My opinions

[reality88]

Hell yeh I completed it yesturday (Thursday 1st May) 2 days after release took me 35 hardcore hours, shame I have to do it again for 30 hour achievement I only found out about after completed in 35. Anyway, without spoilers, i'll give my honest opinion on the game. This may come across as negative, but I assure you on the whole I did enjoy the game, we all know the good points, the obvious, but here is my, review you could say. Most things i've not mentioned you can assume I loved, this is not a hate review in anyway, it's just negative posts bring healthier discussion, love posts are boring...

 

OK, firstly, putting this out here, aside from the awesome graphics and impressive map. I honestly don't think this lived upto what I expected, compared to the preivous "climb the chain stories of SA and VC" (best GTA by far), this game is not a touch on that. I was quite disappointed by the end, it was a few things that did this.

 

They stripped it down a bit too much, yeh it's realistic, and i'm not going to whine about the driving being a bit harder and less *fun* as the races are awesome, but the little things you asociate with gta, like controlling RC helicopters, and catching falling people on trucks. The whole remove jetpacks and thing was a right move but they did this a bit too much. VC and SA were the sort of games you have a mate over and then after completed could say guys look at this, jump in a jet and rape some cops and the army, or Jetpack to area 51, or falklifting cars or grabbing a trailer to trail something.

Even going the gyms, changing tatoos, hair, and very much so car customisation (why the hell was that taken out who knows)

 

Another thing, I collected all this cash, spending it wisely expecting to have something to spent it on near the end, but you don't it's quite pointless really, and I thought getting so high in the chain you could buy mansion was a nice touch in the last games. This is my major dissapointment, I liked VC as you felt like you owned part of the city after, especially in gta 4, seeing as Niko is constanting raving on about how he needs money, and how he came to LC to live a life of cars and mansions, he doesn't exactly accomplish this.

 

Secrets and such - Well SA and VC both kept me going longer trying to find stuff, but this game even gives you a map (a web addy sent by email to you) to find them all... you could decide to not use the map, but it's not cheating they sent it me in an email, may as well take advantage.

 

Story decisions... not mentioning the occasions, but you are given choices in game at certain points, my advice, turn off your auto save, and go on the net to find out if you made the right decision after, if not, go back and redo it, as like me, making a choice then found out you missed out on something from making the "wrong" choice is kind of lame, especially when one choice gives you something (in one case, something quite nice) and the other gives you nothing but an empty feeling of... sh*t. Now I may add, these choices are completly 50 50 and there is no hints to the right one, just left for you to make the call.

 

Missions, well, there are about 2 "wow" missions, i'm close to saying 1 here. Really not impressed, most are chase, be chased, go collect, then get chased, or chase. Or if mixing things up a little, raid a abandoned warehouse/factory. And to add to this, they could of mixed up the map a little, or tried. OK you have your richer area, poorer areas, but it does all look a little TOO samey, maybe its the better graphics or basing it too much on NYC, but from slums to hauge mansions was better in previous games imo.

 

Sorry i'm getting carried away here, but let me finish.

 

Lastly for now, the MP, it's fun.... yup, fun. Which is what I was expecting from a GTA MP... but part of me wanted hmm, a little bit more. Theres only so many times you can feel the f*ck yeh from a rocket kill. I know you can change the settings online BUT 9 times out of 10 you have someone start the game with bad settings, and the whole map, with auto aim on. Another thing about this, especially in deathmatchs, they turn into a pistol / shotgun match, with 1 guy with a rocketlaucher, sometimes its you getting a quick 5 kills. Its sometimes hard to get near a uzi or as before you find your self in another pistol duel, man I hate the sound of pistols now.

 

I'd like to say the Online racing is very nice, and cops and crookz is awesome when you work with people. Freeroam is lame, i've played a fair few and everytime it's basically a deathmatch without a point system -.-.

 

Achievement, VC has the best end game achievement when you find yourself with a huge mansion nice cars, guns out side your gaff, choppers, gangmembers to chill with. This well... see for your self, its a bit of a empty feeling after those credits roll.

 

Sorry for the whine guys. I'm not saying its a bad game or any where near a bad game, I still put it right up there, it must of taken so much time to make, but I do admit that after half way it was a grind for me, getting bored of the whole work for someone, end up killing them, work for someone, kill them, it got a bit predictable.

 

My 2c.

Tell me what you think.

