Grand Theft Auto IV. Not as much fun as shooting real Albanians
 

[Official Site]

[Wiki]

[IGN]

Release date: spring 2008

Saw the trailer today and wow this is gonna be an awesome game, I guess. I don't have a PS3 yet but it seems that I have to get one in October ;) (I hope the price has dropped a bit until then!)
Another cool thing: It's playing in NYC! A spokesman for Mayor Michael Bloomberg said "The mayor does not support any video game where you earn points for injuring or killing police officers", but I think he can go fuck himself.

Your first impressions?

Actually, isn't GTAIV taking place in Liberty City again? It's just that now they have the ability to further realize their pseudo-NYC. Either way, I'm glad we're back in LC, as that was definitely my favorite city. I like what they did with the processing power they have now, and the main character looks like he fits in.

Lucky for you it's coming to the 360 as well!

The trailer does look very impressive, I'm with Musharraf, this could the reason to own a PS3.

Looks as if it will be set in Liberty again, I've no problem with that.

Well, this sounds very interesting, I'd like to see exactly what it is that they plan to do with this part of the game.

It's nice to see the game set in Liberty City again. I couldn't really get into San Andreas as much as GTA III, and while Vice City was great I still missed the grungy feel of Liberty.

It sounds like the 360 version will be better, actually. According to the wikipedia article it'll feature two downloadable "episode packs" that include stuff beyond extra cars and characters.

Oy, I remember the madness of the above info. When Rockstar announced they were gonna make exclusive content for each version, with DLC that was also unique to that version people started ranting. The main complaint was that they don't want to be buying an incomplete game, or some nonsense.

yeah that's the wrong tag asshole, way to discriminate against xbox 360

360 is already giving the developers trouble with the limited capacity of a DVD (and they can't put it on two discs either, because who wants to switch discs every time when crossing a bridge or something?). I'm sure they'll deal with it somehow, but downloadable content doesn't mean that the game itself will be better.

There's a mod out for the PC version of GTA:SA, called "Multi-Theft Auto", which is essentially a multiplayer GTA experience. I imagine they might do something like that, where you can login to your PS3 Home/360 Live account and access a multiplayer version of the game. "Who can score the highest rampages in X Time" or "Racing through Liberty City" or even a couple bonus "Co-op" Missions. Sounds tantalizing.

I won't get a 360 because it has a total of about two games that I'm moderately interested in, but I sure don't think that the graphics are significantly different from the PS3, at this stage.

The only way I'm going to play this is if it features some significant improvement over the previous installments. I like the GTA games, but Vice City and San Andreas didn't really add much to a formula that I was growing tired of quickly. And no, new weapon aiming does not suffice.

From what I've seen so far, no truly unique features have been announced for GTA IV, so I'm remaining skeptical for now.

Besides, why is Liberty City New York all of a sudden? It sure didn't look like New York in GTA III. Isn't the GTA "universe" meant to be somewhat consistent?

It's not New York, it's a parody of New York. It has a Statue of Happiness, a Getalife building, four boroughs, etc. It's not sudden, Liberty City has always been based on New York, and current generation consoles are powerful enough to make it actually look like New York.

http://wwp.new-york-usa.com/images/new-york-city.jpg

New York

If the multiplayer is such that myself and a few of my Live buddies can free roam doing missions together, it will probably be worth the price of admission. Hell, if I can crash a Learjet into a car that happened to be carrying Skills, Roflfox, and Iwata at the same time, that alone would be worth it. "Sorry guys, lost control of my plane."

No planes, only helicopters in this GTA.

That sucks. I suppose it would probably be easier to crash a more slowly moving chopper into a moving vehicle than a jet flying several hundred miles per hour, so I guess that would just have to suffice.

I'm aware of that. What I meant was that this "New Yorkesque" Liberty City has nothing to do with the original Liberty City from GTA III. Why they couldn't just come up with a new name is beyond me.

I'm with russ. This'll be great from a multiplayer standpoint. Multi turned a good sandboxer like Crackdown into a great one, and if an already well done GTA game has multi, it could make it absolutely HILARIOUS. I picture people rocketting each other in the middle of a mission for no other reason than pure hilarity. I just hope the multi is drop-in/drop-out, and doesn't require someone to reset the damn game room for someone to join ala RTW's implementation in Crackdown. That was aggrivating.

As for the hilarious "360 looks worse than PS3" debate, they're quite close to each other right now. Especially in regards to cross platform games. I'm sure that'll change eventually though, but I thought most people knew this by this point.

You actually mis-read what rockstar was saying. What is giving them troubles is making the game run smoothly on a 360 without a HDD. all SKU's of the PS3 come with built-in HDD, whereas one of the 360 SKU doesn't come with a HDD and so rockstar is trying to figure out a way to make it work on the 360 where they won't alienate the userbase without a HDD which is quite miniscule IMO.

It is the same thing that plagued oblivion. Try running it on a 360 without a HDD and you will get a un-playable game basically.

Anyways, this is one of my most anticipated games in 07 right along with Mass effect and Bioshock. Also from what i recall and i'm pretty fervent on keeping up with Rockstar related news is that the Story add-on packs are timed exclusive for the 360. Meaning that they will be launched on the 360 first and the PS3 owners will probably have to wait 2-3 months after the 360 gets em for them to get em.

If it does get a Multiplayer function, it will be even 10x better game. Will love obliterating Skills, Fox, Russ and espically mo0.

Also someone fix the tags considering that the way things are going, The 360 version is going to move twice as many copies then the PS3 version due to established console user-base.

I didn't mis-read, this is where I got it from:

Now, it's not a given that a creative vice president actually knows what's creating technical limitations and what isn't, and it was kind of a loaded question anyway, but on the other hand I wouldn't be surprised if they did have trouble storing a game as large as GTA on a 7 GB disc.

Read what he said once again. he singled out the problem as dealing with 360 users without a HDD paired with the DVD format. It is easy to see that he is insinuating that it is difficult to play GTAIV on a 360 without a HDD, nothing else. Have you even messed around with a 360 in the first place? The HDD is an integral part for load speeds and framerate, espically when dealing with a space cramped format like the DVD. Notice how that entire paragraph you quoted basically discussed the HDD function of the two systems and the one time DVD was mentioned, it was mentioned along HDD-less 360s.

As someone who owns all 3 next-gen systems, i can tell you that gaming in this next gen at least among the 360 and PS3, is that a PC technique employed for years is playing a big part which is using the HDD as a data cache to speed up everything about the game. The Rockstar VP didn't word what he was saying all that well but what he was trying to say essentially boils down to

" If you have a 360 that doesn't have a HDD, currently we are having troubles making a GTAIV version that will run correctly on your HDD-less 360 and we are working on the problem"

It is also absurd to assume that since that GTAIV is going to be on the PS3 it will look better on the PS3 because the blu-ray has more data disc room to provide. This theory was instantly rebunked 6 months ago. If you take a look at Resistance which is the PS3's current flagship title that clocks in at 14 gigs and Gears of war which clocks in at 6.37 gigs compressed. Gears of war looks 10x better then Resistance when compared side by side on a HD-TV or even a plain TV and this is notion is unanimously agreed upon by the majority of the videogame community.

It is absurd to assume that the PS3 version of GTAIV is going to be supreme, when most facts point to the opposite spectrum.

Also the PR end of all Videogame companies tend to word what they say horribly and this applies to everyone. Hell, one just needs to take a look at the Sony of Europe head who made the ambiguous comment about FFXIII or the OPM article that stated Bioshock as a confirmed PS3 game when it was debunked countless times by the dev's.

Okay.

Didn't say that. I said that both versions will probably look very similar, but they are currently having some problems with the 360 version (which they will most likely solve).

...ok?

Again, I never said that the PS3 version is going to be 'supreme,' where did you get that from? All I said is that downloadable content alone won't undisputably make the 360 version better.

What "facts" are you talking about? Nobody has seen GTA IV on the PS3 yet, so nobody can say whether or not the "PS3 version of GTAIV is going to be supreme", and as far as I can see, nobody did.

The above shows you insinuated the PS3 version would be better and this could be reinforced by you tagging it originally as a PS3 game and to Aardark, the part about graphics was addressed to Musharraf, not you. Sorry i didn't make that more apparent.

I used the Resistance/ Gears example to make a point to mush that as of currently, many 360 games look better then most PS3 games.

You should have noticed, though, that I made a mistake in that post which was pointed out to me in a very clearly manner exactly one post later.

Umm that's because I actually didn't know there was a GTA IV for 360 as well. Look, I'm not some PS3 fanboy or whatever you think I am because, umm well, I don't even have one yet.

Well, IGN/Gamespot just got several new shots of the game (and some artwork). It looks pretty damn good, considering the scale of the game.

Game looks pretty good, but then again, it doesn't look like too much of a leap over Saint's Row.

I still think this main character looks FUGLY, like a damn caveman.

Hehe yeah, that's true, but then again, that's nothing new as far as GTA is concerned ;)

Do you bother to wipe your ass after you shit anymore?

Looks awesome, only bad part is that it will probably be a bitch to mod compared to the other games. But that's to be expected for these next gen games.

Yes umm okay thanks for your post, but for your information (FYI), I corrected my statement at least twice in this thread :plant:

I think that as this game is tagged as GTAIV, it's a whole seperate thread from the GTAIII games. I imagine they'll get a few characters back in but the continuity between this and the previous set is likely to be significantly reduced.

Anyway, Liberty City from GTAIII was tiny. Chances are the new Liberty City is going to be massive. The map from GTAIII could possibly feature in the new game as a single district for all we know right now.

I'm also interested as to exactly what new features they could put in that would improve this enough for you to be excited about it. For me, the excitement of a new GTA game is having a whole new city to explore and new missions to do, not what new and exciting gameplay features they might have added. To be frank, between III and San Andreas, all they added in the way of gameplay was motorbikes and dressing up. What made the games fun was the monstrously large area to explore and the characters they inhabited it with.

As with all the previous games, Rockstar appear to be keeping pretty tight lipped so far about who's providing voices for the game. There's been some pretty massive names before though so it's impossible to guess. I can't think of too many famous eastern European actors off the top of my head although I imagine all the extras from Severance and Hostel might get a look in. Of the previous characters, I'd love to see Kent Paul and Macca feature again. Danny Dyer and Shaun Ryder are funny as fuck in San Andreas.

I'm also looking forward to a slow drip of related websites between now and the game's release date. Every website mentioned on the radio stations and posted on billboards in the previous games has been a real one and it's that attention to detail which has always put the GTA series so far ahead of hopefulls like Saints Row.

As far as extra downloadable stuff for 360 goes, is it not possible that the DLC will be the stuff from the PS3 version they have to leave out of the 360 version because of space restrictions? If there's one thing Rockstar are good at it's marketing, especially making bad news seem like good news (Like when they got Manhunt banned in New Zealand and it shot to the top of the games sales charts all over Europe for a month).

Very unlikely, since it's rumored that Microsoft paid quite a few dollars for exclusive downloadable content. If anything, maybe PS3 will eventually get some different DLC.

All big-dick system comparisons aside, I'm actually stoked about this game. I'm gonna have a 360 later on this summer and I'll probably end up getting it on that. The GTA series has always been a series that has relied far more upon its off-kilter humor than on graphical excellence. Every little touch to detail has always been added and now it's just a bigger engine to help with these details; platform is of no consequence to me.

<3 the "GetaLife" building in the trailer

Only four more days until the next trailer =D

Next trailer:

http://www.videogametalk.com/index.php

xman25

Looks like a Half-Life 2 mod.

Honestly. :(

Haha, that trailer was hilarious. I swear, it's the accent which is gonna make this game a great game. "plz no more killin", haha. The background music was pretty shit, but that's okay.

Are you mentally retarded, the music was the best part about that trailer.

I liked the music too. D:

Time to start saving for a PS3 or Xbox 360 for me.

Grand Theft Auto IV delayed

Well, if it will make the overall game better, then I guess I'm all for it :/. Was it just me or did the trailers seem...a little choppy.

Here's looking forward to next summer now.

While this certainly sucks for people who were looking forward to the game, and perhaps for people will only one console, I personally breath a sigh of relief. The next 4 months are enough wallet rape as it is.

That said, I was looking forward to fucking around, I played Crackdown again the other day and it did nothing but whet my appetite for Sandboxers all over again.

Spring, more like it, since Take-Two's fiscal Q2 is from February to April. Unless they delay it again. O_O

That is exactly what it i thought when i heard this news. I'm happy it is delayed. I love the GTA series, but their is far too many quality games coming out for the 360 this fall and having one less fanatastic game to manage my time for makes me sigh a breath of relief. Plus, when GTAIV drops it will be during a dry-spell for the 360 and will allow me to invest most of my time into it as of now i have no interest in any 08 games besides GTAIV. MGS4 looks stupid as does FF whatever which are currently the only big 08 titles next to GTAIV.

It is also a smart move on Rockstars part as they're no longer competing with 10 other AAA games. They will move far more copies of GTAIV then they would with the october release date. The only game that will give GTAIV a run for it's money is MGS4 and that isn't all that big of a threat. Past MGS games have moved 3+ million copies whereas the GTA games like Vice city have moved 12 million units.

Oh. :( I was planning to buy a 360 the day this launched (peeack will also be CRUSHED2DEATH). This is quite a delay, but now the game will be even more awesome. Plus I heard a rumour there's a few other games coming out this year that I can play on a 360 anyway.

I wouldn't be so sure, certainly not far more. There are virtually no games coming out in autumn that can compete with GTA IV on most people's priority scale... maybe Halo 3 for some, but that's it. Yes, lots of good games are coming, but GTA is something else entirely. It will sell like crazy regardless of its release date, but it might have done slightly better in late October, since generally game sales are at their highest at the end of the year.

GTA IV coming out in Q2/2008 will have to compete with much more other games than if it had come out in autumn 07. Also, I gonna assume that a lot of people are pissed now, so I think that the sales figures will be even lower.

I am not really surprised about these news since there have been rumors and all, but half a year, that's kinda gross.

No it won't, there's nothing else coming out in spring 2008. Maybe Metal Gear Solid 4, but not like people can't buy two games.

Also, if you're anticipating a game so much that you're pissed about its delay, you will buy it either way.

Little Big Planet, Devil May Cry 4 and MGS 4, and hey, don't you forget Madagascar 2: The Lost Island

But I guess you're right, people will buy it either way.

Given that the 360 version will most likley be the best selling version of GTAIV. It will move more overall units in it's new launch window then it would with the october 07 date. Nearly all my friends on the 360 i've talked to are interested in GTAIV, but their are 1 or 2 other games coming out within the same time period that they would rather buy first then GTAIV. I also hear this alot whenever i play live and get into a discussion about what games everyone is anticipating.

If GTAIV came out during october, it would be competing with a release schedule that had AA/AAA games dropping every week for the entirety of October/November.

