Otherwise, if you have an Xbox 360, you can download it, if you have a PS3 and live in the US, you can download it, but if you live in Europe, have a PS3 and have not yet squirreled yourself a fake US account then, well, you’d better get one! Clever system we’ve got going here.

Some impressions: it’s looking a lot more detailed than any of its predecessor (no surprises there) but also more than most of the games we’re seeing at the moment. Clearly Rockstar is on track for fulfilling its bold promises of late. There’s also a bit of a glimpse of the new cover system, which has the potential to transform GTA’s traditional arcadey and somewhat cack-handed combat into something just a little more thoughtful (although hopefully not too much so).

For me, the highlight has to be those couple of shots of the new car physics, which looks authentic enough to keep the game immersive, but also making it look like it will be a lot of fun to drive. No matter how much the plot and narrative get amplified with each successive game, the core of GTA remains in its driving – from what little we can see, it looks like Rockstar hasn’t forgotten that.

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In this first pic we can see that something is badly wrong with our protagonist’s fingers. I’m no orthopaedic surgeon but I’ve hung around obnoxious medical students long enough to know what ain’t normal. And normal that ain’t. Niko Bellic is presumably returning from a long day of providing bloody beatings to rival gang members and has incurred some kind of work related injury. And being an immigrant (possibly illegal) to the fair city of Liberty, he probably doesn’t have health insurance either.

Apparently there’s a lesson in motorcycle safety here too, as Bellic is sensibly sporting protective head gear. Strapping on your helmet and leathers before leaping on your motorbike is going to put a dampener on those adrenaline fuelled car chases though surely?

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