Grand Theft Auto IV

[CoryHolmes]

Upon further playing, the gameplay is passible in control and downright boringly repetitive, but I'm finding myself sucked in by the story. Niko Bellac is a wonderful protagonist and makes for a very interesting storyteller. I look forward to finding out more about his past and what he plans to do with his future. The rest of the characters are equally as enjoyable though not quite as compelling. My personal rating would have to be 75/100.

[JsARCLIGHT]

Well, I've hit the "GTA Wall" that I always hit with these games. The game for me is easy, easy, easy, easy and then all of a sudden it throws a chain of (to me at least) nearly impossible missions. It's like the difficulty level goes from simple to incredibly hard in the scope of one or two missions. I can always tell when a game has completely pissed me off when I nearly throw the controller in frustration.

And the frustrating levels are always the same for me... tons of people with guns shooting at you that you either can't see or can't aim at in time because the controls are too sluggish slash awkward slash herky jerky. And the impossible levels are always indoors it seems... this game and walls and corridors... you try to "get cover" but when you get into cover getting "out" of cover when some unseen guy is shooting you is just so darned frustrating.

In other words I have gone from loving this game to hating it with a passion. The controls work very well when they work, but when they don't work you are more or less hammering random buttons in frustration trying to not get shot and killed. It is not something I like when a game makes you feel like it is "cheating" you.

[Alpha OTS]

Which mission did it start with?

[JsARCLIGHT]

Undressed to Kill was an absolute nightmare for me. It took me literally ten some tries to beat it. Now I'm on Snow Storm and no matter how hard I fight or what routes I try I inevitably get a 4 star wanted level trying to escape and get mown down by the cops. I've tried just about everything... it's the goddamned level... that hospital with all the corridors and doorways. I get into cover and just can't get out, and when I'm trying to get out of cover some dipshit cop comes around the corner with a shotgun and hits me two or three times (effectively taking out my armor and half my health) before I can even get a bead on him.

[Ginrai]

The missions I always loathe in GTA are when they make me remote control something like a toy helicoptor or a toy airplane. I wanted to kill everyone I've ever met thanks to that stupid RC airplane mission in San Andreas. That's what sends people into murderous rages, not killing digital hookers.

[JsARCLIGHT]

Yeah those were the past dealbreakers for me. I'm usually pretty darn good at the "shootout" levels but the ones in GTA4 that are "indoors" just play havoc with my ability to control my guy.

[Mellow Yellow]

Undressed to Kill was an absolute nightmare for me. It took me literally ten some tries to beat it. Now I'm on Snow Storm and no matter how hard I fight or what routes I try I inevitably get a 4 star wanted level trying to escape and get mown down by the cops. I've tried just about everything... it's the goddamned level... that hospital with all the corridors and doorways. I get into cover and just can't get out, and when I'm trying to get out of cover some dipshit cop comes around the corner with a shotgun and hits me two or three times (effectively taking out my armor and half my health) before I can even get a bead on him.

Have you tried taking the boat? Also, fighting back just makes things worse/kills you faster. I just ran down the center corridor of that hospital on my 3rd try, without firing a shot, pushing my way thru cops and I saw the boat when I was about to find a getaway car, lol.

[Gaijin]

Undressed to Kill was an absolute nightmare for me. It took me literally ten some tries to beat it. Now I'm on Snow Storm and no matter how hard I fight or what routes I try I inevitably get a 4 star wanted level trying to escape and get mown down by the cops. I've tried just about everything... it's the goddamned level... that hospital with all the corridors and doorways. I get into cover and just can't get out, and when I'm trying to get out of cover some dipshit cop comes around the corner with a shotgun and hits me two or three times (effectively taking out my armor and half my health) before I can even get a bead on him.

Just did Snow Storm...I took out the first couple that appeared in teh hallways and then ran for the truck parked outside. If you wait too long, you will get swarmed.

[JsARCLIGHT]

That is the heart of my problem: getting out of there fast enough. I just can't seem to. I get hung up on the walls and doors and it takes me time to "un-screw up" my guy. It's like he pops into cover then won't come out no matter what I do, he only hops from cover to cover and eventually a cop or two just walk right up on me.

