Grand Theft Auto IV

[kieran_devlin]

The game cannot be a perfect 10 no game can be it would have to be flawless.
Half life 2 and rome total war didnt even reach 99% and some mags gave it this score.

I mean come on the games gonna get boring eventual and it has a few problems.

Good fun game nonetheless, i particularly like just inviting a few mates into free mode and taking choppers or boats and shit for fun. Online is fun to because you can team up or get your pal to help out. The online mode really depends tho on who you play nad if you comunicate well in team games. Like cops and robber (dunno if its that) i got all my team mates to come in the same car.

The missions are obv repetitive but its so engrossing you never even notice the repetitiveness.
To me the cover system was good but not great, for example now you can just take cover behind stuff but your not really moving into place rather just crouching and standing up and this means you can cover anything.

Its not a proper driving game so i can forgive the handling but they have more emphasis and driving than the previous games.

Its a big game and the graphics are good for the size of the city.

I have it on xbox 360 and tbh i prefer live over playstation network, live is only £2.20 a month if you buy a years gold account.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Anyone else think this game is so incredibly easy? I almost feel it's a waste of my time. I heard the bank job mission was hard. It wasn't it just took ages. There is nothing on this game that's really challenged me. San Andreas had that mission where you were on the roof shooting toy planes, THAT was a hard ass mission. Everything so far has been a piece of piss. I haven't finished it purley because I'm not one of those people that can play all day.

I really hope the next one is different. It's cool running about killing people. But other than the Eenviroment it's the same as all the others.

 

[Slim Pickns]

Anyone else think this game is so incredibly easy? I almost feel it's a waste of my time. I heard the bank job mission was hard. It wasn't it just took ages. There is nothing on this game that's really challenged me. San Andreas had that mission where you were on the roof shooting toy planes, THAT was a hard ass mission. Everything so far has been a piece of piss. I haven't finished it purley because I'm not one of those people that can play all day.

I really hope the next one is different. It's cool running about killing people. But other than the Eenviroment it's the same as all the others.

Thats exactly what I was getting at with my last post. Just because you can free roam the game gets a perfect score, despite the missions being easy and repetetive (drive here, kill him, leave) and the controls being below average. This game is fun to drive around and bullshit in, but the mission are no more than a chore to unlock other parts of they city.

This is the only game I can think of where a majority of the gamers would rather use codes than unlock everything through story mode.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

The more I think of it the 10/10 score is just ridiculous. Sure it's a good game. But it's not a major improvement on San Andreas. If anything it's maybe a little worse. The missions are piss easy, and the enviroment is very samey. SA had a ghetto, woodland, desert, vegas and a couple more enviroments. With this one I'me 3 weeks into playing it and I still can't find my way around it properly.

For the next one the enviroment needs to be really special. Why have a fairground that doesn't work in this one? Add a massive working one to the next game, have a hitman mission on one of the rollercoaster or something.

And still no cheat for the tank. Why would they take this out?

 

[Uncle Sam]

Yeah, I'd give this 9/10 tops. However, I do prefer the more conservative approach after all those super crazy GTAs. Still, it's hardly as realistic as they want it to be. For a game that has texts asking you if you'd like to be transported back in time, there really should be checkpoints during missions. I just failed the longest mission in the game because, right as I was about to drive into the Pay 'N' Spray and get rid of the cops, Nico wasn't quite sure if he truly loved the dark blue of the car I was getting into (after having to get out of a police SWAT van because the Pay 'N' Spray wouldn't take it) and just started vibrating against the door, leading him to be easily shot down by the one police man I hadn't killed in the crowd behind me. Why the fuck should I have to do that all again because of poor game design?

Money's also pointless. Once you get past about $20,000, money's really no object. I just get taxis everywhere and fill up all my guns with full ammo. Shame I can't buy apartments online or anything... as far as I'm aware. There should also be an alarm clock so you can decide when to wake up instead of a shockingly consistent six hours.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Just finnished it. Most anticlimatic GTA game ever. Roman get's killed. You get revenge. It's so ioncredibly easy. Plane tells you to stay low, so obviously you stay high. You then just shoot the guy. Usually I die like 10 times when attempting the final mission. I've only died 10 times throughout the whole game. All I have now is to get my total kills up.