With it's new launch date, it's only direct competition is a PS3 game which is MGS4 and no other competition from any 360 titles. Given that the PS3 userbase is quite smaller then the 360's as of now and most likely will be still when GTAIV is released. It makes sense to release the game when the most popular console has the least competition. Also it's new release date is right around when the majority of gamers are getting the itch to buy a few new games.

Moved some crap out of this thread

Okay, it's like this: general GTA discussion: ✔. discussing what effect the delay will have on GTA sales: ✔. completely unrelated console wars and debates about who has the most exclusives: ✗. Thanks.

Wow, this thread hasn't had any posts for a while.
But I guess there hasn't been much to talk about lately.
Anyway, there is a new trailer that reveals the box art:

http://i14.tinypic.com/72a1l34.jpg

Also, a new trailer coming on the 6th December.

Trailer's out. I must say I'm freakin going nuts over it. There's this one dude who looks and sounds a lot like Carl Johnson. I hope its him. Anything to bring back old people.. Now I think this might be a prequel to San Andreas maybe. I haven't played SA for a while but didn't CJ have trouble with the russians or was it Ryder (or smoke). Either way, I'm hyped for this game. It better be worth it with all its shiny graphics.

I dunno what to say about the trailer, I thought it was very weird

Agreed. Now I have different say on that voice. Doesn't sound like CJ at all =/. Looks more comical like that movie A Scanner Darkly XD.

I'm fairly sure that it was well publicised that this game is set in the modern day and as such, can't be a sequel to early-90's San Andreas. Also, the styling in all the trailers is modern rather than historical. Also, I thought the main guy was Eastern European rather than Russian, certainly none of them sound very Russian in the trailers.

Personally, the only characters I'd bring back would be Kent Paul and Maccer but only because Danny Dyer and Shaun Ryder are so funny. So far IMDB is only listing Lazlow as making a return but they never really release cast details unitl the last minute for these things. A good source of info for SA before it came out was all the fake websites they created. I'm sure if you watch the trailers closely they'll be a few urls dotted here or there. Every url mentioned either on a billboard or on the radio in previous games has been a real website, some of them are hilarious.

I think Rockstar will probably try to limit the obvious cameos from previous games, if only to make a fresh start on things. Sure, you gotta have some stuff from the previous titles (Lazlow has been in every 3D GTA to date, I think). Then again, Rockstar can be unpredictable.

I can't wait for more videos / demos / etc.,

Is there any sort of maybe-definitive release date?

I hope Lazlow is still doing his radio show. He was kinda lame as a DJ.

I think mid - late March is the target release date if I'm not mistaken.

oh wow, that looked soo intense! That game will probably suck up a lot of my time!

Probably, but... well, look below:

Bringing some fresh news into the thread: On Amazon.com, they have the release date as April 30th, and are already taking pre-orders for both 360/PS3 Versions, including Special Editions. Regular game is $59.99, and Special Edition is $89.99. There's also an entry for the Grand Theft Auto IV Signature Series Guide (Brady Games), which has a release date of May 15th.

In regards to the Special Editions:
The Items are the following: Game, Selected Soundtrack, Duffelbag, Lockbox with Rockstar Keychain, and Artbook.
http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01...-sp_ps3_lg.jpg
http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01...-sp_360_lg.jpg

Oh, and here's the license plate that you could get by Pre-ordering:
http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/image...-plate-700.jpg

All in all, Pretty neat extras, although I doubt I'll be getting the Special Edition, just the regular game... but who knows? :)

$30 more for all that stuff isn't too bad. If I do end up getting it on the day of release, and there aren't any major deals on the regular edition, I'll spring for this version.

For once, I'm a bit indifferent about GTA. I think SA killed it for me. However, it seems like they've dropped all the useless tat like eating, working out and all that jazz, so it might not be bad.
If the game is almost as good as Vice City, and has a radio channel with Lazlow, like Chatterbox, then I'm buying it. Else, I think I'm gonna sit this one over...

I'm predicting a shitstorm from some federal authority for the license plate. Hawaii pulled the Superbad DVD for containing a joke driving license; Rockstar have balls of steel to follow suit.

Well, you'd have to be extremely stupid to fucking mount it. It's a joke plate. It goes on your wall, or in some other similar display area, not on your damn car. DSid the feds really ahve to step in to stop people from doing that? Yeesh.

When Rockstar published Manhunt 2 in its trimmed down form, they left the deleted content in the data files that would have pushed the game up to AO. You know, the very same thing that got Rockstar in all that trouble when they made San Andreas. Not only do I think they not care, I suspect they're hoping for a federal shitstorm, because there is no such thing as bad publicity.

Jack Thompson is one of Rockstar's best advertisers, and they know it.

To this day, I do not understand what the problem is here, given that the answer to this simple question...

'Given just the game and all items necessary to play it, is the content accessbile?'

...is a resounding 'no'; as I recall, third-party measures are required.
Never mind that GTAs are rated 'unsuitable for anyone under 17' - which is the same as an R-rated movie... which the content in question is about normal for.
I reiterate: where is the problem in the above?

Got this in the mail today:

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...tyswingers.jpg

Apparently I totally forgot about this contest that was held when the official website launched. Pretty nifty baseball tee (had no idea they were so long..) and it did remind me that the game is getting closer...I have the special edition pre-ordered right now and I'm kind of lacking money since buying SSBB...hopefully I'll have enough money to get this by the time it's out.

Went looking for some new stuff about this since I haven't in a long time, found this on IGN:

GTA IV Multiplayer Hands-On

I've had this pre-ordered for months. If you order it from GAME you get a voucher for 500 MS Points (Assuming you get the 360 version of course) and some free gamer pics (w00t). To all those he didn't like the eating and stuff in San Andreas it looks like you're shit out of luck as this is still in GTAIV. Lazlo is back in it though.

This time out you get a cell phone like in Saint's Row which along with allowing missions and stuff to be activated includes a radio so the music doesn't have to end when you get out of a car. Apparently you can also order equipment over the phone, not quite sure how that works though.

This time out you'll only get wanted stars if someone sees you commiting a crime so stealth action will probably abound. Also, the police only know where you are if one of them can see you, police cars won't just spawn constantly around you. This should make getting away from the police more like NFS:Most Wanted which can only be a good thing, rather than having to drive to a paint shop every time you accidentally ran over a cop.

I really can't understand anyone who thinks the GTA games haven't been getting better and better with each iteration and I reckon this looks beyond awesome. I'm not expecting to leave the house for a while after this drops.

I think one of the features I was happiest about was that cars don't explode just from flipping over now. I've died too many times because the car flipped and the guy took a little too long to crawl out after it had caught fire. Probably some of my stupidest deaths in that game. GRAND THEFT AUTO IV - News: Latest Screens, Information, Updates seems to be a pretty good read for info so I'll probably be stalking that site until the end of the month.

The whole escaping from the police thing definitely sounds like the best addition to the game so far. Before if you got anything more than like two stars you were fucked unless you went to a Pay 'n' Spray or found one of the stars on the ground, but the way they have it now definitely makes it seem easier to escape.

The way EGM described it was that there's an area on your map that shows the area the police are covering, and you have to escape it to get them off your tail. However, the more stars you have, the bigger the area is, so there's still some difficulty to it as well. But even if you do get caught, the fact that you can escape (at the cost of attaining another star) makes it even sweeter (no more instant lose).

This game is definitely gonna be awesome, so I just need to decide whether or not I'm gonna get the regular or special edition. I'll most likely get the SE since I can knock it down to the regular edition price with coupons and stuff. I also need to hurry up and finish Vice City Stories, since I probably won't go back to that once GTAIV is out.

Apparently they've censored the game here once again (GTA 3 and VC were altered so that you couldn't actually pick up the prostitutes, VC even had a mission or two completely wiped out). And this is going to be one of the most expensive games released here in quite some time, at almost $115 US for the standard edition (add another eighty grand for the SE). So fuck the local market. :rock: Does anyone know of a good UK online retailer that ships overseas? =o It'd be even more awesome if the US 360 version turned out to be region free but lololol.

Pretty excited about this, I even almost picked up Saint's Row a while back. Almost.

Well, so much for wanting to sit this one over. I'm just about to go to the local game pusher to order the SE. Soom, pretty soon. But which version to get?

If there isn't at least a free-roam of some kind for multi, I'll eat my hat. Co-op would be swanky, but free-roam is kind of a given, considering the success of similar modes in other sandboxers. Maybe with a reduced player count, but still.

I could have sworn I heard news of a couple other modes elsewhere, but I guess I was wrong, as I can't find the link. Nuts.

I meant more of an organized, persistent free roam than any quasi-lobby, potentially instanced, pre-game shenanigans.

That Cops N Crooks game sounds interesting. I'm hoping it's all the crazy awesome I'm thinking it will be.

The whole multiplayer aspect sounds pretty pimping if you ask me, though the 4-player co-op mode (Hangman's Noose) has my interests piqued for sure. I'm hoping there's a decent selection of missions for that mode. I'm sure they'll be replayable, but even so, a nice bit of variety will make it rather excellent.

This is looking more and more interesting; thank you.

It refers not to the Mafia of Godfather fame (which made an appearance in GTA3), but its multiethnic Russian counterpart. Note that members of same have been known to refer to it simply as the 'Organizatsiya' (Organization)

So just so I'm clear on a few things: The multiplayer is on LIVE right? Are there co-op missions of any sort? Any news on DLC?

Finally, I got in my preorder for the 360 version, so... yeah!

In order: yes it is; yes there are co-op missions (self-contained scenarios distinct from the storyline); and not to my knowledge.
With respect to cooperative play, I quote from the following IGN article:

I should note that this sounds like the co-op challenge scenarios seen over in Saints Row. However, the upcoming sequel has Crackdown-esque drop-in cooperative play for its campaign. (IGN reference; Gamespy reference)

Well there's a week and ten hours until this gets released. I can't see myself bothering to pick it up at midnight though as, you know, work the next day and all that.

To help Skills and Iwata plan how they're going to play the game, here's a list of the achievements that's believed to be accurate, although Micrsoft have banned all official news until the release date.

It looks like the majority are things you'll pick up just through normal story and online play. I'm sure some people will boost a couple of them but it's unlikely to affect other people's online games (Unlike so many of the games of Halo 3 I played over the weekend where people were using the Legendary Brawl playlist to AP boost without affecting their Lone Wolf rankings, sad motherfuckers).

Those achievements seem, for the most part, perfectly reasonable stuff. All seem like sensible extensions of the game world, a bit like Crackdown, which I like. Don't understand the need for multiplayer achievements though, but then I don't like them in general. I certainly hate nonsense ones like these:
I hope that one is a fake.

I'm hoping that

is a fake one too. GTA more than almost any other game is great for completely ignoring the story half the time and just having fun, so the idea of having a time limit to getting that achievement without starting a whole new game is pretty unappealing. The list looks pretty average aside from that one and the one OP posted, though.

Didn't even spot that one. That's a terrible idea to try and get people to rush through the game. I very much hope that one is a fake.

So powerful is the GTA brand that mere adverts for it are causing a crime spree in Chicago. A CRIME SPREE I TELL YOU. Or so implies Fox News:

MyFox Chicago | Violent Video Game Ads on The CTA

There are no words.

Wait, they ran the same story for GTA SA bus ads? Bus ads? Really? This is crucial news! FOX is a proud sponser of the Grand Theft Auto series it seems.

Words can't describe the level of hype and excitement I've got pent up for this game.

I'm guessing they included that one as a second play-through deal. Anyone who tries for that one on their first play needs to seriously rediscover the fun of playing computer games rather than just obsessively collecting gamer points.

I agree that multiplayer achievements are often retarded but ones like these seem to be largely of the kind you'd pick up after a while if you're pretty good at the game which for me is the whole point of achievements. For instance, I like the ones in Rainbow you get for killing 150, 300, 500 and 1,000 people online because you can't scam your way up to those easily with a mate, to get them is a sign that you play the game a lot and nothing more. I can understand it would be annoying for someone who desperately wanted to collect all the achievement points but if you view getting them as a bonus rather than a necessity, they're fair goals.

From that list, it's only really the time limit one and the flying under bridges that you're going to need to go too far out of your way to unlock.

Very true, but I'd argue that hold true for a second play-through as well. A game like GTA is about experiencing a world, not with a time-limit. It's easily ignored I know, but it just seems counter-intuitive to encourage that sort of playing at any time in a game like GTA.

Anyways, there's an interview online with Dan Houser that is worth reading - The Cut Scene - Video Game Blog by Variety: Dan Houser's very extended interview about everything "Grand Theft Auto IV" and Rockstar. It's shame the guys behind GTA don't come out and say things more often because they have a very sensible view on the world, or so it seems.

Yeah, I read that yesterday, it's a great article. Personally, I'd never bother going for that 30 hour achievement, I agree with you wholeheartedly, such an approach to the game seems completely counter-intuitive. I'm sure some people will go for it though, much the same as people played through Suikoden 2 in 4 hours to get Clive's story or FFIX in 12 to get the Excalibur II sword.

I've just got off the phone to a mate having organised to get together with him, quite a lot of beer and a big sack of weed for an evening of GTA next wednesday. For me that's always been the great thing about the GTA games, they're one player but you can happily play with a bunch of people taking it in turns to do missions and shit. He's also bringing Mariokart for the Wii, it's going to be like being 15 all over again. :)

Well technically I was more like 12 when Mariokart first came out and 17 when GTA came out but lets take an average.

Pics of the special edition from someone on the internet.

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$150 for this and you don't even get a proper case for the music CD? Pure style. :erm: I'll be there on launch day for my hobo deluxe standard edition.

I heard Rockstar already sent a package to ign.com (that's what they do since SquareEnix got fucked with the awesome KH2 review for not sending one), now the question only is: which number behind the 9? Well, maybe we will see the first 10.0 who knows

OXM and PSM both already gave it straight tens as I understand and with the amount of money Microsoft are throwing at advertising this (None of the UK ads mention that it's available on PS3, they all just say 360) I'd be surprised if this didn't rank pretty high on IGN.

I don't know how long this has been up, but 1UP have an interview with Sam Houser this time, which is another worthwhile read: GTA4 Sam Houser Interview from 1UP.com

can anyone say leaked?

Grand Theft Auto IV MULTI5 PAL READNFO XBOX360-iCON

too bad i dont have a flashed xbox :(

Meh, pirating console games is too much trouble. I tend to only download old/obscure games not generally available in stores. Seeing those pics of the special edition though... I wonder what artists have signed up for having their music included?

:), i couldn't resist. AWESOME Game, although i won't be going online until i buy the original next week. Until then, single mode is more then enough:D

you better make your games hidden in your profile or you might get banned :(.

They don't ban people from Live based on games played, since they wouldn't punish an end user for a store or other retailer breaking street, or one of a few other legitimate reasons to have the game on the list.

