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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StormEffect - Thursday, May 1, 2008 - link
Wow, someone actually pointed out what WASNT perfect with this game. That's refreshing.Anyway, the whole thing was good except where you used the word 'addicting'.
'Addicting' is not a word. Please don't use it. I get enough of that stupid, nonexistent word in my mainstream media, bunch of idiots. But I like you, Anand, so you can use it this time.
If I ever get on a news program, I'll open by saying, "Thanks for letting me on your show, it's really gooding," just to keep it all consistent.
bigben - Friday, May 2, 2008 - link
Actually, this is a point for debate. Some would say that addicting is not a word, but others argue that it is either a transitive verb or a participial adjective from the verb "to addict."If it is the first case, the transitive verb, than Anand is just missing the subsequent clause in his sentence. So, he would have to round out "GTA IV is addicting" with the phrase "me unto itself."
Addicting might also, however, be an adjective in which case his usage was A-OK.
Addictive is a safer term, but addicting is not necessarily wrong (especially since its the Oxford English Dictionary which includes it as a part. adj.)
FITCamaro - Thursday, May 1, 2008 - link
While I love the game, I will agree with some of what he said. The controls can be a bit slow. I just don't think any of the things he mentioned really detract from the games overall experience.ultimatex - Thursday, May 1, 2008 - link
Great , your not like those gaming mags that just give it a 10ranking just because of hype. This company will make million on little retarted buyers that fall for it.you should give it a rank though .I thought it was like a 7.0 all around and im being kind. Fan boys will never like nagative things said about their little games because of the way their undeveloped brain works ,
point being they dont deserve make money because of hype . the game is ok but other games should have been super hyped rather than this one.
goku - Thursday, May 1, 2008 - link
Every time the GTA series comes onto the PC, it looks exactly like the console it was ported from. What is worse is that not only do you get poor graphics quality, but some how the system requirements continue to go up. GTA III Requires a PII 450, 16MB, Vice City requires 800mhz 32MB T&L, and San Andreas "requires" 1GHZ 64MB video card.Yet just as San Andreas for the PS2 looked worse than Vice city for the PS2, the PC versions of all the GTA games manage to look nearly the same as from which they were ported from which is really a shame. I totally understand why San Andreas looked worse than vice city for the PS2, but for the PC? Unacceptable, which is why I didn't bother buying the PC version since you needed a high end system at the time in order to play it smoothly.
So, do I think things will be different with the PC version this time? Well judging by the article, I'd say not. Unless the PC version removes all the console limitations and looks better than the console version, I think I'll wait until it goes into the bargain bin.
coreyb - Wednesday, April 30, 2008 - link
Horrible review. I disagree with almost everything this guy said. boo!ultimatex - Thursday, May 1, 2008 - link
no one gives a shit what you think you retarted pos. go agre with the 10's hyped reviewers gave it.picklebill - Wednesday, April 30, 2008 - link
Off subject but can't shop to get a video card to play the game when the RTPE has been broke for so long.araczynski - Wednesday, April 30, 2008 - link
i played for 20 minutes and just wasn't all that into it. the graphics were definitely improved over the previous stuff though.i guess i'm too excited about Age of Conan to even want to get into GTA at the moment...
martinchnz1 - Wednesday, April 30, 2008 - link
Don't worry about it, as with all previous GTA versions the PC version always seems to come out a few months after the console, also the Graphics are usually updated quite well and you'll get the difference from say Bioshock on XBOX 360 to Bioshock on a PC! The results are amazing, and I won't be able to wait for it to come out on PC.