Constructive Critisism of GTA IV

[flyboy7]

Let's face it, GTA IV wasn't the best it could be. It was a big stepdown from San Andreas. A lot of the features in SA were not included in IV. There are several things I did not like in IV.

 

* No Garage for saving - There are many garages in IV but non of them you can save a vehicle in, nor was it used in any missions. I think it would be better if you take out these openable garages or have the ability to purchase these houses with garages

 

* In a GTA games you cant save boats - I think it would be better if you can save boats in a private dock that you can buy.

 

* Only two vehicles in parking spot - even though you can fit more, only 2 will be saved. you should be able to fit at least 3 cars, or 2 cars and a bike. If you have enough money to buy a lot of cars you should be able to store them in a convenient location like a lockup you can purchase

 

* Cannot buy properties - You can have lots of money buy nothing to buy it with. It would have been nice if you can buy a house with a garage. Maybe a mansion with a boat dock or helipad. Or a business.

 

* No Gangs(Main GTA IV) - in VICE and SA you can recruit guys. It would have been nice to have your own gang or crime family seeing as this is liberty city. It would make for a cool gunfight between your foes when you have a whole gang to back you up. Not just two thugs.

 

* No Car Mod - They took this feature out of GTA IV. Its annoying how you can't get the color you want in pay n spray. You could spend days in-game and not get the right color.

 

* Helipads you can't get to - there are some buildings with helipad but no way you can get to the except when you already have a helicopter. And if you're already there there is no way to go down on foot without jumping to your death.

 

* Lack of operable vehicle machinery - like cranes in trucks, forklifts in forklifts, garbage truck, towing vehicle, construction craines, trailers...etc - these are novelty features. But it would be nice if we can use these to our advantage during a mission.

 

* Hard to find docked boats near you - Make it more easier to find more docked boats.

 

 

I Love GTA and I want it to be the best game possible. I just hope Rockstar will not sacrifice quality with quantity like Apple did. I just bought a new ipod and already its obsolete. Geez!

Edited October 5, 2010 by flyboy7

[LuisBellic]

I agree with this.

[SilentSeas]

I disagree, just because IV lacks the features of SA, it doesn't make it a stepdown. If anything IV was a great progression from SA because R* managed to get the basics right. For example, the annoying and faulty gunplay system from past GTAs was finally overhauled and whilst the new system isn't perfect, it is a massive improvement. And don't get me started on the story.

 

The fact the basics are much improved is more of a step in the right direction than including countless, pointless features.

 

 

[Mokrie Dela]

Let's face it, GTA IV wasn't the best it could be. It was a big stepdown from San Andreas. A lot of the features in SA were not included in IV. There are several things I did not like in IV.

 

- No Garage for saving - There are many garages in IV but non of them you can save a vehicle in.

- Can't save boats or choppers

- Only two vehicles in parking spot - even though you can fit more, only 2 will be saved. you should be able to fit at least 3 cars, or 2 cars and a bike.

- no bicycles

- Cannot buy properties - You can have lots of money buy nothing to buy it with. It would have been nice if you can buy a house with a garage. Maybe a mansion with a boat dock or helipad.

- No Gangs(Main GTA IV) - in VICE and SA you can recruit guys. It would have been nice to have your own gang or crime family

- No Planes - since you can't fly a plane you also cannot explore the airport without a four star wanted level

- No Parachutes(Main GTA IV)

- No Forests or Deserts - I know! I Know! But the game lacked variety in environment.

- No Car Mod - Its annoying how you can't get the color you want in pay n spray.

- Relationships are pointless. I barely used friend perks like taxi, back up, bomb. Dating too, is pointless. You can't even kill your date.

- Helipads you can't get to - there are buildings with helipad but no way you can get to the except when you already have a helicopter

- No diving

- Can't hook truck to trailer

- Lack of operable vehicle machinery - like cranes in trucks, forklifts in forklifts, garbage truck, towing vehicle, construction craines

- Hard to find docked boats near you

------------------------

 

I Love GTA and I want it to be the best game possible. I just hope Rockstar will not sacrifice quality with quantity like Apple did. I just bought a new ipod and already its obsolete. Geez!

dont take this the wrong way but this sounds like a SA fanboy topic.

 

Sure there were several things left out, but the game itself was solidly built.

 

"Friends/Dating is pointless" This, along with the anti customisation crowd is what's wrong with the fans in this forum.

it's a game, technically, it is ALL pointless, and as we're all mortal and will one day die, isn't everything pointless? Such a weak arguement. Rockstar implemented this as a step towards realism and, while they can get annoying at times, they are SO EASILY avoided. Just hit B/ or turn on the phone's sleep mode.