 

edit: Radio is awesome, tv is great, the humour is quality, the little things that were actually added on are great too, and most important thing for me was added calling cabs, I used them alot.

 

(also think they could of prevented this post if they just gave me a god damn tank for beating the game or at least some f*cking token.)

Edited May 2, 2008 by reality88

[kook]

You need to get out into the sunlight...great things await out there.

[reality88]

You need to get out into the sunlight...great things await out there.

hah, I didn't rush through the game for no reason, won't be near my xbox for a week after today, sunshine n sh*t calls.

[i-cup]

I agree with almost all of which you say except for the mansions part. I dislike going from a nobody to OMFG OWNER OF TEH EVERTHIN in a span of less than a couple of in game months with no in game repercussions.

 

At the end of GTA after viewing the ending and seeing what I had left I was left with a "Wow... is this all I have? Well, life must go on." which is what I think the game wanted to convey. An emotionally powerful ending where Niko is still a regular person. After everything bad that he just went through he still has to go out and earn money to keep himself going. It's kind of hard to explain.

[StanMarsh]

1- I preferred this story over San Andreas' story by about thirty-fold, and Vice City's story was just Scarface shadded differently.

2- I never bothered with RC cars, catching people on trucks, jetpacks, etc. bacially things that I didn't see a point in. So, leaving those things out didn't hurt me.

3- You're right, he doesn't get ahold of the "American Dream", and this is somewhat the point...though a few apartmens and houses and whathaveyou would be nice.

4- I like the story decisions. Consequences are great, and I think this is the right direction for the series to go.

5- I've enjoyed just about every mission in the game thusfar, which sets it apart from SA where I stopped caring about the missions rather quickly. And the landscape is fantastic; I have yet to find an area I don't like. Each one, to me, has its own flavor. Then again, I am the type of weirdo who just likes to walk around.

6- I love the multiplayer. I like it even more than Halo 3 now.XD

7- I love everything about the story, including how it ends. It is easier to root for Niko and love the story when, at the end, he doesn't walk around saying, "I AM THE KING OF LIBERTY!" as he straddles a ho in his bedroom in the mansion with his fifty cars, all the while receiving updates from his gang via a headset. And I'm happy that it isn't like in SA where, at the end of the game, you have such a vast network of holdings and alliances that it makes you think, "Wow, wasn't I just trying to be down for my homies?"

The "Rags to slightly better rags" storyline is better IMHO than "Rags to Riches" device used in previous games.

[reality88]

 

I agree with almost all of which you say except for the mansions part. I dislike going from a nobody to OMFG OWNER OF TEH EVERTHIN in a span of less than a couple of in game months with no in game repercussions.

 

At the end of GTA after viewing the ending and seeing what I had left I was left with a "Wow... is this all I have? Well, life must go on." which is what I think the game wanted to convey. An emotionally powerful ending where Niko is still a regular person. After everything bad that he just went through he still has to go out and earn money to keep himself going. It's kind of hard to explain.

Yes I agree with that, but I must say this usually works in films, linear games, but I think it dents this games finale a little too much, don't you think? They could of countered this sly twist with a little more little bonus for the ending, just throw in a "You now have acess to..." or "You have now unlocked..." anything... just to give its audience a little sence of achievement after the credits. (not talking about the few bonus's you get for pigeons etc, purely on about end of story).

 

 

  Trick Group Icon Group: Members Joined: Apr 25, 2008  XXXXX      1- I preferred this story over San Andreas' story by about thirty-fold, and Vice City's story was just Scarface shadded differently. 2- I never bothered with RC cars, catching people on trucks, jetpacks, etc. bacially things that I didn't see a point in. So, leaving those things out didn't hurt me. 3- You're right, he doesn't get ahold of the "American Dream", and this is somewhat the point...though a few apartmens and houses and whathaveyou would be nice. 4- I like the story decisions. Consequences are great, and I think this is the right direction for the series to go. 5- I've enjoyed just about every mission in the game thusfar, which sets it apart from SA where I stopped caring about the missions rather quickly. And the landscape is fantastic; I have yet to find an area I don't like. Each one, to me, has its own flavor. Then again, I am the type of weirdo who just likes to walk around.tounge2.gif 6- I love the multiplayer. I like it even more than Halo 3 now.XD 7- I love everything about the story, including how it ends. It is easier to root for Niko and love the story when, at the end, he doesn't walk around saying, "I AM THE KING OF LIBERTY!" as he straddles a ho in his bedroom in the mansion with his fifty cars, all the while receiving updates from his gang via a headset. And I'm happy that it isn't like in SA where, at the end of the game, you have such a vast network of holdings and alliances that it makes you think, "Wow, wasn't I just trying to be down for my homies?" The "Rags to slightly better rags" storyline is better IMHO than "Rags to Riches" device used in previous games.

