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It's all in the game....

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 8
Date: April 30, 2008
Author: Amazon User

First off - GTA IV is in the same vain as all the other previous GTA games. If you like good story lines and non linear game play - how could you not like this game?

It's mission based - the missions are usually short and sweet, and get more challenging as the game moves on. But there's a world outside of the missions - and this for me is where the game has been improved upon....

You'll meet people throught Liberty City, and you can add these contacts to your cell phone. Just finished a mission and are bored? then call up one of the chicks you know for a date. Take her out - play darts, bowl, eat - take her home and even try your luck. Hell, even go out with your cousin if you feel like it.

You can shop for new dud's - and even just explore the huge world that makes up liberty city.

The story line is great - and this again for me makes a great game. It's funny in places and action packed - not for the squemish.

As for bad graphics.... well you could have fooled me. The graphics are not 10 out of 10 - but they are 8.5 - certainly not an Assasins creed - but then again Creed's game play was non existant.

Negatives?

Well currently there's only one slight negative - and thats movement. Fine movement is a little off - and can be clumsy. It could have been better.

Car control - it's a little over agressive - it's not that easy to race around liberty city whilst keeping you car under control - GTA3 had the edge here. But car detail is great, and damage is awesome. I think this will improve though as you move through the game and gain experience.

For me, this is the No. 1 game for the PS3.

Good but not Great

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: May 04, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I originally gave this game 4 stars on Amazon UK but have felt compelled to drop that to three stars having experienced first hand the awful loading and lock up bugs. Yes there is a workround (disable PS3 Internet) and yes maybe the arrogant Rockstar are working on a patch, but it's really inexcusable to release a console game with such a major fault. PC gamers are used to the "release now, patch later" approach but console games are written for specific hardware platforms so should avoid most of the pitfalls. Lucky for R* the PS3 actually has a hard drive to accommodate the patch.

On the subject of PC's, this game is crying out to see what decent PC hardware - e.g. Core 2 Duo CPU and Geforce 8800GT card - can do with it. The graphics tend on the blurry side, even in "HD" and I have now had to resort to playing on a PC monitor in order to read the on screen messages and in particular mobile phone messages, which form a key part of interaction with the game environment. The PS3 controller is fine for vehicular control but is clumsy and imprecise while the character is on foot, compared to keyboard and mouse.

All the above is a pity as GTA IV has the hallmarks of a really great game. The main character (Niko) is one you feel far more empathy with than his rapper predecessor in San Andreas. The game is structured a little differently. The side missions have been tightened up and integrated more into the overall structure (firefighter and paramedic seem to have gone). The role playing element has been retained, along with the girlfriends, but the levelling up of San Andreas - i.e. driving and weapon skills - have been dropped. Possibly as a sop to the "PC" brigade some of the violence has been toned down. You can no longer go out and carry out street robberies relatively unchecked to make money during the early stages. The police are everywhere, pedestrians now fight back and melee combat is much less effective, not helped by the cumbersome joypad control. In addition to money, weapons and armour are hard to find in the early stages (unless you have bought the Brady guide). Some missions offer you a moral choice as to the outcome with branches in the storyline, depending on your decision.

Whether R* were on a tighter budget than previous games, but the voice cast seems to consist entirely of unknowns. Not a single celebrity among them. Would have been great to see someone like Peter Stormare voicing Niko, or some of the reknowned actresses like Debbie Mazar or Marisa Tomei providing vocal talent.

As you start playing through the game, many of the missions seem familiar from earlier GTA's - deliver package, drive someone to a desination, carry out an assassination etc. Not sure how much gameplay there is as some forum posters are already posting they have completed (or nearly completed) the main plot. San Andreas took me something like 3 months to play through and even then I never finished the game. IV I discern may not occupy me quite as long - one could be cynical and assert that the "Schmoozing" aspects with other characters are in there as padding to prolong what may turn out to be a short game.

In conclusion, R* need to fix the bugs and look at releasing a PC version ASAP. Otherwise GTA IV runs the real risk of remaining a good rather than great or classic game. It doesn't quite live up to the pre-release hype.

Got me back into gaming

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: May 05, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Ok, I know that GTA IV is the big thing out at the moment, and some of the praisers are fanboys (what franchise doesn't have them though?), but this is seriously a great game. I have found that there is merit to both favorable and unfavorable reviews, but overall it is a very enjoyable experience.

If you've played and even remotely liked GTA before, the review ends here. Go out and buy this game immediately. If not, you probably have a pretty good idea of what to expect, so here are some points to consider:

First, the graphics do indeed suffer a bit, along with the framerate, especially noticeable at high driving speed. The game runs natively at 640p so upscaling to 720p would probably be your best bet. Often the game is pretty dark, and changing the brightness/contrast only helps a little.
Some people complain the gameplay can be repetitive. Yes the missions generally involve the same common themes like playing hitman or delivery man, but I guarantee you, you will never experience the same thing twice in this game. Even when you retry missions, the city life is different so you can't expect to pull the same maneuvers every time.
Driving can take a little getting used to, but it's really not that hard. The suspensions are ridiculously loose, and you will tilt even when turning at very low speeds. Physics are a far cry from real, but a huge improvement over past episodes.
The radio is great. No matter what you listen to there is a station for you, and the debates and commercials are hilarious, and not in a lame way.
There have been complaints of freezing on the PS3. Honestly, read up on it, apparently it has to do with your online settings for the PS3. I never had a problem with it (I have the 80GB PS3).
Also, it comes on a Blu-ray disc. Yes I know that should be obvious, but apparently some people are saying it's on a DVD.