They can ban for the actual piracy though, so make sure they don't catch THAT.

But didnt they do that for Halo3?

Uhhh, no.

It might appear that way if a majority of the people playing Halo early were pirates though.

Also the "hide games played" only hides from other end users, it's not like you can hide that information from the Live back end.

Whilst I can't answer that question, did you know that Rockstar don't pay for the music in GTA games? The free advertising is considered more than enough of a benefit for the artists and labels. I guess you only have to look at the success of the NWA best of and legacy albums, released in the wake of San Andreas for proof that it's worth getting on a GTA soundtrack...

hi i'm new here dont know this is the right thread but i have a simple question:does someone of you guys know if there is multiplayer offiline?split sreen or something else? thanks for your time

Regarding that skills, you Can remove your HDD, Fully format your xbox360, (be sure to transfer your GT safely to the other drive (The one that you won't probably use online) then remove HDD, Pop in GTA:4 when you finish the game and decides to go online, you can always just Format your memory card and just play from the start (With the original game)

Uhh that sounds confusing since i'm confused right now, To summarize, Remove HDD, make a new GT, play gta4, when you finish it (it gets released) Remove your memory card, format your xbox360 (i don't know how to do that) and just pop your hdd back in and grab your original copy, or start from the crap again.

For that amount of effort, couldn't you just wait five and a half days and then buy the damn thing?

Additional Spam:
No, the multiplayer in online only. If you click on the "Quick links" button on the top bar here, you'll find the GFF Xbox 360 leaderboard option which lists out everyone here's gamertags if you need to populate your friends list with people to play with. :)

many thanks for the quick answer :).ehm i have a ps3 btw

Yeah, But then again my game will probably arrive here in 2 weeks after the release date (lol yesasia)

I don't want to risk the experience of killing tails, by running him over my lowrider.

=D

I am losing my mind.

IGN reviewed the game, here's the page if anyone is interested:

IGN: Grand Theft Auto IV Review
IGN: GTA IV Review Podcast

Looks awesome, but doesn't really concern me, since I don't own either system. Hope you guys enjoy the game!

What is it, the third 10 ever from IGN? Ocarina, Soul Calibur, and now GTA4... Crazy. Might have to reconsider waiting on getting the game now...

There's actually a bunch of handheld games that got 10s as well, but as far as console games yeah, it's only the third one.

Haven't had a chance to read the written review yet, but I did check out the video review (and I'll listen to the podcast later as well, even though they already went pretty in-depth about the game on a recent episode of their Three Red Lights podcast) and it seems like there's no reason not to buy this game. I'm definitely picking it up sometime next week.

I've never understood why these games are popular. Just utter shit.

A perfect 10? My ass.

Let me guess, repetitive game play. Lousy story. And I get to murder hookers. No, by all means, chalk that up a perfect 5 stars. For sure. I'm sure NO ONE got paid for that perfect score.

You people clearly love it, maybe someone here can explain the appeal of this. What the hell about GTA is fun? I'm honestly curious. I've never been able to tolerate more than half an hour of the previous incarnations.

Haven't we determined that review scores are already horseshit? It's not like people here really give all that much a shit. Do you remember what happened when the rational folks who posted here responded to the call to boycot shit because of Kain and Lynch? Come the fuck on, Deni. Give us a break.

But your ignorance is amusing. For a self proclaimed RPG fan, you should be well aware that repetitive tasks are not necessarily boring. Many, MANY games would be easily dismissed if this were the case. From a variety of genres. Hell, many that you LOVE can be shit on for this reason. But I like Harvest Moon and Ikaruga, what do I know about repetition, right?

Sure, the story has never been some grand epic about wizards and warriors, but they've always been extremely tounge in cheek with a fair amount of really stupid humour thrown in for good measure. Great? Probably not, but certainly not worthy of being completely shit on. I can think of hundreds of worse examples in the time it takes me to fart.

Sandboxers are usually fun (at least well made ones are) in that they give you a bunch of shit to just do as you please. That tends to be what's amusing. If one enjoys an experience that's not so rigidly structured, then they tend to be all about this genre. I can murder hookers just for the sake of enjoying the sound it makes when I apply bat to skull. Fine then. If I'm having fun, ain't that the point?

That said, multiplayer is what I'm looking forward to the most in this iteration. Helicopter chiken with my main man Tails is gonna be quite possibly the funniest shit ever. There's just something to be said about the ability to mess around with the tools given to you with no discernable goal except what you make yourself. Crackdown did this amazingly well, so I personally expect a good time out of this.

Opinion on being bored with the gameplay? Sure. Nothing wrong with that. The gamut of possible actions and gameplay that reveals itself as a result may not for everyone. Nothing appeals to everyone. Not even Earthbound or FF6. But dismissive such as you are simply because it seems popular is quite aggrivating. Dismissive because "oh, well, I didn't enjoy the others and here's why" makes a lot more sense, though.

But keep trolling it the fuck up. Awesome.

Never said they sucked because they were popular. I said I didn't understand why they were popular. My reason for hating them is because I've hated all the others. You know, if one of your crew had the sense of Tails (can't believe I had to say that and mean it) and just said "online is fucking GREAT with your buddies" I'd have gotten it. I still don't see how a 10 out of 10 happens.

A 10 out of 10 happens for the multitude of reasons we all know it happens for. Gaming journalism is a complete joke, to assume otherwise is to be wrong.

Have I misinterpretted your comment? I thought you were refering to "why are we excited?", not "why did it score so well on major sites?". The second seems like such a blatantly obvious rhetorical question that I assumed you were just asking the first.

It seems that you're locked into the mindset of not liking it due to disliking the last few, and that's totally acceptable. Not your cup of tea, but that begs the question of why you were asking in the first place? Seems like more trolling.

As someone who hasn't played the game, I think I am in the best position to say why I think it got a perfect 10:

Guns
Hookers
Curse words

Today's hardcore gamer eats this shit up to make them feel cooler.



Ok, in all honesty, based on the wonderful experiences I've had with previous GTA games, I can only guess that it expands upon their great use of open-world gameplay, which seems evident in the videos I've been watching. It's just limitless gameplay, and if it's something you enjoy (which I do), it's essentially limitless fun. Combine that with the fact that it controls well, has great visuals, great soundtrack, and from what I've heard a fantastic story, it's bound to be great. Perfect? We'll see. Aside from the obvious gaming journalism bullshit, I'm not entirely shocked it's getting the praise it's getting.

To be honest, it looks leaps and bounds better than any other GTA game I've seen. I'm not gonna turn my nose up at GTA. It's not my thing, period. But I can see the appeal, even if certain mechanics are sketchy, it has the benefit of zeitgeist and trend setting and all that shit. The same way Devil May Cry and Final Fantasy VII get their props and their jeers and what not.

What's the appeal? I guess people like running around killing shit, doing missions, collecting shit. It's open ended and taps all the right gamer OCD buttons in an environment really appealing to some people. Fact of life. I tend to despise playing through most RPGs, yet I'll, like Skills, appreciate Ikaruga and play it in an attempt at perfection for god knows what reason.

I'm sure it's not gonna be perfect, gaming journalism has zero credibility for a lot of players and I can see the reasons why quite clearly and how they hold up... but I think it looks like a decent game this time around. Over the shoulder aiming? WHAT A CONCEPT! And maybe, just maybe, it was passable in all those other installments most of us passed over.

I just read through the review, and though many are willing to dismiss reviewers for doing their job, I want to quote the very last paragraph from IGN's review, which in my opinion, helps justify such a rating (which I was extremely skeptical about at first):

I challenge you to take the 10-15 minutes to read the review. Seriously, see why they rated it that way. I'm sorry Deni, but based on what you said, it's far too transparent that you looked at the score and simply dismissed it completely. I'm not dismissing the possibility or likelihood of exaggeration, but after reading the review, I'm going to give the game its chance without thinking back on any judgments from previous titles.

If my experiences quell my prejudice towards the game, then I am more than happy to let Rockstar Games prove me wrong.

I didn't read the review, because IGN makes me yawn, but one point more than Klax on Lynx? I don't think so, IGN. brb, going to go protest outside their office.

Not in the Aussie version! :tpg:

Except that I did read the review, Lord Byron. And if you completely wipe the memory of past incarnations of something before you see it, I congratulate you on your Goldfish like memory. I'm sure it comes in very handy for you. Man, the last time I stuck my hand in an oven it sure hurt, but this is a different oven, a newer oven. This one has digital knobs instead of dials. Sure is a good thing I can forget the pain of being horridly burned long enough to do it again!

You know what else they said in that review?

Please. Could you be more full of shit. Rockstar's never shown the slightest inclination towards writing (see? This is that previous exposure thing we covered earlier) and now they should be up for best writing noms? Wow, that sure sounds like something you would say in order to get an exclusive online review of a major game! It sure is good that isn't what this is. O wait. It is? Awkward.

INNOVATIVE! It's like game notes, only it's your cell phone! Crazy!

Wow, that's actually impressive, except... o wait...

Oh, so really what the reviewer is saying is that he thought the guys were jerks, and then went out to slaughter people. Yeah. Brilliant.

MORE innovations! Non-story impacting branches! WOW! I could hop over a fucking goomba without fireballing the little fucker, and it does the same thing.

Didn't goldeneye do this same thing? I know some of the old EIDOS games did.

There was a whole shitty game based around this already.



So, really. They gave it a 10 because it was innovative and pushed boundaries? Did -YOU- read that review? Because to me it sounded a lot like someone got paid some coin to write a review describing elements that have been around for a long time, slap a 10 out of 10 on it, call it innovative, and get an exclusive review for their trouble.

I'm sorry, Diversion, but I have to say. It doesn't sound like you took the time to really read it.

I read it and it looks like exaggeration to be sure. They even awarded a ten to each individual category. This reminds me of how EGM gave Vice City and San Andreas straight tens even though they were each variations on a theme with slight upgrades here and there. Oscar-caliber story? Connecting with Niko in a way that one rarely does with game characters? More parts of the game are better than anything she's seen in gaming for the past ten years? In all honesty, it sounds like what I expected, but with the importance of each enhancement pumped up to be something out of this world just because it happens to be in a much-anticipated GTA title. So now it incorporates over the shoulder aiming and a more melodramatic story where morality choices (which the review admits hardly affects the outcome of events) play a factor. Say hello to RE4 for the former and numerous RPGs for the latter. Seven pages worth of words to basically say that it's a more detailed GTA title that adds a couple of new things to the mix.

So it takes what other GTA games did and makes each element a bit better. That's what a sequel is supposed to do, and I'm not sure how it merits a ten in this case. I seriously doubt that it does, actually. I have no doubt that the game is going to be great fun, but the review hypes it up like if it's some remarkable artistic achievement, when it's just using the same formula that made GTA3 so successful. And I definitely noticed when she admits that it's more subtle than GTA3 in terms of taking a leap forward.

Anyways, GTA is GTA. Fun games, but the exceedingly high ratings are the result of media hype. Casual gamers buy these games in droves, and I've enjoyed a few myself, but the GTA games aren't going to show up in the top ten or twenty favorite game of all time lists of hardcore gamers. They just aren't inspired enough. The sandbox gameplay surely offers something to any kind of gamer, but the general 'Scarface fantasy' approach is so obviously targeted towards the casual gamer. If I want to see a story with tortured souls, I can play Valkyrie Profile and get 10x the artistry in my experience.

In short, GTA3, Vice City (I got tired of the formula after this one), and San Andreas all got built up to be god's gift and they paled in comparison to games like Deus Ex and System Shock 2 (which both came out in the last ten years) in terms of artistry, originality, and lasting impact on a person (on me, but I bet that most seasoned gamers feel similarly). Nothing in the review suggests that GTAIV will be any different. The Chrono Triggers, the Marios/Zeldas/Metroids, and the Metal Gear Solids of the gaming world have nothing to fear from the technical prowess of GTAIV.

Also, Earthbound rules.

I was going to take your post seriously right up until you mentioned Metal Gear Solid, Mario and Zelda as equal series'.

Ahahaha, nice one.

Anyways, back on topic here, I got the special edition coming in. Any word on what's going to be on the soundtrack? Can't wait to rip it up with all you motherfuckers online.

Also are people ever going to come up with anything better for the PC than fucking SS2? Cause man, GTA certainly doesn't have shit on a game from nearly ten fucking years ago.

Um, folks. Protips. No one said anything about really giving a shit what the review was all about. Diversion even went so far as to say the whole thing was sensationalist tripe, but that even so, it brough up interesting points that might be worth a second look. Deni, cherry picking your arguments and picking out what is OBVIOUSLY THE EXAGGERATED CRAP that was already mentioned just goes to show how much you skimmed of everyone else's arguments. Now you're just starting shit for the sake of starting shit.

RPG faggots coming out of the woodwork to be useless shitsacks sure is entertaining, though. What is it with big name releases and people trying oh-so-hard to appear hardcore by dissing a god damn review from a non-reputable source. WOW.

Holy fuck, guys. Your local paper gave a good review to a Harry Potter book! Let's have all the faux-intellectuals strut their stuff and say how much of a ripoff of Tolkien it is!

Fuck, you people make me CRY.

I wonder why you rarely see people in jrpg threads derailing it and trying argue that Dues Ex, System Shock 2 and Planescape: Torment are all better experiences of the past decade. to get back on topic:

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They're not familiar with the Kane and Lynch fiasco. I wouldn't bother with it, really. You're probably arguing against the people that said that Halo 3 was better than Halo 2, which was better than Halo 1, which all deserved a 12/10 or something for absolute perfection, blah blah blah. Based on the series being popular, someone will give it a ten. Others will be afraid to rate it otherwise, assuming they'll lose their jobs as well. You know already what the game offers by comparison to the others in the series and you already know what sort of "rating" it deserves in comparison to other titles.

No need to beat around the bush, just admit you're pissed that the PC version doesn't even have a release date yet.

But in all seriousness, If you don't like the game, stay outta the fuckin' thread. Plenty of us here enjoy the GTA series and when a select few of you pull this petty thread derailing crap, you make this place look like Neogaf and that shit ain't cool.

You called me out on it. I'm secretly upset about a PC version of a game in a series that I haven't played since the second one. I played a few minutes of the third one, didn't like it because the premise was the same and the content wasn't really appealing for repeating. Gosh, you called me out on that one, alright. Or perhaps I was trying to let people know how useless reviews are when in terms of numbers. I made a reference to the incident (you don't seem to be familiar) where a reviewer was fired after giving Kane and Lynch a poor review while they were encouraged to hype the game and give it high marks. I'm saying that if you want to score a title, go by the progression made between titles and judge it based on what it does differently. I'm viewing it in terms of what a customer would ask me what is new. I'd tell them that it has more of an open world and also features a multiplayer addition. I don't tell the customer that I give it a 9.8 based on this or that.

