Shaky-cam footage of the opening parts of Grand Theft Auto IV are leaking out thick and fast - all thanks to a leaked copy of the PAL Xbox 360 version. I'd have a whinge about Microsoft's crappy console security but I think the PSP-shaped elephant in the room is clear evidence that Sony isn't exactly flawless when it comes to these things either.

Rockstar and Take Two haven't held back in plugging the leaks and people who post the videos on YouTube are facing bans. Even so, clips are still popping up regardless.

Obviously, there's only so much you can learn from a wild-angled shot taken in a darkened room with a camera little better than a mobile phone, but after seeing a few car chases, some general exploration and some of the mini games, there's more than enough reason to get excited. However, there is just one teensy weensy niggling doubt beginning to form:

There's a surprising lack of pedestrians in Liberty City.

It's not a lack of cars or anything fortunately - there seems to be more than enough of them. But general people wandering the streets of Rockstar's parody Big Apple seem few and far between.

Rockstar would no doubt be keen to state that its diligent efforts to prevent unauthorised videos - of what are basically stolen copies of the game - are to stop any potential spoilers ruining anyone's day one experinece. But are they also covering up something?

Now that the viewing public is finally getting to see what is has longed after for so long - actual running final build quality footage of GTA IV - it actually seems more strange that Rockstar hasn't released more official content. Specifically of gameplay.

Would it kill the buzz? Probably not. Plenty of people are choosing not to watch the leaked stuff to avoid spoilers. And for all its willpower and users bans, Rockstar isn't stopping the leaked video getting out anyway.

Nothing like this has been mentioned in any previews as far as I can recall. The only issues hinted are more concerned with frame-rate and pop in. Even these accounts are scarce though. Plus, the few reviews that have actually emerged have also neglected to mention whether GTA IV's Liberty is less populated than its PS2 predecessor.

And even if GTA IV's city really doesn't have many peds milling haplessly around the streets, that might not affect the gameplay at all. It could affect the immersive scope of the game environment though, but how seriously?

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