Review of Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto IV
By: Rockstar Games Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 342
More Information
The maturation of the GTA series
On: 2010-03-03I did several side tasks and achievements along the way and my time played was somewhere between 35 and 40 hours. You will definitely get your moneys worth for this game. There are plenty of reviews out there so you dont need me to tell me how great the game is. Instead I will just list the things I loved and a few gripes I had:
Liked So Much
* There are yellow cabs all over Liberty City. You can hail a cab and hop in. The driver will take you to any point of interest or waypoint that you have marked on your map. You can watch the ride or be instantly transported there (well, after a loading screen). This is so awesome. There are many times I want to drive around, but sometimes I just want to get there.
* You can set waypoints on your map. If you are in a car it will show you a GPS-style route on your mini-map that you can follow to reach your destination. This is a massive help to getting around this large city.
* The city is very much alive. GTA has always been known for having an active environment but this latest installment really takes the cake. There are tons of little details that you will notice and be amazed by. An example: I was standing in the road and a car stopped so it would not hit me. The car behind it ran into its bumper, and the driver hit his head on the steering wheel and was knocked out. His head was on the steering wheel sounding his horn. It was just a cool non-scripted event.
* As it is often mentioned, the plot and characters are excellent. I was reallly drawn into the world and the plot.
* The graphics are excellent.
* The difficulty is pretty good. The missions do ramp up in difficulty, but I seldom had to repeat a mission more than once. There were a few tough ones, but nothing that just made me despair.
Liked Not So Much
* Previous GTA games had hidden packages. If you found them, you would get weapons to spawn at your safehouses. GTA 4 has pigeons that you kill instead of packages, but there is no reward for finding them. Theres no way Im going to hunt down all of them for no game benefit.
* I would have enjoyed a little more control over the cameras default position when you are driving. It tends to be a little too low for my preference.
If you want to play GTA 4, here are a few tips that might help you out:
* Take some time and learn the driving mechanics. The brake and emergency brake work very differently from other GTA games. You have to use a combination of them to skid around a corner and that combination differs based on the car type you are driving. Learning how to handle them will serve you well in the later missions.
* You will meet people over the course of the game that want to be friends with you. They will call you on the phone and ask if you want to do stuff. Saying "no" will decrease their Like score. To avoid this, say "yes" and call them back to cancel immediately after they hang up. This will keep their Like score from going down.
* When the missions start getting harder, keep your body armor maxed out. Theres nothing to spend money on besides armor and weapons, so dont worry about that. Get Lil Jacobs Like score up and he will offer you discounted armor and ammo.
Obviously I really liked the game and Im giving it 5 stars. Its is very, very good and an excellent value for the money.
Review on GTA 4's Multiplayer Racing
On: 2010-02-20Ive owned GTA 4 for at least four months and still havent completed the story mode yet. The main reason is because I usually play multiplayer instead. The multiplayer is more interesting and fun to me than the singleplayer, so this review is going to be focused more on the multiplayer, particularly the racing bits.
There are two kinds of races: Race and GTA Race.
Race is just that, a race. You and a bunch of other players racing through checkpoints to the finish line. Theres usually no tricks in this game. The only thing you might have to worry about is people who drive the wrong way. They are commonly known as backwards drivers. If you arent paying attention they could really mess up your place. While they can be annoying, especially if youre in first place and they hit you, bumping you down to fifth, it does add a bit of a challenge.
GTA Race is just like regular race. The only difference is you can get weapons and shoot at other racers. If youre behind someone and you have a weapon you can shoot the car in front and the car in front can shoot right back. Cars shooting from behind have a better advantage at taking down their opponent because shooting for the car in front can be a bit difficult since they are looking behind them and not at what might be up ahead. If they have grenades on hand, well, thats another story.
Cars can catch fire and eventually blow up, so unless you get to a health pack in time, youll want to get out of the car ASAP!! Just be sure not to evacuate in the middle of the road where other cars can run you over.
While it can be fun, GTA Race has several rather annoying things about it.
Campers/ Spawn Killers- Campers are people who sit on corners waiting to shoot at passing cars or stragglers. They are more common in games where auto-aim is allowed, where they have a better chance at getting easy, no skill kills. I dont mind campers. Like wrong way drivers in regular Race, they add a challenge. Either you take them down first or theyll get you. Its the Campers that spawn kill that get frustrating. They kill you, you respawn with NO weapons and no way to defend yourself and they kill you again. And again... and... you get it. Unless you can somehow evade their bullets and escape, which is pretty much impossible when auto-aim is concerned, you wont be going anywhere.
My Thoughts: I think this problem could be fixed if Rockstar lets players spawn with weapons temporarily when they die. This way if someone is waiting to kill them they have a way to protect themselves. Once they get in a vehicle the weapon disappears. Of course, that wont happen so well just have to deal with dying unfairly.
Race or Deathmatch?- Very annoying. Youre in a race but NO one is racing. The majority of players are on the map shooting each other as if the game were deathmatch and not a race. These happen often and are more common on races with long laps. Many times Ive finished a race and had to sit and wait as the rest of the "racers" run around shooting each other. One game lasted and ended after a whole HOUR and that was with no one finishing. Usually after half the racers cross the finish line a countdown from thirty seconds starts.
My Thoughts: After the first person crosses the finish line they should start the countdown. Maybe starting at two minutes. At least then well know the race will end sooner rather than later.
GTA 4 is definitely a good racing game. The story mode and the rest of the multiplayer modes are fun too, they just arent as exciting as the racing, in my opinion. I really enjoy racing games and I havent found any good ones in the past few years other than NFS: Hot Pursuit 2 and NFS: Underground 2.
If Gary Busey and Nick Nolte had a baby, it would be Brucie!
On: 2010-02-20Straight off the boat and sucked into the criminal life, thats the american dream hu! Friends in need, cab rides, drug drop offs, gangs from every bureau, psychos, car thieves, jumping into helicoptors, out running the law, quietly taking care of problems, or blowing them up, car chases galore, and the weapons I could go on forever but I wont.
Getting people drunk is one of my favorite things to do, just to see how they all act. From Jacob being "mash up" to Kate and Packie saying they wanna die and fallin all over, its great! Bernie nearly made me piss myself many times "maybe he wants to kill me because im FAAAABBBUUULLLOUSSSS"! Brucie has issues. Roman is a man whore but a nice guy. This ones a definite must have. Wasnt a fan of GTA until this one got into our collection. Loved ever minute!
Stay safe, stay second Amendment!
Games are only fun when you can PLAY them.
On: 2010-02-13I received a pretty good looking case, complete with all its original manuals and such. The disc didnt look too bad, but when I put it into my Xbox it would crash at the title screen every time. The funnest part of a game is being able to play it. :|
Not good, not good at all.
On: 2010-02-10When I got this game I was so happy, I brought the special edition which is a def must have if you got the money.But back to the game itself I was completely disappointed with this game, the graphics are great a little not for me but still great.To look at everything is so life like you will be amaze on how detail everything is and living in new york myself I love that rockstar did their research on each part of liberty city to compare with new york city because of what you experience in the game is also what you most likely experience in new york.Also liberty city is massive in gta4 its so big it kind of annoying going to places that are so far that it might take you about 5 minutes just to reach a mission.
I got mostly bad things to say about this game so please bare with me.To start off the music in gta4 sucks big time I means every song that they pick out is so boring and not catchy at all.Almost all the artist and their songs I do not recognize at all and whats sad is that all the stations are the same with boring music and not so funny jokes.So to be honest when Im driving the music is always turn off which makes me mad cause I love the soundtracks they usually put in GTA but this time they fail and having it put off while driving sucks.Next is the driving its so bad its not even funny when you start driving you tell yourself "oh this is bad but maybe Ill get use to it", but I promise you that will never happen.The cars themselves always kinda look the same as well as drive the same which sucks cause if you want a fast car thats not going to happen and turning in sharp corners is hell making races stupid and not fun at all.I cant tell you how many times I cuss at the tv and threw my X-box remote on the floor just cause I could not turn my car around the corner and I end up crashing into someone else or end up in the water and repeating the damn mission from the start and take ten to 15 minutes just to drive and get the mission done and pray I dont crash again.
Another thing I hate is the story line its the worst one in the series its makes no sense and is boring as hell, missions are the same shoot, kill and drive which is fine because the shooting system is great and very fun ,the acting is great also, not one bad actor to be found.At the end of the day I stop playing the game all together because of the bad driving the story is boring and music is terrible,Ill finish it but only because of the achievements and thats it do yourself a flavor and skip it.Get china town wars for ds or psp its fun as hell and wont make you throw your remote on the floor.
Pisser game
On: 2010-02-09Nothing like the cool graphics/violent action to let off some steam after a long day.
Very fun and will keep you entertained for hours.
On: 2010-02-03Grand theft auto 4 is a stunning technical and artistic achievement. Dont let any bad reviews fool you. Almost everything, from the character animations to the clutter on the streets, will amaze you. The city is completely open and allows you to explore the whole thing with boats, cars, bikes, and even helicopters. The story is fairly long and remains exciting throughout the game. 9 out of 10 from me. Not perfect but close.
Spectacular Achievement
On: 2010-01-24I watched a friend play this game shortly after its release. This is the game that dropped my jaw and forced me to get a console.
I spend tons on console games now. I think this game was a huge boost for console sales.
Its still one of my favorites from this generation and really liked the addons that came later.
GTA IV
On: 2009-12-30Still trying to get into this franchise after playing all the Call of Duty stuff. The game kind of lulls if you dont actively follow the story line. It doesnt force the action like Call of Duty, you have to "find it". I guess thats ok and morre realistic but Id rather walk into the action then to have to spend 15 or 20 minutes finding it!
How Can Anyone Not Like GTA 4?
On: 2009-12-19Ive played all the Grand Theft Auto games from GTA 2 on Playstation 1 up to now and I just dont get why people dislike this game.
You can choose clothes but not absurdly so like San Andreas, you dont have to worry about stupid stuff like collectables or going to the gym or getting fat from eating too much fast food - which I always thought was just too much in San Andreas.
There is a large amount of useful and cool weapons, only a couple I though were just a waste of time. You can drive all sorts of cars, bikes, boats and choppers. You can still have several safehouse and at least one girlfriend of course. Rockstar basically cut the fat from the steak and left all the meat in my opinion as far as variety and choices.
The missions are fun, vast, and full of variety. Some are a bit over the top challenging or just plain stupid but that was only 4 or 5 missions out of around 90. The controls arent all that clunky like most say, the only problem I had was getting in and out of boats and controlling choppers.
The graphics are great just like youd expect, maybe not as good of Gears of War 2 or Fable 2, but otherwise better than average.
Most of what I liked this game is that you cant take a taxi to most every place you have already visited for just a few bucks. It saves a lot of time and effort driving from one side of town to the next just to fail in the first few minutes. Some said this made the game unchallenging or cheap but I dont know what theyre talking about. Taking a taxi versus driving for five minutes - really?
There really is no negative to this game and I believe it is way better than respectable spin-offs like Saints Row 2 and The Godfather 2.
In the end, everyone that says this game is a the worst of the GTA series or is a step down from San Andreas needs to stop playing Xbox 360 and go back to Playstation 1.
far from perfect, and not very close to great
On: 2009-12-15Revised version of IMMT 115, HP7
Unlike most professional reviews, I dont feel this game deserves the perfect, or near perfect scores it received across the board. The gameplay is repetitive, the graphics are above average at best, and certain gameplay functions are broken. Ill give this game an A for effort and a C+ in its content, execution, and fun factor.
While not up to the same extinction level media hype that Modern Warfare 2 received, the release of GTA IV was definitely the video game event of the year when released (I myself took four vacation days off from work to play it). Really the only reason it received such high scores is because of the fact that it was the next GTA game, and the first one of this console generation. Naturally, that means an upgrade in graphics. And while the graphical jump from San Andreas to GTA IV is obviously gigantic with this new generation, compared to other games released during (and even before) this time, the graphics are just not all that great. Its just a combination of greys and browns, and everything looks oversaturated. Also, the character models are about on part with other games released during this time, nothing too spectacular, although this is understandable, given the nature of a wide open game like this.
As far as the explorable world goes, Ill say that the level designers did a great job. Part of what gives this game the feeling of grandeur is its very real sense of scope. This is the most realistic depiction of New York City in a game, and thats no small feat. What wouldve been more interesting though is if they couldve had more variety in the types of locations, and maybe different terrain, etc. Gameplay-wise, it becomes very boring driving around the city, or driving to your next mission destination because it all more or less looks the same- its just building after building after building, with streets and sidewalks. This is a step down from its predecessor, San Andreas, where one moment youre deep in the hood driving past gangbangers, then next youre up in the hills of the suburbs, and next you could be in a wide open countryside going 80mph towards a mountain, a mountain you can climb no less. This design decision made it so that Im constantly choosing to take a taxi to all of my destinations and use the "skip" option to instantly arrive at my destination.
I really wish they couldve implemented more indoor locations to explore. Sure youve got your occasional bar, bowling alley, and strip club, but thats it. The hundreds of other buildings in the game might as well be a flat 2D backdrop, similar to the background in Hill Valley in Back to the Future part 1. It feels shallow and empty with all these buildings you can drive past, with 99% of them being unexplorable. Going back to my previous paragraph about the lack of varied terrain, one may argue against me by saying "exactly how much variety can you give New York City, its an urban location for god sakes." Well thats true, but had it not been for the lack unexplorable indoor locations, I wouldnt have a complaint about the repetitiveness of the graphics. In other words, my whole argument is saying that due to the lack of terrain, its pointless to drive since all you see are the same streets and buildings; BUT, if some of these locations were more explorable, and able to be interacted with, then I wouldnt have a problem driving around, since at any given time, I might see a location that looks fun to play around in, and that would be my incentive to stop the car, and go explore the inside of that building.
Speaking more about the gameplay, the missions were repetitive. I cant complain too much, because fundamentally speaking, GTA is basically one big fetch mission: go to point A, drive to point B, murder person C, and extract item D. Theres a culmination of reasons why I originally quit this game probably 20 hours into it, but the two major factors were: 1) the driving physics, and 2) the star system. These two things to me broke the gameplay, and made it feel like a task, instead of fun, number two primarily. First though, the driving; put simply, you CANNOT drive properly. You cant turn without completely slowing down, and everything about maneuvering the vehicle feels very unresponsive and very unintuitive. Just maybe, this is what all the physics and math equations work out to when implementing a 100% realistic engine, but you know what, it makes the game less fun, for the sake of realism. The second problem with driving is the fact that due to the camera being too close to the ground, whenever youre going up even a very slight incline, you cant see anything coming towards you. You HAVE to keep your right thumb on the right analog stick and manually keep the camera positioned in a slightly upward tilted angle, otherwise youre going to crash head first into cars or just trees on the sidewalk (trees being the one thing thats forbidden to run over in this game....). Theres no excuse for this. What, did the beta-testers and quality assurance not DRIVE in the game so completely missed this flagrantly broken aspect of the game?
The second problem with the gameplay as I stated earlier was the star system. Its too easy to get stars, and there are way too many cops. In previous GTA games you could decide to be a little mischievous and maybe randomly fight people on the street, or even kill them. In this GTA, cops are seemingly everywhere, and anything you do will have them on your tail, even if youve previously made sure to check for patrolling cops on foot or in cars. Im not speaking of full blown murdering sprees, OBVIOUSLY thats gonna get you stars, and I welcome that. Im specifically just referring to randomly killing one harmless dude on the street, or just stabbing him or fist fighting him. These are the little things that made the game fun previously; little side distractions and diversions to break up the monotony of the missions. But now with the inclusion of invisible cops that pop out as soon as you commit a crime, out of the most impossible places, it becomes a CHORE to quickly hop in a car and elude their search radius. Youre far better off simply not committing the crime in the first place, and just play the game straight. This right here ultimately killed the game to me. It was no longer GTA since I could no longer commit minor crimes for fun without having to immediately flee the scene.
Random points:
**I hate when a game makes a downgrade from its previous version, because its "too hard" to implement these previous features into the new game. Why cant I swim underwater anymore? Why cant I purchase property anymore? How about a larger variety of clothing to buy? If any game needed the option for masks, its this game. Niko Bellic is one ugly, unattractive mofo. Im not gonna get into it here, but Metal Gear did the same thing with these unfortunate downgrades. Think of some of the gameplay functions and extra things you could do (and easter eggs) that were in Sons of Liberty, that completely got scrapped from parts 3 and 4. Just think about it.
**The walking is sooo weird in this game. The way you sort of swivel when you turn, feels like youre weighed down by some giant magnet. And I thought Resident Evil 5s walking/turning mechanics were stiff.
**The graphics on the strippers look very bad. When you go in the back for a private lap dance, the VIP booth youre walking into might as well be a time portal back to 2001, to the time of PS2 graphics.
A great way to take out your frustrations
On: 2009-12-02At the end of the day, sometimes I need a game that I can just drive around shooting things and causing general mayhem, and GTA Iv fits that function perfectly.
The story based missions are a little monotonous as it always comes down to killing someone for someone else, but the character development is solid and the feel of the story is very immersive. It provided plenty of opportunities to increase you weapon cache and perfect your use of the game.
However, my real enjoyment of the game comes from running around the large cityscape, expending ammunition and playing with the physics engine. My friends and I have a great time finding new ways to destroy cars, chase down jaywalkers, and hold last stands in front of police stations. Best of all, when you run out of ammunition you can just load the game, replenishing your ammo and money.
This game is NOT for children, and should not be considered as such. However, for a responsible adult who needs to create a little fictitious destruction, it is the best game I have ever played.
grand theft greatness
On: 2009-12-01grand theft has came along way from when they first got started from the one on ps1 now this one when your going to fast in a car and hit somethin you fly out its realistic
Offers So Much, But Some Open-World Apsects are Boring or Tedious
On: 2009-11-21GTAIV is a very large open world game. I really like many of the story-driven missions, many of which or unique, novel experiences. The open world aspects lets you do so much. The developer litters the world with tons of side missions, collectables or challenges, and other stuff you really dont have to do, but if you are a completionist you might find yourself trying to complete a number of boring things. There is so much to do and the game seems so long to me that I quit half way through to play something else for a few months and then returned to continue. In my opinion they could have split the game into smaller pieces. But thats what has always been great about GTA, it offers so much value since there is so much to it. I have to overlook boring and optional aspects that are less fun and focus on how much is great that is far above and beyond what could have been included.
You have "friends" and girlfriends in the game that call you on your cell phone. They bug you all the time to do stuff. The problem is the stuff they want to do is pretty boring, involves stopping what you are doing and driving to pick them up, doing something boring with them, dropping them off, etc. It is fun at first, but then seem tedious. There are advantages to making them happy with you because you get bonuses, but gets pretty boring. I ended just ignoring them all together towards the end.
The other thing is it takes a long time to get from one side of the world to another. But there are taxis you can hail and jump to the destination pretty easily. It just feels like you are missing out or cheating by skipping driving through the open world to get there.
There are tons of reviews, so I dont really need to say more. It is a stellar value, a great game, has boring aspects that you can mostly skip if you can get past feeling like you are missing out if you dont do them, and I still cant knock it below a 5 star review.
gta4
On: 2009-11-16the game was in excellant condition and even came with the booklet.im enyoing the game soo much.Thanks!
Not as expected, but good
On: 2009-11-05Ive read amazing reviews from this game and videos showing that this game has great game play and amazing physics. When i got it i passed the whole story ( which was repetitive and not very creative) So its over, then what?
Nothing. The game has few fun stuff to do and then it starts getting boring. The 3 star of fun are because of the physics engine, it is fun how the physics work for the game but it starts getting annoying. So if youre going to buy this game, be warned if it doesnt satisfy you.
Better than San Andreas?
On: 2009-10-27I read a lot of reviews for this game. It was, to me, the game that would sell me into the current generation. Ive completed the missions, but havent reached 100% yet.
There are some things that I havent seen mentioned much that I want to start with. I cant say that I was playing GTA when it was an overhead isometric game, but have been around long enough to remember when the first 2 parts came out. I jumped in when GTA III came out.
The first improvement for me is the way the police attention is dealt with. On the past games, you had numerous ways to escape a "wanted" status. One, Pay and Spray. Two, pick up the stars laying around the maps which were rarely in places you could get to easily while police cars rammed you.
On GTA IV, your mini-map flashes when a wanted level is present and you have an outline around it. This is the polices view of you. If you can escape the circle, which does increase in size depending on the number of stars, you will lose your wanted level. Another improvement, no more sliding into Pay and Spray with the cops right behind you. If you do it, the game will respond, "The cops saw you". How many times did we all laugh at the old GTA games as cops were still outside the Pay and Spray, suddenly dumb and forgetting that you just pulled in with a 4 star wanted level?
The AI overall is much better though not without flaws. Everything is more realistic now. Which can be a good or bad thing depending on your position. The dating returns, which was one of my complaints in my San Andreas review here on Amazon, it has improved a great deal though it seems pretty pointless.
Pointless why? Well, I have tried calling Carmen 4 times for health. It goes through the whole dialog of "Stay calm, hold pressure on your cuts" but no health. A glitch? It works when outside of a mission. But not in a mission. Why would I need health while walking around or driving around not in a mission? See. Pointless. I havent tried calling Kiki to get the wanted level removed or reduced. A great deal of the fun of this game for me is trying to outrun the police.
The return of the boneheaded missions. Thank goodness they rid the game of the RC missions. The bad news is, you will still find yourself doing missions that are what I call boneheaded. You will see things happening that are boneheaded too. Like in one mission, you go into a strip club, assault the managers, one runs. If you get outside and get a clear shot at him, you will end up with wanted stars. So, while youre trying to drive, shoot, keep control of your car at a high speed, you also have cops coming from every angle sliding into your car. The mission, like many past missions in the GTA series ends up being a matter of luck. In this mission, I ended up playing it 5 times before beating it, takes from 20-30 minutes to play including drive over to the scene of the mission. No, I dont use taxis unless it is something that has to be done in a certain amount of time. On one of the tries, I had shot the escape truck enough to make it blow up. It blows up, the driver runs across the street on fire. I run over him while he is on fire. The damage addition, had to take at least few bullets during all the shooting. His vehicle exploded with him in it. He was on fire. He was ran over. As Im driving away from the scene, I realize the red dot representing the target was still on the map. I drive back to run over him again. The guy must be Superman as it is. As I am driving at full-speed right at him he fires ONE shot through my windshield and kills me. That nearly cost the controller its life!
Most of the missions though have a logical way to finish them. I finally realized on the aforementioned mission to block the door the guy ran out of to escape. Pull a car in front of the door before entering the club and he isnt going anywhere.
Unlike others, I was glad to see the paramedic, pizza delivery, truck driving, vigilante and taxi driver missions...gone. I found all of those to be major drags when playing San Andreas, Vice City and III.
The good news for me at least. The characters in this game are great. Niko is not only a lot of fun to use, but has some great lines. Little Jacob is probably the best supporting character of the series. His Jamaican slang adds some humor to the game, especially watching Niko try to understand him. Roman is the type of guy you have to like which makes later missions genuinely sad. The girlfriends are better than San Andreas. And no, I dont mean in looks or in those ways. Just the way they fit into the game. For some reason, I have preferred the spoiled brat Alex to the others though Kiki and her obsession with Niko, constant texts and "dirty" texts is great too. Carmens love of herself is also good for a laugh, "Niko, is this not the face that belongs on a magazine cover?"
Some complaints Ive read that I dont agree with. People expecting more than drive, shoot target, take car or money. Its named Grand Theft Auto for a reason! All video games will fall into the category of possibly boring after awhile. I know of no games that truly allow 100% freedom. If they did, how would you ever know you had finished it? There has to be some basis and structure. It is hard for me to criticize a game about stealing cars for asking me to steal cars. Sure, there are redundant parts. How many times will Roman call you during the game and ask you to go to a strip club? It gets even more frustrating later in the game. Youre way over in the 3rd island and he is calling you from the 1st island. You have no choice but to take a taxi and skip the ride over. It does go into drive from point A to point B and back or to point C in Romans case. Ive always thought these parts were in the game to improve your driving ability, not a stat, but your actual in-game driving ability and to see the cities without having a cop chasing you at high speed.
The graphics are some of the best and most detailed Ive seen. Right down to the cars having markings on the bumper or grille to tell you the maker. Speaking of the cars, much more recognizable than in past games. You also get a more realistic experience from the different cars. My stats show that my favorite car has been the Oracle. A run on the higher end BMWs. This doesnt surprise me since I prefer good speed with excellent handling over excellent speed with average handling.
Though you cant modify the cars, you can find modified versions of the cars around the game. The modified Sultan is twice as good as the regular Sultan. Giving you something new to look for or hunt down. Most of the higher-end cars have a modified or rare version for you to search for though it is not part of the game. You can find many lists on the internet to let you know what to be looking for. GTA IV rare cars search will show you them.
The weapons in this one are very good as well. I went with the Desert Eagle/Combat Pistol over the traditional 9 MM. The AK-47 is a marked improvement over past renditions of this powerful weapon. The grenades are still not as good as I thought they could be and I dont like the "drop" a grenade ability. Im sure everyone that has played this game has at least dropped one on accident and saw Niko play like Rocketman.
The physics of the game are much more realistic. No more of those falling flat down kills. Now you see enemies or you even, grab their leg, crumple into a heap, fly through the air when hit by moving cars AND their legs and arms flailing. Old GTA games, the ran over enemies would just fly into the air and somehow die in mid-air and lay down in the air. One this one, they bounce, jump out of a helicopter to get the full effect as you bounce off a building only to then wrap around a telephone poll.
The drunk part is funny the first few times you do it. After that, youll find yourself dodging the bars as much as possible.
The game has a lot of depth to it and if played to 100% is long. As of right now, I have completed all of the story missions and some of the side missions, my completion percentage is 61%.
Speaking of the side missions. Though Vigilante and its 12 levels of capturing "bad" guys is gone. You can do side missions that require a police car and police computer to hunt down wanted criminals. There are also random characters that show up on the map that have separate missions for you from the regular story. There are 3 sports activities, bowling, darts and pool. Though I thought they blew it by having a putt-putt course on the game, but not allowing it to be used in the game. There also are side races for the hilarious Brucie to do. Stealing certain cars for Stevie.
Im guessing you are getting the point by now. I really wasnt for sure that I was going to be that happy with this game because of the reviews that talk about "Dark, less humor, more serious". I dont see that completely. There is a lot of humor in the games dialog, though some of it is dark humor or potty humor. The game does seem to take a serious turn later in it as you start to realize that Niko has been in places and situations most people havent had to face. He all but meltdowns late in the game with screaming fits during shootouts. Think Al Pacino in Scarface. You most likely will come away from the game really liking the character. I refused to read a walkthrough on the missions and recommend the same for anyone buying the game. This allowed me to experience the plot twists and turns without a walkthrough spoiling it for me.
Definitely not a game for the little ones. Besides the language, some of the killings are just brutal. Wait until you accidentally hit someone in your shiny white car and see their blood splattered on your hood and bumper.
One last complaint, did not care for the soundtrack. There are maybe 4 stations playing original songs by the original artists. Tuff Gong is probably the best as it is a reggae station that has nothing but Marley songs on it. I have broad taste in music and think they missed the boat by not putting a country station on it. Who wouldnt like listening to maybe Johnny Cash? Put his song, "13" in it or the original Danzig version of the same song and you have Nikos theme right there. The rap stations are okay. The Classic Rap station is much better than the newer one though I thought they picked the worst possible Gangstarr song to use in it. That annoying scratch/squeal sample has no place in a video game. Probably the biggest fault here, one of the more enjoyable songs in it by Rick Ross, is only used in a comedy sketch. Liberty Rock is okay too, I had forgotten all about the song, "Evil Woman" by ELO as it was one of the better songs on the soundtrack.
That may explain the 4 star on fun. A big part of the fun for me is driving around listening to the different music. You can put your own music in it, but it doesnt synch with the game like on Vice City on the original Xbox. You have to turn the sound effects down all the way.
Still, I couldnt at this point, recommend a game for the 360 any higher than this one. Im getting ready to grab the two DLC episodes Ballad of Gay Tony and Lost and the Damned. Making it an even deeper game. I was never a big fan of Liberty City in the GTA III days, but this version of Liberty City is much improved with more open streets. I did miss the areas from San Andreas, like Back O Beyond and Mount Chiliad, but it wasnt that big of a deal.
I do recommend saving it to your hard drive and playing from the hard drive. The games sounds and music are nearly blocked out by the 360 loading the disc if you play it straight from the disc unless you blast the volume. This is my first game on the 360 so some of the opinions in it like about the graphics and depth should be thought about in that sense. I have very little else to compare it to at this point.
Just about everything it should be
On: 2009-10-08The world of GTAIV is dynamic and well-written, the characters are pretty vivid and the missions are fun, and the world is expansive. Thats everything I expected and Im not disappointed. But this title lacks a little extra oomph that really could have pushed it into stellar territory. It doesnt lack for animation, but sometimes seems a little colorless (both in terms of the graphics and the mostly samey missions).
Gunplay is great as always, and its fun to play around in the huge environment. Thats always been the main draw of GTAIV, and its still there in droves.
After all is said and done the game has good replay ability
On: 2009-10-06Best thing about this game is two for the price of one single player and multiplayer for the first real time excellent and the bonus add ons like Lost or Damned and the upcoming add on Gay one thats games should do make you want to keep playing them not finish and forget.
Best effort on a video game
On: 2009-10-04I want to start this off saying that this game is by far the most graphical, hardcore, and complex game I have ever played.People are saying that the controls are very difficult,which they are not because the people playing this series are mostly amatuers reading strategy guides to every game in their collection.They miss the mini-games,which are pathetic (Since I refer myself to be around the hardcore gta gamer)Rockstar and the producers of GTA put alot of work into their games,and let me say it sure payed off.
Excellent Game
On: 2009-10-01I love this game.. I have played many of the GTA games and enjoyed them all. This one is by far the most fun in my opinion. Great story line and characters. Not to mention it has awesome graphics. Two thumbs up!
dude!
On: 2009-09-30This game is crazy-awesome! The free roaming gameplay (you can go anywhere you want in the city and do anything you want) makes this game so fun and never ever boring! The graphics are the best ever and the feel of controls while driving or flying are spectacular! Definitely playable for hundreds of hours without getting old!
Cool
On: 2009-09-22The game of course is a very good game graphice are different, but i love it anyways i spend more time exposing of poeple instead of playing the game, however the game did come with a few scatches but it was used and it was a great price so it was ok, it has only got stuck once and since then have not had any problems. The package came right on time, and was sealed tightly. all in all i love it.
good times with the Belics
On: 2009-09-07Single player: addictive and fun. you can beat many of the the missions by being slower and sneaky, or just acting the terrorist psycho who is armed to the teeth. Roaming the streets between missions is also a blast. having a cell phone and driving gps in game is the shizz.
online play: fun and addictive. again, anything from you against the world (deatmatch, racing) to missions dependent on teamwork. Wear your bluetooth headset and meet gamers from all over the world. ive added several ps network friends while playing online. (and a lot of a-holes that makes it more fun to beat while talking trash back and forth.)
trophies are another way to keep it interesting.
you could spend 6 months playing this game and nothing else easy. The online games have a decent variety to them unlike lots of games where the online play is way repetitive.
GTA IV PC Review
On: 2009-09-05Simply, great game, tons of fun, but minor complications.
Shipping time was 5 days in total, which is quite remarkable seeing as I live in the Middle-East.
The game itself was in perfect condition and I had a small complication while installing. .Net Framework wasnt installed so a quick visit to the Microsoft website was in order. After installation, it took around 15 minutes to set up Windows Live and Rockstar Games Social Club accounts, an update to Windows Live for PC and I was all set. Graphics are demanding, so make sure you have a mid-hi end rig set up.
Xbox 360 controller functionality was seamless and switching to mouse and keyboard for better accuracy while aiming was flawless.
Definitely worth buying especially if youre a GTA Franchise fan and want to expand your collection.
The most disappointing GTA PC of ALL the GTA PC Titles....
On: 2009-09-04Ever since I have been anticipating the PC release of GTAIV, I was very happy and anxiously waiting to get GTAIV for my PC. And so I bought it, several months ago. In my 11 years of GTA gaming, each of them (GTA1 GTA: L 1969, GTA2, GTAIII, GTA: Vice City, and GTA: San Andreas) ran just fine, and I never had to comment negitively on its functions and its basics. But now, after noticing that many consumers have a bunch of trouble getting GTAIV to run even with the best hardware around, I, fortunately, have already noticed this problem, and decided not to install the game. Unlike GTAIII, GTA: Vice City, and GTA: San Andreas (which actually ran fine even on my older PC prior to getting a Vista OS-based computer), GTAIV was a total disappointment. Not only did the game lagged terribly even on older PC (as I have noticed), but many people even reported that they cannot even istall the game. And this is because you have to sign up for both R* Social Club and Games For Windows Live (which is, quite frankly, pointless to put it another way), which, at some point, is impossible even if you have a faster internet connection. Even with the patches installed, GTAIV still runs horribly as if theres no such thing as "faster machines" or whatever you may call them. As it turned out, as said by some people, this is actually a poor port of the console version to PC version (maybe because of a rushed Christmas release). Whats even worse, the third patch (which is version 1.0.3.0) can actually cause a severe memory dump unless you write a command line written into the file called "commandline.txt" and be placed into the GTAIV root directory. And also not to mention the fact that it is so awkward and dull to have to sign up for Games for Windows Live and Rockstars Social Club, both of which work in a rather difficult and useless fashion. AND you had to go through TONS of installation to get it working, and many PC gamers reported that after all that, it STILL does not work.
I have to say that, out of all the GTA PC titles that I liked so much (counting the GTA: The Classics Collection as well), GTAIV was the worst of all the GTAs (unless, of course, you have the console versions, which are actually quite good). I am very sorry to say that RockStar is not the sole company it once was when GTA2 first came out under their new company name. To my extent, GTA: San Andreas will be the last GTA PC title I will ever bought from RockStar, and never again will I plan to buy another of RockStars stuff (unless they clean up their act). To this day, I still felt that I was ripped off by R*, and paid too much money for a PC game with quality problems, so to speak. Not to get me wrong though, GTAIV is absolutely stunning with everything from detailed graphics and gameplay missions, if not that perfect. But, as some PC gamers pointed out, wait for a better version of GTAIV; in the meantime, stay away from this game if youre a PC gamer. If you like to play GTAIV and you have the latest PS3 or X360 consoles, then go and buy GTAIV for either of those consoles instead.
No joystick / mouse driving, couldn't get past it, loved GTA - Vice City though
On: 2009-09-04Ive just returned my copy of GTA-IV because I couldnt get past some game play issues. Ill sum up my experience:
Good: Beautifully rendered, no problems running on my machine.
Bad: Hated the need to sign up for Rockstar social club and Windows Live Games. I had no intention of playing online, just wanted a fun game (like GTA Vice City) to play single player. Also, it took hours to download the latest patches and updates for both the social club and live games - a waste of time.
Ill be honest, Im an older game player (Im 40, but thats old in tech terms). Ive played GTA Vice City and continue to enjoy it -- I especially like jumping on a bike and cruising around town. I still like using a joystick when possible (from my days playing Wing Commander, look it up on Wiki if you dont know what it is). GTA IV doesnt support a joystick interface...bummer. You can drive with the keyboard and mouse, but the mouse only allows you to look around, not steer. You have to steer using the A and D keys...major bummer. Of course, its optimized for a game controller, but Im too old to make these work (not dexterous enough). But I still gave it a try.
When I started driving I found the camera view pulled directly behind my cars bumper. I needed to change the view by using the other controller stick or pressing a key, but since the camera view kept changing as I drove, it became very tedious and annoying. Theres no reason for this.
The bottom line is: I disliked this game because I couldnt get passed the fact that it angered me every time I played it. Sure, I could have spent hours honing my driving skills, but why? Arent games supposed to be fun right from the box? Rockstar had a great product in GTA Vice City, but when they changed it for the "better" they took the fun out of it (my opinion, of course). I know many people enjoy GTA IV, but I cant get past the idea that Rockstar changed some of the most enjoyable aspects of the game, making them difficult when they should just be second-nature.
Guess Ill go back to playing GTA Vice City, its still loaded on my machine. Personally, I love just driving around the city on a motorcycle, listening to the old 80s tunes on the radio (I said I was old).
Great follow up to San Andreas
On: 2009-09-03For me GTAIV is a great follow-up to San Andreas. The visuals and soundtrack are great, the story line is coming along nicely and its just plain GTA fun.
However, sort of understandably, the game is highly CPU intensive. Running this game on an AMD X2 5200+, 4GB RAM and an eVga Geforce GTX 260 (896MB) with Vista Ultimate 64 yields only 30fps average. Some googling shows that people are able to get as much as 50fps average with a better processor.
However, the game environment is very detailed, you can see cop chases, people conversing, traffic accidents... lots and lots of stuff is going all of which may account for the high CPU requirements. While that is very disappointing, my processor is sort of dated.
I wont fault all the DRM and windows live software which are required to plan because its understandable in light of all the piracy. I still believe however, that windows live should be optional. Some of use just like to hit start and get straight to the game. Offline as were accustomed to.
The game falls because of the graphical limitations, my current video card runs almost all current games with max details and I get an average of 50fps (maybe actually higher) with my same dated processor.
Why should GTAIV be so much different?
All in all a fun game and an excellent addition to the GTA series. Would definitely recommend to fans.
Grand Theft Auto
On: 2009-09-02This is the best game I have ever played in my entire life. Im completely hooked- my boyfriend bought it for me and I have yet to thank him enough.
This game is a perfect balance of a story-based game and an absorbing challenge.
Couldnt be happier.
;]
Backward step for the series, but great story
On: 2009-08-29Pros:
- Extraordinary presentation
- Intriguing story
- Great level of detail
Cons:
- Backstep for the series
- Horrible controls
- Quirky cover system
Gameplay:
The Grand Theft Auto series has had amazing success in the past decade, and this latest installment from Rockstar has had a lot to live up to. As in past Grand Theft Auto titles, the game puts you in control of a character living in Liberty City, a very hostile environment. In the case of Grand Theft Auto IV, you play as Niko Bellic, a man who just moved to America from Eastern Europe looking to live the American dream. The game once again takes place in Liberty City, which this time around is a very well-detailed environment full of obstacles, people and cars. The story itself is very intriguing and features a wide range of characters that make the story quite compelling. Also, a lot of interactions in the game take place on Nikos cell phone. Youre able to keep in contact with friends and enemies on the cell phone as well as engage in side missions over it as well
Combat is as simple as in previous iterations, but this time around there is a cover system. Its a very simple cover system which allows for you to duck behind most objects, and also allows you to stand up and shoot from behind the cover or pull up your gun and fire while remaining behind cover at the expense of accuracy. There are also a wide-range of cars to drive in the game as well as motorcycles and boats. Unfortunately, the cover system as well as driving mechanics have some serious quirks which dont grow on you even with time. In essence, the game has devalued the gameplay itself in trade of a greater physical presentation.
Controls:
Since Grand Theft Auto IV features so many things to do, controls cant be broken down into 1 category. The movement itself is great, and Niko controls very realistically when moving. Unfortunately, the cover system has some issues, and most of the time makes you feel like its more of a magnet system than a cover system. Lots of times the camera angle makes it really hard to fire at the angle you want to which is frustrating. One of the worst things about the game is the driving controls. Rockstar seems to have gone with a more realistic approach which is respectable, but the driving controls arent realistic whatsoever. When turning, all cars in the game oversteer and lose control around turns, Also, the camera angle likes to try to be cinematic which in many cases forces you to use the right analog stick when turning to see what is ahead of you. The driving controls are quite frankly unacceptable, and make many missions in the game enraging.
Graphics:
Grand Theft Auto has had a complete makeover which is great to see for veterans of the series. This game quite simply looks great, and both the character models and city are very detailed. Also, during cutscenes, the facial and body animations are top-notch, and really add to the atmosphere of the story. The presentation is also great and the menus are easier to navigate than ever before.
Sound:
As with the previous 3 games, Grand Theft Auto IV has great audio. The voice acting is quite possibly the best to date, with great voice actors and character defining dialogue. As with previous games, there are also over 10 radio stations to listen to in the car when driving. There is a lot more diversity of music in this game than the previous 2, and everyone should be able to find a station that suits them. Sound effects are also spot on and help mold the game into almost a movie-like experience.
Replay Value:
The story mode along is roughly 25 hours in length, but there are also a lot of extra things to do around the city. There are hidden pigeons scattered around the city ready to be found, super jumps, side missions and the simple entertainment of a sandbox environment. Trophies were also patched in shortly after release which is great for PSN trophy collectors. There is also a multi-player experience which has several game modes, but it doesnt last long. The only real downfall is that the game does grow repetitive very quickly which makes the replay value irrelevant to those who get bored of the game quickly.
Rating:
Story: 9.0
Gameplay: 8.5
Graphics: 9.5
Controls: 8.0
Sound: 9.5
Replay Value: 9.0
Overall: 9.0
Own, Rent, Avoid:
Rent: Grand Theft Auto IV packs a lot of things to do, and a long story mode, but the replay value just isnt quite there. The game falls short of addicting and after you beat it you will likely never touch it again.
Last Thoughts:
The game could have been a lot better if the controls werent they way they are, but with that said, the game is a remarkable feat in sheer quality and quantity.
GTA IV more REALISTIC than EVER
On: 2009-08-24The game is more realistic than ever. You can build relationships with the other characters. Date other women and even sleep with them. Compared to San Andreas though its not as fun nor as big. You cant fly the jets, no jetpacks, bicycle. The game is pretty easy to pass. The online mode was fun at first than got boring after awhile. There are times when no one is on playing a particular game. I wish there were though. Great game to have.
grand theft auto IV
On: 2009-08-22i played this game is a good game and interesting things to do in the game they could of done a better job on the game but i give a 4 out of 5....
GTA IV
On: 2009-08-20Despite a total lack of optimization for except the highest-performance gaming PCs, the game is fantastic. If youre considering this game, just know that youll probably need at least a quad-core processor (preferably the q6600 at least) and a video card with atleast 800+ mb VRAM. RAM doesnt matter, because the game streams nearly everything off the video card. (I have 6gb DDR3 @1280, trust me theres no difference between this and 4gb DDR2 1066 for this game)
My Specs:
EVGA Nvidia GeForce 260 GTX Core 216 SC
Wolfdale Core 2 Duo E8400 @ 3.00 ghz (OC @ 3.60 ghz stable)
EVGA 790i SLI
Corsair 3 x 2gb DDR3 1600. (DC @ 1280)
Please, please note: THIS GAME DOES NOT SUPPORT SLI!!!
GTA IV
On: 2009-08-18Great game, filled with hours of fun. Contains everything that you can expect from a GTA game.
Love it!
On: 2009-08-14We bought this before it came out and my son still plays it. That is an indicator to me that its a good game. He enjoys finding the game glitches. It has extensive foul language that I would rather not have but then again, it is rated M so I knew what I was getting into with the purchase. So if you dont mind that there are as many "F bombs" as there are bullets.... Have fun :-D
Great Game.