But.. but.. this is the internet!

"New game announced!"
"GONNA BE SHIT"
"I haven't told you what it is!"
"YOU'RE SHIT"

Then if you have no interest in the series, why do you feel you must be a fuckwit and add more meaningless drivel to the thread and further derail it from it's intended target of discussing GTAIV?

I know all about Gerstmann gate but it has no bearing on this thread or discussion whatsoever and trying to explain it while bringing up Halo 3 along with it shows you're just being a jackass. If you haven't played the game or have no intention of doing so, how in the fuck can you think you know the differences between this game and the past versions? Yes, we all know the majority of reviews are generally wrong, but at least the reviewer can be given the benefit of the doubt because they actually played the fuckin game before passing judgement unlike certain people in this thread.

Wow thank you! I learn something new every day!

Haha for a minute I though GTA4 was released and people actually had the ability to form some first hand opinions on the game and if it actually is deserving of a 10/10 or not.

I heard that in GTA 4 you can stream your own songs in your car on multiplayer mode.

Imagine that

Wait you mean I could do a drive-by on someone bumping to the Lucky Star OP and the other people would hear it? Because that would be all kinds of awesome right there.

It should be obvious that everyone's entitled to their own thoughts on a topic, but there is a large, fat line that's as thick as Mo0 and Sass combined between expressing it and flat out being a troll shithead.

Just don't cross it folks, threadbans are already getting handed out.

Sorry, I thought discussing the review's score for GTA4 was somehow related to the discussion for GTA4.

The point that I made was in regards to numbers being shit and that everyone should lay off it. I made the reference to Halo as some people figure "hey, popular series, the next one must be better than the last" while its pretty obvious that Halo 3 was better than 2. So, just in case it takes a second say: Everyone shut the hell up about the score. The only people who care are those who want to give it a 50 out of 10 or the people who want to give it a -50 out of 10. Either way, same result: the 50s will play it, the -50s won't. That's it.

I read to see what major differences there are. Adding multiplayer is a significant difference, but from what I read, it doesn't seem to be appealing enough for me to want to play it. Key word: ME. The premise of robbing, killing, stealing, and whatnot is still the same. Are you then not allowed to say if its any good because you haven't played it though? No, you can gather plenty by the text, screenshots, and videos. You then make a decision on your own as to whether or not the core changes are appealing.

Did I say it sucks? Did I say that it lacks? You can tell a good amount about a game before it comes out. The progression of difficulty, replay value, or online stability are just a few things that really can't be ascertained from preliminary impressions, but you can get a decent idea of what it is. This is why people can pre-order a game. You can tell enough if you think it looks interesting.

Would you prefer I go to someone's house and play it Tuesday morning, then come back and give a detailed description as to why I don't like it? I'd give a mixed confirmation of my opinion of the title as well as how it compares to other similar or new games (such categories as sound quality, graphical quality, voice acting, controls, story development).

Whatever happened to giving your opinion and then moving on? Do we really have to sit here and argue for 12 pages about why someone doesn't like something or why they do? Nobody here can honestly be stupid enough to assume they are changing anyone's opinion on the subject-- so how about we just drop it before this topic basically becomes an unreadable mess except to everyone in the played out fucking argument?

"Everyone shut the hell up about the score"? Look, people in this thread were looking forward to GTAIV even before the 10/10 scores started rolling out. Nobody in here has run around screaming how it's going to be the best game ever due to numbers in a review. Your comment is worthless because it's addressing an argument that doesn't even exist.

I don't know what you're talking about, but I didn't put in my pre-order until AFTER the 10/10 came out. Completely disregard the fact that this doesn't make sense because they stopped taking special edition preorders before the review dropped.

It just is. 10/10 motherfucker.

This is not really surprising. The videos and the images already told you that this would happen as well as the fact that they postponed the game several times and the fact that it's not really reasonable to bash a game that is without any doubt going to change videogame history, whether you like it or not.

I mean, I can understand that now there are some people extremely disappointed that IGN didn't fuck up like they did with Kingdom Hearts 2 two years ago, they still think it's one of the biggest hypes in videogame history, but in the end, as I said, whether you like it or not, this seems to be an awesome game. I mean, does it really matter whether it's a perfect ten or just a nine point eight?

So it got a 10/10 review. So what. As we all know, there have been TONS of games that have gotten great reviews that people disliked for various reasons, games that have gotten a perfect 10/10 review that people really DID like, and games that didn't do as well that people liked/disliked anyway. So as Garr said, maybe we should just wait and see.

For me, I'm not really that interested. Can't do multiplayer and never really liked single-mode. I mean, I played GTA1, and while it IS fun to blow off some steam or whatever for a few hours, it's not a game that I'll be playing endlessly. Just not my type...

No! A perfect score means a game HAS to be epic and possibly one of the best games ever. There has never been a game that got an inflated score and went on to be utter shit. It just. doesn't. happen. This is the first time, and there is no precedent here. DOESN'T HAPPEN.

http://cohmcg.com/sitebuildercontent...ntsc-front.jpg*











*A Final Fantasy Killer! 5 out of 5! -GamePro magazine

Deni, the more you post, the more I see our views are very similar at least with regards to video gaming.

Didn't Zelda:OOT get a perfect score? I actually am OK with that game getting such a score (although I could see why others might argue against it).

And here I was thinking this was a thread about GTA. Hang on to your hats, I'm about to copy some shit from Kotaku (god forbid).

Soundtrack that comes with the SE is as follows:

Soviet Connection [The Theme From Grand Theft Auto IV] by Michael Hunter
Dirty New Yorker by Mobb Deep Feat. Havoc & Prodigy from H.N.I.C. Part 2 Sessions
No Sex For Ben by The Rapture
No Fraid A by Munga
Where's My Money by Busta Rhymes
I Want You by C.J.
Rocky Mountain Way by Joe Walsh
Stand Up Jamrock by Bob Marley & The Wailers and Damian Marley
Liberty City: The Invasion by Seryoga
Vagabond by Greenskeepers
On A Journey by Electrik Funk
Nickname by Qadir
Holy Thursday by David Axelrod
War Is Necessary by Nas
Zombie by Fela Kuti
5:23 by Global Communication

Mobb Deep, Busta AND Nas? Excellent.

There should be more rap themes.. but I like what I see so far. I dont think I've heard Dirty New Yorker by Mobb Deep at all since its not in Prodigy's HNIC Pt 2 album. Is it a classic track ?

EDIT : Nvm. I thought it was New Yitty. Anyway I heard Dirty NY'er and its fire for a 2:40 track =]. New Yitty is way better though..

I'm getting the impression that there's very little difference between the PS3 and 360 versions, or that any difference is minor. That's great, really. But why does this feel like the first multi-platform game where the PS3 version isn't crippled or slightly lame in some form, due to frame rates or something.

Has something been done differently? Is this a turning point? =o

Well there was Burnout Paradise. Most people say that the PS3 version is the better of the two, probably since it was lead developed on it. The main thing I hear about the PS3 version of GTAIV is that the colors are more vibrant or something like that (and honestly, it's not that big of a deal).

Regardless, the only people who are actually gonna buy the PS3 version are those who don't have a 360 (i.e. me). With a better online interface and exclusive downloadable content coming soon, there really is no reason to get the PS3 version if you have both consoles.

You might be correct there, sir!

Anyway, from what I've heard, the differences are very slim, the dude from IGN maundered something about framerate hitches, but I don't know who fucking cares as long as the rest is perfect.

They sound pretty insignificant. But it's the just the general feeling that developers produce a strong game for 360, then churn out a shady conversion/port for PS3.

If it was lead developed for PS3, then that probably explains it.

He said that both versions have framerate hitches, but texture pop-in is worse on the 360.


No, Xbox 360 was the lead development platform.

By the way, there are some live gameplay streams available from leaked versions, for those who can't wait until next week (like me). This one is active right now: Justin.tv - Reign's footage - Live Streaming Video. Liberty City looks incredible.

Edit: another stream, Justin.tv - Live Streaming Video

Well I meant Burnout Paradise, going on RockgamerXIII's previous post.

Liberty City does look fantastic.

The sheer scope of the soundtrack has me excited. From Miles Davis and John Coltrane to Simian Mobile Disco and LCD Soundsystem to Nas and Ghostface Killah, it all looks incredible. Check this out:

Grand Theft Auto IV soundtrack - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Swoon.

Wow, Vladivostok FM is so going to be my favorite radio station




Oh... then again, you can't see her on the radio >_<

Additional Spam:
Wow, they also have a Jazz radiio station, how cool is that

And a non-stop, all Marley, all the time station. =D

All pics shamelessly stolen from GAF [Also, note the embossed logo which will be on regular AND ce versions of the game case]:

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PS3 CE:

My problems with San Andreas were with the story and framerate: the framerate issue has already been addressed, and the story is a problem that's very easy to look past when dealing with an entirely different plot (and a lot more development time).

Maybe it's exaggerated, but if it was a problem before and Rockstar realizes this, they can reach into that endless pocketbook of theirs to fix something people considered an issue? I tell ya, I'd be upset if Rockstar didn't make an attempt to better themselves if people are outspoken about the story of the game... is it possible they listened and took the time to make it better? Seems like a reasonable move for a company if you ask me.

I'm not going to quote the entire post since they revolve around innovation and my understanding: one of the important points the reviewer had brought up were that these are issues fixed from previous incarnations of the game, not entirely new concepts (in regards to your Goldeneye comment). Late? If people want to think that, but gamers looking to play IV will likely have a level of satisfaction knowing those issues are a thing of the past.

Nonetheless, the point I made that you quoted:

...and the half that you didn't quote:

...was that the game deserves its chance that you are more than happy to pigeonhole. IGN would be taking a huge risk to slap a 10 on a game that didn't merit it. At worst, the game would be a 9.5-9.7 that's exaggerated, perhaps? Anything below that would be noticeable and hurt the company's credibility. Most of the issues brought up by the reviewer were new specifics about the game that the public wants to hear about, however mundane it may seem to mention. As far as I'm concerned, the game is worth risking the $63.59.

Seems you did take the time to read the review when put on the spot, and the careful time spent crafting your arguments still don't prove why you seem to have such a disdain that you apparently won't even give the game a chance (not sure on that one, that's entirely you, man)? Like I said, I had problems with the old ones, and because of that I still maintain a level of skepticism. Rest assured: I want Rockstar to deliver and hope they do. This review won't do that until the game is in my hands, but at least it's giving me hope.

A few more reviews are online now, since it seems the embargo has passed. A choice little line from the Eurogamer review that I spotted:

This seems to imply that if you want to take a bit of a time out from that aspect of the game you can (I seem to recall someone saying they were a little worried that you would lose a little freedom because of having to go and deal with other people to make friends, etc.).

GameTrailers' video review is up as well, downloading it now. I was looking forward to it, since GameTrailers usually have the best video reviews, with free HD versions, and I'm sure it will be better than the disastrous IGN video review.

I had to pass this along to folks here that might have been in the same position I was. Having both systems I was highly debating which version to get. Originally I was going to get the 360 version for the DLC promise but after the reviews and seeing this:

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/5526/360poprr5.gif

I'm going with the PS3 version. This is an example of the pop-in reviewers are complaining about on the Xbox 360 version. I've decided that I probably won't ever finish this game to begin with so I think getting rid of that mess is more important than DLC. No shitty console wars please. This is only meant to inform.

Not necessarily; it's likely just the effect of a badly pirated game. I really doubt the actual problems in either version are that severe.

Hard to say. That would be an expected result streaming data from a optical disc and many of the reviews have mentioned the issue enough for it to be significant.

No optional install for the Xbox 360 version was a retarded move.

If the pop-in was that bad people would have a little more to say about it than "there's some occasional pop-in not worthy of note". As experience should have proven if people bullshit in reviews it gets picked up quickly. There is no way all these places are collaborating in some mass conspiracy about the pop-in.

Jesus H Christ some of you people are complete fucknuts.

What? I heard there was an optional install for the 360. Have I been mislead?

Actually every review has made a note about the Xbox 360 pop-up issue with the only differences being the various degrees each reviewer perceived the problem. But the simple fact that its mentioned shows that it is an impacting problem. If it wasn't, it wouldn't be mentioned.

This real question is, is it a big deal? Probably not for most. We've dealt with the issue in the past games.

I agree with Cetra, the pop-in issue has been around ever since GTA 3.

Why i remember i failed a certain mission in GTA:SA when a tree popped out nowhere, And i was flying a plane (The mission when you need to three places)

And one more thing, I heard that people complaining alot about pop-in because most of them decided to play it without any hard drive or memory card.

Actually a lot of the reviews I've read have not singled the examples of pop-up to the 360 alone, so that would be you making a bit of an assumption right there. Also, it's getting mentioned because it exists and to not mention it, one of the few flaws getting noted, would be stupid on the reviewers' part. However, every instance of someone mentioning frame-rate or pop-in issues has been followed by a sentence that goes on to say how it really doesn't affect the experience.

Since there's no conclusive proof either way (the GameTrailers video review, using the 360, shows no such pop-in issues, despite demonstrating frame-rate variance and a geometry glitch), I'm going to wait until I experience it first-hand. But you know, if you want to go on some crappy little GIF undoubtedly taken from a pirated copy of the game - because we all know how reliable they must be - and speculate with further bullshit, carry on.

I keep hearing that you can and cannot install GTA4 to the 360's HDD. Which is it really? And honestly why the hell wouldn't they give the option?

Lmao, hard drive installs. Such a worthless, worthless feature.

I believe the answer is no, however.

I think Microsoft actually tells the developers they aren't allowed to do it on the 360. For some reason they insist on the people who use a memory unit (all 10 of them) have parity with the people who use the hard drive.

As for the pop-in, could people get any more whiny? Honestly, a game developer creates games with massive cities filled with detail, pushing the systems they develop on to the limit, and you're going to sit there and whine that they couldn't get everything rendered before you could see it? Jesus christ, grow UP. Even in the PS2 games, the popup was noticable but not TERRIBLE. You get used to it, you move on, but it never actually affects (in my experience) the gameplay.

Sure, there's some poppin' in that gif, but it pops in so beautifully.

Hey guys, do you happen to know whether or not it is possible to have multiplayer games between NTSC and PAL users (I heard there were games that do not support this) or do I have to get the NTSC version in order to be able to play with you faggots?

This makes ( if somewhat stupid) sense for mandatory installs, but there is absolutely no reason not to give the option should one have the HDD. So far I've yet to see a single 360 game offer this, so it makes me wonder whether it's even physically possible. Iwata said GTA4 has the option, so maybe this one finally does. Everything else seems to talk about the load times as if there isn't an option. CURIOUS.

They might as well have the option. Some game saves alone take up like 30 MB. >=( SIX HOURS 'TIL THE MIDNIGHT LAUNCH I'M NOT ATTENDING BECAUSE I'D RATHER SAVE $30 AND GET IT FROM ANOTHER STORE TOMORROW MORNING.

