Grand Theft Auto IV Reviews

• A Worthy Member of the GTA Series

  
  By A3V6Z4RCDGRC44 on 2008-04-30
  I adore the GTA series and have been looking forward to the release of GTA IV for a *long* time. The developers know that a very high bar would be set for this one, and you can see the time and effort they poured into every last detail from the very first moment of the opening credits. It is more like a movie than a game. This "immersive movie" quality stays with you through every moment of gameplay.
  
  You walk down the street and the shadows dapple through the overhead bridge grid. Dusk begins to fall and the sky gets that orange golden glow, the shadows lessen.
  
  Voices show the same attention to detail. You've got a variety of languages thrown in, plus accents galore. There's the Long Island drawl, the Rastafarian's lilt, and of course the hard edge of eastern Europe.
  
  Your main character is Nico, fresh off the boat and coming in to Liberty City (i.e. New York City) to see his cousin Roman. They are eastern European and rather poor. This of course is going to change soon, as Nico moves his way up in the world.
  
  My boyfriend's from New York City so we were amused at how they kept the landscapes identical but renamed Brooklyn to Broker, Manhattan to Algonquin and so on. There was one time we were walking down the streets and had lost track of where we were. "Looks like the Bronx" he commented off-handedly. We zoomed out. Sure enough!
  
  I do have to say that the people on the streets of this game swear far more than the average people we pass in the real NYC though!
  
  Which brings up an important point. GTA IV went straight for the "Mature" rating with this one. This is clearly meant for mature gamers ages 17 and over. There are strip clubs. There are violent battles. There is more swearing than pretty much any other game out there. Adults love this as they love the Sopranos and Scarface - but any parent getting this for a minor should know what they're getting into.
  
  But that being said, as a game for adults, this is *awesome*. There are just so many little touches that shine. You can play bowling games with your date. You can make choices between alternate choices which affect how people feel about you. When you get near a railing, you can side jump over it, smoothly. You carry a cell phone and gather contacts for use. You can visit internet cafes. You have a variety of radio stations to listen to, plus TV stations to watch.
  
  This is easily a game you can play for hundreds of hours - then go back and start over again and get another new experience by making different choices.
  
  I can't get over how gorgeous the game is, and how smoothly it plays. You grab a knife from an enemy and use it to take him down. You drive along the Hudson and watch the lights of the carnival shine. You listen to your favorite songs on the radio while the neon lights of the city drift by. You really begin to relate to the characters, to understand their personalities, to connect with them. It makes the choices you make have meaning and emotion.
  
  As much as I adore many other games - Halo, Mass Effect, etc. - I really think this is the first game that makes you feel that you are in a movie. The graphics draw you in. The voices are amazingly well done and varied. The plot draws you in, having you wonder who to trust, having you wonder what is going on with the characters.
  
  Highly recommended. I'm doing a full walkthrough for the game so feel free to ask any questions you wish!
  
  I want to add a note - some players are having trouble with understanding the dialogue. I watch a ton of international films so I didn't have any issues. However, if some of the language is too accented for you, there is a subtitles option. Just turn that on and you'll always know what they are saying.
  
  

• Adds Little to the Franchise

  
  By ALT8OCGC2LVQ9 on 2008-05-06
  Short Review
  
  Gameplay 6/10 - in essence a glorified GTA III with almost all the same features, some new minigames and side quests, but realism kills a lot of the fun
  
  City 9/10 - incredibly well thought out and realistic city, massive, detailed, has everything that a metropolitan city should have
  
  Vehicles 4/10 - very unimaginative, horrendous driving capability, many cars will roll on turns and will skid on dry pavement, only two special vehicles (helicopter and speedboat)
  
  Controls 5/10 - sloppy, unintuitive, running and walking are nearly useless, weapon cycling is difficult in a firefight
  
  Graphics 6/10 - great visuals on the city, very realistic / cars and other moving object look ok / people and clothes look slightly better than old xbox games rough facial features
  
  Story 8/10 - very good story, considerably different from previous games, a lot of thought put in here
  
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  Critical Review
  
  Grand Theft Auto IV is a game that was years in the making. However for such a highly touted title as this I really expected more. GTA IV follows the story of an eastern European immigrant to Liberty City named Nico Bellic. He and his cousin Roman start off with small time crime and then Nico moves to more serious stuff such as grand theft auto, arson and murder. All the previous mainstays from the original GTA III are present here, massive city, immersive story, a good amount of weapons and tons of cars.
  
  Gameplay 6/10
  There is not a whole lot different in GTA IV from previous GTA games in essential terms. You can jump in any car, truck, motorcycle or van and steal it. You can: run over anyone you want, run into anything, beat up anyone and do all of these things with little virtual and no real consequences (well most of the time). However there are a considerable amount of minigames within GTA IV. You can go to cabaret shows, play darts, play pool, go to strip clubs, go bowling and even use the internet in cafes.
  
  Also you are given a cell phone which helps you keep track of your contacts, text messages and allows you to call people up to get jobs or just to hangout. The phone also serves as the cheat interface. This is one of my favorite features. Instead of having to drive to the person's house or wondering if you were supposed to talk to them, you can just call them up on speed dial. They will also occasionally call you to see if you'd like to do things. It is akin to The Sims ® in this respect, because you'll get a thumbs up or down based on how the date or whatever went. Also, you are able to meet women whether on the internet or through other friends.
  
  There are a ton of missions. From what I can tell you just work your way up through small mobs up to larger ones. This is what happened verbatim in the previous GTA games. There is more story here though and I'll get into that in the story section.
  
  Overall the gameplay I felt was good, but nothing new or revolutionary. I've played other games with minigames such as these and I played GTA III when it first came out. The sad thing is that Rockstar managed to set the bar so high with GTA III that it would be difficult to top it. I was expecting this really over the top GTA IV that would just have so much stuff to do that I wouldn't be able to quit playing. Instead they ended up on the other side. In my opinion the gameplay is bare bones and in terms of pure fun it really falls short. Another thing that is very apparent after playing for a few hours is they wanted to create as realistic of a game as possible. In the process they made the game so realistic it has many of things that suck about real life. When I play games, I want to escape
  
  City 9/10
  I must applaud the attention to detail and realism the game designers took to create Liberty City. From the slums to the high rises, you really feel like you're in a metropolis. Graffiti, misshapen fences, partially lit up buildings at night, dirty old carnivals, trash and variety of buildings are just some of things that add to the masterpiece of the city. You'll actually run into traffic on the tollway bridge. People will talk to you as you pass them by. There are four areas and you are only able to get to the other parts once you have completed certain missions. It is referred to as a terrorist threat in the game.
  
  I think what makes the game truly realistic is the minigames and side quests or activities. The ability to get on the internet in a web cafe and go to something like 40 websites is astounding. The time to create the content for this must have taken weeks to come up with. Even the police vehicles have a database where you can look up people and the most wanted in the city. In terms of realism, this city is by far the best recreation of a city and by extension the closest thing to virtual reality. The only problem I have is that you can't get to the other parts of the city until later in the game (without immediately becoming public enemy no. 1).
  
