| Author | Review |
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Kaiser Flaco
73,005
TA Score for this game: 3,545
Posted on 09 April 09 at 00:25, Edited on 17 April 10 at 21:43 |
This review has 30 positive votes and 12 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
GTAIV was never going to live up to the hype. Public opinion over the game tends to be split; harvesting near-perfect 9s and 10s from most publications, gamers will often voice their disagreement and be quick to attribute such astronomical praise to bribery (an act not unheard of in the gaming journalism industries, it must be admitted). The reason for this division of opinion could be attributed to the Grand Theft Auto series own popularity, in fact. The growth of the series, primarily from III to Vice City to San Andreas, has been incredible, R* effortlessly topping themselves each time, if only in the amount of stuff to do, game world size and expansive cinematic aspect unconsidered.
And with that GTAIV might immediately seem like a step back for the series. Gone are ‘R3’ missions, the memorable taxi/vigilante/paramedic oddjobs now axed. Gone also are the buyable properties and empire-building aspects, and with them, the overall sense of a rags to riches story of a lone criminal in an unforgiving post-industrial American city. On the whole, these still exist in some shape or form in IV; the taxi and vigilante missions still playable, though not through the classic R3 method, and certainly not with the rewards they once offered, and safehouses still to be found in Liberty City, though not with the money-accumulating functions seen in Vice City and San Andreas. Jumping straight into IV expecting the addictive oddjobs and money-making missions to be a staple of the game would be unwise.
But what is a game that doesn’t expand on what we’ve seen before? Would we really have been content with a new GTAIII-style game with better graphics to please a new generation? Even now, the idea of Vice City recreated in GTAIV’s engine seems like the greatest idea for a game one can imagine, but R* knows that risks must be taken. If the change hadn’t happened, they’d feed us a new GTA every fourth quarter with new technical advancements and the consumer would lap it up.
It’s immensely brave of R* to take such a huge risk with a franchise as valuable as GTA, but it has paid off for them unbelievably well. The critics were right – R* is a technical marvel, a testament to what games as a medium can accomplish. The sheer size of the game coupled with the level of detail is unrivalled. R*’s insistence to stay in Liberty City for further instalments has proven this. No other video game has, or , indeed, could, pull off the concept of three intertwining stories in the same game world as well as GTAIV and its episodes has done. Each visit to Liberty City feels fresh; we are, quite literally, seeing it through new eyes each time. They’ve created the single greatest game world ever seen, and likely ever to be seen for the rest of this generation and much of the next, where it’s likely to be overshadowed only by GTAV itself.
Even the plot for GTAIV has been overhauled in comparison to past efforts. Playing as a Serbian brings a very unique aspect to the city, opening up areas that would surely have been missed had we been playing an Italian-American mafia henchman that may have been typical to the GTAIII-era games. With The Lost and Damned, we see Liberty City through the eyes of biker Johnny Klebitz, this time with much of the sleaze and corruption of Alderney being explored. And if Broker is Niko's territory, and Alderney belongs to the Lost MC, then Algonquin is fleshed out in The Ballad of Gay Tony, where Luis Lopez experiences the dangers of high society and finding a balance between its temptations and sticking close to his roots. Each game's story has its own themes and messages, its own life. The connections between the three stories are superb, and surpass even the benchmark set in the GTA-III era, though instead of sprawling apart over a two-decade timeframe and three cities, this time confined to a single city as a modern day experience.
There are, of course, truly valid criticisms of GTAIV out there. The rather primitive online modes, for instance, already outdone by the Multi Theft Auto mods for Vice City and San Andreas on the PC. Or the constant nagging from friends wanting to do activities, an (unnecessary) overhaul of the girlfriend system in San Andreas. There’s also no huge sense of reward in GTAIV, either – weapons are now only sold from shops and not delivered to a safehouse as they were in past games, money is much harder to come by, and when you do find it, it’s usually taken away swiftly. Hospitals in GTAIV are now extremely costly compared to the simple $100 charge of past games, and it’s too easy to unload your wallet simply stocking up on weapons and ammo. Luckily, the exclusion of buyable properties means the game has one less money sink. While not failings that hold the game from being perfection, they are certainly valid, and can often seem a bit silly when compared to how the same systems were pulled off almost perfectly in past games. There’s no real reason for these sorts of changes.
When the game you’re playing is as truly massive as GTAIV, these sorts of criticisms simply don’t matter. The entire experience is refined to be truly amazing, even the in-mission set pieces treated with a cinematic fine-tuning, in addition to every other overhaul seen in the game. With Episodes from Liberty City now long since released, it appears that our foray into Liberty City has come to an end. Where R* take the series now is up for debate, and although it might seem absurd that the inevitable GTAV might surpass IV in terms of quality, the same fondness for a particular open-world crime simulator was on many a gamer's mind in 2008. And while some still wish now that the GTA series had never taken this giant leap, one can only hope that in a few years we await GTAV with the same anticipation. It seems that the only thing holding back R* at this stage, is, quite literally, the technology at their disposal.
