Customer Reviews

Grand Theft Auto IV

5 star:		(220)
4 star:		(106)
3 star:		(66)
2 star:		(32)
1 star:		(34)

 

 

Let it be said that I've never liked GTA. But I decided to get GTA4 after reading several articles about the change in direction they were taking and my god, has it paid off. This game is PHENOMENAL.

The Good:
Graphics-
Even though this game is running at 640p and is upscaled on PS3, this is a BEAUTIFUL game. It has some of the best and most natural looking water and light effects I've ever seen that appear photorealistic at times. I often stop and just stare at the waves or park and watch the sun hitting the road as it sets.

Story-
The voice acting is top notch and the cast has some truly memorable characters. This is one of the few games where I actually have an emotional response when things happen to the main characters...which is no small feat. Sometimes you have to make choices whether someone lives or dies and I found myself really struggling with the decision I thought was appropriate to my character. The pacing is great too. Just as you are getting satisfied with a particular location, you get access to a new islands and contacts so things always feel fresh.

Gameplay-
Thankfully, they eliminated all the things that made past GTAs tedious. No more going to the gym to lift weights, no more being forced to drive twenty minutes across town to do a mission. Finally, you can take a cab and opt to skip the driving when you are in a rush. They've also added a much needed cover system where tapping R1 will let you take cover behind virtually any object. This leads to some truly epic shootouts that will literally have you diving for cover.

They also made your cell phone the menu for the game and you rarely have to leave the game world immersion. Just call up your friends for missions or hanging out and watch Niko talk to them while he walks around the city. You can even buy ringtones, themes, and even get a camera phone and organizer.

There are also 200 music tracks on a dozen radio stations with great music and talk shows on all of them. You can waste hours watching TV at your house, going on dates to see shows or play pool and darts, or you can fool around on dozens of webpages at the internet cafe. Basically, there is a ton of depth here that will give the game dozens of hours of extra traction.

Multiplayer-
Just whip out your cell phone in the single player and hop right in to over 14 online game modes. Imagine running around New York with 15 friends and playing paintball in the streets. To just be able to hop into the whole of Liberty City and do ANYTHING is so fun and chaotic words can't describe it. Just last night, I joined Free Mode, where there are no rules. I proceeded to blow up 3 cop cars and run over a flock of pedestrians before getting plowed over by another player who had stolen a commuter bus and was on a rampage in Times Square. That was just the first 10 minutes. And I was having a blast that even my wife couldn't turn away from.

The Bad:
Other than minor framerate and A.I. glitches, my biggest complaint is that the game does some unnecessary forced loading. When you die on a mission instead of just asking you if you want to retry it, you die, it loads a respawn at the hospital and THEN you are asked to retry the mission, which leads to another load screen.

Every time you launch the game, you are forced to sit through a 2 minute intro movie. I suspect this is to distract you while the game loads in the background more than it is to set a mood, but it would still have been nice to be able to skip it sometimes.

Other than that, the clothing selection feature remains terrible. You have no way to quickly cycle through your wardrobe without having to spend 2-5 seconds loading each new outfit. If you're like me, you bought every outfit as soon as you could only to learn that you had to cycle through every single one anytime you wanted to change clothes. And other than buying clothes, money has absolutely no value in this game. For some reason, they didn't include a casino or the option to buy property, so you amass all this wealth and have virtually nothing to spend it on at the end of the game's main story.

The Verdict:
That said, the sheer freedom and realism of this game signal a landmark in gaming and anyone who likes video games should buy this game. It is the most fun I've ever had with a video game and provides 100+ hours of entertainment for sixty bucks. Despite a few flaws, the amount of content, fun, and depth of this game make it virtually flawless and worth your money.

Usually, when they make a highly anticipated sequel to a much-loved video game franchise, the list of available activities goes up. It seems to me that with GTA IV, that list actually went down. Anyone agree?
I waited anxiously for GTA IV just like many other gamers. I have only been playing it for a few days, and I am already 50% of the way through. After playing GTA: San Andreas for a few days, I was thrilled to discover that I was only about 20% of the way through and still had not revealed the entire map! More detail at the sake of less space to explore = "Looks great. Sure wish it was bigger."
One of the most exciting moments in my video gaming history was discovering that you could finally steal the airplanes in GTA: San Andreas! One of the most disappointing moments in my video gaming history was discovering that they had eliminated this from GTA IV! What a perfect opportunity to make the flight ceiling higher and the destinations more interesting! Sorry, turns out it's back down to one smallish city. Plus, realizing that you could jump of of planes and sky-dive was freakin' sweet! Not happening this time around.
The controls for the various vehicles seem to have become more difficult. (More realistic?) I preferred being able to grab the handbrake and execute crisp turns and 180's to the new "touch the handbrake and spin out" scheme that exists now. And the motorcycles? It seems they've switched the reasonably grippy tires they normally used with tractionless rings of plastic.
And where have the fire-truck and ambulance missions gone? What about the ability to swim under water? Why haven't I been able to carry around a samurai sword or a chainsaw? Where is the flame-thrower? And what a great location the new Liberty City would have been for a jet-pack!
GTA IV seems to be a lot of "been there, done that" with very little new to keep the legions of fans happy. It will sell a billion copies because of the name it carries, but overall, this game is a disappointment.