There are many gamers who use the features and tbh if you don't like it, don't use it and don't moan about it.

 

However, i am not an a*shole so i will debate these points maturely.

 

 

- No Garage for saving

A fair observation. The garage mechanics are present in IV (the mansions in alderney). The spaces worked well in your first 2 safehouses - the penthouse should have a subterrainean one though.

 

 

- Can't save boats or choppers

IV didn't have many helis in and saving them wasn't a big issue. SA could only save aircraft at ONE location also, i believe and VC couldnt at all. Im not sure, but can't you park a heli in your parking space in IV? A minor point i think, and one that depends on the enviroment.

 

 

- Only two vehicles in parking spot

Perfectly reasonable. To my memory the garages in VC and SA could only store 2.......

 

 

- no bicycles

Another minor point - would be cool but the novelty would fade quick.

 

 

- Cannot buy properties

I agree on this one actually. I think it would counteract the vibe of IV.... IV does lack thigns to do with your money...

 

 

- No Gangs

Gangs are cliched now. It's been done, and is such an adolescent feature. These should ONLY return if they're done well. And if they're done right the game would be a "gangsta" sim. Never say never, but i think it's a little below R* in the traditional sense.

 

 

- No Planes

IV simply has no use for planes - where would you go? It's also a step towards realism. If a lone serbian mercenary entered JFK with a gun and a smashed up truck, what would you think would happen? A disguise or pass would be good to access the airport legally, if the next GTA is set in a state like SA... In a single metropolitan area like LC? no.

 

 

- No Parachutes(Main GTA IV)

This was included in BOGT. Niko sky diving? not quite. Needs to be used in context. having it for no reason would impair the game's integrity.

 

 

- No Forests or Deserts

Liberty City is one of the richest game enviroments in gaming ever. Sure a countryside will be nice in the next game but LC had plenty of variety.

 

 

- No Car Mod - Its annoying how you can't get the color you want in pay n spray.

Actually a point i agree with strongly. I spent ages trying to get a black comet....

 

 

- Relationships are pointless. I barely used friend perks like taxi, back up, bomb. Dating too, is pointless. You can't even kill your date.

YOU never use the perks. Lots of people do. some don't. Swings and roundabouts. Taking out a feature that many dislike but equally as many DO would be pointless. If you don't like it, don't use it. It adds to the feel and realism of the game and taking it out would counter R*'s efforts to make the game multileveled.

 

 

- Helipads you can't get to

What would be the point in getting to them anyway? Games will never give you EVERY single location accessible - a game as big as GTA simply can't, without good reason.

 

 

- No diving

As in underwater? So? it was pointless in SA - except in one stealth mission. Cops still see you and can still shoot you. Another novelty feature.

 

 

- Can't hook truck to trailer

Why would you want to? What possibly advantage could that give you? Smash through traffic? A trailer's irrelevant. Mini missions? Perhaps but a very minor thing to criticism.

 

 

- Lack of operable vehicle machinery - like cranes in trucks, forklifts in forklifts, garbage truck, towing vehicle, construction craines

Again, a novelty. What use was it in SA? use it to smash some things? I can see the fun in that but it'd get old very very quick.

 

 

- Hard to find docked boats near you

I must admit i haven't seen many docked but i've seen enough to use. Can hinder some police chases maybe. I kind of agree V should have more, if only to aid your escape from the fuzz.

 

 

Don't take anything i've said as flaming or whatever you guys call it now. I just don't think all this has been thought out too much and many of them seem slightly hypocritical - you call dating/friends pointless then want to hook up a trailer?

I must admit i'm a guy who thinks things should be in the game so people can use them or ignore them as opposed to being left out because a few people don't. GTA is loved by different people, we all play it different ways. Sometimes i for example play like a lunatic, sometimes i play in a calm way. Sometimes i play realistically, reload game when i get killed or busted. Sometimes i put the cheats on. It isn't fair to limit everyone's potential enjoyment because you don't like a feature (and i use you to suggest anyone, myself included). GTA is a great game BECAUSE of all the things it includes. taking things out, especially trivial things would be stupid imo.

[SilentSeas]

I pretty much agree with everything you've said there Mokrie

[mikkenugent]

Let's face it, GTA IV wasn't the best it could be. It was a big stepdown from San Andreas. A lot of the features in SA were not included in IV. There are several things I did not like in IV.

