As fans of Minecraft, we dig its zen-like reappropriation of resources mechanic to create whatever the hell you want – it’s a cool and unusual game concept that draws some pretty hardcore fans.
Even cooler yet to see when those fans create homages to the games we make, like this awesome block-by-block recreation of the town of Blackwater, home to government agent Edgar Ross and the most modern city in Red Dead Redemption. This must have taken some serious work. Props to Minecraft builder technoanimate100 for his efforts, and check out his other creations including a recreation of Western outpost Armadillo.
In "Downpour", today’s latest piece of original artwork from Max Payne 3, Max dual-wields a twin pair of DE .50s as he pursues the enemy on the outskirts of São Paulo’s docks…
Grab it now in a range of desktop and mobile backgrounds as well as avatar and buddy icon versions – including, for the first time, sizes created for Facebook Timeline covers (850×315) – you can also grab Timeline Cover sizes for our previously released Max artwork as well.
Thanks to everyone that joined us in kicking off the first Social Club Multiplayer Event of the New Year on January 13th, with a 3+ hour session of Red Dead Redemption multiplayer on PSN. Special congrats to Social Club member hoeky61881 for winning the event’s sweepstakes Grand Prize: two custom, hand-painted Red Dead PlayStation 3 controllers. Our custom controllers are not available for sale anywhere and the only way to try and nab a pair is through these event giveaways, so stay tuned for more.
20 runners-up also won a prize pack featuring a Rockstar shirt, stickers and Red Dead playing cards: Mr_Kevin01, Kreepman, l50CaLiBeRl, Matt0201, laZardo, Neo6918, ZombBomb, Lockmat666, Kingspark88, scareface1970, xcel1sior, CruelFurcas, Jeff_McRae, Patricks_Lame, chielr, SAV-UK, fab1qaz, Xiadox, AvengedInstinct and Marstonboy432. A tip of the hat goes out to all who entered.
Kudos to a pair of Social Club members that recorded their own footage from the event and uploaded it to YouTube: cahill7777 posted some intense Grab The Bag action, while ahetFIN captured a few Grand Prix races in the video above.
Screenshot highlights abound in the gallery below, featuring some of the most interesting and explosive moments from select rounds.
Xbox 360 players, join us this coming Thursday, January 26th for the next event on our calendar, the first Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition Xbox LIVE event of 2012, from 5-8PM Eastern. We’ll have Gamertags, details and prizing info here on the Newswire later this week in the run-up to the event.
And if you’re looking for more Red Dead Triple XP and chances to play multiplayer with us online, follow our Twitter and Facebook pages for instant notification of our weekly impromptu play sessions. See below for the customary roll call of event participants, and as always please let us know if we’ve accidentally overlooked anyone…
Presenting our final four multiplayer gang member faces; click here to see the first 4 which were revealed previously.
We’d like to thank EVERYONE out there who participated in the #MaxPayne3 casting event we’ve been holding on Twitter over the past month – the casting call turnout activity surpassed our expectations with #MaxPayne3 usage spiking to the top of the worldwide Trending Topics moments after the event was first announced in December. Suffice it to say, it’s been pretty difficult settling on only 8 people in total who will get to have their likeness as the face of a playable Max Payne 3 multiplayer gang character member.
In the end, the gang looks to be a pretty rad multiplayer hit squad of internationally-assembled killers – recruited from Germany, London, NYC, Los Angeles, Canada, Brazil, Australia and Japan. Certainly looking forward to seeing all of your grills online.
Without further ado, a bit more on the final four faces:
Shohei (first from left in picture above) aka @hakuchitare is a huge Rockstar fan who works as an acclaimed illustrator in his native Japan. His distinctive look, with hair shaved on the sides and slicked back on top, will look right in place amidst the gang’s rogues gallery and do well to represent Max Payne 3’s setting of Sao Paulo which has the largest Japanese community in the world outside of Japan.
Hamish (2nd from left) aka @silenthamish had been amongst the most prolific tweeters during the event and went super hard in the final weeks – a massive fan proudly from Melbourne, Australia who’s promised to portray an inherently tough road warrior online.
@RockstarGames Australia has a harsh climate. While young we have to get use to scorching hot days and nights. Perfect training. #maxpayne3
Jaclyn (3rd from left) aka @jaclynejimenez is a PC gamer from our own homebase of NYC. Her dream of getting her face in the game has come to pass, and looks like she’s ready to celebrate with some Social Club multiplayer event action later this spring as well.
Social Club! yes @cranmerwill: @jaclynejimenez I like this Idea a lot! Maybe they can be featured in the first Social club match. #MaxPayne3
Finally, Nick (4th from left above; and right) aka @TwisBeats works in the underground rap scene of London and is someone we spotted back in the 2nd week of the event and contacted for photos.
Congratulations again, all. We’re in the midst of getting everyone’s final production reference photographs to get them all into the game now. Stay tuned to see what their final in-game characters look like, which is something we’ll be posting here at the Rockstar Newswire before the game comes out.
We would like to congratulate The Small Faces on their forthcoming induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, happening this April – and formally express our gratitude for lending us “Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake” recently as the score to the first GTAV Trailer.
A truly well-deserved recognition for one of the music world’s most underappreciated and influential bands.
Congratulations to all the other inductees for 2012 as well including Grand Theft Auto soundtrack veterans Axl Rose and Guns N’ Roses.
We recently got the chance during the holiday season to check out a pretty amazing installation at London’s Tate Modern – a great example of the possibilities in bridging the gap between real and imagined spaces.
Korean-born and now NYC-based sculptor and artist Do Ho Suh’s exhibit is minimalistic at first glance but deceptively sophisticated: sculptures made of cloth, featuring a staircase ("Staircase-III"), floating in mid-air as seen above.
Suh’s other work includes "Reflection" - part of the Gallery Hermes in Tokyo - a mirrored reflection of a grand gate, inspired by personal memories of the former entrance to his childhood home in Seoul; and "Karma" - a striking and massive sculpture of a giant in slacks and dress shoes stepping atop swarms of tiny people.