I am an excited consumer. I like how it's already been in the news here, some Family First cult wants it banned because you can shoot people in a city. Certainly a new thing for a video game, I cannot wait until 1994. How did Family First get a hold of the game anyway, did they download it? Family Pirates am I right.

Family Ski am I right.

Fami.. com am I ri-my braaaaain.

No, there isn't an optional install for the 360.

GTA IV FAQ: Everything You Wanted To Know About GTA IV (So Stop Asking!)

I have been fooled! No idea why he said it did, then :(

That kotaku comparison review is quite interesting. So far I've seen people say time and time again that while the games are "identical", the PS3 has better framerate, the textures are nicer and the anti-aliasing better.

This one says the complete opposite, with 360 version achieving smoother framerate, the PS3 having worse aliasing and the filter they use make it seem a bit muddier =/


Either way I've been deadset on the getting the 360 game because the controller simply works better for me, so I simply wanted to make sure the 360 version wasn't gimped the same way as, say, Orange Box on the PS3 was. This doesn't seem to be the case at all, so scenery popup and load times are not big enough reason to compromise with a less comfortable controller for me.

Then again, I'm in no rush to play the game, so perhaps by the time I get around to it, there's a PC version announced and I'll end up getting that.

Ahahaha.

lol I hope you already pre-ordered your 4 GHz 8 GB RAM 16 GB video card desktop pc

Sir, if a regular dual core processor with enough RAM (say, 4GB) can run a game like Crysis with decent framerate, it'll have no problem running, say, Mass Effect or GTA4. It'll probably look a lot nicer than the console versions too.

Then again, it'll be a good three years or so before they release it so I guess that evens out.

People from Australia and some from UK are getting their games already, Pretty nice feedback from them.

:( Omg the wait is killing me.

I loved how the guy posted that his only complain for now is the difficulty to drive.

I wonder what kind of change they made with the whole driving experience, I mean if its like Forza (Which i don't know how to play) Its gonna be a bitch for me to play.

Anyway only a few more days before i get my copy, I'm sure Iwata is already in gamestop.

Well yeah, I guess people who are used to play Burnout Paradise or other extremely realistic racing games will have a few problems here.

Anybody going to any midnight launches? My shitty Best Buy isn't doing one, and I'm not sure if my Wal-Mart is or not, but I'm going to look around. I'm sure GameStop is, but they have a strict "if you didn't reserve the game, you're shit out of luck, because hey that's really fucking smart business" policy.

I am now. Heading down into town in 6 hours to claim a copy for the 360.

I got the call for the midnight release so I may go down there since its so close anyways.
Cops and robbers online sounds like fun so I may jump right into that ^^

Yeah, that's right. They turned GTA into a driving simulator.

Looks like My Wal-Mart is doing a midnight release for the game, so I will be there. It's sad that in a town with a Circuit City, Best Buy, Target, and TWO GameStops, the only place doing a midnight release is Wal-Mart... Oh well. Regardless, I probably won't play it TOO much tonight, only because I have to work tomorrow, but either way, I'll get some quality time with it for a few hours. I may consider hopping online tonight, will anyone else be on?

I considered going, but then I realized I could just order it online and get it the same day and save hours of time waiting in line with a bunch of nerds.

Plus, I'm going to Fallingwater tomorrow! I have to be well rested.

Not doing the lineup for sure. Not even calling in sick after getting a copy. Still, I am pretty excited about the whole thing. Game's going to be whole loads of fun. Preordering wins.

Also in before PS3 vs. 360 graphics comparison. Waiting for the funnies to start.

Yeah we're doing a midnight release and I'll be working (laaaame), but you know, when a store has 300 reserves and is incredibly busy, they use that to their advantage to get the pre-orders as that's $5 they get. The stores will (should) all have extras, they just want to make sure you're a guaranteed sale in advance. For a $billion+ company, they do alright.

There is a line right now, started midnight, but I decided to skip it. I'd rather wake up tomorrow, make a fresh cup of joe and walk out to the mail box and get it. Without having to leave the house leave my yard.

Oh hell yes. See you tomorrow Nico.

I'm not going to any midnight releases either, mainly because I have two papers due in the next two days (neither of which I've started on), so I won't be able to play the game until Thursday at the earliest, though more realistically it probably won't be until this weekend.

And just out of curiousity (not to get a rise out of anybody, because I'm getting quite sick of the fanboy bullshit already), who else here is getting the PS3 version? As I said earlier, I'm basically getting it out of necessity (don't have a 360), so I was wondering if there was anyone else in that same boat.

10 or so minutes in (I'm unsure) and shit is awesome. That's all I'm going to say.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y13...wowsome002.jpg

Bottle of coke today. (Got the pointzzz junk without pre-ordering =o)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y13...wowsome009.jpg

WHERE DID NIKO GO. FUCK.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y13...ucreepyway.png

YEEEEAAAAAAH

I ordered the PS3 version. Should be getting here in 2 days. PSN is MannyBiggz if you want to game online.

Damn you and your timezones.

Die.

Grabbed my early copy from my friend's store. Unfortunate for those who are still in line, I was able to pass through everyone and grabbing my copy lol.

Everyone's Reaction : "wtf" can't believ'dis muthafucka got his shit and we waiting here 2 hours .


good stuff =]

It's okay! Just remember that I'm playing a toned-down version (less blood, heads can't be blown off etc., drug effects gone, most of the sex stuff is removed and several cut scenes are apparently completely wiped out <3)

It's still fucking awesome (game) though. :cmb:

Edit: Haha fuck the local message boards making up stuff about all the cut stuff here, upon further exciting play, nothing is different so far. I just got a lap dance and had tits clip through Niko's face. Those are some botched implants right there. >=(

The Best Buy website has a list of stores that have midnight launches, but from the sounds of it yours won't have anything anyway.

Gonna be heading to Wally World soon... Only way I'll turn around is if the line is absurd, which it may very well be seeing as it's the only place in town. Wish me luck!

We don't have the triple and opted for the 360 version for DLC. Instead of buying it right away, we're renting it from Gamefly and with a 10% coupon with the keep it option, we'll get it by mail. No hassle, some savings, and its right at your door. :D

Uh yeah, this game is pretty amazing. The level of detail has already blown me away 2 hours into it. I watched an entire episode of Republican Space Rangers (I think that's what it's called), went bowling, and seen what the relationship system is all about. The phone implementation is brilliant. This game is already wowing me.

Man oh man it feels good to be back in the GTA universe.

In order to answer my own question, it seems that neither the Xbox360 nor the PS3 version is region-locked for online play. Which is good.

GTA IV isn't Region Locked for Online Play - PS3Forums

I think this goes without saying but from this point on, anyone posting plot discussion without spoiler tags is going to get threadbanned and I'll probably fuck up their sig and avatar too.

First, last, only warning.

I didn't bother going to get my copy at midnight as I'm at work today. I'll grab a copy at lunch time but probably won't actually play it until my mate comes round tomorrow evening as I'm not going to get home till like nine o'clock tonight anyway.

Hey, good news for AU/NZ players:
IGN: Aussie GTA IV Censorship Update - Hookers not cut from Aussie version

Shin, you get the PAL version, right? You need to tell me whether you will be able to play with NTSC users, okay?

It's never been a problem in any other game. I think the only one I've ever played that struggled was Burnout Revenge where you had to set your Xbox to PAL60 mode to play with Septics. I've got the 360 version though so I don't know how easy it is to link PS3's across the globe. A friend of mine has a PS3 and will be getting that version so I'll ask him and let you know, asuming you don't find out yourself first.

I really like the vest new run-over physics.

This sums up my feelings on playing the game to a T. Since I've not played any GTA since San Andreas, even though some things feel familiar, the fact that I haven't played it in so long helps EVERYTHING feel new, and the shiny coat of paint just makes it even more fun to play.

Additional Spam:
I rammed a guy into a wall and his body sheared in half. I swear I saw a pair of legs about 5 feet away from a torso after I ran into the guy. THAT was cool.

Should we create a new thread in the multiplayer board to organize/discuss multiplayer games, or just keep it all in here?

we should probably create a separate one for online play since gta4 has 15 modes of online and single player has 30+ hours (without exploring everything) It seems pretty extensive.

Done and done:
GTA IV multiplayer thread [PS3]
GTA IV multiplayer thread [360]

I plan to pick this up after work at Circuit City ($10 gift card with purchase). Will I be able to jump right into the multiplayer, or will I need to unlock some things in single player first?

Don't know if anyone really cares about this, but Gamespot gave the game a perfect score. Also IGN's 9.8 out of 10 is clearly a sign of a pretty solid game. I think I could, assuming I had the right gear, get the game any time this week. I don't think there's ever been a game to sell out at launch where I live. Halo 2 didn't, Halo 3 didn't, Smash Bros. Brawl didn't. I think I'm safe.

Aww, that's cute. He still thinks game review sites assign their scores based on objective criteria.

Nevertheless, I hereby declare this to be the best GTA game ever. Why? On demand, your cellphone can bring you a fire truck any time you want. I don't even have to go looking for the fire department anymore. Fantastic.

I'm not far enough in to declare it anything, yet, but I'm having fun. Multi is both fantastic but marred with some weird choices. I like Cops 'n Crooks a LOT, though, but the one FFA deathmatch I played was about as fun as smashing my foot with a hammer. The other modes are all various amounts of fun. I'm pretty pleased with that. I'll have to play more to see what I do and don't enjoy about that, too.

The line at midnight was hilariously fucking horrible, though. Every single person there, with the exception of me and the token girlfriend picking it up for someone, it was wall-to-wall fratboy retards. You know the stereotypical audience you imagine when you think of these titles? Yeah, all that. I've probably dropped a solid 30 IQ points or so just being in that line. Ugh.

Lucky... My line was all white trash ICP fans... Ugh. It really says something when the typical gamers in this world are pieces of shit like that and frat boy morons. I miss the good ol' days when it was just losers like us.

Ever want to feel out of place? Be the only female in a line many people long waiting for GTAIV at midnight. THAT was a fucking experience.

There were surprisingly a few girls in my line, but they were mostly skanky girlfriends who were uninterested in their neanderthal boyfriends' interests.

Well, the reason I mention it is that, even with the lines for Halo 3, this stood out as being full of those stereotypical fans more than those you'd usually associate with line standing.

I guess it goes to show just how large gaming has become, or just how insane consumers are in general, but it's a totally different demographic than I was expecting.

Wow the Euphoria engine pretty much makes the game. I'm having fun seeing what kind of things I can get the people of the world to do more than anything else.

For anyone without a job, the Rockstar Social Club is running a competition whereby anyone unlocking 100% of the game in a week wins a prize and membership of the 100 club.

Fuck that, say I but some of you might be interested.

Yeah, I am just messing around with pretty much everything, yet my friends are trying to complete the story when they're here.

I pretty much just pushed an old lady in the street and watched her get hit by a car. Which gave me wanted level of two stars. A few cops came up behind, so I jumped in a car and started to drive away. One of the smart police men held onto the door handle trying to open it to arrest my character, but I sped away while he was still holding onto my car. Lets just say he held on for about a block, until I got out of my car and proceeded to shoot him in the head.

Right now, I am trying to find a large hill so I can make a jump of it, exiting the car in mid air, go into cinematic view, put it in slow motion and just watch my character roll down the hill...I can't wait!

Ahaha it's already sold out in Germany.

Also, did you know that Uwe Boll was planning to make a GTA movie? I read it somewhere on the internet, I will try to post the link later.

How very post-modern that would be. A movie based on a game that's heavily influenced by movies.

I suspect that given in the interviews they gave, the Rockstar guys said they had no interest in doing a movie, the chances of that idiot Boll getting to make one are pretty slim.

Also, all the GAME stores round here only had enough stock to cover pre-orders. I imagine you could still pick up a copy at Tesco or Asda though.

Well, all he'd need to do is a remake for the old Grand Theft Auto movie and that'd get plenty of publicity. It's not as if his films ever have anything to do with the source material anyway and the DVD sales are always guaranteed.


So yeah, I was determined to buy the 360 version sometime later and a workmate of mine gives me a promo of the PS3 version as a Vappu present. Guess I'll be played the triple after all~

I ordered my copy on eBay.

I want to give you guys a head start before I get my copy next week, so that you can prepare for your 0wnage :cool:

That only gives you about a day to get into the 100 club though!

This should be no problem at all. I will spend the next days trying to figure out a strategy. I will let you know when I'm done

Pushing people is my new favorite thing ever. I don't know why, but it's just so much fun pushing everyone over and watching them slump in bizarre rag doll-ish ways. In one mission where I had to kill a dude (spoiler!) I managed to push him out a window instead of shooting him.

God this game is so amazing. ;_;

Well apparently you're allowed to use the built in cheat codes and I'm sure a hidden packages map etc will be up on GameFAQs before too long so it might be do-able...

Is my area just wierd? Game supply has never been an issue for me, while I'm hearing about how the rest of the country is sold out left and right. I walked into Target yesterday afternoon and picked up a copy out of the 10 or so they still had in the case, no fuss at all.

I notice everyone keeps talking about the game stores being sold out; maybe the trick is to hit the less-obvious retail stores instead?

Sorry dude, I live in Old Europe, not in the United States of Awesomeness :(

I just ordered mine and had it shipped to my front door. I'm surprised that no one else around here went that route. It was like $4 for overnight shipping, which was less than what I would have paid in tax had I gone to a brick and mortar. And the game arrived on April 29th, the same day that the stores could start selling them.

When I closed last night, we had a good 30-40 copies for each system, plus another 10 or so CE for each...and that's aside from the 250 pre-orders or so. Plenty in stock in all of the stores in our district. *shrug*

Get the Flash Player to play this audio file: .
Game Rankings - Rankings - Video Game Reviews, Release Dates, Cheat Codes
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GTA IV [360] surpassed the almighty "Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" and is now officially the highest rated game in videogame history. http://www.gamingforce.org/forums/im...ons/icon14.gif

I don't know if its due to preorders still not filled or something, but there were at least 20 more copies at the Gamestop I went to when I got my copy. Funny thing is that when I went inside, there were 2 other guys in line. BOTH of them got the game, so I just simply pointed at the second guy leaving the store and said "Same as him".

Oh and multiplayer is fucking awesome.

Hah, so I hadn't pre-ordered the game, but hoped that I was lucky. So I stood in front of the store before it opened. Alone. For an hour. But I succeded in getting the special edition. That bag is really great.

