50°

Pulitzer Prize-winning author says GTAIV not in same league as movies, books

darkzero.co.uk writes: "It's a shame, we were just getting ready to rant at another ignorant old man who's never picked up a game in his life, but we thought we'd better read his article first and it turns out he actually knows what he's talking about. I know, we were as shocked as you!

Junot Díaz won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for fiction for his debut novel, and writes for the Wall Street Journal. He also happens to be a pretty avid gamer from the sounds of it, and has put in more than his fair share of time stealing cars and robbing the citizens of Liberty City.

Rather than spewing out the tired old 'games arent art' line that so many supposedly intelligent critics seem to spout, Díaz specifically states that he has no doubt that GTAIV is art, but that he doesn't feel that it yet equals what films and TV shows such as The Sopranos and The Godfather have managed."

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darkzero.co.uk
Condoleezza Rice5769d ago

I've met Junot Diaz,VERY down to Earth guy.

As for GTA IV not being in the same league as some movies and or books;I think we can all agree here,GTA IV's story was DEFINITELY overrated.

Jack Meahoffer5769d ago (Edited 5769d ago )

This Junot Díaz guy might be a gamer but he obviously doesn't understand the difference between a passive mediums like movies and TV and interactive mediums like video games. If 100% of the product is dialog and story its a bit easier to tell a deep story than a video game where you should be playing more than watching. There was a lot of nuance in GTA IV. Unspoken things that you'd need to observant to see and understand.

The people hating on GTA IV let the hype distort thier expectations. Real GTA fans like myself loved the game. The only people hating are the people sitting on forums all day like Condie. They play games 1/10th of the time they spend trolling on forums. Just looking for the next bandwagon to jump on. Bunch of fair weather fans.

Vast majority of people that bought GTA IV thought it was well worth the money.

Success brings haters. Its happens to every megaton successful property whether its TV, books, games or movies.

BEST
OPEN
WORLD
GAME
EVER!

Rute5768d ago (Edited 5768d ago )

To Jack Meahoffer: Junot Díaz clearly understands the potential of interactive entertainment. He's saying that there aren't games that "re-organize our preconceptions" and "shift us into a world that’s always been there but that we’ve been afraid to acknowledge" yet, but he also says that these kind of games are possible.

By making a clear distinction between playing and storytelling, you fail to realise that the gameplay interactions in interactive entertainment can be as profound and poignant as the interactions in passive entertainment. It's important to understand that in both of these mediums, the authors decide what choices the main character makes and the consequences that result from these choices.

Díaz: "Niko, as a character, doesn't surprise, and the choices he confronts don't make me want to put the game on pause in order to mull things over; they don't implicate me or reveal me in any way."

Díaz also criticizes GTA IV for its unconvincing immigration scenario. He should know something about immigration, since he's an immigrant himself.

Jack, you also said that movies are 100% dialog. Well, you're wrong. In fact, there are lots of action packed movies that have even won the Academy Award for best motion picture. I suggest you watch Gladiator to see how well action can be used as a tool for storytelling.

truncheon5768d ago

"the gameplay interactions in interactive entertainment can be as profound and poignant as the interactions in passive entertainment."

I was actually pretty disappointed by the scope of interactions in GTA IV. Look at how many options you have for interacting with the world when you're out and about in the city. Carjack. Push/punch. Jump. Climb up on. Shoot. Drive. Pretty tough to build a "profound and poignant" connection to a world I can only influence through violence and destruction. Yes, I know there were "relationships" to develop but those interactions were totally passive (drive somewhere, push the occasional button) and frankly boring as hell. As were the pointless binary choices (kill chump A or don't who cares).

Games are getting better, for sure. But when some aspects are overly realized, it just calls attention to how underdeveloped other aspects are.

Rute5768d ago

I meant this:
It's important to understand that in both of these mediums, the authors decide what choices the main character confronts and the consequences that result from making the choices.

--

In other words, in passive entertainment the author decides what choices the main character faces, what choices he makes and what the consequences are. Although in interactive entertainment the player makes the decisions, the author is the one who's ultimately responsible for the situation, alternatives, and consequences.

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Isaac5769d ago

That is what he has to play, not overrated theft auto 4.

sinncross5769d ago

lol darkzero, what a bunch of losers.

GTA4's story is no where near the top tier league of movies and films in regards to story.

what a joke...

Closing5769d ago (Edited 5769d ago )

OK, now try picking a game with a good story to compare. Like the MGS series for example.

socomnick5769d ago

....... You cant be serious. The MGS story is great for fans but to everyone else its pretty stupid.

Closing5769d ago (Edited 5769d ago )

You really have no clue what you're talking about at all. It's an extremely in-depth look at life from political , to religious, to sociological issues. If you had played the game or understood what they were trying to say then you'd clearly see that. To simplify it in laymen's terms for you it's a story about how the people get trapped in their ways, and are almost unable to break away from their own systems, their own chains, which can effect the whole world around them. Kinda like how you're an idiot who shows no signs of progress, which is hurting my head.

meepmoopmeep5768d ago

MGS is one of the greatest, in-depth, deep stories in gaming history. it dives into social, government, military, historical and scientific aspects of both real life and fiction. you actually need to have a really intellectual brain to comprehend all of the story, the medical, military and scientific terms and the questions and mysteries of the story.

stupid is not being able to comprehend it.

ar5768d ago

MGS4 has a great story. The problem is that it's buried deep beneath layers and layers of references to the old games, thus making it hard for newcomers to the genre to pick it up.

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Bishop5769d ago

That books and games are superior to movies in their entertainment value. With movies you are watching someone else live in a world of wonders. With books you can live in that same world yourself as you read and with games you get to experience the world through a controller, keyboard-- whatever. Certainly some games have their problems but so do all other forms of entertainment. Nothing is ever perfect.

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100°

Mainline Grand Theft Auto trailers ranked from best to worst

As we have all been graced by the release of Grand Theft Auto 6's trailer, we're ranking the best and worst GTA trailers to date.

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videogamer.com
purple101134d ago

We be getting these posts All week now lads. Someone noticed a number plate ... Someone noticed a billboard... I can see it now

Just go on YouTube and watch one of the many videos dissecting the whole 1minite 30secs worth.

This site supposed to be for news.

roadkillers134d ago

These updates on N4G are going to ruin whats rest of this site. Unfortunate since I was one of the first members.. The site shows unsecure when i login as well.

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.

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gamerant.com
franwex351d ago

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

isarai351d ago

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

cammers1995351d ago

The fact it hasnt been remastered is insane.

Abear21351d 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?

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goombastomp.com
Machina354d ago

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

Number1TailzFan354d 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.

BlackTar187353d ago

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

seanpitt23353d 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!

Number1TailzFan353d 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_BLM352d 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?

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1nsomniac353d ago (Edited 353d 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.

Profchaos353d ago (Edited 353d 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.

shinoff2183352d 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

DigitallyAfflicted352d ago

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

DarXyde353d 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.

shinoff2183352d ago (Edited 352d 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.

notachance352d 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.

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-Foxtrot354d 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

blackblades353d ago (Edited 353d 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.

banger88353d ago

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

isarai353d 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_corn353d 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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