Grand Theft Auto IV - Gen. Discussion & Info

Just got home with my copy a few hours ago (Screw Sam Goody telling me they'd give me my gamerpics when I pick the game up...but whatever, if it was that important I would have ordered online) and so far I love it. Not only is the game gorgeous but there's so many little things that add such a nice touch.

I just finished up the multi player tutorial and after taking a break I'm probably going to hop on and try it out. Will defiantly be fun for some CAG Gang war nights or something.

By the way, anyone get there gamertag linked to the social club yet? I tried, and it said it as successful before I played the game, but I don't see any signs of me playing it on there yet, and it still acts like I've never linked before when I click on the option to.
 
My impressions after 2 hours:

The first thing that caught my attention was that the voice-acting and script are rubbish. I don't care what anyone says, good "for a videogame" isn't the same thing as "good." I think some of this has to do with the uncanny valley. The best voice-acting I've heard in videogames has been in games where the characters are inhuman and cartoon-like like Grim Fandango and Sly Cooper. I'm used to seeing animals talk in the movies, but seeing these psuedo-realistic models chatting just looks and sounds wrong. It's a bit like an uglier and worse acted version of Polar Express or Beuwolf, and most people didn't like those to begin with. The script feels forced and awkward too, like it's trying way too hard to be "edgey" and "serious." The cinemas here are better than previous GTAs, but let's not kid ourselves, this isn't Hollywood.

The driving controls are rather wonky as well, but I'll hold off judgment until I've had more time with the game. It could be a learning curve thing. The same applies for the melee combat, which I hate so far, but I just started it and may just be doing it wrong.

At the same time, the attention to detail in this game is phenomenal. My favorite moment; after driving over a guy, I backed up so that the car would cover his body and a nearby pedestrian walked up to my car and exclaimed "what the hell?" while shrugging his shoulders in disbelief and looking for witnesses. Then I ran him over:)

The music is fantastic too. Riding around town at sunset listening to the Smashing Pumpkins (something I haven't heard in nearly a decade) had a great nostalgic day-turning-into-night feel and it made me understand the emotional potential in this sort of game- if only the script wasn't so goofy.

So far I'd say that this is the first GTA game that I'd actually consider fun, but not as fun as the much simpler Crackdown. What I wouldn't give to be able to jump 30 feet in the air with a rocket launcher in GTA. If only they combined GTA's attention to detail with Crackdown's simple arcade gameplay then they'd really have something special. Until then, this is still a rather good way to entertain oneself. Just don't expect the second coming of videogames.
 
Who here bought it for the PS3? I'm debating whether I should switch my copy for the PS3 version or not...the pop-ins are driving me nuts! It's like an OCD I have or something. One thing I will say though is that the framerate is solid...no drops or dips as of yet. But how is it on the PS3 for those who has it on that console?
 
[quote name='Mr Durand Pierre']

So far I'd say that this is the first GTA game that I'd actually consider fun, but not as fun as the much simpler Crackdown. What I wouldn't give to be able to jump 30 feet in the air with a rocket launcher in GTA. If only they combined GTA's attention to detail with Crackdown's simple arcade gameplay then they'd really have something special. Until then, this is still a rather good way to entertain oneself. Just don't expect the second coming of videogames.[/quote]

Yea, while I'm loving GTAIV, it feels incredibly clunky compared to Crackdown. That game is just so smooth and controls way better.
 
[quote name='RiCeBo1']Who here bought it for the PS3? I'm debating whether I should switch my copy for the PS3 version or not...the pop-ins are driving me nuts! It's like an OCD I have or something. One thing I will say though is that the framerate is solid...no drops or dips as of yet. But how is it on the PS3 for those who has it on that console?[/quote]

I opted to make the switch to PS3 at the 11th hour. My friends seem to play online more often with their PS3s and I don't give a rat's ass about achievements. I'm about 6 hours into the game and it's been running flawlessly...haven't noticed any pop-ins, framerate is stable, and the lighting is amazing.

That said, I haven't been able to connect to the multiplayer network this afternoon. It worked last night so I'm assuming they're just getting bombarded with traffic right now.
 
