Finally, after two years of waiting, Grand Theft Auto IV (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360) will be sitting on shelves in just a few days. Before you run out to get yourself a copy this Tuesday, let's recap on what we know about the game so far.

This is the first of a two-part series we'll be running for Grand Theft Auto IV (yeah, the game's that huge). So, head over to the full article for half of everything you need to know about Grand Theft Auto IV.

In able to successfully render the realm of Lucas Arts' upcoming Star Wars: The Force Unleashed game, three different physics engines were used. In a video we have for you, the developers talk about how Havok, Euphoria, and DMM take part in making the world of the Star Wars unlike any other game under the franchise.

Perhaps one of the most overlooked details in the GTA IV trailers is the unbelievable realistic motion and animation it sported. And although the dynamics cannot be demonstrated by a recorded video strip, Rockstar Games has confirmed that Grand Theft Auto IV (for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360) is already using Dynamic Motion Synthesis and (quite possibly) Digital Molecular Matter, features integrated into the euphoria engine.

Designed by NaturalMotion for LucasArts titles, euphoria is a next-generation solution for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and the PC to address the monotony of "canned" animations and in-game element reactions. By eating a bit of your platform's processing power, euphoria will generate a unique animation on-the-fly guaranteeing a unique animation sequence even if the incident was repeated in exactly the same way. The additional processing power can simulate the human body and the nervous system.

Some speculation has also arisen that Grand Theft Auto IV is the first title to sport the euphoria engine, despite the fact that LucasArts has previously made known the engine's exclusivity to their published titles. NaturalMotion still confirms euphoria to be integrated to The Force Unleashed, a next-gen Star Wars title by LucasArts to come 2008.

 

We've previously reported on the NaturalMotion's Morpheme Animation Package for the PS3, 360, and PC. Well, here's a little more on NaturalMotion's animation package that's supposedly set to improve work-flow for next-generation game developers.

NaturalMotion has announced that it will demonstrate Morpheme publicly for the first time during the 2007 Game Developers Conference at booth number 118.

Anyhow, just in case you folks were to lazy to click on that link to the previous report, Morpheme consists of two components: Morpheme:run-time and Morpheme:connect. run-time, is a run-time engine optimized for Sony's PS3, Microsoft's Xbox 360, and the PC, and ships with full source code. :connect, on the other hand, is the much touted 3D authoring application, that will streamline production work of videogame animators.

Morpheme is designed to seamlessly integrate with other 3D middleware technologies, and is even set to complement NaturalMotion's Euphoria Engine - which Rockstar loves oh so much, by the way.

Morpheme, Euphoria, Endorphin - is it just us, or does NaturalMotion have a habit?

Are you familiar with the company NaturalMotion and its Euphoria Engine? No? Well, soon, you will be. NaturalMotion is actually the first company to create 3D character animation software based on DMS or Dynamic Motion Synthesis. In case you're wondering why this matters to you, please take note that the company just announced a partnership with Rockstar Games.

NaturalMotion said that Rockstar Games will now be including Euphoria in its upcoming next-gen titles. The engine will simulate the human body and nervous system that allows characters to be fully interactive, allowing them to act differently every time. CEO Torsten Reil remarked,

In Rockstar, we have found a partner that shares this vision, and is renowned for creating some of the most ground-breaking and immersive games in the industry. We are thrilled and honored to work with a partner of such high caliber, and look forward to helping create amazing titles.

Finally, NaturalMotion promises to make announcements regarding specific titles *cough...GTA IV...cough* soon.