GTA Thoughts

[MarkcusD]

So the game is fun, but there are a couple of things that I don't like: no checkpoints in the missions, too many chase missions (I want more shootouts), the combat and gun play are ok but could be better, the day-night cycle seems to change too quickly, and I'd like to be able to turn off the auto camera. That said, the driving is good--especially in first person.

[namehater]

i rented this last night and im glad i did. it seems to be a fun game, but there are a lot of elements that make me not care for the game so much.

ive put probably 2hrs into the game and so far it seems very railroaded (forced in one direction). the only missions that ever become available seem to be the main story, ive never had much experience with the previous GTAs, but i was remembering them to be more like Saints Row, with all the side missions all over the place.

one of the biggest complaints i have is the controls, they are probably the sloppiest controls of any game i have ever played, its almost like every surface has been buttered, except for when your in a car, i think my yukon XL corners better than 90% of the cars in game.

my last complaint is the graphics, wow, i feel like im playing on a ps2. there are some nice elements to the graphics, like flying out windshields, but for the most part, its an ugly game. even in the cut scenes, if anything they could have made them look at least half way decent.

i have a few other smaller complaints about the game, but those are the key problems i have. i havent tried playing it multiplayer, but i dont see how it could be as fun as i keep hearing with control problems i have with the game.

i plan to continue playing through the game, but as of right now, im glad i decided to rent it first, and i advise everybody else to do the same

[cdub998]

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i rented this last night and im glad i did. it seems to be a fun game, but there are a lot of elements that make me not care for the game so much.


ive put probably 2hrs into the game and so far it seems very railroaded (forced in one direction). the only missions that ever become available seem to be the main story, ive never had much experience with the previous GTAs, but i was remembering them to be more like Saints Row, with all the side missions all over the place.


one of the biggest complaints i have is the controls, they are probably the sloppiest controls of any game i have ever played, its almost like every surface has been buttered, except for when your in a car, i think my yukon XL corners better than 90% of the cars in game.


my last complaint is the graphics, wow, i feel like im playing on a ps2. there are some nice elements to the graphics, like flying out windshields, but for the most part, its an ugly game. even in the cut scenes, if anything they could have made them look at least half way decent.


i have a few other smaller complaints about the game, but those are the key problems i have. i havent tried playing it multiplayer, but i dont see how it could be as fun as i keep hearing with control problems i have with the game.


i plan to continue playing through the game, but as of right now, im glad i decided to rent it first, and i advise everybody else to do the same






Not sure about this one but the last GTA's the missions start very linier until you meet more people. Once you have met like 3 people or so there are missions kind of scattered.

[namehater]

well, i keep seeing that it will 'take-off'. i just hope that happens before its time to return the game. to give you an idea of where im at i have been doing missions with/for roman and going out on dates with that chick, when i quit playing last night, i was going to pick some guy up for roman, its right after Vlad tells you to get his f'n coffee for him lol

[FlipMasterFlash]

You've barely even started NH, probably ~5% though the game. You'll meet a few more people shortly. I was a bit taken back too after getting used to games that last 6-8 hours, at least the first hour of GTA (more if you spend time screwing around) is just teaching you the controls and 'rules' of the game.

[Ballsjaken]

the gta series has never been about graphical prowess.

and there's always different things you can do. if you're tired of the main story, slag off for awhile and shoot some cops or taxi the public around liberty city or master one of the mini games or look for the hidden jumps or... you get my point.

[Steam888]

<P mce_keep="true">This game is hilarious! What a nice mixup for my gaming! I am definitely doing the "depth" approach as I am not running from mission to mission in the main story line as they are getting knocked down in my own time. What I have been doing is enjoying the wbepages in the Internet cafe, laughing my tale off watching Bas on the Men's Room show on the TV in Nikko's apartment, (The knife infomercial is hilarious too). Lets see, pool, darts, strip clubs, and whacken people - oh joy.
<P mce_keep="true">PS - With the above said, I was easily playing for 4 hours before I even got a gun. Targeting still feels the same to me as the other versions and is way better than Saint's Row. This game has me laughing all the time!

[HeartbreakRidge]

You've barely even started NH, probably ~5% though the game. You'll meet a few more people shortly. I was a bit taken back too after getting used to games that last 6-8 hours, at least the first hour of GTA (more if you spend time screwing around) is just teaching you the controls and 'rules' of the game.



Yeah, I'm just over 10% and I *just* unlocked the taxi ability through Roman, which also allows me to call up for taxi missions. There's a lot more side missions to unlock, like package delivery, car theft, assassination, street races, vigilante, manhunt, helicopter tours, and so on. The minigames can be interesting - bowling, darts, pool, Qub3d... I need to try a drinking date and see how the 'DUI' mode is. [D]

I agree the graphics aren't the best but I also agree with people that it looks a lot better if you crank up the three slider bars (brightness, contrast and saturation).

Until you've unlocked all the islands, you're barely scratching the surface (as it has been in all GTA games so far).

[dboss]

well, i keep seeing that it will 'take-off'. i just hope that happens before its time to return the game. to give you an idea of where im at i have been doing missions with/for roman and going out on dates with that chick, when i quit playing last night, i was going to pick some guy up for roman, its right after Vlad tells you to get his f'n coffee for him lol Yeah, you have a LONG way to go. This game definitely requires some progress to open up side missions. As an example you can't open up the vigilante missions until you complete this one mission for Brucie (have to say I LOVE Brucie; he cracks me up ALL the time). I'm 25% of the way through and I feel like I just started if that gives you any idea.

[dboss]

You've barely even started NH, probably ~5% though the game. You'll meet a few more people shortly. I was a bit taken back too after getting used to games that last 6-8 hours, at least the first hour of GTA (more if you spend time screwing around) is just teaching you the controls and 'rules' of the game.



Yeah, I'm just over 10% and I *just* unlocked the taxi ability through Roman, which also allows me to call up for taxi missions. There's a lot more side missions to unlock, like package delivery, car theft, assassination, street races, vigilante, manhunt, helicopter tours, and so on. The minigames can be interesting - bowling, darts, pool, Qub3d... I need to try a drinking date and see how the 'DUI' mode is. http://adultgamingenthusiasts.com/emoticons/emotion-46.gif

The DUI mode is funny, but its really cool that there are differences depending on who you go with. I did it twice with Michelle and it was fairly easy. However, I did it once with LJ and it was REALLY hard.

