Kevin's Watch

Well here we are, the most anticipated game of this year(next to MSG4) has finally arrived. GTA4 has had its worldwide release and it widely expected to break all current sales records set by previous games including fastest selling game(helps if you open your shops at midnight to sell the game). With the game coming out brings lots of controversy, especially amogsts it critics who the game glorifies violence, crime, drug usage and sex. There has also been talk about the games age rating and how easy it is for the game to get into the hands of children.
That said, I have yet to get it and I will probably will get it but has anyone here got it yet? If so, what do you think? Is it good or overhyped?

It's excellent, there's a whole new level of realism for an open world game. You no longer feel like you're in a bubble with a few scripted pedestrians and cars around you, it's more like the whole city is being fully simulated with working AI, regardless of what you do.

In the old games, if you stood around on the pavement and did nothing, nothing would really happen. The cars would go by, people would go on their way and nothing except your actions would cause them to deviate from that. We're in a different Liberty City now. I was standing in the street eating a hotdog and somebody threw an empty can from their car as they drove by. I was walking to find a car I could boost (you actually have to hotwire them now, which takes some time) and there was a crash on the other side of the road. The two drivers got out and started to fight, then one of them pulled a gun and shot the other. Another time a pedestrian stole a woman's purse and then ran away (and Niko tripped him automatically as he came past, very cool). One of my friends took his girlfriend out for dinner and as they stepped out of the restaurant she got hit by a car and died (and stayed dead too, no 'reset mission' option). The city itself is a marvel, 'Next Gen' is finally here in earnest.

As for gameplay, I haven't gotten that far in but so far it's very solid. Cars are much harder to drive than they have been in the past and although the aiming system has allegedly been much improved, I can't see the difference myself. The missions have been standard GTA fare so far. Pick up this person, stand lookout during this drug deal, kill these guys, deliver that package etc. The depth of the story and characters is something really new, however. There's actual plot and backstory this time and Niko himself is a masterpiece, with a realistic backstory and motivations, convincing 'everyman' looks, a dry sense of humour and the coolest walk in gaming history.

I've dipped in to the multiplayer, but only very briefly. There were too many of us to try the specific game types, but we all jumped into 'Free Roam' mode and mucked around, shooting at each other, racing in cars, running each other down and duelling with helicopters. The experience was seamless and although I got the impression that some of the city's depth was sacrificed to make it work, I'm not familiar enough with the place to say so for sure. I'm not convinced the MP as a whole will have legs in the long term, but the scope for grouping with friends and making up your own stupid games and challenges is limitless.

Interesting, Nav. I didn't expect anything revolutionary, but I'm surprised the main character actually has depth. When I first saw him, I thought that "Everyman" quality would extend beyond his looks. I also wasn't sure about the city, but it sounds like it's not just "bigger = better."

If Metal Gear Solid 4 tops 3 (which I hope it will), I may get serious PS3 envy. Snaaaake!

The map is actually a bit smaller than San Andreas and I don't think there are that many buildings you can go inside (not sure yet, a lot of them might be locked until later in the game) but it feels more like a living, breathing city than before. My first impression was that Liberty City was completely new and that the areas from GTA III hadn't been incorporated, but then in free roaming multiplayer I started to recognise the road layouts from the original second island so I think it's all there.

The storylines and the characters in the older games were, despite their charm and humour, rather one dimensional and predictable. This time you really aren't sure what's going to happen, the characters can be complex and even the missions are not straight forward. There are certain ones where you can choose whether to kill or not, but there are several others that leave you thinking "Was that the right thing to do? Did I have another option there?". I suspect most those missions are actually linear and there's only one way to go, but I've been uncertain enough to check them out on google to be sure.

So it is actually worth getting... I wasn't too sure and I thought it would like all the others(except with extra little things like new graphics n guns). Might go and get it.

I certainly think so, although I do tend to be taken in by new games at first. My friends all seem to agree though and it's a definite step on from the previous three games, which were really evolutions of each other.

I played through a bit more of the story last night and the cutscenes are unlike anything I've seen. It's like watching a well acted and written movie, there's dialogue and scenes that exist merely to flesh out the story and the characters, not just to move the story along like in previous games. There was a great one where Niko is drinking tea with a crime boss's wife, talking about the old country and how her husband had changed.

