GTA...Overhyped, your opinions?

Anyone else really enjoying the story?

I am really digging the story so far. This is mainly due to the characters ethnic backgrounds being so unique. I'm not too far in, so I would have to come back to the question after I see what develops.
 
I am also loving the story. The different characters are all very interesting and the this is one of the first games in a longer time where I have NOT wanted to skip the cut scenes.
 
lol @ all the people who just spent $70 (with tax!) on a game they hate instead of renting it first for like five bucks! :D:D:D
 
How much does the game cost? 70 dollars? How much is your time worth? If I spend 70 dollars on a game, I want it to start entertaining me pretty quickly after I hit start. I don't want to spend the first 10 hours of the game grinding just so I can get to the fun part.

Which brings me to a question: Is GTA 4 like Vice City or San Andreas?

SA really annoyed the shit out of me because it felt like I spent forever training, feeding and breeding CJ like he was a goddamn Pokemon. The Lens flare and excessively dark colors that made it hard to find targets(and when it did, it would autotarget something random not the guy popping caps into my head), No targeting reticule, NPC's that can't hit the side of a building at pointblank range, unless they are shooting me. And I really wanted to pay 60 dollars so I can drive other characters around who do nothing but complain that all I do is drive them around.

So far, and I've only played about 2 hours, I feel like GTA IV is pretty good. I don't care for driving, but I'll get used to it. The controls are a little more clunky than previous GTA's. I'm giving this game some time, I have finals next week anyways haha.

To address the series as a whole, GTA:SA was the worst of the 3 of last generation for me. It was too big and the story just didn't draw me in. It was way too big of a city to get used to, and the only part I knew was the opening part, I never bothered learning the rest of the map. I got bored real quick, and once I beat the main storyline, I put it away and went back to Vice City.

I think GTA IV is more like VS than SA, so far. SA was just a pain in the ass to find everything. So far, IV has been relatively easy. But they are hard to compare because of all the technical changes, like driving and such...

I'll see how much I like GTA IV once finals are over and I get to play it a lot more. So far, I love the city, its incredibly well done. I look forward to opening up the rest of it, and perhaps I'll post in here again once I have a better opinion.

lol @ all the people who just spent $70 (with tax!) on a game they hate instead of renting it first for like five bucks! :D:D:D

Haha, I used a great thing called yourfree360games(dot)com
 
I finally got the game last night and played for a good 3 and 1/2 hours. Now i really want to state that i am not a GTA fan. I really didnt like any of the other games but i find this very impressive. Bellic is a great character and the story does grab me. The one complaint i will have for this game is by far the graphics. I was playing the 360 on a samsung DLP 42" at 1080i. There are certain points were the games looks very decent, and there are points were my eyes begin to bleed. It looks very good in the day, but at night... man alive. Does anyone else notice the horrible jaggys as much as I?

Bottom line, good gameplay and stroy. Painfull Graphics
 
It's funny to hear people complain about the vehicle handling. I think it's spot on. Like kent said, it's like people are expecting them to handle like the previous GTA games where the cars felt like they all had the same mass and weight. It just takes time to get used to and then you're able to pull off some pretty sick drifts onto other streets without much slowdown.

My only complaints are: You take on way too much responsibility keeping all your friends happy when all you want to do is play the story, and the blur can sometimes be distracting and kind of disorienting.
 
Last night I opened up the second Island and I was in awe at the level of detail Rockstar have cramped into this game.
Minor spoiler alert...............................................
The first Island is definately set in the poorer part of town, though there are some nicer neighbourhoods there but the second Island is how I imagine Manathan to be like. Ultra modern office builds, expensive shops, riverside shopping, nice parks, chinatown, broadway/time square style area.
There is just so much to see and do but because actually map size is smaller than SA, I find it easier to get around. Plus the GPS system is great and it means you can never really get lost.
This weekend in the UK is a holiday weekend so it means no work for me on Monday so I spend quality time with the wife and kids during the day but once they go to bed, it is GTA4 time and I MUST concentrate on the story mode so I am open up the rest of the city to see what other wonderful sights there is to see.
 
I finally got the game last night and played for a good 3 and 1/2 hours. Now i really want to state that i am not a GTA fan. I really didnt like any of the other games but i find this very impressive. Bellic is a great character and the story does grab me. The one complaint i will have for this game is by far the graphics. I was playing the 360 on a samsung DLP 42" at 1080i. There are certain points were the games looks very decent, and there are points were my eyes begin to bleed. It looks very good in the day, but at night... man alive. Does anyone else notice the horrible jaggys as much as I?

