April 28, 2008 11:12 AM PDT
'GTA IV': The good, the bad, and the sometimes ugly
(Credit:
Rockstar)
If you're reading this, there's a good chance you're very interested in a video game being released Tuesday, April 29, called Grand Theft Auto IV (actually something like the eighth game in the series, depending on how you count).
We previously tried the game out a couple of times while it was still in development, and now that we've had a chance to give the final shipping version a serious run-through over this past weekend, here are our initial thoughts on the final game's pluses and minuses.
(Credit:
Rockstar)
- The main attraction is the city itself, and it's beautifully rendered and full of activity. The game's random characters occasionally get involved in amusing bits of action--we saw a pedestrian get hit by a car, and a minute later, an ambulance pulled up and a paramedic got out (he just stood around after that, but it was still impressive).
- The game starts out slowly, giving you a chance to get comfortable with the environment and controls, and giving the story and characters a chance to breathe.
- The on-foot segments of the game no longer feel tacked on. A decent targeting system and the ability to take cover behind objects is a huge plus and makes shootouts fun instead of frustrating.
- The dialog and voice acting are about as good as you'll find in a video game, and long, talky scenes give the characters a chance to develop.
- Multiplayer is not as an integral part of the game as it was to Halo 3 or Call of Duty 4, but the ability to play various multiplayer modes online over the entire city map is great.
- The in-game radio stations are still a big highlight, and we loved that the on-air DJs include cult figures such as Roy Ayers and Femi Kuti.
Grand Theft Annoying:
- Main characters like Niko Bellic and his cousin Roman look great, but many of the secondary characters are sometimes ugly, looking a bit like clunky PS2 holdovers.
- The camera still has a little trouble with tight, indoor spaces, making navigation difficult.
- Some of the cars are especially hard to control, and using the handbrake to pull off hairpin turns is more difficult than in previous GTA games.
- We wouldn't play most of the mini-games, such as bowling and darts, more than once or twice, and activities like shopping for clothes have an awkward interface, making it a chore to try on different looks.
- One area that hasn't really been updated is the save system. Missions can be long and complicated, and often require split-second timing, so not having a more modern save-anywhere system can turn off mainstream and casual gamers (or anyone who only has 15 to 20 minutes at a stretch to play).
New York native Dan Ackerman, a former radio DJ turned journalist, has written about technology and music for publications including Spin, Blender, The Hollywood Reporter, and USA Today. He hosts the weekly Digital City podcast and the New York edition of Editors' Office Hours. Dan's new album, Tales Out of Night School, is available now. E-mail Dan. 
As for myself, I got the game yesterday from a good friend for my PS3. The television that I'm playing on is a 65' Widescreen Sharp Aquos SE94U (1080p). The games that interest me most are action, adventure, and shooting (GTA is the my favorite series in gaming, although I've been in love with shooters more, games like Resistance, Call Of Duty 4, etc. but this new GTA game stole the spot in my favorite game for the time being.).
Now as far as the game play, it looks beautiful on my tv, it's unlike anything I've seen before, it's so exciting to see, motion is so smooth (cant wait for Metal Gear release). Now I do agree with all the plusses that you gave GTA 4, however I can not agree with the minuses you gave it. There were minuses unlisted like the framerate issues (XBOX 360 version has far more occurincies than PS3), the cover system flaw that occurs from time to time (this is not that frequent but it happens), etc. As far as what was posted, I do understand about not updating the saving procedure much, but understand anyone person who really enjoys this game series and is not just buying it or trying it based on hype, will play for hours not 15-20 minutes unless they want to get a couple of quick kills and car jacks, I really can't see any real GTA gamer or myself trying to play a mission that takes longer than the time that we have to play before we go with our life and/or business. Plus in my opinion, several checkpoints throughout a mission would be lame, seeing that some of the missions that aren't as long as others serve as a checkpoint in the game. And if I fail a mission, I want to start the mission over to become better at game handling plus its fun(I don't think this will affect any mainstream and/or casual gamers as it has not in the past, plus the reserved copies report is more than 6 million confirmed purchases.) I do agree that the camera could have been a little better with tight, indoor spaces, but it is not bad, it is definitely better than before. The mini-games are good if you are into games like the Sims because you can interact with others (should be funny in online multiplayer mode seeing everything is still active in the city. I have a feeling I'll get the chance to try that tonight, seeing 6 million plus people will have it at midnight. Excellent!), you can take a girl out on a date, or a friend on the night out, or one of my favorites already, go drunk driving (its funny to watch. Another thing I like is Katt Williams' set in the comedy club, he is funny. People who like him should enjoy), and so much more. Now if you're just playing the game for its adventure, action, and shooting then the mini-games will get boring and become pointless, either way its still impresive detailing, I'd be complaining if I couldn't throw darts, or bowl seeing that these things are in the game. As for buying clothes I do agree, I would love the option of just buying the whole wardrobe available in the store but it sure is extremely easier than San Andreas when it comes to trying on clothes as well as buying them. Now the driving to me is good because it's more realistic, most V6 engines will not drive like that or hit hairpin turns easily, but in a car that simulates a tuned up V6 or V8 drives smooth for those donuts, figure 8's, hairpin turns (also driving skill progresses through the game as you get use to certain driving techniques as you would in real life). I don't have problems handling vehicles in the game, but I can see very few people complaining about it seeing that everyone likes the sportscars more. And lastly, about some of the secondary characters, so far on my TV I haven't seen this and I've played 50 some missions thus far (I played all yesterday about 14 hours and 30 minutes, and I left work early today and I've played for 6 and a half more hours. Now I'm taking a break to eat and see what others feel about GTA 4.). They say there are more than 90 missions, so until I see what your mentioning I will have to say it is great thus far.
I will conclude with this, the game is not completely perfect, meaning flawless, it does have flaws just like every game released before it, however it is the best game that I've played thus far (I have 43 games for PS3 and GTA 4 makes 44) and is damn sure the best GTA ever for the time being. There are things that need to be worked on but they are so minor and are overshadowed by detail and excellent gameplay which already has me wondering what the next GTA game will be like. As for now I don't see myself getting tired on this game for at least two years, there is nothing like it and wont be til next game (sorry, Saints Row 2, which I will purchase, will have to push the game back for at least 2 years to try to catch up, and other GTA clones will fall short no matter what.).
This is what your post sound like to other people.
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- by Dre Dinero April 28, 2008 10:36 PM PDT
- Have you read IGN's review on the game for both consoles, apparently not. Did you know that IGN has not given a game a 10/10 since 1999? This is the first game since. Here is the article, read this and shut your ignorant mouth: http://ps3.ign.com/articles/869/869541p1.html . Read that, also here is a quote from page 5 "For those wanting to know which version looks better, the edge goes to the PS3. The textures and framerate are comparable, but the PS3 has far less pop-in. The 360 has richer colors, but the PS3 has better anti-aliasing making it look a little cleaner. Because GTA IV can preload onto the PS3 hard drive, the in-game loads are faster. Don't worry Xbox owners, the load times are rarely more than 30 seconds and don't occur very often. The slight visual edge goes to PS3, but the 360 is no slouch. Either version will do you proud.".
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