After 
two years of build-up, a couple delays and seemingly endless speculation, Grand Theft Auto V is finally in gamer hands.
The critics have lavished it with praise and early fan feedback is just as adoring, but before you get in too deep, consider these helpful starting tips.
Rockstar 
Games famously keeps a tight lid on its “Grand Theft Auto” games, but there are generally three constants to each new release.
Something in the game will outrage activists. The game will make a staggering amount of money. And it will incorporate parts of pop culture that raise its coolness levels even higher among players.
In the 12 years since “Grand Theft Auto III” first hit shelves (and the game really became the industry force it is now), it has had plenty of highs and lows – and an impact on the videogame landscape that few titles can match. Here’s a look at some of its most notable moments and achievements.
“Call 
of Duty” might be the video game industry’s 500-pound gorilla, but on Sept. 17, it faces its biggest threat yet.
That’s when Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive Software will release “Grand Theft Auto V,” the first new full game in the series in five years—and analysts expect it to be one of the biggest releases of the year.
So 
Rockstar delayed another game. Is anyone really, truly surprised by that?
In my nearly 20 years covering video games, Take-Two’s crown jewel has missed more initial deadlines than I can count, but that hasn’t stopped them from knocking it out of the park more times than they’ve whiffed. This delay, though, could have a more notable impact on the industry than previous postponements.
Hip-hop 
and videogames might seem like a logical combination, but the first stab at blending the two didn’t go well — to put it mildly.
Icons in the industry are taking another run at gaming glory these days, however — and the results are proving much better.
There’s 
been plenty of speculation about when Rockstar Games would roll out the next installment of Grand Theft Auto, but precious few hard facts.
Rockstar finally pulled back the curtain a little on Tuesday, announcing via its company blog that GTA V will launch worldwide in the spring of 2013. Pre-orders for the game, which will be playable on the Xbox 360 and PS3 (but not, apparently, on the Wii U), will begin on November 5.
Regardless 
of whether or not you’re a fan of Borderlands 2’s over-the-top combat and loot gathering (we definitely are), you have to give the game credit for one thing: It refuses to take itself too seriously.
Not only do the game’s characters spout hilarious lines as they mercilessly mock the player, enemies, and even gaming in general, but the game is loaded with winks and nods to an untold number of other pop-culture icons.
Key 
members of the development team on Bioshock Infinite have left Irrational Games, raising questions about the state of the highly anticipated title, sources tell Gamasutra.
Tim Gerritsen, director of product development, and art director Nate Wells have both announced their departure. Wells was a 13 year veteran of the studio, whose distinctive style was heralded in the original Bioshock.
Take-Two’s 
CEO was blunt when he recently said THQ would be gone in six months. Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris argues it’ll still be around in 2012, but THQ needs to figure out a gameplan soon.
Industry watchers were treated to a rare bit of executive candor Thursday from Take-Two Interactive Software’s CEO.
Strauss Zelnick’s comment that “THQ won’t be around in six months” was shocking not so much because of his prediction, but because they seemed less like the contrived back-and-forth between Electronic Arts and Activision-Blizzard – and more honest opinion. The bigger question is: Was he right?
The oft-delayed 
Max Payne 3 has hit another roadblock and been pushed back again – and the delay is going to push publisher Take-Two Interactive Software into the red.
The company’s Rockstar Games division announced this morning that the game, originally set to launch this March, would now not bow before May. That marks the fourth delay, if you’re keeping score at home.
Chris Morris: Journalist 