't run out of good games if these guys are around.

Here's the list of winners that deserve our cheers:

• New Console IP - MotorStorm (Evolution/SCEE External Development)
• New Handheld IP - Crush (Zoe Mode)
• Best Use of a License - Lego Star Wars II (Traveller's Tales)
• Visual Arts - Rare (for Viva Piñata)
• Audio Accomplishment - FreeStyle (for B-Boy)
• Publishing Hero - Sega
• Innovation - Real Time Worlds (for Crackdown)
• Tools Provider - Havok
• Best Use of Online - Eden Studios (for Test Drive Unlimited)
• Services & Outsourcing - Babel Media
• Recruitment Company - Datascope
• New UK Studio - Realtime Worlds
• Handheld Studio - Rockstar Leeds
• Business Development - Blitz
• Independent Developer - Traveller's Tales
• In-house Developer - Ubisoft France
• Development Legend - Ian Hetherington
• Grand Prix - Sony

We're not sure about the exact criteria, but a good guess would say Sega earned the "Publishing Hero" award for having plenty of titles in all flavors under its belt. With Rockstar Leeds' big games in its arsenal (GTA: Liberty City/Vice City Stories), it's no surprise why the company is branded the best "Handheld Studio."

Sony's Grand Prix Award is due to 12 months of extensive support for internal and external developers to create cutting edge next-gen games.

It looks like Australia will be getting an official dose of GTA magic in the form of the Grand Theft Auto IV Special Edition. According to a new write-up over at PALGN, Rockstar has confirmed that the game will also have a recommended retail price of AU$ 149.95 to complement America's US$ 89.95 price tag.

As we've mentioned previously, the Special Edition will come with a GTA IV art book, a soundtrack CD, an exclusive Rockstar keychain, as well as an exclusive Rockstar duffel bag. Of course, you also get the PS3 or the 360 version of the game too.

Out of all the swag though, that duffel bag has us sold. Expect to hear more about the game and this duffel bag of GTA swag in the coming weeks.

We've all seen those game comparisons from one next-gen to another. But this one here, this one takes the cake. See, it's not just a mere comparison of one game with its different versions, console against console. This one is actually a comparison of two different games.

The titles in question are Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto IV and THQ's Saints Row. So it's been said that Saints Row is actually a GTA rip-off. But you can't appreciate that statement, no matter how much your gut-feel may agree, without seeing actual comparative evidence. And that is what we have for you exactly. It's actually fun watching the vid. Seeing how stunningly alike the scenes are, you can't help but feel like you're having some kind of epiphany.

Anyway, the feeling's all too hard to explain, so why don't you just click on play and see for you

In an act of pushing for more accountability on the part of video games store proprietors, a bill is now pending approval over at the New York State Assembly which will prohibit the sale of explicit and violent video games to minors, as well as requiring proper labellings for such products.

Not surprisingly, the controversy regarding Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories and its alleged negative impact on gamers, young and old alike, was raised as justification for the said proposal. An excerpt of the bill reads:

One of the videos at the center of the controversy is Grand Theft Auto: Vice City... Concern about violent video games is based upon the assumption that they contribute to aggression and violence among young players... scientific evidence shows a cause-effect relationship between television violence and aggression among children that watch it. Based upon this research, similar findings are expected concerning video games and these games are believed to have an even greater impact because: 1. children like to imitate the actions of characters such as the ones they play as or against in a video game, 2. video games include much repetition and with repetition comes a behavioral rehearsal for violent activity as violent games are played over and over again , 3. rewards increase learning, and video games are based upon a reward system.

As for its impact on the proprietors, they will be required to affix a warning label to the package of such video games "to warn parents and/or guardians of violent content. Those games that necessitate the warning label but doesn't have it may be confiscated by the authorities, along with a fine slapped against the store owner.

Apart from this, the shop owner will also have to enforce restricted access to such games, like for example, storing them behind the counter and setting up a mechanism that will compel the purchaser to show their IDs to prove their age.

There's much to be said about this bill, but we will refrain from getting into that in this post. What's important is that you guys have been forewarned of what could possibly happen to New York retail stores if this bill gets passed.

To find out more about this bill, just click on the Read link below.

It's a few days older than expected, but it still opens up fresh wounds. Last week's Nightline on ABC featured a nine-minute piece on Jack Thompson, whom they've dubbed "The Virtue Vigilante." Thanks to the powers of YouTube, we've got it up for you to see.

We all pretty much know what he's about, so here are some choice quotes:

• On Grand Theft Auto as Bill Weir, the reporter, is playing the game: "Here, you're literally stomping somebody into the pavement and you can stomp them until there's a pool of blood in the street of the person you've just killed."
• On his relationship with Rockstar Games, the makers of GTA: "I want to shut down Rockstar because they're run by a bunch of sociopaths and they're a one-company crime wave. "
  

Note how Bill Weir does a good job of not particularly reacting to Jack Thompson's statements. The one thing that's kind of lost on us, though, are the most recent statistics for crimes in America. That might just be the one thing that Jack had right, even if the connections he makes are far too pointed towards blaming one medium.