Has anyone been to the strip club yet??? Is it weird to say that video game chicks are smokin' hot?

[digitaldemigod]

<P mce_keep="true">My two problems with the game:
<P mce_keep="true">
<P mce_keep="true">1. the speech audio (cell phone, cutscenes) is way too quiet and there's no way to adjust it. yes, I've turned my surround sound system up to 25 and then i can hear the speech but my entire neighborhood can hear the music and the cars and everything.
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<P mce_keep="true">2. I generally despise multiplayer achievements. Thankfully there aren't too too many of them. However the ones it does have are all for ranked matches. I generally don't ever count on being able to win anything in a ranked team match of any kind since everyone is randomly placed into the server so you don't know anyone. Hard to work as a team with a bunch of strangers. These should not be ranked achievements.

[lcarmapoliceman]

My two problems with the game:





1. the speech audio (cell phone, cutscenes) is way too quiet and there's no way to adjust it. yes, I've turned my surround sound system up to 25 and then i can hear the speech but my entire neighborhood can hear the music and the cars and everything.





Yeah, noticed the volume on the cell phone is crazy-quiet. Some times I'll hop out of the car to take a call...

/wish some people would do this in real-life!!1!

[Sard of KC]

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These should not be ranked achievements.
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I wish this was the casefor all 360 games!

[hw macbride]

<P mce_keep="true">Things I can do without:
<P mce_keep="true">1. Too many following missions. It's about time games said goodbye to these.
<P mce_keep="true">2. Jamaican accents quit being cool around the time Predator 2 hit VHS. Cut it out. I don't want to have to turn the subtitles on justto listen to a bad accent combined with horrible sound. OK Babylon??
<P mce_keep="true">3. Every car I get in is tuned to rap. Rap, as you all know, comes from a combination of crap and rape(as in what it does to your ears.). Is there a way to stop this? I thought I could preset a station for my character but cant figure it out.
<P mce_keep="true">4. Yes we all know Americans don't know geography, don't know the metric system, only speak one language, and are homo-xeno-sexo-phobic. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! I wish we could all live in a European utopia where our women don't shave, tea is a hot drink, and giant leaps forward in dental care are made every century. The shtick is getting old, like the time my wife bought Carrot Top tickets twice in three months. Holy shit.
<P mce_keep="true">5. I'm all about gameplay, not graphics but I think they could have done better.
<P mce_keep="true">6. Only two or three of the multiplayer modes really grab me.
<P mce_keep="true">7.Overall I still love the game, and am glad I bought it. I will finish it and I'll say this as well: I really LIKE Niko. He's a guy like we all wanna be. Good dude but don't fuck with him. I don't like him on a Tommy Vercetti level, but hey, he's a good choice for hero of the story. I am dissapointed we didn't get more Russian mafia types earlyin the game. Those three guys were the only ones in liberty, then we go straight to work for some drug dealer and a loudmouthed street hustler?? Bullshit.

[PrayforMojo]

My biggest complaint is the heavy use of the cell phone and the fact that I often have a really hard time reading the cell phone screen and I am sitting 5 feet away from a 56" HDTV, I could not imagine trying to read that text on a smaller TV.

Other than that, I will be patient and not comment on how boring parts of the game are until I've seen more of it play out, but I really don't need to spend 5-10 minutes walking with my "date" on the boardwalk to get to the bowling alley to play a terrible bowling mini-game. Give me a gun and a bank to rob. I think our group may be more harsh criticly of this game, because we do not have a lot of free time to game, so every minute has to count and so far that has not been the case with GTA 4.

[Maclintok]

Really good points made about the game so far. Here are my own nuggets of fanboy nitpickery:<ul> Sludgy, sloppy controls: The driving is fine, because it feels more realistic. The adjustment in skill is similar to the one I faced moving to Forza 2 after playing Burnout and Ridge Racer. There's real weight to the cars, they all handle very differently and on a whole the chase missions are forgiving enough (so far) to allow you many screw ups and still catch up to your target (cause the sequence is semi-scripted anyway)

The controls while on foot are... average. There's no excuse for 3D game to now allow me to free look with the right-stick at all times. It seriously took me over half an hour of playing to realize why the controls felt so restrictive and clunky. Yes, I can swing the camera around when I'm standing stock sitll, but how about when I'm moving, which is 99% percent of the time? There must be some technical reason for doing this (reduce object and texture pop-in?) because there's no way a tester played this game and didn't complain about the camera system.

And now for the combat controls. I think it's quite telling when I play a game like this and want to AVOID gunfights. Okay, so the Rockstar developers will always have an excuse to fall back on that they're not building a dedicated shooting game. For the attention that's been given to their overhauled targeting and cover system I still expected way more from them. Like driving, maybe this is something I'll get used to. Right now, Niko feels like an old man with arthiritis when engaged in combat. When under cover, it feels like it takes a day and a half to shimmy from one side of an object to the other. The auto-targeting is clunky and prone to targeting people in cars and corpses. The melee combat is... well, they... tried to spruce it up a bit. But guess what? Slow and Sludgy once again.

Jamming on the A button to run at a decent clip is annoying.

I was shocked at the graphics. Once I had walked outside of Roman's crummy apartment, I thought there was a defect with my disc. While I expected there to be a stylized, oil painted look to the graphics, really didn't think details would look so washed out and blurry. Things clean up a bit if you opt to use the closest zoom on Niko (behind shoulder) but the restrictive camera options don't make this a practical mode when you're trying to chase people down in cramped quarters. On the other hand, the physics system is very impressive and the level of detail in the city hasn't been matched by any other open-world crime game. Overall, the visual are best appreciated if you're not sitting that close to the TV.

