Grand Theft Auto IV - Anand's Thoughts
by Anand Lal Shimpi on April 30, 2008 12:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Software
Final Words
Recommending GTA4 is pretty easy: if you liked the previous games, you'll like this one - and if you didn't, chances are that nothing has changed. If you've never played a Grand Theft Auto game then it's worth giving a shot, simply because it's one of those games, like Oblivion, that is open ended enough to have something for just about everyone.
The scale of GTA4 is tremendous, the streets are individually named, the populace is genuinely diverse (although you will still see the same character model dressed in different clothes) and Rockstar has done a tremendous job of making you feel like a single person living in a very big city. For some, the scale and attention to detail are enough to keep you occupied in GTA4, but be warned, despite all of the relationship-management you can do in game, this is not a clone of the Sims.
The scale of GTA4 is without a doubt impressive.
One of these is not like the others
The main story is good enough for those who need a story to enjoy a game. You have to take a divide and conquer approach to completing the missions, which after you get started really come at you from multiple sources at the same time, but if you enjoy a game with a purpose GTA4 can fulfill that need.
Then there are the side missions, achievements and random acts of violence. There are enough things for you to do, unrelated to the main story, to please the havoc-seekers. In this sense I don't believe GTA4 succeeds nearly as well as a game like Oblivion (you could call me an obsessive fruit-stealer), but it's definitely got more to offer here than 90% of the titles out.
The social commentary is honestly my favorite part of the game, not because it somehow adds more enjoyment to the game, but because Rockstar managed to express some pretty un-PC viewpoints in a form that will reach millions. GTA4 is expected to sell over 10 million copies this year alone and to be able to say some of the things that are said in GTA4, and still reach that many people, is impressive.
And I can't help but ask, where's the PC version? I get that consoles are far better sales platforms these days, but if we view the creators of a game like GTA4 as artists, then they should want their art on the best possible canvas. The draw distance and graphics issues could be alleviated (although probably not solved completely) on a PC; sure it would take a very high end PC to deliver the perfect experience, but with new and more powerful GPUs coming out every 6 - 12 months, the chances for making GTA4 look beautiful on a PC are pretty good.
In short, Grand Theft Auto 4 is an addicting game, fans of the series won't be disappointed but there's little chance that someone who hated the previous games will fall in love with this one. It's not what I would call perfect, but it's a decent evolutionary installment of an already good franchise.
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larzemodo - Monday, May 12, 2008 - link
"The reviewer sounds like someone who is not only new to game reviews but new to gaming. The comments about the depth of field and the animation were both painful and hilarious to read...I guess they deserve some credit for being able to invoke such diametrically opposed emotions."- I totally agree, nuff said.
- Depth of Field is a per-pixel effect and is very draining for any GPU at high resolutions, it combined with motion blur can bring a much more photographic experience, simulating acethetics qualities found in film. For GPUs these two graphical effects are in my oponion are most effective SFX in computer games I have ever seen.
OK GTa4's Depth of field is far from perfect, it still adds to the overall sense of scale, And when your Drunk it looks awesome!!
hvypetals - Monday, May 12, 2008 - link
seems like the reviewer just wants to be different for differents sake.its blurry a block or two away? umm.. yeh so what. you cant be in two places at once. like you need to see the ants crawling on the moon?
its one thing to be unbiased, its another to hold the game to an unrealisticlly high bar.
and i had a shootout with cops in a building and had no troubles in the confined spaces just using the free aim and not the auto lock. if you would have read the directions you would see you could do both.
raj14 - Friday, May 9, 2008 - link
Finally a review that comes off as professional and well written, and not as some 15 year old teenager drooling over a popular title.Please review more games!
Schnoogs - Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - link
The reviewer sounds like someone who is not only new to game reviews but new to gaming. The comments about the depth of field and the animation were both painful and hilarious to read...I guess they deserve some credit for being able to invoke such diametrically opposed emotions.This isn't a Pixar production...you're not gonna wow even a casual gamer with your complete ignorance of animation and what is considered realistic today.
Perfectly in focus boxes on the horizon aren't very realistic. The fact that you seem to prefer that over depth of field is a bit scary seeing as that is how both real life and movies look. Knocking this game for obtaining that realism is silly especially when in the next paragraph you go on to knock the animation for not being realistic. So which is it? You want realism or you don't?
Stick to hardware. That's what you guys do best.
tEthiC - Sunday, May 4, 2008 - link
I've played the game an hour orso, I'm a PC FPS player and i've played the previous versions of GTA. I really have to agree, the cover system annoys me, walking slow annoys me, car handling isnt that fun too anymore, camera always looks in the wrong direction when turning slow, pretty annoying. Aiming and shoot buttons are really not ez getting used too, they're all on the wrong place(PS3). (all of these problems are probably coz i hate aiming with a controller instead of mouse/keyb)i really wasnt that much impressed like those other 100% score reviewers, really don't get where this game is that much better than san andreas, it looks and feels the same (on a normal CRT television)
yyrkoon - Friday, May 2, 2008 - link
*IF* this was not meant to be a review, then it should never have been put on the website, period. Should have been put on your blog page, and left there.Most of us who care enough about GTA really do not care what your thoughts are, and we will buy a copy of it *when* it gets put out for the PC.
dingetje - Monday, May 5, 2008 - link
what a bs comment...i liked this review...so speak for your lonely self.i would like to know more about thr rumour that this game crashes consoles and even damages them though
Andrewsacar - Monday, June 7, 2021 - link
Does GTA 5 have cheat codes? can gta san andreas codes be used, some poeple are waiting for gta 6 but rockstar hasn't announced it yet.https://apkgameapps.com/gta-san-andreas-cheat-code...
fragbait666 - Thursday, May 1, 2008 - link
i hope this comes out for PC soonunbaisedgamer - Thursday, May 1, 2008 - link
Just as people bash magazines and websites for giving the game a 10, so should you people be bashed for jumping on the "hate the mainstream" bandwagons.The majority of gamers will find this game to be a 9-10. Fans of the series will find the game to be a 10.
There will be plenty of people who hate it because its popular. There will also be players who dislike the genre.
There will be players who are fanboys and toute their system as the superior version.
There will also be players who just don't enjoy the game.
All that's fine, but alas we are all drops of water in an ocean. If you didn't like it, there will be a million other people who loved it.
Honestly though, fanboys and people who hate all things mainstream are wastes of space.