GTA IV Reviews start pouring in

The Game Room
41

[QUOTE=control-z]
The plot gets a little more interesting after the first few hours, you have to go through some mundane stuff first. I think the intent is that you get used to driving, the layout of the city, and the use of your cell phone and GPS units. I like how the nicer cars have better GPS units, the high end ones have voice guidance.

I think I see a bit of “Boondock Saints” influence on some of the storyline.
[/QUOTE]

I was going to ask something along these lines. I’ve never played any other GTA games “for real” as in, trying to beat them from the beginning, although I have played the previous three at friend’s houses for short periods, driving around like a maniac and firing rockets at hookers and the like.

So, I’m about four hours in to the story in IV, and I haven’t even shot anyone yet. So far, I’ve played darts, got drunk, gone to a titty bar, played pool, bowled, watched TV, drove around, shopped, ate, fooled around with a cell phone, “dated” some chick, hung out with my cousin and beat a few people up. This might be exciting for a 15 year old but with the exception of bowling and beating people up, these are all things I do frequently in real life.

I know there is going to be more exciting stuff later, but did all the GTA games start out this mundane? Note, I am not unhappy with the game, the dialogue is funny, and it looks amazing, so I think I got my money’s worth, it’s just that I’m used to FPS games that get going a little faster.

42

I think you are just doing the wrong missions - you can start shooting pretty quickly if you follow that storyline. Just keep taking missions from the shady characters, not your cousin / girlfriend / etc.

43

[QUOTE=Absolute]
I think you are just doing the wrong missions - you can start shooting pretty quickly if you follow that storyline. Just keep taking missions from the shady characters, not your cousin / girlfriend / etc.
[/QUOTE]
Actually, you do have to do Roman’s missions to get on with the story. Note that that’s missions, not friend activities, which is what T_SQUARE is doing.

T_SQUARE, Roman’s missions are marked on the map with a white “R.” I think you also have to do some of Vlad’s (white “V”) missions to get to that point as well. You’ll get your first pistol when you play the Roman mission titled “Jamaican Heat” and are introduced to the Little Jacob character. Not long after that, in one of the first (the first?) Faustin missions (white “F”), you’ll get the submachine gun.

ETA: that’s not a critical plot point spoiler; it’s just the name of a mission.

44

My one…ONE complaint about the game after a solid 10 hrs of play is that the chase camera is too slow when you’re driving, especially on turns or when starting up and you have to start with a u-turn or something like that. It slooooooooowly swings around in proportion to you, so that you’re highly likely to smash right into a car or run over a cop that you couldn’t see before it finally makes its way back around to being centered behind you. You can get around this by manually controlling the camera, but it’s still something that should be pointed out. I’ve gotten used to just playing with one thumb on the regular control and one one thumb on the camera stick so that I can “drive” the camera while I’m driving the car.

45

Well, I just read online about a TON of people having issues on both the PS3 and 360 with the game totally locking their systems. My own system has locked 3 times now (PS3) and I mean I have to reach around the back and hit the hard switch to reboot it. They better patch this…

The GPS/Radar is WAY too small. Like almost unreadable on my 28" widescreen HDTV. I hope it gets better when I hook it up to my 46". I wish they would show arrows on the screen on the road like they do in (I think) Midnight Club and other driving games.

I think the on foot controls suck like they always have in every GTA game.

The vocals are great. Every person is well done.

The radio stations aren’t floating my boat here. I’m tired of there being like 3 rap stations in every GTA but only one contemporary rock station.

The opening missions are pretty damn short.

46

[QUOTE=Cubsfan]
Well, I just read online about a TON of people having issues on both the PS3 and 360 with the game totally locking their systems. My own system has locked 3 times now (PS3) and I mean I have to reach around the back and hit the hard switch to reboot it. They better patch this…
[/quote]
Hmm. Well, at least that problem doesn’t seem to be universal. I’ve had other games crash my 360 (Madden 08 has done it a few times), but after over twelve hours of logged gameplay (actually significantly more since I reloaded a lot of saves), it has yet to happen to me in GTA IV.

I guess that’s a matter of opinion. I’m not having any trouble seeing it on my 25" CRT.

Ugh. Tell me about it. I’ve already started turning the radio off because I’m sick of the same few songs over and over on the rock station.

That’s a pretty valid complaint, too. I have to do the same thing when I’m driving.

Probably my biggest pet peeve is that more of the guns aren’t available early in the game, but that’s something I’ve come to expect with GTA games. Oh, and also that the Pay 'n Spray is basically useless since it doesn’t work if the cops see you enter it. Unless there’s a trick to it that I’m missing, losing three or more stars is damn near impossible.