On: 2009-08-11The only real flaw with this GTA is GTA San Andreas. Part 4 certainly looks better, but San Andreas was better. Rockstar tried to go a different route with this one instead of just adding on to the sequel. That is understandable when youve already made about 5 games. If you could just customize the character like you could previously and if you could finally be able to play this game with a good combat system, I think most reviews would be 5/5. The city may be less diverse, but they are immensely more detailed. You really have to get out of the car and walk to notice just how much so. Its incredible. The only true gripe I have is the cover system in combat. It as annoying as it is useful. On a side note, I love the addition of the tv programs. Those are very funny.
Grand theft auto IV
On: 2009-08-04The Game was in excellent condition an Ship Very quickly Were Very Satisfied. Thank you
Sadly, the answer is no
On: 2009-07-20Why Rockstar? Why? You took a glorious franchise and dragged it down into mediocrity. The innovation and freedom that was San Andreas has been stripped away. In previous titles, any question I had about what you could do was answered yes! Can I take a hairpin turn at 80mph using the e-brake? YES! Can I base jump off skyscrapers? YES! Can I ride BMX bikes, dune buggies, go karts, and jetpacks? YES! Can I wander the map at will without distraction? Can I steal a harrier jet and take out cars on the freeway? Can I customize my character? Can I steal a harvest combine and run people over with it? Can I buy houses and property? YES YES YES!!!! The fun of the GTA franchise was its audacious freedom and the ability to create or participate in over-the-top mayhem. Things like rolling down the Vegas Strip in a tank taking out everything you see. Sadly, this is no more.
This time around Rockstar went with realism. While it is a very polished title its just not as fun as the previous installments. In their attempts to create realism they made gameplay a cumbersome chore. First of all, you move so slow. I mean really freakin slow. They did create the most detailed and beautiful urban setting in video game history but exploring it on foot is completely out of the question. you wouldnt make it two blocks before your cell phone rang and sent you off to do some chore of a date anyway. They must have spent a year or more designing Liberty City. Its truly amazing. I think they slowed everything down so you would notice the city but it had the opposite effect for me. Free roaming is no longer fun if I have to do it at a snails pace. Gone are the wacky, over-the-top missions. No breaking into military installations to steal a jetpack. No planting explosives on an airborne jetliner then parachuting to safety. Wanna torch a field of weed with a flamethrower before the cops show up? Forget about it. Nothing here matches the innovation of the previous titles. This game is another "next-gen" casualty. All style and no substance. Its an OK game but I dont feel it lives up to the GTA name. While trying to make a realistic experience they removed the most important thing a game can have: fun. They created an amazing city but they made it a chore to explore. Personally, Ill take fun over great graphics any day. I hope we can have both someday. This game didnt make me lose faith in the franchise though. Its worth playing once and I have high hopes for the next installment. Visually its great but when it comes to content this one is a big step backwards.
A Fresh Revolution
On: 2009-07-17GTA 4 made a huge impact when it first came out. It totally took fans by suprise and took Grand Theft Auto to an entirely different level. I remember playing it for the first time, and the shocking feeling of how real this game felt in comparison to the rest of the series. Cars drive like cars, people react and act like real people. I even felt bad slamming into a pedestrian for the first time. The physics of the game made me really feel like I hurt somebody. :D
The storyline is by far the most entertaining out of the whole series combined. Niko is a new favorite game character, because his role is so polished throughout the game. The whole international feel to it is something that the franchise has been missing. The accurate portrayal of the Russian, Mobsters, and a Jamaican is what really carries the story along smoothly. From start to finish it is more interesting than a well-made gangster movie.
Although it lacks the truckload of side-missions from the previous installments, GTA 4 does have more fun to offer aside from its exciting missions. Along with a few fun things to do on the side, there is the online multiplayer (which takes a lot of getting used to), challenging achievements, and better free roaming. GTA rarely doensnt have something interesting to offer. Some games just get boring, but this one just keeps reeling in the fun.
Although I was a little dissapointed with the online content, the game really makes up for it in single-player. Everything is fresh and new in this episode. All the different aspects that they created really made this game a revolution. Things like cars stalling, getting ejected from your vehicle, and getting drunk really just proved that they wanted to create this new GTA as realistic as possible. When you play it you begin to appreciate all the time and effort they put in to make such a beautiful game.
Good Gift To My Son
On: 2009-07-11My Son Was Looking for this game he love it,he plays all days and he like to play Online with his friends in Xbox Live.
Apart from this Gift i buy him a Xbox 360 Live 12 Month Gold Card plus 1 Month Bonus so he can play online and i buy himGrand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned
he have Grand Theft Auto Mania
I don't see the big deal.....
On: 2009-07-10I dont see the big deal. For this game to get such high ratings from so many video game sites (IGN, Gamespy, 1up, Amazon, etc.) is beyond me. I bought it based on such amazing reviews of the game, and talk of the amazing gameplay, etc.
Ive played for 3 hours, had to run some incredibly silly missions (Go on a date? Take my cousins taxi and pick someone up at point "A" and drop them off at point "B"? etc.). The dialogue is silly, the missions are silly, and, generally, the game moves slowly from one silly objective to the next. I am incredibly disappointed in this game.
Besides being silly, the mechanics are a bit "clunky", the targeting system is "wonky", and the game, overall, is way over hyped.
I cant figure out why this game receives consistent scores of 10/10 (IGN), 5/5 (Gamespy), etc. It just, simply, isnt that good.
Grand Theft Auto 4
On: 2009-07-09GTA 4 got me hooked as soon as I started playing. I dont play video games very frequently, but I just had to keep playing. GTA 4 is many games in one in my perspective. Theres bowling, darts, strip clubs, races, car stealing, cop chases, assassinations, package delivering, and over 80 missions involving even more fun. A large quantity of swearing and drug use, but that made it even more exciting to play. The storyline provides its own surprises when Nikko(the main character) must make deadly choices which affects the rest of the game. There is a multiplayer mode that can be played anytime via Nikkos phone granted xbox live is connected. One player per xbox, but up to 16 when connected with 15 separate xbox live players. No split screen on one television. GTA 4 achievements may be difficult at times, but using cheats will block certain achievements.
A step back from San Andreas
On: 2009-07-07In my mind Grand Theft Auto is one of the most influential series in video game history. It had been my favorite franchise with very little disappointment from me the past few years. At the start of GTA IV, I felt this game just might have what it takes to blow the other ones out of the water. I wasnt quite sure if it could beat San Andreas, a game that really struck me as nearly perfect, but I thought it could at least dwell in the same realm. Ah not quite.
From the beginning of the game you will notice how much time was spent of the beautiful background, the pedestrians, the buildings, the surroundings, the car physics, that it will be hard to imagine playing any old past gen GTA game. This is by far the most beautiful game with the best artistry I have seen thus far. Some of the scenes and views of Liberty City (based on New York City) is breathtaking. Places such as Times Square are recreated almost to perfection. Screw taking an airplane to New York I can just turn on my Xbox 360 and be there any time! Some screen shots come closer to real life photos that youd imagine. The graphics are top notch.
The gameplay begins with fun...that is until you finish the game. You play as Niko Bellic, a Serbian immigrant, trying to make a new life in America. Thats where the story line pretty much...stops. Niko becomes a character you do end up really liking, he has a lot of depth to him and becomes a favorite right away during many missions to try and help your cousin, get money, and doing whatever means necessary to survive. You dont really even know Nikos main goal until 1/3 in the story. The gameplay is fun, but not nearly as challenging as past games. I only had trouble with the last mission, other than that I really whizzed through the story. I had to complete side missions to keep me feeling like I still had a lot more to do. Also another plus is the fact you can make decisions in certain missions like whether to let someone live or die. I found that very interesting and a nice new addition to gameplay.
Once the very intricate story is done...I have to say there is not much to do. Although side missions are available, they mostly consist of finding someone, killing them, repeat. Or shooting 200 digitalized pigeons. Not too much fun when you are used to complicated earlier missions. Controls are a bit easier in this GTA compared to past games in the series, but that only makes the side missions even more boring and tedious. On top of that, the only other options to do are goofing around with televisions, hookers, computers, and strip clubs...all of which are rather boring after youve done them once.
Character depth is also a big up as always in GTA. You quickly sympathize with Niko, begin to feel a sense of like for his silly, obese cousin Roman and even begin to like side characters such as friends you may get along the way. However, the friend dates are ridiculously stupid. Unlike in San Andreas where girls constantly call you to want to go out, now as well as optional girlfriends your "friends" call you and want to go...which turns into a really uneventful boring "man date" as I like to call them. Each friend comes with special abilities and missions that you will need for 100 percent completion, meaning you have to keep entertaining your friends to have these available. If you go as far as miss one date or dont call too often, your friends begin disliking you...which leads to them not letting you complete their tasks. Its stupid if you ask me. Since you make many friends its rather annoying to CONSTANTLY have someone call you to do a dumb mini game youve done them all 90 thousand times. If that isnt enough half the time you have to drive around the damn city from one end to the other to meet someone. At least in San Andreas if a girl was too far she wouldnt call unless you were in her general area. Not in GTA IV. Now they expect you at their house in an hour...no matter where you are on the map or what you were planning to do.
Customization is another step back. No hair styles, very limited clothing options, no car mod shops, no tats, etc. Niko is the way he is hate it or love it. No more fun messing with that. I also miss the comic relief...which is very minimal. It seems this game is more a movie than a game. Certain things you are lead to do instead of completing missions how you would like. There is very little control in the game and in some parts I just wanted to put the controller down and watch since it was obvious they had already planned what they wanted me to do.
Overall, it is a fun game but not nearly as fun as the past. This game took itself a bit too seriously and focused more on realism than the fun factor. It still is a good buy, but I prefer my old GTA games any day. As campy and cartoony as they were, at least they were always 100 percent fun.
Great game, wish I still had it.
On: 2009-07-05Never lend your good games to your friends... arghhh... Otherwise, this is a great game with a very involved story line, great action, and fun multiplayer adventure!
we love grand theft auto 4.
On: 2009-07-04great service. excellent price. fast shipping.game was in better condition than described. excellent purchase. thank you!!!!!
Grand Theft Auto IV
On: 2009-06-26It was all I had expected it to be, I am enjoying it. Good job, amazon
A big step up
On: 2009-06-04Ill break down the game into sections
Hours to beat 100% - over 80 hours if no cheats or guides are used. You have to complete the story line, kill birds, do stunt jumps, deliver packages, hang out with friends, and much much more
Controls - It took a while especially for me because I played the other GTA games on the PS2, it took about 45 minutes before a learned the controls well enough to play properly. Cars are easy to control once you get the hang of it, which took me the longest. Helicopters are the only thing I really cant control that well even after flying them for an hour straight, they will take a lot of time to get used to.
Rockstar also added a cover system so you can put your back to a nearby wall, crate, or car for cover, this works really well and makes combat so much more fun.
Multiplayer - This is a great addition to GTA, you can do races, freemode, free for all, teams, king of the hill (terriroty) and even a "cops and robbers" style scenario.
Graphics - This is overlooked by the game play, at least by me. The graphics are pretty good, defiantly a huge step up from its predecessors.
Great game, give it a try.
Terrible Game
On: 2009-05-31Ok let me start off by saying this game was the worst game Ive ever played in my life. The only fun thing about this game is the crash graphics. Now I bought the first Saints Row and LOVED it.. i ended up being a Saints Row fan and id like to say SR is 10x better than GTA 4. On GTA 4 they took out planes the only thing is like 2 helicopters. Anyways they took out all planes theres no parachutes the driving controls are crap. If your going 30 MPH and theres a turn well prepare to crash unless you slam on the brakes and hand brake to reach 0 MPH then you start up and turn. Its just that bad. Like i was driving my dirtbike about 10mph and hit a cop and went flying about 50ft now that is crap and so unrelistic maybe youd do a frontflip and land on the hood but no 50ft thats just rediculous. They also have the dumbest selection of clothes and they took out modding of cars.
Overall i dont recommend this game to people that loved San Andreas its nothing like it. Me, my brother hated this game. My other friend thought it was ok.
Excelent!!
On: 2009-05-28It is a very good game if you like action and movement... it should be in your collection!
huge dissapointment
On: 2009-05-21I thought this game would be different than the other Grand Theft Auto games, but I was sort of right. This game offers new vehicles, new hiding spots, a new twist to missions, and the ability to date and "try your luck" with your girlfriend. It offers mini games like darts or bowling. However this game was very bland overall, there was so much boredom to the missions you cant help but to rampage through the street with an rpg and a semi-auto machine gun, but even that hits its peak and drops like a rollercoaster. I would not buy this game having played it. 3/5
better with a question mark
On: 2009-05-20A beautiful game which brilliantly portrays the power of the x-box 360 with a pretty good story. The only thing I wanna note here is that fans of San Andreas will find quite a few things missing in this installment. Haircuts, a physique meter, flying airplanes and stuff like that. Nothing big but stuff I felt didnt neccesarily need to be taken out. Overall though, a wonderful game. I reccomend it to anyone with this system.
near perfect
On: 2009-05-15so,this is the next gta game,huh?first i would just like to say that the multi player games on this game can only work on your computer,which bites.there are also a few other gta games such as liberty city stories,lost and the darned and chinatown wars that dont let everybody play which is not only bad buisness but really sucks.but enough about that.this game,gta 4 is in the top 2 video games ever created.niko bellic is the main character who is a slavic x soldier who came to america to be with his cousin.they quickly get wrapped up in the criminal underworld.niko is cooler than previous mcs like tommy vercetti and carl johnson.there is a lot of character development also.at certain points in the game,niko can choose between 2 game altering choices thereby effecting the plot.the cars dont drive as smoothly as on gta san andreas but arent too hard to get the hang of.in car accidents,dont be suprised to see niko being hurled through the windshield.another great thing about this game is, while it keeps you on your toes,it isnt one of those games that require luck to win like san andreas.i beat this game in 3 weeks,but i did little else than play it.there are 2 cheat codes that are mandatory i think.the first one allows you to turn the cops off when they are chasing you.the cops on this game are more like soldiers.even on 2 stars,they are blood thirsty,bezerking,pissed off madmen.they can also follow you from above if youre trying to get away,making evading them difficult.the second cheat code allows you to refill your bullets and health.this is also a must have unless you are bullet proof.this is definately the best new gen game.its the best xbox 360 game.its the best gta game.so go get it!you are not getting the full video game experience if you havent played this iconic masterpiece!
Its good, but super repetitive.
On: 2009-05-08Im a huge fan of Vice City, it had tons of stile and kept the story rolling. GTA four doesnt quit deliver in the same way. I loved it for the first couple of hours, then it started getting repetitive, the characters were boring, and the gameplay is a little frustrating, they have made improvements to the targeting system, but it would still be nice if I it worked like a responsive mainstream shooter so you could take cover and such.
Its still a good game, and theres ton of game play here for people who like the jonra. However I have yet to meet anyone whos actually finished the game, everybody Ive talked to has the same take as me. After awhile I abandoned story mode and started punching it cheat codes and going on killing sprees, when that got old I traded it in.
Bottom line. Its good, but I was hoping for more.
Best Game of the Year
On: 2009-05-04This game is an amazing game and the best of the year. Definitely not for young children, but 100 times better than GTA III.
My number 10 in my top 10 games of all time.
On: 2009-04-27As I stated above GTA IV has made it into my top 10 games of all time.
Let me begin by first saying Ive never once played any of the GTA games before and didnt have any desire to. What got me to buy the game was me trading in to bad games in Lost Planet and Enchanted Arms. I decided to take a chance on GTA IV, and I am glad I did.
Let me go over all the reasons why I loved this game. First is the story which truly surprised me. Its captivating, drawing you in with the great story of a immigrant coming to America looking for revenge. The characters were great and truly life like. Also I liked how I as a player could control many of the small and one or two big decisions of the game. The second thing was the game play which took a little getting used to but was amazing. The third thing was all the extral things you could do. From just going around blowing things up and trying to get away from the cops to trying to do all the stunts in the game.
I only have to small problems with the game. First and the biggest was the saving. Once a mission started you couldnt save. So if its a really long mission and you just about completed it and you die you have to start from the beginning which pissed me off a couple of times. The second was the slow load times, but like I said these are small problems.
GTA IV is a classic game in my book, one of the best Ive played.
An Average game
On: 2009-04-27Good game, but its too difficult. It gets pretty boring and annoying to have to restart a mission from the beginning if you lose because you have to drive all the way the same place, see the cut-scene, etc so that then, you can begin the mission from the start again. The graphics are so-so for HD video game standards. The fist fight sucks. The game is still original, though, and thats the only thing going for it.
Grand theft auto 4 I never got it
On: 2009-04-26I never recieved my Grand Theft auto game and am not pleased on how you guys never returned my message so I wont be going through you anymore and will tell others about this experience
Ummm..no
On: 2009-04-23This is the fourth installment in the GTA series, yet there are still basic rudiments of gameplay that are still broken and in desparate need of fixing. The controls make doing even the most simplistic tasks complex, and I dont like how you are forced into doing tasks at the beginning of the game before the world completely opens up to you.
I also dont like how you cant customize your characters gender or looks in anyway. Yes the story is dependent on being Nico Belic but the story could just as easily have been constructed to give the player more freedom in who they want to be.
The best thing about GTA IV is the graphics and I cant see anything else about this game that deserves a perfect rating but it has received several perfect reviews as evidenced by metacritic. Color me perplexed because I just dont get it.
Buy It!
On: 2009-04-12Ok here is the deal. This games fun will last for years and You need to experience it for yourself!
GTA 4 Review
On: 2009-04-06Damn...... Doesnt that commersial make this game look AWESOME!!!!!!!!
But I assume you supposer theres a catch? Let me guess: "So the commersial is overzelous (a bit much) and the game really isnt this good?" Well guess what? WRONG. This game is INCREDIBLE!!!!!! Best I have ever played (besides Fallout 3, see my review there for more).... and I have had my share of games. First, this game does NOT mess up so much as other Xbox 360 games. Sure, it has screwed up on me, but dont they all? Graphics are PHENOMENAL!!!!!! Gameplay is the same. Oh, yeah. The targeting system is very different than other Grand Theft Auto games, but for the better. The games is incredible, however, there are a few catches. Number one: there arent as many guns. Sorry pyros, no flamethrowers. Sorry gun-maniacs, no mini-guns. But there are pistols, rifles, machine guns, and everybodys favorite: The Rocket Launcher. Vehicles are far better in the lines of speed and graphics. Another catch: NO PLANES! WHAT THE F***??????? I played this game and spent an HOUR looking for planes only to find NONE!!!!!!! Well, there are still helicopters. The makers thought "Since Liberty City is so small, why would you need planes?" You really want me to answer that question? No? Thought not. Also, I do not know about Vice City, but you CAN swimin this game (GTA 3 REALLY sucked there).
Recommended? Hell yes! Get this game now!!!!! Word of warning: IT IS ADDICTING!!!!!! But it is also quite fun. So what are you waiting for? GET IT!
Great game that lacks some extras.
On: 2009-03-12Im just going to keep this simple. Likes and dislikes about the game.
What I liked
1. Great graphics.
2. Driving physics, the tires even blow out if you spin your tires too
long.
3. Attention to detail is amazing. Seems like Rockstar went all out this
time and created an animation for all of Nikos actions. For example:
when he breaks into cars he actually breaks the window and looks like
he is actually bending down inside the car to hotwire it and the
hookers actually do something in the car now instead of just sitting
there and making noises while the car rocks back and forth lol.
4. Combat is much better, the shooting is better, being able to take
cover is a nice addition.
5. Lots of activities to do after or instead of missions.
Dislikes
( Really arent too many, but enough to take a star )
1. Still cant create your own character? Except for in multiplayer mode
of course and if you can do it there why not in the game? Who cares
if his name would still be Nikko at least you could make him look how
you wanted. ( Rockstar could have at least given different characters
to choose from. )
2. Car customization wouldve been nice. Spray paint doesnt count. Im
talking Saints Row 2 customization or better.
3. What happened to the bicycles? Could have added a skate board and no
planes?
Thats about all of my dislikes. GTA IV is definitely an improvement, but when they add things they should keep the good stuff from previous games.
Good Game
On: 2009-03-02GTA4 is a good game. If you dont already have a GTA game, I would recommend buying this, or if you really are into online multiplayer, this is also a good choice for Xbox Live. However, if youre not very interested in XBL and you already own a GTA title, then youre really not missing much by not buying this. The formula is still the same, without much innovation. Also, having an intercooler is a must with this game, as it freezes often with me, but does much less frequently when I use the intercooler.
Same boat as "Conflicted Gamer"
On: 2009-02-23The previous review is pretty much spot on w/r to my review of the game.
On one end the expansiveness of GTA4 is awesome, but at times I also feel like its a total drag.
I suppose I just dont have the patience for going out on dates and bowling mini-games and the like.
Also, I have to echo the previous review again and state the cars in GTA4 feel a lot sloppier than GTA3.
A Conflicted Gamer
On: 2009-02-20I write this review in conflict. One part of me really likes this game and another part of me thinks it sub-par compared to GTA 3.
The story is fun, as usual. This time youre a Russian immigrant who just cant seem to keep out of trouble. Or should I say cant say no to trouble. Nico comes to America due to his cousin telling him how great it is to be in the good old US of A. When Nico arrives he finds his cousin has lied to him regarding his wealth and status. This sets in motion Nicos criminal activities... Youll meet the Jamaican Little Jacob who is always high, Brucie the supposedly masculine yet seemingly gay car man, the McCrearys, and a whole slew of other odd-balls who seem to be able to get Nico to murder, rob, etc just by asking him!
The world in GTA 4 is expansive. Youve got three islands to explore with tons of secret jumps to take and pigeons to find and kill. These seem to be the only type of "side" quests in the game. Gone are the rampage, ice cream, and some of the other side missions.
The driving was a let down in this game also. I loved the easy and fun of driving in previous GTAs. However, the cars in this one just seem to handle very poorly and crash way too easily.
You also now have people that you can befriend. This requires going on dates with them and making them happy. This can be tedious when youre playing the game and going for a mission and someone calls and wants to hang out. You then have to decide if you want to deviate from your course and go on the date or deny them and make them like you less.
I know this has been hailed by some as game of the year for 2008, but it feels like a step back from GTA 3 and the other games in the series that I have played.
Constantly Freezes!
On: 2009-02-16I wouldve given GTA 4 Four stars but every single time i play it it freezes, and a lot of ppl have had this problem. The things i dont like about the game is: No character costumization, no safehouses to buy, and missions are very repetitive and similar to previous GTA games.
perfect
On: 2009-02-12thank you so much for your speedy delivery and well described item. GREAT SELLER!
BUY THIS GAME!!!
On: 2009-02-11BUY THIS GAME!
Note: The current price for this game is $39.99. It is probably the biggest steal of all time!
Pros
- Amazing attention to detail in every aspect of the game
- Graphics are top notch with minimal to no loading
- Soundtrack and effects are the best of the series
- Multiplayer modes are original and fun, lets you roam the city with 16 people and do whatever you want
- Improved gun mechanics, plays more like a shooter then ever before
- Great story, cast of characters, missions
Cons
- Some small graphical problems/glitches
- Driving and gun controls take a little getting used to
- The game does eventually end
Theres not much to say but that you absolutely need to buy (or at least rent) this game NOW. The only excuse that you have is if you are underage, you should get your parents permission before playing this game as it has some very mature themes. Nothing really comes close to capturing what GTA IV does, and it does everything very, very well. Ill admit that it took me some time to get into this game, only for the fact that I knew once I started I wouldnt be able to pull myself away until the end. There is so much to do and see in this game that it can be overwhelming, or very time consuming once you get hooked. The game is never boring, and never gets old, as there is always something new happening in the game. The city feels real, people intact with each other as they would in everyday life, whether you interfere or not is up to you. This game gets my highest recommendation, and at $40, you find a game anywhere close at that price!
Mind-bogglingly overrated
On: 2009-02-10GTA 4 is a long, long... long game. Is it fun? A little. Theres a lot of tedium, and somehow the spark that made the last games in the series such inimitable experiences is gone.
In at least a couple of ways, GTA 4 is too big of a game. The map is too big, and the intentions are too big.
Too quickly did I start to tire of having to drive to all the different places in order to get missions, and then drive to the actual missions. About 1/3 of the way through the game, I started using taxis to get places almost exclusively. And... isnt the heart of this game supposed to be driving around in a giant playground? Arent I supposed to get distracted from missions and just screw around for 45 minutes for no reason? Somehow, none of that is fun in this iteration. This was just one giant mission slog til the end.
I was really excited that Id finally get to ride around subways -- I was really excited to get some small whiff of the excitement of being in the actual New York City. At first, I thought my hopes were simply too lofty, but now I realize this game just isnt that fun. I used the train system probably twice total. Whats the point? Between taxis and cars, why would I use the subway system?
And what good is a huge world if almost every square inch of it is identical? GTA 3, Vice City, and San Andreas all had areas with very different feels and textures to them. Remember how in San Andreas, you could be in the ghetto, or go up into the Hollywood hills, or go drive out into the boondocks? None of that variance of experience exists on GTA 4. Here, no matter what island youre on, every square block is exactly the same. With the exception of hills and a few annoying water-based missions, the entirety of GTA 4s world is interchangeable: city blocks, light poles, people, and way too many police officers.
And forget about Central Park; youll spend the end of one mission here, and thats it. Theres no reason for it to exist.
GTA 4 also loses the cop-versus-player dynamic, as well. Here the cops feel almost like an afterthought; theyre annoying, predictable, and are only brought in to increase the difficulty of missions.
And once youve tired of the missions - the endless whack, chase, and escort jobs you have to pull for endless, anonymous mobsters - you can spend some time with the most utterly pointless and tedious feature in any game Ive played recently: relationships.
In GTA 4, you can befriend people and date people (just women, as far as I can tell, except for one mission). These people will call you up from time to time and ask you to hang out, doing things like getting drunk (which is actually a great simulation of inebriation -- so good, in fact, that I think they should make kids do it in driving school), playing darts, and eating food. When you do this, they will like you more (like in The Sims), and if you do this a lot of times, youll get a modest benefit, like cheap guns and not-always-successful cop wanted-level reductions. This might be a fine side-benefit if it were semi-hidden and didnt take the incredible time investment required for what is basically a chore that gets you something you dont really need, but GTA 4 inundates you with this relationship crap. The game makes a point of nagging you about various relationships right after youve begun a mission, so youre forced to tell the person "no" and incur negative repercussions on this relationship. Why the **** did they do this? What is the purpose of putting you in a fake moral quandary? Maybe the GT in GTA stands for Guilt Trip now.
And theres no more powerful symbol for how flawed this game is than how awful driving is. I dont know for the life of me why they changed the driving system so substantially, but they did. Its like every car weighs 4 tons and has soap all over the tires. Even after playing for nearly forty hours and having the best cars in the game, I still never got the hang of power sliding -- even though I did it many times every time I drove a car.
In conclusion, I have a lot of gripes with this game, but I dont think they necessarily add up to the sour taste GTA 4 leaves in my mouth. This game just doesnt feel as good as GTA3, Vice City, and San Andreas. Im not totally sure why. I do know that the whole time I played this, I pined for Vice City. I pined for the lush, colorful environments; I pined for the ability to drive down the beautiful, art deco-clad beachside strip. But most of all, I pined for the transcendent fun (really, almost ecstacy!) the past GTA games have provided. Dont believe the hype: This ones a heart crushing dud.
Score: 2/5
Verdict: Not worth playing
Buy it!!! Buy it!!! Buy it!!!
On: 2009-02-09Just do yourself a favor and buy this game now. Soon there will be another installment to the story called The Lost and the Damned which looks to be great in itself. And it will only cost 20 [...] extra. Online play is pretty fun as well.
This game won game of the year from most of the top gaming review sites and is well worth the low price found on amazon.
Game Constantly Freezes
On: 2009-02-06This would be an otherwise 5 star game if it werent for the fact the game constantly freezes (purchased the special edition for the XBOX 360). I can go through no more than 1 mission before the game freezes. Then after the first freeze, it freezes constantly every 10-15 minutes. Its not the XBOX because all other games work fine.
I have contacted Rockstar and they have not replied and there is no patch to download. Buy the game, but play it immediately so you can test it and exchange if you have to within 30 days. I waited a while to start playing it because I was already playing 2 other games and now its too late to exchange.
If you can find a game that doesnt freeze, you will have at least a 4 star experience.
Good fun challenge
On: 2009-02-02I recieved this game after getting a refund from the seller, I really enjoy playing it. Its slightly challenging but I enjoy the challenge because it isnt like a impossible challenge, Its something I can handle and enjoy playing at the same time. So I highly reccommend getting this game if you dont already have it.
An Excellent Follow Up
On: 2009-01-30The previous installment in the Grand Theft Auto series, GTA San Andreas, left gamers will a lot of unfulfilled desires. Although the introduction of RPG features made the game slightly more entertaining, its sub par graphics, enormous map, and underdeveloped cities made San Andreas more of a nuisance than a playground. In response to these complaints and with the foundation of a more powerful gaming system, the series was revived with the 5-star Grand Theft Auto IV. Set in a reinvented and modern-day Liberty City, GTA IV forgets about the unnecessary huge map and focuses more on the details of a slightly smaller playing area. The result, an extremely life-like world, with more things to see, better automobiles and pristine graphics. The video game has moved from a mere entertainment device to an actual art form with incredible depictions of Times Square, Liberty Island, Wall Street and more. Topped with the addition of Xbox Live features, one can roam this picture perfect playground while playing against skilled opponents from around the world. Thus, the only uncertainty a player could possibly have after experiencing GTA IV is the inescapable question "What will they do next?"
Paradigm of disappointment
On: 2009-01-29The first thing I noticed about this game is that unless you can find a sportier car, everything handles like its made of wrought iron and lead. And even the sports cars are a bit cumbersome at times... Its like some sinister mechanic drove all over the city disabling everyones power steering while simultaneously filling their trunks with depleted uranium. I just dont get it, I have an 89 station wagon that corners better at forty than half of these cars do at a crawl.
Granted, this is a move to make the cars feel more "realistic" (ie not being able to do handbrake hairpins at seventy anymore) but all it really does is make getting anywhere quickly in the city a game of pinball as you overcompensate and bounce off other cars. Thankfully this applies to in mission enemies as well, so you dont end up getting totally trounced in every chase because the AI is just riding some rail through the safe zones while you fight everything else. But even that is a double edged sword since there really are few - if any - high speed, white knuckle chases in the game.
Even all that wouldnt be so bad if it wasnt for the wonky physics engine that will sometimes allow your car to slide under or flip other cars, and in the next moment send you hurtling into indestructible poplar tree or flipping end over end yorself after virtually the same collision.
Driving can be somewhat mastered though, and after about five or six hours of play time spent learning the subtle nuances of it (like holding the right analog stick forward a bit so you can get a better angle to see where your driving) along with how certain cars handle, I stopped having as much trouble as when I started, but driving with an analog stick is never that much fun and the physics here only complicate it further.
Other vehicles like boats and motorcycles handle about as well as they did in previous installments oddly enough, with the exception of the helicopter which - at least in this players opinion - has been completely nerfd, and is now fairly useless as anything other than a sightseeing tool.
The sad thing is controlling Niko out of an auto isnt much fun either and while he does well running down the street, toss a ladder in there or any gun battle and youre in for a headache.
The ladder issue is just one of many moments of a collision detection problem (which may be fixed by the patch that breaks other things) that makes you have to stand directly in front of the thing pushing forward on the analog stick and furiously tapping Y before Niko even considers thinking about climbing it. Other instants of this issue include trying to climb some fences or getting out of the water in many parts. It isnt too big of a deal outside of missions, but when time is of the essence it gets old fast.
My problem with the cover system is simple though: It never works. Microsoft Game Studios pioneered it on the 360 with Perfect Dark Zero and refined it to a fluid state with Gears of War. I know they arent the only, nor the first game maker to use cover but it seems like every game these days wants to make cover as big of a deal as it was in Gears. This would be better though if companies like Rockstar could program an engine that properly registers how many sides a couch has.
Far too many times Ive tried to duck behind something only to find a moment later that I am not only using empty air as cover, but my body has many new similarities to a sieve.
Everything started to get particularly boring at about the time that the second island opened up, and by the time I was done with the story missions there I stopped caring entirely about what I originally found a very enthralling plot that had since become a drawn out way to justify putting anything other than guns and hookers in the third island.
Not that you should ever think of using a gun for anything outside of a mission, as if you so much as shoot one of the tires out on your own car the police will be on you faster than you can say "What the hell? This is an empty lot... At night... With no one around to hear the gunfire... Why is this happening?" Im completely serious about that too, and despite being able to run over dozens of people at a time without attracting any attention, or being able to gun down a battalion of gangsters in a given mission, any gunfire in your free time (so basically any screwing around) will automatically up your wanted level one star.
Not that the police seem to care much about catching you at one star and even two stars is fairly easy - and more fun - to escape. Anything after three though and theyre out for blood. They will stop at nothing to catch you and keep shooting you in the head. They lose all interest in your surrender, they just want you dead. But none of that is really matters, and contributes nothing other than frustration to the game. It isnt even realistic. If it was, there would be no violent crime in our cities.
The problem here is that in the GTA series youre encouraged to acquiesce to your violent side a bit, to loot and pillage and all that. There have always even been stats for just how many heinous crimes youve committed. Yet here when you do so, your only reward is a bullet in the lung. Its like someone leaves the cookie jar open and tells you "Go ahead I wont look", then slaps your hand when you try to take one.
I understand that running from the cops has always been part of GTA, and a rather enjoyable one at that, it just gets obnoxious when you cant even steal a truck from a vacant construction site without the cops being hot on your trail a moment later for some unknown reason.
Despite all this though, the most inane, repugnant, time wasting activity I have ever encountered in a video game is by far Rockstars friend system.
Over time youll encounter people that you can either befriend, or date. Either way youll have to call them or get a call from them from time to time about hanging out. If you do, you have one in-game hour (one min twenty secs real time) to drive to their location and pick them up. Then you can take them anywhere from drinking, to eating, to mini games like pool or darts. After the activity is done you drive them home. If it went well, youre rewarded with a respect increase from that NPC, if not you lose respect.
It can be amusing at first, and if you get their respect high enough for various friends or dates it will even unlock perks like free cabs, cheap guns, wanted level reduction, etc. Though these amusing little side quests quickly become tedious and almost malevolent in nature, with friends calling during missions, during other friend activities, while youre being chased by the cops... Its truly ridiculous.
I know there are ways out of having to spend every minute of the game fulfilling their requests, but I shouldnt have to turn the phone off or accept then cancel every date, because the system shouldnt exist in the first place. Its asinine. If I wanted to hang out with my friends, Id be doing it. But Im not. Im playing this game to kill time, not to start another life... And even if I wanted to do that, Id have picked up a game that does it better instead, like The Sims.
I looked forward to playing this game, I really did. And even when I wasnt having fun I kept trying to convince myself I was in hopes that it would get better any minute. But it never did... The story got played out and boring, missions started to equate to nothing more than a fetch quest boiled down to its base components, sandbox gameplay was hampered by the omnipotent power of the LCPD... And thus eventually it just turned into mindless free drive for me while everything else turned to filler.
Before I close though I just want to say, this game should have been a classic. Its obvious just by looking at it that a great deal of work went into its production; from the environment itself, to the voice acting, to every other little detail like the tv programs and internet sites. And its worth renting or maybe buying used just for that.
The tragedy is that for every one great thing it does right it seems to do two more wrong, and no matter how much time and effort was poured into creating this amazing interactive caricature of New York City, unfortunately it still isnt enough to outweigh its many flaws.
overrated
On: 2009-01-29the game is a little repetitive at times. i thought the story line in san andreas was bad, now i think san andreas could have won an oscar after playing through some of gta 4. however, for thirty dollars its a great deal.
Not for kids! Fun as h**l!
On: 2009-01-27I played GTA 1 on the PC and GTA II on the Sega Dreamcast. Then, stopped gaming for a while. Now GTA IV is my return to the series and gaming in general. The game on Xbox 360 is just beautiful. An open recreation of New York City, that is very realistic (including a mock Statue of Liberty). The gameplay takes some getting used to for older gamers not used to all the buttons. But once you get used to it, its so much fun. The story line is enjoyable, and the cut scenes are close to reality and fun to watch.
This game is not for children...at all. Sex, drugs, language and very realistic violence are rampant throughout the game. Wanna lap dance? Done. Wanna have sex with a hooker? Done. Wanna execute your cousins boss? Done. Wanna do some coke off the dashboard of a taxi? Done. See what I mean about not being for kids? The game has such a realistic feel to it, that anyone might have an issue disconnecting from the game and reality...not a good idea for kids.
Think of this game similar to an episode of the Sopranos. Sex, drugs, language, violence...its all there, and done very well.
The missions start to get a bit repetitive, but after each mission you learn more about the story which is enjoyable. Id recommend this to hardcore adult gamers who love shows like the Sopranos.
Non Stop Fun!!!!!
On: 2009-01-27I recommend this game to everyone, the most complete GTA yet, great graphics especially in HDMI,good sound and very good gameplay, if you are still stuck with san andreas dont think twice before buying GTA IV.
Truly a great game, but....
On: 2009-01-26GTA IV is truly a great game. It is fun, the graphics are amazing, it has a lot of hours of gameplay... I just felt it was a step backwards from San Andreas.
I miss not being able to truly change the main character, the weight gain and loss, haircuts, tattoos... all gone. There are even fewer clothing options (which I didnt miss that much). But these are the little things, the big thing is that it feels... smaller. I had a blast in San Andreas because the sandbox seemed almost infinite, felt you had seen it all and then discovered the train mission. Increase your skills. Did a bunch of Firefighter missions and discover yourself fireproof. Hunt for oysters. It was fun, and always rewarding to explore (for Gods sake you could do a triathlon.. and it was tough!!).
GTA IV is much,much, smaller. Having only one city (albeit a huge one) limits the visual style of where you can go and do. There just isnt that much to do other than the storyline missions. You can no longer buy a property and get missions through that (what were they thinking??), no work out, few safehouses, the sandbox is just plain smaller in general. Prettier, but smaller. No burglar missions, no ambulance missions, no gang wars, no skydiving, heck no plain diving...
The tone is also a problem, San Andreas placed you in the cartoony universe of GTA, you could steal a fighter jet, you invaded military installations with your hommies, you stole military prototypes. It was clearly fantasy. GTA IV tries to go for a much more sober storyline style, and in my opinion it doesnt work. It doesnt make sense to have a more realistic storyline and character interaction amidst the super high octane action that the game is known for and is woven into the storyline. Not only that, I found that despite the deeper emotional subtext, the characters were far less interesting (heck, remember the shock Big Smoke gave us?).
Why four stars then? Well it is still a great game. The graphics are amazing, the driving is really good (I think bikes got short-changed though), there are tons of hours of great gameplay, the shooting is very well made, and did I mention that the graphics are great? The music, and radio in general, were also a step up (the TV and internet were a bust though for being too small and repetitive); the incorporation of the cellphone was wonderfully made. They tried adding a bit of new toys to the sandbox like bowling, but given all that was lost it couldnt compensate. The voice acting was very good, despite no longer having the big names as San Andreas had (I assume it was a cost-benefit decision, and probably the right one). It is truly a great game, but the previous one was a greater game and that stopped me from enjoying it at a five-star level.
Grand Theft Auto IV
On: 2009-01-26Great game, as good and in many ways better than the previous GTA games. A great purchase for the price I got it for.
Best graphics of any game for the 360
On: 2009-01-23This game is visually stunning. I cant even comprehend the amount of time and effort that must have gone into making this game. Every block, every street, and every building is maticulously detailed. Everything is unique in this game. Theres no repetition. How anyone can complain about it not living up to their expectations is beyond me. Play GTA 4, and then try playing any other GTA title again... There is no comparison.
A decent game but no where near the hype
On: 2009-01-19I cant understand how nearly every mainstream gaming critics showered GTA IV with perfect 10 reviews. While it is a huge, well written, well produced game, its small flaws outshine everything else.
-The game ultimately fails because of its archaic health and checkpoint system. Health can only be regained by eating food but food can only be found at one of the handful of restaurants and hot dog stands (the latter of which arent even shown on the map). Body armor, which doubles your health, is also only found at one of the three gun shops in Liberty City. This wouldnt be too bad if your health didnt deplete so fast. Enemies can deplete most of your health in a few shots. As for a checkpoint system, the game has almost none. If you make one mistake and get shot at the very end of a mission, you have to start all over again.
-Simply walking around is a pain. Youre constantly fighting the camera as it tries to reposition itself, instead of floating freely for you to control. As a result, navigating close quarters, like a building, can be daunting. Move to fast and youre likely to miss seeing an enemy who can take down half your health in a few rounds.
-The voice acting is solid and well written as promised but the story simple takes too long. It takes hours just to figure out what Niko is doing there! And for all the talk of an excellent story, 90% of the time its just different ways of saying "Go here, kill him." Also the first two hours are taxi cab missions.
-The story requires you to date. Yes, as in, pick up a girl at a certain time, drive her to a bowling alley, play 10 frames, and return her on time. Where does this have anything to do with Grand Theft Auto?
-Grenades sucks. Unless youre in a wide open space, free of any boxes or curbs, your grenades will constantly fly off course. If there are any obstructions too close when you toss it, theres almost a 50/50 chance it will land right at your feet (I was almost to the end of the VERY LAST mission when I tossed a grenade. Without any kind of grenade indicator, it exploded from under me, starting me back over without any of the ammo or body armor I started the mission with).
-Finally, the game itself just takes too long. I was almost 5 hours in before I even got a machine gun. I didnt unlock the RPG until the last few hours of play.
If I were you, rent GTA IV, plug in all the cheat codes, and spend a week going on a rampage. The rest of the game ultimately isnt worth the frustration.
Not like GTA san andreas
On: 2009-01-16When I bought this game I hoped it was like san andreas, but better graphics and physics. Actually they accomplished physics really good, when you run somebody it looks like you would imagine it. Graphics are amazing!!!
This game is awesome and realistic, but theyre missing what GTA so far stood for like a lot of weapons and disaster. Im going to say the most important things missing (the ones that I liked so much about san andreas):
1 No planes, WHY????
2 No car customization just the boooooring random paint
3 No parachutes (so, no base jumping)
4 Country side in the map, mountains and view point
People say that the driving is meant to be realistic, in some way it is, but in which world you couldnt brake and turn at the same time... not too bad, but the bike driving is so unreal they feel like a truck turning
GTA4 Rocks!!
On: 2009-01-15Great Game, make sure to use the online cheats. Its basically a game where you can do anything you want and when the cops come, use a cheat and they magically walk away!! Make sure to fly the helicopter
This sux
On: 2009-01-12This person never sent me the game. I bought it b4 xmas and I still havnt gotten it! What a rip off
Problems
On: 2009-01-12I purchased this game for my son for Christmas, and it does NOT work. He has been trying to get help through the manufacturer, but so far, he hasnt had any success.. We are very disappointed :(
Awesome!