  Cars / Vehicles 4/10
  
  I'm sure plenty of people will have a problem with my take on this, but I really feel this is a weak point in the game. Granted there are tons of vehicles-something like 200 in total. My problem is not with the variety, it is purely with the controls and drive of almost all of the cars in particular. It seems as if all but 10% of them are is severe disrepair or are in need of maintenance. I've never seen so many sloppy turning vehicles in a videogame. There is so much body roll in many of the vehicles that you can go around a reasonably normal curve and easily flip a sedan. This harkens back to the realism.
  
  Unfortunately, they developers based few of these on actual physics and attempted to show that normal cars can't take a turn at 75 mph. They can however take them at 45 mph without flipping. Oh and yeah there was an invention a couple of decades ago called ABS. I had some rather high end cars skidding for half a block. If you don't believe me try it for yourself in the game and you'll find it to be true. My qualm with the cars is directly related to the fact that they are obvious replicas of some very common cars. If the cars resemble the real thing, they should drive like the real thing.
  
  The engine sounds are ok. The V8 engines don't sound bad, but the 6 cylinders have very little variance between cars. The cars also seem very slow, even if they aren't. The Comet and Turismo are a couple of the top end cars which very closely resemble some German and Italian carmakers. The only difference is acceleration can be felt between a car and a dump truck. You can always go back to the argument that they are just artificial and this is a moot point. I don't remember how the car's drove in previous GTA games, but I know they were somewhat easier to drive and much faster. It makes it considerably more difficult to run from the cops when you have a dog of a car that has a high chance of rollover, can't turn properly at over 15 mph and will slide on DRY pavement.
  
  By far the worst part is that there are only a few special vehicles (as far as I know). There is a speed boat and the Annihilator - some sort of military helicopter. The only thing I can think of here is marketing. Rockstar planned on selling better vehicles (and weapons) on Xbox Live in the near future. It is brilliant, but I'm one of those crazy people that think for $60 you should get a good amount of extras built-in.
  
  Controls 5/10
  I'm not really sure what they were going for here. Controls are clumsy, slow and hardly intuitive. The jump button is X? Your character actually leans when you turn while walking or running. I don't know many people that do this. The part I like the least is that Niko does everything so incredibly slow. He walks as if someone laced his drink with Ketamine. Running is not mush faster. Going along with that, if you happen to get thrown off your bike or out of your car while chasing someone you lose at least 10 seconds getting back into the car. In essence there is absolutely no point to walking if you don't have to. Controls for the cars are not bad. The triggers are the accelerator and the brake.
  
  Weapons control is ok. You can lock on to people with guns, but you also have to lock on to people with a grenade. How exactly does a grenade lock on? It takes a great deal of time to cycle through weapons if you have more than two. The helicopter is a joke. To speed up you hold the trigger and you'll simultaneously raise altitude while moving forward. You need to push the nose down to get it to go faster. This is all well and good until you try to land it. It is nearly impossible to land as you can't get the thing to stay in one position for any length of time. I almost always trash the blades. There is hardly anything different from previous GTA games. Controls are mediocre at best.
  
  Graphics 6/10
  The city graphics are really breathtaking. They are very detailed and quite well done. Everything looks very crisp and believable. The water especially has amazing reflective qualities. The cars look decent for the current gaming generation. There was obviously a good amount of time spent here. More importantly it is hard to fault the designers on the visuals of the vehicles because there are just so many of them. I was considerably impressed with the movement of the vehicles on the suspension.
  
  Character detail is average at best, maybe even poor. Even the main character has a very unrealistic graphic quality to it. The faces remind me of Halo 2 from the original xbox which was about four years back. The clothes look really lame. It appears as if the people are wearing construction paper. Everything in general on the people leaves a lot to be desired. They look polygonal and don't have much human quality. Despite this, the animation as always is very smooth and realistic, which I don't understand. If you are going to spend that much time on the animation mapping, why not spend more time on the people's faces.
  
  Story 8/10
  I was pretty impressed with the story from GTA IV. It has the makings of a good criminal story. Niko-a former Russian (or eastern European) sailor with an infamous past comes to Liberty city to get a new start and for revenge. Without giving away too much information: Niko plays the role of saboteur, hitman, hired gun, lackey, car theft extraordinaire and just all around criminal. The story follows him and his cousin Roman who owns at cab service. Along the way you'll meet new people who will have various "jobs" to do and some of the story will overlap with other parts of the game.
  
  Each mission has a rather lengthy movie attached to it; probably about five minutes on average. This was the only downside I could find to the story. Other than that, the movies are very informative and give you an insight into the character's personalities and life. The writing was very well done and a lot of the movies had hilarious jokes in them. I will admit I skipped a few however.
  
  Conclusion
  Am I happy with my purchase with Grand Theft Auto IV? No, but I was kind of expecting this. With the current trend in games moving towards ultra realism Rockstar was following suit. They are catering to an older crowd which demands more of a top notch entertainment experience instead of swing a remote at a TV. However, I'm a pure gamer and to me any of the previous GTA games is better in relation to exhilaration, which I just don't get with GTA IV. The first day I played the game I became bored very quickly after realizing there just wasn't much to do if you don't play the mission.
  Unfortunately there seems to be a divide between these ultra realistic games and one that are purely for fun. GTA San Andreas I felt had a great mixture of both. Sure you can still steal any car, run over people, shoot people, beat them up, but the game just falls flat on its face when it comes to heritage. Where are the insane vehicles, where is the innovation? This game is not revolutionary in any way in my opinion. In fact, when you put this up against current games on this system it is quite inferior in most ways except for playing time. But if you're bored while you're playing who cares how long the game is? Grand Theft Auto III was. It is an ok game, plain and simple and I'd give it a 6 out of 10 overall.
  
  
  
  

• If you can make it here you can make it anywhere.

  
  By A3AAK33K3BUUTM on 2008-05-17
  Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R351SHCAC8PICX GTA 4's story centers around a sarcastic Eastern European immigrant come to America to get a fresh start away from the corruption and violence of his home country. Whoops. Critics have often harangued the violence and the criminal aspect of GTA, but what flies over their heads is that satire is the premise of the series and always has been. And frankly, the violence here pales in comparison to Gears Of War or Condemned 2: Bloodshot just to name two. GTA's immense popularity is not because of the degeneration of our society (we've got reality television for that), it's because the series is constantly innovating and offering fun spot-on gameplay, brilliant humor, and is a game made by and for an adult audience. So if your child is playing this game, blame yourself for giving your child the means to get it or for not paying attention to what they are doing with their time, not Rockstar for making top-of-the-line entertainment meant for adults (see the markings on the box?).
  
