GTA:IV Official Thread

[Sng]

Pick something up, then LT to enter free aim? That just locks me onto something, and the item in my hands vanishes, forcing me slog around looking for another black speck on the floor to pick up.

Right trigger to throw. It does tell you that.

[Uncle Nasty]

Just fucking wow. This is off the scale, an absolute masterpiece, a work of art. That a game like this can be made is beyond my comprehension. Blown away.

[scottcr]

Can I just say also the way the Police are handled in this in terms of when they are after you is brilliant. Its virtually the perfect implementation.

it's very similar, if not identical, to Scarface.

[the_buddha_of_gaming]

Right trigger to throw. It does tell you that.

As soon(g) as I pressed LT, the throwable object vanished from my hands.

I was loving it up until this, but I'm really intolerant of vagueness in my old age.

[biglime]

There's nothing vague about it.

You don't even have to throw anything through the window. I just shot it.

[Mortis]

Sigh yourself, it's fucking outrageous that the premium version of the console doesn't come with a wireless adaptor as standard. It comes with a sodding headset FFS. As for not doing my research... who the hell researches a console purchase, I based it on the games available and the vague notion that the premium was the complete package with regards to Live. We don't all have time to find out this stuff, and we don't all have endless streams of cash to throw away on a hobby.

Well anyone that doesn't have endless streams of cash should sensibly weigh up the pros and cons of any purchase. It's been well documented about the 360's lack of out of box wireless support and argued endlessly here and all over the internet.

Last thing I say on the matter though as it's OT and nothing more than gamefaqs worthy argument stuff.

[elmo]

Thats another little thing stolen from saints row

i think it's only fair that GTA steals a couple of things from saints row innit?

[biglime]

i think it's only fair that GTA steals a couple of things from saints row innit?

I actually smirk every time Saints Row gets mentioned.

[Distinct muttering]

I know this. LB, then Y to enter the taxi as a passenger. Y just makes me hijack the taxi though. Everytime.

Pick something up, then LT to enter free aim? That just locks me onto something, and the item in my hands vanishes, forcing me slog around looking for another black speck on the floor to pick up.

I'm not even drunk here.

HOLD Y, dont just press it, thats what it tells you on the prompt.

I have no idea what you are doing with the bricks though, maybe its an auto aim thing, I have mine set to free aim.

[elmo]

I actually smirk every time Saints Row gets mentioned.

Yeah i liked it at the time but jesus i couldn't even think about going back to it. Or Saints Row 2 for that matter.

[fatoy.japa]

I'm afraid I'll have to side with the more disappointed of Kerraig's shoulder angels on the basis of my first few hours' play. For all the soft-focus wonder of the city itself, for every time the physics work fantastically well, there's a half dozen frustrations that really mire the good stuff.

I think Niko's a fantastic character, but considering the game is so focused on dialogue and character interaction it really surprised me how little effort has been put into the design and animation of the people he encounters. Even Roman and

Michelle

, the very first people you spend any time with, look and move horribly in comparison - floating across the roads and spinning round in circles. Following such a clever introduction sequence, why are the game mechanics themselves introduced through ugly text pop-ups and camera pans that take longer to load than they last? I really hate that I can't seem to like this as much as I should, and I certainly don't want to come across as unreasonable in expecting such a broad game to be polished to a sheen across the board. I just find it incredibly disappointing that the developers seem to be so obstinate about fixing such simple things while they lavish such obvious attention elsewhere. It's more than likely that I'm a bit jaded (hell, I find most of the humour to be really juvenile and obvious so I can't even enjoy listening to the radio aside from the songs themselves), I suppose.

Hopefully the niggles will disappear as I get more au fait with how it all works. I sort of hoped that all the obvious rough edges would have been smoothed out, because there's undoubtedly a lot to love in here and I wish the little things didn't conspire so to get in the way of all that.

This sounds worse than it should. Dead inside and all that.

[Mortis]

Thing is Saints Row was an entertaining if soulless GTA clone that fixed some of the more annoying elements from GTA. Luckily R* are not stupid and have taken the best of the rest (SR, Scarface hell even Crackdown with the new hidden packages making a noise) and made them mostly all work in GTA.

The fact though that this stands head and shoulders above all the other pretenders to the throne says a hell of a lot for the dev team behind this.

[squirtle]

First hour or so. Not that thrilled at the moment. It all feels a bit heavy and leaden...

[Sng]

The first hour or so is very much a tutorial. Things definitely improve!

[Poppalarge]

I've only just started but the only words I can use to describe the hand to hand combat are "fucking shit"

(paraphrase) "tap A to disarm and then press Y" - as some guy knives me in the head.

I've taken to simply running people over, with a car or scooter, and it takes while with a scooter - believe me.

[Distinct muttering]

I'm afraid I'll have to side with the more disappointed of Kerraig's shoulder angels on the basis of my first few hours' play. For all the soft-focus wonder of the city itself, for every time the physics work fantastically well, there's a half dozen frustrations that really mire the good stuff.

