Opinion - GTA IV - is it really that good?

[Blackmage]

One thing i like about this version, is that they have given Nico a profile/history which is all related to him before he gets off the boat. you have to make decisions about the people you meet and they all still some how manage to relate to what he wanted to achieve in coming to liberty city.

The previous versions had lifeless/ one dimensional main characters with a basic profile/ history.

[kalniel]

Am I the only one who sees disappointment as being the inevitable result of the hype surrounding new releases now?

What else has ever caused disappointment but a failure to meet up to expectations?

Hype I don't mind, but what annoys me is how it seems to affect games reviews - there seems to be some intangible charisma around certain games from certain studios which gains them fair higher scores than if the game had been released from a new studio.

Granted some scores are neccessarily made in reference to what the console/systems of the time are capable of, and should a PC version appear I fully expect graphical scores to be far lower than the console reviews, but does virtually every site really believe that this is as good as you're ever going to get on today's consoles? I feel sorry for console owners if that's the case!

[Chris P]

Great game - I am about 45 % through, 50K off half a million.... Apparently the PS3 version is better than the XBOX 360 version though ?

[MadduckUK]

Granted some scores are neccessarily made in reference to what the console/systems of the time are capable of, and should a PC version appear I fully expect graphical scores to be far lower than the console reviews, but does virtually every site really believe that this is as good as you're ever going to get on today's consoles? I feel sorry for console owners if that's the case!

they certainly could have made it look a million times better, if all the console had to render was one house and one car.. and possibly a tree to add a bit of greenery. but i think your totally missing the point here

[kalniel]

*delete*

[kalniel]

Great game - I am about 45 % through, 50K off half a million.... Apparently the PS3 version is better than the XBOX 360 version though ?

If by better you mean lower resolution, yup (ok, go see the other topics about it, there's lots been written about both versions )

they certainly could have made it look a million times better, if all the console had to render was one house and one car.. and possibly a tree to add a bit of greenery. but i think your totally missing the point here

I guess I am. I think, for a game that's only rendering a very large city with lots of cars and objects etc at 30fps and limited visibility it could look a lot better.

[MadduckUK]

for a game that's only rendering a very large city with lots of cars and objects etc

take it as high as you can go and see how much visibility there is

[Lucio]

I have to wonder whether or not Nick's used to playing GTA on the PC rather than on a console. I loved GTA: San Andreas when I got it for the PC, but when I picked up someone's copy on the X-Box, the control system left me feeling cold.

Everything Nick's put as criticism really does sound more like you don't like the console version.

[MadduckUK]

i would think that this, as its on the main page and not just a general rant. has been created purely to get hits. baiting fans of the game into a reaction. the problem with that of course is that somethingawful did it first and did it better, and did it quite funny actually

[Merlin4458]

Great game, but i mall about the multiplayers, which does have some great features, but so buggy its scary. 90% of the time, i get" u have lost connectio nwith 1 or more players and are returning to single player mode". So it def needs a patch as its impossible for me and my flat m8 to play o nthe same server when i invite him, as the error comes up

[Ben_]

Rate it, highly.

Couldnt care about all this negative press that has come out all of a suddent, it was 10/10 everywhere last week now this.

Get a life, its good and you know it.. It doesnt get reviews like that for being average.

[kalniel]

Get a life,

Nick's just doing his job, and probably has more 'life' that people who play GTA IV for a hobby

[optimadam]

I have to agree, the game just feel empty.

[optimadam]

Ben - sorry for havin our own opinions and i never agreed to this 10/10. So your telling me that you will play the game forever and never put it down. That to me is what 10/10 means, the game is the best ever and nother beets it.

ive played GTA for about 15 hours and just got board, not enough new content to keep me interested. If you have played all the other GTAs its just the same.

Yes i know i might have not got to the good part but if i have to play the game for load of hours before it starts getting good then its not worthy of its 10/10 rating.

[Ben_]

Nick's just doing his job, and probably has more 'life' that people who play GTA IV for a hobby

I was getting at the sudden rush of negativity not nick as a bloke.

[Nick]

Ulp, can open, worms everywhere...

Madduck, nope, I'm not baiting fans and I'm a bit disappointed you'd think I'd do that to be honest... and there's far easier targets out there. Also, with the whole slew of GTA 4 coverage being produced by anyone that has a website, I rather think my thoughts will just get washed along with everything else.

The point of me posting that article was because, after having spent a good deal of time in the game, my opinion of it was pretty much the opposite of Steven's write-up and I felt I should present another view. I'm not saying Steven is wrong and for all I know, I'm the one who's missed the point of GTA 4 but my thoughts were so different from his I felt it needed to be said.

Lucio, maybe you're right. I am used to the PC versions and loved them, maybe that's it... but no-one can argue that the tailing camera is just too damn laggy, or is it just me?

Ben, cheers, I went out, got a life and it's great... gets a 10/10 for me As for negative press, it's just an opinion, in this case, my opinion... who's to say I'm right or wrong? People can have different opinions bud, it is just a game.

I dunno, maybe I just missed the bit where GTA 4 gets good... it just seems like a slog for me. Perhaps I'm getting old... Maybe if they do a Shop Mobility version of GTA, think I'll be happy then?