Wonders why the internet Blames the Victim and not the Criminal

JoelR

Contributor
CRank: 6Score: 29300

User Review : Grand Theft Auto IV

Ups
  • deep story line{large open sandbox
Downs
  • potential freezeups{moderate pop in{bad controls

GTA IV a must have but no 10

A game that is worth playing and definitely is an achievement of an amazing caliber... flawed but excellent. You have to try Base Jumping out of a Helicopter ^_-

Storyline:
Deep and engaging while still allowing you to play around... Quintessential GTA gameplay. Can't go wrong with it. Play it!

Graphics:
Almost nextgen - a significant improvement over the previous editions but not as good as the top or even the middle of the next gen graphics heap. It is somewhat surprising considering how much time they took developing the title... Maybe next time they will try ProFX

Sound:
Near perfect, voice acting is top notch and sound effects while still not perfect recreations of the real items are very close. Both the X360 and the PS3 version should get a prize for best sound this year

Technical Build:
Somewhat disappointing on many levels, with next gen hardware pop-in should be minimized even more then it is, AA was top notch mostly for the PS3 with some startling exceptions where AA appeared to drop out entirely. Overall an improvement over the X version but still not great.

Controls:
moderate control issues with basic controllers (x360 and PS3) but nothing that can't be compensated for.
I have serious reservations about the Motion Controls on the PS3 for all vehicles but the motorbike and boat... use it for em. Helicopter has a huge learning curve but if you can master it the heli is actually more manuverable using sixaxis - otoh learning it is like dining in hell - something you never want to do.

Map/Playground:
Immense - that is the only word for it. Still not the biggest map ever (but with expansions...). You will not run out of places to visit for a very long time and the feel is very metro.

AI:
weak for the most part and can be beaten by judicious planning.

Online:
If you can get on and if 8 ball is fixed it's great.

Score
8.5
Graphics
Deep and Engaging
6.5
Sound
Improved but not as much as most Next Gen Games
9.9
Gameplay
Great Sound, Great Cameos
8.0
Fun Factor
More fun than you can have with your girlfriends top down....
8.8
Online
mu ha ha ha - honestly try it - it's fun
Overall
8.7
TheDeadMetalhead5840d ago

And to be fair, the graphics never were the high point of GTA. I'm glad you realize that:)

JoelR5840d ago (Edited 5840d ago )

Graphics do hurt it but the game is excellent anyways ^_^
My feelings have always been Storyline > Graphics but both should be excellent for the best of breed.
Gamelocking bugs are a no no in my mind for releasing a product - so while it was awesome they released it it probably should have been QA's a bit more before release...they delayed it once - they probably should have a 2nd time. (otoh that evil EA thing forced their hand)

as a big UK review site put it:
"But in four months time we'll remember it as a superb game, rather than a new epoch in videogaming."
http://www.boomtown.net/en_...

TheDeadMetalhead5837d ago

In my opinion, the 2 most important parts of a game are the Gameplay and the Fun Factor. I'm not saying Graphics and Sound don't matter. Just not as much.

fenderputty5839d ago (Edited 5839d ago )

the game very much as well but, I don't think this game deserves the praise that its received. I was expecting much more form the amount of 10's that were given out. I mean honestly ... the reviews make this game out to be the best EVER. While it's fantastic, frame rate, pop in, clunky driving controls and a clunky hand to hand combat make the game far from perfect. I hate the fact that people have auto aim online too. What's with kicking you back to the apartment too?

Honestly ... I would give the game and 8.5 or 9 out of ten. Nothing higher.

JoelR5839d ago

when you base a review on a feeling rather than on rock hard facts you get anomalies in what rating is given... Feelings are only part of the equation. Technical aspects effect how the game plays as well and they can be marked by an objective standard.

fenderputty5839d ago (Edited 5839d ago )

I feel like most of the reviews have been out of emotion alone. I just don't see how this game can get SOOOOO many 10's when its clearly flawed to some extent. I still think the game is amazing but, I could never give this game anything over a low 9 and still feel rational in my decision making.

Hell ... in one of the first missions, I was chasing some dude up ladders. Just getting Niko on a ladder was a chore.

I just feel like 10's were given out simply because its GTA.

beavis4play5838d ago

the review scores it's getting could be related to the same reasons halo 3 got such great scores- all the hype leading up to those reviews. both games were hyped (and looked forward to) by everyone. the final products may have been less than perfect, but they both received a bunch of "9.7 and up" scores even though both games really didn't merit them.

JoelR5838d ago

no worries about attacking ^_^
If someone disagrees they disagree with my rating.

and yes hype and advertising budgets do tend to determine a paid review more than it does for direct uncompensated reviews.

LastDance5838d ago

im with you all.....It definatly doesnt deserve 10s...best game since ocarina of time...nope...not for me. Hand to hand combat is just short of broken.

JoelR5838d ago

It definitely is a great game though - worthy of most any video game library. -It's just not perfect-

5838d ago Replies(1)
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130°

Looking Back At 2008, An Unbelievably Incredible Year Of Video Game Releases

Huzaifa from eXputer: "2008 was home to the likes of Call of Duty: World at War, Dead Space, GTA 4, Far Cry 2, Left 4 Dead, and many other hits, which is outright remarkable."