I keep finding new things in the game as well. I actually spent about 20 minutes watching the in-game TV channels (Republican Space Rangers is a must-see) and easily as long surfing the in-game internet. This game's version of the hidden packages is a very funny twist on the old ones too, I won't spoil the surprise though!

Still haven't got it but I have played it and it seems very good but I am not all that fussed about it. I think I will wait for Haze, MGS4 and Final Fantasy 7: Crisis Core, which are more my type of games.

I finally finished the story missions last night. Now, I've got two goals left: finish the story in <30 hours, and get 100% game completion. I'm not sure which I'll attempt first, since either one will require a new game (I missed some stuff earlier that I can't go back and do now), and I don't know if I can do both of them on the same run.

I'd imagine the under 30 hours one is by far the easier, and you can always go on to do the 100% afterwards. I gather you really have to focus on the missions to do it though, I've spent too much time doing side missions, going out with friends and trying to convince Kate to put out (unsuccessfully so far) so I don't think I'll make it on this play through.

Although I was initially blown away by the game, I've kind of drifted in and out of it since. It hasn't compelled me to play in the same way GTA III and Vice City did. I think part of this is the missions, which as you get further into the game become long and complicated, often with a really difficult escape after you've completed the mission itself and if you die or get arrested you have to do it all over again.

I'm currently stuck on one of Francis's missions, where you have to kill the gang leader in the Projects. I can't bring myself to let the scumbag live, but killing him gives you a two star rating and it's extremely difficult to descend from the roof of the building and fight the police at the same time. The layout of the stairs gives them a lot of blind spots where they can shoot you before you can target them. I've failed it twice now, I think I might risk jumping off the roof and running next time, but I'm not sure if I'll survive the fall.

The gameplay's quite good but I didn't like the general artistic theme, (buildings, people, weather etc) it just made the whole game seem grey and miserable.

The <30 thing was indeed far easier, as I finished the story in just over 15 hours of gameplay. Of course, every time I failed a mission, I reloaded...

GTA 4 has now been released on PC and I hoping to get it as a birthday present (I hope) as I dont have XBOX 360 or PS 3 . Anyone else going to get this for the PC or have puchased already and how have they found it preform with graphics e,t,c

Cleburne wrote:GTA 4 has now been released on PC and I hoping to get it as a birthday present (I hope) as I dont have XBOX 360 or PS 3 . Anyone else going to get this for the PC or have puchased already and how have they found it preform with graphics e,t,c

I have it. The game runs flawlessly even with the graphics turned right up.

Love the New AV LM. I adore Greene's books. I think they are life-changing.

The Dreaming wrote:Love the New AV LM. I adore Greene's books. I think they are life-changing.

Thanks! I used to hold Carl Sagan at the pinnacle of scientific writing, but Brian Greene has surpassed him. The Fabric of the Cosmos is essential reading.

Loremaster wrote:

Cleburne wrote:GTA 4 has now been released on PC and I hoping to get it as a birthday present (I hope) as I dont have XBOX 360 or PS 3 . Anyone else going to get this for the PC or have puchased already and how have they found it preform with graphics e,t,c

I have it. The game runs flawlessly even with the graphics turned right up.

I'm eagerly awaiting mine. Not happy that I have to install SP3 to run it though.

--A

Avatar wrote:

Loremaster wrote: I have it. The game runs flawlessly even with the graphics turned right up.

I'm eagerly awaiting mine. Not happy that I have to install SP3 to run it though.

--A

Cool to know it works well on PC nearly bought it today but I need to update the graphics card i,e more powerfull to deal with it and try and install internet on my PC. The problem is my good mate was throwing away his computer and he knew I needed one just to play games and he set up his for me but with limited memory and graphics ( I can,t complain I got for free just had to pay 0.99 for monitor ) so I hoping it GTA4 will work on it.
Excuse my ignorance Avater but whats SP3

Service Pack 3. If you're running WinXP you have to have SP3 installed. (It's like microsoft's updates and stuff.)

--A