GTA:IV Official Thread

[Phelan]

Well I've seen the video footage on IGN of hookes jumping on top of you and you can move the camera around, in a convertible they give you oral sex etc.

In fact just watch this:

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/usermovies/211000.html

In the Aussie version all you see is a house with Michelle talking, or the exhaust of your car (which may turn on those who get excited by cars). You hear it but see nothing. It's bizarre.

It annoys the heck out of me that you can shoot the shit out of people, run them over, kill cops, set fire to cars BUT a slight hint of sex and everyone gets weird.

Religion really has fucked this world up.

Should the VIOLENCE be cut out and the sex be ok.

Violence is illegal, consential sex is legal. Yet we are happy to show violence, but don't show the sex.

We live in a really fucked up world.

[Guest]

What happens in the UK versions?

We send the criminals to an island on the arse end of the world, inhabited by the most dangerous creatures you would not wish upon your worst enemy. The Neighbours.

Aussie version is edited with the prostitues and with sex.

Every time you try to get laid the cam cuts to the house of Michelle, and with the ladies of the night the camera goes to the bottom of the back of the car.

It's fucking stupid, prudish shit.

It's well pissed me off. I want a UK version!!!

TWO PHUMBS UP FROM PHELAN!

4 G's

[Paulando]

I'm up to the Three Leaf Clover mission now, and I've tried and failed three times already. Don't get me wrong, it's a brilliant mission (and it's not too difficult, either), but it's highlighted some of the game's obvious flaws to me.

On the first time, I ran outside and grabbed a police car. Obviously this was me being too hasty, so I reloaded and learned from my mistakes for the second time! I got to the subway but glitched through the floor and had to reload. On the third time I got all the way to the end, and had to find a four-door car. I ran up to one from the passenger side so Nico would jump in and slide over (thus sheltering me from the police), but he decided to run around the back of the car to the driver's side, getting shot and killed on the way around

And each time I've had to drive back to the bank and run down to get the money again to try it again. Why no checkpoints? And why can't I change the view between Nico's shoulders? It's fucking good, but it's not 10/10.

[Sng]

In the Aussie version all you see is a house with Michelle talking, or the exhaust of your car (which may turn on those who get excited by cars). You hear it but see nothing. It's bizarre

Unless I messed up somewhere that's all you get in the UK one as well. You get the stripdances at the clubs and the sucking/fucking of whores in your car but when it comes to Michelle you just get a shot of her house and hear her going "OH YEAH BABY" and stuff.

[Corleth the Fey]

Also, where the hell is the last bridge you have to fly under to get the Under the Radar achievement? I thought it was the one in Middle Park, but that doesn't seem to be the case (or I've somehow havent triggered it).

When you fly under a bridge it briefly flashes up (2 -3 secs) the locations of the bridges you have to fly under. Did you see that? If press START and pause it, you can look at the map to confirm where they are.

But saying that the one I think you missed is -

The incredibly low stone arch bridge which is between the two other bridges that are on the river that runs east/west across Alderney. Trust me it's tricky. There's a helicopter spaced gap under there and that's it. I did half in the water I think. Oh and I used Brucie's chopper to do it. I think Brucie enjoyed the ride - along with the two 'bitches' in the back.

The fact that I did it whilst having six stars and having police helicopters firing at me at the same time, just proves I have skillz!

[Phelan]

Ah, I wasn't sure about the Michelle one after seeing the video footage on the IGN site.

So basically it's just the hookers then!

[choddo]

Just became mates with Brucie. I was actually disappointed that he didn't like the burger place I drove him to. I though that shit was how we rolled

The dating profile he and Roman set up for Nico is fucking hilarious.

[kerraig UK]

On the strength of Kerraig, I've just won an auction on ebay for Saints Row.

I hope the DLC isn't just going to be more clothes/phone types and radio stations.

seriously? Prepare for a GTA clone right down the wire, with inferior writing and bad graphics (by todays standards) but with awesome missions and frustration free gaming.