[quote name='bmachine']I opted to make the switch to PS3 at the 11th hour. My friends seem to play online more often with their PS3s and I don't give a rat's ass about achievements. I'm about 6 hours into the game and it's been running flawlessly...haven't noticed any pop-ins, framerate is stable, and the lighting is amazing.

That said, I haven't been able to connect to the multiplayer network this afternoon. It worked last night so I'm assuming they're just getting bombarded with traffic right now.[/QUOTE]
Awesome, thanks for the quick response. Looks like I'll switch over since I do need to show some love to the PS3. I'm not in a hurry with multiplayer with this game considering I want to play some of the single player first (unlike R6V2 which was TERRIBLE at launch on the PS3). Send me a FR maybe we can get a couple games going later as soon as they fix the online.
 
Wow, this game is so great even just playing it a few minutes. Love that Russian radio station you first hear. Cars can switch headlights to high beams! And I totally want one of those pet dragons that shits pizza.
 
I love the game so far


But how do you call that ZIT thing that tells you what song is playing?

And IMO in multiplayer auto aim is a necessity
 
[quote name='anomynous']But how do you call that ZIT thing that tells you what song is playing?[/quote]

Dial ZIT-555-0100 on your cell.
 
I've played the first level on a Standard Def TV, on X360 w/ component and noticed more jaggies than I would like during the cutscenes. Especially when looking at a bowl in the background behind Niko, when the camera panned in a different direction the rim of the bowl when from horizontal and looking jaggie free to diagonal and lots of Jaggies. Is this just a standard def TV thing, or an Xbox vs. PS3 issue?
 
I need to get used to the camera. For some reason its feels a little different to me, buts its probably just been a very long time since I played San Andreas.
 
I bought the Special Edition, the lock box was bigger than I expected. =D

However, my 8th referral for my free Xbox 360 was put on hold AFTER I submitted for approval. =(

Now I'm one referral short again and I won't be able to play my copy of GTA IV for that much longer. Must continue to avoid spoilers...
 
[quote name='Mr Durand Pierre']My impressions after 2 hours:

The first thing that caught my attention was that the voice-acting and script are rubbish. I don't care what anyone says, good "for a videogame" isn't the same thing as "good." I think some of this has to do with the uncanny valley. The best voice-acting I've heard in videogames has been in games where the characters are inhuman and cartoon-like like Grim Fandango and Sly Cooper. I'm used to seeing animals talk in the movies, but seeing these psuedo-realistic models chatting just looks and sounds wrong. It's a bit like an uglier and worse acted version of Polar Express or Beuwolf, and most people didn't like those to begin with. The script feels forced and awkward too, like it's trying way too hard to be "edgey" and "serious." The cinemas here are better than previous GTAs, but let's not kid ourselves, this isn't Hollywood.

The driving controls are rather wonky as well, but I'll hold off judgment until I've had more time with the game. It could be a learning curve thing. The same applies for the melee combat, which I hate so far, but I just started it and may just be doing it wrong.

[/quote]

I am not sure what you talking about with the voice acting and the script. It is fantastic. Not in "for a video game" way, but for any form of entertainment. The only weak link I have heard is the ladies you meet at the beginning of the game. I do not think the game is too edgy; its crass and honest, but not over the top. The only character who takes himself too sersiously is Niko, but I think that fits well with his character, and almost everything/everyone is funny as hell. As for the Uncanny valley; it simply does not apply here. These character models are not trying to replicate real life people, they are somewhere in between Gears of War and Toy story humans.

The cars are tough to get used, but handle like they should. Of course a 1980s hatchback is not going to handle all that well or even decent when you going full speed trying to make a turn.
 
[quote name='thrustbucket']Looks like those that made the PS3 choice that didn't have to are sadly finding out the real price "free" service is.[/QUOTE]

To be honest though that is on Rockstars end. The PSN is running fine. I guess that is what you get for having dedicated servers?
 
[quote name='anomynous']How do you dial?[/quote]

Press up on the D-Pad until you see the whole phone, then just scroll through the numbers and press A and then click on the green handset icon.
 
[quote name='rodeojones903']To be honest though that is on Rockstars end. The PSN is running fine. I guess that is what you get for having dedicated servers?[/QUOTE]

Well exactly. You put your "free" service in the hands of developers that don't specialize in any such a thing.... and this is what happens. Performance all over the board depending on the game.