On: 2009-01-12There is nothing wrong to say about this game. If you are into mature video games this is it. You can never go wrong with a GTA game, and their latest is a winner. You wont regret it.
Perfect!
On: 2009-01-11My son asked for this game for Christmas. It arrived in plenty of time and now he wont come out of his room! He plays it all the time. Thanks for making it more affordable!
Great, but could've been LEGENDARY.
On: 2009-01-11Rockstar definitely did a great job of maximizing the capabilities of both Next Gen consoles. The graphics and the game play are amazing, especially compared to that of the last gen versions that seemed to be drawn with color pencils and markers. My only beef is that the game is WAY too short, considering how much game time we got from San Andreas. GTA San Andreas consisted of 3 large cities, filled with a significant chunk of storyline. How could it be that, the newest edition.. on a superior system, could not even come close to that? GTA IV is basically NYC and a few surrounding cities.. which have only a small portion of the story? I was literally expecting this game to last for weeks.. but only a week and a half into it, I am almost done. I didnt play nonstop.. I played only a few hours at a time and sure enough, Im nearly done. Definitely disappointing considering what couldve been.
CMacks Official
On: 2009-01-07Cmack AKA DJCrum back in to give you some insight on GTA4. SICK game. once again Rockstar games has come out with a beauty. smooth play, sick cars, hot women, and mad gameplay. not to mention the new online multiplayer matches. "I got the heli" some people say it gets boring, the past ones maybe so but the story line in this one is off the chain. a must own game.
Thats whats up. Get the Official review from me CMack.
Fun but for the older crowd!
On: 2009-01-06Fun game...but definitely some inappropriate content for anyone under 18. DO NOT BUY FOR YOUR KIDS!
great game! when it works! unfortunatley it doesn't work so great!
On: 2009-01-04GTA 4 could have been classic! I tried to get into it, but I played a few missions and it froze. I checked the disc and it was fine. I returned the disc to Gamestop, and exchanged for another one, and the disc seemed better. So I thought it would work fine, but I was wrong! I did did the same thing! It froze AGAIN! Now I can see if this game didnt have this issue I would give it all the praise it deserves, but sorry Rockstar you aint getting mine! Not with all the aggravation and tamdrums Ive been through with this broken, overhyped game! I honestly have ask myself "What on Earth is Rockstar Games Thinking?! And what was everybody thinking?!" Is it the best in the GTA Series??!! NOT QUITE AT ALL!!!
Good, could be better.
On: 2009-01-04This game received a 10/10 from IGN (among others I believe), a rating I strongly disagree with. The environment is very interactive and there is so much you can do, but as a result the controls are a bit weak in different parts of the game. Also, if youve played other GTA games this is not anything very different, despite many critics and reviews saying otherwise.
The game is pretty violent, which is neither a pro or con in my opinion, just something to note.
Overall its a good game, and I would recommend getting it if youve never played any GTA games before. If you have played them, or have anything against video game violence, you could probably let this one go.
GTA 4 Really?
On: 2009-01-02Before I start ranting, I just want to say that GTA4, as a game of its own, is actually quite good, but as a GTA game, it has shortcomings. So Lets kick this review off right.
Graphics: GTA4 has rather well defined graphics. It is definitely much better from its predecessors. Among many of the improvements graphically; people in the car actually move as they speak, blood stains actually appear on your car if you hit people, hitting newspaper stands actually cause newspapers to go flying everywhere, and some of the text on those flying newspapers is actually legible. So, suffice it to say, GTA is graphically a good game. Is it as good as all the other games out there, not really, but it is an open ended gameplay where you can go anywhere, and as far as that goes, it is pretty great.
Glitches: The game has quite a few glitches, as most of them do, which cause random events from a car to start flying in circles to your legs falling through the floor. It is expected in most games of this style I suppose, but is worth mentioning that these are no fewer than any previous GTA Game.
Setting: Taking place in a new liberty city similar to New York, the game offers little in the ways of variety. You go from tight closed off streets with big buildings to tight closed off streets with really big buildings. It is a bit claustrophobic, giving you very little room to just drive and speed up to top speed. San Andreas was expansive, giving you three cities completely different in appearance, numerous small towns, mountains, forests, and deserts. 4 gives you one city, nothing else.
Car Gameplay: The cars in this game seem much more difficult to control, was this done for realism sake, I am not sure. However, sometimes, some cars have incredibly poor traction and put you into terrible accidents when you think you have plenty of time to stop. It is hard to tell which cars are better, as appearance doesnt always suggest driving style. A couple of added things kind of make the gameplay funner. Most park cars are locked now, so you actually break the window, unlock the car, then actually hotwire it, You can speed up hotwiring, but it usually doesnt take more than a couple seconds anyway. Also, you can receive damage, fly out the window shield, die in fatal accidents, drive drunk (which always gets a cop on your tail) and even have a car die and wont start up again. However, many of these events seem random, and you can ram a building at 50 miles an hour and recieve no damage, or hit a fence and 25 miles an hour, fly our your window shield, and have you car land on you. So that kind of sucks.
Person Gameplay: On a surplus, you can now use cover and hide behind stuff, also peaking out from behind cover to shoot an opponent. You also have a new melee system, which includes kick, punch, and block combos. It isnt much better than the original system, but it does give you a bit more control over what you are doing to your opponent. However, once you get a couple guns, this becomes almost irrelevant anyway. Everything else is just about the same from previous games.
Story: The story is OK. I cant say I feel too passionate about the protagonist, who just doesnt appeal to me as much as the GTA3 + characters, who were frequently hilarious and likable. Niko revenge story does not seem as passionate as GTA3, and that guy was a mute. He lacks the ambition of VC character, and SA did a better job of displaying that protagonists goals and ideals(protecting his home and family). Besides that, it seems less humorous and more serious of a story. It still has all the jokes from the previous GTAs, I cant really put my finger on it, but everything in this one just seems more serious. One reviewer believes that this is GTA with a conscious, which I kind of agree with, maybe groups put pressure on Rockstar to make them show the consequences of your actions, since it seems like youre constantly being reminded that killing, drunk driving, and prostitution are bad.
The Extras: This is where I feel the game fell. Had this game been the direct sequel from GTA III, I probably would have been a lot easier on it, but VC and SA existed, and this game almost seems to have forgotten that fact. This game almost seems like a stripped version of its predecessors. No gang wars, no gambling, no owning businesses, no car collections. Flying has almost been cut out of this game, although I cant imagine why, it was such a successful feature. Fighting on a flying plane, then para shooting out was the coolest thing ever, not to mention stealing a harrier jet from a battleship. The girlfriend thing from SA was added to, making normal friends too. This is worse, as you now have to maintain relationships with not only your gfs, but any friend you make as well. I also believe the "sex scenes" you get at the end of the date are toned down a bit. I dislike where Rockstar is going with this game, it almost as if they want to take the open part out of open game. They keep you caught up with their characters with frequent cellphone calls, rather than letting you initiate your own sidequests by setting in the right vehicle or shiny circle.
Sum it Up: So in general, this game is a worthy sequel to GTA III... as long as you pretend SA and VC did not exist. It cuts out way too much content added in the last two (what do you call them, expansion packs?). Why they felt the need to cut so much? Or did they feel they had to to make room for more graphics? If so, I would pick side missions and content over graphics any day.
One more beef that bugged me endlessly, they cut out hidden packages and replaced it with flying rats that you can shoot. That was a good idea, but the thing is, you dont get anything unless you shoot all 200, which gets you an achievement (big whoop) and a pop up for just about the only flying thing in the game (helicopter). I always depended on those items that pop up have 10, 30, 50 packages. Just knowing that if I got arrested or used up my ammo, that I always had a store at my place was great. This just bites, what horrible thing happened to Rockstar, whom created a nearly perfect game with San Andreas, feel they needed to take a chainsaw to the game and cut out all of its charm. Oh well, I hope that answers your questions and helps your decision in getting GTA 4.
Great game for blowing off steam!
On: 2008-12-28This is not my favorite GTA in the series but it still is an amazing game. This is a game for those days when you are aggravated and are ready to knock someone out. This game will allow you to take out your anger. I have never been one for the missions in any GTA game so I cant really talk about the actual missions or difficulty of the game but for me it was a lot of fun to play. If you buy this you will not be disappointed. It is well worth the money and you will get hours of entertainment from this game.
addictive
On: 2008-12-27ok so everyone has heard about this game, whether they wanted to or not and whether they like it or not. im just going to say one thing, this game is exceptional and truly awesome (yes this is actually the one time where the word actually makes sense to use!). im actually at a loss for words, but i will say be prepared to play this for at LEAST a month straight, if not more.
Play World of Warcraft instead!
On: 2008-12-26I love playing WOW. Its so fun!
WOW helped me get the follow accomplished with my life:
1. Helped me earn college credits from home! Yes, Blizzard is now accredited Regionally. You earn credits in Information Systems, Math, Alchemy, Physical Education, Military Science, and Time Management. Incredible huh!
2. Helped me get chicks. Being on a computer all day helped me become a chick magnet! Girls were asking for my myspace URL left and right!
3. Helped me learn time management. Instead of being like the losers that I went to high school with, I spent 80+ hours a week doing something that will help with progressing in my life. and to think all these losers joined the military or went to State Universities.. LOL!
4. Helped me learn foreign language 1337. Leet is very useful these days.. especially in the IT industry. LOL!
Plus, the game is just so fun! Funner than Call of Duty 4 and the GTA series!
Whining about gritty realism ends up with this
On: 2008-12-23So the last few Grand Theft Auto games were great fun and rather shiny and colorful, and while people whine and complain about wanting things grittier and more realistic, you end up with this.
Grand Theft Auto IV is undoubtedly the most realistic GTA game ever. And its also one of the most boring.
Everything that can be said about it has already been said by hundreds of reviewers, and spectacularly by that guy I keep mentioning in my reviews, Yahtzee, of The Escapist magazine.
On the good side, the game indeed LOOKS very real, and has some amazing rag-doll physics and the like.
The bad side is extreme in comparison. Your character is a generic Eastern European refugee whose life consists of being an unemployed bum who goes about carrying out illegal jobs in a lackadaisical "oh vell I guess eet eez time to keel sambaddy" demeanor, while he and his cousin get exploited and ripped off by everyone, and his cousin calls him all the damn time to go out on dates bowling or drinking or whatever.
The controls are odd and the citys colors are all manner of shades of gray, brown, and graybrown. It is so dismally bleak and gritty that not even a real life New York City would resemble this sort of city every day of the year. Everything is in such bleak colors bordering on monochrome that it makes it a bore to look at despite the fantastic graphics.
The driving takes the cake (Chocolate. With lemon filling. And vanilla/caramel frosting) as being the absolute biggest and worst fault in this game. Having driven cars in GTA3-GTA San Andreas, as well as in other games involving driving, and Saints Row 2, as well as even driving in real life, it is safe and believable for me to say:
THE DRIVING IN GTAIV DOES NOT COME ANYWHERE CLOSE TO REALITY. IT IS A GIGANTIC CASATROF*** MESS. IT IS DOODOO.
The driving system in this game seems to be that every car you get into immediately has buttery tires and gains a thousand pounds, as just going 10-20 miles an hour makes clean, tight turns a physical impossibility. Unless you come to a complete stop and slowly edge your way into a sharp or not-so-sharp turn, youll end up either going far too wide out of your lane, or completely losing control and spinning or swerving or crashing.
Nothing in real life can possibly mirror the driving in this game save for perhaps driving piss-drunk wasted with two or three flat tires and several heavy objects weighing down the trunk.
Multiplayer is a great new addition, as it lets you create your own character (although with a limited number of choices) so I got to create my own fantasy creation complete with long red hair, a beret, glasses, and a rainbow-colored jacket. By the way, if anyone knows of any rainbow-colored jackets in real life, let me know so I may buy one.
Despite the fun of multiplayer, or rather BECAUSE of it, it distracts heavily from the main campaign. The main storyline is so utterly boring and pathetic, and Niko Bellic is such a drag to play as, I havent managed to get more than three or four missions into the story before giving up entirely and playing multiplayer, where Ive had my most memorable experiences with the game.
However, despite all the work gone into crafting this, it fails out in comparison to its predecessor, because it fails to balance gritty realism with escapist cartoonish-ness, simultaneously encouraging and punishing us for going all-out sandbox murder and mayhemming, while also giving us in-game TV to watch, as if to mock us for our pathetic lives that we buy a video game about murder and mayhem and spend the first moments of the game buying news clothes, going out on a date, and watching TV ALL WHILE IN GAME.
I said it in my review for Saints Row 2, but Ill say here that Saints Row 2, by a different company, and a complete and utter GTA clone, is in fact far superior to GTAIV.
GTA 4 Pretty Good
On: 2008-12-21The graphics, sound and gameplay were all great. I really did enjoy the story, as it made the missions more challenging and coherent. Although I still think that we should get more save points.
A little glitchy, but stunning detail and fantastic gameplay overall
On: 2008-12-19Ive enjoyed the GTA series since the old top-down days, and I thought it couldnt get any better than Vice City and San Andreas, but GTA IV takes it to new heights. This was my first next-gen gaming experience, as I bought an XBox 360 pretty much just so I could try this game. Its a bit glitchy, freezing from time to time (usually what I call a bedtime reminder) but Im blinded by what all the game has to offer.
Waste Of Time. Including Money
On: 2008-12-14This Game Was Horrible In So Many Ways, Yes The Graphics Was Great, But, Thats About It. The Storyline Was Just Plain Stupid And Boring. All You Do Is Drive Around Which Driving Is Another Problem The City Doing Pointless Missions. As I Was Saying With Driving Is A Problem? Yes It Is, The Controls Suck And Its To Thick To Play This Game.
There Is Nothing Good About This Game, Except Its Graphics. This Was A Waste Of Money, Saints Row Is Better.
Waste Of Time, Including Money
On: 2008-12-14This Was Not A Good Game. Yes, The Graphics Are Good, But, Thats About It. The Storyline Was Stupid And Pointless, And The Controls Suck. In Story Mode, All You Do Is Drive Around The City, And Driving Is Another Problem Also The Controls To This Game Is To Thick, And It Feels Hard Trying To Control The Character.
This Was A Boring Game, Saints Row Is Way Better Then This.
Horrible Game
On: 2008-12-14This Game Is Garbage. The Only Thing Thats Good In This Game Are The Graphics. The Rest Suck, And The Controls Is Hard To Handle. Driving A Vehicle Is Frustrating, And Kinda Hard To Handle. The Storyline Was Pointless And Repitive.
This Game Is Not Worth Buying. This Game Is A Major Dissapointment.
get 4 free
On: 2008-12-14ge this game 4 free at [...] no joke i got a mic and mirrors edge in like a week
Bigger Budget = Less Fun
On: 2008-12-12This game is boring, and the story is extremely shallow and disappointing.
The point in the past of Grand Theft Auto was to do things that you would not normally do in real life. For example going out and just randomly blasting away, or driving down the sidewalks in a hummer just mowing people down. This wasnt necessarily taken away in GTA4, but I was less inclined to do things of this nature, because the rest of the game pushed realism so much. I dont know if this game was intended to be an extremely violent version of a life simulation of the first couple of weeks of an Eastern European immigrant into New York City, but thats what it ends up being. Im quite sure that immigrants have a difficult time to say the least, but this approaches the subject in a cold manner. In fact its quite disconcerting to me to play this game. The only relief in the game is about halfway through when you meet Kate, and in the end the game destroys that relief. The end of the game is so unspectacular that it leaves almost every player wondering if the game is really over.
The environments of the game are incredibly detailed. If all you care about is seeing what New York looks like then rent this game and drive all over the city. Its beautiful to do, just dont watch Nicos animation, because its atrocious. The Euphoria engine is used well when drinking is in effect, but thats simply because the screen is somewhat blurred by the drunk effect. When hit by a car the Euphoria engine takes over and its abysmal at least 50% of the time. Also dont drive. GTA3, Vice City, and San Andreas all had similar driving styles, but GTA4 does not. The driving is more realistic, and makes some of the missions unbearably frustrating.
My real issue with Grand Theft Auto 4 is that they attempted to make everything more realistic, except for the story. The entire idea of the GTA series(prior to GTA4) is to have an unrealistic world to jump into and do any of the dastardly deeds that you want to that are possible in the game.
The game also gives you choices of whether or not to kill people, but they are only certain people in the game and your choices have no real outcome upon the story, or the game world for the most part.
To be honest this is a beautiful rendering of New York City, but is extremely overrated in terms of gameplay, animation, style, and story.
A scaled down, but good installment for GTA
On: 2008-12-08Im not a huge GTA fan, but Ive enjoyed the last two games Vice City and San Andreas. This one was the best of the three, even though it was scaled back alot from San Andreas. GTA 4 had a better more realistic story, that was immersive and entertaining. The characters were fun and believable and well voice acted. The characters and radio station were also as humorous as ever. The animation and sound effects were good.
This game still has plenty of roam free and do whatever you want elements to it. If you liked the previous versions you should enjoy this one.
Best game for Xbox 360
On: 2008-12-06If you have liked the previous titles, this would beat your even high expectations!
The graphics are super cool and almost real, if you are a New yorker, you will find it even easier to go around the city. This game is a complete package: story, thriller, action and drama
Enjoy!
Simply Amazing!
On: 2008-12-03This game is one of the most fun/addicting ones I have ever played! I had never played a GTA game before this, but it was so fun. The mix of driving and gunplay is just right to keep the game upbeat and new. The missions range from funny to dark, but they all are exciting- from robbing a bank to setting up an online job appointment with a lawyer firm (in order to get to a target!). The game is absolutely incredible.
The story line isnt spectacular, but it has enough of a drive to keep you feeling like you are working towards something, though Its easy to get distracted jacking boats, cars, and helicopters.
Anyone who has ever played a GTA game should definitely buy this one, and for those of you who havent, you should give it a try!
Great
On: 2008-12-01still the best game ive played in a longtime, some people dislikes it but its your option i wont blame you, but love this game...
Don't buy the PC version - it has DRM
On: 2008-11-30I bought the Xbox version instead. Why? Because it doesnt include virus-like DRM copy-protection or frak up my computer.
My copy cost ~$10 Used at my local gaming store, so Rockstars decision to include Virus-like DRM software on the PC version cost them a $50 brand-new sale. Serves them right. Any company that seeks to damage my computer is not going to see a single penny from me.
As for the game itself -
Did you like GTA3 Liberty City, Vice City, or San Andreas? If so, youll like this too. Its the same great game, albeit the PC version is marred by Rockstars poor decision to include DRM, which is why I recommend the Playstation or Xbox version instead.
GTA4
On: 2008-11-28This game to me is way ahead of its time(in a good way).The graphics are stunning and everything looks very realistic.Not exactly for the younger audience(the ratings prove it,rated M)but is very fun.There are very many modes of transprotation.There is even a tram system!Belive me,it is the best way to spend your money on videogames.You wont be dissapointed
Boring, Repetitive, same old same old.
On: 2008-11-28I didnt really know what to expect with this release. I have played every previous grand theft auto release before this. I thought the first one on PlayStation 2 was awesome along with San Andreas. The others were same old same old. Now this. There is NOTHING new in this release. Its the same old same old. Boring and repetitive. I think I might be done with the grand theft auto series after playing this. The "friend" thing they entered in this game is lame and annoying.
I dont what else to say. The game is dull, the main story is actually ok, its very repetitive, and did I say DULL? Im mad that I wasted $60 bucks on this game.
Great game
On: 2008-11-26Theres not much I can say that hasnt been said better already but Ill give a quick list of my top good and bad points about the game.
Good:
-Graphics
-Pure fun factor
-Tons of missions
-Multilayer
Bad:
-Repetition
-Some unfair missions
-In game friend system is annoying/pointless
Overall worth playing. Not the best game ever but definitely great.
Wow!
On: 2008-11-22Well, I was really disappointed with this game at first, I thought it was kinda boring, and then I got into It and I love it. This is GTA realized from the dreams of a millions of GTA fans. The story line is even a little less chessier. Niko is actually interesting and the cutscenes and plot are pretty entertaining. The graphics really show off on 360 you can tell that youre xbox is a monster when it shows you what it can do graphically and gameplay wise. All the new cars are pretty and the paint shimmers on them in the digital sun. The driving mechanics are lacking pretty bad in comparison to previous GTA games, Its kinda hard to drive fast and stay in control any more (especially in corners) but its still nonetheless entertaining. The city is big, sprawling and alive with all types of digital people, ive yet to see all of it. The min-games are even better with the addition of darts, bowling,drinking (driving drunk is fun! In this game I mean) and Im glad to see pool is still there. It seems like they based the aiming and shooting system off of Gears of War which make it really fun to shoot undesirables. And now you can steal any car anywhere. If the door is locked Niko just busts the window and hotwires it. Im still making my way through the beginning and I love it! Buy this game!
Worst Game Ever Devised!
On: 2008-11-21The "Grand Theft Auto" series is an insult to the world of video gaming. In no games should you be allowed to kill cops, run over people, and engage in disgusting and perverted activity while playing the game! In addition to being mindless dribble, games like this pervert the minds of anyone who plays them! These games will DEFINITELY NOT be in Heaven!
My Prayer for Gamers
On: 2008-11-21I know a woman who told me that her five year old son plays video games rated Mature. Imagine what this youngster sees and hears: maimed body parts flying through the air, gigantic sprays of blood, hordes of f-words, the tortured screams of dying humans and creatures. Now, these types of games have jaw-dropping graphics, often well-written and intense storylines, and are amazing in the overall gameplay departments. But the buck stops there. Mature rated games are really unnecessary. The same graphics, gameplay, and even storylines can be delivered to eager gamers everywhere even if the blood, gore, sexuality, and cursing are cut out. Do we really need this type of content in games that would be just fine without them? What type of example is that setting for the younger generations? If they see us playing these Mature rated games, wont the bloody images and foul swear words embed themselves in their minds? Wont they in ours?
My personal wish would be that Mature as a rating would be eliminated and the highest rated games would have be rated Teen. Already, some Teen games are pushing the limit. Why do the game publishers and developers feel that more and more risqué and lewd content are needed? If gamers everywhere stood up and with one voice said "ENOUGH," this problem would go away. It is my prayer that they will.
The quintessential GTA
On: 2008-11-18This game is the jewel in the crown for Rockstar Games. I bought it for my son and let him finish all the missions first, of course, and now I sneak it while hes at school and have a blast. Its got a great storyline with different endings. Its pretty linear but you never feel forced or boxed into following a set path as you can always go off on a side tangent and have fun and forget the missions for a while.
I highly recommend it for everyone, except younger children as it can be pretty bloody, graphic, and profane. But thats what makes it so fun for the rest of us.
Simply Amazing
On: 2008-11-17Ill keep it short.
The franchise has improved upon every subsequent release and it has gotten to the point where this game is so amazing that I have dreams about it.
Its gigantic, beautiful, incredibly detailed, has a great story, is incredibly realistic, ... the list goes on.
If youre a GTA fan, its a must buy, if youre considering buying it, BUY IT! If youre not considering it, why are you reading this review?
Great Buy
On: 2008-11-17In perfect condition.I ordered a book and then i ordered this a day later.This game got here 2 days before the book!!!
One of the most engaging and entertaining games available
On: 2008-11-16I was never a huge fan of the GTA series but I knew that the this one was going to blow everyone away... and it certainly did. Beginning with the 1997 release of the original Grand Theft Auto, the GTA series has been one of the most prolific, controversial and down right entertaining franchises in video games history. First of all GTA 4 is fantastic full of mouth watering visuals down to the weeds growing in the cracks in the sidewalk, cars and buildings of all heights and the unbelievable NPCs who are intelligent, modern, human representations that laugh, cry, eat, drink, use cell phones and ATMs, and talking amongst themselves regardless of Nikos interaction with them. However the subject that really stands out is the gameplay with massive improvements since the previous one with an improve combat system and modern features such as a mobile phone which runs the show and a social where you can have a girlfriend. With players experiencing entirely new and exciting emphasis centered on the blending of on-mission and off-mission play, resulting in an increased sense of realism and more interesting and unrestricted gameplay.
An outstanding and a first to the GTA franchise is the new multiplayer modes allowing you to play online in competitive, co-op, and free form modes. Competitive mode has you fighting against the cops, jacking cars, or racing to finish odd jobs.
GTA 4 others so much more to the series than ever before with a polished story line with a slick script, detailed world of the modern New York City, releastic social life full of gentlemans clubs, comedy clubs, bowling alleys, and bars, which all house unique activities, an environment which you can interact with, with 4 islands to explore, plenty of side missions and of course a very entertaining multiplayer with plenty to do for several months or years to come. A must have for console owners.
Great
On: 2008-11-11cd looks like it is brand new (no scratches). Got here in 3 business days
Avoid this stupid game and Play World of Warcraft!
On: 2008-11-10I love playing WOW. Its so fun!
WOW helped me get the follow accomplished with my life:
1. Helped me earn college credits from home! Yes, Blizzard is now accredited Regionally. You earn credits in Information Systems, Math, Alchemy, Physical Education, Military Science, and Time Management. Incredible huh!
2. Helped me get chicks. Being on a computer all day helped me become a chick magnet! Girls were asking for my myspace URL left and right!
3. Helped me learn time management. Instead of being like the losers that I went to high school with, I spent 80+ hours a week doing something that will help with progressing in my life. and to think all these losers joined the military or went to State Universities.. LOL!
4. Helped me learn foreign language 1337. Leet is very useful these days.. especially in the IT industry. LOL!
Plus, the game is just so fun! Funner than Call of Duty 4 and the GTA series!
More Realistic Then Older GTA's
On: 2008-11-08GTA4 didnt disappoint me with its gritty realism. I think I will be playing the game for years to come, just like how I still play GTA: 3/VC/SA every now and then.
There are some small differences between GTA3 engine renditions and this new GTA4. These "small" differences make a huge difference to the overall experisance. You dont play GTA4 to go on a rampage without any guns and expect to survive for very long at all. You dont drive full speed through the city in GTA4 and expect to survive for very long (you will fly right out your windshield if you arent careful and it will hurt).
GTA4 has lost a lot of the "rampage" feel to it, but the added realism makes it fun in its own way. (try Saints Row 2 if you want a rampage game).
Absolutely amazing....but the best has yet to come...
On: 2008-10-31I am a fanatic of the GTA series but I can tell you about 50 things which I absolutely hate about this game. Taking into account those 50 flaws or shortcomings, in my opinion, this is still by far the best video game I have ever played. Im just trying to be patient and wait for DLC in hopes that the makers will add some player/weapon/vehicle customization, mission variety, meaningful content (as opposed to going bowling with your friends) and make the game more challenging. Either way, Im glad Rockstar laid down this amazingly stunning and realistic foundation of Grand Theft Auto on to the xbox360/PS3 consoles and that going forward we should only see improvements via DLC, GTA V, etc.
Probably the worst game, I've ever played!
On: 2008-10-27I barrowed this from a friend who hasnt played the game in months, and I asked him, why, whats wrong with the game? His response was "You wont like it and ill even give you a month to try it out". Turns out he was right, within a week I gave it back to him, due to the unbelievable amount of bs this games subjects you to.
First off, The controls for this game are straight garbage! Let me repeat that! PURE UTTER GARBAGE! Seriously, who wants to spend precious time toggling through weapons during an intense fire fight? WTF! Saints Row got it right, all you had to do was press and hold the B button and you were able to select whatever weapons you had in your arsenal. What happened to simple controls, like Halo 3, where you press one button and youre able to cycle through all the weapon in your possession. I dont know if this happens to other players, but Niko sometimes takes off without me touching the controls, again the controls suck because of this. Rockstar, address this issue or all your fans will be running to other gaming titles!
Secondly, the load times for this game are abominable; the time it takes this game to load are INEXCUSABLE. This probably my second biggest complaint about this game, did they seriously test this game before releasing it to the massess?
Third, the driving is a complete NIGHTMARE! Regardless of the car you drive, one little slight movement of the wheel and youre all over the place. Last I checked I wasnt driving some 1100 HP twin charged supercar, am I missing something here? I mean whats the point of driving especially the bikes when they are undriveable? During missions where youre required to chase or run from enemies this is where you really notice just how bad the driving on this game really is. My goodness, I failed more missions due to the poor handling these cars provide you in the game. What were they trying to accomplish by making everything undriveable?
Next we have the running, hmmph! Talking about being unrealistic -- Whats the point of running away from a guy if they can catch up to you? Lets be honest a heavy set man or woman weighing at in at 300 lbs has no business keeping up with a slim seemingly in-shape guy, come on, WTF! During an intese firefight with the cops, I ran because my life was low, and while Im running I looked behind me, and get this; this fat cop is literally runnnig stride for stride with me, WTF? I guess everybody on the game has the speed of Usain Bolt, because out running people on here is a joke.
Since when did fighting become a community effort? You attack one person, and youre getting swarmed by 3 or more people, if things were like that in the real world then I would understand, but come on, how are you supposed to enjoy getting killed by average people ganging up on you.
Camera control, I think Ive spent more time fighting with the camera control then I did with the bad guys, COME ON, this is by far the main reason why I stopped playing this game. Why cant the camera simply look where youre looking, not where it wants to look, for corns sake.
Missions: got old VERY quick, and are really difficult especially if you lack the patience as I do, and for what? To do another pointless bs mission, they really had no directions or true sense of accomplishments after completing them. The storyline, It completely didnt have any point to it, oh wait, it did sex, drugs, killing, racism and more of the same. Safe to say, I could have constructed a far better plot than this.
The good thing about all of this was, I didnt give Rockstar any money for this game, as I barrowed it from a friend, and Im glad I wasnt in line waiting for this game or else I would have been severely disappointed. So hopefully my review will serve as a wakeup call to those seriously thinking about purchasing this game, cause its not worth it.
Niko is the best
On: 2008-10-21I haved play all of the grand theft games and let me tell you this game has great graphics and great gameplay. the only problem that i have its that the misions are very similars .
Worst entry into the series.
On: 2008-10-20There was so much hype surrounding this game, and it just fell sooooo short from expectations.
Lets start with the main problems,
All the customization options from GTA: San Andreas are gone. No more bike ridding, bodybuilding, haircuts, tattoos, stamina, underwater swimming, Airplanes, parachuting,Car customizing.
Its essentially GTA 3 with better graphics and story
The developers said this stuff "wasnt possible" in this game. Which is complete bull, if its was possible in the previous game then why is not possible in this game with superior console power?
Onto the Online play.
Its So-So, nothing exciting. Some interesting gametypes, but the aiming system is pretty bad. People dont die if you plow into them with a car at full speed.
All enemies,friendlies,and weapons show up on radar making it pretty cluttered.
More of a rental if you ask me.
Wish I wouldn't have given in to my son's request
On: 2008-10-20This was a "bought it because everyong else had" purchase. Great parents, friends of mine had gotten it for their kids. Its such a popular game and fun game for the kids to play. Of all the children I knew who played it, I had heard that some were not allowed to (go into the strip clubs, etc.) I finally gave in. Thought I would try the same tactics of "controlling" different scenes/places he would be allowed to go, so he wouldnt be so exposed. WHAT WAS I THINKING!!???!! Every day was a shocker. He would say he was killing the cops, blah, blah, blah. Just a lot of unethical, violent things where his position is the bad guy. I just dont like it. My fault. I shouldnt have given in to the popularity of the game and what my friends and their kids were all doing. They are regretting it just as much!
More of the same, but a bit better
On: 2008-10-14Well I might as well start off saying that GTA4 is a pretty good refinement of the well loved series. The story and voice acting are good, and actually flow fairly well. There is even some good character development, not a lot for the NPCs, but still some. There are also a good amount of interesting missions. But after not too long it starts to get very repetitive. Some missions are frustratingly difficult as is the standard, but must be beat in order to advance. As usually you are initially locked into one area when you start the game and unlock other areas through mission completion. Which is well and good but that prevents this from being a true open world experience. I have never been thrilled with the GTA control scheme and this is no different. The controls are not as responsive as I like, and buttons are assigned to many actions. So you will find your character doing something other than you want him too fairly often. The shooting and targeting system is much improved, but the lock on system is poor. Personally I hate GTA4, I find it repetitive and annoying with a good amount of mission success resulting from just dumb luck. There are far too many chase missions, some you have no trouble with and some you will be constantly foiled by NPC drivers. If you are already a GTA fan this is more of the same, but slightly better and you will love it. If you are on the fence I would recommend a rental. And if you are luke warm to the series this iteration isnt going to convert you. Good gaming.
The best video game than I have played in my life.
On: 2008-10-12No game has never given as much freedom you. Better than all the previous ones.
Rockstar's Not So Grand Opus
On: 2008-10-11Theres no need to discuss the hype behind this game or its commercial success. We all know it was well received by the public, got great reviews and made Rockstar even richer.
So how does it play? Was it worth the wait? Should it have waited even longer? Maybe and absolutely.
The game does an admirable job of representing what is basically New York and having a sympathetic lead who kills, steals and double-crosses to survive. He doesnt like what he does, wishes he didnt have to do it, but in order to fulfill his objective, he has to do these things. (Note that the vast majority of people he kills, steals from and double-crosses arent even worthy of being called scum.) The game also forces the player to make some hard choices which have long-lasting consequences. And of course, true to form for a GTA game, theres weapons, explosions, sex, car chases, gun fights and profanities aplenty.
Which leads me to the first of many letdowns for this game. The missions are so repetitive, so tedious, so monotonous, and so boring that it is literally impossible to truly differentiate one mission from the next. A good 50% of the game, probably more involves shooting endless waves of enemies, many of whom pop up in completely illogical places. It is very easy for one enemy to kill you in a matter of seconds after having done so well up to that point.
Which brings me to my next point: Mission failures. The system Rockstar put in place is by far the worst system in any AAA video game, and budget titles would do well to stay far from this as well. If you fail a mission, you must restart the mission entirely. From the beginning. Every single time. It doesnt matter if the mission is a single chase, a single shootout or if there is more than one part to it. (The final mission has five parts to it.) If something goes wrong, you start back at the beginning and you have to redo the entire thing all over again. There are no mid-mission checkpoints. This is completely inexcusable. Operation Flashpoint came out in 2001, so video games have had checkpoints in them for at least seven years now and probably longer than that. Please dont put in a comment about how I forgot about how X game had them in 199X. I am not interested, I am only using that particular game as an example. Thats it. End of discussion.
And yet, when you do restart, you still lose EVERYTHING you used in the mission. Why is that? Why should I have to replenish everything I lost on something that didnt actually happen? I cant think of any game that does this, and I probably wouldnt want to play such a game, mainly because I prefer games that are fun. Is having to restock ammo and armor on a mission that didnt actually just happen fun? No. Thats downtime, and downtime isnt fun, especially when its needless downtime. And Rockstar isnt based in someones garage. This is a very large company with a huge budget, so these amateurish design decisions are even more inexcusable.
Speaking of inexcusable design decisions that were antiquated long, long ago, lets discuss another aspect of gun fights. For some reason, when Niko is being shot at, his default speed, running or walking is the exact same speed as when nothing is going on. SWAT 3 came out almost NINE YEARS AGO, and that game had a dynamic speed change. In other words, if shots were fired, everyone sped up. Not Niko. No, hell just wander around unless you actually hit the run button. Which also makes him run just as fast as though nothing is going on. Wouldnt someone who is trying to find cover so they dont get shot move faster than if they arent in danger? If youd like a more recent example of what Rockstar should have done, take a look at Mass Effect.
The driving mechanics also have a much higher learning curve than what it needs to be, especially with motorcycles and helicopters. Why Rockstar didnt take more time honing the controls and making them easier to pick up is anyones guess. Same with ladders. I have a friend who will tap the Y button until his thumb is ready to break and even still Niko will not climb the ladder that is right in front of him. This is usually after swimming a ridiculous distance to it since the game doesnt allow the player to just suicide and spawn at the nearest hospital. No instead we have to swim ridiculously long distances. Talk about fun huh?
Which is about the same as can be said for multiplayer. You just walk or drive around the city. There is nothing to do. Nothing. No activities, no places to go, nothing. There are some missions that can be done but if you just want to free roam with a friend in multiplayer, thats ALL you get to do. A drop-in, drop-out co-op in the story mode wouldve been much, much better.
Oh, yeah, the story. Well what little there is isnt too bad, when the game actually allows you to see it. Most of the time its too busy bogging you down with those same repetitive missions I talked about earlier where it always goes the exact same way - a deal that shouldnt have any problems where Niko is just there "as insurance" turns into a battle ground with lots and lots of enemies, then just theyre all dead, more spawn in the area that was just cleared, then the fight leads to a car/motorcycle chase which leads to a police chase, lather, rinse, repeat. Almost all of the missions have this exact same format. The only things that change are the goons clothing and the SET of lines Niko yells out as he kills them (not the actual lines themselves.) So dont worry kids, if you heard him say something in a mission, he will say it again! And again....and again....and again.
And lastly, for some reason even though games have been doing this for years, GTA IV still allows objects that obstruct your view of the player to remain opaque. Every other high quality title I have ever seen that operates in 3rd person forces such obstructions to go transparent.
The characters Niko takes missions from and/or befriends are your stock cardboard cutouts but lets face it, no one plays a GTA game for the character study. Thats why we have those....um....whatre those things called, libraries have them....oh well. Anyway, the dialogue is at times rather humorous, especially when Niko is hanging around Brucie. I think weve all known a Brucie at some point in our lives, so to see Niko indirectly poke fun at these guys is a treat. And as usual, GTA IV satirizes many aspects of society and pop-culture that are just begging for it. Celebrities, radio-talk show hosts, gossip magazines, plenty of entertainment venues and the masses that support them all get the healthy shot of parody that has been coming to them for years.
With a whole lot more polish, mid-mission checkpoints and far less repetition, GTA IV would deserve the accolades and commercial success it has enjoyed as of late. As it stands, however, it is yet another proof that hype, a big name label and commercial success do not always mean a great game. It is a good game, but nothing more.
The more extreme game in the world!
On: 2008-10-04I just gonna say... THE BEST GAME IN THE WORLD, MORE NOTHING, THE REST IS S...
best in the series
On: 2008-10-04I loved grand theft auto since the third one , and then vice city then san andreas and now this one. I have got to say this is by far the best gta game ever. It is huge very huge city and very detailed. You have a great character to play as. he is nicko belic he is from Is from europe. But his way of things will not let you down. The guns are just outstanding the cars trucks boats everything about the game is great. you work for some screwed up families. And there are 3 huge parts to the city that are connected. If you are a fan of the other games in the series you will love this one.
BUEN JUEGO
On: 2008-10-03HOLA, LES QUIERO COMENTAR QUE ES UN BUEN JUEGO PARA AQUELLOS, QUE LES GUSTO GTA SAN ANDRA O VTA 3. TIENE BUENAS GRAFICAS, LOS VEHICULOS SON EXCELENTES. PUEDAS PASAR UN BUEN RATO ESCAPANDO DE LA POLICIA TRANTANDO DE CONSEGUIR LLENAR TU ESTRELLAS DE BUSQUEDA.
EN ESTE JUEGO HAY MUCHO POR HACER, SE LOS RECOMIENDO.
Stop hatin on GTA4 cuz its good!
On: 2008-09-16I have played most of the other Grand Theft Auto games in the series. To tell you the truth, I didnt finish San Andreas because it bored me too much. When I bought this game I expected to play little per week and if I did, spend that time causing rouble in the city. Part of this is true. I didnt think the story was going to be as good as it was until i realized I couldnt put it down! I finished it in less than 30 hrs to get the achievement, but that was only because I loaded if i lost a mission that took too long:D anway... bac to the review... As i said, i now spent many hrs a week just turning my 360 on and killin people because its soo fun. The city is te RIGHT size, and you can get into alot of places so messing with the po-po gets really interesting every time you play. There are also alot of minigames that you can play like in San Andreas (pool,darts, etc.) The graphics are awesome and little details like Niko taking an ACTUAL STEP when walking up/down stairs adds up into a really detailed game. You can buy clothes as you could in san andreas. You cannot add tattoos or change haircuts, or work out. There is also a new feature in which you can take cover behind almost anything, making shootouts easier and more exciting, as you can appreciate your surrunding more rather than shoot and run tactics.
The people at RockstaR added a cell phone feature.With this feature you call your friends, change options, etc. It is the in-game menu. The most important part of the cell phone, is the ONLINE MULTIPLAYER feature(woohooo!). Rmember playing in SA(san andreas) co-op bt having to share the same car or screen distance, well not online you dont have to! The game modes include deathmatch, teamdethmatch, cops & crooks (one team = crooks gettin to destination and other team = cops trying to get them), mafiya(do stuff for people using your phone), team mafiya, race, and GTA rac(same as normal race only you can take your opponents car and use it to finish race). Online is unique and great, unless your connection is not so good, because truth is top kilers are going to be those with good connections that dont lag (ex: see peron walking htru same spot over and over while they passed it like10 secs ago.)
The game as a whole is just too good to pass up. If youre a fan of the series you should have this game already:D if you are thinking about getting ANY game for your next gen system an havent decided, pick up a copy of GTA4.
Pros:
25-30 hrs of gameplay
detailed enviroment
no loading while in game(all done in begining)
good story
ONLINE GAMEPLAY
new cover feature
cons:
cannot customize Niko other than clothes
can have Laggy online sessions
conclusion: GET IT!!! 10/10
Mine seems like garbage
On: 2008-09-15My new disc in my new 360 started freezing after 1/2 hour.
After a few days of play it got much worse.
After a week and a half it would freeze before being able to get out of the safehouse, and it stayed that way until I changed the console settings to 480p for my tv. Then I was briefly able to resume play and it froze up again and stayed that way.
Now the xbox itself freezes even with no disc inside, before it can even load the xbox menu. -Its useless and brand new.
Im no tech-head but I used to love GTA on the original xbox.
This one seems like complete junk to me and it also seems to have crashed the new console.
Im about to pack the game up along with the 360 and get a refund for all of it.
Playing guitar is better anyway.
it freezes up too much
On: 2008-09-15I hate how it freezes up all the time. Mine is brand new as is the Xbox.
I feel like I have to take it back and get the PS3 instead.
It often tells me the disc is unreadable but it is brand new and unblemished.
It freezes up all the time during gameplay, aside from that it seems like it would be a cool game.
There are other flaws..
The radio stations are not nearly as good as GTA3.
Also the motorcycles dont make turns at all and is annoying.
Best of the Series
On: 2008-09-15This game is only improved by being available on the Xbox 360. The game play is as fun as always. Has finally entered the 21st century with the addition of computers and cell phones. Xbox Live makes the online fun to play and doesnt suffer from lag. All of the modes are great expically Cops & Crooks, Free Mode, and the cooperative multiplayer games give the feel of single player missions. Should last a long time and is a must buy.
