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What is the final consensus on GTAIV?
- Thread starter borghe
- Start date
I've been sick of the faux backlash for a long time. It's the best game this gen, all things considered. Certainly the best open world (RDR is close and while SR3 is fun and Sleepy Dogs look good, neither have the sheer amount of systems on display to create a living city), great underrated story (especially in the EFLC), the driving mechanics are sublime and the shooting is fun as hell.
If I can make it from one end of the city to the other at top speed weaving in and out of traffic then there's nothing wrong with the driving.
If I can make it from one end of the city to the other at top speed weaving in and out of traffic then there's nothing wrong with the driving.
The Albatross
Member
Good game , perhaps. Great game, but disappointing. Just replayed San Andreas for the last month... Not a single gta4 mission or side mission matches any missions or side from SA.
Really like tlatd
Really like tlatd
I enjoyed it when it first released, a few months later I felt it was disappointing and stopped playing it ever since TBoGT which was really good. Looking back on it 4.5 years later, it has grown on me even though I haven't played it since then. I'll probably give it one more play through with PC mods before V comes out.
Frankfurter
Member
It's clearly the worst of the 3D GTAs. I hated most of the characters (notably Niko himself, Roman (SHUT UP!), Brucie...), the gameplay wasn't all that good. There were tons of missions where you had to drive to some obscure place for minutes only for the actual mission (typically: Kill X) to take like 6 seconds.
It's still not a "bad" game per se, it's just that it isn't good either.
Edit: Forgot about the most important part: The fucking cellphone. It's a game and I wanna enjoy it. So rule 1: I don't want fucking characters in a videogame to CONSTANTLY call and ask me if we wanna go out and play pool or drink a beer. That's just no fun at all. I'm seriously confused how anyone at Rockstar thought people would like this feature (please, don't tell me that anyone here likes it :/).
It's still not a "bad" game per se, it's just that it isn't good either.
Edit: Forgot about the most important part: The fucking cellphone. It's a game and I wanna enjoy it. So rule 1: I don't want fucking characters in a videogame to CONSTANTLY call and ask me if we wanna go out and play pool or drink a beer. That's just no fun at all. I'm seriously confused how anyone at Rockstar thought people would like this feature (please, don't tell me that anyone here likes it :/).
Gully State
Member
Good but flawed singleplayer...Multiplayer had so much unrealized potential...
I would argue that while it's fair to criticize the disconnect between Niko's character and his actions (I came here to escape my violent past...goes on a shooting spree for 2/3's of the game). It's unfair to single it out considering how many games this gen do this...
I would argue that while it's fair to criticize the disconnect between Niko's character and his actions (I came here to escape my violent past...goes on a shooting spree for 2/3's of the game). It's unfair to single it out considering how many games this gen do this...
batteryLeakage
Neo Member
Its one of those strange titles that is mechanically better than its predecessors in every way but overall I'd say I like it a lot less. The way Euphoria was integrated into the physics was great. The driving was the high-water mark for the series. The cars felt weighty and handled incredibly.
But I didn't like it as much for whatever reason. GTA 4 was still a really good game, but I like Vice City the best. Something about the 80s aesthetic, the music, and the general vibe just makes it more appealing even if the gameplay mechanics aren't as good. Its kind of weird how important those non-gameplay elements are to the GTA series.
EDIT: Looking over this thread I see that a lot of people dislike the driving and car physics in this game. This makes no sense to me.
But I didn't like it as much for whatever reason. GTA 4 was still a really good game, but I like Vice City the best. Something about the 80s aesthetic, the music, and the general vibe just makes it more appealing even if the gameplay mechanics aren't as good. Its kind of weird how important those non-gameplay elements are to the GTA series.
EDIT: Looking over this thread I see that a lot of people dislike the driving and car physics in this game. This makes no sense to me.
breakfuss
Member
Hahaha, "faux" backlash? Um, HELLO? Why can't people sincerely just dislike this vacuous excuse for a game? I won't even be as gracious as others who attribute their disappointment to it not living up to the GTA-lineage. Simply on its own merits, I think it sucks. Never finished after 3 attempts. Don't care what its technical feats were at the time, a game must first be fun. Everything else comes afterward.
rosaceadude2112
Member
dancingphlower
Member
It's crap, especially compared to other open world games this generation. Horrible shooting mechanics, horrible driving, horrible characters and story...it's got it all.