[kerraig UK]

The bridges have just opened for me so I'm having a blast running around in the main island. The layout and design of the city is just jaw-dropping. I even treated myself to a suit from Perseus and I feel like a god. I've never been so taken by a lead character in a video game as much as I am with Niko. His story is just amaze and his dialogue is perfect.

So far I'm about 22% in and I'm in no rush whatsoever to complete it. Favourite game of the year so far by a country mile.

I'm exactly where you are and had a blast tonight. Done a few side missions, met some new characters and had some absolutely INCREDIBLE car chases. Went to steal a car for brucie and thought rather than fighting the people guarding it i'd go and pick them off with sniper fire. Was really easy to find a roof to climb so did those guys, but the cops were waiting for me.

20 minutes later i'm in the middle of the bridge with roadblocks on either side of me. I fire every bullet in every gun and then once i'm out the cops start approaching, so I jump. I hit the water and think i'm clear, but what are those splashes? They're all firing at me!

Fuck man, when its good its SO good.

[mr_woo]

seriously? Prepare for a GTA clone right down the wire, with inferior writing and bad graphics (by todays standards) but with awesome missions and frustration free gaming.

Am I the only one who despised Saints Row ? This is not a go at anyone who enjoyed it, after all it's just a personal opinion, but I found it to be utter drivel and couldn't even last the entire game. Boring missions, nothing exciting, terrible writing and characters left me not wanting to continue playing it at all. Maybe it got better as it went along but I just couldn't stick with it. Hell I even enjoyed the combat a lot more in GTA 4 compared to Saints Row and I know that's not a widely held opinion (my only problem with GTA 4 is the cover system could be better but the actual gun combat is ace)

I'll be happy to give Saints Row 2 a go but if it turns out anything like the first one I'll be avoiding it like the plague.

[Strawp]

I'm up to the Three Leaf Clover mission now, and I've tried and failed three times already. Don't get me wrong, it's a brilliant mission (and it's not too difficult, either), but it's highlighted some of the game's obvious flaws to me.

On the first time, I ran outside and grabbed a police car. Obviously this was me being too hasty, so I reloaded and learned from my mistakes for the second time! I got to the subway but glitched through the floor and had to reload. On the third time I got all the way to the end, and had to find a four-door car. I ran up to one from the passenger side so Nico would jump in and slide over (thus sheltering me from the police), but he decided to run around the back of the car to the driver's side, getting shot and killed on the way around

And each time I've had to drive back to the bank and run down to get the money again to try it again. Why no checkpoints? And why can't I change the view between Nico's shoulders? It's fucking good, but it's not 10/10.

I've just done that mission.

Absolutely ace. Point Break and Heat references abound - I've been wanting to recreate those sequences in a game for ages. Great fun.

Once again however, Packie (and only Packie - the other guy seemed OK) had no idea where he was going. He was running up to rows of cops, standing in the middle of road, staring at me and not following, not shooting at cops who were stood right next to him. I failed the first time because when we came up the steps from the subway those two were stood on the stairs and a cop came running through the gate with a shotgun. I couldn't shoot him because they were in the way and they were apparently ignoring him, so he ran right past and shot me point blank. Great.

More like that please, as long as I get a full load-out of grenades again for free

[kerraig UK]

They turn up in a mission or not in a mission. You can phone them anyway.

Thats probably another way to solve some missions actually - have a cop standing by when things kick off - or use the fire engine to block an exit.

Must try that in the morning.

Neither of these work. Cars dissappear if blocking a pertinent vehicle, 911 doesnt work in missions.

[Strawp]

seriously? Prepare for a GTA clone right down the wire, with inferior writing and bad graphics (by todays standards) but with awesome missions and frustration free gaming.

I actually had to quit it because it was so frustrating.

It forced you to do the pointless side missions before it would let you progress as well, which pissed me off. The map isn't that good either.

Some good ideas in it though.

[Dimahoo]

It must be related to the cut scene then.

On some levels you don't get a cut scene so you can plan your move - IE before you move yourself onto the arrow to trigger the next mission phase.

I can't check right now though. Its certainly worked on the missions that don't have a cut scene before you finish them. Well, two of them anyway.

