In a move that wouldn't be uncommon in the music industry, UK betting giant Ladbrokes have again announced the contenders for the "Official Computer and Video Games Christmas Number One." Revealed today by industry regulatory body ELSPA, the contest is set to be hotly contested with games like Halo 2, Half-Life 2 and everyone's favourite crime simulator; GTA: San Andreas launching just weeks before the key month of December. Keen punters will note that San Andreas carrys odds of 7/1 to be the biggest selling game of the festive season, behind joint favourites Goldeneye: Rogue Agent and Call of Duty: Finest Hour at 4/1. It sure looks like being an interesting Christmas season, and we'll keep you updated with developments.

Link: Ladbrokes.com: View the complete shortlist

Take2Games have today announced the full details of the 8CD GTA: San Andreas soundtrack box set. In a press release, the company revealed the release date for the compilation will be December 7th, 2004 in North America and December 6th, 2004 throughout Europe, a couple of weeks after the 2CD special edition, due for release in late November. Eagle eyed fans will notice that not all songs that are included in the game feature in the boxset, with some CDs featuring two radio stations. A notable omission (and personal favourite) is Love Rollercoaster by the Ohio Players, found in game on Bounce FM. A full tracklist is available on Take2's Investor Relations page.

Also today, Rockstar updated the San Andreas Official Desktops page with new postcards from Las Venturas and The World's Largest Cock, and plenty more desktop wallpapers.

Thanks to: PlanetGTA and GTANet.
Tracklisting: GTA: San andreas Official Soundtrack 8CD Boxset
Desktops: San Andreas Official Desktops Series

R*'s put up some awesome San Andreas gear to buy - SA Hat (same one Ryder wears), SA Tee Shirt (White/Black), Dickies Jacket, SA Sweater, and more.

Check out the Rockstar Warehouse's Finery for more!

Following the immense success of GTA: San Andreas, Rockstar North, the Take Two subsidary which developed the game has granted all employees one month paid leave, in celebration of the game's massive sales.

"We are extremely appreciative of the talent and creativity of the entire development team and their hard work over the last two years. We are proud of the technical and artistic achievements of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas."
-- Rockstar North Spokesman, 18th November 2004.

The move has been supported by local employee relations groups, such as CBI Scotland who believe in giving hard-working employees generous benefits.

The company's future plans seem uncertain, with parent company Rockstar Games' Creative Director claiming that San Andreas is the last game in a trilogy for Playstation 2. Any further titles in the series are likely to be released for the "next generation" of games consoles.

Source: Daily Record

We've just received word from Rockstar that the trailer for "The Introduction", the cinematic prologue DVD bundled with the soundtrack double CD will be released tonight on IGN. They'll also be posting some still shots from the movie.
The GTA: San Andreas soundtrack double CD is on sale on November 22nd in Europe and the following day in North America.

Update!
IGN have posted the Trailer, Stills & Article!

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