SniperHunter
Banned
I loved the game, according to the unreliable Steam clock, I spent 70 hours on GTAIV and 30 hours on the two episodes.
Flachmatuch
Member
I have no idea because the phone calls annoyed me *way* too much. It may have been good, it may have been bad, but the time management aspect fucked up the entire game for me.
Also, imo it's basically impossible to recreate the Vice City experience again. The novelty of 3D open world sandboxes combined with the Scarface story, the music and the setting...once in a lifetime imo. My expectations are probably way too high.
Also, imo it's basically impossible to recreate the Vice City experience again. The novelty of 3D open world sandboxes combined with the Scarface story, the music and the setting...once in a lifetime imo. My expectations are probably way too high.
Took about a second to disable the phone.
Portugeezer
Member
Is good.
A good poster
Banned
Amazing game, great story, much improved gunplay and almost all the missions are fun. It has its own place in open-world games.
KernelPanic
Member
Was pretty good, lame lame ending though.
Tummi Gummi
Member
Exactly, I disliked GTA IV on release and disliked trying to replay it several times afterwards. We've gone through this same thing with Half Life 2 et al, when there were plenty of people criticizing the game's AI, driving sections, pacing and narrative on launch. There's no "faux-backlash" except in the press, where games are criticized for glaring issues that were never even mentioned in the original reviews.
CharmingCharlie
Member
Personally 5 years on I would say GTA 4 did an absolutely fantastic job of curing my GTA fanboyism. The game was just meh in so many ways and the PC version was just an insult to PC gamers.
Visualante2
Member
I played half of it when it came out, then came back to it last week to finish it.
I played on PC so my experience was marred by poor performance. I liked the components: the world, the driving... hell even some of the characters but none of it really meshed together. The choices were uninspired binary, the lack of check points was infuriating, the characters never seemed to sit in the world probably because of Euphoria being a laggy piece of shit. If it's in line with previous games (and I don't believe it is) then it's probably the enhanced visuals that makes it seem worse than it is.
Gay Tony went some way to improve the situation. But having just beat it I can't help but feel I'm not excited for GTA V. Maybe I'll pick it up and just drive around the world but I don't think I can stand any more of those same old missions. I mean they don't even have a camera for sitting in the driver's seat that bothered the hell out of me.
I finished San Andreas last year and enjoyed it to an extent, but I thought towards the end it really tailed off. The high point really was the first half. Vice City is still the king.
Maybe if I installed the mods, and I had a $3000 computer I would have enjoyed it more. Instead I think I'll just stick to being a tourist. Or maybe Saints Row 3
I played on PC so my experience was marred by poor performance. I liked the components: the world, the driving... hell even some of the characters but none of it really meshed together. The choices were uninspired binary, the lack of check points was infuriating, the characters never seemed to sit in the world probably because of Euphoria being a laggy piece of shit. If it's in line with previous games (and I don't believe it is) then it's probably the enhanced visuals that makes it seem worse than it is.
Gay Tony went some way to improve the situation. But having just beat it I can't help but feel I'm not excited for GTA V. Maybe I'll pick it up and just drive around the world but I don't think I can stand any more of those same old missions. I mean they don't even have a camera for sitting in the driver's seat that bothered the hell out of me.
I finished San Andreas last year and enjoyed it to an extent, but I thought towards the end it really tailed off. The high point really was the first half. Vice City is still the king.
Maybe if I installed the mods, and I had a $3000 computer I would have enjoyed it more. Instead I think I'll just stick to being a tourist. Or maybe Saints Row 3
The useful app Rockstar Game Social club kept running after you quit the game and was counted towards your total.
rosaceadude2112
Member
Someone get Houser a fucking editor.
StevePharma
Member
FOR.
If your game can immerse and intrigue me so much as to me taking a cab and just enjoying the traversal from one end of the map to the other in first person mode in the backseat. I put that on the background while I was doing other stuff so intrigued was I with that game. Imagine that stuff with Oculus Rift, I would eat that shit up.
