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

Originally Posted by Monkey King

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.

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?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

This is looking more and more interesting; thank you.

Originally Posted by Garr

Team Mafiya Work (not sure why it's spelled that way)...

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)

Most amazing jew boots

Originally Posted by Dark Nation

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?

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:

Originally Posted by IGN

Niko's story is going to remain just for Niko. To satisfy fans' desire for cooperative play, Rockstar added some Niko-free co-op modes in multiplayer. These four-player missions are sort of halfway between the feel of a campaign mission and multiplayer madness. There's a little bit of story -- cutscenes introducing the mission and putting it to a close -- and few random elements. You have a start point and the same definitive endpoint each time you play. The change comes with upping the difficulty and altering the options to stiffen the challenge.

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)

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

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...

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

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.

I was speaking idiomatically.