 

- No Garage for saving - There are many garages in IV but non of them you can save a vehicle in.

- Can't save boats or choppers

- Only two vehicles in parking spot - even though you can fit more, only 2 will be saved. you should be able to fit at least 3 cars, or 2 cars and a bike.

- no bicycles

- Cannot buy properties - You can have lots of money buy nothing to buy it with. It would have been nice if you        can buy a house with a garage. Maybe a mansion with a boat dock or helipad.

- No Gangs(Main GTA IV) - in VICE and SA you can recruit guys. It would have been nice to have your own gang or crime family

- No Planes - since you can't fly a plane you also cannot explore the airport without a four star wanted level

- No Parachutes(Main GTA IV)

- No Forests or Deserts - I know! I Know! But the game lacked variety in environment.

- No Car Mod - Its annoying how you can't get the color you want in pay n spray.

- Relationships are pointless. I barely used friend perks like taxi, back up, bomb. Dating too, is pointless. You can't even kill your date.

- Helipads you can't get to - there are buildings with helipad but no way you can get to the except when you already have a helicopter

- No diving

- Can't hook truck to trailer

- Lack of operable vehicle machinery - like cranes in trucks, forklifts in forklifts, garbage truck, towing vehicle, construction craines

- Hard to find docked boats near you

------------------------

 

I Love GTA and I want it to be the best game possible. I just hope Rockstar will not sacrifice quality with quantity like Apple did. I just bought a new ipod and already its obsolete. Geez!

dont take this the wrong way but this sounds like a SA fanboy topic.

 

Sure there were several things left out, but the game itself was solidly built.

 

"Friends/Dating is pointless" This, along with the anti customisation crowd is what's wrong with the fans in this forum.

it's a game, technically, it is ALL pointless, and as we're all mortal and will one day die, isn't everything pointless? Such a weak arguement. Rockstar implemented this as a step towards realism and, while they can get annoying at times, they are SO EASILY avoided. Just hit B/ or turn on the phone's sleep mode.

There are many gamers who use the features and tbh if you don't like it, don't use it and don't moan about it.

 

However, i am not an a*shole so i will debate these points maturely.

 

 

- No Garage for saving

A fair observation. The garage mechanics are present in IV (the mansions in alderney). The spaces worked well in your first 2 safehouses - the penthouse should have a subterrainean one though.

 

 

- Can't save boats or choppers

IV didn't have many helis in and saving them wasn't a big issue. SA could only save aircraft at ONE location also, i believe and VC couldnt at all. Im not sure, but can't you park a heli in your parking space in IV? A minor point i think, and one that depends on the enviroment.

 

 

- Only two vehicles in parking spot

Perfectly reasonable. To my memory the garages in VC and SA could only store 2.......

 

 

- no bicycles

Another minor point - would be cool but the novelty would fade quick.

 

 

- Cannot buy properties

I agree on this one actually. I think it would counteract the vibe of IV.... IV does lack thigns to do with your money...

 

 

- No Gangs

Gangs are cliched now. It's been done, and is such an adolescent feature. These should ONLY return if they're done well. And if they're done right the game would be a "gangsta" sim. Never say never, but i think it's a little below R* in the traditional sense.

 

 

- No Planes

IV simply has no use for planes - where would you go? It's also a step towards realism. If a lone serbian mercenary entered JFK with a gun and a smashed up truck, what would you think would happen? A disguise or pass would be good to access the airport legally, if the next GTA is set in a state like SA... In a single metropolitan area like LC? no.

 

 

- No Parachutes(Main GTA IV)

This was included in BOGT. Niko sky diving? not quite. Needs to be used in context. having it for no reason would impair the game's integrity.

 

 

- No Forests or Deserts

Liberty City is one of the richest game enviroments in gaming ever. Sure a countryside will be nice in the next game but LC had plenty of variety.

 

 

- No Car Mod - Its annoying how you can't get the color you want in pay n spray.

Actually a point i agree with strongly. I spent ages trying to get a black comet....

 

 

- Relationships are pointless. I barely used friend perks like taxi, back up, bomb. Dating too, is pointless. You can't even kill your date.

YOU never use the perks. Lots of people do. some don't. Swings and roundabouts. Taking out a feature that many dislike but equally as many DO would be pointless. If you don't like it, don't use it. It adds to the feel and realism of the game and taking it out would counter R*'s efforts to make the game multileveled.

 

 

- Helipads you can't get to

What would be the point in getting to them anyway? Games will never give you EVERY single location accessible - a game as big as GTA simply can't, without good reason.

