Grand Theft Auto IV (GTA IV Dated April 29th)

[Kejoriv]

Gonna pick this up on Friday after my finals. Because if I got it at midnight, finals would not go well.

[Nesmaster]

Gonna pick this up on Friday after my finals. Because if I got it at midnight, finals would not go well.

More control than I'd have in that situation. :)

Just over 4 hours..

[exit]

Well just got back from picking my copy up and now it's installing. I'll probably only play for a few minutes and then goto sleep, got work early tomorrow. For those who went, how was the outcome? My store had a small little line in it, but it's expected since we're usually the last place people check. One guy was talking about how his friend was waiting at Gamestop since 8pm and he was probably waiting at the counter for an hour.

This is really the only midnight release I've ever waited for and if my store wasn't right around the corner from me, I probably wouldn't have even bothered.

[gepeto]

I just got back from the store I picked up the collectors edition. I will open it tomorrow morning. I will say the box feels heavier than I expected. I hope that is an indication of good things.

I will give my impressions tomorrow morning.

[diskoboy]

This game is EPIC. I've already gotten in a few games of Bowling.

[Nesmaster]

All I can say after about 3 hours of play, is that I can not wait to put more time into the game. Impressive physics, lighting, and voice acting so far. Little more pop-in than I had hoped for, but not really bothersome unless you are looking for it. Might jump online when I wake up tomorrow (or later today....). :)

[slip81]

man I want this game. Any advise as to weather I should get the 360 or PS3 version? I don't have either system, but was going to pick up one in June when I got my free government money.

Or are both versions pretty much the same, not considering the DL content?

[DigitalSpace]

For those who went, how was the outcome?

I didn't buy the game, but I went to GameCrazy and hung out with a friend who had a preorder there. They let everyone hang out in the store and it was pretty packed (note that the GC I was at wasn't your typical "fenced off in a corner of Hollywood Video" kind of store, and though it was attached to an HV, it was larger - the size of your typical mall retail space), but it wasn't too long before my friend's number was called up and she got her copy (a 360 special edition), a faceplate, and a strategy guide.

[Oobgarm]

man I want this game. Any advise as to weather I should get the 360 or PS3 version? I don't have either system, but was going to pick up one in June when I got my free government money.

Or are both versions pretty much the same, not considering the DL content?

If you're not interested in DLC, the PS3 version is a bit sharper and has less pop-in from what I've read.

...but if you don't have either machine, the 360 is the way to go.

[Dangerboy]

From behind the counter;

Despite the weather going to crap, we did pretty well. Had about 80+ people, all rung up and out in 30 minutes. I was the bouncer / line organizer, and from the door I looked in and saw all three co-workers frozen for a second.

Turned out a customer was there to pick up his Major League 2K8 pre-order.

Seriously.

At Midnight...two weeks too late.

Good times.

On an unrelated note, Kotaku's Maryland GS midnight opening story featured the GS I used to frequent all the time when I live in MD back in 1999/2000. Good times.

[Sudo]

So apparently, according to Kotaku (http://kotaku.com/385046/buy-gta-iv-get-xbox-live-free-for-a-month), every copy of GTA IV comes with a free month of Xbox Live Gold. Mine didn't for some reason, though. I don't have a Gold account, so it would've been nice if I could avoid paying for a month.

[Vectorman0]

The picture kotaku has is of a card from another country (Asia maybe?). I'm guessing this promotion doesn't include the US.

[gepeto]

So apparently, according to Kotaku (http://kotaku.com/385046/buy-gta-iv-get-xbox-live-free-for-a-month), every copy of GTA IV comes with a free month of Xbox Live Gold. Mine didn't for some reason, though. I don't have a Gold account, so it would've been nice if I could avoid paying for a month.

My collectors edition came with a 1 month gold card

[heybtbm]

I picked up my copy (regular 360 version) this morning before work. Now the game is sitting here on my desk and I can't concentrate on anything. Most of the people on my friends list have been playing this since last night. This is torture.

[mnbren05]

I believe only the US release special edition came with the one month trial as, I did no receive a trial card either. Other than that went to the GameStop release (after my nightmare at Game Crazy for Halo3 and SSBB) and probably about sixty kids there. They were checking ID's at the entrance, turns out I was the fourth oldest person in the store (90% of the kids were the 14-18 year old crowd). So I got to listen to their mindless chatter about it would be so cool if you could upload your fuckin WoW character into GTA and then fuckin destroy stuff.