Note: edited (heavily) 17/04/10
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AdamRawrr
37,741
TA Score for this game: 535
Posted on 28 June 09 at 01:10 |
This review has 17 positive votes and 5 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
Let me start out by saying i'm in no way shape or form against this game. It's an awesome game, i just feel things could have been made better in certain places. You'll see where if you read on.
Right, let me jump right in and tell you what i think. If you rent the game, you'll love it to bits and not wanna send it back.
But the longer you have it, the story mode part will get excessivly boring.
Story:
The story is alittle (i wouldn't say stranger) but it's.. different that the previous games' story lines. And with the phone calls and texts every 3 minutes, that will definitly push your buttons if you have a low patience. However, the graphics on this game are by far one of the best ive seen, the buildings, the sea's, the sky.. all the way down to the park's are all very well designed, and as for the cars.. They practically look like the real thing, especially when you damage them, They're so realistic (if you hold break and accellerate, soon enough your tires will blow) which is rather excellent, and if you accidently crash into something you go flying through the windscreen.
Multiplayer:
The multiplayer is abit of both. It's got great varies game modes (see below) for you to show off your skills, be it driving or shooting. And ofcourse the always ever so popular Free Roam, where you can play with randomers you find online or friends by setting up a private session to explore round the city in company. The multiplayer can be very entertaining however a slight thing i've noticed is that if your playing a mode which isn't necessarily supposed to be shooting eachother (eg: GTA Race or Free Roam) then having auto-aim allowed can be extremely annoying if your trying to play fairly or don't want to be shot for no reason.
Sounds:
The sounds for this game are very unique to Grand Theft Auto. The most noticible sounds would be the various radio stations played in every car, bike and boat, i believe?
They're clever, funny and very original.
Overall i really like this game and still play it despite having it for more than a year.
Here are the 15 multiplayer game modes:
Team Games:
Team Deathmatch
Team Mafia Work
Team Car Jack City
Turf War
Cops N' Crooks
Competative Games:
Deathmatch
Mafia Work
Car Jack City
Race Games:
Race
GTA Race
Co-operative Games:
Deal Breaker
Hangman's NOOSE
Bomb Da Base II
All Rounder:
Free Roam
Single player: 6.7/10
Multiplayer: 8.3/10
Sounds 8.6/10
If you don't like my review, please feel free to comment and i'll get back to you.
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mudE13
67,957
TA Score for this game: 513
Posted on 18 June 09 at 17:01, Edited on 23 August 10 at 06:03 |
This review has 16 positive votes and 7 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
The Smokin' Gamer here with my first quick review. Now with all my game reviews, I will be scaling them in six areas; STORY, GAMEPLAY, GRAPHICS, SOUND/MUSIC, REPLAY VALUE, and whats important to most of us PRICE VALUE.
{UPDATED: 08/23/10}
GRAND THEFT AUTO 4 [censored] : This is without a doubt one of the biggest games ever released. It received great reviews across the board and is considered a groundbreaking game. But does it deserve all this hype? Let's find out.
Story: The story in GTA4 is by far the best in the series. You play as an immigrant known as Niko Bellic looking for someone who betrayed him while he was in the army. Along the way you get to meet a [censored]load of different characters, each one of them helping to develop the storyline. Of course like the other GTA games there's tons of story to explore with different outcomes. It really shows that video games can tell just as good of a story as a movie and/or book. This was my favorite part of the entire game.
(Story: 9/10)
Gameplay: OK this is the part where most people are going to want to burn me alive. Although it is ridiculous fun running over people, shooting [censored], and blowing the living [censored] out of everything, almost every mission felt like a chore. Let's be honest, most games are repetitive, but it has to be the right kind of repetitiveness. All I kept hearing before the game came out was, "OH they have changed the combat up so much in this game. It's going to kick [censored] !!!". While the new cover system was a welcome addition, the lock on system [censored] major [censored]!!! And that [censored]ing physics system...I mean...I know it's pretty accurate, but I hate being thrown from a car and tearing up my [censored] for about a mile down the road . I know I might be nit picking, but the same people that will defend this game will [censored] about how you can't run and gun in RE5. Besides that, the game does offer many things to do and keep a person busy for a very long time. It can get pretty frustrating (like the last mission...[censored] that was so stressful), but it does a great job of keeping you sucked in.
(Gameplay:6.5/10)
Graphics: This game does look amazing...most of the time. You can tell that it was carefully detailed in every inch, but is it just me or do the people look kinda mutated. The cars, the lighting, and enviroments are all gorgeous.
(Graphics: 8.5/10)
Sound/Music: Once again the sound is great. Listening to all the people on the street and just hearing the noises from the city to do make it feel like you are actually in a city. And with a [censored]load of different radio stations, it has by far some of the best music in a game. (Sound/Music: 10/10)
Replay Value: You can play this game over and over again without doing any of the missions. Of course we all know this already. BONUS: Multiplayer is pretty [censored]ing fun...if you can find anybody to play with. (Replay Value: 9/10)
Price Value: You can find this game used for about $20-$30 or you can spend $40 to get a new copy. IS it worth it, well...that's really up to you. I think it is at a fair price now, but I really don't think it was worth the $60 (but I RARELY think a game is worth that). There is always plenty to do and with the Lost and the Damned DLC and the soon to be released the Ballad of Gay Tony DLC it is money well paid for. (Price Value: 8/10)
Overall Score: 8.5/10
Now don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed this game. You can tell Rockstar put a lot of hard work into this game. But with that being said, I'm not going to act like it's the greatest thing to happen to the video game industry. There are some annoyances and flaws, but GTA4 is still an important gaming achievement. I still think slice bread is better though.