I think Niko's a fantastic character, but considering the game is so focused on dialogue and character interaction it really surprised me how little effort has been put into the design and animation of the people he encounters. Even Roman and

Michelle

, the very first people you spend any time with, look and move horribly in comparison - floating across the roads and spinning round in circles. Following such a clever introduction sequence, why are the game mechanics themselves introduced through ugly text pop-ups and camera pans that take longer to load than they last? I really hate that I can't seem to like this as much as I should, and I certainly don't want to come across as unreasonable in expecting such a broad game to be polished to a sheen across the board. I just find it incredibly disappointing that the developers seem to be so obstinate about fixing such simple things while they lavish such obvious attention elsewhere. It's more than likely that I'm a bit jaded (hell, I find most of the humour to be really juvenile and obvious so I can't even enjoy listening to the radio aside from the songs themselves), I suppose.

Hopefully the niggles will disappear as I get more au fait with how it all works. I sort of hoped that all the obvious rough edges would have been smoothed out, because there's undoubtedly a lot to love in here and I wish the little things didn't conspire so to get in the way of all that.

This sounds worse than it should. Dead inside and all that.

I noticed all the things you mentioned, so I cant deny them. but not once did they ruin my enjoyment.

[the_buddha_of_gaming]

There's nothing vague about it.

You don't even have to throw anything through the window. I just shot it.

Alright, I've done it now. I admit part of it was me being shit.

It's still as vague as French New Wave though. Having the player press a button to do one thing, and hold it to do the exact opposite? No.

The only reason you don't think so is because you're parked up by the docks all day listening to hip-hop.

[scottcr]

I noticed all the things you mentioned, so I cant deny them. but not once did they ruin my enjoyment.

I'm used to Wii games - so I'm naturally forgiving of technical issues if the game is good. Godfather was the first sandbox game I ever finished completing... I suspect this will be the second.

I can't play it just now - and all I want to do is play it.

[RIKT]

For all those having trouble with breaking the window then may i suggest using the good old fashioned ram raiding method...works like a charm.

[Uzi]

For all those having trouble with breaking the window then may i suggest using the good old fashioned ram raiding method...works like a charm.

Is this a forum in joke?

How on earth can anyone have trouble with that early part of the game.

[Sng]

People were trying to smash the glass in the door and were wondering why it wouldn't break. And other people couldn't throw bricks.

At least it'll take them ages to complete it.

[Uzi]

People were trying to smash the glass in the door and were wondering why it wouldn't break. And other people couldn't throw bricks.

At least it'll take them ages to complete it.

Even when the game explicitly tells you what to do and puts it on the radar? I don't believe it. People are playing up to it.

[fatoy.japa]

I noticed all the things you mentioned, so I cant deny them. but not once did they ruin my enjoyment.

I honestly envy you.

As I mentioned, the broad-brush aspects are all done really well and I'm glad they're what will form most people's last impressions. I think I just run a bit counter to the whole GTA ethos, really - I've always (unconsciously for the most part) enjoyed games that get the little things right and build the larger stuff from that foundation. GTA IV seems to work in the exact opposite fashion.

Still, I'm only a few hours in so it could all fall into place when I'm accustomed enough to the quirks not to notice them.

[rumblecat]

People were trying to smash the glass in the door and were wondering why it wouldn't break. And other people couldn't throw bricks.

At least it'll take them ages to complete it.

Yeah, I was throwing brick after brick at the door- I thought it was the glass in the door you had to smash. Hardly a game breaking incident though, the door probably has reinforced glass and I felt sheepish after I finally smashed the window on the fourth brick.

[LittleJoe]

Barely played single player. But playing Cops 'n Crooks online is amazing.

[Distinct muttering]

I honestly envy you.

As I mentioned, the broad-brush aspects are all done really well and I'm glad they're what will form most people's last impressions. I think I just run a bit counter to the whole GTA ethos, really - I've always (unconsciously for the most part) enjoyed games that get the little things right and build the larger stuff from that foundation. GTA IV seems to work in the exact opposite fashion.

Still, I'm only a few hours in so it could all fall into place when I'm accustomed enough to the quirks not to notice them.

Just think of Nico as the Hollywood star, the rest are supporting parts (although would still be stand outs in most other games). The tutorial thing disappears as you get further into the game anyway.

It definitely gets better, stick with it.

[SuperCat]

After spending the entire day playing it, I checked out the OST and Art Of book. The book is sweet but the soundtrack is a joke. 16 tracks is pitiful.

[Mr.Crowley]

Sorry if this has been asked before, but how do I drop my knife?

I got kicked out of a strip club.

[Strawp]

This is very slow at getting interesting. To begin with there's basically no combat. The hand-to-hand stuff is very clumsy and then when you get a gun that feels very cludgy too. There's a certain amount of learning curve to that though. I remember the early parts of San Andreas were fantastic - you got to bunny hop BMXs and run away from gangs etc. There doesn't seem to be any new treats at the start of this.

It's basically exactly the same as the last couple of GTAs, but brushed up in most respects.

The multiplay is a fucking BLAST though. The Single player could just as well not exist and it would still be worth every penny.

[Meh]

Disarm it, perhaps?