 

[brahma62]

Has anyone tried the multiplayer yet? I will prolly try it next time i rent the game, but ive heard great things about it. It has the typical matches and team matches, but what i really want to try is the cop and robbers i think its called. I think the basic premise is that you have to escort a mob boss out of the city before you get arrested and everything. I think the cops have the advantage of radar, and the robbers have an advantage as well i just can't remember it off the top of my head at the moment. So just wondering if anyone has given that a go yet.

 

[Slim Pickns]

Just finnished it. Most anticlimatic GTA game ever. Roman get's killed. You get revenge. It's so ioncredibly easy. Plane tells you to stay low, so obviously you stay high. You then just shoot the guy. Usually I die like 10 times when attempting the final mission. I've only died 10 times throughout the whole game. All I have now is to get my total kills up.

This makes me want to just quit playing. The reasons I kept playing were to see this spectacular ending everyone is talking about and to see how different the other locations are. You have stated that all the locations look the same (so you still don't know your way around the city) and that the ending sucks. So much for this game other than a mindless time filler when I get home from work.

It seems 80% of the PS3 community are playing this game right now, so I'm going to suggest three games you all play instead...

1. Uncharted Drakes Fortune- In my mind, this is the best game on PS3. The story is great, the characters are awesome, and the controls make GTA 4 look like a joke. As Sam stated in his last post, there are numerous glitches in GTA 4 that stop you from getting into a car, entering cover, and end up getting you killed. In Uncharted, the cover system is nearly flawless. You can jump from one cover spot to the next and can move smoothly while staying hidden. The aiming system is perfect, even when running and gunning. This is still the game to play for PS3.

2. Condemned 2 Bloodshot- Again, if anyone was engulfed by the story of GTA 4 (like most seem to be) then Condemned will make you crap your pants. Right from the start the story takes off and has a great feel to it. Like Uncharted, it flows very well which makes it the exact opposite of GTA's random missions. The combat in this game is addicting. Its a first person view with each trigger being your left and right hands. You can pick up weapons from all over and their is a ton of variety. Guns are rare so when you have them, you feel empowered. Even if you haven't played the first, its well worth your time to go through this one.

3. Rainbow Six Vegas 2- For everyone who praised GTA 4's cover system, I would like to know what they think of Vegas 2's control scheme. This game never feels like you don't have control over your character and never skips a beat. This cover/run and gun system rivals Gears of War for the Xbox as the smoothest experience in gaming. There have been a few times in GTA where I have died due to my character runnig backwards when I hit triangle to enter a car. In RSV2 you never have an excuse other than getting to eager and running into a enemy infested or not getting into cover when you need to.

There they are, three games that I found far superior experiences than GTA 4, yet they all recieved lower scores due to them not being named Grand Theft Auto. Thats just on the PS3 as well. As far as 360 goes, there is a whole library of games that make for a far better gaming.

 

[thecruiser]

I understand your reasoning Jake and Slim, but I have to disagree with you. GTA IV has got to be one of the best games I've ever played. While the driving controls are pretty shitty, just about everything else is AMAZING. Theres just so much stuff to do. You can play fun little mini-games, watch tv, surf the internet, kill people, save people, steal cars, do missions, fuck girls, change clothes, get drunk, etc. The graphics are pretty phenomenal for such a big world. Also, while the missions are fairly repetitive, they have enough variety to make just about each one fun in their own way (don't get me wrong, there are annoying missions, but they are few and far between). Also, you have to take into consideration that no Rockstar game has had a cover system before, so give them SOME credit for making a decent system. It gets frustrating sometimes, but you learn to work around it. Overall, I agree with the game review websites and magazines that gave Grand Theft Auto IV a 10/10 score. You guys seem to be looking for mistakes, but all you have to do is stand on the Statue of Happiness' coffee cup and look at the city to really appreciate it.