Just when you think you have Rockstar Games and their legendary Grand Theft Auto series figured out, they pitch you one heck of a curve. Speaking as a guy who spent so much time running amok in Vice City and San Andreas that I practically had to file tax returns there, I have been consistently surprised by the depth of play in GTA IV. Yes, it's true that the character modeling and some of the action moves are a little choppy, but most of the game looks great. Far more interesting, however, is the fact that this is not a video game per se - it borders on an interactive movie. The crime and violence in fuzzy-lit, pastel colored Vice City is practically cartoonish compared to the gritty reality of life in Liberty City in GTA IV. You're not just a thug with a bat trying to decide which car to lift, you're an immigrant with plenty of emotional baggage, forced into a series of moral quandries the outcomes of which carry implications throughout the entire game. Things you do even turn up later on the in-game radio stations!

Every generation of game console, some game is proclaimed the next coming, be it of graphics, or gameplay, or some other measurable category. GTA IV is different. You can wallow in the muck of street violence and prostitution as always, but there's a deeper moral play going on that feels unlike anything else I've encountered not only in GTA, but in video games in general. Rockstar Games may have finally located that most ephemeral of experiences - one equal parts game and cinema, without belonging entirely to either. It's going to be interesting to see how many critics and politicians seize on only the overt, adult content, without grasping how far more creative and artistic this "game" is than your average deadening FPS or racing game. Rockstar Games is to be commended for what truly deserves to be called "genius."

It's a good game generally speaking. However, for those who are glad to see the large forest/field areas gone... I truly miss them. There are few places in GTA4 where you can really open up and jump off cliffs into rivers, or just basically do crazy stuff out in the woods. I think there is one or two places you can even find trees in GTA4. San Andreas was so much fun... so many different areas... city, urban, rural, it was like 4 different games in one. The jetpacks, jet fighters, helicopters, tanks and many other vehicles made this game not only fun but DAMN fun. Oh yeah, and lets not forget about skydiving into military bases to steal jet fighters. When I played GTA4, I felt like I was a bad guy for being a bad guy. I want to feel good about being bad.

The graphics, of course is phenomnal which makes it even more of a shame that a lot of the out of this world stuff are missing.

I bought it, played it, and beat it... so did I like it, yes. Could I have loved it... yes... did I? No.

I don't know how some review sites can give this game a perfect 10 rating. It is a great game, but far from perfect. The PS3 version suffers from several technical problems that have been pointed out here ad nauseam. One patch has already been released, and hopefully future patches will fix the rest of the problems. As for the game itself, it's one of the best ever. It's definitely a solid "9", but far from a 10. If you can wait awhile and avoid the hype, you may be better off waiting until most of the major problems are fixed. Online play has been partially fixed, but it still isn't perfect.

This game has hard core fans with disparate expectations. There are a myriad of rave reviews on this game. I thought I'd write one for those who are finding GTA4 to be...so-so?

I've read the positive reviews--it's a GTA for grown ups (weren't they all?), it's darker better, grittier (based on your character's facial hair I assume), it's more REALISTIC.

Ok. stop right there. Sorry but I don't want realism. I don't want to drive clunky cars that can't take a 90 degree turn at 30 mph without plowing through a storefront. I don't want to call up friends when I'd rather be doing something else just so I can keep the relationship (and the perks they offer) going. I don't want a GTA version of the virtual Secondlife or SIMS. I want to jetpack around in my tightie whities and a mohawk, 200 lbs overweight, listening to Conway Twitty. Now you're talking about fun.

Seriously, fun has been the ultimate of the GTA's until now. Niko Belak is NO FUN, he'd tell you personally. Previous GTA's all offered that thrill of exhilaration. I'm just not getting that here.