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Blind Hedshott
23,020
TA Score for this game: 1,342
Posted on 07 June 10 at 13:45 |
This review has 7 positive votes and 3 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
Summary: Grand Theft Auto IV is a third-person shooter created by Rockstar that ventures into the underworld of modern-day gangsters.
Story: You play as the immigrant Serbian Niko Bellic who has moved to Liberty City in hope for fast cars, mansions, women and above all, no trouble. However after your first couple days you start doing odd jobs for the local mafia and start making your money through murder, robbery and drug-dealing.
Gameplay: The gameplay is similar to that of the original Grand Theft Auto's, however the graphics have improved loads showing off every bit of detail including bits of litter on the street, dirt on the car, cracks in windows even the blood splatter from shooting someone. There is a huge choice of weapons like all the other GTA games, including AK's, Shotgun's, Combat Pistol's, RPG-7, Uzi's, Sniper Rifles, Molotovs, Grenades, Baseball Bats and more
Multiplayer: There are a total of 15 different game modes which you can play with friends, including Deathmatch, Cops N Crooks, Mafia Work, Team Deathmatch, Turf Wars, and Races.
DLC: The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony have both been released an they are both fun add-ons. Their stories coincide with the story of GTA IV's meaning in each one you will meet Niko somewhere. In Lost and Damned, you play as Johnny Klebitz a biker with the gang The Lost. In Ballad of Gay Tony you play as Luis Lopez, a bodyguard to nightclub owner Tony Prince.
Overall Verdict
Story: 10/10
Gameplay: 10/10
Sound: 10/10
Multiplayer: 8/10
DLC: 9/10
Overall: 10/10
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The One X22
30,050
TA Score for this game: 885
Posted on 19 August 10 at 16:57 |
This review has 7 positive votes and 8 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
To start this review i tried hard to like the game because i like the GTA franchise but i just found it really difficult. There are good points in the game such as the execution system and the melee system but apart from that the game sort of pales in comparison to its predecessors such as San Andreas or even Vice City.
The first problem i had with this game was the crappy car control system which kicked me right in the balls the VERY FIRST TIME i drove a car in the FIRST MISSION. The cars all handle like dead cows in shopping carts with sticky wheels and are too easily destroyed. The weapon selection is also depressing because it seems like theres a normal version of a weapon and then theres the "combat" version of a weapon which to me just seems like taking a few steps back from the older games weapon systems.
Another major problem is the story which pretty much focuses solely on your character, an eastern European soldier by the name of Niko Bellic, getting revenge on various people who wronged him which is a big step back from San Andreas' story of bringing your gang up to power than rescue your brother than set up in two other city's than rob a casino. The entire story could easily be summed up by saying "Here is a man, he was wronged in life, now hes going to find the people who did it and kill them because thats all he knows" and when you finally FIND the guy you were looking for all along your character (of course) doesn't feel any better about killing him. While yes the story has a little more depth than that it seems that revenge was a major part of it and everything else was just Niko setting himself up to get his revenge. I tried to like the story but i just found it difficult to like Niko when he was complaining about his friends dying or his apartment getting burned down. The only character that i found enjoyable to see was Brucie because of his antics all the other ones where either overly optimistic or suicidally depressed.
The final problem I had was with gameplay which compared to San Andreas' gameplay took a MASSIVE step backwards taking out things such as airplanes which where fun to fly. Another thing removed which i view as a staple for the wanted system was the "six stars now its military" no in this game its "six stars now even MORE FBI" oh wait they suddenly cant call them FBI now its the FIB. The world itself is pitiful in comparison to other games especially since San Andreas made it an entire state to play around in not just a single city, and if anybody says that Alderney was a seperate city i will hunt you down and gut you it was just another DAMN island because rockstar is in LOVE with islands (maybe a connection to lost?). The radio stations are also crap because the only talkshow stations have like 5 segments that are endlessly repeated and theres only 2 talkshows everything else is music from like EVERY genre under the sun, you've got a reggae station next to classical and a rap station next to country which makes me wonder if the radio isn't schizophrenic .
These are just the grievances iv found with this game and if your sitting there thinking "YOUR WRONG GTA 4 WAS AN INCREDIBLE GAME" i want you to stop, and see if your oppinion is your own or if its just rockstars dick in your mouth. If you genuinely liked GTA 4 ok im not saying your an idiot but if you find yourself only liking it because it was so hyped maybe you should rethink your life
i gave it 2 stars
was i a little harsh? no i was giving my cold honest oppinion on it
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