I guess it wasn't a great indicator for PSN when all the press previews were using live.
 
I am happy to see they give the Free Month of Gold in the box also the map as well as the manual. The box is top notch!
 
Fun stuff. I find the driving to be atrocious, with bad camera angles while driving, unless one selects the first-person perspective. The new fighting system is tons better with realistic motions. A player could actually miss a punch because it is out of his reach. I do prefer it, as opposed to the character making a ridiculous hop forward, like out of Fighter's Destiny. Which I guess doesn't apply, as they're different games, but I'm using it as a reference. So deal with it. Other than driving and the camera angles, I do find myself really enjoying the game.
 
I think what's throwing me off about driving is that... well, they expect you to *really* drive. Every other sandbox game (GTA, Saint's Row) has more 'arcade' driving controls that encourage high speeds. At least I think that's what's throwing me off. Once I got my mind around the 'drive like an actual car' thing, it got easier. I admit, though, that it makes it extremely difficult to get away from the cops, though I'd imagine that's the point. It's made me be WAY more careful about committing crimes with Johnny Law around, which is a nice change of pace.

I still can't get used to the camera, though. It's either too close, or too far. Way jerkier than it needs to be.

Outside of those two problems, I don't have much else. Neither or them really take away from gameplay, and will simply take some getting used to.

Fantastic game, and the first time I've felt like I've been in a real city. Makes me extremely excited about the future of gaming.
 
There had to be some sort of agreement in place so they couldn't advertise it. Or the people at MS are well.....dumbshits.

[quote name='LinkinPrime']I think R* and/or MS should have at least teased the public with what the DLC would entail to generate more sales for the X360 at launch...maybe a teaser trailer or description would have been enough.[/QUOTE]
 
[quote name='HighlightShow']There is a free one month code in the box? That's a nice touch.[/quote]

Yes, it looks like this:

freexboxlive.jpg
 
The game is simply fantastic. You're right, when you wrap your head around how cars like these drive in real life, you'll have an easier time of it.

I son't see myself doing anything else for the next couple of days - it's so immersive.
 
the funnest part of the previous GTA games for me has been the driving, I feel like they seriously fucked it up this time. It's impossible to try and stop your car without sliding for-fucking-ever I wanted this game to be amazing, but it's really just pissing me the fuck off.

and the people who say "oh it's great, it's so realistic now" fuck them, that does not make driving in this game fun... at all.
 
[quote name='the_deej']the funnest part of the previous GTA games for me has been the driving, I feel like they seriously fucked it up this time. It's impossible to try and stop your car without sliding for-fucking-ever I wanted this game to be amazing, but it's really just pissing me the fuck off.

and the people who say "oh it's great, it's so realistic now" fuck them, that does not make driving in this game fun... at all.[/quote]


spdopc.jpg
 
[quote name='007']I think what's throwing me off about driving is that... well, they expect you to *really* drive. Every other sandbox game (GTA, Saint's Row) has more 'arcade' driving controls that encourage high speeds. At least I think that's what's throwing me off. Once I got my mind around the 'drive like an actual car' thing, it got easier. I admit, though, that it makes it extremely difficult to get away from the cops, though I'd imagine that's the point. It's made me be WAY more careful about committing crimes with Johnny Law around, which is a nice change of pace.

I still can't get used to the camera, though. It's either too close, or too far. Way jerkier than it needs to be.

Outside of those two problems, I don't have much else. Neither or them really take away from gameplay, and will simply take some getting used to.

Fantastic game, and the first time I've felt like I've been in a real city. Makes me extremely excited about the future of gaming.[/quote]

They do indeed expect the player to attempt to realistically drive in the game. It's a change of pace, at least. I feel a difference in driving control in the third-person and first-person perspectives. I feel more control and less sensitivity in the first-person perspective, which is why I use it over the third-person, default option.

I agree. Grand Theft Auto 4 shows just how much potential is in the future of gaming. Fun time to be a gamer. :)
 
[quote name='TC']There had to be some sort of agreement in place so they couldn't advertise it. Or the people at MS are well.....dumbshits.[/QUOTE]

I am almost positive they aren't allowed to, because of contract stipulations.

