SubJeff on 21/10/2009 at 01:56

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I searched and there are no specific threads about impressions of the game. I got it recently for the PS3 (since I haven't heard that the PC version got fixed and besides I got a 40" TV partly for gaming) and well, below is what I think so far.

I've included a poll because I get the feeling it gets a lot of love and hate and well I just wanted to know fellow forumite's opinions.

Anyway...

I enjoyed GTA Vice City, got bored of GTA 3, but I'm loving GTA4. 30% through it according to my in-game stats. I think I need to slow down.

Where to start? The gameplay mechanics work a treat on the controller. The analogue accelerator is cool, the feel of the individual cars is slick, the gunplay and cover system pure gameplay fun. I'm enjoying the physics whilst driving alot, but damn its hard with so many tards on the roads :p
The level of detail in this game is, to me, astounding. I know that most of the buildings are shells, but there are so many alleys, walkways, so much detail to the different parts of the city that coupled with the traffic (which is heavier on the second large island) and the pedestrians really make it seem like a living city. Crossing the bridges at night on the way to a mission, with the radio on (Lazarus Q, lol), feels so right. I love night driving through the city in RL and this works, just works.

The plot, in the way I've taken it (more on that in a bit) seems pretty convoluted and there is a dark cynicism to Niko that I really like. He seems like a realist and a good guy at heart, but his coldness comes through all the time and at this point I think he's a pretty frikking scary guy. Most of the people he deals with don't seem to have the courage or conviction he has, and they also don't seem smart enough to realise that Niko is going to own them all. And I mean that outside the context of the plot - his character is just more resilient and much more ready to step up and take things to a deadly conclusion.

Now the plot seems to have a branching structure so far. As I alluded to in another thread it really seems that things I've done, or not, have come back to affect me based on the decision. Now I'm going to put a spoiler tag here because this is a plot point that you should experience yourself. I'm sure I'll come up with others. I've been going out with Michelle the whole game and I've only refused to see her once. I initiated about half the dates, and I've hooked up with her on every date since the 2nd. I've just reached a part where it turns out she is a Fed, and Niko is pretty pissed off with her. I'm wondering what happens to the interaction if you don't go out with her at all, or dump her before this point?

The missions may be samey (go here, kill this guy, deliver this) but the small differences and locales make it refreshing enough to not bore me yet.

And then there are the details. The weapons feel solid (shotgun is my fav), the mobile phone is genius, Niko's new outfits make him look like the baddest gangster ever or the suavest Balkan Scarface out there, the cutscenes are great and it just looks lovely.

So much effort has been put into this game and it shows. I was excited when it was due out but bummed that the PC version is nerfed due to porting issues. I've waited a while and if I'd known I'd have got this much earlier (£12.99 used at game ftw).

My verdict so far - if this keeps up I'm going to consider this a modern classic.

EvaUnit02 on 21/10/2009 at 02:12

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I've already posted my opinion (http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1919772#post1919772) in the Dragon Age thread.

I've got the expansion pack bundle, "Episodes from Liberty City", on pre-order (since it's priced how a expansion should be, unlike Halo ODST). It sounds like an all-round better product than the vanilla game. I.e. none of the tedious social simulator crap.


True, it's basically cribbed from a lot of Hollywood films, that probably did a better job. Gaming is a young medium though, so I cut it some slack.

EDIT: GTA suffers from heavy (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GameplayAndStorySegregation) gameplay and story segregation.

EvaUnit02 on 21/10/2009 at 02:22

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Missions can be rigidly scripted, despite the nature of the game.

Chasing down the thugs that stole the diamonds from you is a prime example. If you destroy their car before it reaches the destination (where scripted events occur), you fail the mission. You should've been able to destroy the car and retrieve the diamonds from the wreckage if you wanted to.

Zygoptera on 21/10/2009 at 03:15

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Write in for "didn't buy it thanks to bad port and multiple crap DRM issues".

demagogue on 21/10/2009 at 04:37

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My vote is probably skewed because 1. NYC is like home, so it got bonus points just for that, and 2. I'm a sucker for any game that just lets me randomly cruise in a car.