Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories will have nothing on Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, according to Gordon Hall, prez of Rockstar Leeds. Hall says the game is much bigger than anything they've done before, "far bigger" than either of the GTA PSP games.

I can't stop playing Grimoire of the Rift on my DS but I'm willing to put it down when this game comes out. Rockstar Games has announced the Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars will be released on March 17.

Time to buy a new screen protector for your DS. Rockstar Leeds reveals that Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars will be using the touch screen "extensively," anywhere from hotwiring a car to... scratching lottery tickets.

The Grand Theft Auto franchise is subject to social criticism yet again. In a prison prep course in Mississippi, comedian and activist Bill Cosby likened the game to an entrance exam for getting into prison.

Details after the link.

Develop Magazine's Industry Excellence Awards broke records after gathering 500 games industry executives last night. Among them, 17 different companies and individuals claimed the 18 awards over 15 categories.

A panel of industry experts voted for the best in different categories to reward various creative achievements in game development - from visual arts to innovation. The diversity of the list gives us nothing but a positive outlook, and assurance that the market won't run out of good games if these guys are around.

Here's the list of winners that deserve our cheers:

• New Console IP - MotorStorm (Evolution/SCEE External Development)
• New Handheld IP - Crush (Zoe Mode)
• Best Use of a License - Lego Star Wars II (Traveller's Tales)
• Visual Arts - Rare (for Viva Piñata)
• Audio Accomplishment - FreeStyle (for B-Boy)
• Publishing Hero - Sega
• Innovation - Real Time Worlds (for Crackdown)
• Tools Provider - Havok
• Best Use of Online - Eden Studios (for Test Drive Unlimited)
• Services & Outsourcing - Babel Media
• Recruitment Company - Datascope
• New UK Studio - Realtime Worlds
• Handheld Studio - Rockstar Leeds
• Business Development - Blitz
• Independent Developer - Traveller's Tales
• In-house Developer - Ubisoft France
• Development Legend - Ian Hetherington
• Grand Prix - Sony

We're not sure about the exact criteria, but a good guess would say Sega earned the "Publishing Hero" award for having plenty of titles in all flavors under its belt. With Rockstar Leeds' big games in its arsenal (GTA: Liberty City/Vice City Stories), it's no surprise why the company is branded the best "Handheld Studio."

Sony's Grand Prix Award is due to 12 months of extensive support for internal and external developers to create cutting edge next-gen games.