 

[Slim Pickns]

Its not that we are looking for mistakes in the game, its just that they stick out so much. The best example was Sam's, he failed a mission simply because he hit the button to enter a car but the game just glitched and allowed him to be shot. Had this occured in any other game it would have never been considered a 10/10. Since this is GTA it gets it own separate rating system which seems to be an automatic 10 from every gaming magazine.

The games I pointed out show what the next gen consoles can do as far a tight controls and animations. GTA is still suffering from glitches in the animations and poor controls. The story and mission would also be ripped apart by reviewers if this wasn't GTA. The fact is everyone gets hung up on the fact that you can go anywhere and do anything that they don't realize there are far better titles out there.

If you are enjoying GTA thats great, I'm glad. I have enjoyed moments too, but overall the story and missions seem like a chore.

 

[Capt. Charisma]

The game was far too easy to complete and many of the missions were far too short. And theres little new to do after you've completed it other than the multiplayer mode which is probably the best thing about the game. SA was a better game than this it was a better storyline and had better missions. GTA 4 probably had the same amount of missions but most were boring and repetitive. On top of that the graphics werent even that good so fuck knows why everyone is saying its the best game ever while its a decent game it doesnt stand out as something special like the 3 games before it.

 

[Mr. Escobar]

i played it for a couple days and got sick of repeating the same missions. "go rough this guy up. get away from the cops. now go pick up so and so. drop them off. repeat." got rid of it after i got bored. online play was mediocre at best. give me cod4 instead.

 

[WinstonDeckard]

I liked the game and in my mind the story was incredible but that's just me. I'm not a huge video game guy so my opinion doesn't amount to much but to me the story pulled you in and was an interesting look at the idea of "the american dream" through the eyes of those who came to America from far off countries with hopes on realizing that dream.

 

[X]

I finally played GTA IV, and I gotta say, it seemed awesome to me. Granted I only went around killing people and didn't exactly dive into the missions, but the one thing that stood out the most to me was the Radio stations. Yet again Rockstar has upped the ante with even MORE great music stations and writing. Some of the lines in the commercials had me cracking up.

And the Liberty City Hard Core station alone makes this game awesome. I was in total fucking shock when I got into a car and suddenly heard the Bad Brains blaring over the radio station! Simply awesome.

From the looks of it though, I think I prefer San Andreas. GTA in the hood is the shit.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

I finally played GTA IV, and I gotta say, it seemed awesome to me. Granted I only went around killing people and didn't exactly dive into the missions

While I'm positive on knowing I'll still buy this game in time. I just rented it and played it for a bit. I'm apparently doing something very wrong though, because I can't for the life of me find weapons. I tried being "p.c." and going through storylines right off the bat.

It took me all the way to like the 3-4th segment with Roman (sp?) before I even learned (through storyline, anyways) how to properly fist fight. Even at the end of that car chase, I only picked up a knife. Where the hell are the guns?!

Also, what the hell is up with all the mini-games? Bowling, Darts, Pool? If I wanted to play recreational sports I would've rented a game for 'said' sport. I rented this for the downright violent killin' of it all.

I got bored with the storyline after the part where I got a knife, and just started going around stealing cars and abusing people with my kung-fu! Have to admit, I LOVE the bit where if you slam head on into something solid with your car, you go flying through the windshield. Cracked me the f*ck up.

but the one thing that stood out the most to me was the Radio stations. Yet again Rockstar has upped the ante with even MORE great music stations and writing. Some of the lines in the commercials had me cracking up.

GTA, since 3, has always had moderately decent to good music throughout their radio stations. In GTA:SA I believe you could bring in your music you had on your xbox. (for those who have xbox's) Vice City's only redeeming quality was its 80's music.

And the Liberty City Hard Core station alone makes this game awesome. I was in total fucking shock when I got into a car and suddenly heard the Bad Brains blaring over the radio station! Simply awesome.

I always instantly try to look for bands I know, but it'd be nice if I knew a list of all the songs they had playing on each station. I wrecked into half of everything just flippin' through the stations.

From the looks of it though, I think I prefer San Andreas. GTA in the hood is the shit.

I agree that GTA:SA seems better. The handling system is just better overall, I think. Still.. I only played GTA4 for a small while. So until I get more into it, I can't really say.