 

 

- No diving

As in underwater? So? it was pointless in SA - except in one stealth mission. Cops still see you and can still shoot you. Another novelty feature.

 

 

- Can't hook truck to trailer

Why would you want to? What possibly advantage could that give you? Smash through traffic? A trailer's irrelevant. Mini missions? Perhaps but a very minor thing to criticism.

 

 

- Lack of operable vehicle machinery - like cranes in trucks, forklifts in forklifts, garbage truck, towing vehicle, construction craines

Again, a novelty. What use was it in SA? use it to smash some things? I can see the fun in that but it'd get old very very quick.

 

 

- Hard to find docked boats near you

I must admit i haven't seen many docked but i've seen enough to use. Can hinder some police chases maybe. I kind of agree V should have more, if only to aid your escape from the fuzz.

 

 

Don't take anything i've said as flaming or whatever you guys call it now. I just don't think all this has been thought out too much and many of them seem slightly hypocritical - you call dating/friends pointless then want to hook up a trailer?

I must admit i'm a guy who thinks things should be in the game so people can use them or ignore them as opposed to being left out because a few people don't. GTA is loved by different people, we all play it different ways. Sometimes i for example play like a lunatic, sometimes i play in a calm way. Sometimes i play realistically, reload game when i get killed or busted. Sometimes i put the cheats on. It isn't fair to limit everyone's potential enjoyment because you don't like a feature (and i use you to suggest anyone, myself included). GTA is a great game BECAUSE of all the things it includes. taking things out, especially trivial things would be stupid imo.

Indeed good point(s), IMHO IV was a huge leap forward.

[Drift-Kingz]

Mokrie you made a good point there bro. I agree. I mean hey if you don't like what's in a game, why focus on it? Ignore it and move on

 

Although, I do hate the fact that you couldn't save your cars in a garage in GTA IV. I mean, what the hell?

 

Anyways, move on

[.Ryan.]

Mokrie Dela's right on the money. I also find it hypocritical how things like relationships are called pointless then people want things like diving underwater, operational forlkifts, garbage trucks, trailers that can be hooked onto trucks etc.

 

These are more useful how? Alteast the perks offered by friends/girlfriends can be used in missions, or whatever if you choose to.

 

GTA IV is not a perfect game, but shock...horror neither is SA. IMO GTA IV got the most important thing right, the core gameplay. Stuff like driving, shooting etc is more important to me than a few features I'm likely to use a couple of times, and never use again.

 

Don't get me wrong I hope R* offers more for everyone in GTA Next/V, but I just find when GTA IV is described as being a "step down" extremely narrow minded, and ignorant.

 

 

 

[Mister Pink]

Yeah when you mention getting the core gameplay right it does make it worthwhile.

 

I just hope money is a big factor in the next one. I want to earn lots and spend lots. Buy and sell properties, gamble it away, bet on horses etc.

[Rucke]

I disagree, just because IV lacks the features of SA, it doesn't make it a stepdown. If anything IV was a great progression from SA because R* managed to get the basics right. For example, the annoying and faulty gunplay system from past GTAs was finally overhauled and whilst the new system isn't perfect, it is a massive improvement. And don't get me started on the story.

 

The fact the basics are much improved is more of a step in the right direction than including countless, pointless features.

GTA IV is the first game of its generation, much like GTA III was. And as most of us remember, GTA III didn't include as meny features as Vice City and San Andreas. This probably means that in the next game we will se a lot of improvements.

[Dark_side646]

if you don't like what's in a game, why focus on it? Ignore it and move on

I agree completely with this one. This fact applies not only to IV but to VC and SA too, to some extent. I've seen so many people keep whining on and on about how "useless" the beach is in VC and how time-consuming it gets to collect money from your assets. Here's a solution, ignore them and move on. It won't hinder your gameplay. Then there are the millions who complain endlessly about eating, working-out, dating, defending gang territory and the stats-system in SA. Guess what they're completely optional, not even required for 100% completion. Must've been quite the shocker to hear that, right ? Wouldn't be if the whinners had just ignored them (since they didn't like doing these things) and focused on the main game. As for the dating in IV, well, what should've been said has already been said.

[Stefan_Macedonia]

 

Let's face it, GTA IV wasn't the best it could be. It was a big stepdown from San Andreas. A lot of the features in SA were not included in IV. There are several things I did not like in IV.

 

- No Garage for saving - There are many garages in IV but non of them you can save a vehicle in.

