My review of GTA4 is that if you don’t like it, then you’re wrong. It’s that simple. The game is a masterpiece. I challenge anyone who has sat down and played for a couple of minutes to not instantly love this game. Its dynamite and well worth the wait, and not only that but it actually surpassed the hype, something very hard to achieve in the gaming industry today.
By far this is the most immersive console game I have ever played. Gamers also have a new hero in Niko Belic, the main character, who along with every other character in the game is so well rounded that you can imagine the nights of research that went into every single bit of computer generated body language and dialogue.
As a kid who grew up in Queens, they definitely nailed the NY landscape. They nailed the accents of the boroughs and simply the unique feel of New York City. Games should be like this all the time. We would have a museum dedicated to gaming works of art if every game that came out was as well thought out as this one.
From the minute I popped it in, I felt no buyers’ remorse for spending the near $100 dollars on the special edition. If you haven’t picked up the game yet, I strongly suggest you pick up the special edition, which includes a well-made duffel bag, a metal lockbox (which works great) a soundtrack to the game and a small hardcover book detailing the art of the game. If you order from Amazon, they have an extra piece of merch for you in the form of a custom Liberty City vanity license plate.
The bottom line is that you wont want to play anything else until you have beat this game. The X Box version, of course, has the achievement points, which makes unlocking everything in the game 100% even more fun and at some point in the near future, there will be downloadable content too.
There is one small technical issue with the game however, on both the PS3 and X-Box 360. Some games are said to have a load failure in the beginning of the game which freezes your system and makes the game unplayable. That is the one minor drawback to this game, but take your chances anyway. Rockstar has once again lifted the bar so high that its practically resting on the sun at this point. Developers should take note of the sheer awesomeness of this game and produce more well rounded games that don’t just rely on a big drop date and cross market appeal.
This game is what the next gen systems were built for. I consider this the first TRUE next gen game that delivers on every single level, from the story, (which plays like you're in a very long, very well made, gangster flick taking the best elements of the genre and turning them into something special) to the action, to the in game physics which have to be seen to be believed.
You can literally do anything in this game. There are complaints however that after San Andreas, the lack of modifying your characters physicality hurts the game. That is just plain ridiculous. The gripes I have heard are just that, small gripes made by gamers who just want something to complain about.
GTA4 is a smart, well made game for adults and like I said, if you don’t like it, you are wrong.
I'm glad that the article made you upset enough that you felt the need to write about it. It stirred emotion, which is completely awesome. Passion for gaming is something we can all share.
The wrongness in question is about seeing how far game development has come. The game has a very linear story, BUT is completely non linear, you can go anywhere and do anything, and it looks gorgeous. As a gamers, we should all be proud of that and it should inspire faith in the gaming market to see what's next.
I appreciate a good challenge wherever I can find one and I do agree with you that better graphics and bigger explosions don't make a great game, but in this case it does because your playing as a criminal (and lets be honest, if you play the whole game through, you're a super criminal cuz Niko goes through some wacky ass missions.) Keep the comments coming
First, there is a difference between intellectual stimulation and challenging problem solving. Games offer the later, books offer the former.
I can cite Rez, Eternal Darkness (which is a game I'm very happy Mr. Stambolian wrote about), the Zelda series, Splinter Cell, Half Life (with its AWESOME AI), Portal etc. as other games that provide challenging problem solving AND advance how we all play video games.
GTA just doesn't do anything of these things for me and I'm pretty sure I'm not "wrong" for not liking it.
I challenge you to have higher standards for games, ask for better gameplay and not just continue to accept better graphics and bigger explosions as enough.
The new Battlefield has these things, but with the purpose of making the actual gameplay more intriguing and complex.
so back in the day you really wanted to dodge traffic like frogger or eat orbs and ghosts like Ms. PacMan?
games have been around for ages giving our brains fun problems to deal with that we don't experience in everyday life. this is a far cry from glorified production of GTAIV. That "game", if you can call it that, is less about challenging your mind than it is about appeasing fanboy sheep.
GOW and RE4 both challenged gamers to think creatively about their surroundings, opponents and resources through the most simple and elegant of game structures. Maybe I'm comparing apples and oranges, but i think it's pretty clear GTAIV is a blatant and easy way to appease the masses - which is fine - but doesn't warrant such lavish praise.
Games are not reality and never will be. Fuzzy lighting and blurred effects, decent voice acting, and super polygons will not make games a reality. If you want narrative and awesome visuals of guys blowing away cops and crashing cars go watch Michael Mann's Heat. Trust me, Val Kilmer looks way cooler than you do walking down the street with a huge gun shooting cops.
Video GAMES should be striving for more complex, rich, and creative game structures. I'm sick of running around and shooting things. Enough of this male-centric, puerile fodder. Gamers are like pigs feeding from a trough. Games like Gears of War give us a new unique way of interacting with our environment, adding a complex layer of gameplay with a simple tap of the A button. This is brilliant game design, pretty landscapes and believable characters are not. Like I said, go watch a movie if that's what you want.
We should be demanding more from the gaming industry. Games like TF2, Gears, Portal, RE4 are just the tip of the iceberg. Stop pushing for game physics and visuals the let you kill without actually killing, start pushing for games that challenge your brain - or maybe hours of GTA have made it mush...