ChasterMies1d 8h ago

Some of these low paid video game “news” writers weren’t born before 2007.

just_looken1d 3h ago

Here here

Those that were around before 2000's i am sure are like me that think we entered a world of non readers or those that follow without question.

I can not wait to see fallout 3 a goty game even though it was about water with non content until you add the dlc/updates then you got the performance/crashing

CrimsonWing691d 19h ago

I don’t think anything can compare to 2023

lucasnooker1d 18h ago

1998 - the best year in gaming! Metal gear solid, crash bandicoot 3, medievil, half life, ocarina of time, thief, tenchu, resident evil 2, Spyro, tomb raider 3, oddworld abes exodus, banjo kazooie.

It was a different breed of a gaming era. You’ll never understand what it was like back then. The aura of gaming, it was different!

KyRo1d 18h ago (Edited 1d 18h ago )

I second this. Gaming was a lot more varied and fun than it is today. I'm 35 so getting on compared to some here but I got to see all the changes from NES up to now but I've never felt so disappointed in any generation than I have this current gen. I was expecting more from this generation rather than prettier versions of games that came before it. Game mechanics have become so refined that alot of games feel the same and has done for a while now.

Maybe it's time to have a break for a while. I love gaming but I don't feel I get much fun in the traditional sense out of it anymore.

CrimsonWing691d 18h ago (Edited 1d 18h ago )

Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil 2, Abe’s Exodus, and Ocarina of Time are the only things from that list that I liked.

Here’s the 2023 game releases that I personally liked… and big releases that I didn’t care for:

- Dead Space Remake
- Wo Long Dynatsy
- Resident Evil 4 Remake
- Diablo 4
- Fire Emblem Engage
- Hogwarts Legcay
- Street Fighter 6
- Hi-Fi Rush
- Like a Dragon: Ishin
- Octopath Traveler 2
- Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters
- Final Fanatsy XVI (actually ended up not liking this, but it was still a big deal release)
- Baldur’s Gate 3
- Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
- Lies of P
- Mortal Kombat 1
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
- Starfield (Ended up hating this one, but big release)
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder
- Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (I’m an old-school Zelda fan, but didn’t really enjoy this game)
- Alan Wake 2

I mean, honestly I’ve never seen a year of major IP releases like that, ever.

Profchaos1d 15h ago (Edited 1d 15h ago )

Isn't it just a generational thing realistically.

I've been gaming since way back and I some of my favourite games go as far back as the late 80s for me each generation has a year or two of game changing releases one after another before an inevitable dry spell.

I kind of agree gaming had a different feel games hit different because we didn't have the internet nothing got spoiled and you really had to put in the effort to beat a puzzle which could set entire groups of people looking for a solution. But most importantly games were experimental and not as cookie cutter as today even basics like controls were not universal today r2 is shoot l2 is ads garunteed you can't deviate from that in a shooter back then it could of been square, R1 or R1 and circle nothing was standard.

But as time moves on a new generation picks up their controller they are going to be interested in different things that PS1 demo disc with the t Rex blew our primitive 16 bit brains back on launch but to kids today it's laughable.
The new gen of kids coming into to hobby seem to value different things to us there seems to be a huge focus on online play, streamers, gaming personalities, and social experiences, convience of digital downloads. To me I value none of that but that's ok like my parents not liking the band's I would listen to its just the natural cycle.

Gameseeker_Frampt1d 6h ago

Just about every year in the 7th generation was great and something we most likely won't experience again.

2009 for example had Assassin's Creed 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Dragon Age: Origins, Uncharted 2, Halo 3: ODST, Killzone 2, Borderlands, Bayonetta, and Demon's Souls to name a few.

just_looken1d 3h ago

It still amazes me we got over 7 rockstar games ps2/ps3 but 3 for the ps3/ps4/ps5

Dragon age 1-3 and mass effect 1-3 in 7ish years what a generation.

130°

Grand Theft Auto 4 Anniversary: The Beginning of the Age of RAGE

Grand Theft Auto 4 is an important game for Rockstar, not least because it was the first title in the franchise to use the newly created RAGE engine.

Read Full Story >>
gamerant.com
franwex360d ago

Wasn’t the Table Tennis game the first to use RAGE?

isarai360d ago

Was about to say the same, but they do say first "in the franchise" so 🤷

cammers1995360d ago

The fact it hasnt been remastered is insane.

Abear21360d ago

Rage engine made driving on the sidewalk in cinematic slow motion camera a blast

290°

Fifteen Years On, 'Grand Theft Auto IV' Is Still the Series’ Best

There’s never a bad time to relive its magic, and with rumours of a potential Grand Theft Auto IV remaster making the rounds, why wouldn’t you?

Read Full Story >>
goombastomp.com
Machina363d ago

The series' most overhyped and overrated (especially by critics) more like.

Number1TailzFan363d ago

Not sure tbh.. I'd say 3 was the most overrated. It's pretty rough to go back to, it was quite rough even trying it just after Vice City. Lack of humour and vehicles that had the weight of polystyrene with top speeds to match.

