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hamble
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| Posted: 28 April 2008 at 2:06pm | IP Logged
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Well I went and bought GTAIV for the PS3 at lunchtime today... at an INORDINATELY inflated, Middle East price of £60. The box said 'For sale in the Middle East only.' on the back, so it's probably been content edited to add more blood and violence, and less kissing...
Anyway, just had time to install it at lunchtime, but barely got to drive 2 feet before I had to get back to the office for a meeting. I'll report tomorrow on first impressions.
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Bartaggio
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| Posted: 28 April 2008 at 7:45pm | IP Logged
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Niice, I wish I had a Xbox 360/PS3 
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Gryfz
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| Posted: 28 April 2008 at 7:55pm | IP Logged
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Should get it myself tomorrow, will also give my first impressions if anyone wants them.
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[D]esert Punk
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| Posted: 28 April 2008 at 10:48pm | IP Logged
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yeah its awsome, i love the way u fly thro the windscreen when u crash the car... i wrapped myself round a lamp post intant death :D
gonna buy a real version in a week or so, so i can play it on live
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hamble
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| Posted: 29 April 2008 at 12:14pm | IP Logged
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Right, here you go, whether you wanted it or not! My impressions so far. It would be unfair of me to actually attempt to fully review GTAIV, having only played it for 6 or so hours last night, but here's a few thoughts:
(Just so you know – PS3 version, played on 40" 720p widescreen with proper 5.1 surround sound.)
Graphics: The graphic detail is amazing. To be honest, at first I wasn't sure about it because of the amount of blur and glow used in the distant draw (only the immediate surroundings are sharp, then it does an atmospheric blurring effect the further back you see), but having played for a while now, I've got used to it. Having taken a few train journeys and taxi rides and watched the surroundings, I like it and it does actually simulate real world atmosphere well. The day-night cycle though, while as excellent as ever, is now REALLY DARK at night! I had to turn the brightness right up on the game and up a bit on the TV to see properly. It adds atmosphere, but it seems a bit much! Particularly as it doesn't even help to hide in the bushes from the cops in the dark – they can still somehow see you. But it does give you a very good incentive not to smash your headlights, because then you really can't see dick in shadowy areas! The lighting in general though is excellent – tail lights reflect off the road and surrounding surfaces, shadows during the day are beautiful, neon lighting looks perfect and the reflection of the city lights on the river is stunning.
The characters and world are amazingly detailed and the whole city feels very lived in. In fact it all seems so real, that I feel really bad about breaking the law! I haven't got to the stage of just playing the game in and out-and-out actiony way yet, I'm still tiptoeing around as though it's the real world! Killing people is brutal, particularly with a shotgun through the windscreen, as blood just splatters all over the windows. Doing ANYTHING with a cop around still makes me nervous, and even crashing into other people makes me feel bad! I haven't quite got my head around the idea that it's still GTA at its heart – right now it's just too real.
And the detail... the detail... if you've been to New York, you'll recognise it in every corner of Liberty City, (and I've only seen two islands so far, except for a brief dash across the railway bridge to the main island, rapidly put to an end by five police cars and two 'copters). Weird people hang around everywhere and there's random street junk all over the place. Cars are dirty. Birds fly around. All the usual GTA stuff, but maxed out to a new NY level! Steam rises from the subway, and when it rains, road surfaces really look wet. Visually it all takes a bit of getting used to, but the scale of the whole thing really is impressive. There is still some pop-in of gfx and effects, but it's minimal and not really distracting.
All the vehicles are incredibly realistic in appearance this time round, and the lighting and reflections on them are superb. The way on-coming headlines shine through the misty gloom of the morning is spot on, and the graphic quality of vehicles from buses to trucks and bikes is perfect... But then you have to try and handle the things... and I still haven't got used to this. Not only has the whole control system changed for GTAIV, but the cars all handle totally differently than they used to. They run a strange line between realistic and GTA reality, slipping and spinning horribly at the use of the handbrake and generally being a bit hard to handle, but yet still retaining the magic GTA ability to flip over completely and still be drivable. I haven't actually had a vehicle explode on me yet though, and my preferred vehicle so far is a motorbike, because it seems more solid and easier to handle than the cars! Still, I've barely scratched the surface of this aspect, so hopefully I'll get used to it soon. And the controls...