Now for the good. The game is still pretty fun. I'm still in the early, slow stages (just finished the Vlad missions and onto Dmitri) and not very many locations have been unlocked yet. This slow start is pretty standard for the GTA series and I expect by the time the missions start to get more interesting I'll have hurdled the many annoyances I"ve found with the game play. The things that push this game into "current-gen" aare all the little touches added in to the core game design. Hailing cabs and riding them around town in first-person perspective is great, as is hopping on a commuter train and watching it travel through the city in real-time. The radio statoins are nice even tho they could have been randomized a bit better (even within a single station, the same song starts up at the beginning). It was a real kick to take Michelle around to do different recreational actitvities and all of the mini-games are pretty damn good. I got a kick out of the cabaret show.[/list]Yeah, it's a nice game. Probably not worth all the anxious fidgeting a did in the week leading up to release, but still pretty solid and I expect myself to be drawn deeper into the story. If you're on the fence, be careful abo

[Maclintok]

Oh, oh oh oh oh... I forgot to mention.

The cell phone is impossible to read. I've got my brightness cranked up and it still makes my eyes bleed. There's no contrast.

I realize this is Roman's cheap-ass phone, but even the lowliest model should have something called a BACKLIGHT.

[cdub998]

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Oh, oh oh oh oh... I forgot to mention.


The cell phone is impossible to read. I've got my brightness cranked up and it still makes my eyes bleed. There's no contrast.


I realize this is Roman's cheap-ass phone, but even the lowliest model should have something called a BACKLIGHT.





Did you make the text bigger on it?
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[2Three]

I would have liked to see fully customizable controls. Obviously with the amount of game play variety, a number of variations are needed. But the presets don't always work for everyone. I think Rockstar should have allowed us to set the sticks and the face buttons however we like for combat, on-foot, driving, and sniping controls.

That's my only gripe, but I love the graphics and Nico (IMO) is the best protagonist used to date.

[cdub998]

<P mce_keep="true">Yeah if you don't like the graphics you should probably go back and look at old GTA games as reference to how much better these are.

[namehater]

Yeah if you don't like the graphics you should probably go back and look at old GTA games as reference to how much better these are.





but just because the old games were under-par graphics is no excuse for a next gen game to be under-par as well, they could have put it on BD for the ps3 and then they could have had nice graphics on top of everything else

[MstrBlonde]

Oh, oh oh oh oh... I forgot to mention.


The cell phone is impossible to read. I've got my brightness cranked up and it still makes my eyes bleed. There's no contrast.


I realize this is Roman's cheap-ass phone, but even the lowliest model should have something called a BACKLIGHT.





Did you make the text bigger on it?

I have yet to figure out how to do this. I was told the "Options" on the phone let you do it, but I looked last night and they don't.

[BFG Sage]

<P mce_keep="true">I agree with what most everybodyis saying about the game. The graphics are just okay, the controls are mushy (cept for driving), but the game overall is still fun. I definitely wouldn't give it 10/10 like most review sites, but I am enjoying it. Personally, I liked Bio Shock much better, and I can't pull myself away from COD4. I am a little disappointed with GTA, as much as it was hyped up.

[fooburger]

Oh, oh oh oh oh... I forgot to mention.

The cell phone is impossible to read. I've got my brightness cranked up and it still makes my eyes bleed. There's no contrast.

I realize this is Roman's cheap-ass phone, but even the lowliest model should have something called a BACKLIGHT.



I have to stand up to read the dam cell phone. The phone has an option to enlarge tex, but I'm not sure if it works because I still cant see it.

[namehater]

I agree with what most everybodyis saying about the game. The graphics are just okay, the controls are mushy (cept for driving), but the game overall is still fun. I definitely wouldn't give it 10/10 like most review sites, but I am enjoying it. Personally, I liked Bio Shock much better, and I can't pull myself away from COD4. I am a little disappointed with GTA, as much as it was hyped up.





now that you mention the hype, why was this game so hyped up and why did it get so many 10s on the reviews? personally, it would get about a 6 or 7 from me

[TurboPanzy]

I may have agreed with some of the not-so-positive comments here in my first hour of play... But after some serious time with it I'm happy to say that I've gotten quite used to the controls, the graphics have made my jaw drop on several occasions, and the pace of the story has really picked up.

IMO the grand amount of things done well in this game greatly out-weigh many of the (worthy of discussion) annoyances.

[PrayforMojo]

Good I feel less like an idiot considering I had to stand up, walk across the room and squint to read the cell phone text, only to find out the text was Vlad telling me to come see him (why not handle this via a call or the V blinking on my mini-map). It is amazing how the professional critics let some of these quibbles pass for GTA, but if other games launched with tiny illegible text telling what you to do next to advance the story, they would be crucified.

[TheHostileDwarf]

I must say that I believe the small text on the cell phone may have something to do with the TV's people are playing on or some other issue not necessarily related to the game itself. I have less than optimal vision and am playing with glasses - lenses that have not been updated in almost 3 years because my crappy student insurance doesn't cover vision - on a 30-inch LCD HD from about 8 feet away and I can read the cell phone text without a problem.

[namehater]

did a red and blue spider bite you recently hostiledwarf?

i think somebody was paid off to get the reviews it did and the hype that it got

[dboss]

I may have agreed with some of the not-so-positive comments here in my first hour of play... But after some serious time with it I'm happy to say that I've gotten quite used to the controls, the graphics have made my jaw drop on several occasions, and the pace of the story has really picked up.

IMO the grand amount of things done well in this game greatly out-weigh many of the (worthy of discussion) annoyances.

+1

The attention to detail in this game is quite impressive. From shooting a guy in a car and his body slumping forward to trigger a horn, to the VERY authentic Jamaican, Russian, etc. accents, this game is giving me everything I expected. I have a ton of difficulty understanding Jamaican Patois, but having some experience with native speakers, I can say its truly authentic.

After playing for many hours the first day, I was very unhappy with the control scheme. I was beginning to think that I should've purchased the game on the PS3 since that controller just feels right. However, after playing for a few more hours last night I'm definitely getting used to the controls and I'm throughly enjoying the game.

As far as the graphics, I really think they're pretty good. Sure there is a 'haze' over distant objects, but with the amount of activity going on in the game, that's a sacrifice I don't mind seeing.

One of my only complaints would be the inability to free-aim when 'by-standers' are around. I like to make sure people are dead by popping a final shot into their head when they're down, but when other people are around I'm not able to free aim because it auto-targets the other people that are around. I need to look to see if I'm doing something wrong.

[Ballsjaken]

One of my only complaints would be the inability to free-aim when 'by-standers' are around. I like to make sure people are dead by popping a final shot into their head when they're down, but when other people are around I'm not able to free aim because it auto-targets the other people that are around. I need to look to see if I'm doing something wrong.




something about a half pull of the trigger.