R* is one of the few who can make a believable city "that feels lived in", a term that has come up recently with LTTP2
I read that story about the Burger Shot lunchbreak recently here which made me smile. You only see something like that in GTA or indie stuff like Dwarf Fortress. Except GTA looks beter than ASCII haha.
If your game can immerse and intrigue me so much as to me taking a cab and just enjoying the traversal from one end of the map to the other in first person mode in the backseat. I put that on the background while I was doing other stuff so intrigued was I with that game. Imagine that stuff with Oculus Rift, I would eat that shit up.
R* is one of the few who can make a believable city "that feels lived in", a term that has come up recently with LTTP2
I read that story about the Burger Shot lunchbreak recently here which made me smile. You only see something like that in GTA or indie stuff like Dwarf Fortress. Except GTA looks beter than ASCII haha.
Well, this is for sure. I'm praying to the based God that GTA 5 won't be fucked up on PC, but we all know it probably will be.
WrenchNinja
Member
I hate it.
Flachmatuch
Member
Oh, maybe I just fucked up then? Did disabling the phone allow you to take the relationship side mission things at your own pace or did it only mean you just didn't hear them?
Evolution_1ne
Banned
good open world game, shit GTA game, such a massive regress from San Andreas which was a real shame
Barry Burton
Member
After almost 5 years away from GTA IV, I just played TLaD and TBoGT the last couple of weeks.
Aside from it feeling really dated after playing Sleeping Dogs not too long ago, they were a mixed bag. I thought TLaD was basically a throwaway episode, with mostly uninteresting characters and missions. TBoGT was a lot better in that regard, and had a lot more variety to the missions as opposed to just driving to a location, having a shootout, chasing the last couple of guys from the shootout, and then escaping the cops.
As far as the original GTA IV goes, my one big gripe has always been the controls, especially controlling the vehicles. Any mission that involved a vehicle chase of any sort, there was always a pretty good chance that it would end in failure because of something stupid involving me getting stuck on something in the environment. Incredibly frustrating. And then in the 2 episodes, the motorcycles and helicopters are just dreadful to control, particularly in missions where you have to destroy whatever it is you're chasing. It's just not a whole lot of fun. Even just moving around on foot, I never really feel like I'm in control of my character -- too much of my time playing the game is spent fighting the controls.
Aside from it feeling really dated after playing Sleeping Dogs not too long ago, they were a mixed bag. I thought TLaD was basically a throwaway episode, with mostly uninteresting characters and missions. TBoGT was a lot better in that regard, and had a lot more variety to the missions as opposed to just driving to a location, having a shootout, chasing the last couple of guys from the shootout, and then escaping the cops.
As far as the original GTA IV goes, my one big gripe has always been the controls, especially controlling the vehicles. Any mission that involved a vehicle chase of any sort, there was always a pretty good chance that it would end in failure because of something stupid involving me getting stuck on something in the environment. Incredibly frustrating. And then in the 2 episodes, the motorcycles and helicopters are just dreadful to control, particularly in missions where you have to destroy whatever it is you're chasing. It's just not a whole lot of fun. Even just moving around on foot, I never really feel like I'm in control of my character -- too much of my time playing the game is spent fighting the controls.
After 40 or so hours I think, I had enough...
The last GTA game I was able to finish was Vice City, and that's probably only because GTAIII was so new and fresh to me, that I wanted more and I loved the 80's setting. Buggy game though... which I remember really resenting. I did basically no side missions.
San Andreas was a beautifully polished game, but by then I couldn't stomach these kinds of games for as long as required any more.
IV was technically impressive... the driving didn't bother me because I understood it (those are analog triggers for a reason... if you floor the peddle of your real car constantly you won't control it either), but I got real sick of that game long before the end.
The last GTA game I was able to finish was Vice City, and that's probably only because GTAIII was so new and fresh to me, that I wanted more and I loved the 80's setting. Buggy game though... which I remember really resenting. I did basically no side missions.
San Andreas was a beautifully polished game, but by then I couldn't stomach these kinds of games for as long as required any more.