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MAJOR DISSAPPOINTEMENT
On: 2008-09-08I THOUGHT THIS GAME WAS GONNA UPGRADE ALOT OF THINGS.. I MEAN DONT GET ME WRONG IT WAS BETTER IN GRAPHICS AND CERTAIN LITTLE DETAILS SUCH AS THE MOST WRECKED CARS BACK FIREING AND SUCH.. BUT IT REALLY SUCKED THAT IT TOOK CAR CUSTOMIZATION OUT I WAS EXPECTING IT TO UPGRADE A WHOLE LOT MORE IN MY OPINION.BUT IF U PLAN ON PURCHASING THIS GAME I WOULD ADVISE U WAIT TIL SAINT ROW 2 KOMES OUT I KNOW FOR A FACT GTA IS GONNA REVISE THERE WHOLE STRATEGY WHEN THEY SEE WHAT SAINTS ROW 2 IS WORK WITH LOL..
Whats really going on?
On: 2008-08-30GTA has been a favorite of mine since GTA III. The game is always fun. I like how they added GPS to the vehicles. The graphics arent too bad. Its alot of fun...for the most part. I give it a 7 out of 10 I like how they added the cell phone thing into the game, but it can also be a pain. If your a cold blooded killer, your not gonna blow up my cell phone asking me to hang out, and get upset and lose friend points when i have other stuff going on. Every time im in a car, i am constantly having to shift the right thumb stick down just to get a good view. When your on a mission, and killing people, it only shows the "main target" on the map. The same problem lies in the racing aspect. You have no idea how far the other cars are behind u. Id like to know if hes right on my tail, or if i have time to mess up and still be in the lead. When im on a mission and almost dying, how come i cant find any med. kits or food? they could have had the character get his energy back for staying in one place. So please dont spend $60 on this game. Id wait til it went down to $30.
GTA4 Rules!!!!
On: 2008-08-28I will keep my comments simple. For those who have never played the GTA series, this latest installment will blow you away!! I suggest playing Vice City and San Andreas first, then play GTA4 on an LCD TV last. I have a personal connection with GTA 4 because Im originally from the Astoria section of Queens, NY. Let me tell ya, the attention to detail is amazing compared to NYC. The First thing I did before I started any missions or mayhem, was simply steal a convertible, and drive around the city. Times Square is awesome at night, and if you drive down by the Hudson river at dawn, you can catch a glimpse of the sun rising over Liberty City AKA Manhattan!! Unlike the cartoon-ish look of Vice City, which I enjoyed also, GTA4 has a very gritty, urban look which gives the player a sense of realism. I wish the twin towers were still standing, that would have been an awesome sight as well. Rockstar, has once again, out done themselves!!
Much Fun
On: 2008-08-20The most enjoyable part of this game is being able to hunt down and attack your buddy online. :)
Try it seriously, open up party mode and use a set of rules. The person being chased cant just shoot the hunter. Think of the hunter as a terminator. My buddies and I have had many fun chase scenes. :D
Nice if I had it.
On: 2008-08-18I think I would thoroughly enjoy this game should I have received it. I have sent numerous cortrespondence/e-mails and have yet to hear from anyone. I am completely disgusted with the service (or lack of it) that I have gotten.I would like my money refunded but cannot get anyone to acknowledge me.
grand theft auto 4
On: 2008-08-18i never recieved it, so i cant tell you, that is why i bought another one
Great game with one problem
On: 2008-08-17I had to take one star out because I was waiting for the new TV i ordered to show up and all I have right now is a 19 inch...and on such a small TV this game is pretty much unplayable as far as I am concerned. But the characters, story, graphics are all great but are all a hole lote more enjoyable on a 50 inch plasma.
Gorgeous Mayhem - Forgiving Action
On: 2008-08-17What can I say that probably hasnt been said before? The game is great, the graphics are stunning, sights remnicent of NY are so realistic, that when I gained access to Algonquin I sorta already knew my way around.
What I liked about GTA4 over the previous titles is the way in which missions were "doable". In the previous titles I always came to a point where I couldnt complete a certain mission that would move the story along. So I ended up just driving around being a maniac. In GTA4, the aiming reticule offers both auto aiming and free aim. This allows you to lock on to your adversaries, not available in previous versions. The cars damage also seem VERY forgiving. It is a bit harder to kill pedestrians, thats good, at least the cops wont be chasing you as much as in other versions.
That being said, the title to this review is Gorgeous Mayhem - Forgiving Action, this means, everything looks as believable as a cartoon rendition of a city can be on your TV. If you stand still, you can actually watch the shadows move as the sun sets. The fact that I can actually get through the missions a bit more easily makes the game fun for me.
Watch out for Michelle, shes a hottie.
Go steal a helicopter in south Algonquin and have some aerial looks around the city. Its fun for a while, then youll want to get back on the streets.
Anyway, not much more to say, just PLEASE dont think you can act out any of the things you see in this game in real life. The consequences are REAL and then you wont be able to play GTA5 when it comes out.
Have fun.
Well done. Looks great, plays great.
On: 2008-08-11This edition of GTA will live up to your expectations for the series.
It looks great - buildings, cars, car damage, character motion, etc. It all makes great eye-candy.
Sounds - the music is awesome on the radio, voice work by the characters is perfect. Nikos voice is awesome.
Playability: Its the same as the previous versions. No learning curve here. Its great - the mini-games are nicely tweaked too: bowling and darts in particular.
Plot: Confusing at times. You end up for several people silmutaneously and at times you must make a "choice" about what to do - which helps with the replayability issue. But I cant say I remember why Im doing something - only that Im told to and its fun.
Great game. Ive just about won it. Id say its shorter than the other games but now I can go back and explore the other "options" based on those choices they give you.
Right direction, but still needs tweeking
On: 2008-08-11First the positive. This game had better "big" missions than the previous games (like the "heat" one). The minor missions were a little better. The shooting improved, but I liked that in san andreas you can increase your skills (like shooting and driving).
I played GTA IV mainly because I expected it to be awesome. It is a great game, but it lacks in what makes it what it is: being a sand box game. I was disappointed by its lack of customization. I liked how San Andreas (besides the fact it was too big, but with the new taxi feature it would have great) gave you the option of buying things. However I found that I had no need for money in IV resulting in an obvious choice between the two endings. In the previous games i felt like I could do whatever I wanted. In this one (and like the food, territories, and working out in san andreas) I felt totally stuck in doing what the game wanted instead of what I wanted. The driving and shooting also have something to be desired. The storyline produced no emotional attachment to any of the characters. The minor missions (especially the minigames, which fortunately they didnt force you to play to often) were better. I missed the ability to gain new skills from the ambulance, fire truck, etc. missions (not the missions themselves). I wish their were more missions like the hitman and most wanted ones, to help you gained those abilities. I also didnt like that they took out the airplane and parachuting abilities from the game.
If they could find some happy medium between all the gta games then they would be perfect.
GTAbore
On: 2008-08-10Basically, GTA3 with graphics that are a bit better. Same old same old. Definitely not worth the hype, and not a perfect 10.
WOW!!
On: 2008-08-09this game is the best ive wasted so much time on this game...the first 2 days i got it i spent about 13 hours each day playing it because my girlfriend was out of town so i had time to just do nothing...lol...and in the first 3 days i was only 45% done with the game but of course u cant just do missions all day there was plenty of time just free roaming around messing...lol...but yeah THE BEST GRAND THEFT AUTO!!!
If you don't have this game ........get it... its worth it
On: 2008-08-07So GTA4 finally came in lastnight and i finally got time to play it today. i must say for someone that hasnt played any of the previous GTAs i was really blown away. i only had like an hour to play this game today (try playing this game with a 1 year old running around) but within that 1 hour i was already hooked. the cut scenes were really nice i think nikos cousin roman is kinda annoying but thats his character. i really need to sit down for a few hours and actually play this game. i am not a serious gamer so i think i wont be breezing through this game anytime soon. at time during the free roaming i found myself just stopping right in the middle of the street and just looking at all the detail this game has. the driving i still got to get use to, i mean i ran over quite a few people haha. but i know once i get to play a little more it will be alright. really do think this game is just crazy good. the detail alone in the graphics and what u can do in the city is reason enough to get this game. if u dont have it .... go get it .. its worth it
Unbelievable detail
On: 2008-08-05You can drive for hours and not see the same street twice; and never under the same lighting/weather conditions...in a Ferrari... just amazing. Some missions can be frustrating when the bad guys get away, but overall a great game. There are very few 1 player games that I have ever put so many hours into.
a videogaming achievement
On: 2008-08-05im a mature gamer who bought a dozen or so videogames with a new xbox just to see how the technology had evolved. (the digital animations in many recent films had piqued my interest.) some few important flaws aside, grand theft auto is in my view exactly where the medium is headed, and is head and shoulders the best game available today ... and i say that as a great admirer of half life 2, portal, assassins creed, bioshock and crackdown. the point here is total, seamless, deep immersion in a world. not just an environment, not just a point of view or mission or skill set, but all the redolent layers of culture: people, infrastructure, authority, television, radio, internet, dating, sex, weapons, power, money, recreational activities, jobs, vengeance, justice -- and not just culture but a world where hydrants erupt when you drive over them, jetliners blink their slow trace across the night sky, the city breathes with distant sounds of traffic, disorder, and heavy objects, the light changes almost second to second with the time of day or the weather or the illumination of interior spaces, and your vision blurs and your driving becomes erratic if you have too much to drink. against this rich background of sardonic humor and social commentary in the guise of "urban landscape", the splendid graphical rendering and gritty art design, the two big flaws are the waxy and unconvincing computer animation in cutscenes, and the still less than lifelike animation of the wireframe action figures (those strip club dancers are not very enticing). but the depth of detail here is remarkable -- the way different weapons handle, the way different cars drive (carjack an ambulance or stretch limo, for example), the completely unique content on different car radio stations, the internet parodies, the cellphone text messages, and the sheer variety of characters in the mix -- all of it designed with unbelievable detail and dramatic interest. despite the segmentation of the game into separate missions, the narrative has a compelling overall architecture. as one example, i had early on tried to cross to the largest of the four islands of the city (blocked by a plot motivated police action), and had been shot or arrested every time. so as i worked the missions, one of the fortunate recipients of my gangster skills asked me to drive him home: and home was on the inaccessible island. crossing over the bridge, the light of late afternoon streaming into the car, the music on the radio playing a vatic beat, it was an emotionally rousing moment. i say "me" but of course its really niko bellic, an eastern european thug on a quest that only gradually becomes clear as the plot unfolds; and its a third flaw of the game that this quest, as important as it is to niko, does not seem very important in his unstructured and varied choices of dating, driving and drilling bad guys with high calibre. but thats because the richness of the storytelling has made all the conventional story lines of videogames obsolete. the essential point is that this videogame has i think crossed the milestone of creating a digital, full length feature film, with much more depth and detail than any feature film has ever had to come up with, and a film that is potentially open ended, multilayered and even life changing. (ive learned that the addictive effect of videogaming is considerable, which means there is power there to affect "plotted" change of all kinds in videogamers.) videogames can now be anything: the story of an individuals search for the meaning of life, non stop sex with a harem, fighting the revolution and constitutional wrangles of a new republic, solving a deep scientific mystery, getting married and starting a family, building a career in a corporation ... anything and everything, but computed in real time and with an open ended architecture. videogames can do these things with the compelling visual realism and depth of any major studio film with digital special effects, and with the possibility of a collaboratively constructed reality through network game play. the painting of light and visual objects is i think a trivial problem: the obstacles now are in managing the narrative complexity and event interactions, in building new narrative conventions or genres, and in the animation of life forms, in particular a speaking mouth and an exerting figure (for example, a figure that actually runs *on the ground*). the fourth and last flaw of this game is the gangster mentality of all the characters, which is not really a flaw so much as a genre convention (as in for example film noir or chandler novels). this gangster ethos actually reduces the impact of the violence, which i think motivates too much of the game. but grand theft auto prototypes a new cultural modality, the digital fantasy domain, which as fantasy can come very close to reality and as game can stimulate any perplexity of emotion. its an achievement.
My favorite among the GTA series
On: 2008-08-03Pretty deep, especially for a videogame.
I dont want to tell any spoilers, so heres the gist. You play as Niko Bellic, a veteran soldier from the genocidal war in Kosovo. While fighting in the war, Niko, his cousin, and their platoon mates are betrayed by one of their members, leaving only four soldiers alive. Nikos cousin Roman goes to the US to seek a better life following the war, but ends up becoming a cokehead with a lot of gambling debts. He entices Niko to come to the US with tales of the American Dream, but when Niko arrives, he discovers the truth about his cousins activities.
Niko has only two reasons to come to the states... to start over, and to find the remaining two soldiers from his platoon: Darko and Florian. There are no riches or comfortable accommodations for Niko, only the hunt for the betrayer.
Niko rampages through the streets earning money for himself and his brother. All the while, he meets a few characters along the way and tries to cope with his past.
In GTA3, you were a nobody. In GTA Vice, you were a tool. In GTA San Andreas, you are caught up in the worst storyline ever. In GTA LCS, you were Tony C. In GTA IV, you are a real, original character.
Not only is your character genuine, he is also one hard-boiled mofo. His soldier background is present in the gunplay of the game. Niko can duck behind walls, blindfire, take cover, dive across gaps for cover, the whole shabang. Aiming is much improved from past GTA games. You can screw people up pretty badly if you want. Grenade tossing is spot on. The AI isnt too dumb either.
Perhaps the most notable upgrade is with driving. You have a little GPS locater in your car and you can set your own waypoints. You can also take taxis to all marked locations and waypoints, very nice. The radio stations are brilliant as always. Car selection is sweet. Just be careful while driving...lots of terrible crap can happen to you. Sudden stops will send you sailing out of the windshield, and if your car begins billowing even a little bit of smoke, it will blow up eventually with wear. Lucky for us players, cars in GTA4 take a pretty long time to blow up once they catch fire. Just dive out of the car if it does.
Finally, the graphics. The game is beautiful. The Liberty City skyline has never looked so alive. Take some time out to look around from a high perch or while driving across a bridge. You will be pleased with what you see. I was actually able to use this to demonstrate the next generation of urban environmental modeling. Yeah it looks great.
I would have liked to see the same variety of available vehicles that was present in GTA San Andreas. This was the one downgrade that bothered me about the game. But the improvements in gameplay more than repaid for that change.
Don't Believe the Hype
On: 2008-08-03I read many positive reviews of this game and was convinced to purchase it. I played it for several hours and lost interest. It has got to be about the worst story ever written for a video game. The characters are all shallow and not at all interesting. The gameplay is slow and repetitive, to the point where you feel like you are doing the same boring tasks again and again... oh wait, you are. The driving portion of the game becomes annoying very quickly... there is no realism.
I've had nightmares that resembled this game
On: 2008-08-02Walking around a city full of people who are all the same person, react the same way, tons of buildings and stores but theyre actually just cardboard sets.
I cannot believe such an unfinished game was put out at such a high price on two new great high end gaming systems. Did they fire the people that worked on San Andreas? This game is empty and depressing to play, the characters are annoying morons, the controls and physics are AWFUL, the shooting is boring after 5 minutes and NOTHING HAPPENS IN THIS GAME AT ALL.
I have about 13 hours playing time clocked and a good handful of missions completed and its THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER, its pitifully dull. I was really shocked at the lack of content and wish I bought something else. Speaking of such past being able to play PS1&2 games and MGS4 there isnt anything worth looking at on the PS3, shouldve gotten an Xbox360, or a Wii.
great story, horrible gameplay
On: 2008-08-02This is one of those games that makes you suffer through horrible gameplay to enjoy a great story. I spent most of the game (when I could) on foot because of the horrible driving mechanic. How difficult should it be to drive around the corner? Apparently very difficult. Ive been told by friends that I shouldnt expect great driving because this isnt a driving game - I guess its time to remove the "grand" and "auto" from the title.
Dissapointing
On: 2008-07-30What a dissapointment. I wasnt a big fan of the series, I only played a couple of the previous games, so Im judging it based on a solo game, not comparing it to any others in the series.
The cover system works nicely for the most part. Switching from lock-on to free aim is smooth and very easy to do once you get the hang of the controls, and the shooting in general is nice. Damage is area specific, and the enemies movements are smooth. The area specific damage gives some strategic thought, and its cool that you can shoot the weapon out of their hands too. Melee fighting feels clunky, but works well 1 on 1, but anymore than that can get a little tedious.
Graphics are fantastic, but nonetheless have plenty of glitches, abnormal shadows, and some bad glares.
The story is lacking. It was entertaining enough to get me through to the end, but it didnt get me involved with the plot. I couldnt really connect with the characters, none of them really interested me. There were some I liked, and then there were some that I just found impossible to like: Florian, Brucie, and especially Dwayne, who the only thing he talks about is his bad childhood and time in prison. What a conversation to have while driving to a strip club.
Vehicle controls are by far the worst thing about the game. The car controls were crappy at best, with horrible turning. Expect to spin out of control frequently, especially with the higher quality cars.
Bikes were even worse. I dont like flying 20 feet in the air after going 10 MPH hitting a fence.
Motorboats and helicopters are in a league of their own. Motorboats are slow, frustrating, and cant turn for crap. And trying to sucessfully deal with the vomit-controls of the helicopter will make you sick.
A fun game, but one playthrough is enough. After that it becomes too repetitive and tiring.
Addictive Gaming
On: 2008-07-28This game is the violent version of second life. You develop a character by building relationship before you start cracking heads. Rockstar out did themselves with this one.
Unbelievably disappointing
On: 2008-07-26I bought this game based on the so called "10" reviews from the major outlets. I now no longer trust reviews from these so called major outlets. San Andreas was awesome, but this one is just... so blah.
Why?
#1. A story that went no where. "Godfather" of video games? Thats laughable. There is nothing that propels the story forward.
#2. Characters that have no depth. Stupid villains and extraneous characters. I didnt care for any of the characters in the game.
#3. Gimped game play from previous game. They took out all the elements that were fun in the previous games.
#4. Money serves no purpose in the game! You cant buy anything in the game!
#5. After the first 3 hours, the game became repetitive and boring.
Rockstar, youve lost a fan.
Almost flawless...
On: 2008-07-26In terms of gameplay, story, characters, graphics, voice acting and most importantly fun, this game is in a class of its own. It is maybe with the exception of the Metal Gear games, THE game that could be adapted to the big screen and actually be a great movie.
So, why only 4 stars after all this? well, simply because after spending almost 100 hours playing this game to achieve a 100% game completion (this was the first time I actually managed to finish a gta game btw), I was disappointed to find out that I couldnt start a new game with all my saved stats. While roaming through this huge world may seem fun at first, it is the story missions that drive this game and make it so great and addictive. It is one small quibble about an overall fantastic game, but still one that manages to trim away from an otherwise perfect score.
Something for Rockstar to ponder about for future installments maybe?
Slight disappointment
On: 2008-07-25If this was the first GTA Ive played then I would be amazed and blown away. I just kinda felt bored after a few hours with this one. I never really had that feeling of "I cant wait to see what the next mission is" like in San Andreas. Instead I was almost thinking "I wonder how annoying and boring the next mission will be."
The positives are definitely the graphics, although theyre not flawless like Uncharted. Getting hit by cars is a nice addition, and breaking the glass of locked cars is fairly cool as well. But.....
Nikos cousins accent gets really annoying really fast. It seems pointless to bother having the girlfriend. The combat system is annoying and slow. Why is it that every person you pull out of a car can fight like Mike Tyson? Are this many ordinary people professional boxers who are ready to throw down when being car jacked?? The police are waaaay too aware and quick to respond. I attacked some dude on the beach in the middle of nowhere and the cops were on me in 5 seconds...in New York? Please.
Why do you have to hold X to run? Thats annoying because walking is soooo painfully slow. The driving cameras are frustrating and move without you doing anything. Its very difficult to see whats ahead of you because the camera continues to default behind your trunk. Getting continuously double and triple teamed by pedestrians was cool the first few times but quickly gets old when youre constantly being chased by an angry mob for jaywalking. I got knocked down by a car, then the driver gets out and starts hitting me along with two other guys. Whats that about?? New York is a rough place but give me a break.
Overall, I think Ive been spoiled by playing better PS3 games. Rockstar maybe lagging a bit behind the times here. It could also be that Im generally bored with the premise of GTA seeing how I played San Andreas until I nearly crippled my hands. Oh well, hopefully number 5 will wow me again.
I hate this game
On: 2008-07-23this game is boring and unimaginative. Its just shoot, shoot, shoot. It takes a long time to get through one of their boring shooting scenes. I have played games for years. Ive communed with animals, explored caves, roamed through Africa in other games. In this game, everything is stupid and predictable. I hate this game, its pure misery.
Fantasticly fun game with a few glitches
On: 2008-07-23I had GTA4 reserved and I picked it up the day it came out, so I obviously got one of the first production runs. It has many glitches which show up throughout the game. Overall I had a complete blast, though I had to restart the console a few times. The graphics are amazing in HD and they should have fixed the problems by now.
Solid
On: 2008-07-22This is my first experience with GTA and Im very satisfied. The endings were little soft and the game did get a little repetitive, but its a solid game. Well worth the price. Makes me want a What would Nico Bellic do? tee-shirt... and where are the Nico Bellic endorsements? Why am I not seeing Nico jacking a Pepsi truck in primetime?
Just short of a 5star for many reasons
On: 2008-07-22The GTA series has always been a lot of fun and has expanded more and more through time.
When I purchased this game and popped it into my X360 I was very excited. i know the graphics were tenfold more amazing than those of San Andreas on the PS2 and I was certain that all the same features would be included and so much more.
However, I was rather disappointed to find that many of the extra features that made the game really fun had been removed.
No more tattoos, haircuts, car mods or gym workouts. You could no longer fly planes or pilot tanks and weapons like the sword and flamethrower we removed.
It at first seemed like a terrible tragedy, but it was all made ok by the fact that this GTA game focused on real life much more than others. While the neat little extras were really quite fun, the realism of this game and its own features made up for what was lost. Blasting 200 pigeons into feathers certainly had its own level of entertainment...
The story is really interesting and in my opinion has more purpose than previous stories. The side missions also have a lot more realism added to them and seem less pointless or weird.
Multiplayer was a bit of a disappointment.
First of all its not quite clear how to access the multiplayer. Once you get to it, its less clear how to get people into a game.
There are not as many people playing game modes other than deathmatch, which is rather disappointing.
All in all the game is absolutely amazing and is nearly perfect. I could only ask for a few more things, but Xbox live is coming out with 2 DLCs and so I am hopeful for more features and a few bug fixes (because a horn constantly blaring in a place where there are no cars is both weird and obnoxious).
Yeah, Just Get It.
On: 2008-07-21Except for having to replay some missions over and over this is a great game. You really get to know the city and its people. Graphics are great. Believe the hype, it will grab and hold your interest.
Way over the top
On: 2008-07-20This game is more fun, than the club on a saturday night. What I liked most of all was the character interaction. Sorta reminds me of how the guys, and myself interact with each other. Carjacking, who doesnt wish that at least once in your life you could do it, and get away with it (without hurting anyone). This game truly absorbs you into the life of Nick, and his crazy cousin, who has dreams of grandure, but doesnt know excatly how to get there. I could not stop playing, this games has it all, some parts laid back, some parts intense, and some wacky off the wall type stuff. you will love this game....If you dont have it yet GET IT, ITS A MUST HAVE. For those of you who do have it .... way to go bro, and siss. After all its not just guys playing this anyway.
Disgusted with Amazon
On: 2008-07-20I have written to amazon a billion times but no response. the game does not tell one if it is in PAL or NTSC & as a result ive bought a version not compatible with my gaming console. Neither am i able to return as I am not sure if it offers an alternative. Can someone please respond? Come on Amazon, I am a regular clientelle, the least I would expect is a response!!
Beware: Highly Addictive!
On: 2008-07-18The best GTA by far. Rockstar outdid themselves again with GTA IV. An absolutely phenomenal game and by far the best on the PS3. Rockstar utilizes the PS3 hardware well. The gameplay is better, the storyline is omre developed, the graphics are amazing, and on and on. Not much else to say, incredible game!
GTA 4 is addicting! Had freezing issues. Amazon.com is amazing!
On: 2008-07-17I cant wait to get home and play GTA 4. Such a well-rounded game and worth the purchase. I did have some of those freezing issues that some are having. However, Amazon.com didnt even hesitate and sent me another copy with 2-day shipping...I love Amazon.com If I have any problems with the new copy then I know Amazon will take care of it.
Not as good as San Andreas
On: 2008-07-16This game is not that good as some people say, the gameplay is horrible compared to previous versions. In my opinion San Andreas is way to much better, the only good thing about this game are the graphics and the story, nothing else
It's not the best GTA game ever created but it sure as hell is good.
On: 2008-07-16Go buy it!!!! :)
my gamertag on Xbox Live is:
Blackjack Hill
play against me some time.
A Blast
On: 2008-07-16The fact that anyone could be disappointed with this title blows me away. It is EXACTLY what I hoped and expected it would be, which leaves me wondering- what did other people really expect? The ONLY reason this game has a 4 star rating as of this writing is because it was a victim of overhype from the start.
GTA IV is a ton of fun to play, pure and simple. I debated back and forth between this and Metal Gear Solid 4, and I do not regret my decision to buy a game instead of a digitally rendered film.
Its just like anything from Grand Theft Auto III and up: You get your kicks out of stealing a few cool cars, running over some pedestrians on purpose, hijacking police boats, and blowing up SWAT team trucks with a rocket launcher. If you enjoyed the other games, you are truly going to love this one. Not only are the graphics superb, but the depth of the characters goes beyond any previous GTA game. You become the main character, make decisions for him, live his life. It is more than just a run-around shoot-em-up, though it can be that if you want it to. If you play the missions and follow the story, you will be impressed by the dialogue (I constantly laugh at the jokes made in this game) and the progression of "Niko" from nobody to somebody.
I almost let some of the bad Amazon reviews sway me away from buying this, and Im so glad I didnt. Absolutely an A+ title- great graphics, huge world that you will easily get lost in, and most importantly, a heck of a lot of fun.
Great Game Very Addicting!
On: 2008-07-15The first day i played this game I played for 9 hrs straight, I love it!
Great Game
On: 2008-07-12Great mix of following the story line or just having fun stealing cars and joyriding.
Got to get it
On: 2008-07-12This is a great game and amazon got it to me on time as always
Freezing Issues! Won't play on my 60GB PS3 at all!
On: 2008-07-12Well, I never did get past the first cutscene. Tried a new disc and it did the same thing (even with the new patch from Rockstar that was supposed to fix the freeze issues). Some sites suggested disabling internet on the ps3 settings etc, and after jumping through all kinds of hoops... same result! Well, THAT was fun! What a dud! At least I was able to return the game.
My PS3 is a 60GB version bought new when PS3 first came out, which happens to be the model that is having the most issues with GTA IV. Besides this buggy game, I have not had any issues with the PS3 previously. Only a small percentage of people seem to be experiencing this problem with the game, but for us unfortunate ones, its a BIG issue! Especially after all the hype!
GTA IV Raises The Bar For All Other Sandbox Games
On: 2008-07-11GTA IV is easily the best game of 2008. Its amazing what Rockstar has done here. Theyve created a living and breathing world with such fine detail. It is truly a simulator of what real life is like, but with a tad more sex and violence that is.
The graphical detail in this game is astounding. The gameplay is refined from previous installments. The single player is an epic tale thatll be remembered. And on top of all of that, Rockstar has put in a HUGE multiplayer mode. There are a ton of different modes and all can be played out across the entire map with up to 16 players. The cities are just as crowded with pedestrians, too. Its amazing they got it up and running with so much going on at any point in time.
Rockstar has outdone themselves with GTA IV. They refined and improved everything about the GTA franchise with GTA IV.
This is what the current-generation is all about. Dont miss out.
suckes
On: 2008-07-10You cannot fly planes,small city,horrible car control. Just wait until san andreas stories comes out (if it does).
One of the most addicting games ever!
On: 2008-07-09I just need to keep playing this game for hours and hours! Its not for the sensitive folks out there though; there is a certain audience for it. Some might be desensitized by the violent content but as long as you accept it for what it is (a videogame) then you dont have anything to worry about.
The story gets you hooked right from the start and you do feel for Nico and want him to win. Graphics may not be the best but the size of sheer size and detail of its world make up for it. It does have shining moments though wherein I felt like I was really in New York City. As for the gameplay, the title says it all. Just take a helicopter tour and just driving around bridges while the sun sets are amazing.
It is one addicting game...combines most of all the elements in a ps3 gamers world: shooting, cars, good story, great graphics, fun side quests, etc. Definitely a must buy for the older audience.
GTA IV exceeds expectations
On: 2008-07-08This game has a lot of content on it that will keep you busy for many many many hours. GTA IV is without a doubt the best in the series. There is so much detail in Liberty city, you will constantly be amazed at how lively and realistic Liberty City looks. Gameplay is great and the plot is very interesting, which will keep you addicted and coming back for more. I still have yet to beat the game and I had it for a month! Maybe I should play more single player and less multiplayer. Yup, this game has many multiplayer options on Xbox Live, from deathmatches to races or even just free roaming. If you are old enough and have an Xbox 360, then GTA IV is a must-have!
Not worth the hype
On: 2008-07-07This games has great graphics but I felt like I was doing the same things over and over again. The storyline of this game sucks, it is not creative at all and to me it seems the makers were mostly interested in the graphics and cars, not the game itself. I regret buying this game, I was expecting it to exceed San Andreas but it failed miserably.
The Hype Train runs over humanity once again.
On: 2008-07-06Everyone knows what GTA is and what its supposed to be by now and whether they will buy it or attempt to condemn it to the gates of hell for all eternity, so Im not going to try to convince anyone that GTA4 is trash or gods gift to man (and the religious references just keep on rolling. Sorry about that, religous nutjobs.)
It seems like everyone and their mother wants to put this game on a pedistal and say "look, society has finally created its own GOD!" So many perfect scores are being thrown to GTA 4, that Hello Kitty Roller Adventure is trying to get caught in the crossfire.
"So, Hunter, if every major game magazine is saying its the most perfect game in the world, why should we think carefully before buying?"
Well, disembodied voice, two reasons.
One- Those magazines were pushing GTA 4s grrrrreat(!)ness since they had first heard about it, and were getting loads of advertising bucks from Rockstar and 2K for splattering GTA over their magazines. They werent the most unbiased group of reviewers before they named GTA "Greatest Game In The Universe," and they certainly werent unbiased during or after.
And Dos- Ive finished GTA, and its nowhere close to perfect. I was hooked on the storyline, Niko is actually a likeable character(which is a first for rockstar), the shooting is much better (though still very wonky), graphics are good looking, and the music is great, as usual.
But the problems are just as obvious. Everything gets old fast, and once you beat the storyline, theres not much left. After the final mission, youll end up drifting around, going on stupid "make-me-happy" dates, realize how dull looking the city is, and end up starting killing sprees that end becoming formulaic and boring.
The reason is because there is just not enough to do. GTAs 3, Vice City, and San Andreas all had a bunch of fun little side quests and assorted gimmicks to keep people from getting stuck in the duldrums of driving around a drab cityscape. GTA 4 skimps out on a lot of that. Rockstar expects that people are going to instead play multiplayer, but with horrible servers, incredible lag, and some of the most annoying people to have ever been born playing online, Im not sure how well thatll work out in the long run.
That said, you should still consider getting GTA 4. I did like it, its just that I probably wont play it that much anymore, at least until the downloadable content shows up. I would suggest getting another game for after you finish, though.
Pretty fun, but is it getting old?
On: 2008-07-05I am having fun with this game, but I am also thinking, "Hmm, Ive done this before". Having said that, I can still recommend the title, because the old stuff was fun, and it still is. Everything is there, although I am feeling as if there is a bit of the crazyness factor missing that was apparent in the previous titles. I have yet to see an all out riot in then streets. But the freedom is still compelling. Want to create a traffic jam on a bridge? Done. Want to set the 1st car on fire and watch them blow up one-by-one? Done. Sweet. There is a lot to do and a lot of fun to be had, although youve been there before. Enjoy the nostalgia.
It is what it is!
On: 2008-07-05The best way to sum up this game is "it is what it is." That may sound rather short and empty, but to me if youve played GTA games before then nothing here is going to surprise you. The main character goes around stealing cars and "working" for crime bosses in different parts of the city just as in all three previous versions. The differences are limited, and thats a fact whether you want to believe it or not. The graphics are better, they offer some different weapons and cheat codes, and there is a decent multiplayer aspect. However, at the end of about 10 hours playing it, youll definetly get the feeling youve "played this before". Im not saying its a bad game, it is a solid installment of GTA series, but dont buy it expecting it to be anything more than that. Enjoy.
Finally solved it last night...
On: 2008-07-05...so I feel I can properly evaluate the game in its entirety.
And it aint no GTA 3, Vice City, or San Andreas, and thats a good thing.
Now, not to let it be said that I didnt love/hate all those games and spend far too much of my young adult life playing them, but my major gripe with the GTA series was one that carried over to ever game until IV: linear games trying to act non-linear.
Let me explain...free roam games like this should, in theory, give you the option of progressing on the path YOU choose, not bogged down by some random mission (races that are damn near impossible to beat, flying some remote control helicopter for some random task, etc) that you find yourself spending hours trying to solve. Those types of missions from the past games, while also seeming slightly ridiculous, cancelled out the fun I had with the rest of the game that seemed more or less rooted in reality.
Frankly, after playing Saints Row, I was expecting the GTA-type-game crown stolen and not returned by the SR developers. Saints Row was simply more fun, the missions seemed to make sense and have a clear payoff and impact on the game.
Saints Row also wasnt bogged down by game components that I thought were unnecessary, like having to eat and lift weights in San Andreas. I was expecting the same pointless missions, the same pointless activities in this installment of the GTA series.
But I was wrong. Rockstar chose to base this game a little more in the real world (as it goes) and focus quite a bit more on character development. Rockstar also seems to have included quite a bit more extra content, such as the internet, TV, games, etc that are probably more a result of more powerful consoles being available for their developers.
At the end of the day, these types of games are pure escapist fun. For probably the first couple hours of GTA IV, I was concerned maybe Rockstar had really slowed things down too much, but as the game went on (and the hours and hours piled up Im sad to say), I found the trade off was a much more immersive world where you cared about things a little more than the past GTA editions.
When the game was over, I can honestly say Ill probably play it through again, if for no other reason than to focus on the parts of the story I didnt get to this time and to take the other paths and choices that the game offers you. If I went right, this time Im going left.
And really, thats the goal of a game developer, right? To keep you coming back for more?
Great job to Rockstar, great game, and great choice of direction to take the series - you almost sank it, but I think there will now be even more GTA converts lining up to pre-order GTA V thanks to some smart decisions in development.
It's all been done before.....
On: 2008-07-04The Time has finally come. The day I get to hold Grand Theft Auto 4 in my hands. It is a day that I have waited for. I pre ordered last year and was told it was pushed back. I didnt care really. I have other games to play. But today, none of those games matter. For today I shall review "the" game.
Before you game
9 pictures, on the front of the game case. I dont know how to describe the feeling I get when I look at them. Its like buying a movie sequel that you know is going to be better than all of its predecessors. Not only can you see the game of the game. But you can feel it. The Grand Theft Auto IV has its outline standing out a little off the paper.
On the back you see "Welcome to Liberty City" and next to this you see a helicopter. Then under neith of these you see the text.
"What does the American dream mean today? For Niko Belic fresh off the boat from Europe, it is the hope he can escape his past. For his cousin, Roman, it is the vision that together they can find fortune in Liberty City, geteway to the land of opportunity. As they slip into debt and get dragged into a criminal underworld by a series of shysters, thieves and sociopaths, they discover that the reality is very dirrerent from the dream in a city that worships money and status, and is heaven for those who have them and a living nightmare for those who dont"
Again, when I read this I got the feeling that I was about to see a movie. A great movie that I had been waiting for, for such a long time. Then I realized. In this movie. I got to decide how the story goes. Ok so now I am more excited that I think I have been for a game in a LONG time. But before I tell you about the game, let me finish with what you see on the back. To the right of the text you see a man standing at night, holding a gun with his back to you. There is a car on either side of him, two facing him with the head lights on and what looks like a body on his left. Under the text there is a car chase. A blue car with lots of cop cars after it. To the right of this there is a man standing outside. You see a plane flying to his right and what looks like a big water tank. The man has sun glasses on and is holding a gun. You see players 1, 1MB to save game, HDTV 720P/1080I/1080P. In game Dolby Digital. Under neath these you see, online multiplayer 2-16, Co-op 2-4, Voice, leaderboards and content downloads. Then you see 2 Rockstar logos and under neath those you see Mature 17+. Blood, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content and use of drugs and alcohol. Before parents cry about this. It is rated M. People should pay attention to these things before buying their child a game.
Alright, now let us see what is inside the case. When you open it up, if you look to the left you will see 3 things. First you get a 1 month XBOX 360 Live Gold Trial. Then you get a map. Well two maps really. There are two sides to this map. On one side you get "Liberty City Area Street Map." Under the map you get "Liberty City Sights," to the right of this "Beyond Liberty City" and finally to the right of this you get "Liberty City Neighborhoods." On the other side of the map you get. Liberty City Subway Map. With a key to the subway. Under the subway map and to the left you see "Getting Around Facts" and to the right of this you see "Quick Reference." This is telling you the controls of the game. The map is probably 2 ft by 2 ft. So you do not have to worry about straining your eyes to read the stuff you need. The instruction manual is great. It is full of color. And It really feels like youre looking at a tour guide for a place your visiting. Inside the instructions you can see, Game Controls , Welcome, Places, Entertainment, Restaurants, Bars and Credits. The disc has a man pulling a glove on his right hand and says grand theft auto IV.
I know I know. You thinking "GET TO THE GAME." Not to worry. Now is when I tell you about the game. At least about as much of the game as I myself have played.
The game
First let me tell you some cool things in the game.
When you are given a mission, a yellow marker will show up on your map. There will also be a yellow line, going from you to the mission point. Let it be said that you do not have to flower the way of the marker. But if you chose to, it makes getting to your next goal fast and easy.
As your driving, at times 2 characters will talk. You can see them moving to the talking. This is just a little thing I noticed that made me feel that the designers didnt scimp out on anything.
There is steam coming out the the vents on the street. Again another little detail that makes you really want to thank the guys who made this game.
In one of the first missions you have to pick up two ladies. The voice acting is really bad for these girls. Well, I dont know if it is bad voice acting, or the way the girls are supposed to act. If it is not supposed to sound like that, then the voice acting for them is bad.
When you are driving around the city, you get a feeling of aww. It is so amazing to look at everything around you. Every little detail seems to have been taken care of. It is amazing
The controls... all I can say is WOW! At first I was driving a car and the controls were really good. Then I jumped out and stole an s.u.v. This was nothing at first. But after driving for a minute or so I realized just how awesome the car mechanics were. You could see the car bouncing up and down from the shocks. I just watched the car move along for a few seconds in awww. This will add an entire new part to the game. Getting different cars and seeing how they react to your driving. They drive as if you were playing a very well controlled racing game. I give the control a 5 out of 5.
You can skip through most of the cut scenes. The ones you can not, shouldnt bother you. Its really cool watching the story play out. A lot of the stuff is pretty funny if you really think about what they are saying.
The music seems pretty cool. This is one of the only things I thought they missed. It would have been great if you could add custom soundtracks. How cool would it be to fly down the highway while listening to a Willie Nelson tune?
The Game
This game gets old fast. I mean the city is HUGE. However, its not like you can go in all the buildings. Also, you can stand there and see the same cars pass over and over. Kind of like Truman on the Truman show. I mean this is just a game. I and we have seen it before. I would almost have given this a 3 out of 5 but it does have a lot of fun things and the graphics in the game are pretty good. So if you think you may want this game I say go rent it. Then if you like it buy it used and new off amazon. You can get it for a better price there.
Here is something to think about. This is also the reason I gave this game a 4 out of 5. If the graphics and controls in this game were not as good as they are, would this game be more than just average. I know that those two things add a lot to the game, but what Im saying is, this is just like the other GTA games. Yes you can play online now, but the online part has its flaws. This is a great game dont get me wrong. But when the time comes for the next GTA to come out, what will the team do to make it stand out from this on.
Ok...I need to state something...(3 1/2 stars)
On: 2008-07-03This game is really fun. I think its a great game to the series, but at the same time I do not think its the best one overall. There are a lot of shortcomings that make me get very bored of this game that could have easily been prevented. First of all, I want to say that San Andreas was a better game. Go ahead, lash out I dont care. The things you can do in this game is more limited than the previous title. You cant fly planes, you can only fly helicopters (whoopity doo..) you cant jump out and parachute down, which to me was a lot of fun, and there are a lot of aspects like VERY limited choices of clothing, etc.. that could have been put in that would have made this game much better. You cant even own your own property, as in buying it like in previous titles! You just go through the story and end up at only like three different locations that you can save from. I also enjoyed the RPG-like way of how your character in San Andreas could be built up, in exercising and eating. Granted, the graphics are amazing, but there are flaws in the overall gameplay that have made this game collect dust on my shelf for a while now.
GTA 4
On: 2008-07-03Pretty similar to the regular Grand Theft Auto games. I am the kind of person who likes to drive around and just run people over and steal cars in the game. When I actually do some of the challenges in the game it is really nice that they have something similar to GPS that leads you to where you need to go.
The vehicles are very realistic, but the recovery for turning at high rates of speed is not very good. I think in the earlier games it was a lot easier to operate your vehicle at any rate of speed.
All in all this game is pretty fun.
Eh... Its Not The Greatest...
On: 2008-07-03I like the game I cant sit and play it for more than an hour without getting bored. The missions are a little boring, constantly calling people is annoying... I do like flying the helicopter in freemode and shoot people down. I am (ERICHOMER) so if you see me beware I am an airport hound... Also the graphics were jaggy and dotty, I have a 1080p tv I dont know what the game is running at but I wasnt impressed... Overall its a good game no doubt, but it falls short...
Its a good game, but not at the level GTA
On: 2008-07-02All, ALL of the older GTA were better. It is a fun game to play, with better graphics than before. It just isnt as fun as Vice City, SA, or any of the old GTAs. The game goes by a lot faster, the story line okay at best, and the best vehicles suck!!! There are also a lot of bugs with the new graphics.
A great game with a few let downs
On: 2008-07-01This is by far one of the best GTAs out there, and certainly one of the best video games. The plot is incredible: it is so well written and engaging that it makes you want to finish the game, unlike other GTAs, just to know the ending. Gameplay is similar to the older games, although the shooting/targeting is better and the cars handle a little better. The attention to detail is astounding, to the point of having in game television shows and interent.
My only complaint is that some of the game elements feel tacked on because people wanted it, but the developers didnt care to apply the attention to detail found in other points of the game. Examples are the clothing stores and TV stations. There are only 4 stores in the entire game, and only one of them has glasses or hats. While this isnt a big deal, its a pain when you go to change clothes and there are these two wasted categories that you have to skip over every time, since each one only has one or two items. The TV stations are full of satirical material, but its hard to change stations and is usually more frustrating than entertaining. The other thing is that there is a small number of safe houses across the city (4-5 depending on your mission choices) limiting the number of cars you can stash, but this is really minor.