[dboss]

Good I feel less like an idiot considering I had to stand up, walk across the room and squint to read the cell phone text, only to find out the text was Vlad telling me to come see him (why not handle this via a call or the V blinking on my mini-map). It is amazing how the professional critics let some of these quibbles pass for GTA, but if other games launched with tiny illegible text telling what you to do next to advance the story, they would be crucified.

Again, there is an option in the cellphone to increase the text on the phone from small to large and vice versa.

Also, I'm throughly enjoying the cellphone aspect of the game and I have to agree with the reviewers in this area. I don't have any problems reading the text on the phone and I still have the text set to small.

As far as the reviews, everyone has a different opinion so nailing reviewers for their positive opinions when you disagree doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I know that I don't play games based on whether reviewers have a positive or negative review of a game.

[dboss]

One of my only complaints would be the inability to free-aim when 'by-standers' are around. I like to make sure people are dead by popping a final shot into their head when they're down, but when other people are around I'm not able to free aim because it auto-targets the other people that are around. I need to look to see if I'm doing something wrong.




something about a half pull of the trigger. Hmmm...Thanks! I'll have to try that tonight.

[BFG Sage]

<P mce_keep="true">I am playing on a 106" screen, totally light controlled room,sitting about 12' away, and I have trouble seeing the cell phone. The problem for me is that the background is a dark green, and the text is black. If the background was lighter, it'd be easier to see. I haven't bumped contrast though, only brightness...
<P mce_keep="true">Also, don't get me wrong, I like the game, I guess I was just expecting a little more.

[Doctor Hoops]

<P mce_keep="true">I have to say that I am liking this game a lot. After going thru a GTA race in helicopters last night, I was really amazed. If you got close to the ground, you'd see dust flying around and other effects from the prop-wash. During the race, it got dark. Flying a helicopter over the city at night between buildings was pretty awesome looking. A little twitchy, too because flying the damn helicopter is pretty damn hard, but it was still a lot of fun. Just my opinion, but if you aren't at least 25% of the way thru the game, you might want to hold back judgement on whether you like it or not or agree with the reviews. All of the previous GTA games got off to a slow start, too.

[TurboPanzy]

Just my opinion, but if you aren't at least 25% of the way thru the game, you might want to hold back judgement on whether you like it or not or agree with the reviews.



QFT!

[namehater]

with it taking so long to hit 25% in this game you will have just 'gotten over' all stuff a person didnt like about it, i believe a person can tell certain things about a game with the first 25min, mainly the big things, like controls and graphics, neither of which are very good in my eyes, yet i will continue to play the game hoping that i just 'get over' how bad those aspects are

[FlipMasterFlash]

If you don't like it don't play it, seems simple. No game is going to be all things to everyone.

[Maclintok]

By default, the cell phone text size is set to "Large". You can set it to small if you really want to make your eyes pop (in a bad way of course).

I'm also recently traded in my dusty tube TV for a 42-inch LCD so there's really no reason why the text isn't more legible. The contrast is pure mud; it's horrible.

[Doctor Hoops]

<P mce_keep="true">
If you don't like it don't play it, seems simple. No game is going all things to everyone.
<P mce_keep="true">Yeah. Personally, I haven't had this much fun with a video game since I got about 25% thru Mass Effect. And getting run down by a big rig last night was a pretty damn funny multiplayer moment.

[namehater]

If you don't like it don't play it, seems simple. No game is going to be all things to everyone.



i was just discussing the game, but if you wanna get shitty, i can see my way out of the conversation

[TurboPanzy]

Let's all just have a beer and go shoot some hookers....

[Booyabobby]

The controls and text size is the only issues i have so far. I love everything about the game.

[PrayforMojo]

Just don't send me text message with the location of said beer and hookers or I'll never find you guys. Ha!

[FlipMasterFlash]

Not trying to be shitty, you said you knew what the game was about 25 min into the game and didn't seem to have much positive to say about it. I can understand how the game wouldn't appeal to some, no sense spending 8 hours getting 15% into a game if you know you don't like it.

I'd agree the game isn't perfection but it has been a lot of fun for me so far. Wouldn't get a 10/10 from me but would do much better than the 6/10 you mentioned, if I thought that little of a game I'd drop it like a bad habit.

[Doctor Hoops]

<P mce_keep="true">
Just don't send me text message with the location of said beer and hookers or I'll never find you guys. Ha!
<P mce_keep="true">Nice thing about Liberty City - walk 15 feet in any direction and you'll be able to find both a beer and a hooker.

[vcize]

<P mce_keep="true">
One of my only complaints would be the inability to free-aim when 'by-standers' are around. I like to make sure people are dead by popping a final shot into their head when they're down, but when other people are around I'm not able to free aim because it auto-targets the other people that are around. I need to look to see if I'm doing something wrong.
<P mce_keep="true">Pull the left trigger half way down instead of all the way down and it will go into free aim rather than lock-on mode.

[vcize]

<P mce_keep="true">Btw, am I the only one that thinks auto-aim should be turned off in multiplayer? I've tried it both ways now and having lock-on on in multiplayer just seems kind of lame.

[dboss]

By default, the cell phone text size is set to "Large". You can set it to small if you really want to make your eyes pop (in a bad way of course).

I'm also recently traded in my dusty tube TV for a 42-inch LCD so there's really no reason why the text isn't more legible. The contrast is pure mud; it's horrible. Hmmm...strange. My cell phone text size default was set to small. Not sure why there would be the difference.

[Doctor Hoops]

<P mce_keep="true">
am I the only one that thinks auto-aim should be turned off in multiplayer?


Yes.


OK, probably not - I can take it or leave it. I do like it a lot in the single player mode though.

[TheHostileDwarf]

Hmmm...strange. My cell phone text size default was set to small. Not sure why there would be the difference.

Yeah, my text size was set to Small (and I could still read it) and my auto-aim function was set to Off as the default settings...

And namehater, not everyone is going to love every game. GTA IV is not perfect and I'd not give it a 10 either, but I really think it takes some getting used to before things start to feel a little more natural. I haven't played a GTA game since 2004 and I don't remember the controls, but I think you really need to give it longer than you have to give a substantive opinion on the game. ~5% in simply not scratching the surface. If you don't think the graphics are great, that's not going to change dramatically over time, but I do think you'll get used to the somewhat quirky controls and that should help improve your experience. If not, no big deal since you're only renting it.