VC & the stories games (even LCS) were all fun. I remember there being a lot of praise for GTA 3 on TV and in game mags, saying it was a Dreamcast killer of a game or words to that effect, and honestly after playing it on PC I didn't think it was that special and kind of dull, had the odd moment of fun but hardly anything. I heard they cut online multiplayer at the last moment for PC, shame because it could've made all the difference.

Would've loved to have seen what kind of cartoony GTA style game they could've done on Dreamcast as a competitor, I bet something along the lines of Simpsons Hit & Run would've worked well.

BlackTar187362d ago

@numberz How can the game that defined a generation and was copied by everyone be overrated? Was a asinine comment

seanpitt23362d ago

For me 4 was better than 5 was more realistic and the physics was on another level! 5 was a major let down in that department!

Number1TailzFan362d ago

@blacktar you have your opinion i have mine. I found the game dull, and it is for the most part. It set the foundation for the much superior SA and VC however.

KwietStorm_BLM361d ago

You say GTA III is overrated because it's rough to go back to and rough to play after Vice City. Your entire opinion is in hindsight. Of course it's rough going back to it today. It came out over 20 years ago. That doesn't take away from the fact that it pioneered a lot and was a paradigm shift for a lot of trends in game development today. Vice City in a lot of ways is just a more refined version of III. It was San Andreas that took the big leap forward from a design perspective. If III doesn't release, who knows if the open world genre would be what it is now. How can that be overrated?

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 361d ago
1nsomniac362d ago (Edited 362d ago )

Not at all. My most played game of all time. Truly stunning accomplishment in gaming and with PC graphics mods it just took it to levels beyond anything that came before and possibly even after.

People who moan about it generally tend to be people who played it on under powered consoles and couldn’t handle the more realistic car physics. It was the slightly more realistic approach that made it stand out more. Absolutely love it. In fact I always said Vice city was my favourite of all time. But after going back to the remaster I realised 4 was actually the best.

Profchaos362d ago (Edited 362d ago )

I'm no critic and I consider it the best games in the franchise after recently replaying every entry it's story when paired in conjunction with it's DLC was and still is amazing.

shinoff2183361d ago

Lol. Fun fact. That dlc cost a certain green colored console 50 million for exclusiveness. Un heard of back then. Just to point out the hypocrisy of the 3rd party exclusive agenda going on.

Anyway how the dlc better then the base game by a mile. Lol imo

DigitallyAfflicted361d ago

I've enjoyed gta4 the most from all the others too.

DarXyde362d ago

San Andreas holds a special place in my heart. Honestly, I couldn't get into IV at all. Didn't even finish it. I had some pride in playing it at first because I'm originally a New Yorker, but it just didn't do it for me.

To each their own.

shinoff2183361d ago (Edited 361d ago )

Gta sa for sure. To this day my favorite. My least fav is gta 4 easily. Gta 4 made me feel like the dude in next friday trying to take the cd back talking about i cant get jiggy wit this.

Maybe looking back it would be 3 but 3 did so damn much for gaming in general. . My first gta was of course the top downs so the series has came a long way.

notachance361d ago

Yeah I remembered falling asleep playing the last mission in GTA4.. the most boring protagonist (out of all the voiced protag), and the town is too small.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 361d ago
-Foxtrot363d ago

Not really

Overrated

Boring

Liberty City despite being a reimagined version for the HD era lacked any variety

Lacked the GTA fun charm overall

Niko was bland compared to past protagonists like Tommy, CJ or Victor

blackblades362d ago (Edited 362d ago )

GTA 2 was the best, lol my only owned GTA game. Vice city was alright when I rented it back then. I cant really say which is the best cause those the only 2 games i played but GTA 2 was fun on PC back in the day. Closes game to it that I enjoyed was SR3 and I dont care what people say. That none serious tone was fun enjoyable.

banger88362d ago

Like hell it is. San Andreas was far better, much more fun and a better game overall.

isarai362d ago

Nah, it's a masterpiece in attention to detail and the amount of immersive systems at play. But it really isn't very fun, ESPECIALLY when compared to the previous games in the series. Like tons of things are just wonky and actively kneecap lots of experimentation, or is just lame. Like why do I take huge damage when falling into water, why can I only stand in very specific large trucks when they are moving but not smaller trucks and vehicles, why is the melee combat such a massive down grade from GTA SA and GTA IV, why is the euphoria nowhere near as reactive, why is being drunk using a rasterized animation of staggering rather than the far more entertaining euphoria GTAIV and RDR used when you were drunk, why do npc vehicles barely react to you popping there tires even at high speed, etc etc.

I've always loved playing around in GTA games world. Like the campaigns are great but the majority of my time was always spent just playing in the open world. Yet GTAV is the only game in the series I never really returned to after beating it, it just lacks that fun factor the others have, I spent more time in GTA SA remastered than GTAV

chicken_in_the_corn362d ago

It's one of my least favourite GTA games. It's clunky, the ai is exploitable, it's far too long and the writing is absolutely awful.

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