Sound-wise, the voices and ambient effects are all excellent, with a constant buzz of chatter and noise around the city. The surround sound works very well, so you can pinpoint what's going on all around you. The voice acting of the main characters is superb and amusing. It's always good to hear a New Yorker say 'What the f**king f**k?' when you stare at them on a sidewalk. Very realistic! And I LOVE the police siren, which is even better than before and just screams 'New York' to me. I've met around 6 or 7 main characters so far, with the standout being 'Little Jacob', a Jamaican dude who is GENIUS. But you need the subtitles to understand half of it. There's billions of radio stations too, but so far I have to say I haven't found one I really like. I've heard a few excellent songs, but not one station has held my listening interest for more than a few minutes. Hopefully this will grow on me too, but I seem to remember the same from San Andreas – there was only 2 stations I actually listened to and the rest seemed all the same, or just downright annoying. But I find that with radio in real-life too, so maybe it's just me.
There's a bunch of side games to play too – so far I've had a go at bowling and pool, both of which are okay but probably not worth playing that often. There's also an in-world internet to check up on – I haven't opened it up much yet, but the spoof Ikea website is HILARIOUS, and also very true. You can also get drunk, which turns the world into a crazy spinning place, where you regularly fall down and driving becomes near impossible. Just like real life.
So... overall impressions so far are good, but with a slight sense of apprehension: controls are downright tricky to get used to, as is just getting my head around the scope and reality of the game. This is not a pick-me-up and have an arcadey blast in 5 minutes type game, like the previous GTA's were – it takes a bit of getting used to. But ultimately I'm sure it will be for the better. There's so much still yet to see and do, and I can't wait to get into the main island. I've barely covered the level of detail in this game here, or the many fine details (like being able to hail a cab at any time, or use a mobile phone), but it's hard to describe the achievement Rockstar have made with recreating a real world. You have to play it to understand it. My standout moment so far is just coming up on the waterfront one morning at dawn, with the sun dazzling off the water in an incredibly realistic way and the skyline of the city shining across the water. Astonishing stuff.
H.
Edited by hamble on 29 April 2008 at 12:16pm
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Lafey
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| Posted: 29 April 2008 at 12:27pm | IP Logged
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nice review... might actually get me a 360 now.
sophie says "ha"
dunno why exactly...
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Grizzler
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| Posted: 29 April 2008 at 3:29pm | IP Logged
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Excellent review, I always found the Chatter radio the funniest one, especially with all the random advertisement 
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huggett87
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| Posted: 29 April 2008 at 3:46pm | IP Logged
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Bought it this afternoon for my PS3, shall be giving it a bash this evening, can't wait! I had a brief 5 minutes before i had to go back to work, where i just ran around causing carnage, and also managed to go flying through my windscreen only to land on the bonnet of the car in front.
Anyone know how i can make it 1080p? My TV is a Sony Bravia 50" HD.
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hamble
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| Posted: 29 April 2008 at 4:13pm | IP Logged
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GTAIV doesn't support 1080p – it's 720p only, as most games are. While PS3 supports 1080p output, the reality is that running a game at that resolution and keeping the framerate up is a very difficult thing to do, especially in something as action-packed as GTAIV! Until developers get completely used to the PS3 hardware, don't expect many big action games to be 1080p, particularly if they are developed for multiple platforms. The only ones I've got that support it are Virtua Tennis and Ridge Racer 7, both of which don't have that much to think about other than the specific gaming constraints they have, so they cope fine. I read somewhere that MGS4 will be 1080p, but those guys work exclusively on PS3 and have years of experience developing only that platform, with direct knowledge and backing from Sony, so if anyone can, they can. I think Gran Turismo 5 might be 1080p too, not sure.
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TheGouldFish
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| Posted: 29 April 2008 at 11:25pm | IP Logged
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I would just like to say that one of the guys working on this game was SFH's good friend Paul Green a regular at the SFH Lan's.
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Gryfz
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| Posted: 30 April 2008 at 7:45am | IP Logged
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Best moment so far:
Needed a new car and went for some random one that the owner was sorting out (yes he actually had the bonnet and boot open and seemed to be working on it:P) Anyway, i got in and started to drive off, obviously he swore at me but just as i thought i was safe he launched himself at the drivers door and held on for dear life as i swerved around the place trying to shake him off!