Anyway, they released right at mindnight and everyone was out of the store in 14 minutes. I got my copy and was at my car by 12:04. Played for three hours when I got home, loads of fun. I'm not loving driving as much as I thought I would and finding buildings to go inside is ridiculously difficult. Other than that amazing.

[Cinder6]

If you're not interested in DLC, the PS3 version is a bit sharper and has less pop-in from what I've read.

...but if you don't have either machine, the 360 is the way to go.

The PS3 has free online services as well. If you're not into paying for Live, that's another plus (and what just sold me, heh).

[Vectorman0]

I just picked up the normal 360 copy, and I got the free month card.

[xtremegamer]

My collectors edition did come with the 1 month trial. Can't wait to play this tonight.

[mailman187666]

a bought the PS3 version and its sitting in my truck right now, waiting for me to drive home to start playing. How the hell am I supposed to sit here for another 2 hours until I can even go home. So how is it in comparison to the other GTAs (3 and up). I just want to see how much different/better it is now than before. I guess I'll find out in a couple hours though.

[spoon]

My girlfriend picked up my Special Edition last night. It came with a free month trial for Live.

Gina showed up at 12 to pick up my copy. Didn't want to wait in line cause she was the only girl there, but she did anyway. When they came around they said "Oh you are here to pick up for Ricardo." They let her cut through the line and get her copy and go. I used to work there. Told her I was a nerd VIP and I "knew" people. That's sad.

Anyhow, after working a ten hour shift from 4:30 pm to 2:30 am, I stayed up and played the game for nine hours until noon. Although work is gonna be hell, it was worth it. probably do it again tonight.

I am almost fifteen percent complete with the game. Below are a list of things I like and don't like

Like

Special Edition Packaging- Box, although over sized, is very nice looking and even the normal packaging has a nice look to it with it's raised lettering. Artbook and keychain also display well. could have used nicer packaging for the soundtrack though.

Driving-At first I hated it it, but, the more I have played with the braking and cornering, the more it grows on me. Able to put the car through some very tight spots.Also, no more instant fires and explosions once a car flips over.

Shooting/Targeting-Much improved imho.There are a couple of ways to do this,I myself prefer to hold down the left trigger and aim with the right stick in free mode.

Relationships/Mini games-Fun stuff here. calling your friends or vice versa and going out to plays games and chit chat. Not only do you get to play a mini game, but, you also build relationships with the characters which can lead to bonus' and support later in the game. darts seem too easy, bowling is just right, and I haven't got the hang of eight ball yet.\

getting hit by cars/ejected from cars- Impressive non ragdoll physics on characters. First time I was ejected from a vehicle was my first ZOMGBBQ GTA moment.

Walking drunk- Haha, so funny to watch your character, and maybe even another one, try to maintain their balance while slurring their speech. I've been hit by a car a few times because of this.


Dislike

Driving Drunk-Everytime I do this, It starts to make me sick to my stomach after watching the screen for more than twenty seconds. I think I'll be taking a cab from now on.

Hand to Hand Combat-So far not a fan of this. I think I need more practice. Seems to be a bit of a delay when you push the button and when your character swings. Less noticeable when armed with a weapon. Seems counter attacking is the main draw here. I also hate when I am trying to hit someone and I push them instead. To be fair, you can push someone to the ground and wail on 'em.

Walking-Sometimes it seems as though Niko walks a bit slow. Just something I noticed at first and has become less and less apparent.

Am I a Vampire?- I dunno about anyone else, but, I had to go into the display settings and crank up the contrast and brightness. Almost pitch black at night out of the box. Also had to change surround setting from side to rear.

I haven't really found many hidden things to do yet. I'm guessing this opens up later in the game. I have found one stunt jump and also found out you can shoot the birds throughout the city. Apparently there are 200 as it says flying rats remaining in the city 199 after you kill the first one. I've found 2. one on the expressway and one in the park. I wonder if they move or are in set places?

Also, I wonder if the choice you are asked to make in one of the earlier missions will come back to haunt/reward you? I took the high road.

All in all, I am impressed and enjoying my stay so far in Liberty City.