I haven't tried multiplayer yet, but I'm looking forward to it once finals are over...

[Toothcake]

<P mce_keep="true">



If you don't like it don't play it, seems simple. No game is going all things to everyone.





Pretty much. I know everyone is a victim of hype in some form, but it should never get to the point where you placate yourself in to thinking that a title is going to be the Holy Grail of gaming, whether it be CoD4, Gears, Halo, or GTA4.


With that said, i'm loving my time with GTA. It's definitely a slow start since ALL of the missions on the first island are tutorials in some form. I find the diversity in the characters makes them that much more enjoyable. I work with a friend from the Bahamas and he said that the Patois from Little Jacob is about as authentic as you're going to get while still being able to understand what he's saying. So no, it's not a cheesey tacked on addition.


Far from perfect, but definitely the best in the series.

[Ballsjaken]

Pretty much. I know everyone is a victim of hype in some form, but it should never get to the point where you placate yourself in to thinking that a title is going to be the Holy Grail of gaming, whether it be CoD4, Gears, Halo, or GTA4.



well said. if you believe in all the hype, when will you ever be satisfied with what a game has to offer?

[TazmanAK]

<P mce_keep="true">







Pretty much. I know everyone is a victim of hype in some form, but it should never get to the point where you placate yourself in to thinking that a title is going to be the Holy Grail of gaming, whether it be CoD4, Gears, Halo, or GTA4.





well said. if you believe in all the hype, when will you ever be satisfied with what a game has to offer?





Well it would probably have to do things that are illegal in 48 out of 50 states.

[morpheus1339]

so far i think that this games is far one best grand theft auto i have played in a long time. the graphics are amazing i have no frame rate drops yet. the one thing that i dont like is the driveing is makeing me go insaine.

[vcize]

<P mce_keep="true">







Pretty much. I know everyone is a victim of hype in some form, but it should never get to the point where you placate yourself in to thinking that a title is going to be the Holy Grail of gaming, whether it be CoD4, Gears, Halo, or GTA4.





well said. if you believe in all the hype, when will you ever be satisfied with what a game has to offer?





I bought into the Gears hype and the final product still managed to exceed it tenfold [:D]


No relevance to the conversation at hand, it had just been a few hours since I mentioned Gears so I was starting to get a little twitchy.

[Motown5150]

<P mce_keep="true">Interesting takes. Whether I think the game is the bonafied 10, end all be all game, that every publication seemed to give it, it is a lot of game for $60 and done pretty well for the most part.I think the reviews were a bit over the top, myself, but I guess people were really excited.
<P mce_keep="true">The only things I don't really care for are framerate issues during chases being really inconsistent (and other times with action happening), cell phone volume, even with everything turned way down, and that it does start pretty slow as far as getting going. The rest is pretty typical GTA on a better fleshed outscale. Nothing really surprised me either way.I'm still driving around causing mayhem for 30 minutes before dying and restarting the process. Good times for us A.D.D. gamers.[Y]
<P mce_keep="true">I dind't care for the graphics when I first played,but after boosting brightness and contrast, and then dropping saturation down a lot lower, the game looks great for the most part. It is hard on the eyes after awhile though, due to the wonky haze, but I'll live. For laughs, look at videos of Saints Row and then recheck GTA. Pretty amazing jump even from that game.
<P mce_keep="true">Multiplayer also has several modes that are really great. Been having a lot of fun messing around and just cutting loose in it. Its nice to hear people openly laughing instead of swearing about dying all the time andwelcome the break from the military shooter 1.5 releases that have been plaguing this console recently.
<P mce_keep="true">Otherwise, lots more to see and do, as its still early in the game for me.

[DslRider]

I 100% agree with Vcize on the gears comment. I also do not think it is possible for gears 2 to be "dissapointing" :)



My only MAJOR issue with this game is the damn radio in the cars. There has got to be a way to turn it off so everytime I get into a car I dont have to hold down the left d-pad.

[FlipMasterFlash]

My only MAJOR issue with this game is the damn radio in the cars. There has got to be a way to turn it off so everytime I get into a car I dont have to hold down the left d-pad.

You could go into the settings, go to audio and turn the radio volume down to zero. I think that would work.

[tbadfly]

My only MAJOR issue with this game is the damn radio in the cars. There has got to be a way to turn it off so everytime I get into a car I dont have to hold down the left d-pad.

You could go into the settings, go to audio and turn the radio volume down to zero. I think that would work. You can also just push d-pad left and hold it and it will shut it off.

[DslRider]

Thats not a bad idea flash. I will have to do that.

Now I feel like a moron for not thinking of that myself.

[Toothcake]

<P mce_keep="true">











Pretty much. I know everyone is a victim of hype in some form, but it should never get to the point where you placate yourself in to thinking that a title is going to be the Holy Grail of gaming, whether it be CoD4, Gears, Halo, or GTA4.





well said. if you believe in all the hype, when will you ever be satisfied with what a game has to offer?





I bought into the Gears hype and the final product still managed to exceed it tenfold http://adultgamingenthusiasts.com/emoticons/emotion-2.gif


No relevance to the conversation at hand, it had just been a few hours since I mentioned Gears so I was starting to get a little twitchy.





Can't really say the same.


Did I enjoy it? Hell yes.


Did it introduce new gameplay elements? Damn straight.


Did it look good? You bet your ass.


But the story made me feelfucking retarded. I read GI's preview of Gears 2 and they're saying that they were proud of how the story played out, but "some" people were disappointed in the single player campaign. It's something to be proud of if you take every action movie Jean-Claude, Arnold and Chuck ever made, pick out the cliches, and arrange them in an order that makes no sense.


Loved the game, but I hated paying full price for half a game. At least Shadowrun didn't make any effort to shroud the fact that you're paying full price for a multiplayer game.


Anyway. Tangent.

[HeartbreakRidge]

Can't really say the same.


Did I enjoy it? Hell yes.


Did it introduce new gameplay elements? Damn straight.


Did it look good? You bet your ass.


But the story made me feelfucking retarded.



