GTAIV Semi-review

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GTAIV Semi-review; OVERRATED! But still great.
Topic Started: May 8 2008, 05:51 PM (173 Views)
Drkstlkr7	May 8 2008, 05:51 PM Post #1
I'm gonna sing the DOOM Song. Posts: 891 Group: Members Member #110 Joined: June 19, 2007	Aww, no one spied on me?:( ... Over it! :) GTAIV Review The reviews are right about the story and characters being good, but I'll need to go in a little further one everything else. Graphics: Main character models look great, but random pedestians and crimminals, not so much. Overall, its the best looking of the series. The framerate stutters like all the other games, but it never really hurts the game. Sound: Sound effects and voice acting is excelent. The music on the radio is 80% ass though. Why such shitty rock songs. Why do they have so many loser fake-ass rappers. If you like R&B, Old-School hip-hop, and Bob Marley though, you're all set though. (A crappy soundtrack doesn't really hurt the score much at all though. Control: Niko tends to handle like shit at times, but you should be able to get used to it. Holding A/X down to run is stupid though. The cars aren't too hard to learn to control. The motorcycles on the other hand, avoid them like the plague. They just suck. Playability: This game has the best and most fun on-foot missions in the whole series. The cover mechanic was a good idea. The mission "Deconstruction for Beginners" just feels so damn good to play. I haven't flown or swam yet so I can't say anything about those. Oh and the game saves after a sucsessful mission. (Little kids all over the world scream, "Hurray!") A.I.: You know that A.I. you saw in San Andreas. It's only slightly better than that. Some pedestrians will try to kick your ass, but the police still act the same. Replay Value: This game's missing alot of extra things that were in San Andreas. That's all I can say about it right now though. I won't give this game a number grade, but I will give it an A-. It's a great game, but it's no MVG.
	"Hotaru is just freaky like that. Just look at the select screen. She's between Dong and Butt." -GFaqs User referring to Garou: Mark of the Wolves. XD New blog: "Game systems this gen and my thoughts" 8/10/09 http://drkstlkr7nmbs.blogspot.com/


Groover	May 15 2008, 05:14 PM Post #2
Has whipped much ass Posts: 577 Group: Members Member #102 Joined: April 1, 2007	nice review. I loved this game and am replaying it. I beat it with my cousin weekend before last. The game is a 10 in my book. The world really feels alive.



benstylus	May 15 2008, 07:17 PM Post #3
The other pallet swapped ninja Posts: 1,464 Group: Members Member #38 Joined: April 14, 2005	"In grand theft auto IV you can shoot anyone you want in the face. With your girlfriend, you only get to shoot her in the face on your birthday." -GFaqs User best review i've ever read.
	Electronic Arts - We put the 'suc' in success!


Drkstlkr7	May 23 2008, 03:05 PM Post #4
I'm gonna sing the DOOM Song. Posts: 891 Group: Members Member #110 Joined: June 19, 2007	Post-Game Thoughts: I ended up feeling the the game deserved a 9/10 after I got into it some more. It's all over now, and it was a great, lengthy ride. But I really think there's something fishy going on with the reviews. Maybe it's me, but I just didn't fell that the game was a 10 on those sites with the decimal incriments. I think I'll try out online play tonight. Edit: After final review, it's back to and locked as an 8/10. All done! :)
	"Hotaru is just freaky like that. Just look at the select screen. She's between Dong and Butt." -GFaqs User referring to Garou: Mark of the Wolves. XD New blog: "Game systems this gen and my thoughts" 8/10/09 http://drkstlkr7nmbs.blogspot.com/


Belpowerslave	Aug 6 2008, 04:43 PM Post #5
Administrator Posts: 7,830 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: August 23, 2004	Yeah, I don't know about all these reviewers falling over themselves to be the first to pop Rockstar's cock in their mouth with these "perfect" scores. The game is good, but it's nowhere near a perfect score. Like the others, the car control is a disgrace, the AI can be overly harsh, the bullshit "beat the mission or else" mentality is still there and the constant loading really drag it down. I like it, just as I've liked all the others, but it doesn't feel like it's significantly better than GTA: SA or Scarface. One thing that really kills it for me is the lack of star power. There's not a single fucking famous person lending their voice to the game. Sure, we have the DJs, but that's it. I'm guessing that Rockstar decided to make this one on the slimmest budget possible in order to maximize profits and possible retire off of it. I'm not sure how things are on the Shitstation 3 version of the game, but the 360's pop up is quite noticable, and with the loud-ass DVD rom, you can hear the system doing everything in its power to stream that shit off the disc at top speed. Wish they'd of allowed Rockstar to make this game "optimized for HDD owners" like Halo 3 was....but no. The soundtrack is another area of concern. It's possible that I'm just way too old for the game, but I swear these radio stations suck harder than anything I've ever heard before(and that includes shitty college radio). Granted, they have the Classic Rock station, and to my surprise, even a New Age station, but man...past that it seems like pure shit(just like regular radio). Give me the retro-ness of GTA:VC or Scarface's soundtrack over this any day... I will say that I am loving the new auto-lock aiming and wallhugging gun battle engine. A HUGE upgrade over anything they've had previously, and actually beats Scarface's battle engine. I've been playing it virtually every night since I got it, and am hoping for another 40 to 60 hours of gameplay, like the others(and Scarface). It's important to note that I take my time with games though, I don't rush through them at top velocity in order to get to the next title, like the kids do today... Bel
	Whip Ass Gaming Dallas Classic Game Examiner


