Grand Theft Auto IV

[misterryno]

Sooooooo.......Gaijin........I always wondered......How much do you like hot dogs?!?

[Gaijin]

Sooooooo.......Gaijin........I always wondered......How much do you like hot dogs?!?

Hate the lil bastards.

[Scream Man]

Well I played it last night as well. Enjoyed the opening and got into the game, decided to play the missions for a little while. had only just made it to the first 'beat the hell out of someone' mission and then got asked into multiplayer by friends.

Now Ill say this: i was originally pretty "I hate the driving" as well. All I can tell u is that it gets easier as you play. I dont know if its learnt or theres an unconscious skill-up system in place, but I started to feel more at ease in a car, and especially on a motorcycle by the time i was done. Also freerunning multiplayer with friends is a BALL! Seriously, get a few friuends and just go to town. The whole city is instantly unlocked, u get lots of choices of cars and choppers and unlimited respawns. I had a great time!

[Dante74]

Has anyone else sat down to watch some tv? (in the game) If not, you should, it's hilarious!

This girl is so rich, she has a 6 inch plasma in the toiletbowl so she can watch tv while she throughs up her $800 gourmet dinner.

:lol:

[gerwalk25]

Has anyone else sat down to watch some tv? (in the game) If not, you should, it's hilarious!

:lol:

I bought GTA4 at Circuit City and gotta free $10 gift card. The T.V. bits are pretty funny. I like the cartoon where three marines in "Spartan-esque" armor are wiping out peace loving aliens upholding Democracy throughout the Galaxy.

[Max Jenius]

I stopped playing GTA games after I realized that I played them all back when GTA3 came out.

[Cyclone]

I stopped playing GTA games after I realized that I played them all back when GTA3 came out.

For many, more of the same is the attraction. Even a sandbox game gets worn out of things to do, and I'm personally I'm happy with the game style and just want new content. That said, I'm another whose hanging out of PC version...

[JsARCLIGHT]

After playing GTA4 for a few nights now it's clear to me that while on the surface it may appear that the game is "more of the same", this GTA is different. The broad scope of "commit crimes and run from the cops" is still present but it has an entirely new feel to it. There are equal parts "old" and equal parts "new"... while there is a familiarity to it, the guts and strategy of the game are quite different. Past GTA games always felt really "arcade-y" to me and very simplistic to downright corny in their missions and story. This GTA is different... it's like someone took the good aspects of the past games, polished them a bit more, weeded out some of the goofiness and cartooniness and pushed the franchise closer to a true "life of crime simulator" that mires itself in the hows and whys as well as the actual "acts" rather than being the simple "step and fetch" herky jerky presentation of past games. GTA4 looks different, it "handles" different, it's scripted different... the game is not "the same old" GTA. IMHO it is a true evolution of the genre and worthy of the "4".

If you are "tired" of the "old" GTA, you should at least try this "new" GTA and see if you like it.

[TheLoneWolf]

That sounds very encouraging. So which version did you decide on?

[JsARCLIGHT]

I decided on the Xbox version.

My reasons why were threefold: First, with all the "comparison footage" cropping up on launch day and shortly thereafter I personally could not see a difference between the two consoles, or at least not much of one to shift my favoritism between them. Part of this issue was also the seemingly rampant postings about the game locking up on 60gig PS3s (of which mine is). Sure it was mostly internet paranoia but it colored my initial opinion. Second, I like the Xbox controller. It's nice and big and meaty and fits my hands well. I have never liked the Playstation controller and have had hellish times using it, especially the new PS3 model. Personally I find it too small, too light and fumbly. Lastly, upon polling my office drones and other folks every single person I know in my "circle of gamer friends" who was getting this game was getting it for Xbox, which meant my online friends list and options for playing the game online was entirely Xbox. I have something in the nature of fifteen to twenty "friends" on Xbox and something like two or three on PS3.

After playing the game for a few days on Xbox the load times are very short, the graphics (visual effects issues aside) are very good and I'm more or less satisfied with it.

Edit: I would also point out that I am also eagerly awaiting the PC release simply to see if some of the "visual effects" that I'm not digging too much are handled better. For instance, the game employs dynamic shadowing, depth of field and motion blur. These three effects combined cause the game to have a sort of "blurry, hazy" look to it at times. I've gotten so used to crystal clear super sharp images on my TV that when I first played this game I kept thinking something was "wrong", that it was displaying at a lower resolution or something. It was only after playing for a while that it dawned on me the blurriness I was seeing was a very poorly aliased depth of field effect combined with motion blur and the usual grainy dynamic shadowing. I would imagine a good PC with a high end graphics card might clean up some of those issues.