So here's the bottom line: While it's certainly not a perfect game, and it could have had among other things better graphics and better AI for the NPC's, it's a very immersive adventure. You will want to keep returning to it because it's full of surprises and you never know what crazy new thing you'll find on your next errand. There are plot twists too, although I suppose that should be a requirement at this point. I used to be a pretty big gamer a few years ago but then I walked away from games for a while because I just lost interest and moved on to other things. This game got me playing again, and for the first time in years I am having a ton of fun gaming. One last point to make: GTA IV actually grows on you. The interactive NPC's are quite real, and you feel like you're living the story, so you start to care more about it as time passes. It's the best game out there right now, even with its flaws. If you're unsure about buying this game, I recommend renting it and playing it for at least a week before deciding whether it's for you or not.

Thanks for reading, now it's back to GTA IV.

A deadly blend of reality and video game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: May 14, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I've been a big fan of the GTA series and this new release is definitely a very engaging game; it really thins the line between reality and video game. Firstly the graphics are great, from the simple lighting at dusk to the blood stain on the hood of your car after running over pedestrians, to taking a helicopter ride at night, this game looks really good.

The controls will take some getting used to, if you are someone who enjoys playing games like GT or Forza you will notice the cars obviously dont handle the same, it takes some time getting used to.

The gameplay is well done, it's not perfect but it really gets the job done, there isnt a big learning curve with the game because you can do whatever you want to do. I've only completed about 2% of the game because I have been so immersed into the whole world aspect of the game, from aimlessly driving around and figuring out the city to attaining the highest wanted level and trying to make a run for it!

I'm never too fast to jump into purchasing games, mainly because the games cost a lot of money, but I can honestly say that the 60 dollars that i spent on this game was worth it. I'm a casual gamer by standards so I put in a few hours every other day but the game is great for when you just want to "escape" into virtual reality.

The violence in the game is there, and it is surreal; I'm not a believer that video games turn people around but there are certainly things you can do in the game that make you go "wow."

Take this for what it is, a game. It's a great way to pass the time when you just want to have aimless fun, and it gets the job done.

San Andreas was better

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: May 14, 2008
Author: Amazon User

With each new Grand Theft Auto I wait with great anticiaption to jump into an alternate universe where I can be the bad guy, blowing up cars, speeding down busy streets with no consequences. I love all the side missions that give me real value for my $$$ giving me hundreds of hours of game play.

Naturally, with GTA4 I was brimming with anticipation. What new things would I be able to do? I was actually dismayed when I started the game. In San Andreas there were multiple cities seperated by country side, I could fly numerous different airplanes, aircraft, my character was measured with all sorts of attributes. In GTA4 many of these things are missing and it feels like a step back. There are no taxi missions, no firefighter missions, no ambulance missions and so on. In fact you only have 2 helicopters that you can fly. So I can't say that for game play GTA4 is the best of the series, San Andreas still has that title.

With that said the graphics in GTA4 are nothing less than stunning. The car explosions almost make my TV rock back and forth. Replacing hidden packages with pidgeon target practice was brilliant. Takes you back to the days when boys would shoot birds with BB guns, but takes away the guilt. I'm still loving the game and and savoring every mission, every stunt jump, and every explosion of feathers.

Only one glitch so far and it was fun. I ran over a fire hydrant just right and was launced about 2000' into the air in my car making for a fun freefall back into the city, which my character survivied.

Boring...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: June 16, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I rented this game to try it out first. Played about 6-7 hours then returned it and have no regret, no desire to play it again. Unlike game reviewers who review games from multiple perspective, I play game solely for one reason: to have fun. And this game is not fun. First few hours were interesting, but soon after it got very repetitive and shooting controls were bad imop.

R u kidding me????????

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 4 / 9
Date: June 09, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This game isn't it right? I keep waiting for the 2nd CD to arrive. Comparatively speaking? It doesn't even come close to San Andreas!! Rock Star definitely went backwards creating this boring and boring attempt at New York and the Grand Theft Auto series.

Dont buy this game till Rockstar and Sony solve problems

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 5 / 13
Date: May 22, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Three weeks have passed and i still can not play this game. Until Rockstar and Sony solve the game freezing problem DO NOT BUY THIS GAME.

Greatest Game Ever!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 37
Date: April 29, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This is without a doubt one of the greatest games ever. GTA in New Yawk City, detailed map, subway system, Woo-Hoo!

GTA has been a successful genre catering to the thug-wanna-bes. This is without a doubt the best GTA so far. The game engine is ingenius. From the opening scene -- which I'm watching now -- to the game interface, this is the best in gaming of present technology people.

I play it in 720p on a 24" PC monitor with the DVI hook up. Movies and cut scenes are flawless. No heating problems like lame box 360. Will have to try it on my 1080p HDTV later.

GTA IV on PS3 = Best gaming design on best hardware. Can't get better than this people! I went out and bought this game even though I have internet game rental service. LoL

and remember, I'm playing it right now!

Good, not great

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 6
Date: May 04, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This is a fun game, but much like GTA3 but with slightly better graphics. However, I find it ridiculous that games are rushed now that developers know they can fix defects and glitches with a patch. In the good old days, developers would create a game that works the first time.

I have an 80GB PS3 (no, the problem is not limited to the 60GB), and the game freezes during the loading screens and in game. Deleting the game file may work for some people, but not for me. The game itself is very good, dont get me wrong. But if you cant play it...who cares?

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