Rockstar Games revealed today that it would be honoring Grand Theft Auto III's 10th anniversary with a special edition. Later this fall, it's coming to an array of portable devices for Android, but fewer ones for iOS.

"Grand Theft Auto III showed us the potential of open world games," said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games in an official release. "It helped set the vision for the company, and we have been expanding on those possibilities with every game ever since."

GTA III will be released on the iPad 2 and the iPhone 4S. That's it. If you've got an iPhone 4, then it looks like you are out of luck.

It's coming to more Android phones, such as Droid X2, HTC Evo 2, LG Optimus 2X, Motorola Atrix, and Samsung Galaxy S2. It's also headed to Android tablets like Acer Iconia, Asus Eee Pad, Motorola Xoom, and Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.

The game's anniversary doesn't stop at smartphone ports. Rockstar is also releasing a limited-edition 1:6 scale figure of GTA III protagonist Claude. The figure comes with two sets of clothing, including his cargo pants and bomber jacket as well as his Liberty City prison uniform. Beside the clothes, it also has an array of weapons: a bat, knife, grenades, pistol, sniper rifle, and assault rifle.

Priced at US$149.99, the figure is being produced by collectible figure maker Sideshow. Rockstar is also giving one away—more details in the link below.

If you are going to the New York Comic-Con, the smartphone version will be playable at Rockstar's booth.

Announcing Grand Theft Auto III [Rockstar]

Mac owners, get ready to game like it's 2001, as the Grand Theft Auto III trilogy has finally come to Apple computers. Better late than never, right?

Thanks to Rockstar Games and TransGaming's Cider engine, those of us who prefer Mac OS X to Windows can play Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City on their home computers, running down pedestrians on Macbooks and committing heinous acts of creative violence on iMacs.

The three open-world crime sprees are now available via GameTreeMac right now—each title is priced at $14.99 USD—and at retailers across Europe. The Grand Theft Auto trilogy will be available at retail in North America starting November 22.

TransGaming's Cider Portability Engine is the tech that powers Windows to Mac conversions like Dragon Age, Prince of Persia, The Sims 3 and more. We're sure the Mac versions of Grand Theft Auto IV, Manhunt, Bully and Red Dead Redemption are just around the corner. No? Maybe State of Emergency?

Answering reader mail, Rockstar Games today said it will be bringing Grand Theft Auto III, Vice City and San Andreas to Mac gamers "later this year."

"Look for the long-awaited release of the classic Grand Theft Auto Trilogy (Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas) for Mac - most likely later this year," the studio said in its "Asked and Answered" feature. "We'll have much more info and a proper announcement soon."

Wonder if it's at all related to the curious re-rating - at least in Australia - for a "modified" and "multiplatform" version of Vice City.

Technically, any Mac gamer with a copy of Windows installed has been able to play these games on his machine for some time. A native version is nicer to have. And its nice to see Rockstar climbing aboard in its support of the platform.

No pricing or other details.

Asked & Answered: Red Dead Downloadable Content, Soundtrack, Classic GTAs on Mac, The Banhammer, and Much More [Rockstar Games on Facebook]

After years of top-down and isometric views, EA is taking the Monopoly franchise to the streets, transforming it from board game to a "dynamic, living, 3D world." Will this be Monopoly's Grand Theft Auto III?

While the Grand Theft Auto series is known today for creating living, breathing, immersive 3D worlds, the series started off with a basic, top-down view. When Rockstar delivered Grand Theft Auto III in full 3D it quickly became a smash hit, ushering in a new era of free-roaming sandbox titles. Will EA's Monopoly Streets be just as revolutionary?

Monopoly Streets is an EA Play label being developed in celebration of the 75th anniversary of Hasbro's Monopoly brand. It takes players off the game board and puts them on the streets of Monopoly's city, with the world changing dynamically as players acquire and upgrade new properties.

The game, slated for release this Holiday season on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Nintendo Wii, will feature online multiplayer, allowing players to hook up with friends via the internet and walk the streets together. Downloadable content will be available in the form of themed boards, characters, tokens, and, in the Xbox 360's case, avatar gear. Yes, Xbox 360 players will be able to play with their avatars, populating their cities with their friends' online representations, while Wii owners can do the same with their Miis.

"We're taking Hasbro's No. 1 family game brand and masterfully striking the balance of offering the classic MONOPOLY play experience and adding a spectacular new visual treatment as we bring the classic board to life with players walking the streets of MONOPOLY," said Chip Lange, General Manager and Senior Vice President of EA's Hasbro Division. "MONOPOLY Streets will bring people together and connect families all over the world by offering online gameplay through their gaming consoles. We think this unique, combined offering will bring families together around the TV this holiday season for a classic family gaming tradition they'll remember for years to come."

The question is, will Monopoly fans embrace this new game, or shun it? When Grand Theft Auto went 3D, there were a few purists out there who dreaded the change, and GTA is a franchise that only had a four year history at the time.

With 75 years of tradition behind the Monopoly franchise, is it time for a change, or is it far too late? We'll find out this holiday season.
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Keith Elam, a hip-hop artist who performed under the name Guru, died Monday after ending a long battle with cancer. Elam voiced 8-Ball, the demolitions artist with whom the protagonist escapes at the very beginning of Grand Theft Auto III.

Rockstar Games noted Elam's passing in a brief obituary on its newswire today. "Guru was truly a hip-hop legend, one of the genre's greatest voices, and we are eternally grateful for his contributions to the Grand Theft Auto series as the character 8-Ball," the studio said. "Our condolences to the entire Elam family, to our good friend and his long-time Gang Starr collaborator DJ Premier, and to everyone else who had the pleasure of knowing or working with the man."

In the game, Elam's character is the first associate of Claude, the main character, although their partnership presumably ends when it's revealed that 8-Ball rigs with explosives a vehicle Claude is meant to drive, as part of a trap devised by mob boss Salvatore Leone. 8-Ball later appears in Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories

As Guru, Elam was one half of the rap duo Gang Starr, and made eight albums between 1993 and 2009.

In Memory of Keith Elam aka Guru [Rockstar, thanks James H.]