The furthest I've made it in that mission was to get into the truck and drive off but I had practically no health and a four star wanted level... needless to say I was shot and killed at the wheel easily.

[Uxi]

I didn't think either of those was that bad. Just gotta know when to tuck tail and run. Choose your battles.

[JsARCLIGHT]

Once again, that is my problem. I'm trying to run... but my guy gets hung up on the walls of the hospital. It's the same problem I kept having with the Undressed to Kill mission. Once I go "into cover" with my guy in an indoors level getting him "out" of cover is a nightmare for me. He'll either jump from side to side on a doorway or come out of cover only to go right back in. What makes matters worse is that camera bobbles all over the place and looks where you don't want it to look and gets "hung up" only looking one way when you are trying to get your guy off of cover and look the other way where someone is shooting at you from. The "cover system" works wonders for me on the big, expansive outdoor areas but when I'm in a cramped indoor area I just can't seem to get "out" of cover fast and effectively. Niko just hops from side to side on door frames, or goes into cover on the actual door frame itself, or even worse he goes into cover on a wall and trying to get him off that wall puts him into cover on another nearby wall. I sit there struggling with the controls for that few precious seconds it takes for the cops (or bad guys) to roll right up on me. Then I inevitably have to gun them down (it's a "them or me" situation) which gives me a higher wanted level at which point I get swarmed.

It's not so much how "hard" the game is, it's how hard of a time I'm having controlling it.

[Southpaw Samurai]

Part of the problem with the cover system is that if your stick is just about anything but center when you hit the cover button to 'uncover', it assumes you want to jump to a new cover spot. It makes for a very dynamic cover-to-cover system, but it's frustrating when you don't want to make that move (which can sometimes throw you into a line of fire you didn't expect) and can be counter-intuitive if you're thinking you're moving away from the wall. Make sure the stick is dead center when you try to move away from cover and you should be in good shape.

Personally, I wouldn't worry about cover at all once the police show up. Make sure you picked up the health pack and the armor (the assault rifle in the far room is debatable depending on how much ammo you have) and just prep for a run down the long hallway.... you can almost line yourself up for a straight run back down into the first big room so you don't get hung up on the door frames. You'll have to deal with one officer at the start, but you can tag him without cover and then just run the hell out of the building taking only a few hits.

From there, I jumped in a car and made my way to a subway entrance... as soon as I got to Algonquin, the subway became my best friend when it came to the 3-4 star pursuits.... even used it for the Three Leaf Clover mission. Snowstorm took me about three tries and the first two were mainly a lesson in realizing I couldn't fight my way out.

Edited May 9, 2008 by Southpaw Samurai

[Gaijin]

Don't use the cover in Snow Storm after you take out the baddies and are trying to run from the cops. Grab the armor before, and basically run down the hall to the exit.

[JsARCLIGHT]

I finally got through the mission. It was more or less luck that I got through (hit the pay n' spray right when I lost my tails).

I'm still having an incredibly hard time with the cover controls. I think it's because I'm trying to "do too much at once". I'm trying to move, aim, shoot and leave cover... or move and look while leaving cover.

[Alpha OTS]

GTA on SNL here!

[Scream Man]

wow.

Didnt SNL used to be funny?

[JsARCLIGHT]

Wow... that was... wow...

And there are actually times I wonder why I don't watch network TV anymore... then I see something like that.

Wow... it makes me feel sad for them.

[Alpha OTS]

I initially got a chuckle out of it because the gag involves how not-so-lifelike the cut scenes are.

Problem is, that's a 2 second joke, which they proceed to run into the ground for two minutes without anything else.

[Scream Man]

oh, for anyone keen to play multi: Screammanoz is my gamertag. Im usually on late night my time, which is probably early morningUS time.

[dizman]

Welp I finally beat the game, the story was ok and kinda predictable but hey what can ya do. My only gripe was with the ending, it was like we are at the last 10 minutes of a movie and it suddenly goes black and says THE END! Probably like that because of the dlc for the 360 version (sigh). Anywhoo this game of all of them really bothered me the most because it seems like I killed over 1000 mafia/triads/druggies/thugs/and hookers all for the sake of just being able to do it. Its like they took 1 mission, copied and pasted it 20 times over (I feel sorry for all those families of the boys I killed) and said thats fine who cares look at the graphics. Overall the game kinda dissapointed me and whos to blame R* for reusing the same formula, it works and makes them money. Oh well, maybe MGS4 can quench my thirst for a great game.

