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"(Game) Grand Theft Auto 4 - GTA IV"

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This thread has been linked to the game 'Grand Theft Auto IV'.
Wed 07/05/08 at 12:49
Regular
"THFC"
Posts: 4,488
This year’s most anticipated game for the X-box 360 and the Playstation 3. Does Rockstar's new title in an award winning series have what it takes to be the biggest game of the year?

After a week of playing I finally feel I have seen enough of the game (and there is a lot to see) to finally be able to give a good, detailed review and an honest opinion on this title. From how the cars drive, to what shooting a drug dealer feels like.

You are Niko, a Russian who has come to Liberty City to live the dream; you have had e-mails and letters from your cousin Roman, telling you about all the money, the girls and the opportunities you will have to be a big shot! You soon learn that like most people in Liberty City, he was not telling the truth!

You kick things off by getting to see your new apartment, Roman’s cab business and some of the people in his life. You also get a great new addition and feature to this game. A mobile phone, but it actually works as a phone would, you can call your contacts at any time, you get text messages, you have an organizer, and you even upgrade your phone and get a nice camera phone to take pictures with!

All these new features of the phone really bring the game to life, calling a contact to see if they want to go and play darts or have a drink. I have never experienced anything like this before and the phone quickly became my favourite little accessory and something I could not live without. Even dialing 911 just to steal a cop car made life so much easier!

So that’s a small overview of the game, I will now breakdown and rate each section so you can see what aspects build up this highly acclaimed game.
Graphics:
Ever since the GTA series went 3-D it has been one of the biggest games in history. Speaking on behalf of the playstation 3, the graphics are amazing, the attention to detail is noticeable in a way which makes you stop and look at things twice. Down to the blood stains on your clothes when you get shot, the puddles splashing when you go through them or fall into water. The characters in the game all look different and their personalities match the appearance. It is a remarkable thing to see and you have to give Rockstar a lot of credit for this detail. You can spend hours of your life driving about looking at the different landmarks and buildings around you. Considering the size of the game these graphics are among the best I have ever seen. And get a well earned
9/10

Story:
Within any GTA game there are things you know will happen and the story will always follow a line of betrayal, friendship and guns. You soon have a phonebook full of people who are your friends, girlfriends, family and people you want to kill! It is hard to talk too much without spoiling aspects of the game, as from a few hours in you will be wrapped up in the lives of so many people in Liberty City you will struggle to remember them all. While there is no outstanding new story which out does the bestselling books, it is a solid tale of a man’s struggle to earn money and do well in a new country. You never expect it to be the most in-depth story of all time but it is told well and you are given clues to Niko’s history in the army in Russia which build on character development and really helps the game, story and characters grow together to make a compelling game which you will want to play and find more out from.
8/10

Characters:
You will meet an array of people from your chubby cousin Roman to the Jamaican, drug dealer Little Jacob – be warned, you will want the subtitles on to understand what he is saying! Everyone will have their favourite people to work for as their missions do change hugely from person to person. It is important to realize that each character has been given a deep background and has been well thought out to make sure they actually come to life as a group of misfits in a deranged city. The small things make a big difference, like having to take your associates out, but you will not always please them with your choice, they may not like bowling and so be unhappy with you, or they may love going out for a drink at a certain bar. A nice new feature when you do go out for a drink is the fact if you choose to drive home and not take a cab your vision and driving will be blurred and hard to control. If you then crash the person you are taking out will not be happy!
Characters are built up and voice acted very well to make each one seem like a real friend and someone you want to be friendly with. There are some you will hate and some you will love, but that’s what makes it so strong, it is like real life and their personalities fit their surroundings, missions, clothing and likes. A strong part of the game making it stand out from similar ones.
9/10

Music:
Well all you can say is WOW and well done! The radio stations have a massive selection of new and old songs; you will recognize the likes of Kanye West on some stations, aswell as other famous names. With the usual comedy on some TV and radio stations, like Weasel. It will have you laughing out loud in points. I have found myself sitting on the game watching TV – which is crazy, why would anyone want to play a game where they watch TV?? But you do and you will keep doing it and find yourself favouring channels and stations depending on your likes in music and comedy!
9/10

Overall this game is fantastic, it will keep anyone who likes the third person action/adventure style coming back for more. The missions get harder as your progress through the game and with secret jumps to find, pigeons to kills (no packages this time) £40 spent will seem well worth every penny because your social life will suffer. Be warned! But I am sure you didn’t need me to go on for this long to know it is amazing and going to be a big selling title for months to come!

Overall this game has to get a solid 9.5/10 – all the pieces just work, creating a realistic game with guns, drugs, women and more. If you own a Playstation 3 or X-box and have not got this game yet. Shame!
Fri 16/05/08 at 16:19
Regular
"THFC"
Posts: 4,488
John Nash wrote:
> terrible review

and why is that?
Fri 16/05/08 at 13:49
Regular
"jermaine_southgate"
Posts: 35
terrible review
Tue 13/05/08 at 11:57
Regular
"THFC"
Posts: 4,488
pb wrote:
> Perhaps disc space was a factor? I wonder if they would have
> been able to fit more in if it was just Blu-ray being worked on?

hmmm perhaps - well i think we all know that a new Grand Theft Auto will be out with more than what we have now.

Its a fantastic game, but i only have 15% left to complete the sotry (67% story ends)
Tue 13/05/08 at 10:41
Moderator
"possibly impossible"
Posts: 24,985
Perhaps disc space was a factor? I wonder if they would have been able to fit more in if it was just Blu-ray being worked on?
Tue 13/05/08 at 07:55
Regular
"THFC"
Posts: 4,488
Well i have to be honest - the more i have played i would only give it a 9 out of 10.
There is room for improvement but you have to admire what has been done and i think ratings are based on previous games - not what could be in the future (if that makes sense)

But i fully agree that all the hype and delays you would hope they did as best they could and have faith in their fans to buy the next installment
Mon 12/05/08 at 18:06
Regular
"Mooching around"
Posts: 4,248
Yeah, I understand it as a wise business move. But it's just annoying, especially with a resounding 100% ratings from everyone =( How will they show that the next one is any better?
Mon 12/05/08 at 08:08
Regular
"THFC"
Posts: 4,488
The Reaper wrote:
> I still stand by my criticism that it was made with the intention
> of easily bigger and better sequel.

Without fail, you will be able to fly planes in the sequel, you will probably be able to work out at a gym etc to shape your character more and aspects like this. But then that will always be the way with these kind of Games, if they made it with everything in now then they would be stuck for a sequel.
Sun 11/05/08 at 19:47
Regular
"Mooching around"
Posts: 4,248
I still stand by my criticism that it was made with the intention of easily bigger and better sequel.
Thu 08/05/08 at 15:47
Regular
"THFC"
Posts: 4,488
Thats good, wondered why there was an update to download - i got frustrated with it constantly saying "cannot connect to game server"

and when you did get on there was limited numbers in a game making it dull.

But i will give it a look tonight if it is fixed and get more involved.

Do you actually know if there is a benefit to leveling up on Multiplayer?
Thu 08/05/08 at 14:41
Moderator
"possibly impossible"
Posts: 24,985
It's fixed now, a patch should be available today to sort out the server issues, so worth giving it another try.

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