Line for the midnight release of GTA IV at the GameStop in Herald Square NYC 

It's on days like this that we treasure the advantages of our current form of employment. Grand Theft Aficionados took to the streets of Liberty City New York in the driving rain ahead of GTA IV's midnight launch, but we've already been playing the game for a few days now within the warm, dry confines of Level Up HQ. So while the tired, poor masses yearning to play freely huddled outside the GameStop in Herald Square, we enjoyed a savory meal at BLT Market with two PR reps for the specialty videogame retailer: Chris Olivera of GameStop and Judy Grossman of the company's outside publicity firm, Stanton Crenshaw Communications.

Over dinner, we conversed about new executive hires at GameStop; the company's expansion into Europe; its continuing plans to improve its stores' appeal to women and non-gamers; and a hush-hush new initative that we hope to bring you more details on in the future. Oh, and we also discussed our mutual surprise regarding Rockstar Games securing of co-marketing dollars from both Microsoft and Sony for its 800-pound gorilla, something that Olivera confirmed is highly unusual, because the vast majority of publishers who receive co-marketing support do so from a single platform holder. You might call it Grand Theft Advertising; we call it confirmation that in the battle for number two, the GTA series is a weapon of mass distraction that each side must portray as its very own.

After supper, the three of us made our way to GameStop's Herald Square location. Upon our arrival, Olivera and Grossman ducked inside to check on the store preparation and media presence for the midnight launch, but we were stopped by 26-year-old Ian Gabbedon, who recognized us from our multiple appearances on "Game Head"/"GameTrailers TV with Geoff Keighley" (yay) but confessed that he was not a regular reader of our humble blog (boo). We took a picture of Gabbedon...

 Joshua Beaubrun and Ian Gabbedon outside the GameStop in Herald Square

...with his 35-year-old cousin, Joshua Beaubrun, the first people standing in line. (We boldfaced Gabbedon's name above because he told us that he was also the third person in line for the Halo 3 launch and that ought to count for something, right?)

The two arrived at 12:30 PM, whereupon Gabbedon was surprised to find himself first, considering that he'd arrived even earlier for Halo 3, only to find himself second runner-up. This, he informed us, was a sign that Rockstar's opus was not as anticipated as Bungie's. We asked both men which version they planned to purchase, and even though both own a Playstation 3, the quickly replied, "Xbox 360." Their reasons? The quality of Xbox Live; more friends on that service than on Playstation Network; and the as-yet-unspecified downloadable content that is 360-exclusive. As for the Wii, neither man was an owner. However, Gabbedon admitted to be strongly considering Nintendo's machine after going hands-on with it at the GameStop, the lack of a truly Live-like online service and the annoying Friend Codes serving as his sole remaining reservations.

We also inquired as to what Gabbedon thought Sony needed to do to step up its game. At this, he dropped some industry-speak--"PS3 is a great machine, but we all know software drives hardware"--as if he were Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter-in-training. He got his PS3 for system exclusives, he went on to add, but he felt as if truly system-defining games were still few and far between. "I love my PS3, but right now it has dust on it," he said. "I hate that, because it was a $600 machine." He did, however, allow that the PS3 was his movie player of choice, by a landslide, for both Blu-Ray and DVD. At his request, we posed for a picture taken by his cousin, then slipped inside the store.

Truth be told, there wasn't much exciting going inside the store, just store employees and assorted media continuing to set up. We ran into Stanton Crenshaw publicist Tara Monahan, whom we've known since her days at HighWater Group PR; she introduced us to her colleagues Rashidah Fergurson and Jody Sunna, pictured here:

 The ladies of Stanton Crenshaw PR: Rashidah Fergurson, Jody Sunna and Tara Monahan 

With plenty of Grand Theft Auto IV playtime blogging responsibilities waiting for us back at Level Up HQ, we suggested that we all meet up sometime soon for lunch--heck, our offices are just a few blocks apart--then bid the women, and the hundred or so GTA fans waiting outside, a very, very good night.