Overall, its a really fun game, but some parts of it just feel tacked on for missions in the story.
The best GTA yet!
On: 2008-06-30In Short:
1. You can play online in every way you want to with up to 16 poeple.
2. The controls are the best yet with only the close combat of inside a building being frustrating.
3. The story for this one is the best yet. Its easy to connect with the main character and his struggle.
4. What are you waiting for? I guarantee that youll spend at least 100 hours on this game. Thats between beating it and messing around for fun.
In Long:
Id have to say, after playing every single incarnation of GTA there is mind you, this is the best yet. This game stand in a stark contrast to Vice City. Where as Vice City was all about getting and having everything, literally, this game is about having and starting from nothing. Its about all in all being a good person at heart, but just having bad luck and meeting the wrong people. Thats the story line in a nut shell.
The game play is truly refined. Some people complain about the controls, but quite honestly the controls are the best Ive seen for GTA. Walking and Running serve their purposes and get you to your vehicle, but the one place youll be cursing the controls is in the extremely tight spaces of apartment complexes. In these places youll be wishing you could juse use FPS controls whenever you wanted to. Thats the one thing I wish they could have added.
The driving takes some getting use to as its utterly changed. Its for the better though as its gone from being "cartoony" in that it responded nothing like a real vehicle to MUCH more like the real world. Once you get use to it, youll love it. Vehicles respond pretty much how you would expect them to in every way. Muscle cars have power for the straight aways and arent that great at turning, the rule of decelerating into a turn and accelerating out of it and the fact that if you speed on a motor cycle your going to die after rolling for a mile or two are all true.
Weapon switching is much better this time around. Where as in a couple of the incarnations you had three tiers of weapons, this game has only two and there is a very clear upper and lower tier. The weapons work beautifully and so does the aiming system. Not only is aiming a breeze, but you can lock on to which ever target youre pointing at by fully pressing down the aim button. You can then adjust the lock by moving the "tethered" reticule. So once you know exactly how far up to push in order to aim directly for the head, youre pretty much golden.
The game can be beaten with thirty hours if you JUST do the storyline. Of course nobody will wanna do that their first time through. Its a really great game with a TON of other stuff to do as optional side missions. This missions have ABSOLUTELY no bearing on the storyline! Then there is the online. That thing that everybody has been craving. You can now go online in Free Mode and just play with up to sixteen people in the huge city. Have fun! :D
The Best Grand Theft Auto game ever to hit sony's platform
On: 2008-06-30Grand Theft Auto 4 is one of the most popular and bestselling PS3 games out there. GTA 4 features almost everything you can imagine. The graphics are superb as well as the sound. Rockstar is still doing great. So dont hesitate to buy this perfect shooter game. Although this game is intended for teens at least 15 and older.
warning game contains: Nudity, Strong Sexual Content, Strong Language, Strong violence.
Prettier, but not that great
On: 2008-06-30Ive played most of the GTA series on a variety of platforms, Ps1, Ps2, Psp, and now Ps3. I have always enjoyed them for what they are, a way to get out some frustration. GTA 4 I have to say, while it may be pretty and has more freedom, isnt as much fun. Ive only played a couple hours into it, but I havent found much of any secret stuff. No hidden packages, no secret missions or rampages, and barely any guns and body armor. So if you die, you have to go buy everything back and that gets expensive. Driving has gotten harder. The e-brake doesnt let you slide, it makes you spin. If you take a corner above a crawl, you end up doing doughnuts down the sidewalk. So I started to use the normal brake, but quickley found that you cant turn while braking. There are many things that have been improved upon, but not enough to compensate for the major problems like driving.
So to summarize, its a cool game, but gets frustrating pretty quick.
Good not a 10 though
On: 2008-06-30I will not make a very long review and just state some stuff. I bought this game expecting that it will do what san andreas did for games and it failed not miserably just failed. The graphics are the best thing about this game as you should have heard and the character of this game are very bare bone and saying that without any spoilers I didnt like the ending. Everything this game does san andreas did better except for the graphics, and I was kinda dissapointed. I bought this game and then later bought MGS4 and then I stopped thinking GTA4 was a great game just ok. The online plain out sucks and few people are online and considering how much this game sold that should tell you something. I recommend this game slightly since it was still kinda of fun and people who care more about graphics than the other stuff should give it a try.
Don't Hesitate, buy it now!!
On: 2008-06-30Simply brilliant!
Even if youve played the other GTA series games, this may be more of the same but if it aint broke then dont fix it, better looking with added capabilities!
Call of Duty 4 aside, this is the best video game available on any platform. No doubt.
Too much foul language
On: 2008-06-29Had to stop playing. Nothing but F words for the 3 or 4 hours I wasted playing the game.
Then Target wouldnt take it back so that is the last time Ill buy from them. Sticking with Amazon from now on.
Smooth Game play, extremely repetitive.
On: 2008-06-29I bought this game on Launch night, and I proceeded to play it and was impressed with the first 2 hours. I played about 8 hours into the game, and it still didnt hook me. Niko had a very lifeless personality that was hard for me to get into. Im sure throughout the end it probably got better, but I couldnt get past the very repetitive missions. The game is an open world, which is incredibly impressive, graphically. Obviously comparing this game to ther genres would be pointless, but for an open world, id compare this games graphics with a action game like uncharted (which were beautiful). Now an open world game will obviously lower the graphic capabilities because of the sheer magnitude of computing power it takes, so dont expect Uncharted Graphics.
It was fun for about 2 hours, and I had to force myself to play up to 8 hours because from the 2 hour mark on I had been regretting my purchase. I havent been intrested in open world games before, so im obviously biased, If you are into these types of games, then by all means this is the best example of an open world game to date. I prefer linear story lines, so just by saying that alot of people can throw my review out the window.
The online play also had the same effect on me. There is alot of variety to make it fresh, but the fact people dont pay attention to the objectives online (every match type is a Death match, or atleast thats how people play it...), makes it difficult and not fun (this is not the game developers fault by any means). Also with alot of online games it seems like not many people actually use a head set. This baffels me completely, Online gaming promotes strategy to be used, and how else would you go about doing this without using a head set (also not game developers fault). People dish out 400$ on a system and cant buy a head set thats 30-40$? I realize people hate screaming 12 year olds shouting obsenities and racial slurs (i hate them too), but not everyone is one of those people. Online got old for these two reasons.
Over all I bought into the hype of the wonderful glowing reviews, and surely this game is a technical feat, but story wise i felt it was lacking. Repetitive missions (sometimes they do varry it up, by making you think youre doing something different, but really you just hunt down some guy, etc etc etc.) got incredibly old. If youre into Open World games, Then this game is for you, if not, then its defiantely worth a rent.
Game sites reviews gave it 10/10? id give it a 6/10.
Next Generation polish, Dated Gameplay
On: 2008-06-29Having just beaten the single-player portion of GTA IV, I am having a hard time sorting out my feelings for the game. On one hand, its a blast to play, and you can easily lose 30-60 hours of your life to the streets of liberty city. On the other hand, there really isnt anything here that you havent seen before.
PROS: Terrific graphics, awesome "sandbox" (Im starting to hate that term) gameplay, the most realistic city ever rendered. Tons of game content, great voice acting and production values, tons of cool music to listen to, and the deepest and most mature GTA game yet.
CONS: Underneath the next-gen looks... its the same game. The control, which had supposedly been revamped, still stinks. You spend tons of time battling the camera (especially in close-quarters combat and when driving). The new aiming system works pretty well, though its not foolproof. The biggest problem I had, however, was the canned, cliched and repetitive mission formats. Virtually all of the missions follow one of three structures: 1)Nikko must kill someone. Drive to where they are, shoot them. 2)Nikko must chase someone, THEN kill them. Get in your car, get really frustrated at the unrealistic physics, kill the target. 3)Nikko must recover drugs/guns/etc from bad guy. The chase scenes are particularly annoying, as run-of-the-mill cars will suddenly outrun your high-end sports car. The new car physics model is a case of overcompensation- in trying to make it less arcady, the developers have made it unrealistically floaty.
The interpersonal relationships is another gimmick (much like altering your body type in San Andreas) which gets old really quick. There are no properties to buy, meaning you can expect to do a lot of driving between safehouses the game gives you. There are no checkpoints, meaning that many longer missions will have you throwing the controller at the wall when you fail and have to repeat them from the very beginning (though Romans taxi service does help a bit).
Conclusion: I still had a lot of fun with this GTA, but it also became readily apparent how the core gameplay has NOT evolved since GTA III. Rockstar adds little tweaks, which is great, but the missions feel like deja vu. Why is it so hard to make a character control scheme that doesnt have the character feel like hes on rails?
Great game!
On: 2008-06-29Great game and a lot of fun. A bit too bloody for my taste and definitely not suited for minor players, but for adults its a lot of fun. I know that officially it is only sold to adults, but come on... we all know this does not really stop our young from getting a hand on it. I am sure that over 70% of the players are underage...
Fun...In Small Doses
On: 2008-06-28I have to admit that I can only play this game for a little while at a time. There is only so much mayhem to cause before I get bored and go back to some other 360 title. It will probably take me forever to finish it. So far, I have enjoyed the robust story. The gameplay is pretty intuitive also. However, Rockstar, as always, hits a few negative spots with me. First, missions that are way too complicated or simplistic mixed in at the same "level". Second, the opening/loading cutscene...hey Rockstar, I dont want to have to see this stupid hooker sucking on her lollypop every time I play the game...I should be able to skip this. Third, being able to interact with everything is cool...I can steal any car, but cant get into any building or break any window...just odd. On the same note, why is it that the hood can fly off my car, but if I clip an OPEN car door in traffic, it wrecks the WHOLE car? Shouldnt the door just get snapped off? All the same, a worthy addition to the franchise. Problem is, GTA isnt my favorite series. Only 3 stars.
this games effing awesome
On: 2008-06-27when i got this ive played it nonstop for like a week, and i still do just not nonstop. but its too bad you dont get to fly planes and have a whole variety of weapons to choose from. and NO TANK so no more going crazy. but its fun
Not what I expected.
On: 2008-06-27The Grand Theft Auto series has always been a mixed bag for me. I really enjoyed GTA3, and played it nonstop until I finished it. I then moved to Vice City and couldnt have been more disappointed by a sequel; I only played it for a couple of days before I moved on to other games. Then GTA San Andreas came out and I again was hooked again. My only issues with GTA: San Andreas was that it was entirely too long, I spent A LOT of time playing it, but it just seemed like the amount of missions were endless. After a while I got an XBOX 360, so eventually I stopped playing the XBOX altogether, leaving San Andreas unfinished. Fast forward a few years and now we are at one of the most anticipated games for quite a while. GTA IV. While the game is not really that bad, not nearly as bad as Vice City, it still is not as good as San Andreas or even GTA 3.
Without boring you with the storyline behind the game, I will just say that in this edition of the series, you are Niko Bellic a Russian immigrant now living in Liberty City (New York City).
Game play is very similar to previous installments, so if you are familiar with the other games in the series, then you will be able to pick this one up right away. In addition to what you already know about the game there are some additions.
You have a Cell Phone, in which you can actually call your in game buddies and girlfriends to go on dates and/or to the bowling, strip clubs, etc. They will also call you if you ignore them for too long.
Instead of being able to just walk up to a parked car open the door and drive away, this time around you actually have to break the window first, then hot wire it before you are able to drive away. This stuff is done automatically by the game, but it takes time, and with the very high police presence in this game, you really have to pick the cars you want to take to avoid an annoying police chase.
Another addition is that you can actually watch TV while youre in your safe house. There are about 4 or 5 different channels, and there are actually different shows that you watch, it starts to repeat after a while, but it is still a cool addition if you really just want to waste time without having to do something all the time.
Finally, you can also go to an internet café and surf the internet, receive emails (including SPAM) and read hilarious news stories.
The graphics in the game are ok, but it seems like one is looking through a brownish film. The graphics are comparatively much better than San Andreas, but not as good as I have seen in other games. I can easily look past this however, considering the fact that there are always a lot of things going on the screen at one time.
My biggest complaint about the game are the absurdly poor controls and slow character movement. Game play to me is what makes a game and sadly GTA IVs controls are not very good. As another reviewer already stated, one of the most annoying type of mission are missions in which you have to kill 23,478 guys by yourself. Just the simple task of killing one person is more difficult than it really has to be. First of all the buttons are very difficult to use during intense fire fights. By the time you get the cover button to work properly, you would have already lost 25% of your energy, and by the time you are able to move to another place, another 10 - 15% of your energy is gone. All of this and you havent even begun shooting yet! If you are lucky enough to have enough energy left to put up a good fire fight, you then have to worry about your bullets not even hitting the guy you are shooting at. I have been in situations where I was literally two feet away from a guy, and my gun shots did NOTHING to him. Yet he turns around and kills me with 3 shots. After I died I was given the option to start the mission over, but then I had to go through the tedious process of driving there first. I seem to remember San Andreas allowing you to skip the driving part if you have already done it, but I dont see any kind of option like this in GTAIV.
Another annoying type of mission are the car chase missions. There are three levels when it comes to car handling cars in GTA IV: bad, worse, and terrible. NONE of the cars handle great and a simple left or right turns sends your car sliding and spinning out of control giving the guy you are chasing ample time to get away. You can always turn slower but then the enemy will still get away because you are not moving fast enough. In addition to this, I have noticed some car chase missions are completely scripted in which the same type of road hazards occur every single time. For example I had to chase down and kill this guy and while I was chasing him he causes a truck to spill pipes all over the road, then later on causing a taxi to spin out of control heading straight towards me. I failed the mission the first time, so when I tried again, the EXACT same things happened again!
The game controls alone are enough to make me not want to play the game anymore or at least not as much as I played GTA3, or San Andreas, but then I run into the problem of the new features of the game become more annoying than enjoyable. A prime example is your cell phone. If you are like me and just spent an hour or so beating a couple of missions, all you want to do is save the game, but while you are going to your safe house to save, you get a call from one of your many friends asking to do something. You can always ignore them or say no, but then that hurts your friendship rating. So either you lose your friendship rating or reluctantly do something, spending more time playing the game. You can always turn stealth mode on, to stop people from calling, you but it seems to turn off by itself and you have to set it back to stealth mode again every time you load a game.
I havent played this game in about a month. There are a good number of other games that I have that are more enjoyable than GTAIV and I probably wont ever beat it if it turns out to be very long. I give it 3 stars overall and 3 stars for fun. Its not as bad as Vice City, it just SHOULD have been much better, considering all the hype surrounding it.
Awesome game, Depth may be too much for non hard core gamers
On: 2008-06-27Great game, had a blast playing the single player which took me around 36 hours to complete. Im just not experimenting with the online world and it definitely adds some legs. This may be harder for some folks to get into given the huge universe, and the time it takes to gain access to new parts of Liberty City (Mirrored off of NYC)
Highly recommend this title if you own a 360 or PS3 and are happy with mature content.
If you are buying this for a kid under 15 I cant recommend purchasing this title, if you are buying this for a kid under 18 who isnt mature then also do not purchase. Only recommended for kids who have a sense of reality that havent been coddled their entire life.
The second coming...errr fourth coming
On: 2008-06-26Ill stay away from a novel here. This game offers nothing new in terms of core gameplay. If you played and loved the other games in the series - you are probably only reading this review so you can flame me for not going "5" stars.
Rockstar has employed the quantity over quality technique. You will play the same missions youve been playing for a decade. People will curse like they have touretts, the cars are tough to control and the graphics still can be distracting... but...the story is really good. Nico is very likeable and I was compelled to see what happened next all the way through. Had the story not been as strong, this game would have wore out its welcome after the first couple of hours. Im usually not a sucker for story, but in this case Ill make an exception. The targeting and cover systems are well implemented for the action sequences, but like most of this game, it is a jack of all trades, master of none.
There are a lot of games that do some of things GTA IV does much better, but only pieces. The game is tremendous fun and I cant stress enough how great the characters are, but youve played it before, this version just has the shiniest wrapper.
Lens Artist : Loser seller
On: 2008-06-26Well, if we had ever gotten the game maybe we might be able to write a review. But since it has never arrived and the seller will not contact us its a little difficult to review anything. The "Lens Artist" should not be allowed to sell anything on Amazon. I really hope that you people can deal with this person. There are so many negative comments about him.
Excellente game!!
On: 2008-06-26Excellent game, it really includes it all!! It has really detailed graphics. What i really like its that they give importance to little details, for example variety of songs, the way you ride your car and the different scenarios. Not recommended for little kids due to its violent and sexual content, but highly recommend for action lovers!!
best one yet
On: 2008-06-26Best GTA yet and not that sleazy. They need to have more music in the movie parts to fit the bill just like Vice City. Give it some old school taste to it. Also not many voice overs that I have recognized yet. Gary Busy was hilarious. Have not played it that much but will be soon.
A new standard
On: 2008-06-26I will begin with "my" only draw back. Even though there were much more radio stations, I wasnt really feeling the music. That aside the game is amazing. Its replayablity ie. Darts, pool, bowling, etc. make the game several games in one. Using cover is vital to pitched gun play that make you feel the stress and desperation of being "pinned down". Just and amazing game that meets and exceeds standards across the board.
Friggin great for blowing off steam ... for adults
On: 2008-06-25This game is great. Whether you choose to complete mission, or just rampage about town trying out new cars or other vehicles and speeding through the streets of New York (er, i mean liberty city). Definitely not for kids. I think anything less than 16 or 15 is very questionable unless you think its time for them to learn about the seedier elements of our real world..
Solid title...if nothing else but to kill time
On: 2008-06-24Whats a good 360 game library without Grand Theft auto IV, right? Despite all the hype and long wait I bought this game thinking it would be pretty much like Vice City, only set in a new environment with new characters, with maybe some improvements to the gameplay. At least I wasnt disappointed.
I have to admit the team at Rockstar put some serious thought and effort into creating a realistic, beautiful and interactive city when they created this game. Maybe too much. I bought the limited edition version which illustrated the concept art and the design of Liberty City and I was truly impressed. I showed this to a friend who made a good point. Who cares if a little soda can on the sidewalk actually has a dent in it when youre running from the cops at 90 MPH because you just killed a prostitute.
The only real additions to the actual gameplay from the previous GTA titles are things I dont want to do anyway. I dont want to go on dates. I dont want to go bowling. If I wanted to see stupid stuff on the internet, I would just watch YouTube.
The missions are fun and seem to have relevent tie-ins to building the storyline. But please dont fail! You may have to spend another 15 minutes of your life trying to get to a point to retry it. Thats always been my peeve with the GTA franchise, and is so with GTA IV. Some things never change.
For people like me that have a short attention span this is a good game. Getting sidetracked is always an issue in any GTA game. So many times, I was simply trying to get from point A to point B and ended up as Public Enemy #1, as if in some Murphys Law continuum. This must have been what happened to OJ. However, if you get stuck or frustrated on a mission, just forget about it and do some side missions for a while. I own so many games that have such linear gameplay that I refuse to play them anymore because you get stuck and irritated and theres nothing else to do.
The characters in the game are great. I actually seem to care what happens to some of them. The biggest problem with them is some of them get in your car, and they just will not shut up. I think everyone has a friend like this. I have two. Even the random people on the street are original. I rarely remember seeing the same person twice. Theres always that person that swears at you or gives you a dirty look. Needless to say, that person must die.
I read a few of the other reviews that this game is overly buggy or that it repeatedly crashes or even bricks their console, but I have not had any problems while playing. Also, despite the mature rating and negative press (or good, free advertising as I like to call it), I feel like the content is not unsuitable for any reasonably minded teen. Its pretty much things theyre going to see and hear everyday, anyway.
Oh, and as a side note to Rockstar Games. I just killed 38 gang members with a submachine gun. Do you think Im going to stop and pay a $5 bridge toll?
All in all, if you like the GTA series or just enjoy a game that doesnt end in disappointment after a few hours, GTA IV is a good choice. If you buy it new, I do recommend spending an extra thirty bucks for the limited edition version. It comes with some really cool stuff!
worst game ever
On: 2008-06-23this was the worst game i have ever played all the missions are the same the reload on the gun is fake the ia is the worst i have ever seen the way you die is fake (you hit a car gently and you fly 20feet in the air)
you hit cars gently with your car and you fly out and die DO NOT BUY THIS GAME BUY A GOREAT GAME LIKE BIA HH OR COD WAW!!!!!
gta 4 = koooooooool
On: 2008-06-23i have been a big fan of gta since number 1 but gta 4 blows all of them away BUT LOOK OUT THE CHEAT CODES ARE REAL PHONE NUMBERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
car bombs ak47 deasert eagle uzi rpgs and more in this game if u love to kill people and blow stuff up play this game.
Great game! NOT for kids!!
On: 2008-06-23The game is very fun and entertaining! Gameplay is very realistic and interactive. Graphics are very detailed, excellent! It is intended for mature adults and noone else.
Not my deal
On: 2008-06-22This is the first GTA game Ive played so I didnt know what to expect. All the critic reviews are so impressive that I decided to try it out. Well, after playing for about a week, I can understand why it got the high scores. There was a lot of development that went into the game in terms of detail to the massive scale of the city and living environment, which impressively includes weather changes like rain and fog, to what you can do, e.g. you can watch tv in your room or play pool or bowl, etc. But I found these things tedious and just skipped them throughout. Even the cutscenes I skipped because they were drawn out. Somewhere around hour 8 or so, the game just kind of dragged for me. The whole sand-box novelty wore off and I was just hoping the game would end soon. (note: I hate long games, so Im not into rpgs or I guess these type of games; Ill never be one to complain that a game is too short like some other reviewers.) I realized I wasnt close to finishing the game so I just returned it. Maybe the game gets better later, but its already eaten up enough of my time. Glad I rented it instead of buying first, which is something everyone should do nowadays.
In conclusion, if you have the time and the interest in these virtual worlds, its definitely a cool game and pretty amazing considering what you can do in it. Just be prepared to do them umpteen times.
Other notes: Regarding the graphics, they are pretty good, just what I expected from looking at the box. The driving isnt so bad, you get used to it quickly. Ive heard about the freezing issue with the game, but my copy worked fine.
It's not really GTA... not really
On: 2008-06-22I tried really hard to like this game... I really did. I played Vice City 4 times through, played San Andreas 3 times through. This one, I still havent beat and barely pick up. Its lacking. GTA was known for pushing limits in gaming and for its sandbox attitude. Most of the time Im just asking myself why Im still playing it.
Pros: The storyline is great. I think this is the most solid story yet. Its creative and integral to the game. The graphics are much nicer than before. The explosions are very realistic. The characters are far more interesting than they used to be. Its sad this is all I can find positive.
Cons: This should be long. Where do I start? How about the first thing that made me angry. Where is my sandbox? I cant change hairstyles and cant customize my clothes much. This gives me little involvement or personal belonging to the main character which I PLAY! Its like they said, "San Andreas was way too complicated with all that clothing and hairstyles... nobody liked it anyway. Its stupid lets just throw it out." Its part of what made me feel more into the game. Without that I dont own the character, Im just playing as him. Its a disconnection.
Next, I hate the fact they removed custom cars. I loved boosting cars and then pimping them out. You drive around the city find some insanely cool car then make it even more awesome. I really really miss that from GTA. You cant even select what color the car changes to. Whats up with that? No Nitrous either. That means no insanely insane car stunts.
Now one Ive always hated about GTA and is just worse in this one. If you ever see Zero Punctuation you know. I can ram through giant light poles with nothing more than a tap. I can topple hot dog stands with a scooter. Yet a tiny tree or the smallest of metal rods holding up an awning and I go flying out of the windshield. Cant tell you how many times that happened running from the cops after a 30 minute mission... then having to do it all over again. Consistency rockstar? Maybe just once?
How about the worst peeve of them all. Save points. I dont know if it changes but for the first 15 hours of the game your one and only save point is always a 10 minute drive away from where your mission ends. Every time you think you should save you find yourself halfway through the city and you have to drive all the way back and on top of it, pay a $5 toll. What? So I basically have to pay to save or run from the cops but either way I cant just save. No that would be too easy.
I hate the fact that rockstar tries its hardest to make the game realistic while living just outside the realm of reality but still manages to keep you from doing what would be considered actual realism. Like paring my own clothes, or driving through a tree. Oh but I can sit and watch my character watching television. The level of realism has hit sitting on a recliner but I still cant get my hair cut. Not to mention I have to eat to gain health but food is nearly impossible to find in the city of NEW YORK! Its New York and it takes me like 20 minutes to find a stupid hamburger. Cant it be on the map? Because in the real NY, you walk one block and youll find a sandwich shop of some kind. Or how about the fact I carry thousands of dollars with me but my fridge is always empty?
I pre-ordered this game. I wanted this game. I was hoping to love this game. However, this is a step backwards. Its not as good as San Andreas and not as fun. There are less weapons, less vehicles, less options, and less of a sandbox. This game is in every way less than San Andreas. Way to let me down.
Greatest Grand Theft Auto so far
On: 2008-06-22Ive always loved the GTA series with the exception of San Andreas which didnt appeal to me too much. GTA IV takes it to a new level with excellent improvements that the other titles lacked. Massive storyline and outstanding graphics. When I first played it I just couldnt put the controller down it was just that great of a game. The dating aspect was great and the multiple ending depending on your choices throughout the game was great. The only thing I did not like was the Sixaxis implementation but whats good about it is that its optional and the way the Helicopter handles with or without the Sixaxis. Besides these minor flaws GTA IV is great, 10 out of 10 and hopefully game of the year. What makes it even more outstanding is that unlike Metal Gear Solid: Guns of the Patriots, you dont have to have played the other GTA games to pick up and play.
Excellent!
On: 2008-06-22I remembered when GTA 3 first came out and when I got I loved it, then GTA: Vice City was released..... that game changed my world and from GTA: VC I actually found out what it was to be addicted to games (in a bad way) but when GTA: San Andreas was released it was just another game to me! so when GTA: IV was finally released I decided that I had to get it for my Xbox 360.
The day I received it I opened it up and popped it in.... and WOW I was blown away by everything the game had to offer! it felt like I was playing GTA: VC all over again! what a treat........... but Ive got a job so not a lot of play time for me :( but lets just say that I cant wait for the weekends :)
GET THIS GAME!
amazing city, tedious missions
On: 2008-06-22overall this game is a 10, but the missions all seem the same at points, I loved the story and apperently there are different endings so you can play through multiple times, the gun play has been upgraded heavily from the other gtas and the action is more intense, the car chases also seem much more intense and the rag doll effects of people make for some humorous situations while driving I guess you could say, in a month or so I may play through this again.
Instantly a Classic
On: 2008-06-20What can I say since so many people have this game anyways.
Will not get bored cuz you can pretty much do anything.
Hilarious.
And hilarious.
Great Game
On: 2008-06-20Fun and addicting, I usually didnt like the previous few gta because they tried to add too much, this is not simple but only complex enough to add depth and move the story line forward as much as and as quickly as you want to progress it. Addicting too because I just want to beat the game, interesting story line as well, kind of predictable but otherwise an all around fun game to play
good
On: 2008-06-20Its seems to be a good game. I bought it for my son and he plays it a lot. He was very happy to receive it.
A Rather Mediocre Entry in the GTA Series
On: 2008-06-20I have been a fan of the GTA series since the 2D games back on the original Playstation. Overall, the series has had a mostly clean track record in terms of quality thus far (besides the lackluster Stories titles). Grand Theft Auto IV, however, is an incredibly disappointing next-gen debut that does not do justice to the legendary series.
The visuals are undeniably the best part of the game. This is the most realistic entry in the series by far. However, the realism definitely makes the game less enjoyable. Wheres the imagination that fueled past entries in the series?
The design of Liberty City this time around is also poor and incredibly boring. GTA IV was supposed to be a Saints Row killer - so why does that earlier title have superior game design and better multiplayer?
Wait, did I mention multiplayer? Yup, I sure did. In terms of that, GTA IV does not deliver. Saints Rows enjoyable death matches put GTA IVs varied (but ho-hum) modes to shame.
The single player storyline is also full of clichés. An immigrant comes to America, expecting great things but not getting exactly what he wanted? Thats been done before numerous times. Feed us something original, Rockstar.
Overall, it seems like more effort was put into the visuals than in other aspects of the title. In terms of graphics, Grand Theft Auto IV puts past titles in the series to shame. However, this game is a step down in every other way, and it left my expectations unfulfilled.
As that classic Public Enemy song went,
"Dont believe the hype!".
Unbiased review of GTA IV's single-player mode
On: 2008-06-19I want to preface this review by saying that Ive never played a GTA game until GTA IV. After hearing all the hype and hoopla about what a great game this is, I decided to see for myself. Does it deserve a 10 that all the game reviewers have been giving it? Certainly not. To me, a 10 means that game is flawless and a joy to play from start to finish. The last game that left me with that impression was Resident Evil 4. That isnt to say that GTA IV isnt a great game, but it has far too many annoying and frustrating moments to warrant a perfect score.
*** SPOILERS AHEAD ***
PROS
* The city itself is a stunning achievement--a living, breathing, interactive entity. And with real-time lighting and shadows, you feel the passage of time as it transforms from day into night. Each neighborhood has its distinct flavor. If you go to a poor neighborhood, youll find graffiti on the walls and thugs loitering on the street. If you go to a wealthy neighborhood, youll find fashionable, young ladies yapping on their cel phones, and people driving expensive sports cars and SUVs.
* Great voice acting and an epic story.
* The cel phone is a very clever, non-obtrusive interface.
* Some spectacular shootouts, particularly the bank heist.
* If you get tired of driving (it does get tedious after a while), you can use a taxi or call your cousin for free car service. Theres also a fully functioning subway system, but I hardly used this.
* The dating and mini-games are pretty fun, but bowling seems clumsy if youre used to using the Wiimote for Wii Bowling. (And speaking of dating, was anyone able to score with Kate McCreary?)
* A lot of the side missions, like Brucies carjackings, are a lot more fun than some of the main missions.
CONS
* NO CHECKPOINTS - This is my single biggest complaint of the game. If you fail at any point in the mission, you have to start all over. This maybe fun the first few times, but it gets annoying very quickly and drags the pace of the game down, especially for the longer missions.
Almost all the missions are structured like this:
1. Go to a person to get a mission briefing.
2. Go to a location or chase an enemy down.
3. Eliminate your target(s).
4. Evacuate the area and ditch the cops.
Why not have a checkpoint after each portion of the mission? Maybe the programmers didnt have time to implement this, or the designers thought it would be "fun" dying and playing the same thing over and over again.
* THE CHASES - With the exception of "Not on the Subway," I disliked most of the chase missions. Why? Because if you lose your target, the mission ends abruptly, and you have to start all over again. I would have liked the chases more if they continued indefinitely. Or if you do lose your target, you should be able to steal a cop car, use the computer, and track them down again.
In some instances, I tried setting up blockades of stolen cars to slow down the enemy, but that didnt seem very effective. There were times when I completed the driving portion of the mission only to be killed during a shootout. In my next attempt, I would try taking a shortcut to the destination instead of weaving in and out of traffic, but in most cases, the mission would end because I was too far away.
For a game that claims to have an "open world," you still have to accomplish the missions in a very rigid and linear fashion. And there doesnt seem to be a way to end the chases prematurely.
* SHOOTING WHILE DRIVING IS CLUNKY - Although it sounds fun on paper, the controls for driving and shooting are a bit challenging. Use R2 to accelerate, L2 to break, the left analog to steer, the right analog to adjust the reticule, and L1 to shoot. Now try doing all that at 60 mph with multiple enemies, traffic, sharp turns, and the cops on your tail! Good luck!
FAVORITE SUPPORTING CHARACTER: Brucie. Hes muscular, hes funny, and he rules. Stay alpha, bro! Honorable mention goes to the driver for Romans car service, who constantly insults you for taking advantage of his free service.
LEAST FAVORITE SUPPORTING CHARACTER: Bernie or Carmen. Theyre both annoying, but they do have benefits. If you finish Bernies missions, he gives you a sports car, which comes in handy for Brucies races. If you get Carmen to like you enough, shell give you a heath boost.
FAVORITE MISSION:
"Three Leaf Clover." By far, the bank heist is the best mission in the game. Its suspenseful, relentless, and action-packed. Unfortunately, its in the middle of the game, and subsequent missions pale in comparison. Im surprised the developers didnt save this one for the climax.
LEAST FAVORITE MISSION:
"Smackdown." I died quite a few times on this mission. Not only do you have to fight bad guys, but the cops are shooting your back.
MOST UNDERUSED GAME MECHANIC:
In the mission "Truck Hustle," I was able to grab onto the rear bumper of a moving van, climb on top, and then kick through the window on the passenger side. It felt like a moment from "Raiders of the Lost Ark." I was only able to do this once in the entire game, so Im not sure if this was mission-specific or an ability you have throughout the game. It was certainly a lot of fun, and I wish there was more of this.
OVERALL SCORE: 8.5 out of 10 (9.0 if the game had checkpoints during a mission)
One step foreward and three steps back
On: 2008-06-19This review I am writing about GTA 4 is about the GTA series and linear progression. When compared to other games GTA has set many standards and is always setting the bar higher and higher, and there is no comparison really. When I bought this newest gta I was dissapointed, to say the least. The only this this game has going for it is honestly the graphics, thats it! This reminds me very much of GTA 3, yes Liberty City, in that the game is very basic with no real new features, except for the gun fighting controls. Actually, this game takes a few steps back when in comparison to San Andreas and even Vice City I believe. First the map is very small when in comparison, but thats to be understood because of the graphics. The main things I feel are steps back include:
-No Kill Frenzys
-Has been known to destory/crash the 60GB PS3s
-Very limited flying ability, only helicopter and only 2 types of helicopters police & civilian
-No military base at all, just a prison which turns out being really lame
-Less weapons
-Horrible soundtrack and less songs/programs
-90 very easy missions (no challenge at all!)
-Substantially increased and pointless relations with computer characters
-Money serves absolutely no purpose in this game except hogdogs and handguns
-No ways to generate money except missions
- 2oo "flying rats" you have to find scattered around the city (very hard to find) and they serve no purpose when compared to the horseshoes and clams from San Andreas
-less selection of vehicles
-Less able to customize characters/vehicles
-Pointless cell phone
-Hundreds of pointless internet websites
On a lighter side there are some benefits to this new version of GTA 4 and those include:
-Guns dont disappear when arrested
-Gunfighitng controls
-Graphics
-Gun delivery service (Little Jacob)
-Some hilarious TV shows
-Multiplayer ability
In conclusion, I feel that Rockstar Entertainment has produced a product that is less than par when compared to their previous success. A clear and present lack of creativity is easily seen. Cut backs that limited new and creative features that make GTA games always a joy to play, even after the game is complete. I personally feel that this game only has the graphics going for it and falls seriously short in many other categories. Rockstars lazy creation of this new GTA 4 is, in my mind, a grim indicator of what Rockstar Entertainment is going to be producing in the future ever since it got bought out by Electronic Artists, EA Games, several months ago.
Seriously Disappointed GTA fan
On: 2008-06-18Ive been waiting for this game to come out since I beat San Andreas the third time so I tried really hard to like this game but now that Ive beat it I have no desire what-so-ever to play it every again. The missions are repetitive and long. Too many of them consist of: take vehicle, drive to point a, follow person through scripted traffic to unmarked point b, kill person. It would be fine if I could actually kill them, but no amount of bullets will bring the mission to an end early, leading to pointless busy work. There is a limited number of safe houses, and no properties to buy like in Vice City and San Andreas. The map is large but you the number of cars you can safe is severely limited by this. Many of the past side quests that resulted in unlocking weapons give you none. Dying and visiting the hospital is insanely expensive making random rampages painful. If I wasnt a collector, I would sell this thing. I cannot in good conscious suggest this game to anyone but a GTA completist.
Not worth it!
On: 2008-06-18If your 12 years old it might be good, but then the language would not be appropiate.
Waste of money and time.
All the hoopla is why it sold not because of the (so called) game!
Just the Extras...
On: 2008-06-18During a time when most special editions are just crappy DVDs from the B side of the development teams production diaries, Rockstar comes through with some high-class swag. In all, a duffel bag, a lockbox with keys and keychain, an artbook, and a 16-track audio CD.
The duffel bag is surprisingly large; to give you an idea you can probably carry two large bowling balls in it. It has a really nice bright yellow/orange lining with a repeating R* logo pattern. Its perfect to take to a gym or to lug around a cache of semi-automatic weapons and ammunition ala Falling Down.
The safety deposit box is well-made and functions as a nice but less than secure storage unit, it is about the size of a flip-flop shoe box. It comes with two keys, a ¼" thick R* logo keychain. This product shows the Rockstar teams pragmatism, they probably debated between giving us an action figure of some sort (which would have been cool) or something people can actually use, like the lockbox.
The art book is OK, the production notes, while somewhat interesting are less than impressive, it is hardbound with semi-glossy pages but in my opinion too small (it is about 1/3 of the size of a US Letter sheet of paper). A larger booklet (US Letter Size) with more pictures would have definitely made this collectors pack worth another easy 10 bucks. But publishers have to make hard decisions and maybe the focus groups were telling them that a 99.99 price point was too high. It does seem that this was the only item in the bundle that really wasnt thought about in detail. I hope that Rockstar will release a full-size art book for this game in the future.
The soundtrack features a great selection of songs from the game. Vagabond by the Greenskeepers is without a doubt one of the catchiest tracks in the game, and the one used for the television ads. Other songs of note are Nickname by Qadir and Liberty City The Invasion by Seryoga. Overall the 16 tracks on the CD are well chosen and represent some of the best music from the game by lesser known but definitely not lesser talented artists. I wish the packaging for the CD was better, it comes in what is basically a cardboard sleeve, but that is merely nitpicking. Rockstar would be well advised to give GTA IV the San Andreas/Vice City treatment and release a full collection of soundtracks from the games radio stations.
The whole kit and caboodle comes packaged in large box adorned with art from the game featuring the games anti-hero (the PS3 version features the lollipop girl instead). Also for those of you that care about such things, the game case does not have that hideous gray box reading "Special Edition" as shown in the product photo on Amazon. It is in fact the very same game case that you get when you buy the regular edition game.
Inside are an owners manual and a large foldout map with points of interest on one side and subway map on the other. The subway map wont make Massimo Vignelli proud but it will let you know which train to take to your destination within the game. It also comes with a 1 month trial for Xbox Live Gold, which augments your subscription by a month if you already have an active Xbox Live Gold account.
Fun game, with excellent graphics; however, lacks an engaging story.
On: 2008-06-18First of all this game is a lot of fun and the graphics are stunning, not to the full capability of the PS3 but the system has only been out for a year...I would be disappointed if the graphical capability was maxed out already. Many have reported glitches however I have had no problems as far as that goes. The controls are much improved over previous versions of the game, the new driving controls are different and require some getting used to but I like them as they allow you more control once youve mastered them. The combat is much improved, it is easy to move and aim. The cover system allows you to slide quickly to cover that isnt close by, and keeping Niko in free aim keeps the camera over your shoulder making it much easier to maneuver tight spaces and combat situations.
The games story falls flat, it is decent but not great, and is the only reason this game is not perfect. Everything starts out well, the characters are well developed and detail and you feel like you can really relate to Niko, but somewhere in the middle alot of the more interesting characters stories come to a dead end and the story gets dull. The mission begin to get really repetitive and you could careless if you complete the game. The game is undeniably worth the money, but compared to the story of San Adreas...this game doesnt compare.
Pros: Great graphics, huge amount of detail, large area to explore, fun to cause mayhem, large variety of vehicles, interesting new features (combat, cellphone, relationship which while not required can give you great benefits, improved driving/racing), bank robbery mission, and many more.
Cons: Missions get repetitive, story starts out amazing...finishes flat, money is worthless except for guns and taxi, no properties to buy
I would recommend anyone with a PS3 buy this game..its definitely worth 50$...anyone who says otherwise is just mad because the game was a little over-hyped and didnt meet every single expectation they had, or they wanted another game just like San Andreas and they loved the horrible controls and cartoony graphics.
A great game, if it doesn't destroy your xbox360 or PS3
On: 2008-06-18We all know that this game is great, one of the best games ever made, there is absolutely no doubt about it.
What many dont know is that Rockstar has yet again done a very poor job beta testing this game before releasing it. I have had my xbox totally lock up on me after occasionally freezing during playing this game. These same very issues occur on the PS3 version of the game, where Rockstar actually created a patch fix that could be downloaded via the PSN network. At current time of this writing, there has been no such patch for the xbox 360 version.
At first the freezing up for me was occasional, once every couple of hours, not a huge deal. Then it became worse, and then actually wouldnt let me play at all, freezing up as soon as you were done loading a game. Even quickly loading a previous game save before it crashed would only work temporarily. At this point, it was only happening with this actual game, the freezing that is. I was not getting the "Red Rings of Death" that has so plagued the xbox 360. I called in to Microsoft xbox support, and they told me I had to send my console in to be repaired... again, I was not gettting the R.R.O.D. -- they were not going to charge me for the fix, I had an extended warranty on the unit anyway, I did previously have the RROD, about 1 year ago, but have played the 360 extensively after they "repaired" it then. Even playing GTA IV for the first 15 hours or so the game didnt crash even once! Then it started happening occasionally, then it just killed my 360!
This is a great game, but it is awful that Rockstar didnt beta test this game enough. And before anyone thinks this is just me, go and look it up on youtube and you will find TONS of videos of this game either freezing up or completely bricking xbox360s.. Rockstar also had the exact same issues occuring with the xbox360 version of Bully, which also was in the news a bit.
Note to Rockstar... please beta test your games better. Not just for the 360 but the PS3 too. Till then I am not buying anymore games from you guys, it isnt worth my time and aggravation, no matter how good the content may be. Again, remember the PS3 is suffering from very similar hardware failures as well, so we know it isnt completely the hardware itself, but the software crashing the consoles, and in my case BRICKING IT!
Fun for about a week
On: 2008-06-17Let me start by saying that if it were not for all the ridiculous perfect 5 star reviews this game has gotten, that my real judgement on GTA IV would be closer to 3 stars rather than 1, however in the interest of fairness, I had to rate it 1 to counter all the biased positive reviews written by gamers who are just quoting what they read in a magazine review.
GTA IV falls incredibly short of what it was hyped to be, and indeed, what it could have been had its developers not rushed to get it out of the door too quickly.
I wont comment on all the glitches people are reporting because I havent experienced any, but I will comment on the games short comings in the way of mission variety, lack of side missions seen in previous series installments, and a general lack of fun as the game progresses.
GTA IV starts off strong with an interesting storyline that ultimately falters somewhere half way through when some of the most interesting characters youre introduced to dont get their just deserves and the story seems to turn into a rush job to finish rather than having any kind of really satisfying conclusion.