When you keep in mind that this exclusive DLC only exists because Rockstar wouldn't go exclusive, it's easier to see the politics behind it.

Edit: The other likely possibility is that the details of the DLC are essentially a rather large caliber bullet in a cocked gun, waiting to put a good sized dent in any upcoming announcement, release, or event of Sony's.
 
[quote name='A Happy Panda']Pretty fun so far. Couple things though:

I don't like the way the camera re-shifts every time you turn around. Also, what's up with the camera angle when you're trying to back up your car? It's impossible to see if you're going to hit anything.

Also, I only played 1 multi-player game, but it didn't seem all that organized, and it seemed really chaotic.[/quote]

Ditto on the camera, why the hell did they do that. I hate running into things I can't see?! I also found it hard to see anything at night, I mean once your headlights are out, it's really hard to chase down a target lol.

LOL on the girlfriend video, yea she probably had crabs.;)

I'm loving the game so far but I always get beat by the AI in the bowling, darts and pool games?!
 
[quote name='chasemurata']
I agree. Grand Theft Auto 4 shows just how much potential is in the future of gaming. Fun time to be a gamer. :)[/QUOTE]

Hehe. As a developer, comments like this frighten the shit out of me.

I'll fix your comment below to make myself feel better.


Grand Theft Auto 4 shows just how much potential is in the future of gaming that will come from developers with 200+ employees and unlimited budgets. Fun time to be a gamer.
Click to expand...
 
[quote name='thrustbucket']Well exactly. You put your "free" service in the hands of developers that don't specialize in any such a thing.... and this is what happens. Performance all over the board depending on the game.

I guess it wasn't a great indicator for PSN when all the press previews were using live.[/quote]


So why do you have to try and make this into a console war??? Honestly... come on now. The PSN is running fine, its rockstar that screwed that up. plus in a couple of days it will be fine, so no biggie. just play the single player until its up, problem solved. The PS3 version has an overall cleaner look, better framerate, and much less pop ins. The 360 version has acheivments, and DLC about 5 months away... either way you cant go wrong.
 
[quote name='Nelo Ice']so did anyone else
go on the date instead of helping roman
the 1st time?[/quote]

No, I was almost there and then he called me...went back. What happened if you do the date instead?
 
[quote name='thrustbucket']Hehe. As a developer, comments like this frighten the shit out of me.

I'll fix your comment below to make myself feel better.[/quote]

Very true, but i'm going to go off on a tangent for a bit and offer my idea of what could be done with the next-gen hardware to make a great/fun game;

I'm a huge an of ToCA 3. Not sure if many have heard of it, but it has been argued to be better than GT4 many times. It has damage modeling, car setups, and more series to race in than one knows what to do with. Sadly, Codemasters decided to go a different route with the series and is currently set to release GRID in a few months. In no way are they making a better racer. All you see is improved graphics.

But what if a developer decided to go a different route. Keep the Xboxd graphics, but add more damage modeling/textures for realism. The lower texture car models would mean less memory to be used up. This in turn would allow for more processing power and memory to be used for AI. In ToCA 3, you had up to 20 cars on track...going the route i just suggested, would could probably see up to 50 cars on track with the same/better AI as we have in most racing games now. It's just an example of what developers could do, the games will still look good, and the grapphics would be better than that of the original Xbox which were pretty good if you ask me. For a racing game, the cars will be going fast enough (i hope) so that the textures won't really matter...

Anyone following what i'm saying? It would cost less and take less time if the graphics weren't as much of a focus on these next-gen games. I applaud R* for what they have done in GTA IV, and all these complaints that the graphics aren't all that great...well, fuck off. They are rendering an entire city, plus citizens, plus vehicles, plus lighting, give them a break. All i'm saying is that developers could focus less on graphics and more on gameplay, innovation (50 cars on track would be amazing, especially for Le Mans racing), and fun.
 
[quote name='Spybreak8']Ditto on the camera, why the hell did they do that. I hate running into things I can't see?! I also found it hard to see anything at night, I mean once your headlights are out, it's really hard to chase down a target lol.