As for the game... Well, I haven't played more than a couple of hours, but it almost constantly puts a smile on my lips. Little details as being able to call the fire department. People getting money from a ATM. The police arresting people and actually making them enter the police car, instead of the usual "I saw you hit someone, now amma gonna kill you!" routine. Cars honking loudly when you cut infront of them. Sitting in the back of a cab, looking out the windows while cruising for your destination. The talk show radio stations. Going to see Ricky Gervaise doing comedy (at some point. I read the manual and just SHAT BRICKS!). Working televisions. Niko shoving people out of the way, if they're too close. Seeing the Manhattan-like skyline and knowing that I'll, at some point, stand over there.

However, it seems like I have to get used to the controls. The cars feel somewhat different than I would expect, and it annoys me that I can only scale some ladders, and others are apparently only furniture.
But for every time I see a spot, it's on a solid ton of GOLD, so not much to bitch about, I'm afraid. Yet.

And I haven't even touched multiplayer!

same here, when I went in gamestop there were already a few people getting out with a copy of gta, I lined up and the guy in front of me was already getting the special edition. When I was ready to get mine a woman lined up in back of me and asked about gta4.
So yeah, this game has become a huge deal and for good reason. It's real fun unlike the repetition that i felt in san andreas and vice city which I never bothered to finish but I feel like gta4 will suck up hours of my life without noticing.
I also noticed a lot of the detail put into the damage of the cars. Bloodstains cause by hitting pedestrians stay there, tires can blow out and completely mess up your steering and not only that but cars don't have to blow up to become useless, if you get enough damage the engine just dies.
And I love the way the people get hit and they rag around the streets

Yeah, I had that shit happen to me during a chasing mission. Of course, the target got away. Niko said "shit shit SHIT!", and I couldn't have agreed more.

I love the "thump" you hear when you smash a pedestrian in high speed.
Ah the joy <3

I can't even progress through the story because I'm always trying to steal sport bikes, pick up Roman and then ram into various objects at high speed.

have you tried ramming into a wall head on. It completely sends you flying through the front window and it's even funnier if you happen to fly into traffic

The funnest example of the physics I've discovered is hauling ass on a bike and bailing. You tumble down the street like a Russian bowling ball.

I am in the Bohan area and I am honestly finding the game pretty slow thus far. Is there a meaty story hidden in here or do I get to be a go-fer the entire game?

I am asking this under the assumption that someone is farther than me.

Same here jessykins, I am worried that the game might be short, thats why I'm doing the missions slowly.

I played this at a friends house yesterday. While the game itself is fine, I found my self un-impressed with the graphics. (this is the 360 version I was playing) Considering the scale, I guess it that can make up for it, however I found some area's just looked sloppy. (The clothing store, basketball courts) Either way, I was very impressed with the new physics engine, and am looking forward to the multi player.

Played this. I played & beaten GTA 3 as well as Vice City. I was onto SA earlier but got sidetracked. Anyway, despite of my experiences at driving in this series, this game took me on a roll. I then realized just how sensitive that steering turn is with the 360 controller. I learned quick to move it very slightly and using the handbrake more than I should (didn't really bother in the previous series actually). Maybe its more noticeable on the button placement. I dunno... I cannot remember what were the PS2 versions' handbrake buttons were.

So far few missions in and etc, I'm seeing it branch out to more people so far.

I really like the shooting controls now. Its much more controlled at least. Maybe... anyway what's the main character's origins? Just curious, I kept thinking russian but I could be wrong.

Dude, i've been 'online' on Grand Theft Auto for about an hour now. Just an hour of cruising the internet on Grand Theft Auto. I just got done reading the 'My Room' introduction, I read the Fast Food pages, the 'dating' pages. It's pure awesome entertainment.

I almost forget there is another huge game behind it, time to go GTA bowling.

Okay, I was wrong. For anybody else who felt like I did a few posts ago, Bohan is when shit starts to get interesting and more fun.

I just stopped at a Best Buy around here and they had an entire shelf full of PS3 copies, but it didn't look like there were any 360 ones sitting around. A little disappointed, I headed toward the exit to go check Gamestop or a local shop, but then I saw on the Customer Service desk a stack of green cases. I went over, just in case, and hey, thirty some copies, ripe for picking.

This should be fun.

Yeah, apparently shit has been slow to me lately. Ah well, time to resume on the main story.

15 hours in and the missions are getting funny!
I found the earlier missions kind of boring. "Drive him there" or "Deliver this there". Meh :(

Packie's Mission



As for your Michelle




Is there any other parking places here,. or you just get the default one that comes with your safehouses?

And how do you get into those comedy bars, I don't really see a place where i can enter.

All I can say is Brucie is comedy gold.

Yeah dude, Brucie is fucking awesome.

With some of the radio stations, mostly the 'Trance' station, it just makes me want to go back and do water levels in Donkey Kong country 2. I love a lot of this music. I can't wait to hear more.

Lazlo is back in the game, so I am enjoying him while I can :D

It's one huge behemoth of a game.
Which was to be expected, but I like it a lot MORE then I thought I would, and that's gotta mean something.
Sure, some missions can be a tad bit frustrating, due to me sucking at them, especially high speed chases with seemingly invincible guys to hunt.


But after those missions you can just go crazy or just do SOMETHING ELSE THAT'S AWESOME and all's fine again pretty fast... Love the game.

On a note that I'm surprised Skills hasn't mentioned yet, does anyone know if you get an upgraded phone later? I would LOVE to buy that CSI Miami knockoff ringtone that's listed "online" but all the phone stuff says it isn't compatible with my current one. I'd laugh insanely every time someone calls me if I could get it to play Science of Crime.

I'm currently very annoyed at the



But aside from that I'm having a lovely time! :3:

The cousins Bellic are Serbian.

Yes you do, for a specific mission. It can have different themes and ringtones, and has a camera on it.

I take it the "bunch of annoying missions" is necessary so the game doesn't go critical and turns into a real black hole of awesomeness, sucking the world in.

I guess what's annyoing me the MOST is that they have checkpoints now for missions, but sadly BEFORE the real missions, so you still have to usually drive for five minutes before really trying again. I'm aware that this IS actually an improvement, I just wonder why they couldn't have done it more reasonably, doing a checkpoint right before the action.



Good times. Just had a **** police chase, where the pileup of cop cars actually pushed me THROUGH the roadblock, and into safety due to a pay'n'spray nearby (though I think Pay'n'Spray is nearly cheating, real pros just shake the tail and get away, which is really hard but boy is it satisfying if you pull it off, even with ***-Levels...

Anybody bother doing the mini mission from lil jacob and roman. I did a few of them but they get so tedious, is there even an end to them?
I'm going straight to the main missions now but I thought maybe there would have been something if I did those mission other than small amounts of money.

Haha, I spent a good solid 15 minutes running away from the police to get that 4* police rating achievement but it was actually pretty fun. At least you can outrun the police now even when you start racking up the higher ratings.

I just wish I could find a car that didn't handle like shit; I seem to spin out in every car I try, though the one computerized looking motorcycle has pretty good handling... just have to be weary of slamming into anything or you go flying and that's no good. :(

Anybody actually found a brand of car they feel is "good" or the best or anything for high speed chases?

I think they're there for quick money making only.

I'm having a great time with this game. Some missions (the huge shoot outs) are really fun, but I wouldn't give the game 10/10 and call it GOTY. I think the hype is BIG BANG OVERLOAD.

Yeah I just got to bohan and found those missions are completely optional and serve no more purpose other than cash.
Brucie reminds me of a hyped version of the todd from scrubs, "Oh yeah? If i'm so gay, then why do I work out so much?"

Cars are a bitch to handle, I always find that the taxi's are easier to handle throughout the whole gta series but roman's taxi in gta4 has so far been the easiest to handle other than the ones that look supra-lookin

Police cars and taxis are usually the most dependable cars.
The BEST car IMO is the... Dammit if I now could recall the name... Roadster sports car, rounded overall shape, one big stripe from front to back.
It's been in all games IIRC so far. Great acceleration, great handling. It's just a little light, but so what...?
And, it's rather rare. I've yet to spot a regular spawn point...

The cars are great fun to drive. They take a little getting used to, but if you drive them properly they're brilliant fun to throw around the place.

During a police chase I managed to throw my half-destroyed Duke (the muscle car with obvious inspiration) over one of the stunt jumps. It so happened that I'd just thrown down a grenade behind me, so cue slow-motion jump complete with slo-mo explosion behind it and bits of police cars going flying in every direction. Shit was epic.

That would be the Banshee; the only sports car you were allowed on the first island in GTA III. They seem to show up on the bridge into South Bohan with decent frequency and are definitely the most dependable car I've driven so far. It actually turns when you tell it to. Shocking!

Yeah! The Banshee. It's been my favourite car since III.
The SUVs in IV aren't too bad either. Decent accelleration, good handling, good speed. No Banshee though. Most of the "basic" cars just suck at that though...
The Banshee, as usual, takes the cake.

Shit made me hard.
Wish you could save video replay in this game :(

And yeah, you get used to the cars. Chases used to be a bitch, but I feel I get more and more used to it. Usually, yellow cabs are very easy to handle. There was this mission involving a truck, it was HORRIBLE.

The first generation Camaro clone is by far my favorite car to drive so far. For those of you who aren't familiar with this car, here is a picture of a real first gen Camaro:

I believe in the past gta games they called that "stallion"

Same, Russ. The way it handles suits my style of driving pretty well.

Daaammmn, Three Leaf Clover pretty much made the game for me. That mission alone was almost worth the 60 dollar pricetag. Actually got my blood pumping there. :tpg:

Big fan of any motorbikes and as for cars, I normally use a comet. (I always have one because of the races lol)

So fun and all plus going "all the way" for the strip club.

I got him the same way, first try. I had no idea he even had biker buddies. :(

omfg! Ezabell's coke mission is so damn hard. I got frustrated and left it as is, I'm just ganna go for another mission for now and ignore it until I feel like it won't frustrate me.

The "Rolled Over" achievement is ... weird. I spent an hour at the airport trying for it, doing well over 5 rolls (yes, i know there is a difference between flip and roll) and couldn't get it. I basically give up and just slam into a car on the way to Ray's, roll only TWICE and it unlocks.

I guess there's no point in complaining, but I mean, WTF are the mechanics for this achievement? I have no idea why that happened unless it's glitched up. :erm:

God damn it the two endings are both fucking depressing. I'm gonna go look up to see if there is anything better. God damn. :mad:

In Country
 

Having heard all you fine people talk about this game, I decided to head down to Blockbuster and rent a copy. Yes, the cars' handling takes some getting used to; yes, I find it an irritation that the franchise tradition of physically blocking off/not having available certain parts of the gameworld continues (more thoughts on this in a bit)... but those don't take away from the fact that so far, it seems to me that Rockstar has delivered. Right now, the LCPD's network just regained operational status, so I cleaned up a couple of minor crimes and crossed one name off the Most Wanted list.
That said... the irritation. It struck me as odd that having gone to all the effort to craft a living, breathing, believable city (IGN article), they then go and strain that believability with the abovementioned franchise tradition. Whatever else one might think of Saints Row, having the entire city explorable from the word 'go' is one thing they did right.
I would've thought the prospect of discovering more about Niko's backstory (and those of the various folks he interacts with) would be incentive enough for people to play through the campaign...

Opening a new area gives you a little something extra to look forward to, and it's a solid sign that you're progressing. I get more satisfaction from that than seeing 21% game completion or whatever in the stats screen. It also allows you really get to grips with an area before moving on. I really don't mind areas being blocked off from the get go. I maybe even prefer it.

Plus, it is rather well explained in IV, and makes it more plausible that you get a six star wanted level if you cross to a forbidden section.

My biggest gripe is that there should have been more checkpoints for you to load during missions. A couple of the missions where you can die or fail really easily (mostly in car chases) should have had a checkpoint that loaded up to the point where you drove to where the mission actually starts. I hate having to drive my honchos halfway across the city over again just because I hit an odd bit of terrain and the car I'm forced to drive during the actual mission flips (FIB bust mission I'm looking at you).

Also, the autoaim mechanism can be awfully retarded at times. It'll keep focusing on some asshole in the distance while a guy is standing right next to you blasting your face with a shotgun. It's times like this that make me wonder why people bother going through the game without using cheats. I went through about 30 percent of the game legitimately until the mission where you have to kill a certain someone in the club that can escape and ruin your mission. I kept trying to kill people so uh I wouldn't die and the jackass kept escaping off of the roof. The body armor just isn't as hefty as it was in the other games. And as a result from trying this mission over and over and having to rebuy weaponry I ran out of funds. Seriously, it's a black fucking market. These guns are supposed to be cheap in theory because noone is supposed to be buying them in the first place. So why is everything so bloody fucking expensive? It's not like the shop keep runs out of the things. Right, so then and there I said fuck it and added cheats to my phone. Fuck playing without cheats. I know the missions now and could probably get through them now without cheats but seriously learn how not to spike the difficulty level, R*.

Oh I just remembered what else pissed me off. Phones calls right after the mission ends and people and police still trying to kill you. Who the fuck's idea was that? I might actually want to actually listen to the phone conversation. Usually there are some humorous bits, but no I still have the cops on my ass and dipshit from the diner wants to blow my head off with a shotty. I'M SORRY COULD YOU SPEAK A LITTLE LOUDER I'M TRYING TO HEAR YOU OVER THE EXPLOSIVE PELLETS COURSING THROUGH MY FACE AND THE BLEEDING TO DEATH!! My only option is to listen to what I can while shuffling away futilely dodging fire or canceling the call to deal with the fucker(s). There's a place for realism in this game and it isn't here. You are free to have everyone right pissed at me after the silly phonecall.

Why didn't you just reload your save if you kept failing the mission? I mean, I agree with you, but if I fail a mission after wasting all my armor/assault rifle ammo I just reload from the safehouse.

... That shouldn't happen though. Clearing a mission removes your wanted level, and in the missions where you end up with a scripted wanted level, the mission doesn't technically end until you bring it down? Sounds like weird glitchiness because that's never happened to me and I'm 64% through the game. :(

It's happened to me once before. I was being chased and I was near the checkpoint to end the mission and I thought "yay! I'm free"
Then there was a short cutscene, the game saved while the gta victory beat sounded off and still I was being chased by the cops and while I ran away, roman or someone called me.
I just tried to listen to the conversation while cops shot at me and I was walking away slowly ~_~
Soon after that, i tried to get away but somehow I aquired a 6 star wanted level and it was too late for me.
I just reloaded he game but I didn't get the call again.

Because I don't feel like loading a game and losing progress. I shouldn't have to do that. That's just bad design.

It's happened to me several times. After killing tons of bad guys the mission will end when the last one is killed and the mission doesn't always care if you have stars or not so you'll be chatting away on the phone afterwards while pedestrians and the popo shoot at you. You must have gotten lucky.

Bad design, or you're just impatient to finish the game considering that you've already spoiled yourself on the endings?

You get autosaves after every mission though, how much progress could you possibly lose by reloading a save?