Reviewers and game designers have given players the false idea that the story is open ended and concludes based on choices that the player makes throughout the games course. This is simply not true as no matter what you do, youre going to be presented with only one of two choices toward the games end that will decide how the story wraps up. Even then, theres not much difference between the two endings to even warrant saying that you have much of a choice.
While there are a few incredibly fun and satisfying mission over the course of the game, there just isnt enough, certainly not as many as you had to choose from in San Andreas.
Also, there is not enough variety of good music on the radio stations and the looped conversations get old fast and become more annoying than funny.
Im not asking for the sky, but I feel the games designers and anyone who isnt under the age of 18 (who shouldnt being playing this title anyway) would agree if they were honest with themselves that this game was a rush job and could have been far better than what we ended up getting.
No wonder it got so much hype... word of advice to prospective buyers, any time a game gets as much hype as GTA IV got, its a pretty good rule of thumb to think twice before buying something thats over compensating for a major short-coming.
Youre better off spending your $60 on something thats worth the price like Metal Gear Solid 4.
Better graphics, same game
On: 2008-06-17Pretty much the same free roam game weve grown used too since GTA 3, Gets repetitive after a while and the shock value has long run out. Needs more new content, this game did not live up to the hype.
Best game ever made.
On: 2008-06-17OK. most of you reading this review are familiar with the previous installments of the series. So all I am going to do is touch on the points that make this game Soar above all of the previous ones.
1. The graphics. Of course we would expect this out of a 360 or PS3 as compared to the previous versions, but I should tell you exactly what makes it different. Wreckage. Far more realistic than before, the wrecks seem far more fluid, and realistic than before, If a wreck is pretty bad, the car just stops working, rather than bursting into flames, which is not very realistic. When you wreck into things, the damage that occurs is more realistic than before. For example in previous games running into bushes was like running into a wall, yet running into a light pole at a slow speed was quite destructive. Not the case here. When you run into a light pole something actually happens, the light goes off and live wires spark upon the street. (No, you can not get electricuted buy the wires, but still its pretty cool.) You will not just barrel over trees either.
2. Save points. Finally, after a mission is over it saves the game, no more running back to the "safehouse" and getting in trouble for something minor and ruining it all, that is a GREAT advantage of this game.
3. Losing a warning level over 2. It was really aggrevating that if you managed to get to a 2 level warning, you were done for, unless you made it to a safe house, now, there is a radar range meter that lets you know where to go and how far to go to start hiding from your warrant level. That is brilliant addition to the game.
4. Taking the taxi: If you dont feel like driving to your next mission, then dont, just take the taxi. While it is a little tricky to get in the taxi without truing to steal it, it can be done, and it is a great feature.
5. Going to the hospital: You dont lose your weapons. Also another great addition. No more going to the hospital and having to load the previous game to get back to where you were. Just take the Taxi and be on your way.
6. Realistic car handling/better "dash view". For most cars, instead of the old bumper view, which is hard to navigate around on, this view includes the hood and looks just like you are driving the car.
7. Body reaction to pain. there is no more just running out in front of a car to stop it...If you do that you will be run over and it looks very real, your body flys about in a random manner. (It does affect your health.) Also, there is no jogging down the street faster than a car is driving, if you miss your chance to take it, then too bad, better look for another.
8. Weapons and explosives: I cant say enough about how much better the sounds of explosions, and bullets firing sound. It is far more polished and realistic than any other installment.
In short, its the same game you are used to loving, just much more polished and realistic. Check out new york city vs GTA IV comparisions on google to see what I mean. There is a tremendous attention to detail in this game. So much that I think It would rival many major motion pictures.
Have fun my friends, its a helluva ride.
Unfortunately, it got overhyped
On: 2008-06-16the pros:
-finally, GTA built for next gen systems
-impressive story development
-has that "epic" feel
-some of the eye rolling aspects of previous GTA games have been tweaked for a more realistic approach (cop interactions, driving)
cons:
-simply not as fun as the older games
-all those 10/10 and 5 star reviews got everyone overhyped
-sadly, not as good as "offshoots" like Vice City and San Andreas
GTA IV
On: 2008-06-16Overall, this game is one of the best I have ever played. Unfortunately, you cant really replay it over and over again, but after you beat the game, you can still interact with LIberty City. Some of the missions you cant get by without cheating, but it is still a great game.
Boring...
On: 2008-06-16I rented this game to try it out first. Played about 6-7 hours then returned it and have no regret, no desire to play it again. Unlike game reviewers who review games from multiple perspective, I play game solely for one reason: to have fun. And this game is not fun. First few hours were interesting, but soon after it got very repetitive and shooting controls were bad imop.
Great game, adding another 5star to even out the idiots
On: 2008-06-15Great game, a masterpiece in every aspect although the only thing that frustrated me was the answering of a cell phone after completion of a mission when a cop was still shooting me... you know what I am talking about if you pick this game up.
Best PS3 Game
On: 2008-06-15This game is awesome. It is the most realistic GTA game! The Special Edition is definetely worth the extra 30 dollars. My favorite additions are the safety deposit box and the duffel bag.
A Lot of Nothing--The Best Part is the Duffel
On: 2008-06-15This game is just like all the other Grand Theft Autos, and the graphics are not where they should be for a PS3 game. The story is simple, which would be fine if it wasnt so complicated to progress.
waited a long time for it and it was worth it
On: 2008-06-15this is the best game that i ever played, since i got it, i havent stopped playing. i really like the graphics which are much better than the previous GTA. Its really cool to zip around the city. I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes intense driving and shooting games.
Greatest Game Of 08 Has Its Flaws
On: 2008-06-14On the viewing of the first trailer for GTA IV the world took a deep breath and said "Holy Crap" and that feeling carried on right up until the actual games release date when people queued for hours in anticipation of the game, but after all that hype the real question to be asked of people is, "Was it worth it?" Both yes and no for truly different reasons and with my review I plan on giving both the pros and cons to this game but Im sad to say that theyre primarily cons, but lets first focus on the biggest pro of them all.
Pro: The Attention to Detail: The Liberty City map isnt massive as we were warned in pre-release interviews of the developers, though we had the map size reduction we were given an immensely detailed surrounding. The roads, the walls, even the trees have some interesting detail to offer when simply walking around the city. You come to notice things that you start to think to yourself, was there really a point in putting that in the game when its sacrificing the activity content of the game.
Con: The Lack of Size: As mentioned before we were given pre-warning that the map would be considerably smaller than that of San Andreas. The truly bad thing about this is that the most enjoyable thing about San Andreas was the truly divers environments contained in the massive San Andreas, yet given the smaller Liberty City we are limited to one very cliché setting of a bustling city lifestyle.
Pro: Duck & Cover/Police Search: This has to be the biggest improvement in the game altogether as it gives us a much more realistic element to the whole experience of GTA. If committing a crime there either have to be witnesses or a cop nearby, if there are none of the pre-mentioned then simply the cops wont be after you but if you have a wanted level and are driving around in hope of escaping the wanted circle but are unable to because your car is familiar to them, you have the ability to switch cars and if done properly you can drive carefully past a Police car without them being aware that its you in the car that theyre after. This makes the experience ultra realistic and along with the ability to duck & cover so if you enter into a gun fight with the police you can take cover behind a car door and keep on shooting.
Con: Lack of Stuff To Do: This is the biggest flaw in the game and really ruins the replay value of the whole game. In San Andreas there were literally hundreds of activities that you could perform at your leisure if you were bored with performing mission after mission. You could go sky diving, swimming under water, dancing, gambling etc. etc. the list goes on and on but with GTA IV we are given an immensely detailed environment but at the sacrifice of the activities and I feel this is the biggest letdown.
There are many other cons and many other pros for which I could go on about for hours but Im going to stop at this as its something a GTA fan should experience and decide for themselves. This should be a part of your collection as its simply something that could be considered a part of gaming history, after all its one of the very few game franchises that has seen its tenure cross the 3 generations of the Sony Playstation and if current sales figures indicate anything, I think we can guarantee that this will be a series to continue across many more game generations.
Great Game but just too much Violence
On: 2008-06-14Great game ofr the PS3! Great graphics and sound!
Just a little too much violence for me!!!!
buy warhawk
On: 2008-06-14better buy warhawk and do not spend its money in mediocre games.
Welcome to Liberty City
On: 2008-06-13Lets skip all the video game politics and ethical diatribe, Grand Theft Auto IV is some serious fun. That is, if you can handle heavy satire, hours of enjoyment, and a massive city as your personal playground.
For its very first foray into the next generation of gaming, the Grand Theft Auto series goes back to a wholly different Liberty City. Modeled after New York City (catch the funny play on names like the GETALIFE building), Liberty City is a living, breathing world that is detailed like never before. In fact, one of the most impressive aspects of GTAIV is its realistic portrayal of human beings. Of course, there is a huge layer of stereotyping and satire involved, but as far as their actions and movements go, everything feels so real that it is quite hard not to get sucked into the game.
For the 4th installment in the Grand Theft Auto 3D universe, Rockstar trimmed the fat and injected more realism and emotion into the game. Gone are the heavy handed quasi-RPG elements of San Andreas (I kind of liked them, but oh well). Planes are also gone, as are bicycles; GTA IV feels more like GTAIII, eschewing most of what Vice City and San Andreas brought to the table, much to the chagrin of many fans. I think this is a good thing. Instead of a mish-mash of half baked concepts and ideas thrown together, we get a very focused and in depth game with a variety of options. The Story lines in GTA games have always been lacking, but GTAIV aimed to change that. It did.
You are Niko Bellic, a foreigner seeking resolution and the American Dream. You come to Liberty City and immediately find yourself in the midst of crime and betrayal. Im not going to say anything else about the story other than it is actually really good! The dialogue is really good, the voice acting is really really good. Ever since I got this game I have been completely engulfed by it, absorbed into the world of Niko Bellic and Liberty City.
Like in San Andreas your character has his own voice, his own emotions, motivations and mannerisms. Niko Bellic feels, acts and sounds like a real person. He gets angry, he gets happy. And the really cool and nicely done cut scenes show off all of this. In fact, this game would have been a snore fest had the main character been a cardboard cut out or a voiceless murderer. Giving the main character a true sense of purpose and identity is what makes this game a very enjoyable experience. You get a grip of what Niko wants, and you can really connect to him. That is something that is unfortunately missing in most of the games flooding the market today.
Your in game cell phone plays out like your menu. From your phone you can contact friends, get work, get to the options menu, take pictures, and access the multiplayer feature. Its a neat way to hide a menu, and it can actually work as a phone as well. You can call the police, the fire dept and the paramedics. These can work to you advantage if you find yourself in a jam with the more seedier folk. Being chased by some gun totting gangsters? No problem, just call the police, and they will take care of it. But make sure you are not shooting when they arrive, or they will probably chase after you.
Friends play a crucial role this time around, and to be honest you will spent most of your time pleasing your friends. They will call you wanting to hang out. Chill with them enough and they may even grant you special favors (i.e helicopter rides and gun trafficking). Ignore them too much and they will lose respect for you and may even start to dislike you. They also have various side quests for you to tackle. Your friends have their own personalities, their own attitudes, beliefs and interests. Rockstar did an awesome job fleshing out each character. However, there is a downside to the whole friends business, they never leave you alone! They always seem to call you right when you are in the middle of a mission. It can get really tedious at times trying to satisfy both friends and a girlfriend, but hey thats life. And GTAIV certainly does feel like a second life.
One thing that GTAIV does borrow from San Andreas is the dating sim, which has been drastically improved. Not only do you meet various woman through the main story line, you can even go online (yes, this game has an in-game internet!) and meet people online. There are a host of things to do with your date as well, such as bowling, comedy clubs, strip clubs, dining, pool, darts, and drinking. You can even get intimate with your dates, which results in a semi-funny cut scene (no they dont show you anything).
Hookers are still in the game as well, and I still have a heck of a time using and abusing them. Which leads me to another fun aspect of GTAIV; playing the game how YOU want to play it. Sure during missions you have to complete the objective, but outside of missions the city is your playground. You can pretty much do anything you want, within the limits of the game. As always, you can go on killing sprees, see how many stars you can obtain, see how many police you can kill etc. These can sometimes be fun, however you have to take the violence with a grain of salt. Its a video game. Remember that.
Graphic wise, GTAIV is definitely a step up from its predecessors. Is it true next generation graphics? Not really, but for the sheer size and scope of the game they more than serve their purpose. Details is where this game shines. From murals painted on buildings to the glitz and glamor of Liberty Citys equivalent to Times Square, everything is heavily detailed. Every time I play this game I am amazed at how realistically detailed the city and its inhabitants are. Kudos to Rockstar for such a fine job.
Not only are the graphics a definite upgrade from its predecessors, but the A.I is much improved. Pedestrians act more realistic, answering their cell phones, on their daily routines, drinking coffee, causing trouble. You can even spot civilians getting into shootouts with the police, or resisting arrest. The pedestrians and enemies in GTAIV are some of the smartest and most realistic in the series, and part of that has to do with the new physics engine used for the game.
Dubbed the Euphoria engine, this powerful program causes every single object in the game world to react to real physics laws. This means that every single character in the game moves with a realistic sense of weight. Get hit by a car and your body will go ragdoll, smash into something head on in a car and watch your body fly through the windshield and onto the pavement. When you shoot someone their body reacts to the specific spot where the bullet hit them. Overall the new physics engine is something to rave about, and I am willing to bet we will be seeing that engine in use in the future (Star Wars: Force Unleashed will be using the Euphoria engine as well).
The combat has been greatly improved as well, though the auto aim is still rather annoying. Thankfully you can now toggle the auto aim on/off. The new cover system, similar to Gears of War and even more so Metal Gear Solid 4 really adds new life to the combat. Being able to duck behind virtually any object and wall in a heated battle is a godsend. You can even peek around corners and fire. There are still times when the whole ordeal gets a little clunky, but its a much needed improvement over the previous GTA titles.
At last, we come to the most interesting aspect of GTAIV, the multiplayer. For the first time gamers can roam the immensely detailed streets of Liberty City via Xbox Live. You and some friends can start a Free Roam game and do whatever you want. You can reign terror on the city, have death matches, races. Quite literally, you can do what you want. If the Free Roaming gets boring, you can always join in on a Ranked or Unranked deathmatch and the even more exciting Team Deathmatch. I have to say that team deathmatch in the sprawling Liberty City is epic! You can even have up to four or five teams battle each other at once!
If online shootouts arent your fancy, you can take to the streets, racing style. Since the courses all take place in the streets of the city, there are no designated paths that you are forced to take. You can get through the check points any way you want (except backwards of course). And if you decide to give up you can always work towards making the other drivers lives very miserable by setting up roadblocks and causing all kinds of trouble.
Speaking of online, one of the coolest things about GTAIV is the level of developer support it will get. Rockstar have already promised gamers some downloadable content this fall. As to what it will be is anyones guess, but suffice it to say the the options are literally limitless. They could do anything from add new missions to new sections of the city. They could even add new weapons, stores, songs on the radio, and a whole host of stuff. This is most beneficial to the gamer, especially if this content is cheap or free. I am very excited to see what Rockstar have cooking.
Oh yeah, one more thing. The radio, as always, rocks! On it you will hear the classic talk show radio stuff that hilarious, and a multitude of music that spans across all genres and styles. Some songs you will recognize, and others you may not.
Grand Theft Auto IV is THE controversial game of this generation,. and in many ways it is also one of the best GTA titles in the series. With endless fun, endless options, an amazing A.I and physics system, and a whole host of missions, side quests, friends and relationships Grand Theft Auto IV brings the GTA series to the next generation. As always, this game is rated M, as this is a very violent game. But there is always a tinge of humor to every action taken.
One of the best games for PS3
On: 2008-06-13Impressive!!!! I wait for a long time to have this games on my hands ,its great and a must for every owner of a PS3.
Freedom of gameplay
On: 2008-06-13I cant express my emotions! You should play it yourself. Im fan of GTA series and its one of the best games Ive ever played. Even more... If you play GTA game for the first time, take GTA4 and be sure you wont be disappointed.
10/10
On: 2008-06-13Objectively the best game every created by mankind.
In all seriousness, if youre a fan of open worlds this is the best game currently on the 360. It does not disappoint.
Why So Serious?
On: 2008-06-12When I play a GTA game I expect action, over the top violence, and glorious satire. What I dont look for is a morality play. GTA IV, though it carries over many of the elements from prior iterations, has finally acquired one thing it never needed: a conscience. Now Im not sure if this "evolution" came about via the maturation of the game designers or because of pressure from conservative groups, but if there is one thing I absolutely loathe is any form of media trying to instill some moral compass in my soul. Whether its Niko rambling about the "horrors of his prior life", receiving touching e-mails from his mum, or complaining aloud at how pathetic it is that he is paying a prostitute for sex, this sequel feels strangely separate from the rest of the GTA franchise. Dont even get me started on the need to show the evils of alcohol or helping a junkie go home. It is ironic that a series based on excessive sex and violence suddenly decides it needs to deride what made it popular in the first place.
The missions are still fun as ever with some creative twists along the way. Adding a cover system was well past due as well as creating a bit of depth in hand to hand fighting with the ability to block.
The firendship and dating segments I could have done without. The entire point to preserving relationships are the advantages these relationships give you whether it is reducing a three star wanted level, a free taxi ride, healing, etc. The only problem is that you cannot use these advantages during missions so why bother cultivating them in the first place? The dates are boring and the pay offs nil.
One feature I miss from San Andreas was the ability to either fatten up or improve your physique. That and other customizable possibilities, ranging from hair cuts to tattoos, are sorely lacking here. The best you can do is buy a limited number of outfits and even then the range doesnt really mean much.
The worst point for me was the in-game radio stations. One thing I loved about GTA III to San Andreas were the hilarious talk shows and the awesome soundtracks. With the budget behind this game, the soundtrack is noticeably light on anything of value and the talk shows are nowhere near as creative. I largely turned the radio off during play because of how boring I felt though I did acquire a taste for Radio Vladivostok.
I hate to say it, but I had to force myself to finish this game. I never thought Id ever say that about a GTA game. Though the missions are varied and exciting at times, the story is dull and plodding. The ability to "make choices" really doesnt amount to much and makes me wonder why they included it. Sure, you can refuse to kill certain characters at times but they only pop up later to offer a mission or two and dont effect the overall plot.
Saints Row, what many have called a GTA knockoff, kept my attention better than this game. Saints Row is wild, rebellious, and over the top; something GTA used to be. If Rockstar wants to go all melodramatic, that is their choice. Me, Id rather have a game with more customizable features, outrageous moments, and less of a moral message. Its a game, not a sermon. For that Id go to church.
Who left the fun out?
On: 2008-06-12This game has hard core fans with disparate expectations. There are a myriad of rave reviews on this game. I thought Id write one for those who are finding GTA4 to be...so-so?
Ive read the positive reviews--its a GTA for grown ups (werent they all?), its darker better, grittier (based on your characters facial hair I assume), its more REALISTIC.
Ok. stop right there. Sorry but I dont want realism. I dont want to drive clunky cars that cant take a 90 degree turn at 30 mph without plowing through a storefront. I dont want to call up friends when Id rather be doing something else just so I can keep the relationship (and the perks they offer) going. I dont want a GTA version of the virtual Secondlife or SIMS. I want to jetpack around in my tightie whities and a mohawk, 200 lbs overweight, listening to Conway Twitty. Now youre talking about fun.
Seriously, fun has been the ultimate of the GTAs until now. Niko Belak is NO FUN, hed tell you personally. Previous GTAs all offered that thrill of exhilaration. Im just not getting that here.
Pluses
*Taking cabs--much better than cross country treks that go awry when you make a wrong turn and crash into the ocean.
*Having a lawyer for a girlfriend--good idea
*Evading the cops by stealth rather than bribes
*Very cool graphics with smooth transitions
*Best bank robbery mission ever
*Good weapons/aiming control
Minuses
*Repetitive missions (shoot em up, run away from the cops)
*A little too easy. In all the other GTAs Ive gotten stuck somewhere, simply b/c Im not the best hand-eye coordinator. Nothing in GTA4 stymied me for more than 2 repeat tries.
*Lack of customization
*Lack of skill improvement (i.e. cars, shooting, bikes, endurance, etc)
*Lack of haircuts and accessories(Hey, Im a chick, what do you want?)
*Drastic changes in driving controls
*Uninteresting NPCs/stories/dialogue
*Lack of stuff to find in nooks and crannies
*Second-shelf music selection
*Inability to buy businesses
In sum, I just shelved this game at about 80% completion for another one I got for $20. That is the most demonstrative comment I can offer. Previous GTAs were my heroin--this ones more like methadone. Save your $60 and wait 6 months--the market will be glutted w/ extra copies.
Mature Game for adults
On: 2008-06-12Very good graphics!
Great story line.
Awesome free-roaming experience of New York City!
Definitely for the grown-ups.
Is there a GTA4 addicts support group?
On: 2008-06-12As usual with all GTA games, the technology is great. I am so glad there are so many references back to Vice City and the lot. I really hated San Andreas for the theme and all of the crap negative rap music. GTA4 brings back some of the coolest music, but still, the pot smoking regaee bit annoys the bloody heck out of me, especially when you want to go in the pool hall!
Good, but overhyped
On: 2008-06-12Overall:
A very good game. Its all the things everyone says it is, but it has some serious flaws. Since you can find the positives anywhere, Ill focus on the negatives.
Positives:
Very fun, entertaining game. Its easy to get hooked.
The gameplay is very detailed - there are a lot of things to do.
The graphics are stunning.
The subtle and not-so-subtle humor throughout the game is terrific.
Negatives:
Biggest negative thing is the combat mechanics. The auto-aim works well in most situations, but it seems to break down when you have targets that get really close. Its easy to die in a firefight when it wont target the guy whos right next to you, and occasionally youll end up shooting at an innocent.
Ditto for using cover. Works well most of the time, but sometimes its infuriating.
Be prepared to drive. A lot.
The AI could stand to be tougher, especially the police. The police cars dont chase you half the time (especially if youre on foot), and its extremely easy to get away. The game makes up for it by making the police way too ubiquitous - theyre roughly 1 in every 10 cars on the road, and there are guys on foot everywhere. Its still not a problem, though, if you know how to drive.
Car possession is a little too "loose". You end up stealing cars all the time (which is too easy to get away with), while the game doesnt want to remember the car that you are driving. Sure, it will remember it if you park it outside of your apartment, but what good is it there? If you ever die or drive a mission-critical vehicle, you can kiss your sweet ride goodbye.
As open-ended as the game pretends to be, its really rather linear.
A minor thing: the cars arent randomized at all. Its not uncommon to see four or five of the exact same vehicle (different colors) in a row. Its visually annoying, and makes stealing cars weird; you can only seem to find fast, expensive cars if you are already driving one.
Utter disappointment
On: 2008-06-11After a few days of playing, I finally had the words to accurately describe my feelings towards the much-beloved GTA IV: "GTA IV is like that friend you had when you were 13. You thought he was cool because he wore the latest pair of Air Jordans, gratuitously and uncompromisingly dropped the F-bomb, and was fun to hang out with in short bursts until he started to get on your nerves." The review on this site, and many of the users on this site, have given GTA IV a perfect rating. I have disagreed with some highly-beloved, and highly-rated games in the past (most notably Halo, particularly numbers two and three), but I find that giving a perfect rating to such an obviously flawed game is absolutely egregious.
Let me explain ... First off, with this being the "next gen" of gaming, many games try to pass of snazzy graphics as a cloak to disguise horrible game design. I find this not only to be true with GTA IV, but I dont even find the graphics that appealing. In every cut scene I watch, I cringe at the modeling done on Niko, the main characters face. It looks like his face is made out of leather that cant be reshaped in any way. The lighting on his face is weird, as well, as he seems to have a such a constant spot of light under one of his eyes that he might as well just be wearing a bandage there. I am a few hours into the game, but Ive really only found one, maybe two characters that I found believable to the point where graphics pretend to be nowadays, where I almost thought that it was actually a person who was recorded, and not a digital image. I know I may take heat for this later on, so let me remind the readers: I do not rate games on graphics purely for their "realism." I rate games based on the look they were going for, and what they actually pulled off. Here, I feel that GTA IV fails. Additionally, in the options menu, the game has a "brightness" setting, which I turned to the brightest it could be and I STILL have trouble distinguishing the finer details at night, such as cars, people, turns, poorly lit streets, etc. I have also outdriven the draw distance on this twice. Once was nothing major: just a few barrels on the side of the road that popped up out of nowhere. However, the other was about three or four seconds of me driving on a gray slab with generic block walls on the side of the street before the game caught up and rendered the textures. This, in this day and age of high technology, where foreground and background textures can be buffered as you are approaching different areas, is entirely unacceptable.
As with all of the GTA games, the sound is superb. The radio stations and the street chatter are all of an excellent quality. Some of the voice acting is absolutely atrocious, though. The main thing that bothered me, though, was not so much the voice acting, but the dialog that was created for the characters and street chatter. (This is where I actually picked up the previously mentioned reference to the 13-year old.) I have absolutely no problem with profanity and will casually drop a four-letter word here and there with no second thoughts. However, even I, as mentioned, find the use of this to be, to quote what I said in the first paragraph, "gratuitous and uncompromising." Its hard to listen to a character and take them seriously when all they do is drop those bombs.
The value of GTA games is always high, with a high amount of missions, side-missions, and hidden package-type pickups. As this game is not currently holding my interest, I will probably not pursue 100% ... I dont even know if Ill complete the story (more on that in a bit). (Update to this ... see below.) However, there are plenty of things to do in Liberty City and you can even take your game online for multiplayer matches, if thats your thing. (I personally dont see the appeal of online play like this unless its with a couple of your friends or to make new friends. This "battle anyone just to become number one even if it means dealing with cheating and giving up your life outside of the game" mentality thats sweeping up gamers these days does nothing more than perplex me.) However, for me, this game held virtually 0 value as I not only have no motivation for 100%, but no motivation to even complete the story.
Ah ... the gameplay ... Ive been licking my chops in order to rip into the game, as this has been the most frustrating part for me. Ill get a few of the good things out of the way first: every car that you are in will trace a path to your objective, destination, or waypoint via your GPS system. This can really help you learn the city and find the best and quickest routes. The aiming is improved and you can even take cover (in addition to crouching). HOWEVER, I find it to be nothing other than a broken control scheme if while auto-aiming from behind, you can manual aim by moving the right analog stick, and then fire using the O button, which also must be hit with the right thumb. I guess you can try holding R1 with your middle finger, adjusting the aim with your thumb, and firing with your index finger, but were not all double-jointed. Since you cant move (left analog stick) when youre behind cover I guess it would be too much to ask Rockstar to use that as your manual aim or to still use the right for your manual aiming, but have the option to press R3 to fire. I wasnt sure where to put this next point, so I guess here is just as good as anywhere. As your character is Russian, but speaks predominantly English, he will occasionally toss in a few Russian phrases, which are translated in the subtitles. Since the chances are highly probable that a majority of the people who play this game will not be fluent in both Russian AND English, would it be too much to ask that the Russian translations be put up on screen as a "forced stream" subtitle? Again, I guess it would. Another thing about the subtitles is that one of your contacts speaks heavily in jargon which is either standard speak for Jamaicans or a stereotype of said standard. I remember in Vice City, your Jamaican contact spoke exactly the same, but those subtitles were not only translated into "normal" English but were only during cut scenes. I cant understand one thing this dude is talking about whether or not I read the subtitles, in addition to the fact that its difficult to read them while driving at top speeds. That brings me to my biggest complaint about the game: the driving. The mechanic is DRASTICALLY changed from the previous GTAs. In III and Vice City, driving was fun because, while it wasnt "crash into anything you want to without due regard or consequences" a lá the Need for Speeds, it definitely had an arcade-y feel that I found comforting in the fact that it was easy to get used to, a bit of a challenge, but still fun. The new driving mechanic feels more like something out of Gran Tourismo. I dont consider chasing after someone or running from the cops, touching the e-brake for a split second to make a sharp turn, and spinning out of control a full 360º as I crash into everything in site and wreck up my car to be very fun. I also dont consider it fun when Im going over a bridge and I dont stop to pay a toll and have to spend the next five minutes outrunning the cops before I begin my next mission. Yes ... PAYING A TOLL. Another "yeay for realism, boo for videogaming" moment that I had was having someone chasing me and shooting at my car and watching not only my cars health, but my characters health decrease, as well. Yeah, great, random bullets are hitting me, but when my car gets trashed from both bullets and the ATROCIOUS driving mechanic, I now have to go running around the city trying to jack another car while at or below 50% health. Another thing that bothers me is the introduction to the story. In GTA III, your character gets double-crossed on a bank heist. In Vice City, it was a drug deal gone wrong. (I wont even bother mentioning San Andreas ... I was not a fan.) Here, I watch as Niko goes on his first date (early in the game) and telling the girl that hes trying to keep his nose clean and try to start a good life in a new country. Then I watch as the next two missions he drives someone over to a lockup with some "hot parts" in it and then watches over a drug deal with a gun at the ready. What is his motivation? The final thing that irks me about this game is the "friendship" bullcrap that you have to deal with and the other pointless junk put in the game. You can take your friends to bars, grab a bite, or even take them bowling or to play darts. Not only is this an aspect of the game I find to be tacked on for no good reason (yes, you can get rewards from them, but let me finish), but its already annoying me early in the game and I only have three people to please, in addition to having just met a few more. And those rewards that I mentioned are not permanent. Yes, just because you earn a reward, does not give you the right to say "OK, mission accomplished ... onto the next friend." No, if you ignore your friend and the "status" drops below a certain point, not only do you lose the reward, but its harder to get back than it was to get in the first place.
As I would assume is obvious right now, this game is not very important to me or my collection. The only reasons I am trying to complete, at the very least, the story are because Ive heard that its very good and Im STILL (a year later) trying to justify my purchase of this $500 piece of hardware thats done nothing except allow me to re-play my PS2 games with wireless controllers. After dropping $60 on this (on a pre-order no less, although I did save on shipping), Im now looking to Hitman, Splinter Cell (only a temporary 360 exclusive), God of War, and Resident Evil to be my justification.
Actual score: 5.4
Gameplay: 5
Graphics: 7
Sound: 8
Value: 6
Tilt: 4
It doesn't deserve a 10, but it is an accomplishment.
On: 2008-06-11While dozens of websites claim that GTA 4 deserves and undeniable 10, I strongly believe that they are simply avoiding some major draw backs that would detter such a score. #1. Getting from place to place to do a 5 minute mission is very annoying. The city is so gigantic that driving at top speeds from one end to another takes more than 5 minutes. Add on constant traffic disturbance, sensitivity of the wanted level, it takes to long and it gets boring. #2. While its hardcore and all, most missions are repetitive. Kill the snitch there. Chase him down. Beat his brains. Take out the gang. I mean, they could add some puzzle element or SOMETHING. Maybe having to get through a trap, or trying to untie yourself from embezzlement by your aposing adversaries. I mean there is often little veriety. #3. Camera is aweful at times especially in tight areas #4. Nicos moves are unresponsive and slow in the most desperate moments which can end in failure of a mission. Weapons cycling is confusing and it takes too long. Id like to stress the unresponsiveness of the controls, because it makes the cliche missions even less enjoyable.
Now the pros: #1. there is a startling level of detail in the city. It is absolutely incredible how the developers managed to make the city so beautiful, and so gigantic (which isnt always a good thing, but nevertheless.) Everything from gorgeous day cycles, weather effects, respectable textures, vehicle shine and collision rendering, the maticulous physics behind everything and anything in the game, being it a trash can, water or a helicopter. #2. There is a great bit of civilian humor, from hundreds of diolouges developed for just the insignificant civilians themselves, as well as interactions. The voice acting is often top notch, which makes the average story more than tolerable. And the radios are fun, especially the talk radios which are hilarious. Again, the appreciatable humor. Great sound effects from everything in the city. #3. There is actually alot to do in the city than people think, with shops and food stores and internet cafes gun shops, all these fun little things that give life to the city. #4. More importantly, its fun to cause havoc, and you have a great arsenal to do so with. Of course its nothing new to GTA, but Id say its a little more fun this time around with the amazing next gen. graphics. #5. There is alot too unlock, an immense veriety of secrets to discover. This will keep you hunting the city even after the main game.
So:
Graphics: 10
Gameplay: 8
Sound: 10
Replayability: 9
Overal: 9.25
Amazingly good graphics
On: 2008-06-11I was amazed with the graphics of this game. The ease of playing is really good too. Ive had a lot of fun with it.
A great game, but repetitive
On: 2008-06-11Overall story is well written and unfolds very well within the game. However I find that the repetitive structure of the missions and keeping your friends "happy" can get old later on in the game.
Overall, it is worth playing and the best in the series that I have played thus far.
The bonus items were an added treat to this game.
rockstar needs to get their stuff together
On: 2008-06-10They lacked stuff from 3 and San Andreas - They need better AI too. Overall not bad but i wouldnt spend 89.99 on the special addition hell i might not even buy the game if i could do it all over again - just gamefly it
Good but over-rated
On: 2008-06-10Its a fun game to play if you liked the GTA series before, but it was over-hyped with all those perfect reviews when it is clearly not perfect. The most apparent flaw is the cover system, it works sometimes but other times it wont work the way you want it to and you might end up getting killed. Sometimes the game wouldnt even let me fire my gun while in cover which is very frustrating. If you played Gears of War youll be disappointed with the cover system. There is about 30-40 hrs of game play. I wouldnt recommend this game to buy, but its worth a rental.
R u kidding me????????
On: 2008-06-09This game isnt it right? I keep waiting for the 2nd CD to arrive. Comparatively speaking? It doesnt even come close to San Andreas!! Rock Star definitely went backwards creating this boring and boring attempt at New York and the Grand Theft Auto series.
One of the greatest of all time.
On: 2008-06-09When this game was coming out, nobody would deny that this would be a great game. What people didnt realize was that the game is so good that it has set the bar in terms of game play. If you even hesitate to get this game you will regret it because every second you think about getting this game, that is just sweet time wasted instead of playing and enjoying this game. I got the Special Edition, so I got the lock box that looks and works like a lock box. What more could you ask for?
If it ain't broke don't fix it, but if it is. . .
On: 2008-06-09The hype machine for GTA4 was working on overdrive, and it worked to a T. Reviewers raved about this game, and it seemed like no one in the media, gaming OR mainstream, could find anything they didnt like about it. However, there are a number of glaring flaws that have been loitering in the series since GTA3. Far and away the most obnoxious part of the game is the jerky, awkward animations. It seems like Rockstar hasnt had the slightest inclination to make it any more natural-looking, and the game absolutely suffers for it.
The one other extremely clunky design choice was the control scheme. From combat to movement, theres at least one thing that really screws you up. The lock-on feature, while nice to FINALLY have in a semi-functional form, doesnt distinguish between civilians and bad guys, and this is a huge problem in more than one mission. And although this game isnt really "parkour-style" a la Assassins Creed, there are still times when jumping and grabbing onto ledges is essential, but extremely difficult. Nowhere is this better emphasized than in the mission where youre trained to do just these feats. Youre supposed to jump up onto a sign then shimmy across it, but the detection element just didnt kick in for me (nor for the three or four others Ive seen attempting the same action) the first nine or ten times I tried to grab it. There are some other times when Nico will walk off an edge instead of hanging from it, etc. Its very frustrating, but usually not game-breaking. The driving takes a lot of getting used to, but its generally okay once you get used to it.
However, the non-mechanical bits of the game are outstanding. The story and the way its told are phenomenal, as is the voice acting and peripheral parts like the radio stations and the conversations of passers-by. The art direction is also just incredible, especially in the opening sequence. This game may not look nearly as good as some of its contemporaries, but they did the absolute most they could with it. The design of the city itself is also superb. It is far and away the best-designed environment I have ever seen in a game.
Its hard to sum up with a game like this, because you cant in good conscience recommend renting a game this huge, but it is certainly not for everyone. Overall though, its a flawed but good game that you should at least see in action, if not purchase.
GTA at its best
On: 2008-06-09If previous GTA titles have disappointed you GTAIV will be a turn for the best. Rockstar has combined good graphics with a great story line and even better gameplay. It seems they have read my brain, considered everything I didnt like about San Andreas and Vice City and greatly improved all of them. First of all, graphics are way better. Now, they are not incredible graphics but they are a great leap forward from the monotonous shapes and colors of previous games. Given I had to change brightness settings on my screen, Rockstar finally was able to make it realistic.
Second, the story line is excellent. IN previous GTAa I was very dissatisfied with every main character being a Tony Montana in the works. In contrast, Nico Bellick seems like an average person just trying to get through by killing, stealing and doing everyother type 1 crime possible.
Third, and most importantly, this game has one of the best gameplay Ive had. Remember all those stupid semi-missions you had to do in San Andreas like going to the gym to "get in shape"? GONE. Remember those endless amounts of missions? GONE. Remember that incredibly-big-takes-you-20-minutes-to-travel area map? GONE. Remember that frantic running when you pressed the x button? GONE. In place of all those innecesary and anoying problems, the game now has more interesting storyline, user frienlier controls (yes, its possible), and a whole bunch of stuff that you will be surprise to discover.
After all this babbling I have to say that I was a little skeptical about buying GTAIV since I was so dissapointed by previous titles. Now I am very satisfied with the product and glad I didnt pass on it as I first thought.
PS. Not enough time to talk about excellent online play, have to get back to 16 person deathmatch in times square.
best yet!
On: 2008-06-09This is the best GTA to date! The story line is really well done and the AI is great. You never know who is your friend and who is your enemy, so you need to keep your wits about you. Any person wandering around or driving may be prepared to shoot you, so dont just think you can jack anyones ride without the possibility of getting taken down. I havent finished yet and
it may take a while... which is great, it only took me a week to finish Call of Duty 4... that is like 10 dollars a day... GTA will only be pennies a day at this rate!!!
awsome
On: 2008-06-09this is one of the best games i have played in a while and should be added to everyones collection
An Interactive Crime Drama
On: 2008-06-08As an interactive crime drama, GTA IV is second to none. Never before have gamers been presented with such substantial content in the areas of character development and plot. Armed with motion capture technology, superb voice actors, and a budget literally unheard of in the video game industry, the developers have crafted a story experience that goes beyond anything seen in a game before. Here are characters that rear up on the screen, rippling with life. The plot has several very interesting twists which have a functional impact on the rest of the game, and some of these twists are brilliantly foreshadowed (Michelles apartment, for example) as a reward for players with astute powers of observation.
As an experience, the game is top-notch. You start up the game, walk out to your apartments balcony, and the sun rises, its faint rays glimmering through the rising dust from the corrupt city whose sky scrapers shoot up all around you. Your cell phone rings. Its Francis McReary, a crooked police chief who swears hes a good guy who just keeps making mistakes, mistakes like buying drugs from a sleazy dealer whos now threatening to blackmail him. Youre his "clean up guy"--you fix his mistakes and in exchange he doesnt send you to jail. You call a taxi by whistling and pay him to take you to meet up. As you drive through traffic, the cab driver makes conversation, drawing from a massive base of fully voice-acted dialog. He drives according to the rules of the road, stopping at intersections, waiting for green lights, yielding, merging.
The cutscenes are expertly crafted with full motion capture and emotive expressions. Some of these cutscenes are literally 5-10 minutes long. Is this necessary from a purely game-mechanical point of view? No. But it lets us develop real relationships with these characters. As the game progresses, you will actually feel as if you *know the characters*. Every person has their funny quirks and unique habits--you will learn the quirks of the characters in this game. Thats how powerful the characterization is here compared to other games in the past. Is it cinema quality? Perhaps not quite, but its approaching there. Is it more than weve ever seen in a video game? Definitely.
Initially you find your cousin being beat up by loan sharks whom he owes money, so you help him out by giving them a beating themselves. You immediately are pulled into a criminal underworld, doing contract work for various crooks throughout the cities, some of them nobodies destined for prison, others brilliant crime lords making millions living in luxurious mansions with an army of grunts below them. You will quickly build up a long list of contacts whom you may call at any time to ask for work, ask for favors, or invite to go out on the town and go to a gentlemens club or perhaps a comedy club. And these side activities arent just carelessly tacked on. In fact, it is astounding the amount of effort and money that went into some of them, especially the cabaret club and comedy club, where you will witness fully digital stand-up acts with beautiful motion capture and material and voice overs taken from some famous professional comedians (so its not just impressive technically; its actually *entertaining*).
A recent advertisement for the upcoming Saints Row 2 attempt to disparage the game for having these side activities and for giving your relationships with other characters in the game world such emphasis. Without any comment on how good a game Saints Row 2 may be, this advertisement fails to see that these social networking activities built into GTA IV are what push this game beyond being a mere video game to being a work of true interactive drama.
Some people have said the driving controls are poor. This couldnt be further from the truth. They are simply more *realistic* compared to previous GTA games. This means you cant take a turn at 60 MPH anymore. You actually need to learn to use the brake in this game. I personally love the new physics, which come into play all throughout the game and in almost all your interactions with the environment, not just while driving.
This having been said, the game isnt perfect. The new cover system for combat is definitely a step in the right direction, but its clunky and sometimes difficult to pick out the target you want. Indoor combat is especially tricky due to some awkward controls. Further, the games astounding design has one major flaw: the saving mechanics. If you fail a mission, you have the option of replaying it without having to load, but you still lose all your weapons and ammo if you were arrested, and if you died you have to pay a (rather large) hospital fee.
Finally, GTA IV doesnt have as many random things to do as soem previous GTA games. Its not as good for mindless sandbox-style rampage gameplay as San Andreas and Vice City were. As an explanation I propose the following speculation. This is the first game in a new "generation" of GTA games. Hence, Rockstar had to spend a lot of money and time building a new core game engine. Consider the third generation of GTA games. GTA III had few "extras" because the developers spent their time on the new 3D engine. With Vice City, they used the extra time afforded to them by having an engine already made and perfected to add in a lot of new features like planes and skydiving. I propose that the GTA games following this one will continue this trend.
But even without all the sandbox activities, the game elevates itself to a height truly hidden in the clouds compared to previous GTA games. Those games had great sandbox gameplay, but not much else. Here we have characters, we have story, we have plot twists, we have emotion. In short, here we have a humorous, often witty, parody of American culture and politics at large. The people who say this game is the fall of American morals are the same as the people who said that Swift actually wanted to eat human babies. They mistake a parody which uses immoral acts as a narrative device as an advocation of such immoral acts and consequently miss the entire content of the work. Anyone who plays this game and understands it might just be disgusted with the modern American lifestyle enough to change their own habits. Of course thats a bit idealistic, but it does illustrate that if you were to derive any morals from this game, its that crime is *not* the way to go and that the crazy American standard of living is not something to be taken for granted.
ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT GAME !!!
