Overall: Grand Theft Auto IV may be the biggest game of the year. It follows up on the old games of the series and completely revolutionizes how the game is played. The GTA series has just kept building up on its' previous titles and making the game better every time. Looking at the stock figures of Take-Two Interactive show just how many people are buying this game. You will not be dissapointed by this new installment in the GTA series. Gameplay: The gameplay has changed in such a good way that you would need to play the game to fully understand how good this game is. The new auto-aim system lets you easily lock onto targets and manually move the reticule over anywhere on the target's body. You can take out an enemy with a one-shot headshot or slow the person down by shooting their legs, take out the person's gun with a shot to the arm, or whatever else you would want to shoot. The cover system allows you to snap to the nearest piece of cover and blindfire, aim and shoot, or just hide from the enemy. Graphics: The new graphics engine in this game is worlds apart from any previous GTA game. Liberty City is extremely lifelike in the way that you can interact with civilians on the streets and the damage taken by cars is very realistic. The graphics may not be the best in that the smallest details are not there, I would be safe to say that Call of Duty 4 has better overall graphics. Rockstar has done a great job with the new graphics and has taken the GTA series to new heights.
Overall: The newest addition to the best game series EVER, doesn't disapoint me. Without a dought its the best game of the year already. Rockstar has completely outdone themselves AGAIN. I simply can't stop playing it, and with the new online modes I don't think I'll stop anytime soon. Its been a long wait but I feel that i got my 90 dollars worth of fun. So for anyone thinking about getting this game, I'll be the first to say stop thinking and get it. You will not be disapointed.
Overall: Grand Theft Auto means different things to different people. It really does a great job of combining the most popular forms of gaming into one, huge package. Grand Theft Auto IV has expounded on that formula in a way that makes the game feel somewhat familiar but still fresh enough to be worth the play through and then some. All in all, GTA IV has done what some didn't think it could: It is the game that Rockstar swore was worth the wait. Gameplay: The gameplay of GTA has to be broken down into it's component parts. The two core gameplay elements are Single Player and Multiplayer. Each version has several of the same gameplay elements in common.
Single Player
The single player mode in GTA brings back the familiar gameplay that fans of the series will remember fondly. The different modes include driving, stealth/tactical movement, action/plaftorming, and adventure gaming. I'm going to call it adventure because of the story... It could almost be Role Playing, but I'm not willing to call it that just yet.
In single player, the controls are quite good; rarely did I feel like movement was an issue that I didn't put myself into (cars getting wedged in the environment is my fault). The camera took a bit to get used to but that was because I haven't played this angle in a while. Once I got used to it, it was almost second nature. The controls for using weapons were likewise easy to get used to. Switching from fists to a shotgun with an enemy in your face is as easy as tappin' the control pad.
Driving the vehicles in the game were basically just the way I remember my recenty jaunt in the GTA Universe, San Andreas. The vehicles do control differently. Try to make a turn with the SUV at the same speed as the sports car and see if you don't end up rolling it... There were a ton of different options in the vehicle arena as well... My current favorite is the chopper (motorcycle not helo) although plowin' into someone with a dumptruck was a blast!
The story is what this game thrives on. It is involving and gives you something to think about with each character. I have heard that late in the game that this character development/attachment is not as strong as early in the game and that may be so. However, at this stage in the game, I see nothing wrong with the way it is running.
Combat is pretty straight forward... Punch, Kick, combo, Defend. That's about it, but it works pretty well. Once you get the hang of it, anyway. It does take awhile and alot of times you may find yourself whippin' out a gun to deal with an @!%#*! whippin' you're receiving. And to me, that's an okay answer too...
All in all, Single Player rocks...
Multiplayer
Multiplayer in this game is not, I REPEAT, NOT CALL OF DUTY 4. That being said, it's a great experience. I think that multiplayer will calm down once people stop trying to play it like CoD4. Play it like you play the game, folks, and you'll have a blast. It is wide open and completely exciting. With the exception of the Adventure/Story trappings, all the things I said about the single player apply to the multiplayer.
Play it, and give it a chance... Graphics: Visually this game is not the hottest piece of @!%#*! on the block. However it is the most exposive piece of art in the GTA series. The detail on everything is incredible. There are some shared textures and a little pop-in from time to time, but by and large, this is still one of the slickest looking games on any system.