  GTA 4 seperates itself from the past iterations in several ways. First, the arcade feel is largely gone. While the controls are vintage GTA, the overall feel has changed. In previous games, I never got into the story because I would get sidetracked rampaging with katanas and molotov cocktails or hunting for a tank. Now a lot of the distractions like crazy weapons and vehicles and building up your character stats are gone and the story behind the madness is a truly engaging one for the first time. The city is more alive than ever and there is more to do. The characters you meet are all brilliant and interacting with them is seriously fun. Take your girl out to a bar and watch her serious issues surface as she stumbles around slurring curses about "that fu#*ing whore" she thought you were checking out. Or challenge your buddies to bowling, pool, or a friendly game of darts. You ca even head to the comedy club to check out actual routines from Ricky Gervais or Katt Williams. The dialogue during these bonding activities is varied and reveals much about your Liberty City aquaintances, many of whom have special services to offer you should you become close. The entire game is so well-written that one often gets the impression that they are playing a Tarantino flick. Oh yeah, it's that good. The multiplayer aspect is also fun and varied allowing you to battle stangers for Liberty City dominance or just drive around with your friends wreaking havoc. Taking into account the amazing single-player game this really wasn't necessary, but the fact that it is even included just makes this game that much more awesome.
  
  Now all of that is well and good, but what makes GTA 4 the second work I'm upgrading from mere video game status to an official work of interactive fiction (the first was Mass Effect) is the sheer depth of the world in which you exist. So far I have spent multiple hours just surfing the game's internet. That's right, there is a virtual worldwide web in-game complete with dating sites, a Craig's List parody, advertisements, personal blogs complete with flame wars, email, and much more. Hell, you can even download custom ringtones and themes for your cell phone! That is nuts. Do you know how ridiculous it feels to spend that amount of time in a video game surfing a fake internet? There are also several satirical television shows you can watch in your apartment (go Republican Space Rangers!), and naturally there's the radio; the sweet, sweet, sounds of GTA radio stations. There's a rock station featuring Iggy freakin' Pop as the foul-mouthed DJ, classic hip-hop and R&B, smooth jazz, techno, LCHC (Liberty City HardCore), and even an all Bob Marley station just to name a few. Then there's the thinly-veiled talk radio parody station Weazel News featuring the funniest Rush Limbaugh impersonator you're ever likely to hear. You even hear news reports about incidents you were personally involved in as you drive. This game is DEEP.
  
  Honestly, if you like video games or digital entertainment of any kind then this as good as it gets. And if you don't like those things, do your best to hide your ignorance and don't go spouting off about things you don't know anything about. GTA 4 is a brilliant satire full of jabs (and a few haymakers) at American politics and any violence is incidental in comparison to the brilliantly crafted story and interactivity of the in-game world that Rockstar has created. I'll say it again: this is not just a video game, this is interactive fiction on par with some of the great works of modern storytelling. If you own a video game system and you think you can handle some naughty language without getting all hysterical, buy it. It's that simple.
  
  
  
  

• open-world fans.. our time has come!

  
  By A2OR09N5HH20PY on 2008-04-30
  9.25/10
  
  When Grand Theft Auto III came out(the reason i got a PS2 way back in 2001), i knew something great was in the mix. it was a sign of change in the gaming industry. it showed us there could be more to games than levels, more than high scores, and more than even a good story. it showed us a virtual world you could become totally engulfed in(outside of RPG's). a world where you could go anywhere and do anything(although that was just mostly stealing cars and shooting pedestrians in those days). over the years they've made some serious improvements, from the bikes and helicopters of vice city, to the jets and ability to duck and roll/ manually aim in san andreas(finally!) and now their first venture onto this generation has finally arrived, and its a great day in the gaming world
  
  the series continues to awe with this installment, even in this day and age in video games. Graphically speaking, it is simply beautiful. its amazing how much attention went into every aspect of this world. theres cracks and pot holes ranging in depth in the road, and varying curb heights. vehicle damage is very impressive, from dents and scratches to a hole for each bullet that hits. the lighting system is amazing, with day/night cycles and a rotating sun throughout the day. naturally the game doesnt have the detail of say Call of Duty 4, but you could fit like 50 Call of Duty 4 maps in this city! its that huge. you have to take the size of a game into consideration when rating the graphics, thats been a given for how long now?? just to clear things up for the clowns complaining the graphics.
  
  when you walk out the door theres so much to be done you might want to keep a checklist for the days. although what you actually choose to do is up to you. causing chaos is always an option. you can go bowling, play pool, play darts, get drunk, go to a srip club, get some food, check out the in game internet, and tons more. you could always just surf the channels on your TV.
  
  your cell phone is a pivotal part of the game. you can call friends and girlfriends for various activities(some are listed above), and if you neglect them for long enough, they'll call you. you can also call potential employers for jobs.
  
  theres the standard "go kill this guy" and "go get this" but they have been very entertaining anyway so far. theres much more depth to many missions, including stealth. one example is having to steal a cop car, then proceed to pull over different shipping trucks until you find the one full of TV's.
  
  gameplay is vastly improved. the cover system is great, allowing you to quickly roll and protect yourself behind random cars, trash cans, and basically anything else thats big enough.
  
  the game has a much more realistic feel than previous entries. you'll find yourself making sure theres no cops around before committing crimes. the star system is still here, but this time your wanted level is radius based, and if you can get far enough away from all cops, or at leased out of sight, your wanted level will go down. its honestly genius. i narrowly escaped one by jumping the guard rail and running down a steep hill, only to see another driving my way in the distance. quickly ducking into the alley behind a dumpster, i watched him roll by and waited for my stars to begin to fade. some cars are locked and you'll need to break a window to get in and proceed to hotwire it.
  
  -for all you parents out there, the content is more mature than previous entries. you get a pretty good look at the in-car action with the street workers.. hehe.. and "coarse" language is used every couple minutes(at leased). the violence and blood looks more realistic now too. thats usually not what you guys worry about so much though.
  
  my only real complaints are the hand to hand combat(its the most solid of the series but San Andreas seemed to have more move depth), and the fact that you cant go into more buildings. dont get me wrong, theres TONS of places to go and things to do, but i was hoping for even more. there have been waaay too many things that made San Andreas great and were simply missing here. no car customization, less clothes, less weapons, no property to buy, and more.. in some ways its one step forward and two steps back.
  
  i wont elaborate on the story much, as its already been done heavily. basically your an illegal immigrant from eastern europe. your cousin convinced you to come to America with his stories of mansions and sports cars. when you arrive things arent quite as described. you start in the darkest, grittiest part of Liberty City. a pocket full of change and a head full or dreams. what happens next is in your hands..
  
  

• Game Of The Year

  
  By A3JTS3HLJ1U662 on 2008-04-29
  This game had a lot of hype to live up to, but it has not only lived up to those expectations, it has greatly surpassed them. This game has set the bar for the gaming industry so much higher. One of the most common things you hear about the game is the size of the city. It is smaller then San Andreas, but it feels twice as big. The city is so detailed that you are always finding something new. Every street, building, and person is different. The new social life aspect that you would expect to find in games like The Sims is amazing. I am sure many hardcore gamers will overlook this aspect and just stick with the missions, but this feature adds hours & hours of game play. I hear the number 100 hours of game play tossed around, but I am sure it can easily get more use than that. That is the wonderful thing about the GTA series, the ability to sidetrack from the main missions, but still feel as if you are in the story. There is a reason this game has gotten 10 out of 10's on almost every game review website, because to date, this is easily the best game title out there. Others try to compare it to games like Halo and Metal Gear Solid, but fact of the matter is that the GTA series is in a league of it's own! This isn't to say it is bug free though. The game can suffer awkward camera angles, visible texture loading, and controls that have a fairly steep learning curve (can be changed to classic). With that in mind though, all of the other great things make up for it, still surpassing every other game out there. I have to give Grand Theft Auto 4 a 5 out of 5.
  