+1

That's why I'm most likely passing on Gears 2. Bought into hype on Gears 1, won't make that same mistake again. [:|]

(Hijack over)

[BoomerBrian]

Bought into hype on Gears 1, won't make that same mistake again. http://adultgamingenthusiasts.com/emoticons/emotion-8.gif

(Hijack over)



While you may have not liked GOW the numbers definitely prove it wasn't overhyped. It is still in the top 5 for online play. Pretty damn impressive if you ask me.

I do agree the storyline was a bit weak but the gameplay was fun. The funny thing is that was their focus and the MP wasn't.

[FlipMasterFlash]

Guess it also comes down to if you really even care if games have a good story. GTA is the type of game where I actually want to follow the story, for the way I play in most FPS the single player portion is only something to do until everyone else gets online.[:D]

[PMH360]

<P mce_keep="true">Well I must be easy to please because I think the graphics look great. Not on a level of say Mass Effect of Bioshock but for a game like GTA, I am just wowed!
<P mce_keep="true">I have had some problems with the controls, fighting is kind of hard and I wish I could switch the buttons around. Oh well, I guess I'll do more fighting with my trigger finger instead. But now after a couple of days I think I am getting comfortable with the controls.
<P mce_keep="true">MP is awesome! I just love the GTA Race, I mean how cool is it to be driving with 15 other people down the highway and everyone is in police vans. So fun! Enjoy all the other modes too. I want to do some co-op with you guys! Haven't really tried it but it sounds fun!

[cdub998]

<P mce_keep="true">So I will jot down some quick thoughts since I started playing last night.
<P mce_keep="true">best graphics for a sandbox game to date. I mean go back and look at saints row. Crackdown was cell shaded so doesn't really count either. I mean the textures are good and the character models are great for there being so much going on. I just remember driving around last night going damn a lot.
<P mce_keep="true">The physics are top notch. People fly when you hit them and when you fly out the windshield is pretty sweet.
<P mce_keep="true">Gameplay is sweet but the controls do take a little getting used to. Camera is same old GTA though.
<P mce_keep="true">I am loving the story so far. The characters seem like you will get invested in them by the end.
<P mce_keep="true">Overall not a 10 but probably 8.5-9

[Maclintok]

With all the hype and expectations, GTA 4 is an easy target for criticsms. Take this thread. I may complain about a lot of things but I bitch because I love. I love these sandbox games and this one is so ambitious, I just wish it nailed down some basics that many people take for granted now.

With regard to the graphics, I am starting to like the style and appreciate the nuances of the technology they're putting to use such as rendering a gigantic city without any load times, smooth animations, a huge cast of NPC walking the streets, etc.. I'd also like to reiterate that playing in the closest zoom view sharpens up the graphical detail quite a bit. I like this view because it also puts me in Niko's shoes that much better.

It's also nice to have some current-gen games that don't look like it was built with the Unreal3 engine. It's a nice bit of tech but for a while so many games were using it and as a result were looking very samey. GTA 4 is still the best-looking sandbox game to date. If all you look at is texture detail then it's going to be a very average looking game. If you take it all in as a whole, the graphics engine, along with the Euphoria physics and NPC AI all mesh together for a visual experience that you won't find anywhere else.

And to mellow out my gripes earlier on, I"d say the game is getting better as I play. It's sort of like an RPG in that respect.

[Ballsjaken]

I 100% agree with Vcize on the gears comment. I also do not think it is possible for gears 2 to be "dissapointing" :)



lets revisit this when the game drops. i also bought gears off of the hype. i can't lie and say that i didn't enjoy it. but it doesn't rank up there with my favorite games by any means. it was my first 360 game, though, so it does have its respect.




While you may have not liked GOW
the numbers definitely prove it wasn't overhyped. It is still in the
top 5 for online play. Pretty damn impressive if you ask me.



i think this is in part because of the climate of 360 games at the time. was there another shooter at the time that looked as good or had that feel of somewhat original gameplay? the numbers are impressive, you can't deny that. i think it benefited from being at the right place at the right time.

[Bourbon]

<P mce_keep="true">[:D]







While you may have not liked GOW the numbers definitely prove it wasn't overhyped. It is still in the top 5 for online play. Pretty damn impressive if you ask me.





i think this is in part because of the climate of 360 games at the time. was there another shooter at the time that looked as good or had that feel of somewhat original gameplay? the numbers are impressive, you can't deny that. i think it benefited from being at the right place at the right time.

<P mce_keep="true">Personally, I think it benefited from the ability to turn your opponent into bloody chunks, or pop his head off with a sniper rifle. Or, you could shoot him with a boomshot, torque bow, grenade tag him.......

[dboss]

One of my
only complaints would be the inability to free-aim when 'by-standers'
are around. I like to make sure people are dead by popping a final
shot into their head when they're down, but when other people are
around I'm not able to free aim because it auto-targets the other
people that are around. I need to look to see if I'm doing something
wrong.




something about a half pull of the trigger.


Pull the left trigger half way down instead of all the way down and it will go into free aim rather than lock-on mode. Thanks, guys! Tried this last night and you were correct. Free-Aiming is much better now, although the citizens of Liberty City are going to be really pissed at you. Now they don't even have a chance with all of the head shots that are taking place!

[HeartbreakRidge]

While you may have not liked GOW the numbers definitely prove it wasn't overhyped. It is still in the top 5 for online play. Pretty damn impressive if you ask me.

Whether GoW was overhyped in general is one question (and I think even a successful game can be overhyped!), but it was overhyped to me, and all their proud hype about having a writer on staff....[:|]

Anyway... back to GTA.... [8-|]

[Sharky]

It's funny, the older I get, the less picky I am about games. It takes a pretty shitty game to disappoint me now. As long as it has good frame rates and good game play, I could care less about the rest. Maybe that is more a testimony to how good graphic have become. They are finally good enough in general that, even if they do not push the boundaries, they please me as long as the gameplay is there to back them up.

[vcize]

<P mce_keep="true">




While you may have not liked GOW the numbers definitely prove it wasn't overhyped. It is still in the top 5 for online play. Pretty damn impressive if you ask me.





i think this is in part because of the climate of 360 games at the time. was there another shooter at the time that looked as good or had that feel of somewhat original gameplay? the numbers are impressive, you can't deny that. i think it benefited from being at the right place at the right time.