47

[QUOTE=neutron star]
Unless there’s a trick to it that I’m missing, losing three or more stars is damn near impossible.
[/QUOTE]

I’ve lost 3 star wanted level… requires crazy driving, but I’ve done it. Ended up stomping on the pedal (so to speak) and aiming for a guard rail at the edge of a cliff. Jumped it, landed at the docks, and managed to get away from the cops before they found a way down to my level.

Overall, I’ve got to join in with the choruses of how great this game is.

As for blocky textures… remember the size of the map. The larger an environment is (especially outdoors with no walls to limit the view range), the worse the gfx will be by necessity. It’s why Gears of War with its confined maps looks so much better than Halo 3, with its vast outdoor areas. Unfair to compare the two.

Same with this. Gfx are leaps and bounds ahead of GTA III, but it’s unfair to expect them to be utterly stunning with the size of the city being what it is.

I’ve played about 5 hours, have had several gunfights, some cool driving missions, have unlocked the “hot coffee” achievement (heh… flashback city) in the xbox 360…and haven’t had any system freezeups or crashes.

I already warned my wife to pretend I’m out of town or we’re separated for the next couple of weeks. :smiley:

48

First thing I did after I was free to do what I wanted was walk all over looking for guns hidden in out of the way places. Now about 10 hours in I still haven’t found any guns laying around. Guess IV doesn’t have any?

The radar was way too small until I got about 4 feet from my 42" TV, now it’s not bad. Does the cell phone screen change contrast depending on time of day or something? Sometimes it’s clear and sharp, other times I can hardly see it because it’s so dark. Problem with my TV or a feature?

As far as the chase camera when you’re driving, I didn’t notice that it ever swings around when you’re turning. I’ve started using the right stick to look where I’m going too, but that’s a PITA.

As far as the missions, remember there can be (at least?) two options when you call someone, “Call” and “Job.” Call just calls to talk or go hang out somewhere, makes them more friendly towards you. Job is where you get into the shady dealings.

49

[QUOTE=control-z]
First thing I did after I was free to do what I wanted was walk all over looking for guns hidden in out of the way places. Now about 10 hours in I still haven’t found any guns laying around. Guess IV doesn’t have any?
[/QUOTE]
I found one. Go to Perestroika (a.k.a. “Cabaret Club”) on Tulsa St. Start walking around the block until you find the alley that runs behind it. Go down that alley and you’ll find some steps leading up to the roof of the building. There’s a pistol up there.

50

[QUOTE=T_SQUARE]

So, I’m about four hours in to the story in IV, and I haven’t even shot anyone yet. So far, I’ve played darts, got drunk, gone to a titty bar, played pool, bowled, watched TV, drove around, shopped, ate, fooled around with a cell phone, “dated” some chick, hung out with my cousin and beat a few people up. This might be exciting for a 15 year old but with the exception of bowling and beating people up, these are all things I do frequently in real life.
[/QUOTE]

I was thinking that as well. I don’t need a simulator for hanging out in NYC bars and stripclubs with my friends. I can do that IRL.

It feels like the civilians take more of a beating than in previous GTA games.

Since the hospital doesn’t take your guns away, the best option seems to be to go out in a blaze of glory if you get in trouble with the cops.

The car explosions are AWESOME as are the crashes that send you through the windshield. I spent an hour just damaging cars until they caught on fire and then driving them 100 mph at traffic so they cause a massive conflagration.

It does seem a bit less violent though. I would have thought by this time I would be involved in a full-on gang war.

51

It’s odd - with the increased realism, I feel much more reluctant to perform random acts of violence than I did with the older games.

Part of it is that Niko is so much better characterized than the previous GTA thugs, I feel bad turning him into a cold-hearted murderer. But it’s also that the world feels so much more realistic in general. I am actually reluctant to kill cops and innocent civilians in this game.

One touch Rockstar should have added are funeral processions making their way through the city, one for every cop and civilian you kill. Of course, you could steal the hearse. :slight_smile:

EDIT: I agree that the bowling / pool / darts / etc. minigames are stupid. Games are supposed to let you do things you can’t do in reality. I can suck at bowling anytime I want.

52

Really stupid question: How do you manually enter phone numbers on the cell phone? Whenever I try, all I can do is access my address book and the other options from that screen. I’ve tried pressing every damn button the controller to no avail. I’ve done this before, back when I first started playing the game, dammit! How the hell did I do it?

I ask because I want to screw around with the various game cheats (just for fun, that is - I have a personal rule against using them to advance in the game) and they all require you to enter phone numbers to activate them.