  Note: I have yet to complete the game entirely (17%) and have only been playing for a day, but this is my review of it so far.
  
  
• dont believe the hype
  By A25AF2BI2P5B14 on 2008-05-02
  There is nothing revolutionary or even particularly well-done about GTA 4. The gameplay and mechanics are pretty much the same as ever (which is to say not that great), the story is like a straight-to-video parody of every bad gangster film I've ever seen, and the graphics, despite the 10 from ign, are far from top of the line and in no way do they deserve that score. I can think of dozens of games that are more fun, have better stories, and better graphics than gta 4. Unfortuneately, these games dont have the benefit of Rockstar's multi-million dollar hype machine.
  
  
• Major, major letdown
  By A2VKWYSRYD2BIS on 2008-05-02
  For every really cool thing about GTA IV, there's something that really stands out as crappy. The map system is dysfuctional at best, with the game choosing to not show you many locations at times(such as your house, which is the only place you can save the game), not allowing you to cancel a mission you have already started, and having atrocious motorcycle driving physics. These may sound like nitpicks, but they seriously impact the player's game experience when one has to spend 45 minutes redoing the same damn mission over and over because if you touch a car while on a bike you fly off and lose the mission. Missions where you have to face 20 or 30 guys with the same weapons as you and no support are also fun (not). This is the first GTA game I have ever owned, and at this point (25% missions completed) I am not at all impressed. Sure, it HAS everything, but it doesn't do anything well. Driving is better done by Forza and Gran Turismo, shooting is better done by Halo and Call of Duty, the whole open-world-with-one-character thing is done better by Crackdown. Graphics are subpar to virtually every other major 360 game, although they are not bad.
  Why is this game so highly rated? "It's Grand Theft Auto . . . FOUR!!!" so it has to be good. "It has TWENTY radio stations and interactive in-game computers and TV stations!!!" If that sort of thing is what you value in a game, then I encourage you to get this game.
  If you like playability without frustration, get any of the other genre games I listed above.
  Sorry, GTA fans, but do not add me to your ranks.
  
  
• Can I give it 6 out of 5 stars?
  By A3QB9SZUTTYGKX on 2008-04-29
  First off, if you're reading these reviews, trying to decide whether to get this game, stop reading now and BUY IT!! You will NOT be disappointed.
  
  FIRST IMPRESSION
  This must be one of the first reviews because I must be one of the few who can tear myself away from playing long enough to write a review. I purchased GTA IV at midnight and only got to play a few hours before the thought of getting no sleep before work the next day caught up with me.
  
  First impressions: does it live up to the hype? Yes! I was afraid GTA IV would be over hyped and would be a disappointment. It has the same feel as previous GTA's. I was also afraid they would change the controls too much in going to a new system, but the controls are very comfortable and feel familiar.
  
  I haven't had a chance to play any of the multiplayer content, but any time during single player all you do is hit up on your d-pad to bring up your cell phone and select multiplayer. (I accidentally did this trying to change the radio)
  
  Based on what I've seen so far I will be spending many hours playing through the single player campaign, playing online multiplayer with friends and beating up hookers when I'm frustrated with either one.
  END FIRST IMPRESSION
  
  Update: As impressed as I was with the beginning of the game, it only gets better and better. GTA IV is EVERYTHING you love about the previous GTA chapters, but EVERYTHING is bigger and better. The actions of NPCs are more realistic too. For example you can't pull into Pay n Spray right in front of a cop and get off Scott free. You have to make sure no cop sees you pull in. To start a vigilante mission you come to a complete stop in a police car and access the onboard laptop. From here you can pull up crimes in progress, the most wanted list and even call for backup. Unlike previous games, when you're hunting criminals as a vigilante the police are actually on your side instead of trying to stop you.
  
  You can watch TV, access the internet at internet cafes. You can go bowling, play darts, watch an on stage performance. You can even pick up bricks from a construction yard and throw them through shop windows.
  
  Story: This is a very deep drama. For the first time in a video game I heard the mention of a soul. You no longer come in contact with one dimensional caricatures. All of the main characters are complex individuals. If the GTA III series was a goofy cartoon, then GTA IV is a serious dramatic action movie.
  
  Sound: The song list is awesome! You wake up in your crappy apartment to the sound of Smashing Pumpkins - "1979" or ELO - "Evil Woman" playing on the radio. The internet café has the song from the first trailer playing. While playing Vice City I would change the station every time the Giggle Cream commercial came on. I haven't heard anything on the radio annoying enough to make me change it.
  
  Graphics: The graphics are awesome! GTA IV won't dethrone Gears of War or Assassin's Creed as the best next gen graphics, but if Gears of War is a 10 then GTA IV is a 9. Of course keep in mind that GTA IV has a HUGE draw distance and NO load screens while in Gears of War you have to wait for relatively small maps to load.
  
  Gameplay: This is what matters the most. Is the game fun to play? YES! You are set loose in a huge adult playground where you can do just about anything you can think of. You want to punch someone for looking at you funny as you walk by? Go for it! You want to steal any vehicle you see? Do it! You want to go on a date? Call up your girlfriend. You want to go shoot darts with Roman? Give him a buzz.
  
  Controls: I played all of the previous GTA's on PS2 so I can't compare the current controls to Xbox controls. (From what I hear you had to have a third hand to do a driveby without the extra shoulder buttons) On foot the controls are about the same as San Andreas. You use LT (L1) to auto aim and RT (R1) to shoot. A cover system has been added, which makes shootouts a lot more dynamic. Blind firing around a corner is really cool.
  
  Driving is a LOT different though. RT is gas, LT is brake, RB is E-brake and LB is shoot. You no longer use L2 and R2 to aim 90 degrees left and right to do a drive by. You can lean out the window and use the right thumb stick to move the camera and shoot cars in front of you and to the side. This is really hard to get used to, but I have a feeling once I figure it out, it will be VERY rewarding later on. (You can pick the classic control setup, but I can't comment on this as I haven't tried it yet) Also all of the cars have REALLY loose suspension and lots of momentum. This means pulling the E-brake to make a turn causes you to do a 180 and slide past your turn. You have to actually slow down to make turns.
  
  The Bad: After singing its praises I have to mention at least one bad thing. I've only noticed VERY minor visual glitches. For example as I crouched next to a building my face went through the wall. Another bad thing about GTA IV is that it's too good. It will totally ruin every other "Urban Shooter" out there. It has set the standard for next gen video game quality. I predict that no other game will even be able to touch GTA IV for a VERY long time.
  