It was a good moment;) i agree with the driving comment, cars do seem to slide all over the place when using the handbrake.
Edited by Gryfz on 30 April 2008 at 7:45am
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huggett87
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| Posted: 30 April 2008 at 10:19am | IP Logged
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hamble wrote:
GTAIV doesn't support 1080p – it's 720p only
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Shame! Ah well, that's that question answered, thanks.
Played the game for a little bit last night and went to a strip bar, got a lap dance, and i cracked up when after my lap dance, the stripper asks if i need a tissue. Brilliant!
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hamble
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| Posted: 30 April 2008 at 1:18pm | IP Logged
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Last night I went to a strip bar, but they didn't like me coming in armed to the teeth, and I couldn't work out how to drop weapons, so I shot a bunch of the bouncers and all the girls ran out screaming.
I also played GTAIV.
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huggett87
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| Posted: 30 April 2008 at 1:55pm | IP Logged
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Walking in to The Triangle, bouncers, girls, and a shotgun in the managers office. You do the rest!!
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huggett87
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| Posted: 06 May 2008 at 1:50pm | IP Logged
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Having played it loads over the weekend. I'm getting the same feeling i did after playing Assassins Creed. The graphics and visuals are immense, and leave you with your jaw dropped for a good while. But there is only so much Oooing and Aaaing you can do before it just becomes the norm.
Assasins Creed, very repetitive, and just plain boring after a while. Slightly different with GTA IV obviously, as you have so many other things you can do. But the problem i have, is that i can't see the massive step up from the previous game everyone was promised. Just seems to me as if it's exactly the same. Same sort of story lines and missions etc.
No way near finishing it, so i can't really complain on that front, as i hate games you can complete over a weekend. But i just can't see myself playing it for much longer if it carries on as it is. 
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hamble
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| Posted: 17 May 2008 at 4:08pm | IP Logged
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Right, I've finished the game now... did it pretty leisurely, as it's not a 'Must play all the time' type of game... which is pretty much the problem that Hugget touched on. Turns out, it's not the second coming. Not even close. Basically it's one step forward, five steps back and a few steps sideways. I'll do a quick review of final impressions on the different aspects of the game:
Graphics: This is clearly what Rockstar have spent most of their time on. The usual artistic Rockstar slant on reality, with superb real-world detail. Vehicles and people are good, lighting is particularly excellent. Water looks like water, and they've perfected the day / night cycle. Visuals are basically superb, but mired by disappointingly frequent pop-ins, but overall it's impressive what they achieved. Take a step forward Rockstar.
Sound: The radio stations grew on me, particularly Radio Brocker and Liberty Rock, and all the sound effects and voices are excellent. Unfortunately though, the engine sounds in the vehicles are all pitched far too loud, making it hard to hear the radio or other world effects. Also, you can't turn the radio off without turning the music volume down, which is stupid and not even in keeping with the previous games. Overall good sound, but all the GTA games have had that, so just a step sideways for this, plus a slap for getting the volumes wrong, Rockstar.
Vehicles: There doesn't seem to be as many vehicles as previous games, and what there is all seem rather similar. I've got used to the handling of the vehicles, and they're okay, but there's definitely an element of fun missing that was there before. I know they took planes and tanks out, fine. But why did they take bikes out? Why oh why did they take trucks with trailers out? That's got nothing to do with making the game more realistic, that's just a step back, and a stupid one at that. Also, why can I turn my headlights on full for no particularly useful reason, and yet not turn the engine off? Step sideways and backwards, Rockstar. Miss a turn for taking out bikes.
World: This is not New York city. It might be based heavily on it, but it was no-where near as faithful to the real city map as I expected it to be. I know they have to change elements to make it more 'fun', but I was surprised it wasn't more accurate, given the amount of hype about this. Central Park is too small – the MET is in the wrong place, there's no Guggenheim, no Flat Iron building, no Union Square, no Wall Street, and I've barely begun. It doesn't really matter I suppose, but I felt somewhat let down as I thought it would be a lot more accurate. I also wanted to be able to go into more buildings. Not every inside location has to exist just to be part of a game mission – it would be good to just be able to go into them and look around. And I CANNOT believe they didn't model the inside of Grand Central Station. Miss two turns and pay all the other players $10, Rockstar.