I do have to admit I'm rather let down by the storyline thus far though. And is it just me, or does it seem like they don't really have a great deal of options for the cars in the game anymore?

 

[Y 2 Jake]

There needs to be some serious changes in the next one. I'm not saying I dislike the game. It's good, great even. It's just it's a step back from what SA was. There is only so much fun you can have with riding about killing people. They need a total revamp. They can keep the same principal. But I don't see why they can't change the setting. Jungle GTA, Future GTA etc. It might sound stupid. But isn't the game stupid in general? It would add another dimension, to a game that's losing it's steam.

 

[Uncle Sam]

While I'm positive on knowing I'll still buy this game in time. I just rented it and played it for a bit. I'm apparently doing something very wrong though, because I can't for the life of me find weapons. I tried being "p.c." and going through storylines right off the bat.

It took me all the way to like the 3-4th segment with Roman (sp?) before I even learned (through storyline, anyways) how to properly fist fight. Even at the end of that car chase, I only picked up a knife. Where the hell are the guns?!

It doesn't take particularly long to unlock guns. As soon as you meet Little Jacob you get guns, and then it doesn't take long for more to appear.

Also, what the hell is up with all the mini-games? Bowling, Darts, Pool? If I wanted to play recreational sports I would've rented a game for 'said' sport. I rented this for the downright violent killin' of it all.

Then tell your friends to go fuck themselves. The game is open-ended, you don't really have to do anything.

I got bored with the storyline after the part where I got a knife, and just started going around stealing cars and abusing people with my kung-fu! Have to admit, I LOVE the bit where if you slam head on into something solid with your car, you go flying through the windshield. Cracked me the f*ck up.

You'll have even more fun with guns. Personally, I hunt people like animals. Chase on pedestrian round for ages and take out his legs with free aim just as he becomes a dot in the distance.

GTA, since 3, has always had moderately decent to good music throughout their radio stations. In GTA:SA I believe you could bring in your music you had on your xbox. (for those who have xbox's) Vice City's only redeeming quality was its 80's music.

Vice City was fucking awesome. Any other claims are false.

I always instantly try to look for bands I know, but it'd be nice if I knew a list of all the songs they had playing on each station. I wrecked into half of everything just flippin' through the stations.

I like the Russian one personally. Radio Broker isn't too bad either.

I agree that GTA:SA seems better. The handling system is just better overall, I think. Still.. I only played GTA4 for a small while. So until I get more into it, I can't really say.

It's not. It really isn't. GTA IV, despite its faults, is a far more polished experience. You two just haven't got into it properly yet.

I do have to admit I'm rather let down by the storyline thus far though. And is it just me, or does it seem like they don't really have a great deal of options for the cars in the game anymore?

You get more when you unlock the different islands and explore new areas. I just take cabs everywhere anyway.

 

[WinstonDeckard]

For me it was the best one yet. More realism, far better story, more to do, best music since Vice City (and the person who said 3 had good music, really?), graphics have much better detail etc. To me this was an overhaul of previous games as it was about the more realistic experience and the story. I wouldn't say it's more story driven but the story enhances the game so much more than the other games where really it was the same story transposed across three games.

 

[brahma62]

In an earlier post i said i had heard that GTA IV's multiplayer was pretty good, but now i can confirm that it is amazing. It is just crazy how fun it is to play it online. And for a game that its farthest multiplaying experiece was two players driving around and shooting shiz, there first time with online multiplayer is incredible. It has 15 different modes to play from. From deathmatch to cops n crooks, its insanley fun and addicting. I'm really glad i got the ps3 since it has free online. I advise everyone to at least try GTA's multiplayer, its well worth it.

 

[Golden Standard]

There needs to be some serious changes in the next one. I'm not saying I dislike the game. It's good, great even. It's just it's a step back from what SA was. There is only so much fun you can have with riding about killing people. They need a total revamp. They can keep the same principal. But I don't see why they can't change the setting. Jungle GTA, Future GTA etc. It might sound stupid. But isn't the game stupid in general? It would add another dimension, to a game that's losing it's steam.