For the second thing, I guess so? I've played the game for like 40 hours though and it's never been a concern... so I guess I'm not just lucky-- I'm insanely lucky? :(

So yeah.

Dude, the Television is so amazing. There is an entire episode of some show making fun of Halo. It's quite amazing.

What are some of the best 'parodies' outside of the internet you guys have seen?

Does that show have any specific gta time that it comes on.
I just saw the sorta man show thing and some show where celebrity's become felons. And thats all I really caught. It bored me the two times i turned on the tv then I just gave up on it

There's actually some pretty fun stuff on the television if you just sit back and actually 'watch' it.

I thought the poker was pretty funny, as the commentators are just into what they're doing and always excited and NOTHING is going on during the poker game at all.

The Halo thing caught me by surprise, I was watching it with a bunch of people. I was thinking it was a G.I Joe thing, but the costumes completely gave it away, as well when their giant dildo ship went through that 'halo ring' in the sky.

The History of Liberty City is pretty good too. It seems like a typical PBS/History Channel type documentary, but it's full of jokes and stuff that makes it really hilarious. I've only seen Part One so far, but it seems like there's a Part Two as well.

And damn you Tritoch, I still haven't seen this 72 you speak of. :mad:

Republican Space Rangers is pretty funny stuff. I just turned on the TV, and there it were. Some day I'll just sit down and watch it all.
Speaking of comedy, does anyone else enjoy the radiostation WT... the one with the eagle? I just love Judge Grady. "You took a dump in the air filter!? AHAHAHAHAHAHA"
Classic stuff.

It's only a commercial, but I think it came on for me while I was watching that same documentary on the history of Liberty City. There are billboards around town for it too. Republican Space Rangers is still probably the best thing I've seen on the TV, though.

I can't say I've had anyone shooting at me even once after a mission has ended. Also, I'm amazed that you're managing to get killed in missions without killing enough people to replenish your ammo from what they drop. Are you using the hiding behind cover button? I find that even when I get killed in missions I generally end up with more ammo than I started with with the possible exception of ones where you're chasing someone down in a car.

Also, reloading is dumb as the game makes the missions easier each time you fuck them up. Sometimes it's as blatent as getting free armour or guns that weren't there before or the getaway car being slower and sometimes the bad guys just miss a lot more.

At first I thought there should have been more collectable items lying around but having played through a load more, the only thing I ever really need to buy is body armour and even that's only if I'm feeling too lazy to go find any. Also whilst I agree that driving back to the mission point is annoying, you can always get a taxi there (Or at least nearby) and steal a car when you get there.

What? Getting to the end of the game doesn't refute that I shouldn't feel the need to reload the game every time I make a mistake and have to restart the mission. I wasn't impatient. I retried levels several times and took my time. I did sidequests and all kinds of crap that I felt like doing. Really, what the hell, Blah?

It really depends how long ago you saved and I save pretty much when I've made a lot of progress or when I'm going to take a break from the game or when I think key plot events are going to occur.

I dunno. I remember always getting that shit after assassination missions you do later on in the game. While you kill them your star level goes up and it doesn't go away after you kill the last guy and the mission is over. Niko pulls out his phone to talk and the cops just play duck hunt with you. *shrug* Just one example but it happened like half the time in my play through.

Well in the one mission where you have to chase down a guy on foot you don't really have time to pick up drops and you run out of ammo for good guns and your hiding mechanic has the asshole get away so you have to run out guns a blazing and since body armor gets demolished ever so easily it's easy to get killed and like I said since you don't get the drops you have to go buy weapons all over again. I just got fed up.

I only got the free armor once. Nothing else like that happened. Would have been nice.

A taxi isn't always nearby and the taxi will with good judgment get you as close as it can which on some missions can mean a decent walk. But I suppose that's not too bad. Doesn't make it any less annoying.

Yeah, I was looking for collectible stuff too. The pigeons are amusing though. I've found like 3 of them I think.

Okay I take that back, maybe you just really suck at the game!

Tee hee!

o u~

Actually I am willing to admit at that point in the game I did suck and was still getting adjusted to it. I could probably tackle it easily now, but the game did suddenly spike its difficulty after a long streak of fairly easy missions. My friend says they gave me some pointers that I just must have completely not noticed because it wasn't until much later in the game that I figured out burst fire by accident. Doh.

I agree the difficulty certainly ramped up after awhile but it was never too bad. Most of the time I went into the huge scale gun war missions barely even losing any armor, cover system works too well sometimes-- and I noticed in some missions you can just run right in with the carbine assault rifle and tap it while holding auto-aim and OBLITERATE everyone in the general area. :tpg:

I did the assassin missions at the end of the game (before the final string of gambietti(?) missions) and I don't ever recall my wanted level sticking after killing a target... TBH, I fully relied on the way it instantly removes itself after the "now saving" appears in the top left corner.

Your wanted level will come BACK if you just stand there like a doof, because when the ambulance comes (if it bothers) I guess they identify you? Hard to say, but it's like when you blow something up or aim a gun at someone, if you stand around that general area for too long you get busted after firing weapons, hit and running, etc.

Edit: Yeah, "burst fire" headshots own people. I guess that's what I mean by "tapping" for the assault rifle. Just aim a little up and you'll often instant kill people even.

I just beat the game.



However, I found the actual ending itself kind of lacking. When I finally got put back in the game after the credits and stuff I was like "Oh, huh. It's over." though I guess they have planned DLC and stuff so we can sort out the shit with

What I want to see is where they take the GTA4 engine like with GTA3 and Vice City/San Andreas. The expansions and refinements of this engine excite me.

Yeah the possibilities this engine holds for future installments, or even other games (BULLY 2 PLZ), are rather vast.

Do you guys remember the speculations about "the next GTA" circling around for ages ago, after the GTA3 release? I remember one theme being the future, and another being Tokyo inspired. I call luls. This was even before San Andreas right?

As Jessy mentioned, the possibilities for future games are truly interesting.

I just completed the story mode. Damn. Truly an brilliant game. Not perfect, but pretty bloody awesome when all is said and done. And as Jessy has said the possibility for expansion is exciting (colour me in anticipation for the DLC stuff).

I doubt that there will be a new GTA anytime soon. Maybe in five, six years. At least I think that anything else would be pretty lame because Rockstar should not make the same mistake other game producers made and abstain from glutting the market with games like GTA XII and stuff like that.

Oh, sure another one will be in the future, but Rockstar DOES make other games. I seem to recall the last generation going like GTA III, Vice City, Manhunt, Bully, San Andreas. Manhunt and Bully both being pretty awesome games (And so totally different from one another).

Propped. Such an underrated gem. the music alone is worth the retail price. I've been trying to get pretty much the entirety of the live crew of skills,omagnus, tails, etc to buy the game but alas they don't listen.

Additional Spam:




No doubt we will see a new GTA game every two years, we just won't see a GTA V for 5-7 years.

There is a reason that Rockstar has about 10 different studios around the world. Each one handles certain games and so it's not just one development studio cranking out every single game with the R* logo.

wtf, didn't merge

Bully came quite a while after San Andreas. It is an awesome game though. If I hadn't already played it to death on PS2 I'd have bought the 360 version.

I'm nowhere near finishing the story mode in GTA IV yet but then I've never felt the need to rush through GTA games. There's so much other stuff to do around the story and most of it makes the actual story missions much easier. In particular, amking friends with people in GTA IV and the special options you get as a result are a godsend, particularly the weapons drops and free taxis.

I don't think it will be that long for another Grand Theft Auto. I figure it will be most likey 2 years since they got the new engine and everything figured out for the new generation of systems. I don't think there will be a number '5' but more likely spin offs of different cities just like before.

I'm very much wondering what kind of character they should go with next to be honest. For some reason, I was thinking today, it would be very interesting if someone got thrown into the life of crime that wanted nothing to do with it. (I've always liked those types of characters) but oh well, it's very far off now.

I'm not sure if you guys have been catching it, but so far, all this week Conan O'Brien has been putting on these little GTA clips about how it's 'too nice' compared to the last few games. They then show clips of the main character talking to random people on the streets about playing baseball, having sex and whatnot. It's not very funny at all, but it's interesting to see GTA getting a lot of media attention.

Thinking of how big GTA is as it is now. I wonder why Driver never took off. It was GTA before GTA was what it was. 3D world, getting out of your car exploring, killing people (I think?) I loved that game. Then Driv3r ruined it all.

Woah, lot's of spoilers there I have to avoid=o

Right now I'm taking it easy. I've almost just unlocked the Manhattan-like island (What a rush that mission was, by the way!) and gotten a new mobile.
I just regret I haven't found a way to listen to the radio while walking around. The talk radios are brilliant! (Does there exist a rip of them yet?)
WKTT, Integrity 2.0 and the like. The only thing I listen to at the minute. Besides the jazz station.

You could get out of your car, but it was absolutely retarded and didn't resemble Grand Theft Auto at all. You couldn't kill people in Driver and Driver 2 (though that's not a bad thing; they were car games, not shooters). I guess you could shoot in Driv3r, but I only played that game for ten minutes, since they totally ruined the car handling.

The first Driver was great though, and I liked the sequel as well. If they hadn't started including the on-foot sections and just concentrated on car chases, it could've developed as a successful series. The concept and the setting they had was really cool. Too bad they fucked up the execution.

I plan to pick Bully up at some point soon, it's on the to-do list fear not. Might well get it once I'm done with GTA IV.

By the way, I take it you spotted the odd couple of references to the Bulworth academy in the game.

Holy fuckin' shit. Knew it was gonna brake halo 3 records, but i didn't expect by this much. bravo Rockstar, you guys deserve it.

6 million copies moved worldwide and $500 million dollars made in one weeks time.

Christ, $500 million in one week... That's obscene!

It almost seems unfair to compare it to movie launches, though, since one copy of GTA4 costs 400-500% more than one movie ticket. Still, that's impressive as shit.

I'm kind of hoping they don't do anymore spinoffs. I'd be completely happy with more DLC. Cousins Bellic are better than any other GTA character thus far. Hooray for incredible dialog and sympathetic characters.

That depends. I'd like to revisit Vice City. I loved the dayglo colours, the music and Tommy Vercetti was my favorite until Niko. If they can improve VC, I'm all for it!

Man, I absolutely LOVE how after you finish a mission, you'll hear the news on the radio describing everything very wrong. After about ten missions, I find my way to an internet cafe' just to read how wrong everything they say is, or if there is something interesting about a random person I killed.

Ahaha, you guys totally have to steal a police car and fuck it up a little bit, the sound it's making is fucking priceless :tpg:

You can produce the odd siren sounds by shooting out the red and blue lights with your pistol or any other gun. Or just flip the car and smash them.

Man, screw achievements, the social club is gonna keep me playing this game.

How are you guys doing on the Liberty City Marathon?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/09...ous/jijioj.jpg

(That little icon means I can print out a certificate... if I felt like getting my printer to work I'd print it just to see what it looks like.)

Right, I had to return my copy to Blockbuster earlier today... in terms of storyline, I've been obliged to relocate to the north (yes, your first reserved parking space still works) and wrapped up what's puportedly the only story-essential race.
Vigilante work is fun, and I hope there're more rewards from it than just an couple of achievements. NOOSE-style tac gear would be nice.

There is no reward for the proceedural Viglantes outside of a little bit of cash, the ammo you pick up from the dead bodies, the achievement, and the 2.5% game completion addition after doing 20 of them.

GTA is a strange game insofar, that usually I hate games that I have to play for the sake of, well, playing them, getting "nowhere", getting no meaningful rewards, and so on...
But with GTA, I don't really care. Yeah, cash is basically worthless, once you've figured out some places where equipment spawns, cause you'll hardly spend it ALL on lapdances, hookers and taxi rides...
But it doesn't really matter to me. The game is fun enough to keep me interested even without providing any bigger sense of accomplishment.
Regarding ammo from fallen foes and missions: That's a part of the game that sometimes annoys me. I off a couple of guys on a mission, the game saves, maybe someone talks to me, and poof, the dough and the guns are gone...

I've just played Team Deathmatch for the first time... Wow, so much fun. We should definitely get a GFF team on there and show them how we roll =D

Have any of the internet's bigger losers bothered to leave their console on overnight with the sticks rubber-banded together in order to be the first to run 400 miles yet? It totally wouldn't surprise me, I'm no longer amazed at the lengths some people will go to to top a meaningless online scoretable.

Also, I see they've extended the 100% club competition by two weeks. I guess not enough people managed it in the first week or something.

We already have been. It often results in hilarity, or Tails flying helicopters into big fuck-off poles on boats. One game I remember us playing had us rolling through the streets decimating the other team.

So I tried to land with the helicopter on the torch of the Statue of Happiness. It seems that this is impossible (?)

God damn. Why am I always left out of this shit? ;_; Sounds like you had a right laugh though :)

Today, I fucked up that mission where you have to return the cocaine to that black chick like ten times.

I can't believe everyone keeps telling me they beat the game with dying only like three times or shit.

Wow am I stupid or what ;_;

oh, by the way, some review site called "GamerNode" rated GTA IV a 8.7/10, lol

A friend of mine was behind cover and then threw a grenade... right into the wall he was taking cover behind. I think you're a-ok, as far the "norm" is concerned.

Good for them. It's about time people stopped bleeting like sheep and actually tried a bit of that integrity stuff.

If there's one game this generation that actually deserves a 9.5+ score, it's Grand Theft Auto IV. You can always find things to complain about, but that's missing the forest for the trees; overall the game is great.

8.7 would be an okay rating if the site was stricter than average with other games as well, but they rated Assassin's Creed 9.0.

Just not perfection.

So what? No game will ever be perfection. When a movie critic gives two thumbs up, do you expect 'perfection' or just a great movie?

When I see 10/10, it kind of implies perfection. What is the issue here? The fact I see GTAIV as anything but perfect, shouldn't imply that I love it or hate it, so why is it that I get this feeling that people assume I do hate it when I say it isn't perfection? I don't think it's a perfect game, there are things about its game design that don't lend to that, but when I bring this up, I have someone there to bring in its meta content as if game flaws disappear and can't just be "redeemed" via this side content.

So what? Skills point fucking stands, that's what. 8.7 isn't a bad rating for GTAIV, it's more like a realistic one. Feel free to challenge the assertion.

Because there's no way in hell it deserves this many 10/10s when other, equally deserving titles do not hit the same mark. If this is a 10/10, so is Bioshock. So is Super Mario Galaxy. So on and so forth. Objectively (or as close as one can get to it), there is no way that this is the best game in a decade. I'm not hating on it, but fucking open your eyes, folks.

And indeed, kinda funny that an 8.7 is considered SUPER LOW OH MY GOD WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON. It's hardly negative. It's just a tad bit more realistic here.

The way how I see it:

When reviewers give a game 10s on more than one account, it just feels like they hopped on the hype train.

