Official Xbox Magazine (USA) has a new seven-page GTA IV multiplayer preview in its latest issue. The preview contains two new pieces of artwork, and eight new screenshots. Here are some points worth mentioning from the preview:

GTA IV Multiplayer. Click here for more screenshots.

• Jeronimo Barrera, a senior developer at Rockstar, says it takes testers playing 4 hours a day "a good 2 weeks to get through the whole single-player game."
• Rockstar's Steve Hahnel says the ambition of GTA IV is the reason the game was delayed. Multiplayer was one of the main things responsible for the delay. Gameplay needed to be balanced, and "an authentic Liberty City had to be created for 16 players to explore and destroy simultaneously."
• In multiplayer, as stated previously, the host gets to decide on a number of options such as weather, vehicle types, spawn location, etc. The host also gets to decide if auto-aim can be used.
• Health, armour and cash pickups are available during multiplayer. The cash determines your online rank - from 0 to 10. Kill people and steal their money to boost your online credibility.
• You can wander anywhere during multiplayer, but if you die you will respawn in the area that the host has set.
• You can't play as Niko during multiplayer, but you can create your own character (male or female) using different clothing.

Thanks to MONGOOSE 360 for the information! As always, you can discuss this info at GTAForums.