[TheLoneWolf]

Thanks, I haven't picked up a copy yet, but I'll probably end up doing so because I hear that the online mode is really good. The alleged freezing in the PS3 version doesn't bother me too much since Rockstar is supposed to be releasing a patch to fix it. I'm also different in that I actually prefer the PS3 controller when it comes to GTA, but that's because I've played the last three console versions of GTA with the PS controller and simply feel more comfortable with it. But I think I'm still going to get the 360 version. I'll get used to the 360 controller and most importantly, the majority of my friends will be playing GTA IV online with the 360.

Is there a way to disable the motion blur? I remember Vice City used the same thing and it drove me nuts until I went into the options and learned that I could turn it off.

[JsARCLIGHT]

I did a cursory glance the first time playing it and did not see any way to disable the depth or blur. They are probably hard-coded into the game engine to conserve level of detail over distance. The "game world" is smooth and free-spooling with no pauses or loading screens... I'd imagine that in order to maintain that there is a good deal of level of detail swapping in both geometry and textures which they hide using the depth of field effect.

[Dangard Ace]

PSN apparently culprit for PS3 GTAIV lockups.

http://kotaku.com/386849/gta-iv-lockup-sol...n-disabling-psn

Reader Captain Duck spotted a possible fix in the Something Awful forums: Disable your access to the Playstation Network. SA Goons (an accredited rank in GTA: Vice City) surmise that the game is looking for multiplayer connections "every two minutes or so," and if something is wrong there, voila, lockups.

Kotaku doesn't vouch for the efficacy of this measure on all consoles but the SA commenters sure do:

"THIS TOTALLY Works."

"Yep, until they patch it, disabling internet access on the PS3 seems to do the job. It has worked fine for me, helped with a lot of the frustration I was having. Thanks guys"

Forums at GameFAQs and GameSpot seem to back it up too.

Looking at the date stamps to the comments, I realize this is about three days late, and I hope I'm not advertising something everyone already knows as breaking news. If you guys already figured this out in the comments, good on ya.

But ... in the interest of useful info, there you go. Also, if anyone has different freeze problems or solutions, hit up the comments.

Freezes - in two flavours, "intro scene" berry and "random" bananarama [something Awful forums]

Note: You'll need a full acount to see more than the first page.

[Alpha OTS]

I have to ditto everything JsArclight's posted above about this GTA feeling like a true GTA 4. Try this on, I was stopped at a traffic light. A guy rear ends me. I get out of my car and point my gun at him. He looks clearly terrified as I do this, and tries to hide and cower behind his steering wheel. I shoot him clean in the head, complete with single bullet hole in the windshield. He jerks back then slumps forward onto the steering wheel. His car horn goes off from the pressure of him resting on the steering wheel.

Sounds pretty graphic, I know, but this is that difference between the arcadey prequels and this game.

Also another big positive is the script and characters. I was pretty indifferent on the San Andreas story and characters. It was just too much "gangsta" and not enough "gangster" for me. These characters in GTA4 are enjoyable for me. I *want* to hang out with Roman and take him to the strip club, or out to get drunk. I just met Brucie, and I've heard he's a trip. Certainly has a nice set of choppers.

I picked up the ps3 version. I was originally going to pick up the 360 version, but I figured I'm going to be playing this primarily solo. I read that the ps3 had a tiny, but negligible, edge on graphics, and the the load times were less because of the hard drive install. I've been pretty lazy with my games lately. I start them, but never finish them, so the DLC isn't a selling factor. Plus you know the 360 DLC isn't going to be anytime soon, so I figure once that hits, and if I *really* wanted it, I could probably trade this in or pick up the 360 copy for relatively cheap then. Heh, this is my second ps3 game, btw. The other was the Motor Storm pack-in which I played once.

Can't wait for the inevitable parent's groups to get up in arms about this game too. You know how picking up hookers left it pretty much to the imagination in the previous games? Well, heh, not any more. The strip club is much more realistic too with those vampires attacking you for a lap dance the moment you walk in.

[danth]

I got GTA4 for the 360. I've only played a few missions and now I get a "disc unreadable" error whenever I try to play. Only happens with GTA4 and no other 360 games. It's definitely the game and not my 360; this problem is all over the internet and it's happening on 360 and PS3.

As for the actual gameplay: I hate driving now, it's impossible to turn. I also wish Niko wasn't such a lousy fighter.

[Scream Man]

I found the secret to turning is apply the brake at the same time as u handbrake, that slows u enough to get u round the turn but lets u keep some speed up.