  If you're still undecided about whether to get GTA IV after reading my review and several other glowing reviews, then check out what the pros say. Check out metacritic.com. As of posting this review it is THE highest rated game on there.
  
  
• GTA, but prettier and more dialogue
  By A258BPKM7LO7VN on 2008-05-02
  I have read too many reviews saying how "GTA IV is going to redefine games...GTA IV one of the best games ever made...etc." I finally decided I should share an objective view of GTA IV to those of us who aren't GTA fanatics.
  
  Before I get slammed for my views, I would like to mention that I have played all the GTA games (from original GTA for PS thru GTA San Andreas).
  
  Is GTA IV a great game? Yes.
  Is GTA IV game redefining or revolutionary? No.
  Is GTA IV worthy of a next-gen tag? Probably.
  
  Was GTA IV worth the hype? Not really.
  
  GTA IV is a great game. That's it. End of story. It is not going to challenge the way future games are made. It's not going to raise the bar. This is basic GTA formula, but prettier, more dialogue, and a cell phone. There is a tremendous amount of detail that has been put into this game in terms of graphic and sound, however, that doesn't mean it brings anything new to the table. GTA III was a truly revolutionary game and redefined what 3D action games could do and should do when it was first released on the PS2. On the other hand, GTA IV is basically a rehash of the same formula from GTA III thru San Andreas. Sure, there's a cellphone and the physics have been revamped in this game, but that's not enough to say it's one of the greatest games ever made. I ask those who've played GTA III to think back to how original and innovative that game was and how it fundamentally changed all future games that came out after it. In my opinion, you could probably take GTA IV, dumb down the graphics and cut out some dialogue, and it would probably be playable on PS2. Some call this a next-generation game, but what defines a next-gen game? If you base it on graphics and gameplay, GTA IV does not meet those requirements. There are numerous games out now that look better than GTA IV and the gameplay is the same since GTA III. Not even the misssions types are different! Also, I have major gripes with the camera while you are driving; frankly, it is all over the place. However, the sheer size of Liberty City and the scope of presentation definitely puts the game beyond what the PS2 or XBOX were capable of.
  
  Now beyond that, if you are a GTA fanatic, you will love GTA IV. It will give you everything you love and 1,000 times more! But, if you've played previous GTA games and found they may be too repetitive or they weren't your cup of tea, then don't worry. You're not missing out on much if you don't play GTA IV. Although I haven't beaten the game, I'm about 5 hours into the game, and so far, I haven't had any of those "WOW!" type moments that truly memorable and historically classic games give you. GTA IV will go down in the history books for shipping units, but it definitely won't go down in history as one of the most top 10 influential games. GTA III still holds that crown.
  
  I gave GTA IV 4 stars because it is still a fantastic game, however, not worth the ridiculous hype it is recieving and extraordinarily high reviews it is recieving in gaming magazines and websites. This is definitely not a 10/10 game. There are way too many issues with it to be labeled "PERFECT."
  
  
• Looked good for half an hour
  By A1SIII0B4BHKEA on 2008-04-30
  With all the glowing reviews I felt I had to grab this game and give it a shot. Looks nice and it seems like the story may actually be interesting but unfortunately about half an hour in the game froze.
  
  I can now get it to play for maybe 5 minutes before crashing again.
  
  As it stands I'd recommend renting it to see if it'll even run for you before buying or at least waiting until (if?) Rockstar comes out with a fix for it.
  
  
• Impossible to play
  By AYAJHCF7G4RR6 on 2008-04-30
  I was looking so forward to this game as it got great reviews, but be warned, unless you are a video game junkie, it is impossible to play this game. I have spent about 5 hours on it and it is impossible to make it past the 3rd mission where you have to disarm someone. No matter how much you follow the instructions, it's impossible to do. So keep that in mind, driving around is fun, but actually completing the missions is super difficult. It would be nice if they had difficulity levels. Oh well, will sell it used for what I can get...
  
  
• Welcome to Liberty City
  By A22AD8M2SSOFHJ on 2008-05-03
  Niko is new to America. Brought by hopes and promises of his cousin Roman about how wealthy he is. Unfortunately for Niko he quickly finds the stories to be lies. Grand Theft Auto IV starts as others in the series with an anti-hero. Getting involved in doing the wrong things is all to easy in this game. From the very get go you are learning that living the American life can be difficult and in order to get your story going you must break the law. For the most part Niko doesn't have a problem with this since he has become raw after being a soldier in war.
  
  GTA IV has probably one of the darkest stories so far in the series. This is not the type of game you will play and comment on how cheerful the story is. For those of you who have played previous GTA games you will notice many similarities. From the gameplay mechanics to the story line. Although people who are new to the GTA series will find how simple the learning curve really is in this game. The game gives you an incredible amount of tutorials and guides you thru your first several missions making things easy to understand. Most features in this game are simple to understand and keep this game from getting over anyones learning curve.
  
  What has made the Grand Theft Auto series so superb is the story telling. Excellent voice acting with intense and exciting missions make GTA IV a true winner. From the first moment on you will notice that you aren't really playing a game as much as taking part in an intense crime drama. Think Sopranos from the former Soviet Union. The game is mission based and gives you the ability to choose what you want to do at any given point. You meet numerous characters who are all about committing crimes and they give you certain jobs. Of course these jobs increase your reputation and help progress you thru the story. Along the way you will find numerous characters. Some you will like and others you will probably want to get rid of yourself.
  
  This game has further evolved ideas from previous GTA games. Niko can not only date one woman at a time but several. It's really up to you. Just remember how in real life this can be time consuming it can also be in a game. You will have woman calling and texting you if you ignore them to long. Then comes taking them out for dates. Each woman has different tastes and interests and it's up to you to know where to take them. Some of the activities can actually be fun like playing darts or pool as these mini games do have learning curves. The girl you are with will respond to your success or failure at these games. Obviously there are numerous other activities in wonderful Liberty City. Also it's important for Niko to accessorize and finding the best clothing to wear is important. Image is everything as as you progress you get access to better clothes. The car mechanics have improved in this game but don't expect to have similar handling to a racing game. What is cool to look at is the amazing detail they have put into the car damage. Every little ding makes an impact on the car you are in. Lastly is the music selection. An incredible 200 songs are available in Liberty City to listen to on the radio. Numerous radio stations including the talk ones belt out hit songs and comedic advertisements. Niko even has the ability to watch t.v. They covered every detail in this game and it shows.
  
  As if a single player mode that will take you 30 to 40 hours to beat is not enough there is also online multiplayer. Yes you and 15 others can play on the beautiful streets of Liberty City. The multiplayer is truly open ended for your enjoyment. Several game modes plus the ability to create your own multiplayer. You can also invite seven friends to take on eight others. It's easy to say this game will be enjoyed for months on end. Within six months the 360 will also have it's own unique content that will be available on XBOX LIVE.
  
