GTA:IV Official Thread

[R0b]

Ignoring Mr Manly Spreeches for a moment, I have some questions about the game. This change in handling is a bit of a worry for me as it's pretty much the best thing ever in the previous games. San Andreas in particular nailed it (VC was quite snappy with its turning, although it fitted the closer environment well). Am I to understand that the whole break-neck speed of getaways has been altered to make it more of a careful thing? I'm not sure which I'll prefer - the roaring through all obstacles of previous GTAs or the more tactical manouevering through jostling city streets. Judging from Rowan's impressions (whose position on SA I fully agree with) it doesn't come across as enjoyable as the driving normally is, but I suppose it could be an adjustment period.

Better or worse?

[Sng]

Just had my first speedboat ride. Ah yeah! This game is just getting better and better. And I'm 10 hours in! Which is probably more than I've played any other console game before.

[LittleJoe]

Is it just me or when I put on Beat 107 its usually playing "Top Down" and when on Classics its almost ALWAYS playing Group Home - Supa Star?

I get this with the 'electro' channel, it always seems to be playing the Justice track. I don't know if some money was exchanged for this to occur or if it's just a coincidence.

[Guest]

Better or worse?

I don't know I've not played the game yet

[dizogg]

Just had my first speedboat ride. Ah yeah! This game is just getting better and better. And I'm 10 hours in! Which is probably more than I've played any other console game before.

You've never played a console game for more than 10 hours before? Ever? Seriously? Either thats bollocks or its bizarre that you've got so many posts on a gaming forum.

[Dimahoo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQdmrFrM5lE

:big luv:

Thank u Rockster.

[Smitty]

Better or worse?

The driving is certainly, without a doubt, better.

[R0b]

Excellent! Things do look a little ungrounded from videos I've watched, a bit weightless next-gen floaty, you probably know the thing. That's pretty much where my concerns lie, alongside this new turning method. What's better about it?

[Sng]

You've never played a console game for more than 10 hours before? Ever? Seriously? Either thats bollocks or its bizarre that you've got so many posts on a gaming forum.

I dunno. I guess that's excluding online games but most games can be completed in less than 10 hours and I never go back to them once completed. Assuming I complete it in the first place.

[dizogg]

I dunno. I'd say most games take longer than 10 hours. Have you never completed Resident Evil 4? or Metal Gear Solid? Or the previous GTA games?

[Sng]

Ok I just picked up Michelle and she dissed my sweet ass suit. Bitch. Can I kill her, will it let you? Because if it does I'm gonna shoot the hell out of her.

[Sng]

I dunno. I'd say most games take longer than 10 hours. Have you never completed Resident Evil 4? or Metal Gear Solid? Or the previous GTA games?

Never got into RE4. I think it took about 2 hours to complete MGS1 and about 4 for MGS2. Never got into 3 though. Previous GTA games I got to around 30% complete before getting irritated with them.

[Smitty]

Never got into RE4.

JESUS.

[Sng]

JESUS.

I know, I know. I tried three times as well, GC, PS2 and Wii. Just couldn't take the shitty controls.

[Smitty]

Just couldn't take the shitty controls.

JESUS.

[SteveH]

This game has developed a nasty habit of not saving any cars I park outside my safehouse now. And yeah I use the proper save function. If Oblivion can remember the position of every knife, fork, spoon, cup, plate etc etc etc that I have ever touched, then why can't this hang on to one fucking car for me?

And it doesn't save my armour either

[Guest]

JESUS.

Dude he bought a PS3 cos it was a Sony shiny thing - not to play games on!

[Smitty]

Dude he bought a PS3

JESUS.

[Smitty]

I, on the other hand, will still be having fun with the best game ever

Shit, what game is that?

I'm still playing GTA4.

[Shoes]

The mission where you have to tail a dealer and then shoot up the hideout is annoying as fuck.

I keep dying pretty much as soon as I get in the place. I want to rip the door off its hinges so I can peep round the corner. You can't do that, can you?

I need some weapons and armour in the Industrial area. Going back to the gun shop is annoying.

[Chase]

I'm about 12% in.

The good:

Niko and Roman. The charactisation is great, the dialogue and interplay is great, Niko is a great character.

Nicely built city.

Excellent lighting and weather system.

Lots of dialogue and variety.

The TV/radio stuff.

The bad:

I'm not really feeling the music - yet. I prefered San Andreas - I think the music made the game for me in that one. Heard some really nice tracks here though, hopefully I'll start getting into it more as it goes on. Very minor niggle as the talk radio more than makes up for it.

The missions are not fun. They're like work. Shooting people is as fun as it was in Uncharted - i.e., not very.

