San Andreas Shakes Things Up

You've known this day would come for months now. You've been guessing at the name even longer. Pre-release hype has practically assured it will be one of the best selling games of all time. Now, it's finally here. What do you do to cover the release of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas? Well...

• If you're GameSpot, you accompany a standard release story (which describes the game, "for those who have just awakened from a two-year coma") with prominent links to a review, a bunch of movies and screen shots on the top of every page of the site.



• If you're IGN, you cap off weeks of endless features and news tidbits with... a one paragraph news story announcing the release. Oh, and a sizable set of images, movies and a large review on your part, as well.



• If you're CNN/Money, you take a different angle and discuss the surprising effect the release is having on Take-Two's stock. (You may also be surpised that GameSpot posts a similar story four minutes later)



• If you're MTV, you do an interesting experiential piece that captures the breathless anticipation and first sleepless night spent with the game.



• If you're the local TV news you comment on the throngs of people assembled to buy the game and touch on the violence issue.



• If you're Reuters, you also touch on the violence issue while discussing the sales and business impact of the game's release.



• If you're an Xbox-exclusive site, you either ignore it or quickly mention it before returning to breathless Halo 2 anticipation.



• If you're GamesIndustry.biz, you post the press release and leave it at that.



• If you're a site I didn't mention, you probably at least mentioned it.



• If you're just a gamer, you're probably too busy playing the game to read any of this.