[segagamer4life]

so far I have not played the 360 version I picked up today, but I have been reading all the hype and comparisons between the two. So far the oddest report from kotaku, was that the ps3 version runs at 630p, while the 360 runs at 780p??? that to me sounds odd, but whatever, its also been said that the games are pretty much identical, with some, albeit minimal pop-in/up on the 360 version, but both versions are guilty of the same, just a lil moreso on the 360. Hell to me they are the same, and I am just happy to be able to finally play GTA4.... SUPER SWEEET!!!

[norkusa]

Wow, this is the last time I ever use 'super saver' shipping on Amazon. I pre-ordered the 360 Collector's Edition last month and my order info says it's shipping May 5th with an estimated delivery of May 12-16.

I think I'm gonna rent it from Blockbuster to hold me over until then.

[diskoboy]

I'm such a pimp....

Not even 2 hours into the game, and only 2 dates, and already, I got the 'Warm Coffee ' achievement.

;)

[gum_drops]

Wow, this is the last time I ever use 'super saver' shipping on Amazon. I pre-ordered the 360 Collector's Edition last month and my order info says it's shipping May 5th with an estimated delivery of May 12-16.

I think I'm gonna rent it from Blockbuster to hold me over until then.

That is pretty lame. Is is possible to cancel the amazon order, they shouldnt of charged your card yet.

Newegg.com has it in stock with 3 business day shipping and 3 day UPS guaranteed delivery. So it should take 6 days at the longest. It may ship out even sooner, I ordered the regular version last night and it already shipped this morning.

[Overbite]

As soon as I was able to save the game for the first time I jumped into multiplayer and played that. With a group of people it's great! We all just drive around and do whatever.

[exit]

I played it for about an hour last night and for a little bit today, so far it's superior to the other GTA games (especially San Andreas) and seems like a step in the right direction. I just went on a date, picked his cousin up from the hospital, then beat up the guys that were fucking with him and pushed one of them out a window. Good times.

I also like how they used the Police radar as seen in Scarface, which really did make improvements in the genre and in some cases was superior to the source material, so it's nice to see Rockstar was taking notes.

I haven't tried Multiplayer yet, I'll probably do that tomorrow when everyone gets on to play, but so far I've only heard good things.

[Dastardly Dylan]

I can't BELIEVE this but... JACK THOMPSON GIVES IN!

http://kotaku.com/385459/rockstar-makes-a-grand-theft-auto-iv-fan-of-jack-thompson

[diskoboy]

Man.... WTF is up over at the Rockstar Social Club?

It's been hit and miss all day.

[Nesmaster]

~17 hours in, about 31% done. Living up to my expectations overall, slightly annoyed with the amount of pop-in, though from what I've read it might be the BenQ drive's fault for that. Still, there's WAY too many times that the textures are really slow to load. One time I walked into my safehouse and walked up an invisible flight of stairs (and everything else in the building was invisible too)...

Also a side note, the physics for the pool game are a joke. Took me EIGHT games to finally win one thanks to the goofy physics (or lack of). Bowling seems to be based on how you throw the ball and the curve and such, and not on the physics of the pins. Getting a turkey was rediculous, took about 10 games of 10-frame bowling. Funniest thing to happen while bowling? The guy in the lane beside me, a couple of his pins flew over into my lane and knocked down some of my pins as I threw my ball, which ended up counting as a strike LOL (but sadly did not help me get my turkey).

Overall I'm very happy with the single player, and haven't even "cut my teeth" on the multiplayer yet. :)

[segagamer4life]

so far I have barely scratched the single player, but I am enjoying it all the while, I have to say, the online, is pretty damn sweet, with a ton of new options, and alot to do, having played 5 online matches, with no lag, or any disconnects, this game is sweeetness online and off... kudos, Rockstar!

[heybtbm]

~17 hours in, about 31% done.

Don't you people have jobs?

/sitting at my desk, wishing I was playing GTA4.

[segagamer4life]

i know damn, I was lucky to scrape together two hours of gameplay last night....lol at this rate I will have the game completed a LONG time from now!

[Nesmaster]

Don't you people have jobs?

/sitting at my desk, wishing I was playing GTA4.

Booked the week off, solely to play this. ;)

Another small, minor complaint about the wanted system... It works REALLY well up to 4 stars, but I find that the cops/FBI/N.O.O.S.E. get a little goofy at 5 and 6 stars (aka too many, wanted area is HUGE). I haven't tried escaping 5 and 6 stars by boat or helicopter yet, but in a car seems VERY hard to say the least.