Bottom line, good gameplay and stroy. Painfull Graphics


Looks great on my Sony LCD TV (360 Version)....

I think GTA4 is a game that grows on you. At first, I wasn't exactly impressed, but you begin to appreciate the scope and minor details of the game. To me, the graphics really begin to shine as you progress in the story, through cinematics and, scenery, etc.

Rockstar really put a lot of content into this game...I don't exactly think that 2-4 hours is enough time to formulate a good opinion about this title given that you've only seen so much [I myself am only a handful of hours into the game, too].
 
My 2cents,

I have played every GTA since they came out, but this one is throwing me a bit off.

First off I've had some problems with my 360 freezing while loading a mission.

The combat I don't hate too much..., but it seems like with 3 stars its very difficult to survive, I can't even imagine 6. It just almost isn't as "arcadey" anymore its more on the simulation side.

I like the story and the graphics. The map will be hard to memorize its very confusing.

As some others have said the car selection isn't the best, I agree with that.

Also the 6 loading screens for every mission sorta piss me off......
 
I finally got the game last night and played for a good 3 and 1/2 hours. Now i really want to state that i am not a GTA fan. I really didnt like any of the other games but i find this very impressive. Bellic is a great character and the story does grab me. The one complaint i will have for this game is by far the graphics. I was playing the 360 on a samsung DLP 42" at 1080i. There are certain points were the games looks very decent, and there are points were my eyes begin to bleed. It looks very good in the day, but at night... man alive. Does anyone else notice the horrible jaggys as much as I?

Bottom line, good gameplay and stroy. Painfull Graphics

I'm looking good here with no jaggies - I feel the graphics are pretty darn good. I'm on PS3 + Sammy 50" plazi

Post some screens so I know the jaggies you speak of, because I haven't seen any as of yet.
 
I'm looking good here with no jaggies - I feel the graphics are pretty darn good. I'm on PS3 + Sammy 50" plazi

Post some screens so I know the jaggies you speak of, because I haven't seen any as of yet.

really bad dithering on things like people in the shows and the like.
 
really bad dithering on things like people in the shows and the like.

Yes, the some shadows and dithering got crapped on, but even games like Drakes Fortune (which is gorgeous) have some issues very similar. I don't know if it's a specific program thing or what - maybe over time they'll work the kinks out of these games.
 
he dithering in shadows might just the technique used to give the effect. IT's probably a minimal performance hit to create the illusion.

Hopefully it'll change in time, but it's no big deal for me.
 
It's funny to hear people complain about the vehicle handling. I think it's spot on. Like kent said, it's like people are expecting them to handle like the previous GTA games where the cars felt like they all had the same mass and weight. It just takes time to get used to and then you're able to pull off some pretty sick drifts onto other streets without much slowdown.

My only complaints are: You take on way too much responsibility keeping all your friends happy when all you want to do is play the story, and the blur can sometimes be distracting and kind of disorienting.
Spot on? I can understand the 70's muscle cars leaning around corners but when the Porsche and Ferrari knockoffs feel like they have rubberband suspension then something is wrong. The new physics model is entertaining but it makes for a pain in the ass during chase missions..
 
It's funny to hear people complain about the vehicle handling. I think it's spot on. Like kent said, it's like people are expecting them to handle like the previous GTA games where the cars felt like they all had the same mass and weight. It just takes time to get used to and then you're able to pull off some pretty sick drifts onto other streets without much slowdown.

My only complaints are: You take on way too much responsibility keeping all your friends happy when all you want to do is play the story, and the blur can sometimes be distracting and kind of disorienting.

You just have to manage your friends like you do in real life. If you make plans with one, and your on the way to picking them up and someone else calls... you don't have to pick up. Have fun with you friend... I was on a date.. and one of my friends called, you can still pick up and Nicko will even say hes busy. You dont get a thumbs down for already being busy.

You mix around your friends and story, and call them when you feel no one is calling you. You can always stay busy with mini-jobs or mini-games if running from cops and creating chaos gets boring for you.
 
I am really digging the story so far. This is mainly due to the characters ethnic backgrounds being so unique. I'm not too far in, so I would have to come back to the question after I see what develops.

I am also loving the story. The different characters are all very interesting and the this is one of the first games in a longer time where I have NOT wanted to skip the cut scenes.