One of the things I was really impressed by was just driving down the road. Especially at full speed. Everything looks so great that I believe they really tried to immerse you in everything you did. Excellent graphics. Sound: The audio has always been a strong point of the GTA series and this game is no slouch. While I have a hard time finding a music station that I can stay with, the talk radio sections are great. I also love the voice acting in this game. I hated the character Vlad, but I loved the voice acting for him.
Rarely have I thought that the voice acting in a game was on par with anything nearing movie quality but this one definitely is. I have nothing but gushing things to say about the audio in this game... Suggestions: What can I say... I think this is hands down the best game of the year. PERIOD.
Overall: Rockstar has done it again, in releasing Grand Theft Auto IV. With all the traditional GTA concepts in place, this game offers a fresh new experience. Pretty much everything about this game makes you want more. Rockstar definitely made a GTA with IV that every serious gamer needs on their shelf. From the cinema-like cutscenes, the endless driving and exploring, to picking up that prostitute and heading to a back alley, it's all great. There character development is great and the plot falls together smoothly. This is a must have for anyone, even if you didn't like the previous GTA games, this one is very different. Gameplay: GTA offers familiar gameplay to previous games. Of course, there is the driving, this is where some of the most fun in the game is had. It never gets dull when you hop in any vehicle on the road via jacking it from whoever owns it and just driving; driving over pedestrians, driving over hookers, driving over cops. Of course, as many will know, you would build up your wanted level, which is where the serious fun starts. Trying to escape dozens of cop cars after you and helicopters and more is always fun. Besides the driving to cause some chaos, you can get into fights. Personally, I feel as if the fist fights isn't a strong point in the game, they take a bit to get used too but once you do, it can be fun. However, what I like more is pulling out a weapon of choice and just opening fire on someone. The shooting is familiar to the other GTA games, with the typical targeting which locks onto someone. The shootouts in this game are a lot of fun, I think, and there's nothing better then wasting some drug dealers in the middle of their dealings. Of course, Rockstar has introduced the online gameplay in GTA IV. The online modes offers players hours and hours of extra fun into their GTA IV experience. Cops N Crooks for example puts a team of cops against a team of crooks in two variations of the game mode, All for One which the cops need to kill the Crooks boss before he reaches the extraction point or the One for All option in which the cops need to kill all of the Crooks. The Mafiya gametypes are good too in which you need to follow instructions and complete their objectives before others do. Then of course you have your typical deathmatch and race modes. Turf War is a familiar game mode, where you need to hold designated areas for a certain amount of time. Of course, for those of you who don't like to compete in game modes there is Free Mode, where the city is open and you can do whatever you want, with no objectives. Of course, if you don't want to go ahead with missions or other jobs, you can roam around the city and bowl, play darts, or shoot pool, they even have an arcade game throughout the city, called Qubed. If mini-games don't appeal to you, go to a strip club, I'm sure someone will enjoy that place. You can browse the net, watch TV, there is plenty to do in this game. GTA IV offers some of the best gameplay to date for this generation of consoles.
Graphics: The visuals in this game are great, I think. The scenery while your driving around Liberty City is absolutely phenomenal. There is a lot of detail that went into the design of the city and I think that can be easily seen. The character models in this game are good too, and better than they had previously been for a GTA game. Many cutscenes in this game are great, cinema like even. The opening scene in the game feels much like the opening of a movie, and as the game progresses it still feels that way. The graphics for GTA IV really set the stage for the depth that this game has to offer.
Sound: Audio in GTA IV is great. The voice acting is some of the best voice acting I've seen in a game for a while now, in my opinion, there is nothing bad about it. The sound fits right in with the stellar visuals. The sounds while your driving of vehicles, sounds of the city, and voices of people in the streets. I think it all blends together nicely with the other games features to make this a great experience. The sounds of people screaming as you run them down with your vehicle will never be dull. Of course the radio while driving is still in place. While there are some good stations, there are a few I find to be rather annoying, but maybe that is just me. I happen to like the talk show bits on the radio, definitely funny stuff.
Suggestions: Suggestions.. There are of course a few flaws within the game, but nothing serious that really takes away from the experience of playing through it. One thing I would suggest is work on the fighting. I mean, sure it's alright and all but it's nothing fantastic and could be a lot better. It does indeed take some getting used too but it should be more, fluent.
Other than the combat, I would say don't change much else about the game. Rockstar, you've released a great title in IV and you should keep on the track that your moving in with these games.
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