ASC Games informed GameSpot News today that it has acquired the rights to publish DMA Design's carjacking supergame Grand Theft Auto in North America last week. "We just couldn't resist it. We all just loved it immediately," says ASC's Jayson Bernstein. "It's a game that brought us back to the fundamentals of fun."

　　Grand Theft Auto is a top-down action title that allows players to steal cars and commit various felonious acts to help build up their reputations as criminals. Goals are mission-based with a variety of possible outcomes, and the lack of a time limit allows players to spend as long as they'd like snatching vehicles, driving down pedestrians, and the like.

　　The game had at one time been set for a US release by BMG Interactive, but that was before the company pulled plans to publish any titles in North America and chose to focus on the European market instead.

　　The title will see an April release for the Sony PlayStation (and a February 1 release for PC CD-ROM).

　　For more information on Grand Theft Auto, be sure to see our preview and demo.