[diskoboy]

Don't you people have jobs?

/sitting at my desk, wishing I was playing GTA4.

I took the rest of the week of, as well. Used a week of my vacation time. Fortunately, I still have 2 more weeks of vacation time left, for the year.

I should've told my boss I was going to spend a week in Liberty City, just to see what his reaction would've been. :D

[Bluteg]

Wow, this is the last time I ever use 'super saver' shipping on Amazon. I pre-ordered the 360 Collector's Edition last month and my order info says it's shipping May 5th with an estimated delivery of May 12-16.

I think I'm gonna rent it from Blockbuster to hold me over until then.

This is exactly what I did and I got it on the morning of the 28th :) and it said May 5th on amazon.com so I guess their shipping is really screwy.

[norkusa]

This is exactly what I did and I got it on the morning of the 28th :) and it said May 5th on amazon.com so I guess their shipping is really screwy.

Ugh. Yeah, I'm now convinced that Amazon has the most fucked up shipping department ever. The last couple dvd's I pre-ordered from them, I paid extra for the standard 3-5 day shipping and both times my discs were shipped out late with USPS media mail. Now this.

I'd cancel my order and get it from some other place like Newegg, but I really want that Amazon-exclusive Liberty City license plate.:bday:

[heybtbm]

I live about an hour from one of Amazon's distribution centers. The free "super saver" shipping only takes a day or two at most. I'm geographically lucky I guess.

[gum_drops]

I live about an hour from one of Amazon's distribution centers. The free "super saver" shipping only takes a day or two at most. I'm geographically lucky I guess.

Same here, I live 35 minutes from the Federal Way warehouse. The quick shipping is nice but the %8.8 sales tax is usually a deal killer unless its a real good deal.

[Kejoriv]

Picked up the last copy today from blockbuster to buy, received a free picture with it. Looks just like this.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Grand-Theft-Auto-4-Blockbuster-PROMO-Picture-and-Frame_W0QQitemZ180238023622QQihZ008QQcategoryZ3762 0QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[zektor]

Stopped at Coconuts after work tonight with a $50 gift card I had for them from trading in some crap awhile back. Of course they had no more copies of the game...except one last super sweet Special Edition package that I quickly snagged. Nice lockbox :) Overall a very nice looking collectors edition if you ask me.

Unfortunately I cannot play the game until later tonight, after my 4 year old goes to sleep..heh :) I do have off tomorrow however, and it has already been designated a GTA 4 day for me!

[digitalpress]

I'm about six hours in, 12 percent according to the game, so consider this a "first impression".

This game is no better than any PS2 GTA game I've played. Yes, it looks a LITTLE better, but not significantly so. At this point it's what Beautiful Katamari was for the 360 - a nice version of the older game on a current gen console. I love the characters and the story so far, but the gameplay is way too familiar. Bowling, Darts, even "Drinking"... yawn.

I haven't done any online stuff yet, which I'm sure will improve my opinion, and here's hoping for some crazy-fast planes or something to get me around faster, because this slow traveling thing is the main thing that's annoyed me most in this, one of my most beloved series to date.

Remember... this is an EARLY opinion and I haven't given up, I expect great things as I dig deeper into the game but so far, it's the same old game with a nice paint job.

To be continued.

[exit]

I just got done playing multiplayer with my friends and it's what Portal is to Orange Box, well worth buying the game alone for. It's fun being able to freely explore the city, kill civilians and then get in a crazy car chase while someone is shooting at you from a helicopter.

Only problem is that people kept on leaving when we had an open game going, but I think it was because they were getting dropped, because I kept on getting dropped a few times and had to be re-invited. Which brings me to another problem, sometimes when I got (re)invited it said the game no longest existed, even tho it was just created moments before, it may just be another small bug that can be easily fixable via update.

I'm sure there will be more things added in future updates, I wouldn't mind having a more detailed character customization and a custom radio station that plays music you have on the HD.

[Cinder6]

Played for about an hour. It feels (to me) to be more story-oriented, but maybe that's just me looking for things to like. I don't like the sluggish controls (compared to the earlier games), but I assume that I'll get used to them pretty quickly, so I give that a pass.