IV was technically impressive... the driving didn't bother me because I understood it (those are analog triggers for a reason... if you floor the peddle of your real car constantly you won't control it either), but I got real sick of that game long before the end.
RockmanWhore
Member
It's my favourite game of this gen, but it has its share of flaws. I understand the backlash, but for me, it's qualities far outweight its flaws. The city is super lively, the city layout is great (3 different island that feel distinctive, great system of highway that allow you to go anywhere in the game pretty fast even though the game is huge), the gameplay is finally functionnal (great driving, nice shooting mechanics, etc...).
I have high hopes for GTA V, as most of the problem with IV have been solved in Red Dead Redemption and Max Payne 3.
I have high hopes for GTA V, as most of the problem with IV have been solved in Red Dead Redemption and Max Payne 3.
It is an amazing game.
I've replayed IV and its expansions recently for the first time since release as well, and it really does stand well to the test of time.
Also, I don't get why people complain so much about driving. It's one of the most satisfying driving experiences of this generation for me, and I hope Rockstar doesn't change it too much.
I've replayed IV and its expansions recently for the first time since release as well, and it really does stand well to the test of time.
Also, I don't get why people complain so much about driving. It's one of the most satisfying driving experiences of this generation for me, and I hope Rockstar doesn't change it too much.
Muffdraul
Member
Consensus? Fleh.
IV is my personal favorite GTA and one of my favorite games of all time, let alone this gen. I am thankful that I'm not one to use San Andreas' feature set as a checklist of what has to be in a GTA in order for it to be good. For my money, San Andreas and IV are two different flavors of GTA, both great for different reasons.
IV is my personal favorite GTA and one of my favorite games of all time, let alone this gen. I am thankful that I'm not one to use San Andreas' feature set as a checklist of what has to be in a GTA in order for it to be good. For my money, San Andreas and IV are two different flavors of GTA, both great for different reasons.
First game since Shenmue that genuinely felt like it was a living city at times. As an convincing environment, Liberty City is the best in the open-world genre by far. It is rivaled only by Red Dead Redemption in terms of how convincing it is.
Best shooting mechanics in the series, and probably the best you could hope for in a game like GTA that by-design cannot have FPS precision, but that still ultimately means an unsatisfying shooting model.
Less on-the-nose but still hilarious radio stations.
Quality cutscenes, writing, and acting that are above the usual videogame standards, though the editing left a lot to be desired and made scenes feel sluggish. Characters could be absolutely hilarious at times.
Insane attention to detail with the websites, storyline radio broadcasts, and television stations.
Euphoria physics extremely impressive, though gave the controls a very sluggish feel at times.
Overall mission design lacking, though a few standouts shine bright.
I actually enjoyed the social features, though I completely understand why someone else would not.
My overall impressions were that it was a fantastic immersive experience with some semi-serious flaws that could be easily ignored. It's my favourite GTA game, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have large room for improvement.
Best shooting mechanics in the series, and probably the best you could hope for in a game like GTA that by-design cannot have FPS precision, but that still ultimately means an unsatisfying shooting model.
Less on-the-nose but still hilarious radio stations.
Quality cutscenes, writing, and acting that are above the usual videogame standards, though the editing left a lot to be desired and made scenes feel sluggish. Characters could be absolutely hilarious at times.
Insane attention to detail with the websites, storyline radio broadcasts, and television stations.
Euphoria physics extremely impressive, though gave the controls a very sluggish feel at times.
Overall mission design lacking, though a few standouts shine bright.
I actually enjoyed the social features, though I completely understand why someone else would not.
My overall impressions were that it was a fantastic immersive experience with some semi-serious flaws that could be easily ignored. It's my favourite GTA game, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have large room for improvement.
Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew
Banned
8/10 at max. Realistically 7/10.
Same here, GTAIV probably has the best story in the series too.
.
"Now we must drink and forget the bloodshed"
Worst multiplayer ever. Auto-aim in multiplayer? Brilliant idea. Just 3 coop missions? Just brilliant. Even fucking up those 3 coop missions bug-wise? Brilliant. Not fixing a major bug (disconnecting all players) in one of those 3 coop missions on PS3 for over 3 fucking years? Did I say brilliant. Fuck you Rockstar.