GTA IV

So, in the aftermath, after the heady clouds of hype have dissipated, what did you think of this game? I personally find it to be a true masterpiece of gaming in all aspects and is an example of just how high the medium can truly go.

Also, related (prompted me to start thread):

It's a big pile of awesome. But I'm left wanting more.

Also I like that the picture has Logger beer. That's just attemtion to detail right there.

I haven't played it yet

My brother rented and returned it without even telling me! IT WAS IN MY HOUSE AND I DIDN'T KNOW!


GTAIII is my favorite so far (though finally being able to swim in San Andreas was pretty cool), I hope GTAIV can top it :D!

It is beautiful, undoubtedly one of the best games ever made. But as far as GTA's go, I still think nothing has come close to topping Vice City yet. Not sure anything ever will. The amount of hours I logged on that game is mad.

GTA IV is an amazing game, with some caveats.

Ending spoilers.

Spoiler:

That aside, I only have two more beefs. First: Money is near useless. Also there is silliness due to it; at one point Roman and Niko were lamenting their poverty, when I had over $20,000 in my pocket, easily enough to get them what they needed at that moment and for a good while afterwards. Anyway yes, aside from clothes (Which there aren't enough of) and weapons (Which you very rarely need to buy unless you get busted a lot), money is no good. I ended the game with an obscene amount of the stuff, and nothing to spend it on at all. There really needs to be much more you can spend money on.

Second: They took out a lot of fun stuff in the name of the more realistic angle. Fair enough, but mostly when I played the earlier GTAs, the over-the-top parts were the most fun. Base jumping, jetpacks, car surfing, all that sort of thing - there's just less scope for general silliness in IV, and I'd have preferred not to lose that.[u][b]

I think what it is is the next-gen console GTA's are going to follow the same pattern as the last one. We had GTIII, which is closest to GTIV. Liberty City, and stripped down. Next will hopefully be the next take on Vice City, a throwback GTA possibly with the business expansion thing that was missing from San Andreas, which was personally one of my favourite things in VC. I loved stealing the cars for that car shop you owned and stuff. And then after that we'll get the San Andreas, massive sandbox with the most ghetto shit you can do in it. At least, that'd be a cool take on it anyway.