It was the 3rd most played game on the xbox360 <U>last week</U>. That's not as in from its inception through last week, that's as in from the beginning of last week through the end of last week.

[vcize]

<P mce_keep="true">Anyway, sorry for the Gears hijack.
<P mce_keep="true">I agree with most on GTA4. It's nowhere near the perfect 10 that every review site seems to be drooling over it as, and it has a million little quirks that annoy me, but all in all it's a damn fine game and a solid 8.5 or 9 out of 10.
<P mce_keep="true">Niko is one of my favorite videogame protagonists in a long time.
<P mce_keep="true">The new cop chase mode is retarded (it's like the cop cars have a governor on their car that limits them from going over 20mph, so there's no real "chase" anymore) so going out and just wreaking havoc isn't as much fun as it wasin old GTA games, but that's made up for by a story that I actually care about this time around, whereas in the old GTA games I got so bored with the story that I just started skipping the cutscenes.

[Toothcake]

I just met Manny in game and already I want to choke the jackass out. Something in his manner of speech dictates that this bastard needs to die.

[dboss]

I just met Manny in game and already I want to choke the jackass out. Something in his manner of speech dictates that this bastard needs to die.

+1

I love Brucie though. Cracks me up everytime.

[Ballsjaken]

It was the 3rd most played game on the xbox360 <u>last week</u>. That's not as in from its inception through last week, that's as in from the beginning of last week through the end of last week.



it has an impressive following, i'm not arguing that. to clarify my thought, the massive following was built in part that this game was better than anything released at its time. but if it was released in the same season as h3 and cod4, would it have the same following? maybe it would, maybe it wouldn't.

i'm done with the hijack. hopefully my gta4 arrives today so i can add something constructive to the post.

[TurboPanzy]

Brucie annoyed the hell out of me in the beginning but now he's my favorite character. I'll be sad when the game forces me shoot him in the face. [:(]

[BoomerBrian]

<P mce_keep="true">



i'm done with the hijack. hopefully my gta4 arrives today so i can add something constructive to the post.





LOL! Me too Balls. My copy still hasn't arrived. I tell you what, if ours doesn't arrive today let's jack the thread again tomorrow.[:P]

[Sard of KC]

<P mce_keep="true">How do you dial numbers on the cell phone that aren't in your address book?

[HeartbreakRidge]

Up on the dpad once for cellphone, and a second time for 'free dialing', IIRC.

[Sard of KC]

<P mce_keep="true">



Up on the dpad once for cellphone, and a second time for 'free dialing', IIRC.
<P mce_keep="true">
<P mce_keep="true">Cool, I'll try that. [:D] It's the onlycombination I didn't try this morning

[Ballsjaken]

LOL! Me too Balls. My copy still hasn't arrived. I tell you what, if ours doesn't arrive today let's jack the thread again tomorrow.http://adultgamingenthusiasts.com/emoticons/emotion-4.gif



sounds like a plan.

according to tracking information, my copy is a half hour from my house. but its in the hands of the usps, so maybe i'll receive it by the end of june.

[Nick War]

I'm only about 5% in, but the game is keeping my interest. Some of the graphical touches are amazing and the frame-rate is noticably better than in the other GTA games. Some of the character textures in cut-scences are terrible.


On-foot controls are still sluggish, though improved. Why not just go with free-aim? I thought that Saint's Row did this very well. I'm enjoying the more realistic handling of the vehicles.

[TurboPanzy]

On-foot controls are still sluggish, though improved. Why not just go with free-aim? I thought that Saint's Row did this very well. I'm enjoying the more realistic handling of the vehicles.




Not sure if this is what you mean but I turned off the "Auto-aim" in options and like it much better.

[Nick War]

Not sure if this is what you mean but I turned off the "Auto-aim" in options and like it much better.

I'll give that a try Turbo. Thanks.

[Peshtigo42]

I'm only about 5% in, but the game is keeping my interest. Some of the graphical touches are amazing and the frame-rate is noticably better than in the other GTA games. Some of the character textures in cut-scenes are terrible.




+1 to all of that, and a big +1 to the bolded part. Wow, the people still don't blink enough, they move like the living dead and generally look fairly piss-poor. The very early scene with Niko, Roman and that other office guy was anyone else reminded of the puppets from the Genesis "Land of Confusion" video? Maybe that was just me... wow.. please Rockstar, hire someone new in the character modeling department.

On that note, how do I gently tell Michelle that I don't want to go out with her again because not only is she boring as hell, but she looks like she was made with a PS1 in-game cutscene engine? (aka, ugly as shit)

Other parts are as well done as expected. I think a solid 8.5 or 9 for this game. No way in hell this is a 10. If this is a 10, then Bioshock must be a 12 or 13.

I have yet to play multiplayer, and I am looking forward to it very much, I think I will be much more likely to play co-op and vs. with my time than worrying about single player, especially early on.

[Doctor Hoops]

<P mce_keep="true">
It's funny, the older I get, the less picky I am about games. It takes a pretty shitty game to disappoint me now.
<P mce_keep="true">I am the same about women...odd,eh?

[cdub998]

<P mce_keep="true">







I'm only about 5% in, but the game is keeping my interest. Some of the graphical touches are amazing and the frame-rate is noticably better than in the other GTA games. Some of the character textures in cut-scenes are terrible.






+1 to all of that, and a big +1 to the bolded part. Wow, the people still don't blink enough, they move like the living dead and generally look fairly piss-poor. The very early scene with Niko, Roman and that other office guy was anyone else reminded of the puppets from the Genesis "Land of Confusion" video? Maybe that was just me... wow.. please Rockstar, hire someone new in the character modeling department.


On that note, how do I gently tell Michelle that I don't want to go out with her again because not only is she boring as hell, but she looks like she was made with a PS1 in-game cutscene engine? (aka, ugly as shit)


Other parts are as well done as expected. I think a solid 8.5 or 9 for this game. No way in hell this is a 10. If this is a 10, then Bioshock must be a 12 or 13.


I have yet to play multiplayer, and I am looking forward to it very much, I think I will be much more likely to play co-op and vs. with my time than worrying about single player, especially early on.