53

[QUOTE=Kalibakthegreat]
My one…ONE complaint about the game after a solid 10 hrs of play is that the chase camera is too slow when you’re driving, especially on turns or when starting up and you have to start with a u-turn or something like that. It slooooooooowly swings around in proportion to you, so that you’re highly likely to smash right into a car or run over a cop that you couldn’t see before it finally makes its way back around to being centered behind you. You can get around this by manually controlling the camera, but it’s still something that should be pointed out. I’ve gotten used to just playing with one thumb on the regular control and one one thumb on the camera stick so that I can “drive” the camera while I’m driving the car.
[/QUOTE]

I find the bonnet/hood view is the best way to play the game. After all in real life that’s the view you’re gonna have

54

[QUOTE=Kalibakthegreat]
My one…ONE complaint about the game after a solid 10 hrs of play is that the chase camera is too slow when you’re driving, especially on turns or when starting up and you have to start with a u-turn or something like that. It slooooooooowly swings around in proportion to you, so that you’re highly likely to smash right into a car or run over a cop that you couldn’t see before it finally makes its way back around to being centered behind you. You can get around this by manually controlling the camera, but it’s still something that should be pointed out. I’ve gotten used to just playing with one thumb on the regular control and one one thumb on the camera stick so that I can “drive” the camera while I’m driving the car.
[/QUOTE]

I find the bonnet/hood view is the best way to play the game. After all in real life that’s the view you’re gonna have

55

[QUOTE=Kalibakthegreat]
My one…ONE complaint about the game after a solid 10 hrs of play is that the chase camera is too slow when you’re driving, especially on turns or when starting up and you have to start with a u-turn or something like that. It slooooooooowly swings around in proportion to you, so that you’re highly likely to smash right into a car or run over a cop that you couldn’t see before it finally makes its way back around to being centered behind you. You can get around this by manually controlling the camera, but it’s still something that should be pointed out. I’ve gotten used to just playing with one thumb on the regular control and one one thumb on the camera stick so that I can “drive” the camera while I’m driving the car.
[/QUOTE]

I find the bonnet/hood view is the best way to play the game. After all in real life that’s the view you’re gonna have

56

[QUOTE=Kalibakthegreat]
My one…ONE complaint about the game after a solid 10 hrs of play is that the chase camera is too slow when you’re driving, especially on turns or when starting up and you have to start with a u-turn or something like that. It slooooooooowly swings around in proportion to you, so that you’re highly likely to smash right into a car or run over a cop that you couldn’t see before it finally makes its way back around to being centered behind you. You can get around this by manually controlling the camera, but it’s still something that should be pointed out. I’ve gotten used to just playing with one thumb on the regular control and one one thumb on the camera stick so that I can “drive” the camera while I’m driving the car.
[/QUOTE]

I find the bonnet/hood view is the best way to play the game. After all in real life that’s the view you’re gonna have

57

[QUOTE=Kalibakthegreat]
My one…ONE complaint about the game after a solid 10 hrs of play is that the chase camera is too slow when you’re driving, especially on turns or when starting up and you have to start with a u-turn or something like that. It slooooooooowly swings around in proportion to you, so that you’re highly likely to smash right into a car or run over a cop that you couldn’t see before it finally makes its way back around to being centered behind you. You can get around this by manually controlling the camera, but it’s still something that should be pointed out. I’ve gotten used to just playing with one thumb on the regular control and one one thumb on the camera stick so that I can “drive” the camera while I’m driving the car.
[/QUOTE]

I find the bonnet/hood view is the best way to play the game. After all in real life that’s the view you’re gonna have

Heh. How do you quadruple post over a period of 34 minutes with no two posts less than nine minutes apart? :smiley:

58

[QUOTE=neutron star]
I find the bonnet/hood view is the best way to play the game. After all in real life that’s the view you’re gonna have

Heh. How do you quadruple post over a period of 34 minutes with no two posts less than nine minutes apart? :smiley:
[/QUOTE]

It’s not an accident- he just feels very strongly about the matter.

59

[QUOTE=Kalibakthegreat]
My one…ONE complaint about the game after a solid 10 hrs of play is that the chase camera is too slow when you’re driving, especially on turns or when starting up and you have to start with a u-turn or something like that. It slooooooooowly swings around in proportion to you, so that you’re highly likely to smash right into a car or run over a cop that you couldn’t see before it finally makes its way back around to being centered behind you. You can get around this by manually controlling the camera, but it’s still something that should be pointed out. I’ve gotten used to just playing with one thumb on the regular control and one one thumb on the camera stick so that I can “drive” the camera while I’m driving the car.
[/QUOTE]

I find the bonnet/hood view is the best way to play the game. After all in real life that’s the view you’re gonna have

60

I don’t think he can be stopped…

Also, it’s interesting to note that, at this point in time, the majority of his posts to the SDMB (5/8, to be precise) have been, well, this one.