  It's easy to be impressed by Liberty City. It's as close to New York City as any game has ever got. From the pedestrians that make up the neighborhood to the realistic design of the buildings. The weather changes and the days progress realistically. This is one of those games where you can just take it in and enjoy the scenery. In Grand Theft Auto you have the freedom to do what you want. This game is intended for adults. The language and content can be mature most of the time. Although that is at a parents discretion. I wouldn't suggest this game for everyone. Although I would suggest it for those who have enjoyed previous Grand Theft Auto games. I would also suggest it for those who enjoy mafia or crime movies. This game will have you sitting back and enjoying the incredible story. Just don't forget that it's your story to play.
  
  
• What a Waste
  By AG2QSS8I8GDH4 on 2008-05-07
  I love the GTA4 concept, but this game is a waste of time (and money). You spend all your time driving across town from mission to mission, rather than shooting bad guys and driving fast. And if you screw it up, then you get to drive across town to try again. Then, the game wants you to go on dates with various women you meet. (WTF!!??!) If I wanted to go on a date, I would do that instead of playing video games. Want more health? Well, you have to waste you time and find a diner for that. Most games just restore your health after a certain amount of time and get you back in the action. The controls are counter-intuitive and impossible to use as well. Basically, it looks like the designers spent their time pandering to the interests of oversexed 14-year-old boys and not enough time just creating a good game.
  
  
• Impressive.... Just Impressive.
  By A5U47MA2KSTGS on 2008-04-29
  First, I like to admit something. I never really liked GTA series before. I can't quite put my fingers on the reasons. Maybe it was the ugly graphics(/art directions). Or perhaps, their clumsy control in general threw me off. In any case, past GTA games never really appealed to me at all.
  
  However, I finally decided that I am gonna give it a try once more even though I only barely finished half of San andreas and was too bored to go on. And wow, I have to say I am so glad that I gave this game an another chance because this game fixes whatever problem I had with the series and improved beyond my expectation.
  
  Graphic
  -While I would not say this is the best looking game on Xbox 360 platform, I have to agree that it still looks fantastic. Especially, fictional liberty city looks absolutely stunning.If I consider the freedom that is given to player to mess around the city, this game might be the most impressive technical achievement on console side so far.
  
  Simply, this game looks gorgeous. Even though I did notice some texture pop up here and there, it is not constant as it was with mass effect and it is likely that you won't be bothered by it unless you are one of those people who obsess over minor graphical flaw. It really is a minor thing and doesn't effect game play at all.
  
  Control
  -I hated shooting in 3D GTA games before GTA IV and I don't think I was the only one. Well. REJOICE!! Shooting mechanic is better in GTA IV. Okay. It is sooooooo much better. Two major additions (Lock-on and cover system) works pretty well and makes combat a lot more fun rather than frustrating. Unarmed combat has some depth as well but I won't get into that since I usually just prefer shooting or blowing things up. The control for driving is not exactly racing game level but it is serviceable and you get used to it pretty quickly (different cars indeed handle differently)
  
  Story
  -I think I won't say anything whole a lot about story since it is even more subjective than other issues and I don't want to spoil anything but I will say this. I personally liked the story. It is driven by cut scenes before each missions just like how Rockstar did with previous title. Voice acting is excellent as expected from Rockstar(Although I was having some trouble understanding some characters due to heavy accent. I had to turn subtitle on. I actually recommend this.)
  
  And I actually cared about Nico as main character. I don't think I can say the same for previous GTA main character. Personally, that prove to me that story is done well.
  
  Multiplayers
  -I can't mention anything on this since I haven't gotten too much into this. perhaps, I can add more in the future but not now. I am just impressed that they actually added multiplayer mode for the first time on top of excellent single player portion of the game. By the way, I found a promotional card for one month of free xbox live inside of the game case. It was a nice surprise and kudos to Microsoft on that one.
  
  Conclusion
  -If you played previous GTA games, then you know the basic gameplay of GTA4. It is a sand box game that allows you to utilize a whole city as playground. GTA IV is fundamentally a highly refined game that has improved upon GTA formula to near perfection.
  
  I can't say for sure if this game can convert those players whom never liked GTA series ever. But I doubt anyone would disagree that this game is indeed a great improvement over past GTA games. As for me, GTA IV in fact did just that. It turned me into GTA fanboy. If you are a gamer, I wholeheartedly, recommend checking GTA IV out. Maybe you will like it or maybe not. But I guarantee you that you will be impressed one way or another.
  
  
• Very difficult to review...
  By AAEAYQZSPDM7K on 2008-05-02
  This was a difficult review for me - I'm very torn as to what I think about the game...
  
  Graphics - Unbelievably realistic. Controls are perfect. Sound is second to none. It is like you are 'really there'.
  
  Gameplay - This is where it gets more difficult for me to review. The game is absolutely forthcoming about what it is about and how to "play". If you are a younger male, I am sure this has an extremely high appeal. You can do just about anything that you want, and enjoy the consequences one way or another. Sometimes things work out ok, sometimes you get killed.
  
  But is is just so *real*. I'm not a prude, I'm not put off my M ratings, and I have a pretty open mind when it comes to things... This game is off the chart. You have to think "bad" to do well. I guess you have to decide how fun that is for you. For me, it was interesting so I could see what all the hype was about, and I'm glad I did, but I can't see myself getting into it like I did Call of Duty 4 or Asassin's Creed. Even though GTA's graphics and game were clearly superior, I just didn't have a whole lot of fun playing.
  
  So the 3 stars is my opinion of the game for just me. I'm sure lots of people will rate it much higher.
  
  
• 5 Stars After Only 8 Hours
  By A38DQCCC64K4W on 2008-04-30
  Since most games don't even last 8 hours, I figured I could give this review after only playing it for just as long. Pretty stunning, for lack of a better term. The only thing I have an issue w/somewhat is the hand to hand combat, but even that is workable. The cityscape is amazing, and as usual it's just as fun to walk/drive around and take in the sights...The textures and lighting, esp. the street lights & car tail light reflections at night. One cannot even begin to describe how this city comes to life. At first I thought the graphics were kind of murky, but the more I progressed the more I found myself stopping to take in the sights; Alot reminds me of a 'French Connection' type of thing; And where True Crime NYC had some success in recreating the whole NY urban setting, GTA4 runs rings around the competition. The city seems very Sims-like at times. The character controls well for the most part, and the added cover features are nice. The gunplay is fairly fluid, but as of yet I haven't had too many opponents; Driving is a blast, esp stealing cars from the street. Some have car alarms that sound after you bust out the glass. The dialog is actually entertaining, and the addition of the autosave feature is nice. Other than that, it's your good old GTA in terms of mission types(so far...). Great looking, truly fun to play.
  
  I have not tried co-op or the online modes yet....
  
  I beat up one Russian guy and his 2 friends came to his aid; I tried to fight them off and run, but they chased me all over, cursing in Russian. I tried so hard to carjack someone, but they kept dogging me until finally I got hit by 2 trucks. And I was laughing hysterically the same time. Those are the types of moments I live for in games, and unless this game suddenly sucks all of the sudden, I can only imagine the fun that lies down the road.
  
