GTA4

[Scott_Arm]

Post your user review here. State platform and break down by story, gameplay, graphics, sound, intangibles etc, if you like. You can also use this thread for general discussion of the game.

I realize people won't want to post a full score until after they've played it a while, but for now you can just state your likes/dislikes and vote in the poll later when you're comfortable.

Poll is 1 - 10 scale, but you can put finer granularity (9.3 etc) in your post if you feel it's necessary. I didn't include 0. I even thought including 1 thru 3 was pushing it.

EDIT: PLEASE TAG SPOILERS!

 

[Juan Panson]

I have been playing for like 3 hours and its good ol' Grand Theft Auto. The only thing that is really bugging me is the blur filter and the bad aliasing. I wish they would have at least given us an option to remove the filter.

PS3 version.

 

[blakjedi]

the rack focus is distracting... but Little Jacob is THE MOST authentic Jamaican in a videogame ever... Hahaa I actually just look forward to hearing from him throughout most of the game... and being drunk is a blast! lol

x360 version

 

[Scott_Arm]

The 360 version comes with a 1 month trial for Live Gold.

 

[AlphaWolf]

I've barely turned it on (just drove around a bit), but the opening sequence seemed well enough done. The graphics are more than acceptable. Hopefully I get a chance to play it more later tonight.

 

[Tap In]

I've barely turned it on (just drove around a bit), but the opening sequence seemed well enough done. The graphics are more than acceptable. Hopefully I get a chance to play it more later tonight.

same here

got about a half hour in before the kids came home and holy crap I'm already thinking about what I want to do in the game.

not gonna get a chance to get back on until tonight

so far the voice acting is perfect. the feeling of an alive city where if I want to stay inconspicuous requires me to obey laws is evident. Of course that won't last long before I'm tearing it up.

graphics are about what I'd expected, very nice, plenty smooth (but not perfect) no screen tearing and incredibly detailed.

 

[AntShaw]

Fun so far. Classic GTA. Liberty City is amazing. Driving is way different (in a good way). New lock on not so bad. Repeat, Liberty City is amazing. Blurry mess. PS3. Only about 3 hours in. Music is great!

 

[ninzel]

Is there any kind of 360 like achievement system in the PS3 version?Not just stat tracking,but actual named goals?

 

[patsu]

Not that I know of. Trophies/Achievements may have to wait until PS Home is here (unless they separate it for in-game XMB)

 

[ninzel]

meh.

 

[patsu]

meh.

[Looks over at GTA4 menus]

...em... nope. Meh is not in the game too.

 

[ninzel]

[Looks over at GTA4 menus]

...em... nope. Meh is not in the game too.

So how would you rate animations?1 being last gen,10 being something like Uncharted.

 

[trinibwoy]

I'm wondering how people can already rate a game that supposedly has 40+ hours of gameplay and it's been out less than 24 hours......

 

[Dr. Meaty]

I don't actually have the game yet, but from the videos I've seen, something does seem a bit weird about the way the guy leans so far to the sides when he's running. It almost looks like his whole center of gravity is somewhere around the level of his knees?

 

[AntShaw]

Rating game solely on what I have seen up to this point. By far a final judgement. Comparing soley to what my expectations were. This game is NOT a 10. Who ever said it was, they were paid to do so.

With that said, its GTA. If you are a GTA fan, then this game is a no brainer. If you aren't, this game won't make you one. If you have never played GTA, then this game has a lot of potential to entertain you.

 

[AntShaw]

I don't actually have the game yet, but from the videos I've seen, something does seem a bit weird about the way the guy leans so far to the sides when he's running. It almost looks like his whole center of gravity is somewhere around the level of his knees?

It is kind of awkward.

 

[patsu]

So how would you rate animations?1 being last gen,10 being something like Uncharted.

My dude has been in the car since I got the game. I am driving around LC just to sight-see. For the moment, I have MGO beta to fudge with (AntShaw, you should try it). The cutscene is ok but nothing to write home about. Will report later. Uncharted is kinda a high bar to set.

I agree with AntShaw: This is not a perfect 10 game.

I don't want to say they are paid, but clearly the game resonates with their tastes and personal preferences.

 

[Tap In]

My dude has been in the car since I got the game. I am driving around LC just to sight-see. For the moment, I have MGO beta to fudge with (AntShaw, you should try it). The cutscene is ok but nothing to write home about. Will report later. Uncharted is kinda a high bar to set.

I agree with AntShaw: This is not a perfect 10 game.

I don't want to say they are paid, but clearly the game resonates with their tastes and personal preferences.

remembering a review or two I read i believe the "greatest sandbox" game ever made was the main premise.

using that criteria it is hard to argue.

Looking from a purely technical aspect compared to a corridor shooter (even one made to feel open) won't yield the same feeling of reverence. YMMV

 

[patsu]

Even by that "greatest XXX game ever made" logic, there are issues; the same issues they took points away from other games.

As for comparing with Uncharted, I think ninzel just wants to compare the animation on a pure technical basis. Everyone here understands the differences between a corridor shooter vs an open world game.

 

[Scott_Arm]

360 version

My initial impressions are VERY VERY good. The animations are alright, but it's the way they blend into the physics that makes them interesting. The way people react when you bump into them on foot, or slam into them with your car looks awesome. The cars feel a bit more realistic than Vice City, which was the last one I played, but it's still very arcade. Shooting out of your car is nice. Flying through the windshield of your car is also nice

The cut scenes seem pretty well done. The cellphone is a real slick way to tie everything together.

The city is pretty big and me and my bro had a lot of really amazing car chases. Still haven't seen a wanted rating above 3, and 3 was pretty hard to survive. Gun combat and melee seem more difficult than previous versions and you die faster. You don't seem to take a lot of damage in crashes, but melee and bullets kill you pretty quick. The cover mechanics and aiming are very very basic Uncharted/Gears style, but it works pretty well. Melee is more interesting than it used to be with block and a couple different attacks you can use to string combos.

As for graphics, seems very good. The city is big, has lots of pedestrians and cars. It seems more "alive" than the other games. I don't notice the aliasing too much, but i'm playing on a 24" screen, so it obviously won't be as apparent in motion as it would be on a TV. Framerate is obviously not the highest, but very playable to me - better than previous GTA games on the consoles. Texture pop-in is noticeable in the distance, but not a big deal to me. Haven't noticed any screen tearing.

It's GTA. If you really didn't like the previous ones, you probably won't like this one. If you were on the fence or thought the previous ones were ok, I'd say definitely try this one because it's much more well rounded and polished, especially the "on foot" part of the game.

If the game continues to ramp up for me, I'd definitely rate it very high. Probably not a 10, but very high. I don't have too many games that I would rate a 10, but this definitely is on track to be one of the best games I've played in a while.

Will try multi-player tomorrow.