- Can't save boats or choppers

- Only two vehicles in parking spot - even though you can fit more, only 2 will be saved. you should be able to fit at least 3 cars, or 2 cars and a bike.

- no bicycles

- Cannot buy properties - You can have lots of money buy nothing to buy it with. It would have been nice if you        can buy a house with a garage. Maybe a mansion with a boat dock or helipad.

- No Gangs(Main GTA IV) - in VICE and SA you can recruit guys. It would have been nice to have your own gang or crime family

- No Planes - since you can't fly a plane you also cannot explore the airport without a four star wanted level

- No Parachutes(Main GTA IV)

- No Forests or Deserts - I know! I Know! But the game lacked variety in environment.

- No Car Mod - Its annoying how you can't get the color you want in pay n spray.

- Relationships are pointless. I barely used friend perks like taxi, back up, bomb. Dating too, is pointless. You can't even kill your date.

- Helipads you can't get to - there are buildings with helipad but no way you can get to the except when you already have a helicopter

- No diving

- Can't hook truck to trailer

- Lack of operable vehicle machinery - like cranes in trucks, forklifts in forklifts, garbage truck, towing vehicle, construction craines

- Hard to find docked boats near you

------------------------

 

I Love GTA and I want it to be the best game possible. I just hope Rockstar will not sacrifice quality with quantity like Apple did. I just bought a new ipod and already its obsolete. Geez!

GTA IV was a big stepdown?. It's truth that many features from San Andreas were missing , but the realism of Niko's story and Liberty City makes San Andreas look like a joke.

[RedRevolver]

The only thing I really didn't like in GTA IV, was that, despite liking the story as a whole and I wholeheartedly enjoyed playing it, I felt the missions were very samey and lacked originality compared to past games (like, one of my favourite missions in GTA Vice City was getting in the plane and distributing the porn leaflets, or in San Andreas when you have to drive up and down the highway with that guy tied to your bumper). I know they couldn't do those kinds of missions in this story, but I still feel that they could've done with some more originality.

 

I might be forgetting some missions, but generally, I felt that it was 'Go in, take cover, kill the guys, race away from cops and win mission' or 'Go and chase some people, make them crash, kill them, win mission' or 'Go in, kill your way in, kill your way out, avoid cops and get a spray'. There was little variety in my opinion.

 

But again, don't get me wrong, I really loved GTA and the missions too. I just miss some of those really cool missions they'd get you to do in previous games (although, nothing beats the hot dog mission in GTA2 ).

[mrpain]

Mokrie has already stated what I already wanted to say.

 

But hooking trailers to trucks? Is that really a diehard feature that R* must put it?

 

 

 

EDIT: The topic title says Constructive Critisism for GTA IV. I feel cheated now

[tubbs51]

i agree with the topic creator... i loved both SA and IV but IV lacked the depth that SA had that kept me playing for hundreds of hours. Im a gamer that cares more about gameplay than graphics... i personally will play a fairly ugly game (Saints Row 1 and 2) with more in depth gameplay much longer than a pretty game graphically but very shallow gameplay wise game...

 

To me Graphics are just an extra surprise if a game is graphically and gameplayly (lol) stunning....'

 

the thing tho that bummed me out is the fact that at the end of the game the player has damn near 1 million dollars and the only thing you can spend it on is guns, car paintjobs, car washes, clothes, and food... and the fact that the game gave you safe houses for free is fairly frustrating in the fact that ive got 900k dollars to spend nothing on...

 

 

Edited September 28, 2010 by TUBBSthezombie

[joshdempsey]

I agree with a lot of this, the main one being nothing to do with your money.

[Official General]

I agree with many of the things said by the topic starter, as I too believe GTA 4 was kinda ruined in a way. It should have been the best GTA ever, but it disappointingly failed to be, even though it was still a very good and enjoyable game. But I will also admit that some of things he's complained about in GTA 4 are either very small issues or pointless altogether.

 

I do have a bunch of constructive criticisms for GTA 4 in my own way:

 

* Limited explorable interiors - There should have been more of this, especially in the stores, shops, restaurants, clubs, hotels, banks and public buildings. Made the huge, vibrant and colourful world of Liberty City seem very restricted and like a prison in some ways.

 

* No organized crime group or gang of your own - I would have liked this feature, it would have been nice. It's not essential, but the option to have it would be nice and it would have made GTA 4 a lot more fun and provide more gameplay variety.