That and practice.

[badboy00z]

Driving is supposed to be more realistic in this game. How many of you do not apply the brakes when entering a turn or simply use the hand brake every time you drive?? I sure has hell don't.

[Uxi]

Been having much too fun with this. Was up till past 3 last night playing.

PS3 version on 60GB

[danth]

Driving is supposed to be more realistic in this game. How many of you do not apply the brakes when entering a turn or simply use the hand brake every time you drive?? I sure has hell don't.

I'd personally rather have fun than realism, but I am getting the hang of turning. It's just different than the past GTA games. Also, the disc read error hasn't happened for a while.

[Ginrai]

Got an Xbox 360 with GTA IV. My gamertag is sayjeremy. Let's do some crime!

[badboy00z]

Do cops chase you if you run a red light or not obey traffic laws?

[Dante74]

Do cops chase you if you run a red light or not obey traffic laws?

Nope.

[JsARCLIGHT]

The police will actually "goose you" if you do semi-illegal things in their presence but not enough to warrant a pursuit. For instance, when I've run lights, cut people off or clipped pedestrians or cars in the presence of a roller, you'll actually here him chirp his siren at you kind of like a "warning". I've actually acclimated to the driving fairly well and I'm knife-edging and threading gaps all over the place... it's not uncommon for me to swerve around an intersection and clip a bumper or a curb with a cop around, they never give chase.

Heck, I even waited until a bunch of people were around one of the street meat stands before shooting out it's propane tank, which blew it and them sky high... all I got was a siren chirp from a cop car.

[jwinges]

All 3 people I know that picked this up hate it. They wish they'd have never purchased it. They all hate the driving and find the gameplay to be nothing really different from previous versions. Also one of them is having a nightmare with freezing on his PS3. Even after the supposed fix.

[dizman]

Well GTA's missions were always abit repetative (steal car, drive here, kill this person). I hated the driving at first but it has grown on me and I seem to be pretty good at it now (takes some practice). My main problem are the gunfights, its fine if you are aiming ahead but if one guy pops up behind you then you have a helluva time to do a 180 and hit him. Also who wants to pay toll on bridges........ annoying feature that really didnt need to be in there. Overall the game is pretty good, not as amazing as some of the reveiws are making it out to be but then again no game will ever be perfect.

[Uxi]

I like the toll thing. If I'm in a rush, it's fairly easy to get out of the popo search zone, unless you're in a big heavy truck or something.

The trick to the gunfights is the quick aiming, not manually turning around. I really like the cover system they got going, though.

[danth]

I finally hit that point last night around 12:30 where I was totally sucked into the game and didn't want to stop. I forced myself to put down the controller at around 3am. A big factor in the addiction, for me, was when I got to buy a nice three-piece suit and some two-toned dress shoes for Niko. It was just so pimp. Dress for success, man.

Oh yeah, does anyone else here just love Brucie? He's f*cking hilarious because I've totally known guys like him.

[Keith]

I tried out my copy today, didn't play for too long, just until the part where you have to go save Roman from loan sharks. I did try multi-player though, and didn't notice any freezing. Where's the glitch supposed to happen? I've got a 60 gig PS3, so I was a bit concerned, but so far so good. Now back to MGO.

[Ginrai]

Freezing is supposed to be at the very beginning. You shouldn't even be able to get to play if it's the freeze. I had no problems on 360.

[JsARCLIGHT]

Oh yeah, does anyone else here just love Brucie? He's f*cking hilarious because I've totally known guys like him.

Brucie is actually Agent ONE... right down to the helicopter.

[danth]

Brucie is actually Agent ONE... right down to the helicopter.

Ha!

So I tried out the multiplayer last night. Starting your own game and inviting a friend is no problem, but joining a team game with a friend usually takes three attempts. Two out of three tries, one of us gets disconnected. And there's no lobby, so after any little snafu, one of us would go back to multiplayer mode all alone, and the other would get sent back to single-player campaign (and therefore has to go through two load screens to get back to multiplayer). It really makes it no fun. And, if you do successfully get into, say, team deathmatch, it only lasts for one game, because in the next game the host can (and will) change the gametype.

So, my friend and I just gave up because it was not fun at all.

[Kin]

so when does it come out for the pc? like after 1 year?

[JsARCLIGHT]

I've heard people saying October, but past iterations have taken about a year.

[Uxi]

Patch is already out for PS3.

[Ginrai]

Multiplayer was impossible to get to work for me the first day I played it, but since then it's been fine.