I'm sorry, but if you're operating on a review system with only 11 discrete values then reserving one for an unattainable scenario is retarded. In fact, by extension of your logic, there's only nine available review scores, because to give something a zero would imply it is the terrible on every level such as to have no redeemable qualities (the antithesis of perfect if you will).

That, my friend, is stupid.

But then most sites don't operate on scores out of ten, they operate on scores out of a hundred, with a dot in the middle. So, a 10 out of 10 covers more ground than 10.0 out of 10.0

I'm not saying it shouldn't be a ten because it's not "perfect". Ocarina of time is a 10 and it was hardly perfect. But IV has too many shortcomings and oversights despite being an excellent game. 9.0-9.4 then, but hardly 10.0

That's the hype talk in people. :p

If people started thinking more about how mathmatically it works, rather than basing it on every other system out there, a 5 would mean average.

I don't know why people that are blinded by the reviewers setting up a system where they can't even enforce it properly. At this point it's like anything below a 7 and people view it as fugly.

Asking a publication to live up to their review system is suddenly stupidity and I'm suddenly not capable of anything but A is A, law of identity, Rorschach, Ayn Rand Objectivism level thinking? All because they have a scale which is inherently flawed for anything but an objectivist's black and white judgment? Cut the fucking shit, Omagnus. If there's anyone or any group of people who's been making concessions and seeing things in gray about GTAIV, it's myself and others. Not reviewers.

True, but given that most review scales are bound by 10 meaning perfection, that doesn't speak too well on what critics have to say for themselves. Especially when they start making concessions to a game that they weren't making to other titles. This isn't honesty, it's appeasement if anything. EGM's review was an especially hilarious read, given that they had to explain why their scale says one thing and why they say another thing.

The shoe doesn't fit.

I guess a person's opinion is that a game is perfect, given that critics and reviews are basically professional opinions. I don't take issue when it happens, I take issue when the shit doesn't necessarily line up. Why a groundbreaking game suddenly has to be "perfection" (and that's being kind) baffles me.

I'm not saying GTA IV is perfect, it isn't. I don't care to operate in terms of discrete values for ratings even if they extended to a hundred of them rather than ten. I'm not arguing that 8.7 is bad or any of that bollocks, and I agree that giving 100% is probably misleading (10/10 is different though).

Rotor: I was leveling an argument at the interpretation of a 10/10 score, nothing to do with what GTA deserves. Most places that review with an out of 5, or out of 10 style system tend to have descriptions of their reviewing policy which states that 5/5 or 10/10 doesn't imply perfection, just getting close to it.

For example, Eurogamer's policy says this about scores of 10:

EGM already having a disclaimer in place, they certainly felt their review would be controversial enough to merit a handful of words regarding why they were rating the game as 10/10. Again, my point isn't to argue the scale or the disclaimer. I KNOW those things are there. We're talking about a game receiving this score with a disclaimer when several other games, as Skills pointed out, would deserve the same thing given the circumstances.

Granted EGM is one place out of many, but it does seem a bit funny when everyone just falls in line. Where's the integrity? These people are supposed to be professionals, so where's the consistency? It's hilarious how low of a standard this is, and what we accept. Thankfully these are video games, and nothing of actual importance. Most people ask for a low end on bullshit and some honesty, not Cover Your Ass.

I should clarify. All my comments meant was that it was nice to see a reviewer not succumb to the "peer review" process. My sheep comment merely referenced that, and "integrity" was probably the wrong word. It was not a reference to money hats as much as a reference to "this guy put his own opinion down and didn't let anyone else do shit about it." It's rare to see that in an age of PEER REVIEWS and removing and reuploading scores and all that jazz.

On a side note regarding what garners certain scores, maybe the difference lies in how we personally rate things. Some of us might give more of a crap for the technical bits, some of us might look more at the overall experience. This is part of the problem, I think, with how we digest these reviews. If the person writing them doesn't fall into the same sort of mindset, we tend to lawl a tad too much.

Considering how much hate I have for organized reviews in general, it should also be noted I don't particularily AGREE with the 8.7. Just mentioning it was nice to see someone buck the trend for once.

I think we're at crossed purposes here Rotor, because I agree that everyone giving GTA IV perfect scores is bullshit. My point was, and still is, that to take a score like 10/10 to mean perfection is silly because nothing will ever be perfect. By that merit, I concede that giving a game 10.0 or 100% is unnecessary and probably does imply a game should be practically perfect.

I don't disagree. Skills put it better than I could, my issue has always been with the professional critics, not the game. However I feel about it is irrelevant, I think we all concede to what is good about GTAIV and what isn't for the most part.

I'm not taking a side on this either way, but I just wanted to clarify: Are you talking about IGN? Because EGM doesn't even use a 10 point scale, and even if you tried to translate their scale to a 10 point scale, an A+, A+, and an A does not equal a 10.

Ah, thanks, Rock. That was it, mah bad.

God, this is 8.8 all over again :tpg:

Here's my review:

"GTA IV is great. It has a few flaws, but delivers a lot of new ideas to the series. Check out this video and decide for yourself if you want to get it. Rated M for Mature.

Final Score: Worth Playing"

Is that a worth playing out of 5 or a worth playing out of 10.0?

Its worth playing.

However If I had to quantify a rating system, I'd have just 3 ratings:

AVOID, MEH, WORTH PLAYING:

Avoid - Do not purchase
Meh - Its okay, nothing special.
Worth Playing - Worth playing.

Simplifies things a lot. If you needed further clarification, that's what the rest of the review would be for.

That was the joke, DN. :(

Rotorblade is just mad because he got one of the copies that had freezing issues. Haha, you suck, Eric.

It doesn't get much better than this.

My favorite part is how people are still getting their panties in a twist trying to crusade about how GTA isn't a 10/10. Ok fine, you don't think it's great, we got the point ten pages ago, you can shut up now.

Guys. Shut up. >=( YOU CAN PUSH OLD LADIES OVER. Fuckin'... fuckin'... 16/10!

I wouldn't rate it 10.0 because of missing hardcore sex scenes (I expected more!!!), but it's definitely a 9.9.

Those GamerNode guys just want some attention, that's all. Maybe they're being serious with their rating, though, I dunno.

Or they just want to bring the metacritic / gamerankings score down, so that what? Ocarina can be the perfect game evar again.

Wouldn't argue about the rating though. The rating system as it is does have some benefits, but overall, I think it's more of a hindrance. I'm with the ones saying that game reviews should be more like OTHER reviews (books, movies, music) without a scoring system. Even if that means that you can't compare Final Fantasy XII with Manhunt 2 by just looking at the score any more...

As for the notoriously deviant people who keep shunning IV, yeah, Rockstar can't please everybody. But I think it's safe to say that if you really can't have lots of fun with IV, you should probably think about quitting video gaming. Or get surgery to remove that firmly planted stick from your ass. Whichever is easier.

That's so true. I love how people get so worked up over what is essentially a subjective opinion. Just looking at two people's examples of great games from the last page, Mario Galaxy and Ocarina of Time, I personally would give neither anything like perfect scores as Mario is just another Mario game (And I don't like Mario games) and Zelda is dull in my opinion.

GTA IV is an incredible game but actually, I preferred San Andreas, mainly because there was so much more to do.

Why do I care, Garr? All generalizing aside? I "get worked up over the rating system" probably because it's related to video games and the persons who deliver the news to us. We complain about not getting honest previews or game related information, but you're willing to skim over this fact because you can enjoy GTA IV beyond its flaws and don't necessarily care about reviews. That's nice, but, I don't know, call me crazy... the game boards were so alive before we even touched on this. It's worth discussing, provided you don't try to dip out of it. It's not about complaining about a subjective opinion, more like expecting better, which I actually cleared up with Omagnus, which is why we didn't really carry on. The fact I never mentioned my buying a faulty copy or holding it against the game does say something about how much leniency I give GTA IV, because Jessy wasn't lying.

Carry on.

I'll only agree with the "Not a 10/10" crowd on the condition that they agree that the only 10/10 game ever made was Cheetah Men II.

I think the idea is to expect people to be better than a price tag, but that's a guess between an individual critic or an editorial mandate. I doubt any sole reviewer is the only one richer if they did give a 10 out of "million dollars." Again, less PR machine, more legitimate journalism. This is a small piece of a larger problem quite honestly, and money doesn't really justify it. I've said it before, it's about expecting better.

I expect better too. GTA should have been an 11/10, I'm disappointed at Rockstar for only making a 10.

In all seriousness though, given the vast amount of media out there now, who even actually uses reviews as a part of their decision to buy a game. I haven't picked up a game mag or done more than skim through online reviews for years now. Given the demo services, videos, screens and other forms of media floating around on the internet, not to mention the multitude of people around here who could probably give you a good idea about what most games are like, there's really no need for it other than supplementary info. I've gone to GFFers more often about shit than I have IGN/Whothefuckeverelse, just ask Guru, I bug him about shit I see him playing that I might like.

I'd much rather buy something based on what I see for myself and that someone I know who plays similar shit might like as opposed to what some goof in an office wrote.

In context next time, Tails. I already sided with that post by Skills that outlined the whole "sheep review" thing. So, yeah, thanks.

Little bump i guess.. ratings aside i saw this article on a site that peaked my interest.

"Niko voice actor ONLY earned $100,000" o_o wth Rockstar?! He did sound mature about it wouldn't call it whining but with the casts of Friends each earning $1 million per episodes (just outrageous) video game industry should be able to pay royalties.

EDIT: He did have some previous experience only as small roles on TV shows. Should certainly open more doors for him though he did a good job.. especially hailing taxis when he's smashed.. YELLOW CAR AAARRGH!

Hey does anyone with the 360 version have any trouble getting online at times? I tried to play Deathmatch last night, and every time the game would load the lobby and then go to the black "Starting Game..." screen and just stay there for 10+ minutes. I could hear people talking and it sounded like they were all playing each other already. I'd always have to exit to the Dashboard just to get out of the game.

But then when I go to free mode (which might as well be a Deathmatch since everyone just fucking kills me when I try to just walk down a damn street), it enters me into the game quickly but it was just me and like 3 other guys. So I went to try Deathmatch again and it still hung at the starting screen, so I just decided to leave it. After about 15 minutes, it FINALLY loaded the city and game and there was just a sad 5 minutes left for me to play in the 20 minute match (my first and only kill of the game also gave me the Let Sleeping Rockstars Lie achievement so I guess it's viral). But then every game I played immediately following had zero loading problems at all.

I'm not sure about XBL, my assumption is that it was Friday night.. school for most is ending and there would be a lot of people around. Have you had trouble before or just have game now? That's my only guess, i haven't heard any problems though for XBL or PS3 other than the first day it was out PSN had some issues.

The first couple times i tried multiplayer (PS3) i only had trouble getting into groups, i think its a crappy style the way they try to pair everyone up with instant action cause you got people just sitting there not confirming they're ready or keep switching between teams if there is one.

I've tried only going to free mode before and that was April 30th or so. My 360 suffered RROD and I haven't been able to play again until now, but when I tried free mode then it let me on to play for about 15 minutes with no problems, save for the system freezing my game and finally dying. I was thinking I'd try some of the other games in Player Match too to see what happens there.

Hey hey, there's a patch out for those interested.

GRAND THEFT AUTO IV PATCH

Thank god, that was really annoying at times. It's a bit disheartening not to see any of the other multiplayer glitches I've encountered on that list, though.

More thread up-digging...

So the new DLC, which was due late 2008, is finally on its way next month and they've finally announced the price:
[ source ]

Whilst this is likely to be far more substantial bit of DLC than we've seen for other games (which are generally map packs), 1600 points is still fairly hefty and makes me question if I'll grab this when it launches.

Anyway, Eurogamer have a hands on piece up for anyone interested.

Cheaper than Chinatown Wars is going to be though and with guaranteed no retarded stylus waggling mini-games or green blood.

To be honest though , I probably won't bother with this. I only really finished the main story because I had a free evening and felt I might as well, having got a fair distance in. I was pretty bored of the game by that point so unless they've massively improved the fun levels, this would probably be a waste of money for me.

Looks like N'Gai Croal and Stephen Totilo were right about GTAIV and its respective DLC being more story based. I had to mooch the original GTAIV off a friend's system after my initial copy didn't want to cooperate with my 360 (wondering if the Gamestop I bought it at had some fun with the fucking copy I bought). I'm probably not gonna get an opportunity to try this out any time soon. Prince of Persia made me reevaluate the whole "storytelling" stance of games, so if I did have GTAIV, I'd probably check this out for comparison/evaluation sake.

Game is cheap as fuck now, can't be bothered to get it. But reading the preview of the expansion makes me respect Rockstar for sticking to their guns. I can't say I agree with it, but if they don't make the games they want to, there's no way to make them better.

Damn. That's pretty steep for an expansion pack. I don't know if I'll be sinking that much into it so soon because I have yet to finish the game in the first place. But, from what I read in that link, it might actually prove to be a decent little add-on for those who genuinely enjoy the story; which, so far, is doing OK by me.

But yeah, at least they're actually following through with this, albeit a bit late. Then again, with a multi-million dollar investment, they'd pretty much have to.

Steep for a full on real expansion pack? How so? I don't believe any are below 20 dollars. From morrowind, oblivion, diablo 2, starcraft, etc.

Yeah; how much was the Shivering Isles download? 1600 too?

SI was 2400, actually.

But that included 20 free achievement points Pang!

Since when did it do that?

I'm thinking about purchasing the PC version. Anyone have it for the PC? From the various reviews I read, it appears that the port is really bad. Also the DRM is really strict where you can't even save unless you are online and install some program.

http://www.xbox360achievements.org/i...ts/57/si01.jpgTourist, Shivering Isles - 20

Entered the Shivering Isles

THE BALLAD OF GAY TONY.

Grand Theft Auto IV Second Episode Announced - Xbox

How good can it be? Lost and the Damned was a pretty well done expansion though.

So they're releasing both episodes as a standalone disc. Sweet! Those of us who own the PS3 version of the game don't have to shell out more than we need to.

I believe it is still exclusive to 360 since Microsoft paid for them.

He's saying if you already have the game on PS3, you don't need to pay for the Xbox 360 version as well, since you can just get the disc with the standalone expansions.

But they aren't selling the stand alone expansions for the PS3, as far as I heard. Am I missing something?

Yeah, that article says both the download and disc versions are 360-exclusive. Several times, in fact.

With a title like that maybe the second expansion will focus more on humor and try to be a bit less serious. I don't plan to buy any of these DLC until I eventually get around to finishing the main game anyway, but Lost & the Damned just didn't seem very interesting.

Maybe the second expansion will focus on being fucking good and worth the amount of money they are asking for it.

Jesus...

If you have both consoles, and you have bought GTA 4 on the PS3, to play the DLC you don't need to buy another copy of the original game on the Xbox 360, because you can just get the disc with both expansions, which will work without the original game.