What bothers me a LOT is how taxi/vigilante/etc. missions are handled. No longer can you just get into a cab and start taxi missions. You first have to progress a certain amount through the game (small amount, from what I've read), then you have to call a guy and ask for it as a job. And apparently the jobs he gives pay next to nothing. Lame. I really hope Rockstar releases a patch; I can't believe they handled it that way.

I really don't see how the game is getting perfect 10s on so many review sites. From my very early impression, it feels like an 8. At least you can escape the police in a sensible way. Hopefully online is really fun...

EDIT: Oh yeah, and the HUD is way too small. On a 50" screen, I have a hard time reading some of it.

[Oobgarm]

I've enjoyed what I've played, but my copy has frozen every time I've played it.

I returned my initial copy for a new one, but I don't think that's going to solve the problem. Gonna give it a try this afternoon to see.

[Lothars]

Remember... this is an EARLY opinion and I haven't given up, I expect great things as I dig deeper into the game but so far, it's the same old game with a nice paint job.

To be continued.

Honestly I agree it's a updated GTA III

Which is not a bad thing but it's the same old game with that look better looking but I do think it's fantastic though.

[mnbren05]

Vigilante missions are handled through the computers in the police cruisers. You select which mission you want and then off you go. Taxi missions are slightly boring and not as easy to access as before. About 17.5 hours in and 34% complete, finally got used to the controls driving wise and figured out which cars to stay away from. Other than that the only problem I have now is hand to hand combat which if you lose your timing is a mess. Has anyone else had the hitting invisible blocks problem? I will be driving through street to lose my wanted level and I will suddenly hit an invisible block sending my vehicle flipping, spinning, etc out of control. It seems to be a very random and rare happening, but its happened four times in 17 hours. More annoying than troublesome I suppose.

[gepeto]

Quick question a friend of mine says he and his friend both bought collecters edition. When they got home his friend gta game had a cover over it like bioshock\star ocean. His did not. I told him mine just was the game to wrapped no slip cover. . He was surprised


Anyones collectors edition have a slip cover?

[Nesmaster]

Here's hoping for some crazy-fast planes or something to get me around faster, because this slow traveling thing is the main thing that's annoyed me most in this, one of my most beloved series to date.


You can hail a Taxi to take you to the mission giver, and sometimes you can take a cab to the mission destination after starting it, if that'll speed up the game for you at all.

73.11%, 80 missions complete, 35:10 on the clock. I'm going to be sad when the game is done, like I usually am with this kind of game.

Gepeto: No cover on my copy of the SE. They were supposed to have included that with the SE but I guess not all of them ended up with one. :(

[Kintaro56]

Hope this is on-topic:

I bought Saints Row, and got tired of it very quickly...is the targeting system/controls for GTA IV similar to Saints Row?

[Cinder6]

Vigilante missions are handled through the computers in the police cruisers. You select which mission you want and then off you go.

How do you do this? I've stolen police cars, but didn't see a way to do this.

[Captain Wrong]

I'm about six hours in, 12 percent according to the game, so consider this a "first impression".

This game is no better than any PS2 GTA game I've played. Yes, it looks a LITTLE better, but not significantly so. At this point it's what Beautiful Katamari was for the 360 - a nice version of the older game on a current gen console. I love the characters and the story so far, but the gameplay is way too familiar. Bowling, Darts, even "Drinking"... yawn.

I haven't done any online stuff yet, which I'm sure will improve my opinion, and here's hoping for some crazy-fast planes or something to get me around faster, because this slow traveling thing is the main thing that's annoyed me most in this, one of my most beloved series to date.

Remember... this is an EARLY opinion and I haven't given up, I expect great things as I dig deeper into the game but so far, it's the same old game with a nice paint job.

To be continued.

OK, I was beginning to think I'd lost my mind. I mean, everyone and their dog declaring this BEST GAME EVAR!!! PERFECT 10!!!! etc., etc.

Is it fun? Yeah. Is there a lot of good to it? Sure. Is it perfect? Nope. I don't know what exactly I was expecting, to be honest, but, yeah, at 20 hours and <30% in, it feels like a prettier game from the GTA3 lineage. Not a whole lot I haven't done and seen before. It's still fun, but it's not amazing. It's not blowing my socks off like GTA3 did.