I agree, the story rocks. I had a few friends over to chill last night. I decided to pop in GTA4 just as some background noise as we hung out. This one girl was glued to GTA4. The action that was taking place, and the story, cut scenes, and dialog also had her glued. She’s all "I can't believe this is a video game" (cusing and how detailed everything is//like hitting people with your car). I asked her if she had seen any of the other GTA's, she said no. She didn’t want to play, but she sat there and watched me and my buds rotate on the controller for several hours. (if ya die or get busted, pass the controller)
 
In that case why did you buy GTA4? Unless you were living up a rock somewhere, you must have know how big and deep this game was. All the previews and reviews talk about how the single player story alone is 30hrs plus and that there nearly 100hrs worth of gameplay to be had.
If you don't have time or the inclination to play longer deep games like this then maybe you stick to casual games. Or maybe GTA4 is just not for you. I am sure if the game grabbed you as much as it did me, you would make the time to play the game. Or maybe you have become a videogame burnout and it is time to walk away from it all for a while or forever.

because as big and deep as GTA3 and its two sequels were, it fit into my style of play and are three of my favorite games. Why would I expect the next one in the series to deviate from the formula? Why would I expect that they would take everything that I enjoyed about the prior ones and chuck it?

I make time for good games - I played Ratchet and Clank straight through, Resistance: FOM, Uncharted, I'm working on Devil May Cry 3 right now, and I plowed through another Dawn of War campaign the other day. I'm 1/2 way through Valkyrie Profile on my PSP as well, and I'm about to start Final Fantasy Tactics finally, after waiting for years.
GTA4 to me is not a good game - not even close. This is the Ang Lee Marvel movie of the summer... it's trying to be too much, and it lost track of the fun somewhere.
 
*feels GTA and those types games on the whole are crap that caters to people who like to kill things as opposed to say

I only buy the GTA's for the PC, but I dont like most of the missions because it is sensless killing and just boring IMO, but I do love the huge detailed city to cruise / fly / walk / do tricks in.
 
Do not think it is.

Graphics could use a lift-up, but that's about it. As you progress the story is as good as it gets, better than all of the previous ones I think. I am having a blast when I am playing, great game.
9.5/10 from me.
 
lol @ all the people who just spent $70 (with tax!) on a game they hate instead of renting it first for like five bucks! :D:D:D

I got mine for 56.99 all said and done :cool:


and I am complaining, but getting enjoyment as well. Just dissappointed as I was expecting a bit more from Rockstar this time round.
 
gta4 is worth the cash i spent on my new ps3 earlier this week. i've played every other gta in the series and gta4 just replaced gta1 as my favorite.

...15 min for gaming? heh, try peggle.
 
The first Island is definately set in the poorer part of town, though there are some nicer neighbourhoods there but the second Island is how I imagine Manathan to be like. Ultra modern office builds, expensive shops, riverside shopping, nice parks, chinatown, broadway/time square style area.

100% agree.
I just got there last night. WoW. So beautiful and fun to just sit in an escalade or hummer on dubs and just cruise the city, through time square and central park.

There is so many goodies and little hints that I want to find out.

I am really starting to think that Niko's cell phone will get better and better later on.

I love how you can dial 911 and call paramedics, cops or Fire department right to your location.
Or call roman to send a cab, and you can sit in the back and chat with the cab driver along the way.
Better yet, just hold Triangle and get in any cab and enjoy the ride to your destination.

I was serfing the web at a internet cafe in GTA and I saw a website that told me if I dialed the specific number on Niko's cell phone, that the song titles would actually appear on screen when listening to the radio. I didn't dial it because I couldn't memorize the number.

Also, in the regular yellow taxi cab's. when getting a ride I saw an add on the back seat that said "drivers wanted. call 555-****. Again I could not memorize the number to call it. But I think if I call this number on Niko's cell phone, that I will get to do taxi cab missions for $. Just like the previous GTA's.

I also saw an ice cream truck close to central park. I didn't highjack it, but I wonder if I did, will I able to do ice cream missions? Or maybe just go up and buy Ice scream. :D

Small little things aside from the great story are keeping this game always on my mind.
I think there will be a lot of hidden jobs or "easter egg's" that deal with Niko's cell phone as you go into more cities.
 
I expected a GTA game and I got one. I like the handling of cars and your avatar in the game. Much more realistic. The aiming is still pretty retarded. I reserve my final view when I've finished the game but at the moment it's second behind San Andreas because in SA there's just that much more to do and much more varied environments. I don't really give a toss about the story. If i wanted a good story, I'd watch a movie.
 