dandy	Aug 7 2008, 01:43 AM Post #6
I'm Rick James, bitch! Posts: 135 Group: Members Member #131 Joined: December 11, 2007	Belpowerslave Aug 6 2008, 04:43 PM The soundtrack is another area of concern. It's possible that I'm just way too old for the game, but I swear these radio stations suck harder than anything I've ever heard before(and that includes shitty college radio). Granted, they have the Classic Rock station, and to my surprise, even a New Age station, but man...past that it seems like pure shit(just like regular radio). Give me the retro-ness of GTA:VC or Scarface's soundtrack over this any day... Being an older player too, nothing can compare to the GTA:VC soundtrack for me. Man, if only that game looked liked GTAIV does. I will say, I find myself listening to the "Journey" station in GTAIV every time I get into a car, even though it seems they only play the same two songs over and over again. Not only does the music really mellow me out, but the stuff that female robotic voice says is friggin great. But yeah, otherwise the music in GTAIV sucks pretty hard. In terms of the GTAIV budget, I heard it was $100 million. No joke.



sheath	Aug 7 2008, 08:06 AM Post #7
Apollyon of the Wicker People Posts: 2,792 Group: Members Member #12 Joined: October 5, 2004	With the way Take 2 and Rockstar are you can bet they'll re-release the original GTAIII trilogy, and its PSP spin offs, in an HD set sometime, eventually.
	www.gamepilgrimage.com Currently wondering where the hell everybody has gone.


Belpowerslave	Aug 7 2008, 03:10 PM Post #8
Administrator Posts: 7,830 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: August 23, 2004	Quote: Being an older player too, nothing can compare to the GTA:VC soundtrack for me. Man, if only that game looked liked GTAIV does. Get Scarface. Looks better than GTA: SA, has an AWESOME 80's soundtrack. Runs at 720p, is backwards compatible. It's fucking excellent. Though I don't know that I could ever make myself play through any of the GTA series twice, I will play through Scarface again at some point. Quote: I will say, I find myself listening to the "Journey" station in GTAIV every time I get into a car, even though it seems they only play the same two songs over and over again. Not only does the music really mellow me out, but the stuff that female robotic voice says is friggin great. That's the New Age station I was talking about. They only have around 6 songs. The most recognized is going to be Jean Michel Jarre's "Oxyg�ne, Pt 4". Sadly, they couldn't be bothered to really beef it up. Hell, with just my New Age collection of CDs I could have come up with a playlist with at least 50 tracks... Quote: But yeah, otherwise the music in GTAIV sucks pretty hard. I just don't understand it...I guess that it's because GTAIV takes place now, in 2008. I mean, even in GTA: SA I could find a lot of the rap stations quite enjoyable(set back in the 90's), but not here. Quote: In terms of the GTAIV budget, I heard it was $100 million. No joke. Could be. I've heard it's quite eclipsed that by now though, in profits. I am pretty sure they've made more money off just this one GTA title than most of the others combined. Bel
	Whip Ass Gaming Dallas Classic Game Examiner


Belpowerslave	Aug 7 2008, 03:11 PM Post #9
Administrator Posts: 7,830 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: August 23, 2004	sheath Aug 7 2008, 09:06 AM With the way Take 2 and Rockstar are you can bet they'll re-release the original GTAIII trilogy, and its PSP spin offs, in an HD set sometime, eventually. I would love to get my hands on GTA: Liberty City and Vice City Stories. It always broke my heart that Rockstar couldn't be bothered to bring either to PC or the Xbox... Bel
	Whip Ass Gaming Dallas Classic Game Examiner


dandy	Aug 7 2008, 06:24 PM Post #10
I'm Rick James, bitch! Posts: 135 Group: Members Member #131 Joined: December 11, 2007	Belpowerslave That's the New Age station I was talking about. They only have around 6 songs. The most recognized is going to be Jean Michel Jarre's "Oxyg�ne, Pt 4". I -knew- I'd heard that piece somewhere before. I used to listen to Jean Michel Jarre a bit back in the C64 days. I wonder why they skimped on the New Age station yet threw in a hundred generic rap and rock tunes on the others. Maybe they figured nobody would be listening to it? If only they had at least put in a custom station so that you could listen to your own mp3s. I used to use that feature on the PC version of Vice City.