And, can someone explain to me why there are no in mission checkpoints? OK, I'm not the greatest gamer in the world. I'm fine with that. What I'm not fine with is having to re-do driving half way across town, getting in this car to pick up a weapon, going over here to take this guy out, etc., etc and then getting to the end, having one guy getting the drop on me and having to do the whole shit over again from the top. Again.

At the very least, let me start at the actual place where the mission starts rather than putting me back at the house of whoever I'm doing the mission for and making me drive, drive, drive. Even better, just let me start off at the part I fucked up. These missions all are multi-stage events. Gimme a goddam checkpoint! Fucking Godfather had checkpoints in the missions and it was only 75% the game this is.

Also, why do all the cars feel like they are driving on streets made of ball bearings?

The drunk driving screens almost made me chuck too.

[Sudo]

How do you do this? I've stolen police cars, but didn't see a way to do this.

Hit LB after you come to a complete stop.

[mnbren05]

How do you do this? I've stolen police cars, but didn't see a way to do this.

press the left bumper if you are using the xbox 360 version while stationary. It brings up a list of things like search criminal database, current crimes etc. Go to current crimes and it will have things like vehicle theft, robbery, etc.

Side note- today I was evading a four star police wanted level and I was out of the search range when I swerved to attempt to go to the docks, and swim away to avoid being caught by police, and hit something. After crawling off the ground and the police catching up, I had hit an invisible tree. WTF mate. Seriously officer, that tree came out of nowhere.

[Nesmaster]

Just finished the storyline. 80.08%, 39:10 on the clock. Rockstar really knows how to tell a story. I think I have a new favorite GTA game now.

Fantastic game, I don't care what anyone else thinks. Sure it still suffers from a few problems that have plauged the games in the past, but at least the combat works now. It could stand alone well enough without the cover system, but its addition is nice. Improved visuals, AWESOME physics, excellent voice acting, top notch car damage modelling and the most detailed open-world game to date.

Does it live up to the hype? I'm not sure how to answer. On one hand I've been waiting nearly two years for the game, and on the other hand it's the most fun I've had with a game in almost 3 years. I'll say yes, based on my single player experience alone. Still haven't tried multiplayer.

[Captain Wrong]

Ars Technica has a pretty fair and even handed review up: http://arstechnica.com/reviews/games/gta-4-review.ars

[LiquidPolicenaut]

I'm about 33% into the game (according to my game progress) and I'm liking it a lot. I love the feel of the "new" Liberty City. The original Liberty City will always be special to me but I love this one as well. The really nailed down the feel of the specific areas of NYC even the area I'm from! Does the game deserve a 10? No, but I also think that San Andreas didnt deserve a 10 as it had a few things that pissed me off (like the horrible flying controls). Both games are great to me though. Car controls did take some time to get used to, but I mostly got the hang of it now. I do like the new aiming system imo.

The thing that gets me about people hating on the game is that...what were people expecting out of this new GTA? It has to be new but still be "GTA"....which is excactly what it accomplished I think......

[SaturnFan]

Hey can you still beef your guy up at gym's like San Andreas, or is that gone in GTA4?

[Sudo]

Hey can you still beef your guy up at gym's like San Andreas, or is that gone in GTA4?

No, the RPG aspects are gone.

[Trevelyan]

My 1st impressions are pure superlatives. It's a breathtaking game imo :D Can't wait to see how the story ends, & how the multiplayer plays out. I hope the updates are cool too.

[zektor]

I've been getting alot of playtime with the title thus far....well, as much as I can get during my off hours. At first, the game felt like the old GTA's with a new coat of paint, but after playing more I am truly amazed. The amount of time (obviously) and effort that went into the game is enormous...much more so than any of the previous games. The missions are fun, the exploration even more so. And, my own car (Monte Carlo) is in the game...and it kind of looks like mine too :) Hah...great game...easily the best I have played this year.

[Nesmaster]

Jumped into multiplayer all day today. Don't quite care for the deathmatch modes, and the one game of turf war I played didn't go too well. Yet to try race, but I do enjoy the three co-op modes, quite a bit. Seems like a good way to earn a lot of money quickly as well anyways. Then there's free roam which is an absolute blast. This could very well become my most played game, ever. Well worth the $60 entry fee (or $90, because I bought the SE).

