In anticipation of Grand Theft Auto IV's release, the
Bowery Boys take a look at the history of New York City depictions in video games. There's GTA's Liberty City and the Statue of Happiness, but also NYC echoes in Frogger, Donkey Kong, and 1984's The Big Apple. The round up covers decades' (and dozens of games') worth of virtual reality's love affair with the place. [
via]
Hotels are cashing in on video games and their aging fans, The Westin chain, for instance, plans on offering
customized Wii's (the game so easy even dogs can play) in about 150 hotels and resorts. Manhattan's Le Parker Meridian has a customized Nintendo Wii console used in its gym, while Hotel Gansevoort brings consoles to guests on request. Seattle's Hotel Monaco hosts Friday night Guitar Hero playoffs, which have become extremely popular. The Conrad Chicago will offer competitive "Wii Meeting Breaks" for a fee starting this May. [
Hotels]
Gridskipper
The next installment in the popular Grand Theft Auto video game series comes out on April 29th, 2008. This fourth edition of the controversial crime game deals with a Russian mobster running amok in Liberty City, a fictional stand-in for New York. Photos of a Liberty City map were leaked on Kotaku this morning and to help whet your appetite for spreading murder and mayhem through this virtual cityscape, I've mapped some GTA IV locations onto their New York inspirations.