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

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.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

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.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Aardark

overall the game is great.

Just not perfection.

How ya doing, buddy?

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.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

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.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Aardark

Well, I don't think 10/10 implies perfection

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.

Quote:

And what happens when the game receives the highest rating?

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.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by OmagnusPrime

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.

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.

FELIPE NO

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.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

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

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Jessykins <3

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.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

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.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Garr

Well, I mean, I see where you're coming from with the whole not getting honest previews and/or reviews thing, because honestly, if I was paid a million hojillion dollars to review a game that could be compared to a really gross sweaty festering ballsack or whatever you can imagine, I'd still give it a 10/10 A++ WOULD PLAY AGAIN rating because I don't give a fuck, I'm a million hojillion dollars richer for it.

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 am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Quote:

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.

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

I was speaking idiomatically.

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.

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