Once I tire of multiplayer I'll take a break by beating the story again, or finishing my current save to 100% :D

GOTY 2008? Early, but a strong contender I think.

[diskoboy]

Is it me, or does anybody else wish there was a shaving option (for Niko) in the game?

It's just weird -you can buy new clothes. You can get them dirty, then clean again. But Niko can never shave.

[Flack]

I picked this up today (PS3) and, like others have mentioned, I'm sitting around patiently waiting for my kids to go to sleep tonight.

[sisko]

OK, I was beginning to think I'd lost my mind. I mean, everyone and their dog declaring this BEST GAME EVAR!!! PERFECT 10!!!! etc., etc.

Is it fun? Yeah. Is there a lot of good to it? Sure. Is it perfect? Nope. I don't know what exactly I was expecting, to be honest, but, yeah, at 20 hours and <30% in, it feels like a prettier game from the GTA3 lineage. Not a whole lot I haven't done and seen before. It's still fun, but it's not amazing. It's not blowing my socks off like GTA3 did.

And, can someone explain to me why there are no in mission checkpoints? OK, I'm not the greatest gamer in the world. I'm fine with that. What I'm not fine with is having to re-do driving half way across town, getting in this car to pick up a weapon, going over here to take this guy out, etc., etc and then getting to the end, having one guy getting the drop on me and having to do the whole shit over again from the top. Again.

At the very least, let me start at the actual place where the mission starts rather than putting me back at the house of whoever I'm doing the mission for and making me drive, drive, drive. Even better, just let me start off at the part I fucked up. These missions all are multi-stage events. Gimme a goddam checkpoint! Fucking Godfather had checkpoints in the missions and it was only 75% the game this is.

Also, why do all the cars feel like they are driving on streets made of ball bearings?

The drunk driving screens almost made me chuck too.


Couldn't have said it any better myself. The game is good, but not great.

I prefer to spend my time with Mario Kart Wii online.

[G-Boobie]

Has anyone else noticed that the Republican Space Commandos, viewable in the first safehouse and on the Weazel channel, are dressed in Halo style Spartan armor?

I was entertained.

[Flack]

I got my first two hours of GTA4 (PS3) in last night. I wouldn't call myself a huge fan of the series, so here's a brief assessment from a casual gamer.

Right off the bat, let's talk about the install time. I wasn't aware that was coming. I've read reviews of the "five minute" install time but I swear mine was closer to 10. I'm running a 60 gig (launch) PS3. I've also read about people experiencing lock ups, but I never did.

I enjoyed watching the early cut scenes and was almost disappointed when they ended and I had to start playing. While the graphics are still stylish (ie: not super realistic), after watching it for a while you kind of forget it's a game. It seems more like a movie. Maybe that's from watching so many CGI shows on television with my kids over recent years.

The new targeting system, at least with hand-to-hand combat (all I've done so far) is much improved. The most frustrating thing in any game for me is trying to do something and not knowing (or being able) to pull it off with a controller. I like being able to target people and kick their asses.

I tried out over a dozen cars and they all drive like ass. Seriously. Maybe I've been playing too many racing games but every car I drove handled terribly. Maybe it takes some getting used to. I tried drifting/sliding around corners with the handbrake and ended up doing a u-turn almost every single time. Likewise, I tried slowing with the regular brake and slid past every intersection and couldn't turn at the same time. The key to getting away in high speed chases (at least so far) has just been going fast and straight.

I enjoy the amount of radio stations in the cars but I need to figure out how to turn the radio off or at least down.

My wife got jealous last night when she asked me where I'd been and I told her I'd taken Roman's friend Michelle out bowling.

If I get a chance tonight I'll try out the online stuff.

[kaedesdisciple]

I tried out over a dozen cars and they all drive like ass. Seriously. Maybe I've been playing too many racing games but every car I drove handled terribly. Maybe it takes some getting used to. I tried drifting/sliding around corners with the handbrake and ended up doing a u-turn almost every single time. Likewise, I tried slowing with the regular brake and slid past every intersection and couldn't turn at the same time. The key to getting away in high speed chases (at least so far) has just been going fast and straight.



Similar to Crackdown, I found the police cars and the high end sports cars to handle the best. Most cars, though, are complete boats.