*edit*

Not the 911 bit, that was a guess.

[Comrade]

I'm so glad that Escape dislikes this game for really stupid reasons, after previously convincing himself that he would dislike the game for really stupid reasons.

What must it be like to be Escape?

"I know I'm not going to like the new Indiana Jones film because it looks like it won't have a twenty minute long interpretive dance section."

TWO MONTHS LATER

"No interpretive dance? What the fuck? This film is shit! If The Hobbit isn't filmed in French in a black-and-white film noir style, I'm giving up on cinema!"

[Dimahoo]

At least with escape you have some kind of warning he's going to hate it so he's consistant.

With Chase it was only the 360 version that was going to be shit.

Turns out that was not quite the case.

Was it Chase?

[Guest]

TWO MONTHS LATER

"No interpretive dance? What the fuck? This film is shit! If The Hobbit isn't filmed in French in a black-and-white film noir style, I'm giving up on cinema!"

[Mr. Gerbik]

At least with escape you have some kind of warning he's going to hate it so he's consistant.

With Chase it was only the 360 version that was going to be shit.

Turns out that was not quite the case.

Was it Chase?

It's so ironic; he was hyping it up as the best game ever, getting a PS3 for it would be essential because you would never play anything else ever again and you would absolutely need the best and most stable version. Now he's heavily disappointed with the game because it didn't live up to his ridiculous expectations and probably also because the PS3 version is slightly SonyLOL.

But I didn't have high expectations for GTAIV, because the previous games were boring games with crappy controls in unconvincing environments imho. And now GTAIV is already my GotY and well on its way to becoming one of my personal favourite games of all time. Go figure.

[Polmon]

When you fly under a bridge it briefly flashes up (2 -3 secs) the locations of the bridges you have to fly under. Did you see that? If press START and pause it, you can look at the map to confirm where they are.

But saying that the one I think you missed is -

The incredibly low stone arch bridge which is between the two other bridges that are on the river that runs east/west across Alderney. Trust me it's tricky. There's a helicopter spaced gap under there and that's it. I did half in the water I think. Oh and I used Brucie's chopper to do it. I think Brucie enjoyed the ride - along with the two 'bitches' in the back.

The fact that I did it whilst having six stars and having police helicopters firing at me at the same time, just proves I have skillz!

Cheers for the help, I couldn't check which I was missing using that method as it was no longer telling me 'X bridges left' as I had done all bar one. Turns out the one I had missed was the westmost one on southern Alderney - I had gone under it, but you have to pass under the other arch for some reason, despite it being more over land than water.

I'll try out Stevie's mission again tomorrow - didn't think to check the brief.

Thanks again!

Also, just for the record - the game is fucking amazing.

[Phelan]

I stick with The Journey or Liberty City Rocks. With those sunsets/rises it really needed an 80s Soft Rock station. Maybe I'm old/have poor taste/rubbish but a lot of the stations all sound the same. Disappointed a little with the talk show station as I seem to have heard it all within a couple of play where as in the original GTA3 I seem to constantly be hearing new stuff.

I would have dearly like a Fernando Martinez/Lazlow return. I can't recall hearing Lazlow although reading on his website it mentions he hosts a show on Liberty 2.0.

We must be the same age then cause I only listen to those two also.

The rest of the stations sounds pretty much the same - electro choc is ok - but the rest is pretty shit.

I do think it is the worst sountrack so far.

Vice City had the best

I would have loved an old skool 60s track listing or something

[Don Rosco]

Jazz isn't particularly black.

...

[Dimahoo]

I think the jazz adds much to the New York vibe. I might be repeating myself there.

[Phelan]

Actually the Jazz station sounds great when you drive around the big streets in the rain

[superpretend]

The Jazz station is awesome. What's wrong with you people?

[Harry]

I hate the Jazz station, it's not as bad as the rasta station though, that's awful. The Spanish one is pretty bad too.

My favourites are Liberty Rock & Radio Broker.

[df0]

Just or Unjust cracks me right up Too bad there is just two 'stories'.

[Vemsie]

The Jazz station is awesome. What's wrong with you people?

