GTA IV First Impressions

News Reader · Post by **News Reader** » April 29th, 2008, 17:01

GTA IV First Impressions
HardForum posters are sounding off about their GTA IV experiences. No spoilers.

Publish Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2008 09:04:00 CDT
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Post by **FatherJack** » April 29th, 2008, 19:25

Played for about an hour, so obviously not done everything yet - still no fighting or multiplayer, just driving around a bit. Oh, and watching the TV in the apartment

Hasn't quite grabbed me the way the previous ones did at the time, and feels a lot like the same things but with better graphics - which if you piece together existing PC and XBox titles (Saint's Row, Crackdown, Mafia) you've probably already experienced - but this is it all in one package.

The cars at the start are all a bit samey and crap, I don't know if your driving skill improves like it did in SA and I expect better things further into the game, but the physics seemed a bit cartoony, with the car flying up into the air when hitting a bin at about 2mph.

Glad I have it running at 1080 - some of the text is really small, although there is an option to biggerise the phone text (if you can see it).

So, not found anything to really criticise given so little play time - me not being used to driving third-person accounts for my only real annoyance.

The old humour's still there, seen early on with the apartment TV and a cyber-café called TW@, and that for me was the major draw of the whole series, as well as the sandbox style.

Gunslinger42 · Post by **Gunslinger42** » April 29th, 2008, 20:18

I've played it for a few hours and I'm enjoying it, even though it's taking a bit to get used to the new controls

Of course, doing the first "mission" and then running around myself didn't help, since really the first five or six are dedicated to teaching you everything.

I've played the free mode multiplayer which was quite fun. Cars full of people flying into pedestrians with cops following, and one guy crashing a helicopter on us all, etc. I need to give the other game modes a shot.

buzzmong · Post by **buzzmong** » April 30th, 2008, 14:52

So, all these >95% and 10/10's appearing, is the game actually the best game ever made to date?

Or have most of the reviewers been suckered in by the hype? or have a biased view due to there not actually being a bad GTA yet?

I can't imagine it's going to be the best of the best of the best ever produced so far, it's bound to have flaws.

Stoat · Post by **Stoat** » April 30th, 2008, 15:07

buzzmong wrote:or have a biased view due to there not actually being a bad GTA yet?

Oh, lol.

buzzmong wrote:I can't imagine it's going to be the best of the best of the best ever produced so far, it's bound to have flaws.

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/29/nega- ... t-auto-iv/

Chickenz · Post by **Chickenz** » April 30th, 2008, 15:38

I've played the single player for about 2 hours now. The story has improved especially now you aren't playing the typical (insert racist comment here) gangster anymore. I find myself getting quite drawn into the story and can't wait to play more of it.

As for the multiplayer...IN-FUCKING-CREDIBLE!! The game mechanics behind the MP are insane. The fact that you are playing in the entire city with cars, npc's, boat and choppers with up to 7 odd people in free mode is crazy.

I'm especially liking all the little touches, e.g I smashed a car into a wall at about 90 and after it had finished rolling and shedding it's bodywork it refused to start again. Just that there smoke pouring from under the bonnet.

Easily as high 9 or 10 out of 10 game

friznit · Post by **friznit** » April 30th, 2008, 16:01

Except with all these GTA games once the novelty of trying to do a triple back flip on a motorbike off the top of an apartment building and landing on a Hari Krishna conga for the full guranga bonus wears off it gets really fucking boring. 9/10 for the first day or so IMO...made for reviewers.

Post by **HereComesPete** » April 30th, 2008, 16:06

Oh dear, chikken is so excited that his grammerz is failing.

Easily better than halol3 chikken? The last game you console creamed over?

Post by **Dr. kitteny berk** » April 30th, 2008, 16:10

Chickenz's First Opinion on any game, ever wrote:Easily as high 9 or 10 out of 10 game

Post by **HereComesPete** » April 30th, 2008, 16:15

Chickenz's Second Opinion on any game, ever wrote:It's too short and the AI sucks. I had to unlock the special motherfucking hard mode to even get shot. And even then I completed it in -5 minutes, whilst upside down riding a zedonkey and shooting a trombone, both in the game and in real life.

Post by **Dog Pants** » April 30th, 2008, 16:37

Zedonkey has to be the coolest animal ever genetically engineered.

Mr. Johnson · Post by **Mr. Johnson** » April 30th, 2008, 16:39

Dog Pants wrote:Zedonkey has to be the coolest animal ever genetically engineered.

i'm not so sure about that.

Gunslinger42 · Post by **Gunslinger42** » April 30th, 2008, 17:28

The multiplayer is great, but the fact that out of the three separate times I've played it the bloody servers have went down so all the points and money for new character models I made went bye bye

spoodie · Post by **spoodie** » April 30th, 2008, 19:28

Gunslinger42 wrote:The multiplayer is great, but the fact that out of the three separate times I've played it the bloody servers have went down so all the points and money for new character models I made went bye bye

lol playstation network

(I have no idea if xbl is any better)

Post by **TezzRexx** » April 30th, 2008, 19:36

Gunslinger42 wrote:I've played it for a few hours and I'm enjoying it, even though it's taking a bit to get used to the new controls

Of course, doing the first "mission" and then running around myself didn't help, since really the first five or six are dedicated to teaching you everything.

This

So far, I love it. Could be a Vice City beater for me :0

Will write about it more later.

Killavodka · Post by **Killavodka** » April 30th, 2008, 19:40

/drawn to buying sexbox for this title..must...wait...for...PC

Gunslinger42 · Post by **Gunslinger42** » April 30th, 2008, 19:47

spoodie wrote: lol playstation network

(I have no idea if xbl is any better)

From what I understand it's due to the Rockstar servers that keep track of stats and stuff being crippled with the load rather than the playstation network itself (seeing as it's only disconnecting GTAIV and not logging me off the playstation network)

Baliame · Post by **Baliame** » April 30th, 2008, 20:15

buzzmong wrote:Or have most of the reviewers been suckered in by the hype?

Possibly. It's what I call the Halo-syndrome.

cashy · Post by **cashy** » April 30th, 2008, 21:25

I don't get what people were expecting from a gta game other than a gta game, but it seems most people were expecting Jesus Theft Auto or something.
Playing a game as a person who likes games, I like it. Bit bored at the start of the game, but after you graft through a steady storyline buildup you wont be able to put it down. It's fairly apparent at this early stage that it will give you a tiny bit more fun each time as you progress through it till you have the the full caek in all its hooker smashing glory.

I score it fuck out of win.

buzzmong · Post by **buzzmong** » April 30th, 2008, 21:46

Stoat wrote:Oh, lol.

What are you chortling about sir?