[mailman187666]

I think as far as the game design itself goes, I'd say this has to be the most detailed game, graphically, I've seen. With the amount of different looking people walking around. Street signs and building signs pretty much everywhere. I haven't found any secret missions or anything though. Like when you jump into a random parked car in a big open parking lot which throws you into a mission. Maybe I haven't looked hard enough or something. I know there are the flying rats and stunt jumps. I was a little sad when I saw they removed those tiny RPG elements of the last one. I liked knowing that by running around aimlessly, I was gaining progress in the game. I guess to play a game like that though, I'd just go for Oblivion. Seriously though I think its my favorite game on PS3 so far. Just the detail in the city itself blows me away. I guess I could say that this game amazed me more than seeing a portable version of Liberty City on PSP, but it didn't amaze me as much as GTA3 did when it first came out.

[Oobgarm]

I tried out over a dozen cars and they all drive like ass. Seriously. Maybe I've been playing too many racing games but every car I drove handled terribly. Maybe it takes some getting used to. I tried drifting/sliding around corners with the handbrake and ended up doing a u-turn almost every single time. Likewise, I tried slowing with the regular brake and slid past every intersection and couldn't turn at the same time. The key to getting away in high speed chases (at least so far) has just been going fast and straight.

Driving in GTA certainly has it's quirks. I too had some difficulty at first, but I've warmed up to it nicely and have little to no trouble now driving right through crowded intersections with nary a scratch. Drifting is still pretty much non-existant for me, though.

I suggest driving the more modern luxury-types and sports cars to really get a good feel. (that's what I did)


I enjoy the amount of radio stations in the cars but I need to figure out how to turn the radio off or at least down.

On the 360, you cycle through the radio with the d-pad, and turn it off by holding left for a second or two. I dunno how the PS3 works, but I'd assume it's somewhat similar.

[mailman187666]

I enjoy the amount of radio stations in the cars but I need to figure out how to turn the radio off or at least down.

you can just turn the music level down through the sound option menu, just not while driving like you could with switching the stations.

[diskoboy]

Is anyone else's ZiT feature not working correctly?

I've tagged about 6 different songs, and one of them are showing up on my Rockstar Social Club profile.

And is anyone even using Rockstar Social Club?

I want that Barry White song, dammit!!! :D

[Captain Wrong]

The Social Club is buggy as hell. I've seen reports of people's stats in the Marathon section going up and down with no rhyme or reason.

I'm a little bit farther in the game now. I still think the vehicles drive on marbles, but you do learn to compensate. The auto-aim is a ton better. I still think the lack of checkpoints in the mission is dumb. The cops seem much easier to out run. The story is very well done. I have to admit, the missions are getting a bit repetitious.

Still fun. Still not a 10/10.

[diskoboy]

The Social Club is buggy as hell. I've seen reports of people's stats in the Marathon section going up and down with no rhyme or reason.



That's true. The other day, I had the gold certificates for running and driving. Now, I'm back to 3% for both.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Driving in GTA certainly has it's quirks. I too had some difficulty at first, but I've warmed up to it nicely and have little to no trouble now driving right through crowded intersections with nary a scratch. Drifting is still pretty much non-existant for me, though.

I suggest driving the more modern luxury-types and sports cars to really get a good feel. (that's what I did)



On the 360, you cycle through the radio with the d-pad, and turn it off by holding left for a second or two. I dunno how the PS3 works, but I'd assume it's somewhat similar.

Yes, you can turn off the radio by holding left on the D-Pad.

I picked up my copy yesterday, and I'm similarly under-whelmed by the overall "evolution" of the series (or lack thereof) in this installment (or at least in the beginning of the game), however, it does appear to remain true to the series' roots, is graphically impressive (1080p HDMI on a 42 inch Panasonic LCD) and from what little I played, the multiplayer modes were exactly as I'd been fantasizing they would be whilst playing Vice City and saying "this series needs to go multiplayer online".

I don't feel like I've wasted my money, and even if the story mode doesn't draw me in I'll probably spend a healthy amount of time online, though I think it will keep me interested ... as I do dig "Russian Mafiya" (Eastern Promises FTW!) gangsters MUCH more than "Boyz N' The Hood Gangstas" (a major reason why I couldn't get into GTA San Andreas).

Keep your eyes out for me online on PS3!

FlyingBurrito76

[Kejoriv]

Played my first 2 hours of the game tonight. I really like this game everything except the god damn driving. Taking turns suck big time.