Have you played the older GTA's? I am playing liberty city stories right now so I can tell you for sure that is not the case.
<P mce_keep="true">

[cdub998]

<P mce_keep="true">I mean this
<P mce_keep="true">http://www.cheatcc.com/imagesx360/gtaiv_32a.jpg
<P mce_keep="true">VS This
<P mce_keep="true">http://www.freewebs.com/steven_clyde/grand-theft-auto-san-andreas-20041217114945688.jpg

[dboss]

Brucie annoyed the hell out of me in the beginning but now he's my favorite character. I'll be sad when the game forces me shoot him in the face. http://adultgamingenthusiasts.com/emoticons/emotion-6.gif
[ro]

[Ro Sham Poe]

It was the 3rd most played game on the xbox360 <u>last week</u>. That's not as in from its inception through last week, that's as in from the beginning of last week through the end of last week.



but if it was released in the same season as h3 and cod4, would it have the same following? maybe it would, maybe it wouldn't.



I actually think the more interesting way to pose the question would ask, "If Halo 3 or Cod4 were released at the same time as GTA, would either of these games have the same following? The last installment of the game sold more copies than halo 3 and Cod 4 *combined.*

It's clearly the more popular game, with more name recognition to boot. I think the best answer is that there would have been drop off on either title, but most likely COD4 or Halo 3 would have suffered more in the short run.

While I admit that COD 4 was an excellent game, the previous incarnation is another matter. Fans of the series seemed to really not like COD 3. The reviews were good, but I heard and read a lot of complaints as well as saw how difficult it was to get a game going after the initial few weeks. Cod3 did not create the pedigree that would be come Cod4

[Maclintok]

I actually think the more interesting way to pose the question would ask, "If Halo 3 or Cod4 were released at the same time as GTA, would either of these games have the same following? The last installment of the game sold more copies than halo 3 and Cod 4 *combined.*

It's clearly the more popular game, with more name recognition to boot. I think the best answer is that there would have been drop off on either title, but most likely COD4 or Halo 3 would have suffered more in the short run.

While I admit that COD 4 was an excellent game, the previous incarnation is another matter. Fans of the series seemed to really not like COD 3. The reviews were good, but I heard and read a lot of complaints as well as saw how difficult it was to get a game going after the initial few weeks. Cod3 did not create the pedigree that would be come Cod4




A simultaneous release of H3, CoD4 and GTA4 would have been madness and we'd have seen a disasterous spike in suicides among game store store clerks. What Ro Sham Poe was saying, San Andreas sold like hotcakes a few years ago. Had all 3 big hitters released on the same day, they would have robbed sales from one another, for sure, but I'm fairly confident GTA 4 would have still outstripped the other two in sales.

There's something else going on with GTA that you don't get with H3 or CoD4. It goes well beyond game play, which all 3 have in spades. It's the branding, the pedigree, and Rockstar's, well... rockstar-like attitude and mystique. More importantly, the GTA series just oozes cool in such a way that a sci fi or military shooter can't replicate.

[Ballsjaken]

my post was throwing the hypothetical of a near-simultaneous release of gears, h3, and cod4.

my inclination would be to think that gta4 would outdo them all at the same time as it would pull fans of a few different genres into the mix, where the aforementioned 3 are fps's.

[Peshtigo42]

I'm only about 5% in, but the game is keeping my interest. Some of the graphical touches are amazing and the frame-rate is noticably better than in the other GTA games. Some of the character textures in cut-scenes are terrible.






+1 to all of that, and a big +1 to the bolded part. Wow, the people still don't blink enough, they move like the living dead and generally look fairly piss-poor. The very early scene with Niko, Roman and that other office guy was anyone else reminded of the puppets from the Genesis "Land of Confusion" video? Maybe that was just me... wow.. please Rockstar, hire someone new in the character modeling department.


On that note, how do I gently tell Michelle that I don't want to go out with her again because not only is she boring as hell, but she looks like she was made with a PS1 in-game cutscene engine? (aka, ugly as shit)


Other parts are as well done as expected. I think a solid 8.5 or 9 for this game. No way in hell this is a 10. If this is a 10, then Bioshock must be a 12 or 13.


I have yet to play multiplayer, and I am looking forward to it very much, I think I will be much more likely to play co-op and vs. with my time than worrying about single player, especially early on.






Have you played the older GTA's? I am playing liberty city stories right now so I can tell you for sure that is not the case.




Point well taken, maybe I was just expecting too much and hoping everything would look absolutely amazing instead of decent with instances of not-too-great. Especially for a 10 out of 10 game.

[BEAR NASTY]

<P mce_keep="true">This game makes me scream at my t.v. if i fail a mission! I hate all the driving around you have to do, other then that and the time the game made me about pass out from getting sick is pretty sweet!

[Wendig1630]

<P mce_keep="true">Holy Crap! I just finished the mission "three leaf clover"; all I can say is its the single most awsome mission in the entire series. This one might throw Bear of the handle.[ro]

[Toothcake]

<P mce_keep="true">So. I picked up my first hooker yesterday, and instead of cycling through the services - I dropped a grenade out the window. I tried in vein to back away and dodge the blast, but it was too late and we were both killed in the resulting explosion.
<P mce_keep="true">Happy ending?
<P mce_keep="true">Also, i'm starting to that the fuzzy oil-paint like haze goes away as the game progresses because, and this may just be me, the textures are looking a lot sharper. It'd be a cool visual choice using bright colors at the first part of the game because Niko still believes in the American Dream and hasn't done any of the really bad crap that happens later on in the game, because I swear that the colors are moving more towards a gray palette.

[Crimson Fox]

So. I picked up my first hooker yesterday, and instead of cycling through the services - I dropped a grenade out the window. I tried in vein to back away and dodge the blast, but it was too late and we were both killed in the resulting explosion.


Happy ending?



I guess there is more than one way to blow your load. [gl]

[Maclintok]

<P mce_keep="true">



I just met Manny in game and already I want to choke the jackass out. Something in his manner of speech dictates that this bastard needs to die.





Agreed! I was so happy when I no longer had to do missions for him. Thankfully, that happened A LOT sooner than I expected.

[Toothcake]

<P mce_keep="true">Three Leaf Clover is indeed awesome. Packie singing Oh Danny Boy in a drunken stupor is endlessly amusing as well.