  
• Not what I expected
  By A2KXO18NFUUXWF on 2008-05-01
  This Game is by far not what I expected. After waiting in a long line and 80 bucks it was a waste of my time and money!!! While the graphics are a step above the gameplay has somewhat diminished. The missions are boring and this game brings me no exitement. San Andreas and Vice city were good from start to finish and afterwards. But this I don't know what this is... It freezes quite often too while playing in multiplayer mode I know the problem has been acknowledged but O well it is what it is. Now I know the next series to come out I will buy off of amazon at a discounted rate!!!!!!!!
  
  
• So so game compare to GTA San Andreas
  By AV9IDL3G8ND3J on 2008-05-09
  In general, the game is more realistic and it a lot more difficult to play than GTA San Andreas.
  
  These are the things that I don't like about this game. I've finished about 25% so far.
  
  Gameplay:
  1. No turf fighting? -> more difficult to get weapons and money.
  2. No difficulty setting.
  3. No skip trip in the mission. You can take a taxi to skip trip, but you need to pay.
  4. It's hard to tell which door can be opened. In GTA SA there's a big triangle for entrance.
  5. Enemy got shoot at can fall down and come back up. Making it very difficult to kill.
  6. You can't tell if a random person has a weapon. So you can't ambush someone to steal his weapon.
  7. Weapon swapping is difficult. I can't quickly put the gun away and fight with fist/knife.
  8. Swapping takes time during a fight. It's true in real life, but it's no necessary in a game.
  
  Character:
  1. Walking is super slow.
  2. Character properties (HP/Stamina/etc) cannot not improve by training.
  3. No double stun rewards? What's the point of doing jumps?
  4. Cannot swim under water.
  5. Will die instantly when catch with fire.
  6. Cannot sit on someone's pick up truck as it moves.
  
  
  Cellphone:
  1. Why using a grey background and black text. It's very hard to read the text.
  
  Map:
  1. I have a 42 inch EDTV, and map is too still small to read in a distance.
  2. No floor plan map when you're inside a structure. Even in a mission.
  
  Cops and crime:
  1. Cops now shoot at you even if you have one star and not holding a weapon.
  2. When you shoot a cop, you can get 3 stars.
  3. Cannot drive around in the airport, you'll get 4 stars.
  4. Cannot remove wanted level by buying new clothes in the store.
  5. Cops now carry shot guns, which has a lot more damage than hand gun.
  6. No stars to pick up on the street to reduce wanted level.
  7. I can run over as many people as I like without getting wanted level, except running over cops.
  
  Vehicles
  1. No tanks
  2. No planes
  3. Vehicles skids like driving on ice.
  4. No gas tank door to shoot.
  
  Shops
  1. Cannot remove wanted level when cops sees you. It's real but it makes it harder to get rid of the cops.
  2. To few pay-n-spray and gun shops
  3. No gym.
  4. No tatoo shop nor hair salon.
  5. Cannot get into police office to take weapon/armor.
  
  Safehouse
  1. No safehouse for purchase??
  2. Only one safehouse?
  
  Control
  1. Autoaim sucks. I cannot unlock the aim to other non-target objects.
  2. Fist fight damage is too little to enemy.
  3. Can't learn more fighting styles in GYM.
  4. It's hard fight with a gun in very close range with enemy without guns.
  5. Take cover feature sucks. When you shoot while you're taking cover, the aim will move (when auto aim is off). How am I suppose to aim?
  
  Money
  1. No casino, where can I get rich?
  
  
  
• An incredibly stunning achievement
  By AJKWF4W7QD4NS on 2008-04-30
  It's here, it's here, it's finally here. Grand Theft Auto IV has finally arrived after what seems like eons of anticipation, and Rockstar's flagship franchise doesn't disappoint to say it lightly. Putting you in the shoes of European illegal immigrant Niko Bellic, you are back in Liberty City, although this is a much different Liberty City than the one you remember. This Liberty City is so incredibly detailed and constructed that you will often find yourself in complete awe. Not since GTA III has an open world environment been so innovative in its scope, and never before has there ever been this kind of interaction. At its core, the tried and true GTA gameplay remains, but there is so much more to do: ranging from dating (yes, dating!), surfing the in-game internet, seeing a comedy show, watching TV, and listening to the radio among other things. Besides all that, there is a story here, and it is indeed one of the most engrossing and compelling stories you will ever find in a video game. Niko is no ordinary crook like we've seen before, and ends up being one of the most fully realized video game protagonists in quite some time. The rest of the residents of Liberty City are wonderfully designed as well, all helping Liberty City feel like a living, breathing place. Gunplay elements have been much improved upon as well, as have the driving mechanics and overall controls. Combined with a 16 player multiplayer mode, Grand Theft Auto IV is a glorious, instant classic that more than deserves your attention. If there are any downsides to GTA IV, and this is just me being nitpicky for the sake of being nitpicky, is that there are a few graphical hiccups to be found now and then, but definitely nothing major or all that noticable. Other than that, GTA IV is nearly perfect in every regard. All in all, Grand Theft Auto IV is an incredibly stunning achievement of modern gaming that must be played to be believed. Ranking as possibly one of the finest and most immersive video games to ever see the light of day, Grand Theft Auto IV is a masterpiece that should be checked out in the very least, even if you aren't a fan of the series. Yes, it is that good, now go play it.
  
  
• Good....but not great
  By ADLZMTFAK85DQ on 2008-04-30
  I waited along time for this game. I took off from work bought a 12 pack and planned on playing the best gam ever. Im not going to say Im disappointed. Maybe after the last 3 GTA's I was expecting to much. The game looks beautiful, the voice acting is excellant but the missions are already becoming boring. They seem to lack creativity, every mission I have done so far has been pretty much - find the target and kill them or give someone a ride. The online game is insanely fun but seems to lag alot. I think 16 players may be too much for the server. Alll in all, I would recommend buying this game. It is a fun game but just not as fun as I would have liked. I will probably be back to COD4 very soon. Also, I think alot of reviews up here are tempted to give great reviews because they have convinced themselves this game was going to be great before it came out. I dont know...seems like GTA 3 was better, but I havent finished this one so maybe Im jumping the gun.
  
  
• I want a refund
  By A1UCMPW4MZBALZ on 2008-05-01
  First, before all the fanboys start shredding me, let me say that I'm an AVID FAN of the other members in the GTA series. Yes, the visuals are stunning, and the music playlist is quite extensive (although not nearly as good as playlists past for whatever reason). The gameplay is nothing like previous GTA. The newer more realistic physics are cool, but why the hell do I have to fall on the ground every time I throw a molotov cocktail and get hit with some back draft? Before, you would get hurt of course, but you could at least run it off, you weren't forced to fall to the ground and more often than not, roll in the flames that set you on fire in the first place. Make sense? Who would roll into the flames? Also, there's some things that I liked to be unbelievable, like the weapon switch time, not so realistic in the past. And why can't I throw a grenade without having to lock onto someone, if you do so, he throws it behind himself. ????!!!!! Behind himself? What???? Why????? And WTF happend to being able to pop in a cheat on the fly, (if thats your thing and i know people who do that) now you have to have a phone and you have to go through menus to get to it? And the thing with the cheats was, when you didn't want to deal with the cops, you punched in your little lower wanted cheat anywhere anytime no matter what was happening and you were in the clear. Now if you 're accessing the friggin phone and you get shot, you have to start back over again at the beginning with pulling up the phone and the menu. Why?? What for?? the point of the cheats was to cheat. And as much as i like the great expansion on Liberty City, I don't recognize any of it. I feel like its lost some of the things that make it memorable. There is NOTHING that rings a bell. Except for, of course, some of the restaurants, shops, product placements, things like that. But really, it feels more like Resident Evil 4 minus the zombies. and its just not as fun. If I could return it I would. Give me III, Vice City, San Andreas, etc. any day.
  