On: 2008-06-08Let me start off by saying that at first i was quite reluctant to buy GTA4 after playing the previous games but something kept telling me to just give this a try and boy was my gut feeling right.It is by far the most fun i have ever had playing a game.Sure...just like any game it does have a few flaws but nothing worth missing out on this for.The graphics could have been better but still a gigantic leap forward from the previous GTA games and the load times can get a dash bit annoying but other than that i honestly cant think of anything else negative about this game.The sound is fantastic,the game play is top notch,plot is superb,voice acting is excellent,the intensity of the missions never seem to disappoint even if you have to keep trying again and again to get it right,the driving of all vehicles feel splendid and finally the living breathing enviornements are truly something for all gaming fans to experience as it is simply one of a kind.I bow down to ROCKSTER games for a phenemonal effort in this series.Keep it up guys.I salute you.
great game
On: 2008-06-07great game, lots of fun, much better than saints row and all the other violent walk around games...would recommend it for a gamer 10 and up
+++ABOMINATION+++
On: 2008-06-07I thought halo 3 was over hyped but gta 4 redefines the concept. There is no way this game deserves the landslide of perfect scores it has recieved, and the only reasonable conclusion is that the reviewers were paid off. The gameplay is the same as ever and it gets very repetitive and dull. drive to point a. shoot some dude. drive to point b. repeat ad nauseum. The story is a complete joke where they throw in every gangster cliche and rascist sterteotype in the book. Includes numerous lame, banal attempts at satire. Nico Bellic has the personality of a cardboard box, save yourself the trouble and watch scarface instead. And the graphics are seriously sub-par. The characters are super blocky and look like something from the original xbox or ps2, textures are bland, and overall its pretty unimpressive. Unless you have a thing for the demoiselles davignon you are not going to find the strippers here attractive. dont be fooled by the press. save your cash.
It's what I can call Action Dramma.
On: 2008-06-06Weirdest GTA ever, you can get really lost in Liberty City. Largest universe ever, you can run or drive, work and so on., Its not old cheat&laugh GTA, its what I can call Action Dramma.
I can't believe everyone is calling this a 10!
On: 2008-06-06Let me start by saying I am a pretty big GTA fan, so Im not lashing out against fanboys, as I was one myself. That said, I am completely amazed that so many people think this game is so great. It is far from it. It isnt the worst game I ever played, but it has the same game play problems that have plagued this series from the beginning. Chiefly... poor controls, terrible camera, and slow/jerky character movement. I swear all of these things are even worse in this installment that Vice City or San Andreas. When not running, Nico moves ridiculously slow; and walking or running on steps is horrendous. Lets not even talk about melee or shooting (if you can lock on to a target as advertised, I sure havent found the secret). Rock Star could take some tips from third person shooters like Gears of War. I realize GTA isnt really a third person shooter, but there is no reason they couldnt make that piece smooth enough to be one. Combat is not fun in this game... it is down right annoying. The cell phone drives me insane. It rings constantly with inane chatter, and it is almost impossible to see depending on the background at the time. I have played with all of the video settings, and I still cant see the freakin thing 90% of the time. There also isnt anything new here that is fun... unless you think watching TV, playing darts or pool, or going to a strip club inside a video game is fun. I personally dont. The story is somewhat engaging, but the rest of it is too boring to hold my interest. Yes, the graphics are breath taking, but at this point in the next gen game market, I expect this. It should be a given. Bottom line, there just isnt enough innovation in this first next gen GTA for my money. I played through about 40% of the game, and just couldnt take it anymore. I just lost interest. Save your $60 and rent it for a day instead. Better yet, play it for free at a friends.
gg
On: 2008-06-06i bought a ps3 just to play this game and i think its worth it but not after i beat the game, theres not much you can do after you finish the game, tho theres still the multiplayer and it still fun but the single player is kinda of useless now. but still its a good game
Well worth the money and more
On: 2008-06-05This game is well worth the money. The game is huge and Liberty City is alive with many places to go and things to do. You wont be disappointed with this game.
The Greatest Game Now. We don't care about next.
On: 2008-06-05Grand Theft Auto is excellent in overall game play. The new missions are fun and more challenging. The player has control over some tasks in specific missions. I love new add-ons in game such as internet connectivity and camera phone capability. The player can call up friends for rides, health, wanted levels or just to hang out. Car and bike handling are more realistic which makes it more difficult to drive. The radio stations are great since the music is newer with actual DJs, some from New York Radio stations. I would highly recommend this game to gamers everywhere.
Newbie very satisfied
On: 2008-06-05First GTA experience ever, and what a surprise! The graphics are great and the music and sound tracks are awesome. The learning curve for someone used to a Wii is a little steep, first game on a PS3. So my review has little merit except for those other beginners that want a cool rush right from the start. The moral issues were a little surprising , a little over the top,,,why is all that crapola necessary
Thoughts from a GIRL!
On: 2008-06-04There probably arent very many females running out and buying this title, someone is if it is the best selling entertainment of all time surpassing movie and music sales for a single title. This is a solid game. The graphics are incredible for a sandbox game and the story is engaging. The missions get better and better as you go. So, open a beer, wait til the kids go to bed, and play away. It is a very VERY good stress reliever!
The funnest game ever with one million problems
On: 2008-06-04This game is fun.
Its fun but it has to many problems,
-there are no checkpoints
-the car handling sucks
-The online is completely unplayable, i can almost never get into a game and when i do it says returning to singleplayer. There is baically no menu in the online, if you want to swith to another match you have to quit then start another session and try your luck again.
-The graphics suck. there is nother way to put it. Rockstar didnt use the ps3 to any of its potential and I know this might sound very fanboyish but I blame it on the inferior 360 specs maybe miscrosoft payed them to not make ps3 version better /fanboy rant.
Alright the following is something that comes to me as good and bad-
-stunting, iremember in previous gtas the world was unrealistic so it allowed for extreeme stunting but now this game is really realistic so ostunting is different now, its still fun but its not what i was used to.
This review might sound extremely negative but i want to say this is the funnest game ever, and by fun i mean that yo can spend countless hours without a worry, you might get a little frustrated because there is no checkpoints but youll still have a blast.
The reason I give it 4/5 stars is because like I said the online sucks and I was really looking forward to it.
But otherwise I completely reccomend this game, it is a must have.
one sick game
On: 2008-06-04although i havent finished it yet,or played online for that matter,this is a great game..... thhe fact that it takes place in new york and i live in new york makes it even better......i love how niko rages when hes on a killing mission..... i also like how when you fail a mission,you have the option of doing it again via a message on your cell phone..... and other good thing is when you get killed,you dont lose your weapons....it only cost you a few bucks for a hospital visit..... you DO lose your weapons when you get arrested,so better to get in a shootout with cops and get killed than arrested......the drinving is A LOT harder with new control buttons,but if you press start and go to controller,you can make the controls classic,thats what i did.....
it's a nice game and better than before
On: 2008-06-04Become better and more realistic and this is what I like in the GTA IV and greatly improved the graphics
i liked this game at first but now iam getting board of it
On: 2008-06-04I liked this game when i first brought and played it but then i relized its just the same like the other gta games. All you do is run around do what you want carry weapons in your hand shoot people beat up people steal cars the police comes after you and you no the rest. The graphics is nice but that really dont matter its the game play that counts, you can fly a helicopter but the thing is the police just come after you when you fly one and you cant go in not much stores, exept bowling, pool, the bar, clothes store, and thats it. GTA is a really repetive game with the same stuff but different character to play as and different storymode but the rest is the same, so this game is getting boaring not much i really care about this game anymore.
Great!
On: 2008-06-04Nothing much to say about this game. The graphics are great (although a little too much bloom lighting), the gameplay is great... what isnt there to like?
Id recommend this game to anyone who isnt easily offended, and likes to run over hookers.
grand theft auto 4
On: 2008-06-04This game is fun but really disapointing due to the fact they game states that you rarely ever see the same people twice which isnt true. the cars are limited that you dont have much of a selection and you cant fly a plane which is a huge disapointment not only that, you cant even go into the airport. you cant enter most bulidings but grand theft auto claimed you could. it doesnt live up to anything they said. they still have a long way to go.
Flawed, but buy it anyway
On: 2008-06-04GTA IV has flaws that will irritate you, like police that lend a new definition to the word stupid and rampant inconsistency of physics, but youll still have a lot of fun. As in 30 hours minimum if you plan on completing the game.
Best GTA yet
On: 2008-06-04I really enjoyed this game, the best GTA so far. Alot of things that were unnecessary were taken out, like the experience bars from the last game. The one thing I would have liked is if there was local multiplayer capability like in San Andreas. The online multiplayer is good as long as you have a good internet connection. I recommend this game to anyone that has played the others, or likes games that have open levels to roam through.
best game of the year!!
On: 2008-06-04this game is awesome - its violent but that is well known. you will enjoy this game....
...i guesss
On: 2008-06-04I really do not understand what was the big deal about this game. IT WAS SOOOOO SHORT!!! The only thing really different and somewhat helpful was the new taxi option. I Think the story sucked bigtime. When I reached the final mission, I was just like WTF?! The game is really short. I enjoyed playing it however and the graphics are somewhat better than San Andreas. San Andreas had a much better story than GTA:4 though. It seemed as though they tried to be like the Scarface game with many parts of the game like the wanted level thing. You cant even talk to the people around you.The Cheating in the game is HORRIBLE!! You have to enter cheats by a stupid cell phone and its difficult to use because if youre being shot at you cant pick up the phone to enter a cheat. That was the biggest problem I had with the game because I use the health and weapon code a great deal. I expected so much more from this game. Im not saying its a bad game, just saying its really not worth paying 60 bucks on. If I were you, Id wait until the price dropped to get it.
One of the best games for PS3 yet
On: 2008-06-03This is the best game I have played till now after Uncharted which gives PS3 its full value.
This game has lived upto the hype which was created for its release.
Awesome game overall.
Lackluster Installment
On: 2008-06-03While I was excited to see a new GTA title, I found my expectations (based on previous GTA games) were less than fulfilled. While this is the "core" of a GTA game, it lacks much of the content of the previous installments. Yes, you can still steal cars, pick up hookers and evade the police....but the plethora of mini-games and mini-missions are gone (probably to be handed out, at a cost, as DLC....who knows) and wheat is in there, is less than interesting. For mini-games, you get Darts, Bowling and one video game....none of which can be played online. They also removed the custom car features, the custom character features and all the "skill bars" from GTA: San Andreas..... They did, however, leave in "dating" for some strange reason...as it has to be the most pointless feature of the game....along with a new system of "friends" you must constantly "hang out" with....which basically means your not playing the game...youre driving some NPC to a cafe and then home...no interesting cut scene, no jokes, no nothing....boring.
If you liked previous GTAs, you will probably find something familiar you like....but it will leave you asking why you could not put down previous GTA games, but find it all to easy to play something else when it comes to this one.....
Just not fun to play
On: 2008-06-03I rushed out to buy this. I found it really disappointing.
Generally it is not fun.
There is no car customization.
The cars dont drive well.
You dont take over territory and become a kingpin (at least as far as ive gone in the game)
sadly almost everything i really like about San Andreas is missing from this game. There are nice graphics. But the driving control is horrible. some cars cant take turns at at all. You theres no hydralics and other stuff. No custom paint.
the worst is you dont get to take territory and really become a kingpin. I loved that. You are and errand boy for most of the game and its just uninteresting. i put the game back in the box for weeks. The old game i always wondered what was next. This one i didnt care.
All of liberty city looks visually the same. its very monotone.
The storyline is really uninteresting unlike in san Andreas. You also dont have people to ride with you most of the game unless you be friends with people.
The relationship aspect is lame. this aspect is more like the sims and seriously why would a criminal want to be friendly. another thought. keeping cars is almost useless because you can lose them often after cut scenes end because they will disappear. they should have had garages that always store your car like Saints Row which didnt have the story but honestly had was a surprisingly more enjoyable game. I at least wanted to finish that. this game is just boring and bland.
Horrible Multiplayer
On: 2008-06-03The multiplayer is truly awful. It seems like the lowest class of people are flocking to the online play. This isnt very surprising when you consider that GTA 4 online is as mindless as they come. Single player is good, although, its not nearly as good as the hype machine led us to believe. The sycophantic video game press gushed over how great the story and dialogue were. I read one quote praising them as being "oscar worthy". The game is generally well written, but like any video game it has its fair share of wincingly bad moments. For the most part GTA 4 is graphically impressive and should keep you occupied for 30-40 hours. After that I hope you have better things to do with your life.
Great game ended too soon
On: 2008-06-03this was a great game with much needed improved graphics, detailed cars, bodies, the funniest part about this game is when you get by a car, its like a real life situation lol its funny, but back to the details, this version is much shorter than the previous games in the GTA franchise, theres alot of fun in the cities alone, strip clubs, bars(which are extremely fun warning: dont drink and drive you will regret it but its fun), the comedy shows which includes one of the most entertaining person on television today, Katt williams, and they have a tv with actually shows to watch, the game overall including missions are very fun, they way you decide to play this game and the desicions you make depict the way the story ends. how will you play as niko bellic
Fun when it is daylight in new york???
On: 2008-06-03The game is really fun. i play it on my 42inch panasonic plasma 1080i tv and the visuals are pretty neat. the only complaint i have is that when the day turns to night it can get impossibly hard to find ones way around the alleys. If it is during a mission it gets almost impossible to spot enemies or chase them cuz you wont be able to see anything. I usually wait for the morning to come but its annoying.
Not The Greatest in the Franchise
On: 2008-06-02I want to start off by saying that I am a huge GTA fan, but could not give GTA IV a 5. If Amazon would let me rate it a 4.5 I would. However, as it stands, the title is closer to a 4 than a 5 star rating. It is far from the perfect game all the developer-lap-dog review sites gave it. San Andreas to me still reigns as the most fun sandbox game of all time.
Everyone has already heard how great this game is and how it is the first true real next-gen game. This is only the case for a few attributes. There are some "old-gen" functionalities that could have been dramatically tranformed to next-gen, but were not.
Graphics - For the scale of what was accomplished, the graphics are high quality. However, pop-is just as bad, if not worse than San Andreas - at least on the XBOX 360. This can be forgiven as the game does exhibit groundbreaking detail.
Sound - Voice acting and environment sounds are truly second to none. However, the sound tracks are not up to GTA standards. In fact, San Andreas and even the PSPs Vice City Stories track lists are superior to the one in IV.
Game-play - The shooting and driving mechanics are superb. I like the fact that vehicle controls are less "arcadey". Shooting functionality is visceral and satisfying. However, I cannot believe Rockstar made virtually no improvement to the game-saving mechanic. Yes, you can redo a mission if you fail it, but it still brings the player to the beginning of the mission sans the cut scene. Also, it will strip you of your armor if you lost it and any ammo utilized, as well as money spent on a hospital visit if you died. Therefore, most people will just redo the mission from the very beginning just like we did 7 years ago in GTA III. That is quite lame, very "old-gen", and definitely takes away from overall game quality. It is like having a Ferrari Enzo, but have a govenor keeping under 55mph. Thats I felt at times playing this game.
Fun -As far pure fun, San Andreas is just so much better. Parachuting, stunting in the mountains with various off-road vehicles, the absurd and funny missions, various airplanes to fly, and that netherworld feel that is omnipresent in every GTA game sans IV makes it the best. CJ was also a tougher and more enjoyable protagonist (or antagonist depending on your opinion) to play than Niko Belic. I will say that Niko is more likeable than Tommy Vercetti or No Name.
Conclusion - There is no denying the GTA IV is an epic production. It should be purchased and played to completion. You will enjoy a mostly positive game-playing experience. However, San Andreas remains Rockstars finest opus and one of the greatest games ever produced. In the future GTA V could be a true perfect 10 if they refine the GTA IV engine, significantly improve the save mechanic, and bring back the awesome sound tracks.
GTAIV Review
On: 2008-06-02This game was really fun to play. It was more fun than I expected. Im glad I decided to buy it. The online play is really fun too. There is so much to brag about this game, but Im going to narrow it down and just say, buy it its worth the $60.
GTA4 Review
On: 2008-06-02I rarely spend on games. I borrow them from friends since I dont have that much time to play. This game is an exception, well worth your time and money.
great game
On: 2008-06-02to be honest, this is the only game that I own for my ps3. the reason? well I like the Nintendo games.... but this game is something else, I was sure that itll be awesome, and it is...
el único juego que tengo para mi ps3, porque me gustan más los juegos de Nintendo, pero estaba seguro de que serÃa genial este juego, y lo es.
Best GTA yet
On: 2008-06-02I love this game! The game play is awesome, the story has some annoying characters but still cool, and the variaty of activities in this game is incredible. With no shortage of swearing, this game is deffenetly for people that find harsh language amusing. If you havnt at least played this game do so and buy your on copy.
Best game on Xbox 360 this year
On: 2008-06-02Definitely believe the hype, this game is everything it claims to be and more. The gameplay is constant, the graphics are amazing and the characters are believable. For veteran GTA players some of the missions may be a little too easy which was a little surprising. Also the driving aspect of the game is a little more difficult than the previous GTAs. Once you get the hang of that, it will be smooth sailing. If you are looking or a game that will give you many hours of enjoyment I suggest GTA4. Be warned (for younger gamers) the game is full of violence and seedy language.
Average, but Internet Play Redeems It
On: 2008-06-02All the glowing praise aside, its actually a pretty mediocre game. Its the same rat race weve seen before in all of the GTA3 games -- except this time the city is grey and ugly, and the cars handle like the streets are coated in butter. I got bored with the single player game after a few days of playing it.
Multiplayer redeems it though -- escort missions go from being boring as hell to actually kind of fun when you have a friend playing with you. And by playing I mean shooting at you with a rocket launcher or trying to ram your car into the Atlantic Ocean. Its worth the purchase just for that. You get easily get a good 10 hours of enjoyment out of doing the online-only missions with buddies, and then even more time playing all the different online games with people on the internet.
The one thing that actually pissed me off about the game though is that Rockstar claims on the back of the box that it runs in 1080p. It doesnt. It runs in 640p. You can force it into 1080p mode by disabling lower resolutions on the PS3, but it doesnt actually look any better. False advertising.
Overall, the games... good, but certainly not worth all the hype its gotten.
Another GTA
On: 2008-06-02Its the same old boring mission based game-I only baught it for the possible fun there could be online.Online its fun for team deathmatch but that gets boring after a few hours.Its a fun game if you have never played GTA before-But if you have a 360 and never bought Halo 3 get that instead.
The GTA series gets a "reboot"
On: 2008-06-01Outside of Halo 3, GTA IV is perhaps one of the most hyped games of this generation; in fact, some would say it was overhyped. Glowing, almost slobbering previews from the press helped create expectations that could never be met. The question is, now that its out, how does it stack up?
First of all, I have to note that there have been both a lot of "revisionist" positive reviews that tell us that less variety and content (as compared to GTA: San Andreas) is somehow a good thing, and a lot of excessively negative reviews that gloss over the positive changes this entry has made. The truth is that while the game couldve been more (and needed to be if it was to truly win all the perfect reviews it got), what we got was far from a poor or skimpy game. And it all starts with the city.
Like the first game in the GTA III trilogy (GTA 3, Vice City, San Andreas), GTA IV takes place in Liberty City, a fictional, crime-ridden metropolis. This time, however, Liberty City is a much bigger place than before. The scale of the environment compared to your character is much larger than before, and the maps you may have seen of Liberty City dont really convey this. In addition, things such as the level of detail, lighting, and other graphical effects have been pumped up more than a little. Night-time now makes the same area you saw in the daytime look completely different than before, while the lighting and weather engine upgrades make every day a potentially unique experience, and really accentuate the early morning and late afternoon periods with some dramatic effects. People are now animated much better than before (and are affected by the new physics engine), and the whole game has an interesting look thats almost akin to impressionistic oil paintings. The game environments are divided into 5 districts, which are distorted and compacted versions of real life counterparts: Broker (Brooklyn), Dukes (Queens), Bohan (the Bronx), Algonquin (Manhattan), and Alderney (Eastern New Jersey). Unlike the disappointing (and buggy) True Crime: NYC, the areas have been streamlined and altered enough so that you dont end up driving through endless, identical, flat, square city blocks put in there just because theyre present in real life. Fans of the original GTA III will see a few familiar-looking sights, as Brokers elevated train tracks and brownstones will bring back memories of Portland. Other than that type of basic similarity, Liberty City is a whole new animal.
And as a result, youre also given new game mechanics to survive. The most notable are the aiming system (allowing for both autotargeting using an instictual flick of the right stick combined with the triggers, and a manual aim similar to Gears of War), and the cover system (which allows you to take cover behind a large percentage of objects, including cars). This transforms firefights from the almost random shootouts of the past into more dynamic, entertaining, and tactical encounters. You also have a cell phone, which is a big part of the game. GTA IV relies heavily on your relationships with characters, and youll find yourself both calling them, and getting called by them. The downside is that these calls are a bit too frequent, especially when you just want to wander around, and cause mayhem (although you can put the phone on sleep mode), and ignoring phone calls can have consequences for the goodwill youll be trying to maintain with these people. Car physics have been altered, and while it can be hard to adjust to, I actually like the handling better in this game than prior installments, as using the handbrake results in some truly great cornering. Both swimming and climbing over objects are still in the game, with swimming simplified, and the climbing mechanic developed more fully than before.
As Niko Bellic, an Eastern European veteran of an unnamed war who is lured to America by his cousins exaggerated promises of success, the player is given both a reason for being an expert at combat, and a great starting point for the story. The characters are some of the best the series has seen, whether its your likeable, debt-ridden cousin Roman, the hilarious Brucie (I cant even begin to describe him), or "community activist" Manny. There are also some "random missions" that are triggered by your choice of whether to spare some of your mission targets throughout the game. Furthermore, the new wanted level system (in which the police have a specific search radius you must escape, as opposed to the random cop spawning of the past) makes the chaotic gunfights of both the story missions and extracurricular chaos less of a potential buzzkill when the cops take notice. The story is further enhanced by features such as a number of parodic TV shows you can watch, a functional in-game Internet (complete with all manner of spot-on websites), and other social entertainment, such as comedy clubs, a cabaret show, and even the ability to get drunk with a friend or a girl (with a swaying camera effect not designed for the easily nauseated).
The bad news is that some of the variety and content that youve come to expect is MIA. While the new, two-tiered vigilante system is great, for some reason, you dont get any money or other rewards from it. Standbys such as ambulance, firefighter, and even pizza delivery missions are missing, while the taxi missions are not only only present for a short period of time, but are also a pain to start. While I wasnt a huge fan of a number of those side missions, they did add to the variety of the game. Also, while the new Liberty City isnt that incredibly small compared to San Andreas (the consensus appears to be that its about 60-75% the size of San Andreas), the fact that its mostly urban areas lends a bit of monotony to the experience (even if theres identifiable and distinct looks to the various areas, and plenty of trees, parks and beaches). You wont be finding any flyable airplanes here, and the variety of helicopters is markedly lower than in San Andreas. I also miss the flamethrowers from past games, and despite what the apologists may say, the jetpack from San Andreas wouldve been a cool carryover to this game.
Despite these (and other) issues and the games overhype, the game is still a real gem. Ive gotten past the 50 hour mark, and still havent finished the game. Theres also a multiplayer mode that I havent played myself, but sounds fun for people who are into social gaming. As far as the version to get, I chose the Xbox 360 version mostly due to the ability to have a custom soundtrack, which wasnt present on the PS3 version (at least at launch- for all I know, there could be a downloadable update). Beyond that, the choice of version appears to come down to nitpicking graphical differences, what console you feel more comfortable with, and whether you care about the exclusive downloadable content that the 360 version will be getting (there is also supposed to be DLC for the PS3 version). In the end, while this isnt the "greatest game of all time" that people claim it is, it really is quite good, delivers the best urban-focused crime game experience out there, and worth the price. It may not knock San Andreas off its throne due to its scaled back ambition, but it could well be at the same level. For the first time, a game really has created a city that feels like, well, a real modern city. Highly recommended.
Simply Amazing
On: 2008-06-01GTA IV offers amazing graphics, great story line, and tons to do.
The amount of content in the game is simply astounding. I could write paragraphs praising the game, but I think I simply write my only minor complaint.
My only real criticism is the sound track is not as good as other recent releases,.. The talk radio is very good, but the music leaves alot to be desired.
review
On: 2008-06-01for the huge budget that gta had they could have put in more things like bmxs and private jet plane.... generally a good game though
Not too bad
On: 2008-06-01This game was ok. The only really entertaining aspects of it is driving the cars, hearing the funny radio commercials and running over people with the car. Definitely need to mute the sound around small children.
GTA IV is a must have!!!!
On: 2008-06-01The special edition was pretty neat. I like the license plate that Amazon gave away with it! The duffel bag is nice and I like the safety deposit box. I havent really listened to the cd that came along with it, but the book is pretty interesting!
I have been waiting months for this game to come out and let me tell you.... it was WELL worth it! The graphics are awesome and I catch myself playing the game for hours! The multiplayer is def awesome! If you plan on playing online I would go out and get a headset!
I am not going to go into detail about the game but I will say this...This game is a must have and if you are planning on buying it online, Amazon is the place to get it from!!!! Very fast delivery and I am always happy shopping with them!!!
Best game ever
On: 2008-06-01this is the longest game I have and the video seems so real and the place are real looking. I am still trying to complete the game but the game has so munch to do that the fun part because you can play for hours and have fun.
THE GREATEST
On: 2008-05-31GTA IV-This is simply the greatest of all the GTAs. I just cant put down the controller. No, Im not a video game junkie. There is just so much more to do in GTA IV you just want to get it done. The missions are unreal and just awesome. Again this is the best GTA ever.
One of the best GTA's
On: 2008-05-31This is the best of the previous versions plus great graphics and an interesting plot. The only way this is not an improvement over the other GTAs is the radio stations are not as good as GTA3s. Ive been playing 3hrs a day for a month and Im only a quarter of the way through the game, which gives you an idea how big GTA4 is. If you like GTA you need this game.
Lot's of fun!
On: 2008-05-31Although Ive only made it through 2% of the game Im amazed at the graphics and physics they built into this game. I enjoy just driving around and checking out the city. Check out Time Square for instance. At some point Ill play the game seriously but for now Im just in awe of what theyve done. Check out the Cinematic view. Its very much like theyve programmed a camera in a helicopter hovering above your car as you drive around the city. Highly recommended.
its great
On: 2008-05-31pro:
it has online and in offline ("story mode") u can blow up cars with bombs ect
con:
it dosent have any airplanes the packer is not what it used to be mostly small stuff like robing someone at night :) but otherwise there isent much to complane about
IF YOU DON'T HAVE IT YET
On: 2008-05-31youre missing out. If you have ever been a fan of the GTA series, this is a must buy for you. The story arch alone is worth the purchase. Ive been playing for 40 hours and I still havent beaten the game.
GO GET IT!
GTA: The Sims....
On: 2008-05-31this game does a decent job at capturing the feel of New York and all its different areas. the structures of the buildings and streets scream NYC. you get used to the handling of the cars. creativity went into the media aspect as far as internet websites, tv shows and so on..but thats expected from Rockstar for this series. the prostitutes are back...and this time, they actually show them performing sexual acts in the car...so points for realism. iv only handled the 9mm but it feels pretty realistic...but u get shot about 5 times, your dead. basically, the fun comes from Living this game like you do your actual life. its not over the top or exagerated, its designed to be realistic...and i love that about it. kind of like GTA meets the Sims.
i will say that it doesnt hold a FLAME to GTA:SA in ANY way...which incompassed so many things on the side to keep you interested in it. i am also busy playing The Godfather right now...which is better than GTA4 by a longshot. True Crime: NYC, in my opinion, does a BETTER job of capturing the actual FEEL of New York City. not saying GTA4 isnt a good game...but i can only play it for short periods of time before im on to something else. i play sparingly but i dont see myself keeping it much longer.
overall, pick it up if you like gta. but get THE GODFATHER...which is also made by Rockstar...so either way, youll be supporting the company.
iLL .
GTA: The Sims but BEST ONLINE MODE EVER....
On: 2008-05-31this game does a decent job at capturing the feel of New York and all its different areas. the structures of the buildings and streets scream NYC. you get used to the handling of the cars. creativity went into the media aspect as far as internet websites, tv shows and so on..but thats expected from Rockstar for this series. the prostitutes are back...and this time, they actually show them performing sexual acts in the car...so points for realism. iv only handled the 9mm but it feels pretty realistic...but u get shot about 5 times, your dead. basically, the fun comes from Living this game like you do your actual life. its not over the top or exagerated, its designed to be realistic...and i love that about it. kind of like GTA meets the Sims.
i will say that it doesnt hold a FLAME to GTA:SA in ANY way...which incompassed so many things on the side to keep you interested in it. i am also busy playing The Godfather right now...which is better than GTA4 by a longshot. True Crime: NYC, in my opinion, does a BETTER job of capturing the actual FEEL of New York City. not saying GTA4 isnt a good game...but i can only play it for short periods of time before im on to something else. i play sparingly but i dont see myself keeping it much longer.
UPDATE: the Online Mode for this game is Awesome. practically the Best shooter online EVER. i love doing the Rocket Launcher matches with 6 men to a team and having EVERYTHING around you be blown to Absolute Pieces and people Flying All Over The Place from the explosions...or doing the SMG/Pistol matches and hiding behind trees and cars and shooting it out, its VERY realistic. just being able to Scale the ENTIRE WORLD of the game with 10 or 12 people online and have MINIMAL to NO slowdown or lagg is just an Amazing Accomplishment. iv played COD, Ghost Recon, Halo, everything online..but this is BY FAR the best shooter for Online. you may KEEP IT for that Mode..but not the Offline mode.
overall, pick it up if you like gta and want an Excellent online experience...but get THE GODFATHER or Godfather 2 when it comes out...
iLL .
GTA4 MAAAN!!!
On: 2008-05-31Its awsome everything weve come to expect from Rockstar Games it realy actualy exeeded my expectations I would recomend this to anyone that is of age
GTA IV ROCKS!!!!
On: 2008-05-31Im all about single player, dont really care for multiplayer. This game has plenty to do for a person who likes single player.
Great Game!
On: 2008-05-31Although I wouldnt call GTA4 the greatest game of all time, it is definitely up there. The production quality, particularly the attention to detail, is unbelievable. I found the game to become too difficult (and eventually used a couple of cheats); regardless, this is a must play!
Grand theft auto is amazing
On: 2008-05-31The game is amazing.That said, the missions are slightly lacking in that they are all pretty much the same. Your either killing somebody on land or your killing someone on sea. Nothing like the previous gta missions where you do all kinds of crazy stuff. You very rarely have to repeat a mission.So the challenge is lacking.Graphics are through the roof.
Grand Theft
On: 2008-05-31Not bad... Kinda wish the characters werent russian... Awful clothes selection... I dont care for the controls of the car but otherwise its worth it...
Fun, but after a while gets a little boring.
On: 2008-05-31This game was fun when i first started, i played a lot the avergae time for the story line is 30 hours it took me 32 because i wasted time going on rampages. The storyline and achivements were the only thing that kept me going. I would say that the fun that comes from this game is from going on rampages and messing around in freeplay with 15 other people. The online wasnt that good because it froze up sometimes. i didnt get that much enjoyment from just killing people on a team because if there was no lock on it was to hard and if there was lock on it was too easy. But another thing i like doing with my friends was setting up road blocks during races, but then rockstar games made it so that the cars started dissapearing with made it a lot less fun. I would get this game but maybe sell it after a while because it gets boring, without a 2 player campain or having a guest online, or even if u could go on rampages with ur friends that r using your xbox 360 and use cheats, like you could in San Andreas. Now im just playing Shadowrun which is a vry fun online game, and oblivion which doesnt go online but is a very fun RPG game.
From a GTA fan since GTA II.
On: 2008-05-31Just like all the other GTAs, From GTA III, to GTA VC, GTA SA, GTA LCS, GTA VCS and GTA SA, GTA IV has a really great story. This game, unlike its predecessors has more focus on NPC interaction than it does side missions that are stand alone. But that just makes the whole world more meaningful. Doing the story, and the element of making choices that affect gameplay has enhanced this game for me soo much i just cant bring myself to take the disc out of my PS3 to play something else.
LOVE IT!! LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!! Multiplayers super smooth and easy to engage with too!. Sure, the game could do with some improvements. but thats coz ive alreaddy played it and know what more i want. and besides, thats what the next GTA is for.
Lazlows back!
Can you top perfection?
On: 2008-05-31Where can I start with this phenominal video game. One word comes to mind. Perfection!! Rockstar games issued other great Grand Theft Auto games in the past and they were all of excellent quality. But this time they got everything right. The game is fun. Period. Everything a video game should be. Just the right difficulty on the missions. Great cut scenes. This game really tells something of a story. Only drawback is that I thought the graphics could be a little better. And the topper of them all ONLINE PLAY! For the first time you can team up with about 16 other players for Team Deathmatch, Cops And Robbers, and many other different types of online games. Sensational. I found the online play played smoothly and only a few little lags in play. I belive this game will go down as one of the greatest games in video game history. And that is not an exagerration. Definitely not for the children. I highly recommend this game. Dont hesitate. Definitely pick this one up.
Best GTA game!!
On: 2008-05-31This isnt a biased review, I honestly believe that this is one of the best games available on the ps3 console. The reality is amazing! You can feel you are in the game with the good graphics. The missions are the usual problem, solve situations, but overall this is an amazing game worth to add to your collection.
Awesome Game! Great addition to series.
On: 2008-05-31This game is awesome. The graphics on it are substantially better than the rest of the games, especially hooked up to and HDTV. The multiplayer is a lot of fun. The only downside to this game is that there are no planes that you can fly, like in Vice City and San Andreas, but it is not enough to affect my rating since they still put helicopters. I definitely recommend this game, but not for people that are too young, it can get a little explicit. Go and buy this game, you will be glad you did.
This game was awesome!
On: 2008-05-30Ok, first things first. This game is way better if you have an HDTV. Reason being is it just looks tons better. Ive played mine both in 480i and 1080p. Huge difference. Second, the game is fantastic. Personally my favorite part is the online capability, its awesome. You can run around liberty city and cause tons of mayhem, and you can do it with friends! New controls are great and the environment is awesome as well.
Teh AWESOMENESS!
On: 2008-05-30The SE awesome i recommend getting it especially the liecense plate its well made.
About the game well if you dont own this game u are a sinner nuff said....
Special edition
On: 2008-05-30Special edition has some cool (but useless) things, but the game is the same old stuff youve experienced in its prequels.
OK, not sure what the hype was all about
On: 2008-05-30Way too much hype for this game. Its alright but nothing spectacular. Missions are pretty much the same throughout and gets boring after awhile. Way too many simulated violence and swearing. Not needed at all for a good game. If they ever come out with a GTA5 Im pretty sure I wont get it.
Not perfect, but oh so close.
On: 2008-05-30Everything that has been said about GTA IV is right: it has the upgraded visuals of liberty city that are unlike anything ever seen, it has a compelling story, very exciting additions like multi player, and so on-A true masterpiece. If there is one thing however that prevents GTA IV from perfection is the single thing that it carries over from past GTA games-the old school design of starting missions from the beginning when you die. Yup thats right, get ready to try again, again...and you guessed it, again, after dieing in the middle of some missions. Would it have hurt to put some checkpoints in the longer missions?
Minor gripes aside, this is a must have experience that is worthy of all the effort youll put into it. After all, theres always the cheats which I will use in my second play through because the game is just that good. Enjoy!
No title needed
On: 2008-05-30As far as dealing with Amazon goes, this was a very smooth and easy transaction and will never hesitate to do business with them.
The game is great, as Im sure everyone already knows. Initially I did have some problem with the screen, as the night time episodes were very difficult to see. So how did I solve this? I went and bought a 32" hd television. The difference was notable immediately. This game gave me a reason to finally get one, although its not the one I aim to have in the future, it will absolutely do for right now.
I dont have much time to play this game, so Im still at the beginning stages but from what Ive seen thus far, this is a game that everyone should own.
It's easy to be impressed by Liberty City. It's as close to New York City as any game has ever got. From the pedestrians that ma
On: 2008-05-30Its easy to be impressed by Liberty City. Its as close to New York City as any game has ever got. From the pedestrians that make up the neighborhood to the realistic design of the buildings. The weather changes and the days progress realistically. This is one of those games where you can just take it in and enjoy the scenery. In Grand Theft Auto you have the freedom to do what you want. This game is intended for adults. The language and content can be mature most of the time. Although that is at a parents discretion. I wouldnt suggest this game for everyone. Although I would suggest it for those who have enjoyed previous Grand Theft Auto games. I would also suggest it for those who enjoy mafia or crime movies. This game will have you sitting back and enjoying the incredible story. Just dont forget that its your story to play.
Great, but San Andreas was better
On: 2008-05-30This game had the chance to be the best videogame in history but it failed. The reason is that it improved graphicwise, controls are much better, the city is bigger, there is much more interaction between the controlled player and the AI, but it is a mission-based game where anything out of the main mission is boring as hell. This is because they did not include the two best aspects from San Andreas apart from the missions, since there is no sense of one becoming powerful by conquering territories, and even though money has no function in this game, they should have had the businesses that were so fun in San Andreas. Also, what happened to the beautiful houses of Vice City, come on.
Grand Theft Auto 4 -- Great graphics, excellent story!
On: 2008-05-30This is the latest installment in the Grand Theft Auto franchise and it blows away all games of the genre. It has a great story that makes the game interesting as well as many detailed side missions that can be done at any point in the game. The graphics are incredible! I highly recommend this game for anyone over 18 that enjoys the free roaming do whatever you want type of game. Nonstop FUN!!!
G of T Y?
On: 2008-05-30Depending on how GOW2 and the new Guitar Hero do I am putting my vote in for GTA4 as Game of The Year!
BoooYah!
On: 2008-05-30GTA is an amazing game, they just keep getting better. The only bummer was they GTA IV has no airplanes, among a few other things, but the graphics ang game play are totally amazing!
BigO
On: 2008-05-30GTA IV is the best so far in the series.The Special Edition comes with a metal lockbox thats pretty cool for storing the game and its contents or whatever else you like.There is a poster size map of the cities that you can cruise to and thru and a hardcover booklet about the game.The Rockstar keychain is also pretty cool.As far as the software itself,well cruising to strip joints and bars and meeting new thug friends to earn cash and to go into different stores and shop for your personnal pics of weapons and or clothes.Also that ever continuence of blood and gore is at its best.There are also more vehicles to steal.Vipers,Hummers,Cudas,BmwX5,and Corvettes to name a few.The vehicles handle accordingly as youd expect in real life somewhat.The different characters are also pretty cool to interact with.Overall,the best GTA ever!
All around good game.
On: 2008-05-30This game has a great story, a great big sprawling environment, and a lot of fun distractions. The graphics are excellent and it seems like Rockstar perfected the style theyve been developing for this series for so long.
A Whole New Grand Theft Auto
On: 2008-05-30I Review Games on my blog, so for a very in-depth review visit: http://captnawsomegames.blogspot.com/2008/05/gta-iv-does-it-live-up-to-hype-xbox-360.html
Here Is An Excerpt from My Blog:
"I thought it would be like any other mediocre, open world game, dry and limited,and a Russian version of Saints Row. Im not saying Saints Row was terrible, but it was fair, but not a blockbuster hit, or a game worth keeping in my library, I wasnt very optimistic about GTA IV. I figured Id pick up the Collectors Edition of GTA IV, frolic around for a while with my rocket launcher, and later pawn it off for a more meaningful game (keeping the safety deposit box and all that great swag). Boy was I wrong! Grand Theft Auto IV is everything and more that the press said it would be! It has knocked out all the annoying features of the previous game, making game play more seamless and easy to maneuver as well as minimal the distractions (we all know how hard it is to keep on track with the missions and not just run around on rampages and theft crazes) but GTA IV makes it much easier to not only follow the storyline, but actually relate to it."
Rockstar delivers again
On: 2008-05-29if you like GTA3 you will like GTA4 plain and simple. the controls and style of play are similar throughout.
I wouldnt say that the game itself is particularly innovative, rather it is a next generation of GTA with better graphics, and better physics. I havent gotten to do much with multiplayer but its been fun from what ive tried.
As far as the special edition goes...if you are a video game collector then it is worth it...if your just a player, prolly not.
One hell of a sandbox to play in..!!
On: 2008-05-29Ive only played part way through the storyline but what Ive played is absolutely amazing..! Just hailing a cab and taking a ride around the city is incredible. The amount of detail they put into the city is crazy. The buildings, the vehicles, the people, its all extremely well done. You see and hear all the little things that they put into the game that make you crack up when you notice them. All the subtle references to "Hot Coffee" are some of the funniest.
I got hooked on the franchise with Vice City because Im a child of the 80s. If you are a fan of the previous GTA games this one will absolutely not disappoint.
Its cool ...
On: 2008-05-29Well when it arrived , i thought there was something missing .. cuz everything was in a small box :)
when i saw the bag i thought it was so small !! but its not :) its medium sized ... cool ... carried my console with 2 controllers ! ;) and it smells good !
and the CAR PLATE was OK ... not really strong but OK .. cuz its not real .. its just looks cool :)
the key is good :) ROCKSTAR ... actually 2 keys
hmm the box that contains everything is cool i love looking at it
The Music CD is good . i loved the first track cuz its the theme ... other tracks are just RAP :) which is boring .. i dun really love rap
The ART BOOK is fun :) Illustrations and 3D (wireframe , Non-Textured and textured MODELS) and how niko was made .. and the other expectations of niko .. :)
and finally .. the game :) its fine .. not bad .. i really like what i got inside the Special Edition Package more than the game :)
No Car Tuning , no Body Building , No Hair cuts
Character customization only on the multiplayer mode
the multiplayer is a little bit boring :) but its ok
Well the game is fun ;) if ur friends play it .. and u invite them :)
the story is fine .. theyre funny :) ... well its one of the best games ;)
I thought Halo 3 was overhyped.
On: 2008-05-29GTA 4 is the 7th in the series(if you include GTA london). So how has the game "progressed" since GTA San Andreas? Actually it has regressed and shoved a new gimmicky gaming aspect down your throat. When I heard about the announcement of GTA4 I was skeptical. I believed that GTA San Andreas had such a level of depth that GTA4 couldnt possibly exceed. So I figured id just get GTA SA with a new coat of polish. BOy was I wrong.
Size and Scale:
At first GTA seems huge. Once you get around however the game just feels a lot smaller than San ANdreas. There isnt much variety between areas of town as compared to the LA/Las Vegas/Area 51 areas of San Andreas.
Gameplay:
Driving is now more difficult. Especially for motorbikes. Motorbikes a deathtraps. Which I guess is realistic but in the heat of a chase far too often you go flying off the bike into a wall and dying. Just to repeat the mission over. Repeating quests is as great as the developers made it out to be. Heres a scenario. Get a call from quest giver. Drive all the way across town or grab a taxi and teleport to your destination(a truly excellent addition to the game). Meet quest giver, watch cut scene then drive or taxi all the way to quest. Do section A of quest. Do section B of quest. Die. Rez at hospital. Receive the text message via cellphone to repeat quest but you still have to drive from the quest giver to the quest all over again. THis may sound silly but it is a huge waste of time and rage builder when you die several times do to the spotty(However the best in GTA history) combat system. Missions also are less inventive. Theyre 50% car chases where you have to follow a target(but not kill them) to a safehouse then take down a whole gang, 45% car chases that end in killing the target and about 5% "drive to this building, clear it out and bring me back something that someone stole from me"
SA included missions like stealing a damn Harrier Jet from a battleship. Wheres the imagination?