 

* Lack Randomness - For a city as huge, vibrant and populated as Liberty, you hardly saw any random or criminal activities being committed by peds. It was even extremely rare to see criminal peds committing various crimes on the street or gang member peds in the worst ghettoes getting into gunfights or shoot-outs that did not invlove the player or storyline mode. You would not be attacked by a criminal/gang member, unless you pointed a gun at him or hit him. Anything chaotic or violent almost always had to be started by you as the player. There was no real feeling of danger at all whenever you ventured into the city's worst areas. This is more important to me than the ability to build your own gang.

 

* Very limited spending options - You could not buy any properties, or businesses to own and make even more money from your investments. The range of clothes and jewellery that you could buy should have been much bigger and better than it was. You could'nt even spend your money on other stuff like gambling, betting etc (except in BOGT). All there was to spend your money on was the limited range of clothes, food and weapons. Money did not play a great or important role in GTA 4 - a very strange thing, considering thats the main reason why you caused a murderous crime spree in the first place.

 

* Very limited gameplay elements - Aside from the fact that GTA 4 had a great storyline, there was very limited forms of gameplay within the game. There was not much else to do other than the storyline mode. Some other activities like operating your own drug-dealing business, robbing/holding up stores, burglaries, smuggling and hijacking cargoes etc. would have made for a much more fun game. For most part all you did was hitman duties - go here and there and kill that guy, get paid. The other stuff we got was socalizing with friends and dates for perks, which was good but get tedious real fast when thats all you can do.

 

* Other minor complaints would include, not having a sports stadium, the inability to also use buses and ferries as public transport, and the fact that you cant explore the interior of the subway trains.

 

GTA 4 still looks amazing and incredible, and its the best graphical depiction of New York City ever seen in a video game. Its just a shame that Rockstar failed to make it the best GTA 4 ever, in my view.

Edited September 28, 2010 by Official General

[pilot1889]

u cannot compare gta 4 and gta sa,gta 4 is the best there is and has no comparisionvwith gta sa,gta sa was the most boring game i have ever played,driving hours and hours in the countryside just to do a single mission,then commong back all way,and then going again to do another.

ppl had good reviews of gta vice city to they purchased gta sa,but after playing it they were so pissed off,that they never got gta 4(the next release in gta series),which was damn good.

to me

GTA 4,

GTA vicecity

then

if i really have to answer then

GTA sa.

[Stefan_Macedonia]

One thing that i don't liked about GTA IV ( as someone mentioned) was the limited interiors... Rokstar made mistake when they don't created more interiors to be explored ( restaurants, night clubs, hotels.....) but that doesn't take of the masterpiece that was GTA IV( for me the best GTA game ever)... And the options to kill somebody or to spare his life, to kill that guy or the other was very, very good feature ( wish they would keep that for the next GTA).

Edited September 28, 2010 by Stefan_Macedonia

[Waddy]

Well I for one thought IV was far the best GTA game so far.

 

I think the GFX are far superior and the entire game is just smoother. The vehicles are also much better. IV was the first game to be 'next gen' too and I guess a lot of this was taken up with new things and to see how things worked. I cannot wait for the next one, I think it will be almost perfect.

 

Of course theres issues in all the games that people will like or dislike, its personal opinion at the end of the day but for me, GTAIV has me going back time and time again, I have just finished it for the dont know how many times and on with TBOGT. I love it all. Its also for me the most realistic GTA. I dont want to go have a hair cut, or work out at the gym or any of the stupid sh*t (IMO) that happened in previous versions.

I think its the dogs!

[General Goose]

A lot of the features the OP listed are subjective, however I see no reason not to include them in the next GTA.

[bluesboyjr]

People complain about things "taken out" of GTA between SA and IV, but what about all the features that they added in GTA IV? You know, like...

 

• Hailing a cab. For all the fun that driving in GTA is, sometimes you just want to get somewhere instantly, e.g. to start a mission.
• Television. I'm not gonna lie and say that the quality of the shows in GTA IV were as good as the game's story, but, hey, it's one way to pass the time, isn't it?
• Internet. Quite a few funny things can be found "online", with some nice example's of Rockstar's trademark wit and the depth they add to their games.
• Smashing through your windshield. Sure, it would be quite annoying in a car chase, but who hasn't done it on purpose once or twice because of how f*cking awesome it looks?
• A cover system. Some people bitch about it, but, while it wasn't perfect, it made firefights much less frustrating.
• Random character encounters. These little snippets of other people's life really helped add to making the city feel alive.
• Free-aim drive-by shooting. Firing at the car that you're chasing while behind it was much better than having to take your eyes off the road to attack it from the side.
• Car washes. Pointless and hardly used, but so were the forklift trucks in SA, so who are you to talk?
• Choices. These little additions to the story made it that bit more involving and made you think about what you were doing, instead of just blindly mowing down bland "gangsta" stereotypes.
• GPS. Having the easiest route mapped out to you is much better than "YOU'VE GOT TO GO TO THAT POINT OVER THERE, CHOP CHOP".
• Online multiplayer. Is there anyone who would rather have SA's "wedge an extra player in but don't let them do anything if the main player is already doing it" instead of this?
• Cell phone. Having the story progress whenever you wanted it to was nice.