Gameplay / Combat: Less weapons that before and no melee weapons other than a baseball bat. There's also virtually no call for unarmed combat, so while it works well it's basically pointless. The auto-aim is better but can't be turned off for more of a challenge. The cover system works well 95% of the time, but it makes the whole thing far too easy. Hide, lock on, shoot. Repeat. Zzzzzz. Get used to it, because that's almost all you'll ever do. Enemies don't use grenades or flanking techniques, so don't worry about moving. There's also no stealth ability, which makes no sense given the potential for one in a world like this. Firing from a moving vehicle is okay, but again underused. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune has a much better and more fun combat system. Rockstar, take a sidestep into cover and then come out again for a whack in the face.
Gameplay / AI: The world got prettier but the enemies are as stupid as ever, and the new wanted level system is not great. The only way cops can deal with you is still: chase you with millions of cars to run you off the road, or shoot you in the street. Come on Rockstar, you can do better than that. And why is a cop opening fire on me for resisting arrest after some minor 1 star crime? Can't they chase on foot first and tackle me? Why are 6 police cars chasing me, when just 1 or 2 smart ones could do it? Why do police cars drive into the sea after me? Why don't they outflank me, use grenades, stay in cover longer – ANYTHING that would give them a modicum of intelligence? And how come I can see every cop on my radar when I'm wanted, giving me a boringly enormous advantage when trying to get away? Come on Rockstar, pull your socks up! Take two steps backwards for this, because it's been four games now and you still haven't figured this out.
Gameplay / Missions: Ah so. We come to the crunch. This is the single biggest problem of the game – they've invented a fantastic world, but they haven't pushed the boundaries of missions AT ALL. There's not a lot wrong with the story, besides it being somewhat predictable, but every mission is basically the same. Take a car. Deliver this. Shoot them. Repeat. Rather dull. Particularly the side missions, which really are all exactly the same. Apart from a few stand-outs, like the bank robbery or anything involving running through the streets with M4s, it's all the same. And don't give me that 'What did you expect? It's GTA.' crap – the missions were a lot more varied and interesting even back in GTA3, where you had to rock all over town to answer phones, plant car bombs, do drive-by shootings, etc. The potential for missions should be HUGE in a world like this, but half the world isn't even used. For example – there are huge boats everywhere. Not a single mission on any of them. There's a huge train network. Never had to use it – and when you do, you just sit and watch the world go by. Why can't I walk around in the train? This is just the same as GTAIII. There's Time Square for feck's sake, and there isn't a single mission based in it! What about the cranes... the airport... little Italy... China Town... none of them really used. And don't say 'It'll come with downloadable content' – that's a cop out and a crap view to take. Basically they got too involved in the graphics and the world and forgot to really create compelling missions that properly used it.
As to side games – there's one one arcade game which is crap, San Andreas had about three. Pool is tedious, darts is pathetically easy and bowling is... bowling. If Rockstar are going to model softball areas and mini golf areas, why can't we play them? If the world is supposed to be alive, why doesn't the rollercoaster and the big wheel work? I know they wanted to shift to a more realistic world and game, but the real world is actually quite fun too guys! Go to jail, Rockstar. Go directly to jail. Do not pass go, do not collect $200.
Other gripes: Okay, so there's only so much Rockstar can do or fix, especially as this is their first big next gen attempt, but why is it STILL that when I get in a car, 50% of the rest of the traffic also becomes that car? Why is it that I can still look in one direction and see a taxi and a banshee, look the other way and then look back and the cars have changed or vanished? That's not next gen, that's the same as GTAIII. Why is it that when I climb to the top of a roof and look down, virtually all the traffic has disappeared and there's hardly a soul to be seen? This is even more apparent in GTAIV than it was in earlier games. Roll a six to continue.
I'm afraid that Rockstar have not given us anything really new with GTAIV, they've just pushed the technology and graphics boundaries, but ultimately not pushed the creative boundaries at all. Don't get me wrong, the game is still excellent and has many, many redeeming features, but it's not the seismic shift it was hyped to be.
Maybe that will come with GTAV. Or maybe it will come when they employ me as creative director.
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Bartaggio
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| Posted: 17 May 2008 at 8:31pm | IP Logged
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Yea... most games these days focus on graphics too much... Thanks for the (long) review, but I will still buy it when it comes out on PC though xD
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|SFH| Sent From Hell :: Community Forums : Games Forum
Topic: GTAIV (
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