Belpowerslave	Aug 7 2008, 06:29 PM Post #11
Administrator Posts: 7,830 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: August 23, 2004	Quote: I -knew- I'd heard that piece somewhere before. I used to listen to Jean Michel Jarre a bit back in the C64 days. It's good stuff. Quote: I wonder why they skimped on the New Age station yet threw in a hundred generic rap and rock tunes on the others. Maybe they figured nobody would be listening to it? This would be my guess. The New Age-listening community really isn't that large, unfortunately. Quote: If only they had at least put in a custom station so that you could listen to your own mp3s. I used to use that feature on the PC version of Vice City. They do, but they didn't do it like they did it on the original Xbox(where you used the Dashboard to encode your music, then in any given GTA game, switched to "My Playlist" via the radios in the cars). It's similar, but not exactly the same. On the 360 you still use the Dashboard to encode your music and create a playlist, but this time around you use the "Xbox" botton to bring up the side-dash, then play your playlist. It's nice and it's not. It's nice because you can have music playing through the entire game, not just while you're in a car...it's not nice, because you can't select it via the car's radio anymore(that I have seen), and have to turn the radio off every time you get in a car. Why they did this, I don't know...it still blows my mind they didn't give Niko some sort of MP3 playing device to run around the streets with... Bel
	Whip Ass Gaming Dallas Classic Game Examiner


Belpowerslave	Aug 15 2008, 03:19 PM Post #12
Administrator Posts: 7,830 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: August 23, 2004	Well, I finally beat it...a paltry 36 hours is all it took. What's sad is, that's WITH me sitting there watching hours of TV(the in-game TV) and just taking my time in general. I think the taxis, as well as the fact that you can just restart a mission via your phone really helped drop the total play time. It is important to note that once I beat it I was only at 70% completion. Honestly, I've gotta call Rockstar out on this one: I think they purposely shortened the game because they knew that "episodic" content was a sure thing. Depressing...especially after paying $59.99 for the fucking game. All in all, it was still a great experience...but I've gotta say that GTA: SA is still my favorite of the lot. One quick tip for those who haven't played it through yet: DO NOT kill Dwayne. No spoilers, just don't do it. Bel
	Whip Ass Gaming Dallas Classic Game Examiner


Drkstlkr7	Oct 28 2009, 02:49 PM Post #13
I'm gonna sing the DOOM Song. Posts: 891 Group: Members Member #110 Joined: June 19, 2007	http://xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/14323867/grand-theft-auto-iv-episode-2/videos/gta_bogt_vdr_102809.html This sounds better than the main game. I wish I has my X360 back now. I'll be picking up Episodes of Liberty City sometime next year since it doesn't require the main game in order to play it.
	"Hotaru is just freaky like that. Just look at the select screen. She's between Dong and Butt." -GFaqs User referring to Garou: Mark of the Wolves. XD New blog: "Game systems this gen and my thoughts" 8/10/09 http://drkstlkr7nmbs.blogspot.com/


Belpowerslave	Nov 3 2009, 12:40 PM Post #14
Administrator Posts: 7,830 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: August 23, 2004	Drkstlkr7 Oct 28 2009, 02:49 PM ...since it doesn't require the main game in order to play it. I question how they've done this. I mean, you can go everywhere in the city with the expansions right, so how did they pack another 2.6 gigs(each expansion is 1.3 gigs) onto the disc!? Is it really just the full game of GTA with the expansions built in, or something different? Bel
	Whip Ass Gaming Dallas Classic Game Examiner


Drkstlkr7	Nov 3 2009, 03:16 PM Post #15
I'm gonna sing the DOOM Song. Posts: 891 Group: Members Member #110 Joined: June 19, 2007	I'm not really sure. It doesn't have the story from the original game, but as far as I know the whole city is there. I would really like to see what they've done with it myself.
	"Hotaru is just freaky like that. Just look at the select screen. She's between Dong and Butt." -GFaqs User referring to Garou: Mark of the Wolves. XD New blog: "Game systems this gen and my thoughts" 8/10/09 http://drkstlkr7nmbs.blogspot.com/


Belpowerslave	Nov 8 2009, 02:44 PM Post #16
Administrator Posts: 7,830 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: August 23, 2004	Had I not of gotten such a deal on Lost and the Damned(it was $19.99 at Amazon.com, came with an actual box, a poster and a 3 month trial card for Gold Live) I would get this comp. I hate that I have to take up 2.6gigs on my shitty HDD with both episodes, but at some point down the line I'll run in to a deal on the 60 or 120GB HDD....just wish some day would hurry up and get here. Bel
	Whip Ass Gaming Dallas Classic Game Examiner


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