Pluses
*Taking cabs--much better than cross country treks that go awry when you make a wrong turn and crash into the ocean.
*Having a lawyer for a girlfriend--good idea
*Evading the cops by stealth rather than bribes
*Very cool graphics with smooth transitions
*Best bank robbery mission ever
*Good weapons/aiming control

Minuses
*Repetitive missions (shoot em up, run away from the cops)
*A little too easy. In all the other GTA's I've gotten stuck somewhere, simply b/c I'm not the best hand-eye coordinator. Nothing in GTA4 stymied me for more than 2 repeat tries.
*Lack of customization
*Lack of skill improvement (i.e. cars, shooting, bikes, endurance, etc)
*Lack of haircuts and accessories(Hey, I'm a chick, what do you want?)
*Drastic changes in driving controls
*Uninteresting NPC's/stories/dialogue
*Lack of 'stuff' to find in nooks and crannies
*Second-shelf music selection
*Inability to buy businesses

In sum, I just shelved this game at about 80% completion for another one I got for $20. That is the most demonstrative comment I can offer. Previous GTA's were my heroin--this one's more like methadone. Save your $60 and wait 6 months--the market will be glutted w/ extra copies.

Well I just played my first 6 hours of GTA IV (mostly exploring and hurting people.) I was able to get a copy during the midnight sale at my local Meijer. I don't even know where to begin...The game so far has been everything I expected and then some. The graphics are far superior to past GTA titles but not quite up to par with other games I've played on my PS3. Most people know that the graphics aren't what this franchise is about so It's OK. That being said, holy crap this is a FUN GAME. The first surprise I got was when I crashed my car into a wall at high speed. Niko went flying through the windsheild and smashed into the wall!!! Almost killed him. The car damage is awesome, way more detailed and more realistic. The car will actually stall out if it gets beat up too much. The hookers are back and sluttier than ever...You can go into a bar and get ****faced and stumble around or drive drunk(it gave me a headache, i recommend taking a cab) I have only completed 8 missions so far but they are the same type of stuff as before (drugs,protection money,driving hos around..)at least so far...I can't write anymore now because all I'm thinking about is getting back into Liberty City besides I don't want to ruin any more surprises. I haven't tried the online yet. If you haven't already ordered a copy I highly recommend it. you won't regret it....

So many comparisons to other GTA's and all of them missing the point...This is not GTA Vice city, or San Andreas, it's new and much more realistic. Yes, the game is dark in spots, and holy crap, if you get indoors and someone comes up behind you and starts pummeling you it's hard to get around to hitting them back with the camera jerking everywhere, but the sheer detail, size, and interactivity are amazing. The game play is pure GTA, beating people down, dodging their punches and counter-punching, stalking into a street with shotgun drawn, cycling through targets and POW,POW,POW!!!! I love it!!! The vehicles are really true to life, steal an SUV and try to take a corner at top speed...over you go, just like real life. Steal a Banshee and away you go, burning rubber the whole way. This is not the cheesy jet packing, chainsaw in the street, gangsta' wannabe, f-bomb fest that was San Andreas, this is involved life with a conflicted protagonist and deep story that will pull you right in. I feel for our hero, I care if he succeeds, that's the difference. My first day I stole a motorcycle and cruised the town, like I was there, I followed the lights, cruised up and down, and beat up some old man, then I crossed the bridge in a stolen garbage truck and got a level 5 wanted level, I drove like a madman to get back to my safe house, with a helicoptwer firing at me, and a swarm of cop cars to plow through, it was awesome!! Let the 14 year olds whine because they can't customize their car, get a driving game if that's what you want, for me this is the heat! The best part for me is knowing that as good as this one is, the next will be even better. I like it!!

This is the best video game EVER!!! I am 41 years old and have played a lot of video games and this one is by far the most enjoyable! If you are offended easily by cursing, then you may not like this game. This game has it all....driving cars, boats, motorcycles, helicopters...dating, hanging out with a friend at a strip club (and getting lap dances), going to shows, out to eat, pool, bowling, darts, video game (within the video game), and of course plenty of missions to accomplish which often involve car chases and shooting. There are plenty of characters that the player will encounter and develop relationships with (good or bad!).

It is just so much fun and so entertaining and also challenging.
I would recommend this game to anyone who wants to play, in my opinion, the best video game you can buy.

LOVE it!!!

I can't wait for GTA 5!

I have few words about this game, I think I don't need to explain how good it is and if you want so just check IGN review, however it's worth the wait, every cent and time spent on producing it and the fun is just begin, you shouldn't miss this game whatever your gameplay style. there is so much of reality in gta about streets life, bad cops, gangsters and using phone in game etc. no more that could be asked for from gta.

What's new in gta IV ? obviously new great story with new characters, improvements in graphic detail, load screen times are a little shorter, quicker and better, new targeting system much easier than old one, cover system, new multiplayer challenges support for up to 16 players with more than 10 modes such as races, deathmatch, team death matches and one co-op single player mission, there is also an autosave feature work after completing a mission, you have cell phone which you can use it even in-car anywhere and anytime and last but not least you will be able to track your statistics and feature competitions and awards based on player activity within the game through Social Club, it will be available on 17 April.

it should labeled with "MUST HAVE" and I'm pretty sure it won't be ejected from your console for long time.

Thank "you Rocks"tar!