I think you'd rather have a few things from this list than bloody diving, wouldn't you?

[Toff]

I haven't posted here in a long time!

 

I liked GTAIV, it was a good game. The thing for me though is that it didn't continue the trend of building on the last GTA game. GTA3 was a fantastic game, Vice City took it even further to make an amazing game, San Andreas then went the next step to what I see as (and I'm sure many others do) the best game ever. GTAIV kind of shattered this flow and really took away things that I saw as the little things that made San Andreas, and the previous games so good.

 

Things like diving, buying houses, gangs. I'm not going to list them all since there are so many, but you can't deny that Rockstar took away a lot of the random elements from the past GTAs. I'll be the first to say that they definitely added new random things, but a lot of them weren't really up to scratch. The cell phone for example. Take pics with it? Wow, sure, I'll play with that. Ok, ive taken a few pics, now what? Nothing. I'm sure age is probably a factor in this since I was younger when I played SA, but I don't feel like I can make up my own stories or situations based around taking pics on a cell phone like I can with hiring a gang and chilling in an ambulance. I think they made a bold move by cutting back with stuff on GTAIV and I respect them for it, it's been fun to play that way for a while but now I'd like to go back to the old style.

 

Someone else mentioned the GPS, so I'll touch on this. I kind of like it, and I kind of don't. A lot of the fun for me in GTA is learning the map inside and out, knowing all the routes. Sure, I don't know street names and if you told me one I wouldn't be able to just drive to it, but in past games I could look on the map and think "ok, this road, this bridge and that street to get there". GTA3 for example, I haven't played that game in years but I still know that Liberty City like the back of my hand. The same with Vice City, and even San Andreas to some extent. My point is I didn't need the GPS, I could learn and manage without it. It's completely the opposite in GTAIV. Yes, there are slight differences, but the map on the whole is extremely similar and extremely hard to navigate. That's why I feel the GPS is a great addition to the game. I wouldn't mind if they kept it in, but I hope they make areas on the map more distinguishable and generally easier to learn so I wouldn't need to plot a waypoint every 2 minutes.

 

 

 

[Stefan_Macedonia]

 

People complain about things "taken out" of GTA between SA and IV, but what about all the features that they added in GTA IV? You know, like...

 

 

Hailing a cab. For all the fun that driving in GTA is, sometimes you just want to get somewhere instantly, e.g. to start a mission.

 

Television. I'm not gonna lie and say that the quality of the shows in GTA IV were as good as the game's story, but, hey, it's one way to pass the time, isn't it?

 

Internet. Quite a few funny things can be found "online", with some nice example's of Rockstar's trademark wit and the depth they add to their games.

 

Smashing through your windshield. Sure, it would be quite annoying in a car chase, but who hasn't done it on purpose once or twice because of how f*cking awesome it looks?

 

A cover system. Some people bitch about it, but, while it wasn't perfect, it made firefights much less frustrating.

 

Random character encounters. These little snippets of other people's life really helped add to making the city feel alive.

 

Free-aim drive-by shooting. Firing at the car that you're chasing while behind it was much better than having to take your eyes off the road to attack it from the side.

 

Car washes. Pointless and hardly used, but so were the forklift trucks in SA, so who are you to talk?

 

Choices. These little additions to the story made it that bit more involving and made you think about what you were doing, instead of just blindly mowing down bland "gangsta" stereotypes.

 

GPS. Having the easiest route mapped out to you is much better than "YOU'VE GOT TO GO TO THAT POINT OVER THERE, CHOP CHOP".

 

Online multiplayer. Is there anyone who would rather have SA's "wedge an extra player in but don't let them do anything if the main player is already doing it" instead of this?

 

Cell phone. Having the story progress whenever you wanted it to was nice.

 

I think you'd rather have a few things from this list than bloody diving, wouldn't you?

 

 

Great post, in my opinion the new features in GTA IV, were much much greater then the airplanes,diving and all that crap in San Andreas.