LOL on the girlfriend video, yea she probably had crabs.;)

I'm loving the game so far but I always get beat by the AI in the bowling, darts and pool games?![/quote]

I find the bowling to be incredibly simple. Pull the R stick towards you and with some, but not too much, force, push the R stick forwards, and navigate if necessary. I read complaints about the mini-games, but I love them. :D
 
[quote name='LinkinPrime']No, I was almost there and then he called me...went back. What happened if you do the date instead?[/quote]

I wound up taxiing him back to his building from the hospital while apologizing for not "having his back" or something. Roman then explained how he understood and probably couldn't turn down a woman either. Oh Roman, you lovable buffoon. :grouphug:
 
[quote name='SynGamer']Very true, but i'm going to go off on a tangent for a bit and offer my idea of what could be done with the next-gen hardware to make a great/fun game;

I'm a huge an of ToCA 3. Not sure if many have heard of it, but it has been argued to be better than GT4 many times. It has damage modeling, car setups, and more series to race in than one knows what to do with. Sadly, Codemasters decided to go a different route with the series and is currently set to release GRID in a few months. In no way are they making a better racer. All you see is improved graphics.

But what if a developer decided to go a different route. Keep the Xboxd graphics, but add more damage modeling/textures for realism. The lower texture car models would mean less memory to be used up. This in turn would allow for more processing power and memory to be used for AI. In ToCA 3, you had up to 20 cars on track...going the route i just suggested, would could probably see up to 50 cars on track with the same/better AI as we have in most racing games now. It's just an example of what developers could do, the games will still look good, and the grapphics would be better than that of the original Xbox which were pretty good if you ask me. For a racing game, the cars will be going fast enough (i hope) so that the textures won't really matter...

Anyone following what i'm saying? It would cost less and take less time if the graphics weren't as much of a focus on these next-gen games. I applaud R* for what they have done in GTA IV, and all these complaints that the graphics aren't all that great...well, fuck off. They are rendering an entire city, plus citizens, plus vehicles, plus lighting, give them a break. All i'm saying is that developers could focus less on graphics and more on gameplay, innovation (50 cars on track would be amazing, especially for Le Mans racing), and fun.[/QUOTE]

You make interesting suggestions, and I'm sure someone will do roughly what you are suggesting.

But you have to realize that one of the primary reasons you don't see a lot of games like GTA, is that data streaming technology working on that magnitude is very difficult to develop well. It takes a great amount of resources just to "catch up" to rockstar, and there really isn't a good engine to license like you can with other stuff. You could easily spend 18 months developing just the prototype data-streaming engine that attempted to compete with Rockstars engine. Nevermind the massive amount of artwork, event scripting, and making gameplay fun.

I once had a programmer lose it in a meeting at the simple suggestion of allowing a player to interact with any car in a living city, to allow driving around a city nowhere near the level of free-roaming as GTA3. He said "You know we don't have nearly the budget for that"!

I'm not making excuses. Just trying to put things into perspective. GTA is special in the game world. Most devs simply don't have the resources to even attempt to compete with an ASPECT of GTA. It's far too risky.
 
[quote name='chasemurata']I wound up taxiing him back to his building from the hospital while apologizing for not "having his back" or something. Roman then explained how he understood and probably couldn't turn down a woman either. Oh Roman, you lovable buffoon. :grouphug:[/quote]

Awesome!
 
[quote name='Nelo Ice']so did anyone else
go on the date instead of helping roman
the 1st time?[/quote]

I think everybody went on the date, lol.
 
[quote name='KiLL3r']I think everybody went on the date, lol.[/quote]

Nope...I helped Roman. Nico said that family comes first, so I felt like that's what he would've done in that situation.

Perhaps I'm overthinking this... ;)
 
[quote name='bmachine']Nope...I helped Roman. Nico said that family comes first, so I felt like that's what he would've done in that situation.

Perhaps I'm overthinking this... ;)[/quote]

pfft i didnt even kno wtf roman was saying so i went with the girl :cool:
 
Yea? I only got one strike with the bowling. I get the push back and then up on the R stick, that's nothing new, but how do you control it to spin the ball from left to right or right to left for example? I tried to move it when the ball was rolling but it just went straight. Yea I went on the date.
I also had some warm coffee with Michelle!^^ *Rumble Rumble*
 
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