I'm also quite fond of the Eastern European station. There's some catchy stuff in there.

The Journey wins though.

The radio station with the psychic was pretty funny as well. Listened to it while sitting in the back of a cab.

[Talk Show Host]

Roman mission spoiler, aka

Hostile Negotiations

(check the title to see if you've played the mission, it's safe. Then go on and read the rest:

Man, this game is unrivaled when it wants to set up a scene:

Roman is kidnapped by a Russian thug because he owes money to him. At the same time, Dimitri is using the opportunity to lure Niko to the place where Roman is being held so as to kill him. Niko gets very angry and says to himself "this time you've gone too far, Dimitri". I am tensed as shit. I call up Little Jacob and get the ammo and guns I need. I don't want to be low profile, I want to go there and fucking destroy them. I am filled with molotovs and grenades and also ammo for every weapon. I put on a bulletproof vest on and I pick a car to drive there, all pumped up, in the night, listening to the song from the second trailer (can't remember the title, sadly).

I reach the warehouse and Niko starts yelling "No one messes with my family!". I then proceed to burn everyone and everything to the ground, enemies screaming in pain, others cowering behind cover, Roman yelling "I'm up here cousin, I'm up here." Niko's treading into the place like some fucking nemesis which someone accidentally woke up. His war past comes alive as I am taking everyone down with perfect shots, shotgun changing to Uzi, Uzi changing to grenades, even using the knife when very, very close, ending the mission with a perfect headshot

and an amazing sense of achievement and power while thinking to myself "that's me getting angry mother fuckers..."

Literary amazing scenes.

[Capwn]

That mission drove me MENTAL...literally whacking my pad...

1St go, got to the top and messed up the end confrontation. 2nd go, noticed you can pick a lot of them off if you go round the back with a sniper through the planks in the window which 'starts' the mission without going on the yellow thing. Cool! But I discover I only have 10 shots. I go in but only make it halfway. I go to the weapons shop and get tonnes of sniper rifles and on my 3rd attempt try running to the top (round the back), can't quite do the sniper thing but the guys see me and go off. I'm trying to sniper but the planks in the window are arranged in such a way that I can't sniper properly. Then suddenly about 10 guys are coming up the stairs and meeting me outside! Suprise attack and I die. 4th Go I try it again, by now all the taunts are really getting annoying and repetitive. I do it the 'normal' way, guns blazing and make my way up halfway. Doing quite well then some twat shoots a canister behind me and instantly kills me! 5th go, same method, make my way to the top and finally nail the kidnapper. So happy. Get in the car, can't quite find a way out and start driving behind the building finding a way out. I'm driving through loads of barrels and (unknown to me) a canister. Boom. I did it on my 6th go.

[Talk Show Host]

That mission drove me MENTAL...literally whacking my pad...

1St go, got to the top and messed up the end confrontation. 2nd go, noticed you can pick a lot of them off if you go round the back with a sniper through the planks in the window which 'starts' the mission without going on the yellow thing. Cool! But I discover I only have 10 shots. I go in but only make it halfway. I go to the weapons shop and get tonnes of sniper rifles and on my 3rd attempt try running to the top (round the back), can't quite do the sniper thing but the guys see me and go off. I'm trying to sniper but the planks in the window are arranged in such a way that I can't sniper properly. Then suddenly about 10 guys are coming up the stairs and meeting me outside! Suprise attack and I die. 4th Go I try it again, by now all the taunts are really getting annoying and repetitive. I do it the 'normal' way, guns blazing and make my way up halfway. Doing quite well then some twat shoots a canister behind me and instantly kills me! 5th go, same method, make my way to the top and finally nail the kidnapper. So happy. Get in the car, can't quite find a way out and start driving behind the building finding a way out. I'm driving through loads of barrels and (unknown to me) a canister. Boom. I did it on my 6th go.

You do know you can leave a mission scene most of the times and call Little Jacob to replenish, then continue where you left of, fully loaded, eh?

I also hit a barrel on another mission that took me 10 tries. I was thinking to myself "I made it", then boom!

I wanted to smash the house!