Yeah they should make a GTA game that takes place in the future like in the year 2024 and that takes place in San Andreas again. The gameplay and storyline could be like the movie Escape From New York. The crime rate in the U.S. increases greatly, especially in San Andreas and they have to build a maxium secruity prison in San Andreas. They send the criminals and their are no guards their or notihng. The rules are simple and once you get send their you cannot get taken out, you have a life long sentenced. And you get sent their for a real bad crime and you have to survive the mean tough streets of San Andreas.

You play a black dude again and you get to do stuff you could not do in the other GTA games and the same old same old stuff at the sametime. You get to form gangs, rob stores, their be hot ways to kill somebody, and you get to do other cool shit. So what ya'll think.

 

[Derf]

I think a futuristic game like above would sound cool, but I wouldn't call it Grand Theft Auto. I think that would be good with a different name. But enough about that, I just started playing and I love it. I don't like how it's that much harder to drive a car, I prefer good traction over anything. Also, I've been playing Multiplay, INSANE! However, I don't like how everyone else is so much better. Do you get physically stronger as you keep playing? Cause i've had stand offs with people. They don't even get hurt, while I fall faster than I can count to two. Why is this? Are they actual stronger than I, or is it somthing else?

 

[Slim Pickns]

I think a futuristic game like above would sound cool, but I wouldn't call it Grand Theft Auto. I think that would be good with a different name. But enough about that, I just started playing and I love it. I don't like how it's that much harder to drive a car, I prefer good traction over anything. Also, I've been playing Multiplay, INSANE! However, I don't like how everyone else is so much better. Do you get physically stronger as you keep playing? Cause i've had stand offs with people. They don't even get hurt, while I fall faster than I can count to two. Why is this? Are they actual stronger than I, or is it somthing else?

They are probably using the cheats that you can type in and save on your phone. There is one for full health and armour, so they have that and are probably re-entering it as you are battling.

The cars get easier to drive as you find the ones with better stearing. Multiplayer was fun (only played it once), but all the little things wrong with this game got to me and I stopped playing. When being shot at in missions, your character still casually enters cars, allowing him to be shot multiple times before driving off. There are no checkpoints in the missions and most of them start off with you just driving to a random location, if you fail the mission, you have to do the boring drive over again. The cover system is horrid and many missions make it a requirement. The missions are not anything different from anything you have done in previous GTA games. You are still just an errand boy for someone you will end up killing.

I plan on doing a full review of the game, but I have to finish it first. I'm only a little more than halfway done.

 

[Sparky]

I know i am way to slow but im getting this game tommorow and i can't wait. I finaly pay off my xbox 360 and i pick it up tommorrow. I haven't seen much about it other then what i have read on here, But is it as good as people say it is,? i just spent $600 for the Xbox and $100 for the game, It will probly be the only game i will play on the Xbox, I will answer this question myself tommorrow but is it really worth $700. i hope so.

 

[ROHDude]

I know i am way to slow but im getting this game tommorow and i can't wait. I finaly pay off my xbox 360 and i pick it up tommorrow. I haven't seen much about it other then what i have read on here, But is it as good as people say it is,? i just spent $600 for the Xbox and $100 for the game, It will probly be the only game i will play on the Xbox, I will answer this question myself tommorrow but is it really worth $700. i hope so.

Yes, the game is a blast. I honestly believe people hating it are just hating it because it received a 10/10. They are being very nitpicky at the things they don't like.

If you liked any of the other GTA games you love this one. It doesnt' really do anything to innovative or new compared to the others, but it's got a great city, story, characters, etc. It'll definetely take up a lot of your time. Multiplayer is a blast too, so I'd say when it's all said and done you'll be happy with your purchase. Plus there are plenty of great games on 360, so that's like an added bonus.

 

[CM Kev]

Ive just completely finished the game (no cheats) and I think it was really good if not that difficult (San Andreas was a lot harder). I think its good rub up all of your friends right early as it helps. Jacob gives you Guns,Roman gives you free taxis and one of the girlfriends that you meet online (LawChick I think) gives you the ability to regenerate your health after youve shagged her.

I noticed through my brothers game that there are 2 possible endings also. One with Roman dying and one with Kate dying.