[baronv]

Welp I finally beat the game, the story was ok and kinda predictable but hey what can ya do. My only gripe was with the ending, it was like we are at the last 10 minutes of a movie and it suddenly goes black and says THE END! Probably like that because of the dlc for the 360 version (sigh). Anywhoo this game of all of them really bothered me the most because it seems like I killed over 1000 mafia/triads/druggies/thugs/and hookers all for the sake of just being able to do it. Its like they took 1 mission, copied and pasted it 20 times over (I feel sorry for all those families of the boys I killed) and said thats fine who cares look at the graphics. Overall the game kinda dissapointed me and whos to blame R* for reusing the same formula, it works and makes them money. Oh well, maybe MGS4 can quench my thirst for a great game.

How many hours did you spend to finish the game? Did you focus on the main missions and not the side jobs?

[dizman]

How many hours did you spend to finish the game? Did you focus on the main missions and not the side jobs?

I just finished the main story missions for all the main and secondary characters, I have yet to do much of the assassination missions or carjacking/racing things. As for how long it took me, I'm not sure. I didn't fail too many of the missions so it didn't take too incredibly long (if any of you need hints ask me, I don't know mission names but give me details as to whats going on) although I had to try the final mission 3 times, they honestly shoulda put a midway savepoint there.

[Scream Man]

the side missions are part of the fun...

i have to say while Im loving the game, and Multiplay is stacks of fun and almost worth the price alone, This doesnt have the charm San andreas had for me. i REALLY like San Andreas. I think this is a bit to limited; after the sprawl and wide open feel of San Andreas, Liberty city just feels a bit to dense and restrictive.

[danth]

the side missions are part of the fun...

i have to say while Im loving the game, and Multiplay is stacks of fun and almost worth the price alone, This doesnt have the charm San andreas had for me. i REALLY like San Andreas. I think this is a bit to limited; after the sprawl and wide open feel of San Andreas, Liberty city just feels a bit to dense and restrictive.

Yeah, what made San Andreas great were the RPG and empire-building elements. You could improve things like your gun skills by completing certain challenges, or health by lifting weights. I loved that. There seemed to be more options for clothing too. And you could buy properties to increase your income, expand your gang turf, ride a f*cking motocycle off a mountain and parachute to the ground. And there was a whole system for car customization.

Also, the whole "smaller but more detailed city" talk I heard before GTA4 came out was bullsh*t. There are like a total of 30 buildings you can actually enter in the whole city, which is so lame. If you look at the map, you can see how there just aren't many places to go. Another gripe is that none of the missions were balls-to-the-wall crazy. It was just chase that car, kill those guys, repeat. There were scripted crashes in a few of the chases, but nothing memorable. Oh yeah, and some cars just refuse turn corners at normal speeds. It's ridiculous and not realistic.

I really feel like the whole game review industry chose ad revenue over honesty on this one. There are two great things about GTA4: the overall graphics and the dialogue. Other than that, San Andreas was a better game.

Edited May 12, 2008 by danth

[JsARCLIGHT]

I'm not so sure about that. GTA4 IMHO has had some pretty epic shoot outs. The whole Heat-esque "bank heist" mission was frantic from the word go. I will admit that the game has a level of "repetition" to the intermediate missions, but the "set piece" missions are usually quite unique and presented you with different game play choices. This is the first GTA game I've played that I've felt I was actively participating in the missions rather than being a step and fetch boy. I'm not a big fan of the super easy "go here, do this, done" mission strategy... I like it when the game throws you a curve ball every once in a while and makes you feel "smart" for "thinking outside of the box" to complete a mission.

[Alpha OTS]

Ok, this should make up for that SNL GTA link I posted above. GTA on Conan O'Brien here.

This is legitimately funny, I swear!

[Scream Man]

It was funnier, Ill admit

[areaseven]

[Ginrai]

Gonna play online after work today, around 7:30 Pacific. Anyone down?