GTA Liberty City Stories heading to PS2, new PSP GTA in offing

Rockstar and the big brother it doesn't like to talk about, Take-Two, have announced a few new games including additions to the Grand Theft Auto series, and given us an idea of what else is to come from the publishing-duo-which-is-really-one-group in 2006.

Console owners shouldn't get too excited though (assuming the suggestion of a new current-platform GTA even is exciting), because all Rockstar's going to do for now is port PSP title GTA: Liberty City Stories to the PS2. The game came out on PSP last October and took us back to the setting of GTA III, doing well in reviews, but with the proviso we'd have been less chuffed if it was a new big-console release. Ah.

That said, LCS' appearance on the PS2 should give players the chance to experience the game's multiplayer modes, which were well-received by critics despite the series' historical lack of success in this area.

Buried amidst all sorts of middling-to-bad financial news (blamed on R&D and acquisitions, among other things) was also news of a new PSP Grand Theft Auto, which will be "all-new".

We can also expect another, unnamed PSP game from Take-Two this year, and Xbox 360 owners will be looked after by "a title based on a new brand". There'll also be "a sequel of a Rockstar brand," although we're not entirely sure whether the company meant also on 360 or just in general.

Beyond that, Take-Two said it would release, among others, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, The Da Vinci Code and Prey before Halloween - in the case of Oblivion, we'd hope a lot sooner.

It also said Top Spin 2 (Xbox 360, DS, GBA) had been shoved back somewhat from January 2006 release date to "provide additional development time".