[Vercetti27]

as soon as anyone gives some constructive criticism to IV they're called an SA fanboy. same sh*t different thread

[SilentSeas]

as soon as anyone gives some constructive criticism to IV they're called an SA fanboy. same sh*t different thread

Whilst I agree with you to an extent, but to call IV a stepdown because it hasn't got loads of pointless features like SA isn't a fair and constructive assessment.

[Vercetti27]

well its a step down for people that like loads of side activities, flying planes and sh*t like that

[SilentSeas]

I wouldn't call it a stepdown, R* have improved the basics and now that they have the foundations they can begin to add the pointless stuff.

[Mokrie Dela]

 

well its a step down for people that like loads of side activities, flying planes and sh*t like that

Swings and roundabouts.

 

And constructive criticism is generally suggestions on how to improve features - saying how the gf system for example can be improved. How the gunplay can be improved, not picking faults at a solid game because it isn't as good as your favorite in your opinion - THAT's the OPs mistake imo.

 

 

 

    * A cover system. Some people bitch about it, but, while it wasn't perfect, it made firefights much less frustrating.

Can someone please enlighten me, what exactly is wrong with the cover system. It's never failed me before.

 

 

    * Choices. These little additions to the story made it that bit more involving and made you think about what you were doing, instead of just blindly mowing down bland "gangsta" stereotypes.

Now i'm going to demonstrate some constructive criticism.

 

It's refreshing having a branching story - It adds replay value and increases the fun. The choices you could make, save so and so, or kll him, kill mr A or Mr B were brilliant. Now for the next GTA, i think rockstar should expand on these. make killing one guy have more repercussions. Killing Ivan for example would put you in good favour with Vlad and thus Faustin, making your employment with the latter smoother. Spare Ivan however, and Vlad would find out and thus be annoyed with you, perhaps changing the circumstances of his demise. As a result Faustin would not have heard of your "good deed" and thus your employment with him would be less enjoyable..... Now, i admit, that would be difficult to implement in every choice in the game, but imagine the replay value, effectively having these little differences that would influence future missions.

GTA and games in general suffer from linear stories - it's their nature. Perhaps the 360 and PS3, hell even the PC, would struggle to give us 100% flexibility with the story, and perhaps too much variance would kill the narrative, but i think R* can take it much further and push the boundaries and pioneer another gameplay breakthrough.

 

Which leads me to one of my biggest problems with GTA IV: The ending.

"multiple endings?" No - no matter what you do it's the same mission. Sure one branch gives you and extra mission, but in my eyes it looks lazy. There is no "happy" ending, and no "sad" ending.

ignoring the game's quality, Spiderman: Web of Shadows tried to do it - have 3 endings depending on your "karma" if you will. Perhaps a karma system - which was suggested by someone else, not me - could be implemented, keeping track of how "good" you are. killing peds, huge shootouts with cops etc will tip it down - like in RDR. completing missions, side quests and helping peds* and random characters would tip it up.

Certain missions would vary depending on your "karma".

imagine if Niko simply told Manny to f*ck off when they met, or refused to kill faustin. The story again could branch, and arch round back into the original.

The finale could differ. In IV, i feel that the story got in the way of such a thing - as brilliant a story as it is. Niko kills Darko, learns that killing isn't the answer and thus forgives Dmitri and works with him - Roman dies.

Or, Niko kills Darko, sticks to his promise of killing dimitri and perhaps mallorie dies.

Or Niko spares darko, and offers dimitri the same. The two work together, niko gets his money but manages to save roman.

Niko spares darko but kills dimitri, etc.

Admittedly it would be difficult thinking up the branches for such a karma system AND choices, but imagine the game effectively having 4/5 differnt stories - all ultimately following the same kernal, but branching off into different ones. Perhaps they could be released as DLC too.... give the game MORE replayablity then 2 dlcs.

 

 

* - a side point - the ability to interacti with peds. Seeing a fight and breaking it up will gain you karma. calling an ambulance for injured peds will gain you karma. Injuring a ped will lose you karma which can be redeemed if you call an ambulance. "good citizen" will gain you karma, ""Bad" citizen" will lose you some. etc etc

Edited September 28, 2010 by Mokrie Dela

[Toff]

I would like to add that I see IV as an upgraded version of GTA3, 100% improved. If they begin to add the classic GTA style randomness and bring in a varied map (liberty city is cool, but I want a liberty countryside to go with it...) then there'll be a serious contender for the best GTA.