Graphics:
Graphics are pretty good for GTA series but not jaw dropping at any moment. SOme pop up but all in all a decent effort. Some character face models are hideous though. Not giving anything away but one of the main love interests are completely hideous.
Sound:
This is the worst soundtrack since before Vice City. There are a few gems and easter eggs(like the song from Silence of the Lambs that the killer dances too naked) All in all the soundtrack is forgettable. Most of the voice acting is great. Many of the characters are likeable and the voice acting is well done.
I ruined my life by buying my bf GTA
On: 2008-05-29He begged and begged. He got lucky it was his birthday. And now I dont exist anymore. Im sure a lot of girlfriends feel the same way. GTA changes men; if he was once productive, strong, and attentive, he is now a lifeless, robotic game addict whos on permanent auto-mode. sigh...
GTA4 Fun
On: 2008-05-29Game is great fun! There are so many new aspects of the game to explore compared to the rest of the GTA families! Definately a worthwhile purchase.
GTA IV Best In Series
On: 2008-05-29GTA IV is by far the best game in the series. It will keep you busy for hours on top of hours. I highly recommend to gamers 18 years and above. Lots of vulgar language, the violence insnt as bad as a lot of other games, strip clubs, prostitutes. The whole GTA experience pretty much. I was weary of buying it because I got bored with the previous titles but I am highly pleased that I puchased GTA IV. 12 out of 10 in my book.
GTA IV a worthy sucessor to the series.
On: 2008-05-29Guns. Drugs. Pimps. Cars. Bling. This game is everything it was promised to be and then some! Hours and hours of gameplay means youll never be doing the same thing twice, and the extensive cast of characters make takin out the mob more enjoyable than ever before. If you have a 360, then be sure you get this game!
GTA 4 Review
On: 2008-05-29This game is simply perfect, I love it, enjoy it, and recommend it to any gamer for the 360.
great game
On: 2008-05-29This was for my husband and he enjoys it. Its NOT for kids but it is cool.
Game blows
On: 2008-05-29GTA IV was a huge disapointment got bored after playing for 30 minuted, nowhere near as engaging as the past ones and the characters arent all that appealing or likable.
Fun story, kind of repetitive gameplay after a while, but amusing multiplayer
On: 2008-05-29The graphics, cut scenes, and story are excellent. It kept me playing for hours just so that I could finish the story. The gameplay was very repetitive after a while, but wanted to continue the story more was making up for it.
Lucky, you have the Taxi cabs to take you place to place, otherwise traveling yourself would take 10 times as long.
I just started playing multiplayer, and it is fun, and different than other multiplayer games... that is, you dont get pissed off when you die. Whenever I get killed or blow-up, I laugh at myself because the graphics are hilarious. I dont get into competitive mode like other games, because you just want to try doing the most stupid things in these multiplayer maps.
This is what a video game should be
On: 2008-05-28this game is sooooo grate that I dont play anything else
this game is sooooo cool Im freezing
this game is genetically different.
Not San Andreas?!!? Good!
On: 2008-05-28So many comparisons to other GTAs and all of them missing the point...This is not GTA Vice city, or San Andreas, its new and much more realistic. Yes, the game is dark in spots, and holy crap, if you get indoors and someone comes up behind you and starts pummeling you its hard to get around to hitting them back with the camera jerking everywhere, but the sheer detail, size, and interactivity are amazing. The game play is pure GTA, beating people down, dodging their punches and counter-punching, stalking into a street with shotgun drawn, cycling through targets and POW,POW,POW!!!! I love it!!! The vehicles are really true to life, steal an SUV and try to take a corner at top speed...over you go, just like real life. Steal a Banshee and away you go, burning rubber the whole way. This is not the cheesy jet packing, chainsaw in the street, gangsta wannabe, f-bomb fest that was San Andreas, this is involved life with a conflicted protagonist and deep story that will pull you right in. I feel for our hero, I care if he succeeds, thats the difference. My first day I stole a motorcycle and cruised the town, like I was there, I followed the lights, cruised up and down, and beat up some old man, then I crossed the bridge in a stolen garbage truck and got a level 5 wanted level, I drove like a madman to get back to my safe house, with a helicoptwer firing at me, and a swarm of cop cars to plow through, it was awesome!! Let the 14 year olds whine because they cant customize their car, get a driving game if thats what you want, for me this is the heat! The best part for me is knowing that as good as this one is, the next will be even better. I like it!!
Longevity?
On: 2008-05-28In short...
I loved this game, what more could you ask for in a game than what GTA 4 offers. Well the answere for me was longevity. I am now bored of it sadly which is good for my friends cause I just let them borrow it. My best way to say this is, to this day I still play guitar hero 3 but I stopped playing GTA 4. What I learned is no matter how many great reviews a game gets only some games can truly be fun to keep playing day in and day out.
just another gta?
On: 2008-05-28In a sense, yes. Its a sandbox game. Like previous gtas, you have a huge open world environment to basically do whatever you want.
Does this get boring, especially for gta veterans? yes.
But does this game add something new? YES. This is one of the best games Ive ever played, period. The story is great and this is the best in the gta series so far.
I recommend picking this title up.
Great video game (in spanish version)!
On: 2008-05-28bueno, este puede ser otro GTA pero esta todo bien realizado como para decir es que un juego muy entretenido y divertido, a mi me gusta mucho jugarlo y cada vez que juego estoy unas 2 o 4 horas jugando!
los graficos son buenisimos y la jugabilidad tremenda, puedes adaptarte facilmente y hacer algunos cambios en los controles.
como siempre tiene sus errores o glitches pero que se puede hacer? yo adoro este juego y de verdad es uno de los que me quedare por mucho tiempo.
hay demasiadas cosas por descubrir y cosas que te ayudan por ejemplo yo casi siempre agarro un taxi y pago para llegar a un lugar! recomiendo usar los trucos cuando no estas en un mision y enfrentarte a la poli!
los detalles estan muy bien hechos, ya quiero ver el proximo GTA dentro de unos 4 a#os mas!
BOLD DIRECTION; major problems
On: 2008-05-28Im a grand theft auto veteran. Ive been around since GTA III first came out on the PS2 back in 2001 and have watched the series evolve slowly but surely.
Having beaten GTA IV I would say that San Andreas was the series zenith.
GTAIV tries to head in a more cinematic direction (similar to The Getaway series, if youve ever played that). During the first one-third of the game, it succeeds. But the cohesion of the story gradually unwinds....the charecters and their struggles arent really as developed or belivable after a certain point (though first third was brilliant, with Russian gangster Vlad, or the tension between Playboy X/Dwayne).
Example: you spend the whole game looking for some guy youve never met. While I wont spoil the conclusion, I thought it was hard to get attached to the story line, given that many of the final events seem to be random (in otherwords, the story is not well developed, especially during the final 25% of the game...new charecters appear out of no where, and some of the missions began to feel meaningless)
GAME ITSELF: Here is where it gets incredibly disappointing. Airplanes? Gone. Jet-pack? Gone. Lots of weapons and codes from San Andreas? Gone. You cant even buy properties, swim underwater, parachute, or fix up cars anymore! These were key GTA features! All that is left is only a somewhat better story-line that takes itself too seriously and has REMOVED ALL FUN FACTORS.
Still a good buy, but if you loved San Andreas as well as all the other features GTA has been known for, then youre in for a bit of a disappointment.
Best in it's class.
On: 2008-05-28Best game of the series so far. Hard, gritty, violent, brutal and unforgiving. Play by the rules and be docile like lambs being led to the slaughter, or play it like you stole it, beat it, stab it, pummel it, shoot it, run down peds on your way to fame and glory. This game is NOT for the faint of heart or for the young or for those who walk the thin line between war and peace, it is all out war if that is what you prefer and peace?, peace is dead, whos next?. You will find gone all the little kiddy elements from games past, jet packs, parachutes, planes in every drive way, tanks, all that crap. Yes you still have have the occasional chopper, thankfully Nikko was in "A" war thus he knows the art of war mongering, and at best they are bland missions, or your only hopes of survival compared to previous releases. I cant say enough about the game yet at the same time i cannot say to much in respect to those who have not played it yet. Take it from me, a 50 year old gamer since the days of Pong, this is the one to own, to play, if you like more true to life games with realism such as explosions, water, cars, motorcycles, boats, damage modeling and atmosphere then you do not want to miss this game. Its fantastic on the Xbox 360 and its alright on the PS3, but anyway you slice it and which ever system you own quit holding out and JUST DO IT!, buy the dang thing youll be glad you did. Also if you can afford it and can find it and you like these kind of things go for the Limited edition set, art book with concept drawings, audio c.d. with music from the game, a lock box, all metal (tin) by the way, to store it in and a Rock Star key chain with two keys to lock it up, it comes with a duffle to haul around your stash around in, and if you lucky a full sized Liberty City license plate, pretty cool. Outa sight, outa mind. Enjoy.
A Step Backwards
On: 2008-05-28I have played this for a while now, and Im bored Im having to will myself to play it again to give it another chance. I have played all the GTA from the very first to this one, and yes it more real life but thats why I have a front door on my house I open it and theres real life.
Cons :
No value to exploring the city
Where are the paramedic missions
Where are the fire truck missions
Radio Stations are awful
No variety on the vigilante mission (gun this person down)
I havent found a park car mission or RC mission yet
Stupid mini games to win over people
Pigeons
Driving the cars
What happened to the list of cars to steal; now you are told where and when.
Dating.
All but one missions I have done so far are gun this person down, or deliver this, no lets feed the mafia ice cream and blow the truck up
Pros:
Deciding whether to kill a person on a mission or not
Graphics are good but blurry
Gps good but you dont learn the city
New cop wanted system
Revolutionizes Games
On: 2008-05-27This game is so good that it actually brings apon us a new age of video games.
Large, epic, realistic, and quite a bit of subtle humor.
On: 2008-05-27This is definitely the best GTA of all-time, which is saying a lot, considering how good San Andreas was, in my honest opinion. The scale and scope of Liberty City is just too much to put into words, its just that jaw-dropping. Ive never been to New York City, but I would probably guess that Liberty City resembles the real deal quite well, from what Ive seen. Oh, and lets not get started on the innumerable amount of things that you can do....From surfing the internet, to going out with friends and girlfriends, to doing vigilante work for the cops, to picking out wardrobes, missions for a vast and diverse cast of characters, or just going insane and waging war against the entire city, there is always something to do in GTA 4. If you are a true GTA mark or just enjoy a game with a diverse amount of activities and the freedom to do whatever you want, then get this game. If you can somehow get your hands on the Special Edition, then it is a good buy, as well. I like the metal box the best, even though the art book and soundtrack arent half-bad, either.
Holy Pepsi
On: 2008-05-27Wow, this game is amazing. I suppose by the time I get to visit New York City in person, Ill know where most of the stuff is located (though in all reality I guess I might not know the right names for some things). I can imagine it now. Ill get off the airplane and ask the taxi driver to bring me to "Middle Park" or something like that. In my unsophisticated opinion, thats the only downfall to GTA 4. This is the best game Rockstar has offered us yet - perhaps the best game of the year.
GTA IV Special Edition
On: 2008-05-27I bought it for my brother, and after his exams, he didnt leave the game alone at all.
GTA Fans Rejoice, others merely smile...
On: 2008-05-27This game has everything you would ever want in a sandbox-type game. A greatly detailed and gigantic map, plenty of great cars, and a pretty easy to use interface.
Ill admit up front, I never had played a GTA game before this one, and for good reason, I wasnt allowed to. But, alas, I am 19 years old and I wanted to see what all the fuss is about...
GTA IV is full of slobbery-good graphics, humorous, if not embarrassing moments and more cop killing than your average inner-city gang.
The story mode is deep and gives off a movie-like feel. You get to know the characters and their personalities and along with this you form friendships.
I cannot really go to much further than to say that it was a well built game that will provide a lot of entertainment, but for me, it just gets old quick. There is only a certain amount of time I can kill cops over and over and over again (see the online FREE MODE) and there is only a certain amount of time I can try to get in the pants of my virtual girlfriend (see STORY mode).
To me, the game got old and just didnt feel that fun. If you have never played a GTA IV game, Id say rent this game first, then buy it if you absolutely cant get enough, other than that, for the veterans of the GTA Franchise, this will be exactly what you want.
great game. no error's in the game to the point i have reached
On: 2008-05-27The game came as described and is working fine. Have had no problems with it. Is a fun game to play.
Fun game but not a 10
On: 2008-05-27The game is pretty good...but not a 10 that some mags are calling it...has quirky controls at times and the camera angles get out of hand..I would rate it a 8 at most ..just my opinion..
Freedom = Fun
On: 2008-05-27Many things are available to enjoy in this classic game. Simply driving around and starting mayhem in the "Alive City" is complete joy. Although making money is fun and challenging, the game lacks a reason to make such large amounts of money.
Excellent
On: 2008-05-27Great story, great scale, great visuals. Only downside is the steering when in a car. I know its supposed to be realistic, but I dont want to feel like Im driving a minivan in real life every time I get behind the wheel.
Best game ever
On: 2008-05-27I suck at most all FPS games and yet can still play this one. The only other two that lived up to that were CoD4 and BioShock - this is far more fun than those, just due to the sheer volume of content and random details in the game.
I never got that into the previous versions, but this game is the best.
I would prefer if they relied less on timed missions, where you need to chase someone through the streets and they are much faster than you - but that seems to be this genre.
Another Great GTA Game
On: 2008-05-27Another great GTA game. A little too linear; you basically follow a prescripted path to complete missions and follow the story, but still very fun.
Absolutely Gripping
On: 2008-05-27This is, very simply, the best game I have ever seen. I am constantly discovering new things, and I dont have to play with a given structure. Rockstar North has truly outdone themselves with this product, I am completely pleased.
a little more...of the same
On: 2008-05-27yes there are a lot of good things about this game. Graphics are pretty good, enviroment exploration is almost to vaast, and the relationship building is pretty neat. Overall though, it is the same game as GTA2. Endless amounts of missions. Driving conditions and car handling is a little off the mark (after all it is a video game)I find that the citys are so cluttered with traffic, it makes it extreemly hard on some of the missions. (If you are on a mission and are trying to chase something down or get away on a motorcycle, dont hit ANYTHING. You will be thrown from the bike, fail in your chase, Die, or get arrested) Dont get me wrong. Its a fun game, and still has the f-bombs, killing, driving, smuggling drugs, and even the option to try your luck (with ususal success) with your girlfriend after taking her to play darts. The game becomes repetive after a while and I find myself getting bored with it, due to failing missions for stupid reasons. I have owned, beat and played all the others, (even psp) and while this one is bigger, with better graphics, I already find myself getting burnt out on it. All most to the point of geting cheat codes and just running around blowing stuff up. Decent game though. Some new fairly neat stuff. Graphics are great and the city, or should I say cities are huge(took me 30 min to drive all the way atround it, just cruising around) Playability seems infinate, Driving is difficult, story line is pretty good, oh and lots of radio stations. Enjoy.
Surprisingly addictive
On: 2008-05-26Ive tried the PS2 GTA games and theyve never really caught me. They were fun for short times rampaging on drives, but the stories were stupid and the characters were impossible to relate to (stupid gangster crap with CJ in San Andreas - case in point).
I bought GTA IV on a whim after not even considering renting it once I read the reviews. Im about 20 hours in and I love it. The missions are fun, and the characters and story are mature and captivating.
Cons: The character controls arent perfectly responsive. The graphics could be better, but I suppose they had to make sacrifices to have this huge city. I wish there were checkpoints on the missions. If you die, youll be put back all the way at the beginning. If you drove across the city, youll have to drive again. Some of the chases go on ridiculously long and are frustrating. Your target always seems to go faster and make perfect turns. The missions can get repetitive and the side activities are not that interesting.
This is a good game even for previous non-GTA fans, probably the second best game of the year once MGS4 comes out.
Kind of Boring and Hard to See Where You're Going
On: 2008-05-26I have not played previous GTAs, and perhaps I should have continued that behavior. I enjoy most types of games, and GTA is reminiscent of that pretty old game "Police Quest" in its various incarnations.
Im certain that this game is enjoyable for very young men and boys. But as for mature folks, its frequently boring. Add to that the need to constantly check a map, which has teeny-weeny symbols showing you your location and destinations, it gives me a headache after less than an hour each time I play.
So if you like driving irresponsibly and talking with a Greek accent while you ogle cartoon women and beat up cartoon men, this is a must-have. Otherwise, I recommend all of the "Halos", and/or a good RPG like "Elder Scrolls" instead.
It's in the Detail
On: 2008-05-26It is as if Rockstar finally had the hardware to realise their true vision. The depth of detail is hard to imagine and difficult to describe as it seems everything has been thought of, creating one of the most immersive games I have ever played. It also has great scripting, voice acting and storyline to boot. Technically very little to complain about, some minor frame rate drop in intense action scenes and a couple of camera issues on occasion. One thing of note my Samsung LCD 101cm 1080i TV has some trouble with the blacks loosing some detail but this is more a fault of the older generation LCD TV than the game. Sometimes the voice acting is a little hard to hear over the background sounds. None of this detracts from how good this game really is. A must buy for any fan. I really liked the additional items (lockbox, key ring, art book etc) as it cost me very little extra over and above buying just the straight copy here in Australia. Bargain. Love it.
I espect more for this version
On: 2008-05-26Es muy buen juego pero para esta entrega esperaba mucho mas.
Esta vesion es mas interactiva muy real y le agregaron muchos detalles pero tiene menos armas que las versiones anteriores, no tiene aviones (no se pueden pilotear), menos modelos de elicopteros, menos modelos de motos y a decir verdad demasiado corto, pudieron haber aprovechado mucho mas el espacio que brinda el Blu-ray.
Es buen juego y tiene muy buenas graficas ya que esta hecho para 1080p, pero esperaba mucho mas.
Great game, PS3 graphics not so good
On: 2008-05-26I am only going to comment on the graphics since there are plenty of other reviews about the game itself.
I have both versions (PS3 and 360), my TV is a Panasonic 50" plasma that outputs video at 720p.
My PS3 is connected via HDMI and the 360 via component.
Without a shadow of a doubt, the 360 graphics are definitely better than the PS3 by a long shot.
If you consider the 360 graphics as 8/10, then I would give the PS3 4/10.
The lines and detail are clearly sharper in the 360 version. In the PS3, character faces, and background images are washed out and fuzzy.
I noticed this most when driving around the city - in the PS3 version I had a very hard time making out distant vehicles and buildings, whereas the 360 was sharp and clear.
I should point out that I am not aligned in any way to either the 360 or PS3. I just like playing games, I dont really care which console is better.. but with GTAIV, I would strongly recommend that you get the game for the XBOX360.
Good Gem
On: 2008-05-26This product is excellent there is no "edited" clips unlike the AUS.NZ version. It delivers and does well at it. Cant get a new girlfriend because i stay in my room playing as much as i can. Once you go GTA there is no way to get out. As a gamer ever since the very first Grand Theft Auto was unleashed I have grown and so has this legacy series. 10/10 not that this rating is anywhere close to describing its enjoyment.
Semi.
Funtastic
On: 2008-05-26Rated 4.8/5.0
Pros & Cons:
Pros:
1) F**king Realistic
2) Detailed to Perfection
3) Interactive AI
4) Better than all prequels
5) Good Soundtrack
Cons:
1) Lack of Casinos
2) Repetitive missions - mostly shoot em ups
3) Absence of flying Dream Liners & Harrier Fighters
Awesome!
On: 2008-05-26Awesome game, the special edition was worth the money, and was a very nice touch! This game is a must-have for GTA lovers!
Awesome time, but not for kids
On: 2008-05-26This game is awesome!! I love that they have added jumping of walls and climbing. This game has a huge amount of adult content, which I think is great. But, if you dont let your kids see things like sex with hookers, drug use, and murder then I wouldnt suggest getting this game for them.
A work of art
On: 2008-05-26GTA 4. Ive played this game for about 3 days worth of time and Im not even half way through. Just riding around in the streets and causing mayhem is extremely entertaining. The first games were enjoyable. The controls werent that great, the graphics sucked, but everyone still loved them. this installation in the series just completely blows those other games away in every aspect.
What people judge a video game by is the controls, the detail, gameplay, storyline, etc., and while GTA might fail in the controls section compared to games like dark sector, everything else is just mind-boggling. What the designers of this game did was take every aspect of life, meaning physics, interaction, technology, and put it on a high-capacity disk.
Driving mechanics, human interaction/reaction, environment, they all seem very realistic. While its true that the game can be a game that parents really wouldnt like, its really worth getting. When you play, youre not just playing a regular video-game, your living the virtual life of another person. You can date, do activities with friends, and make choices that could really affect the story in the future, all at your own will and when you want to.
The realism of this game is just incredible. The ragdoll physics are the best Ive ever seen, but whats really amazing is vehicle damage. The type of damage your car takes isnt preset, dents and damage spots are clearly definable and correspond with points of contact that cause damage. If theres a hole in your tires, they shed, just like in real life.
All in all, this game is a work of art, a masterpeice. GameInformer wrote that it was hard to even put onto paper what the game was like without giving into the erge to play the game again. While that is a little addictive, it is very true for some. I would definitely recommend this game for anybody I meet. Its worth any amount that you buy it for (under $80).
OH MY GOD THIS GAME ROCKS!!!!!!!!!
On: 2008-05-25GTA 4 is the best game this year and I am having so much fun everything in the game is perfect from the graphics to the AI. Its hot.
Fun in many respects, but lacking in others
On: 2008-05-25I am a casual gamer who has played all the previous GTA games. I am not one who will likely complete 100% percent of the game. I have finally completed the main story line in addition to several side missions. Throughout the game I have found many things to like, and many things that could be improved or have been left out.
The story is the best out of all the GTA games. I enjoyed the outrageous characters and what they add to the game. The missions are fun for the most part(tedious in some respects). The graphics are great(not on par with COD4, but better then the previous games). Running on foot is much more interesting and manageable. The city is the most complex of any of the GTAs. All in all fun, but not game of the year material.
The things I miss and wish there were more of was store fronts. I was really hoping the buildings would be more accessible. Less emphasis was placed on customizing your character as well. No more hair cuts, tattoos, working out or mastering particular weapons. The selection of clothes are dismal in my opinion. On to Cops, and oh boy, are there cops. Cops on every street corner and next to every vending machine (exaggerated, but not by much). While going through the game, I kept thinking the subtitle "Copland" should have been added to the title of the game. Which brings us to the wanted ratings. In many cases, one star felt like a two star and vice-versa. It wasnt a big problem, but slightly aggravating at times.
Now to the bit that irked me the most, cars. Where is the variety. What happen to customizing. I was really hoping that with each addition to the GTA universe, that there would be more cars and customizing options(down to engine components). I am really disappointed by the fact that Rockstar took away from the main attraction. Sure there are a couple of sweet rides, but nothing to go writing home about. (Infernus and Sultan RS, whoopdeedoo!!!!)
So as far as fun is concerned, its entertaining. However, when giving it an overall rating after comparing it to past games and what was sort of expected in this release, I cant help but give it an average score.
Buy it, it's worth it
On: 2008-05-25This game just brings back my memories to the first GTA game I played back in PS one. Obviously, fair to say that the series has come a long way since.
Like most of the reviews before me said, the graphics are amazing. Although I must say youll be missing out if youre only playing in Standard Def. If you dont have a plasma or an LCD display panel to go with the game, then I suggest you go get yourself one.
Playing the game in Hi Def will get you immersed in the living and breathing environment of Liberty City. You can really make out the facial expressions of the characters in the game as they interact with each other, or watch the windshield of your car shatter as you ram your car into an unsuspecting hot-dog seller standing on the sidewalk or just by doing the ol plummeting-your-car-from-the-roof-of-a-building trick (which requires you to do a vehicle spawn cheat to get the vehicle up onto the roof to begin with).
I wont bother writing about the characters background since most probably youve read it various times already. However, I would like to say that the personality that was built into the characters are amazing.
On the flipside, I do miss being able to travel to the countrysides and hot-wire myself a tractor like I did in San Andreas. GTA IVs game environment is notably not as vast compared to what was put in to San Andreas, but what they lack in size, they more than make up for it with details.
The controls (driving and walking/running) are somewhat more complicated compared to previous series of the game. Some might argue it being more realistic. I find it quite annoying sometimes for having to stop exactly in front of a ladder after sprinting to climb up. Otherwise, Id have to spend an extra 4-5 secs trying to position myself in front of the ladder while the guy Im chasing is about to take off on a chopper.
Altogether, good game. Play duration and difficulty is acceptable. Youll clock in a good 30/40 hours of gameplay no problem before you finish the game. Definitely not a game for minors though considering the graphic nature of the actions youll get in the game.
The extra stuff that came together with the special edition?
- Safe deposit box: Nice and sturdy
- Duffel Bag: Looked bigger in the picture
- Soundtrack: Added to my music library
- Artbook: Full of colorful pictures
- Key/Keyring: Havent used, havent had the need to lock the box
- License Plate: Something to show off to my mates
Best Overall Grand Theft Auto
On: 2008-05-25Lets start off with the negatives of this game, shall we?
The documentation/instruction manual state that, to climb, one must use the "X" button. That is not true. In order to climb, one must use the "Y" button.
OK, moving on!
Grand Theft Auto IV is a visually beautiful game. Given that there are no loading screens, the amount of detail given to the world of Liberty City is, well, impressive. The various burroughs and locales of the LC are each given their own unique look, from a passable Times Square knock-off to the industrial wastelands of the fictional counterpart to New Jersey. Vehicles and characters are also well-rendered and, as I write this, it strikes me that I dont recall seeing many duplicate pedestrians. To be sure, there are many such duplicates, especially in Booker and Bohan, but the only time Ive really noticed it is with "specialized" characters, like policemen and prostitutes.
Something that really impressed me was the effort Rockstar put into things like the Split Sides Comedy Club acts and the Perestroika Club shows. Ive sent Nico and his friends to the Perestroika at least half a dozen times, and Ive yet to see a duplicate act. Ive sent him to Split Sides four times, and Ive seen only one duplicate act. Having said that, I wasnt THAT taken by the comedy acts... but I will also fully admit that I have never been able to enjoy stand-up comedy as much via radio--and my reaction may be endemic of that.
One critique on the graphical side: it IS a very nice-looking game; a more flexible camera, perhaps one with a zoom feature, would have been welcome. Many of your conversations with other characters are outside of cutscenes, and such as a feature would have only added to the overall immersion.
Combat is drastically improved from the last GTA game I played (San Andreas). The cover mechanics are good for a non-shooter specific game, but what really helps is the ability to just hold down the left trigger halfway and use the left thumbstick to flow from target to target. This is MUCH better than locking on to a specific target--not necessarily the one you want to engage--and having to auto-lock through every other sequential foe until you find the one you want to shoot.
Vehicle combat is still tough, even ackward, but has improved. The new little touches, like smashing out a window to shoot, are nice. Driving is also improved, though I noticed it took a little getting used to turning and braking when going in high speeds. A recommendation: keep good care of the Comet you get after your first race with Brucie--its the only legit race-worthy car at the beginning of the game, and its your best ticket for generating other fast vehicles at the beginning of the game. Once Algonquin is unlocked thats no longer an issue, but for the first few days of gameplay, the Comet was money.
The storyline is very well done, with only a few hick-ups. Most of the plot twists are well connected, with one character introducing you to others and so forth. I expect the next logical evolution for a game like GTA will be storylines that affect other storylines--e.g., doing something for Packie McReary affecting what missions Francis offers you, etc. My one complaint in this department? Bernie/Florian is so flamboyant and outrageous as to almost disrupt the suspension of disbelief the game offers. More on that below.
The voice acting is, for the most part, very good--at times, excellent. The use of foreign languages and dialects is also very welcome. One of my favorite parts if the game are Nicos war-cries in the middle of gun-battles. Guttural, and reminescent of Pacino in Scarface... if not as prolonged.
Character interaction goes to new levels this time around. Between missions, you can take friends out for meals, drinks, shows, races, etc. This is fun at first, but later, at times, seems more like a chore than a choice--at least if youre motivated in maintaining good ties with all the characters out there. In a bizarre twist, online dating is also an option. Ive only had Nico pursue two of the ladies on "LoveMeet.com"; both offered benefits for maintaining a relationship with them (one, a nurse, provided you with a phone-calling option to get a health boost; the other, a lawyer, could reduce your wanted level on the fly), but both also came with baggage, to say the least.
The soundtrack is tops, but this has long been a source of strength for GTA games. The talk shows and commercials are especially hilarious this time around, if a bit over the top. More on that below, as well.
The game is rightfully rated "M" for Mature. Bloody violence aside (including point-blank execution choices and the option to shoot helpless, wounded opponents crawling away), there is some rather graphic content. I have yet to notice outright nudity, but the encounters with prostitutes no longer involve two occupants sitting still inside a shaking car; and the exotic dancer cutscenes get progressively more risque.
Im afraid there is room for one more half-criticism. GTA IV has been built so realistically and has, at heart, a serious enough storyline for its protagonist, that it sometimes strikes me as being at odds with some of its more humorous/outrageous elements. Bernie/Florian is so over the top--both in terms of character and in terms of his missions--that he almost comes off as a distraction from the other mission sets you have available. Similarly, depending on what radio station you have playing, it may be difficult to appreciate the bloody family tales Packie or Kate recount when commercials for "BabiesOvernight.com" are playing.
Things Id like to see in GTA V:
1. Shows and comedy clubs were made a reality; how about the often-mentioned local sports teams? How cool would it be to see LCs, VCs or SAs teams go at it against each other--steroid-fueled football or hockey brawls?
2. Totally random vehicles. No more letting the vehicle you drive determine what types of vehicles you run into. I have to admit that its kind of odd driving into Booker with a top-of-the-line sports car... only to another dozen just like it.
All in all, GTA IV is a very entertaining game--easily the best of the series--and is sure to keep you occupied for a long time. Its easily worth its price-tag; if rumors of entire new cities being available from X-Box live come true, it will likely be the best bang for your buck ever on this game console.
An Amazing Advance in Gaming
On: 2008-05-25Like GTA3 did before it for the previous generation of gaming, GTA4 kicks things up a notch. The sheer size of the game world, the details, and storytelling not usually seen in the gaming world, all come together to give you something, that I might not even call a game, but rather, an experience.
Not your grandpa's sandbox (well, then again)
On: 2008-05-25Just in time for spring, this is the time when someone asks you to get the yardwork done and you respond by using your game controller. Get the spring cleaning done and you use the controller. Go to a prom or take your exams and you use the controller. Someone asks you how to digest your food and you use the controller. For the last 7 years this is all the GTA gamer can do. Weve seen the franchise reach its nadir with San Andreas because everything that you could possibly do for mayhem was able to be done despite the usual control issues, making it nauseating on more than 100 occasions. With every new game, hype is in the air. Will they think of something that hasnt been done yet? Will it be easier to drive, fly, shoot or die? The only question needing no answer is will it sell.
Well, it sells alright, giving Rockstar cart blanche to scale the game back to GTA3 when grandpa was playing it in 2001. No more gambling, no more flying planes, no more empires to build, no more exploding Rc cars, no more jumping off mountains and bailing out of the car in a parachute while your date plunges to the chasm below. Now you have to drive to the internet cafes to get missions, get calls on your cellphone from pestering friends wanting to play pool (and not for money). Other than that, there is almost nothing new to do in single player mode. Getting choices to kill people does little more than change the cut scene and give you a prize or 2. Online play is a blast and a risk at bricking the system, but if you dont mind getting killed alot, have at it.
The big complaint with the franchise has always been controls. Rockstar hired legions of beta testers and we still have even worse cameras, revamped controls that still auto aim at walls and bystanders instead of the gat-toting gangster in front of you, and cars on what seems like a city encompassing sheet of ice. Whatever you do, dont hit the break going into a turn. Car combat has been reduced to a four button multi tasking nightmare. Then, with a much more persistant police force making 3 star wanted levels almost impossible to dodge and a player that crouches everytime you push the analog stick to hard on the PS3, the answer is yes, it is much easier to die in this version of liberty city.
The biggest complaint though, is the unecessary amount of driving to and from any given part of the city. Safe houses are placed far enough away from every mission starting point and every weapon shop making for a tedious start to every mission. Then, by the time you get there, your buddy gets mad that you wont go to the strip club with him. You finally get past all that to start the mission and your forced to drive back across town where you were in the first place. Why do they do this, to make gameplay longer (probably)? You think after 1 year wed get sick of this and its going on 7.
Remember, you gave rockstar $60 for this. Most of us knew what we were getting into given Rockstars rep and growing list of detractors over the years. Still, its springtime and even if they scaled this game all the way back to the old days, We still want to snicker at the satircal content in the story and on the radio despite the fact that nothing they write shocks us anymore. We also hunker down in front of the LCD to know what happens next to Niko Bellic. Just watch us to that yardwork. Wheres the controller?
Simply amazing
On: 2008-05-24It would be impossible to describe everything in GTA IV, because the game is too big to describe in detail. Suffice it to say, if you can think it, you can do it in GTA IV. Previous installments in the GTA series allowed you to interact in a world that was largely oblivious of your presence, only reacting when you made an impression. This time around, Liberty City feels alive, and things happen around you with or without your interaction. The city interacts with you, giving you visual, audio, and sensational feedback on a level that borders realism (or at least as real as an HDTV, 5.1 Dolby surround sound system, and a rumble controller can give you).
The story in GTA is very well done, although if you do the missions in a random order, it does break up the flow of the story, however if you dont choose to do many of the side missions, you feel as though you are missing out. Overall, though, the missions are very fun, ranging from simple pick up and delivery missions to kill 50 rival mobsters by yourself missions.
The gameplay has been improved, and although not perfect, they work well and make the game very playable and fun. You can now take cover behind objects a la Gears of War, and I havent been able to find a surface I wasnt able to hide behind. The driving has also been improved, making the cars feel more realistic and the damage to cars is incredibly detailed. If someone shoots your tire, the tire will explode and youll be driving on a rim. If you hit a wall or oncoming traffic at high speed, youll be hurled through the windshield. If you damage any part of your car, the car will be affected realistically. I even had a tire lock up on the front passengers side because the damaged metal was wrapped around the rubber. GTA is filled with astounding attention to detail.
The graphics are some of the best on the 360. There are real-time shadows being cast by every object in Liberty City, giving you a sense of time. Weather ranging from fog to rain to intense thunderstorms that send shockwaves through your controller all make the city feel even more real. All of the people, vehicles, buildings, bridges and environments are rendered beautifully.
The sound is equally amazing, with no detail overlooked. Crappy cars will have squeaky breaks, fast cars will have monstrous engines, pedestrians will talk to eachother, pigeons coo, grenades explode, cars crash, sirens wail, and on and on. Ive been playing for about 25 hours now and I havent once seen an action on screen that wasnt accompanied by a perfectly placed sound effect. The music, depending on your own personal taste, is also great. Voice acting is the best Ive yet heard in a videogame.
The GTA brand of humor is in full effect, from the advertisements to the radio to the television and even to the internet, its all there. In addition to stealing cars and causing general mayhem, you can also go on dates, surf the internet, watch TV, buy new duds, go bowling with friends, shoot pool, play darts, eat hot dogs from a vendor cart, wash the blood off your new Inferno, pimp out your cell phone, and even get drunk. The amount of things to experience in Liberty City are endless.
A warning to parents: The "M" rating given by the ESRB is no joke. This game is not appropriate for anyone under 17, and should never be played by or around children.
perfect game
On: 2008-05-24forget about all the previous versions, because this version is just perfect. the grafix is good, but the gameplay and the storyline is very nice to the extent that you might stop playing it just because you dont want to finish the game as fast.
kicks butt
On: 2008-05-24the best game ever ! the game save is cool, no messing around,waitting to save it does it on its owen cool! keep the good games comming! sheree
Grand Theft Auto 4 the most overrated game of all-time?
On: 2008-05-24First off, i absolutely love GTA!! GTA is one of my favorite video game series. I even pre-ordered GTA4 and picked it up the day it came out. Alright, now that that is out of the way; we can get to the meat and potatoes.
The Pros:
-GTA 4 is a long game: Takes approximately 25-30 hrs. to beat. So you get your moneys worth.
-The new cover system in GTA 4 is amazing. One of the best cover systems created to date. The aiming is also done very well.
-The graphics are very good.
-solid frame-rate throughout gameplay
-good GTA formula overall
The Cons:
-The story is crappy. It is not very entertaining and certainly not funny. When the game ended i was like, "finally." The stories in the other Grand Theft Autos are so much better and much more memorable!! This GTA has nothing memorable about it, and the story is rather drab. GTA San Andreas was funny, intriguing and had memorable characters.
-The missions themselves are very drab and repetitive. There was not one mission that i thought was unique and interesting. In GTA San San Andreas you had one mission where you torched a marijuana field with a flamethrower, which was hilarious!! In GTA 4 you get nothing like this.
-most of the customization is gone. No working out, no customizing cars, and no jetpacks.
-GTA IV is GTA III on steroids. This means that Rockstar took GTA III and created a cover system, added new missions, an aiming system and multiplayer and called it GTA IV.
-GTA IV is a Saints Row rip-off. I never thought i would say that, because Saints Row was a GTA rip-off. However, GTA IV took what Saints Row brought to the next-gen and copied it. In my opinion Saints Row was a better game except for the cover-system. I predict that Saints Row II will be much better than GTA IV.
-I frankly was happy when GTA IV was over, because i was sick of it.
Now before you call me a hater on GTA IV, please note: that i am a GTA fan-boy. I consider GTA San Andreas to be one of the best games ever made!! I wanted to love GTA IV so much and i did for a while until i realized that i was playing GTA III again. Is GTA IV a good game? Yes, it is. Is it a perfect 10 and the best game made in the past ten years? No way!!
To summarize:
GTA IV is a slight step-forward and a major step backwards!! Rockstar, in making GTA IV concentrated way to much on making it next-gen, when they should have focused more on making another classic GTA!! This GTA is a carbon copy of Saints Row!! Rockstar stole what Saints Row did and copied it!!
A New Chapter, A New Start
On: 2008-05-24Ever since GTA III Ive been hooked on the GTA games. For those expecting GTA IV to continue on the with the progression of game play and scope the GTA III games carried out you might be dissappointed but only for a short time. This is after all GTA IV and not "GTA III Return to Liberty City", which means creating a base for a new series.
Rockstar games took a step backwards with some elements that were present in GTA San Andreas but took a step forward in other areas.
New Additions:
+ Cell phones: You can receive text messages, take pictures, receive calls, and even make phone calls. You can even use your cell phone to call a service that tells you the title and artist of a song that is playing.
+ The internet: By going to an internet cafe you can browse through various websites and receive email from people.
+ Friends: It acts pretty much like dating in San Andreas but only more annoying. You will from time to time recieve phone calls from people to do things with and will result in your friendship meter rising or falling with that person. You also can initiate hanging out with your friends if youd like.
+ TV: Much like the radio stations there are now TV stations. You can watch a TV in one of your safe houses but instead of choosing a station like you would a radio station it is randomized when you change the channel.
+ New Entertainment: Bowling, darts, a comedy club, and a cabaret show. Bowling and darts is just like being able to play pool. The comedy and cabaret show you get to watch and there are various shows or acts to see each time.
+ Intoxication: You can actually get drunk in GTA IV when you choose to go out drinking with a friend and you get the expected results. Walking becomes difficult and driving even more so. Driving while drunk will also bring the police down on you if you pass by an officer.
+ New Wanted Level Evasion: Instead of just running and keeping your head down in hopes the police eventually will forget about you, you actually have to clear the scene of a crime. You are given a area around where you committed the crime and to get rid of your wanted level (you lose it all at once instead of one star at a time) you need to get clear of that area without being spotted by the police. The mini map show your the area and the where the police are around you so you can plan your escape as you high tail it out of the area.
GTA IV World:
Not as big of an area as in San Andreas but bigger than the other GTA III games. The Liberty City world of GTA IV is broken up into three areas that are opened up as you progress through the missions. Each area is a solely metropolitan, so no country areas to cruise around. With these metropolitan style areas it brings alot of nooks and crannies for you to explore.
Transportation:
The new physics engine for driving adds a bit more than in the GTA III games and takes a short time to get used to. It makes for some pretty spectacular crashes though when you clip another vehicle or hit it full on. Traffic also behaves differently and is more sporadic than the predictable placement of traffic on roads in previous games. One annoying factor is when you park your vehicle and go into a place (primarily in missions) your vehicle gets re-parked in a "spawn" spot near by. For flying you only have the choice of two kinds of helicopters at your disposal: the Maverick and the Annihilator (Blackhawk style helicopter used by the police). With only one airport for landing and take off there are no planes available for a person to use. Which also means no parachutes for skydiving fun that San Andreas gave us. Boats are available as is swimming but you can not dive under the water and instead you are stuck swimming on the surface.
Weaponry and Fighting:
Gone are the mini-gun, flame thrower, and heatseeking missles. Instead its basic weapons: handguns, submachine guns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, thrown weapons, and a rocket launcher. The new fighting setup requires you to lock onto someone to go into hand-to-hand mode other wise youll just shove the person. Gun battles are bit more tactical and at times you need to use the cover system instead of running and gunning. Ducking behind cover and then firing from behind that cover becomes a must at times since you take damage much more easily and quickly in GTA IV.
Missions:
The missions are what you would expect in a GTA game. This time around though you do have a few missions where you have a choice on what course of action you will take. The majority of them are choosing one of two people to eliminate. And with the new fighting setup big gun battles are a little more challenging and prominent.
Side Missions and Mini Games:
There are few side mini games. Gone are the taxi, firefighting, and ambulance mini games. The vigilante ones remain but with a new twist with the computers you have access to once in a police car. Once in the computer system you can look up crimes in progress to carry out the vigilante missions or hunt down Liberty Citys most wanted. For other side missions there are drug delivery missions, assassination missions, and two forms of vehicle theft missions. Gone is the list of vehicles a client wants and you are given each vehicle one at a time either through text message or email. There are only two of the collection style of mini games: unique stunt jumps and the shooting of a wopping 200 pigeons scattered through out Liberty City.
The Little Things:
You dont have the level of customization for your character or vehicles as before. There is only three types of clothing store, there is no barber shop or tattoo parlore, and no vehicle customization. Gone is the buying of safehouses, instead you gain them as you progress through missions with gaining only 4 total once you open up all three areas.
Even though I understand this a new chapter in the GTA games I still cant help but feel that San Andreas is still the best and the benchmark for future GTA games. That doesnt mean I didnt like GTA IV, it is still a good game in its own rights.