Driving is better for me now. Deeper into the game more diverse cars show up, and also the ritzier the zone you're in, the better the cars are. The Comet performs quite nicely.
 
At first I didn't care for driving and clunky controls, but after 2 more hours last night (I should be studying for finals), I really love the driving. I'm getting the hang of it, nad I fought a few people and it wasn't very difficult compared to how I thought it was at first. I guess I just needed to get used to it. I love this game!!!
 
GTA4 has gotta be game of the year, there's no idea about that. I hope that other devs will learn from this, aka I hope that other games coming out in the future will have the same amount of detail and depth that GTA4 does.

Overhyped? Absolutely not. It actually LIVES up to the hype unlike other games . . . *cough* CRYSIS *cough*
 
I've spent about 7 hours on the game and so far I'd give it an 8.5/10. I love the story, voice acting and characters together with the massive map (even though it's very confusing at times) and variety of missions.

However, I can't see how this game can be a 10/10. To be a 10/10 every aspect has to be perfect. The game is fun to play but I wouldn't call it amazing. The graphics are very average with very low res textures and rudimentary effects and physics. The interactivity isn't that great either. Most of the shops are closed and the ones that are open don't have too much inside.
 
I've spent about 7 hours on the game and so far I'd give it an 8.5/10. I love the story, voice acting and characters together with the massive map (even though it's very confusing at times) and variety of missions.

However, I can't see how this game can be a 10/10. To be a 10/10 every aspect has to be perfect. The game is fun to play but I wouldn't call it amazing. The graphics are very average with very low res textures and rudimentary effects and physics. The interactivity isn't that great either. Most of the shops are closed and the ones that are open don't have too much inside.

Considering the size of the world, how many people are walking around/driving/pissing/etc I can see why the graphics don't look like Crysis... otherwise X360/PS3 would blow up. Most of the shops are closed, because when you start "cutting" away at big square blocks to make "rooms", you keep on adding to the poly count, size of the game, loading, etc.

I think for the size of the world, keeping the game feeling like a GTA game, they did an excellent job!
 
To the OP and most of the posters, this game pretty much has everything it promised.
It's done what old GTA games have done, mixed in a few new things and pretty much nothing else has changed. What do people expect out of this game? Crysis graphics? Honestly? Out of a console?

All the side games, hookers, taxi missions, vigilante missions and other crap are discovered a lot later in the game. I'm 30 hours in... I can't stop and I have all these mission options its scary.
Hell even dating and hanging out with characters has a purpose now, seeing as how the girls and the guys can provide you with special crap.

I just think GTA:IV delivered everything it promised, nothing more, nothing less.
 
I know some of you said that you like the driving, but I really hate it. I hope it gets better for me. The driving in vice city was much better
 
The driving is realistic.

Like I said in countless other threads -- I don't know how many of you actually know how to drive.

You know how to get to school or work and to the grocery store and back home. How many of you know how to DRIVE a vehicle to it's limits and then go one step further?

You should find the FWD cars in the game. You'll probably like THOSE more.
 
The driving is realistic.

Like I said in countless other threads -- I don't know how many of you actually know how to drive.

You know how to get to school or work and to the grocery store and back home. How many of you know how to DRIVE a vehicle to it's limits and then go one step further?

You should find the FWD cars in the game. You'll probably like THOSE more.

I drive, have raced, and ride motorcycles now. It's not realistic. not even close.
 
the controls do make the character feel heavy this makes multiplayer pain in the ass. such as going up stairs don't even have a chance of getting a shot
 
The controls especially the driving are much better once you get used to them.
I can tear though the city no problems after playing a bit.

EDIT: Btw, If you have raced, you understand you do not brake and turn at the same time. Tires have a limit.
 
I drive, have raced, and ride motorcycles now. It's not realistic. not even close.

I can't speak for motorcycles but if you're calling your seat time in a Focus SVT as part of racing, I have to question your sanity.

I say that because I KNOW you didn't learn how to corner in a Firebird :D
 
I can't speak for motorcycles but if you're calling your seat time in a Focus SVT as part of racing, I have to question your sanity.

I say that because I KNOW you didn't learn how to corner in a Firebird :D

I'd count Auto-X in the SVT as race time. And motorcycle time in the mountains ehre.

And an appropriately set up firebird, especially with the WS6 suspension kit, will surprise you.
How many cars have you driven with a joystick?

:rolleyes:
It doesn't take a wheel to know that they don't perform like that.
 
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