Leaving his ambulance idling outside, yellow lights flashing, Denver paramedic Austin Coleman strides into a 7-Eleven just south of University Hospital and heads straight for the beverage cooler.

He jerks open a door, reaches in and hauls out his favorite pick-me-up - a 16-ounce can of the energy drink Rockstar, which he typically buys at the beginning of every 10-hour work shift.

"It makes me awake," the 30-year-old rescue worker says of the concoction, one of dozens of caffeine-laced brands now bellying up to a bar once occupied solely by Red Bull.

"I've tried them all, and they work, that's for sure," Coleman says. "This one has more than the regular size, and I like the sugar-free kind."

Like its competitors, Rockstar promises a metabolic jump-start. As the legend on the side of the can puts it, "Rockstar is scientifically formulated to provide an incredible energy boost for those who lead active and exhausting lifestyles - from athletes to rock stars."

But it's an open question whether this or any other "high-performance" beverage actually conveys much more benefit than, say, a cup of coffee and a banana or peanut-butter sandwich.

GTA Hot Coffee case concluding soon

If there's one thing they probably don't like drinking around Rockstar's offices, its a nice steaming cup of Hot Coffee. That is, unless they've managed to keep their good humour more than a year after the GTA 'Hot Coffee' scandal first surfaced. Still, latest word on the street (The Register) has it that one of the numerous lawsuits surrounding the saucy mod could be about to conclude. Yes, that's right, it's the one with the New York pensioner who bought gang-violence em-up GTA San Andreas for her grandchild, unaware that the Hot Coffee mod would add further layers of devilry to the game experience.

This week, a Manhattan District Court judge suspended the case, after hope emerged that an out of court settlement could be reached between Rockstar and the granny. The Hot Coffee sex scenes saw the ESRB re-rate San Andreas from 'Mature' to 'Adults Only', with many US retailers pulling the game as pressure groups went wild, politicians waded in, and Jack Thompson continued his long-running assault on Rockstar's premier game series.

Okami and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Lead the Finalists of the ...

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Clover Studio and Capcom Entertainment's Okami and Bethesda Game Studios and 2K Games' The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion lead the nominees for the seventh annual Game Developers Choice Awards with four nominations each, including Best Game.The ceremony, produced and hosted by CMP Technology's Game Developers Conference (GDC) and presented by the International Game Developers Association (IGDA), honors the developers of the best videogames released during the previous calendar year. The Game Developers Choice Awards is the only awards program in the industry with an open peer-based nomination system where honors are bestowed to developers by developers, shining the spotlight on the artists who so often remain behind the scenes. Recipients will be announced during the GDC, which will take place March 5-9, 2007 at San Francisco's Moscone Center.

Grand Theft Auto IV Trailer Debuts Later This Month

Never a publisher to shy away from controversy or hype, Rockstar Games sent out a rather self-explanatory e-mail earlier today with a single JPEG attached which spelled out the news: the first trailer for the eagerly anticipated next-gen GTA will be officially unveiled at the end of the month at Rockstar's official website for Grand Theft Auto IV.

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PSP Review: The Warriors

Finally launching in nearly two years after its initial release on the Playstation 2 and Xbox, The Warriors takes beat 'em up action on the road with Rockstar's recent port. While the port-over brings almost nothing new to the table and measures pound-for-pound with its above average console predecessor, it proves that a PS2 to PSP conversion doesn't always end in disappointment.

Re-releasing at an attractive $20 price tag, the PSP's attempt at housing The Warriors should warrant at least a consideration from those who never played the console releases. Fans of the console versions will notice a handful of nuances thanks to the control scheme change and a small hit to the game's appearance, but, nonetheless, the title fills in the gap of niche genres and further aids the recent surge of quality PSP titles.