The frame-rate is acceptable, but not high enough really.

The brakes don't work.

The car takes ages to accelerate.

When you turn your car, the camera still faces forward instead of turning with the car.

Can't tell what the icons on the mini-map are.

[Smitty]

The mission where you have to tail a dealer and then shoot up the hideout is annoying as fuck.

I keep dying pretty much as soon as I get in the place. I want to rip the door off its hinges so I can peep round the corner. You can't do that, can you?

I need some weapons and armour in the Industrial area. Going back to the gun shop is annoying.

Step up, man. Geez.

Use a grenade or something.

[Shoes]

Step up, man. Geez.

Use a grenade or something.

I had three grenades and I killed a few, then some guy with an uzi shot me to bits.

[Sng]

My Dad's here at the moment and asked about this game as he saw it on the news. He's the least gamey person ever (DOESN'T EVEN OWN A WII!) and is generally quite old fashioned. Although he bought a iPod Touch a while ago! But has no music on it yet.

Anyway, he wanted to see what it was all about so I went in the main island and just starting shooting people up and then getting in a car chase. He was all confused.

"So it just uses the normal controls?"

Yes

"What is this, Xbox?"

PS3 (OBV!)

"So which is you?"

I'm in the car

"So that's you shooting?"

No that's the police shooting at me

"So who is playing as them?"

The AI

He found it all pretty amusing though, especially when I crashed into a wall, flew out the windscreen and ended up in the drink.

[SomeNaiveChump]

I didn't think the drunkenness could piss me off but WHAT THE FUCK.

It's EASY to drive as soon as you come out of the bar and can't even walk straight, but when you've been out for a couple of hours and the screen stops shaking you seriously cannot drive, period, Niko automatically drives wherever he likes, into walls, and it continues for hours in the game until you deliver the person you were drinking with home, four drunken police chases later).

[Shoes]

God.

[Rowan Morrison]

Excellent! Things do look a little ungrounded from videos I've watched, a bit weightless next-gen floaty, you probably know the thing. That's pretty much where my concerns lie, alongside this new turning method. What's better about it?

I didn't mean to give the impression that the cornering is bad - it's just different, and I was expecting more of the same. I imagine you'll overdo your corners at first and then train yourself to do better (just don't go back to SA or Christ knows what'll happen). Oddly the game advises you to use the regular brake to assist with cornering, which is the most boring advice ever.

One beautiful aspect of the new physics-heavy cornering is you can slide into corners from a long way off, which looks awesome. And there are plenty of strategically-placed newspaper dispensers to slow your slide. Also, when you get up to a decent speed (not that easy early on) there's a nice sense of danger - the fact you can be thrown out of your car means there's less of the usual GTA feeling that your problems are over as soon as you pull the driver's door shut.

The weightlessness bugs me a bit more - you don't have to be going very fast to leave the ground, and in addition to feeling wrong it can bugger up chases or escapes when you find yourself briefly airborne and unable to brake or steer. And a car's behaviour when it's on its side can be a little embarrassing. BUT - it's a Dickens of an experience nevertheless. Even before the cornering clicked I was having a whale of a time on every ride.

One thing that did just jar was an early chase mission. I forget who I was after, but in the course of the chase a few clearly scripted events happened - lorries spilling their load and blocking the road, etc. Given the variety of emergent dramas that unfold as you're simply mucking about, these events stuck out like a sore and surplus thumb - palpably last-gen. But that just emphasises how great the rest of it is.

[Chase]

Oh, the drunk-driving effects are fantastic. Great stuff.

[kerraig UK]

to redress the balance a bit, just had a cool moment of open ended greatness. had to take out some drug dealers, and it was obviously suppsoed to end in a car chase. tried it once and failed, then next time surrepticiously walked up to the driver side of the dealers car, whiped out a shotgun and blasted the driver in the face. Dead foot on the pedal, he drives the passenger into a pileup, meaning he cant open the door and is a sitting duck waiting for my double barrel justice.

So its not all linear, and that was truly great gaming moment.

[Harry]

I didn't think the drunkenness could piss me off but WHAT THE FUCK.

It's EASY to drive as soon as you come out of the bar and can't even walk straight, but when you've been out for a couple of hours and the screen stops shaking you seriously cannot drive, period, Niko automatically drives wherever he likes, into walls, and it continues for hours in the game until you deliver the person you were drinking with home, four drunken police chases later).

I don't have a problem whilst driving pissed, it's falling into door ways where the only way out is a small flight of steps, either you or your buddy is bound to die.

Admittedly I did do it on purpose though.