 

That's your opinion, nothing wrong with it, just like mine, we all like our games different However even though he doesn't walk around up his own *** but he still should get something for his work. Other than a guilty conscience and a wad of cash, getting nothing usually works better when the character IS up his own...

 

Also about the choices, you are right if you chose to kill Playboyx instead of Dwayne because you get his apartment, which is pro, the gta3 clothes, and the ability to befriend Dwayne and make use of his character ability... if you kill Dwayne you get nothing, i'm going to replay the game just for this, and the under 30hour xbox achievement.

Edited May 2, 2008 by reality88

[kook]

hah just messing with ya Reality.

 

I am 17% through the game (splitting my time between doing missions and creating havoc on the streets) and the only complain I have about the game so far is the driving camera angle. Way toooo low. Other than that I love it.

[skytiger666]

 

there should be big reward for completing story

 

just credits is not enough

 

good reward would be ability to replay any mission

 

and mission check points so you can avoid

the super boring travel parts

 

plus special car, helicopter, gun and super sexy girlfriend

 

there is alot of great gameplay in gta games

that is inaccessible because story is linear

 

rockstar are "missing a trick"

[reality88]

Yeh, i'm no programmer but I don't think mission replays would be too hard to go for after completion, and i think you hit it with the last post, it's just missing a trick, some minor tweaks and addins that you can't believe R* missed, especially after how much effort appeared to have been put into it, and how many dev's are in the credits. Maybe I expected R* to make this game perfect, nothing is perfect, but VC was close. That said, I can't believe no one said "hmmm something needs tweaking after the credits, just something."

[wayninja]

I think some of the reason for the dissapointment is that GTAIV steers away from the 'more and bigger' direction each iteration of previous games went through.

 

While I was expecting that from a storyline persective, I really hadn't considered that it would affect as many other in-game things as well.

 

I think there are also a lot of environmental dissapointments. From NYC landmarks missing to 'teases' (like Funland and airport).

 

I don't know, this is a fantastic game, but it is not perfect.

[Bebop Stop]

I never had the chance to play past GTA games, other than be a complete child and waste my "rags" money on guns to mess with the police. But this time around, I played it and have gotten quite far in the story. But I was really looking forward to the greatness and riches that I thought awaited me at the end. Oh well, I may go get SA for fun, or maybe VC. Plus, there's still Saints Row 2 to look forward to. And anyway, I'm sure the ending will be great period. If not, multiplayer will last me ages

[Geretio]

1- I preferred this story over San Andreas' story by about thirty-fold, and Vice City's story was just Scarface shadded differently.

2- I never bothered with RC cars, catching people on trucks, jetpacks, etc. bacially things that I didn't see a point in. So, leaving those things out didn't hurt me.

3- You're right, he doesn't get ahold of the "American Dream", and this is somewhat the point...though a few apartmens and houses and whathaveyou would be nice.

4- I like the story decisions. Consequences are great, and I think this is the right direction for the series to go.

5- I've enjoyed just about every mission in the game thusfar, which sets it apart from SA where I stopped caring about the missions rather quickly. And the landscape is fantastic; I have yet to find an area I don't like. Each one, to me, has its own flavor. Then again, I am the type of weirdo who just likes to walk around.

6- I love the multiplayer. I like it even more than Halo 3 now.XD

7- I love everything about the story, including how it ends. It is easier to root for Niko and love the story when, at the end, he doesn't walk around saying, "I AM THE KING OF LIBERTY!" as he straddles a ho in his bedroom in the mansion with his fifty cars, all the while receiving updates from his gang via a headset. And I'm happy that it isn't like in SA where, at the end of the game, you have such a vast network of holdings and alliances that it makes you think, "Wow, wasn't I just trying to be down for my homies?"

The "Rags to slightly better rags" storyline is better IMHO than "Rags to Riches" device used in previous games.

I agree with Everything, but I'm about half way through and I have way more than rags. Due to the bank heist