  
• HIGHLY OVER-RATED!!!
  By AFWEXUE1USXX2 on 2008-05-01
  The terrible steering on the cars is back! Not to mention your character "runs" in snail mode. The fighting is the absolute worst, takes you about 2 minutes to knock your opponent out cold. This game is literally like playing unreleased missions of old Grand Theft Auto games. Instead of taking a step forward like they did with San Andreas, they took a step to the side and made another cliche Grand Theft Auto. Looks like the GTA series will finally meet its match when Saintsrow 2 comes out, not to mention the fact they stole the cellphone concept from Saintsrow.
  
  
• Guess I didn't drink the GTA Kool-Aid
  By A3EVGPGOFVAP09 on 2008-05-11
  If you didn't like previous GTA games, this one is probably not going to do much to change your mind, so pay no attention to the hype. It's basically like the others.. unrealistic driving controls, sloppy combat controls, shoddy camera angles, cheesy dialog, lots of profanity, etc. Added to this game is a much improved cover system that still pales in comparison to Gears of War or Rainbow Six (or so I'm told.. I didn't make it that far), and a story that reaks of a second-class gangster flick.
  
  Note that I played this game for about 4 hours, which was about all I could stand. People say that the game becomes fun eventually, but I play video games for entertainment and having to play one for 5+ hours in the hopes that I might enjoy myself eventually is just too much work for me. Then again, I'm a casual gamer and would rather play $10 XBLA titles than an 'epic' game like this. I only became interested in GTA4 when people started talking about it like it was the second coming. But honestly, there's nothing new to see here. That being said, if you loved the previous entries in the series and want more of the same, you'll probably love this game too. Just don't go in expecting anything revolutionary. It's amazing what passes for innovative these days.
  
  
• Great Game But Too Much Sex and Violence
  By A2ICETGAS02JWD on 2008-05-23
  Overall, this is a great game. It's the most interactive game I've ever played. And the city scenery is amazing. There's so much to do and see. And the car chases are thrilling and fun.
  
  However, I'm giving it fewer than 5 stars because of the blatant sex throughout the game. Sex is everywhere in this game and the player is forced to participate in it from the dialogue between characters, to dating, to the prostitutes on the street. It's so unfortunate that a game of this quality is about sex. And I find this not only offensive, but a bad example to the young people (and old) who play this game. I suppose the people who programmed this never heard of a sexual addiction. Well this game reeks of it and makes it seem that it's okay to visit prostitutes, date multiple woman, visit dating sites, watch porn, and put sex as a top priority in life. That's a very sad and sorry message to lend to the public at a time when morals are already severely wanting.
  
  Of course, the violence is also extreme and it's a bad influence too. It tells the young folks out there that they can do anything they want and there are no or few consequences.
  
  I'm not done playing the game yet but was extremely upset about the scene where Niko takes out a crime leader and kills him merely because he's dating Niko's cousin. I wish they would have made Niko less of a sociopathic mafioso character and more of a misdirected good guy who is fighting crime rather than participating in it.
  
  I wouldn't recommend this game for anyone under 18. My sons are all grown and they also play it,(and they also find the sex and violence offensive, thank God) but if they were younger, it would be off limits in this household.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Best game ever made.
  By A3L51TJ5BFKJ59 on 2008-05-08
  Hand's down this is the best game ever made, anybody that says otherwise has not completed the game, or has a grudge against the series, which makes their opinion as credible as an O.J Simpson testimony. No seriously, if there is one game that qaulifies as art (a word I usually don't associate with video games), GTA IV is as close as it comes. If you own an Xbox 360 or PS3 and do not own this game your missing out the most amazing game ever made. BUY IT NOW!!!
  
  
• Please, don't believe the hype!
  By A3G4BFD7FN8VF1 on 2008-05-10
  Now, everyone will have you believing that Grand Theft Auto IV is the single greatest game ever made, or that it's hands down Gane of the Year, or that Rockstar has reinvented the wheel with GTA 4, here. Well, as a HUGE San Andreas fan and an owner of most Rockstar games out there (except for Manhunt), I'm here to tell you that Grand Theft Auto IV is about 90% overrated hype and about 10% gameplay. No, GTAIV isn't outright bad or anything. It's just not what it used to be. Mostly, I mean, fun. At face value, this is Grand Theft Auto on the new gen systems. But besides that, it's a more-realistic, but less fun GTA.
  
  I guess, that's the biggest problem with GTA IV. Set in an alternate universe New York City, Rockstar strives to make GTA about as real as an experience as it can be, but in reality, it's not. Really, what it is, is a better looking version of GTA with a bunch of new "more realistic" features. I'll start with the positives, first. GTA looks very, very good. Not even close to Photo-realistic, but good. The graphics and lighting and weather effects are good enough to warrant being on the 360 or PS3. Now, while I was expecting "Gran Turismo" style realism here, that's not what I got, but still, the game looks nice. But now, for everything else.
  
  There are many "improvements" to the game that supposedly enhances the experience, but they really only suck the fun out of the game as I mentioned earlier. Just about everything is "enhanced" to have the realism effect, but it only makes the game frustrating. Breaking into cars is a pain and now takes almost as much time as it would in real-life. You have to break open the window, unlock the door, climb inside, and hotwire the car from the inside to get it going. While I was surprised to find this task quicker than I expected, it still hurts you in desperate situations when you need a car right away, which are in many missions. I hated the "system" so much, I never bothered to steal a parked car more than once in this game. The system is actually more of a theft deterent than anything!
  
  Next, we come to the driving. Good God, the driving is probably the most *frustrating* thing EVER! Acceleration is simple enough, especially on the 360 controller. But just about everything else is horrible! Driving in this game, I can say honestly, is MUCH harder than actually driving in real life. The brakes are crazy and I don't know just how long it takes the average player to get used to driving, but I'm still struggling not to crash into people and walls and stuff! I have to drive like an old lady just to avoid bumping into the police cars which are quite literally on every other block in the game.
  
  And when you DO get in trouble... oh man! GTA IV has a slight improvement on the old system in which you can now evade the police by simply outrunning them, even if you are beyond one star. In the old games, you could outrun the police with one star, but not with anything higher. In GTA IV, you have a circumference area that the cops chase you in. Drive out of their circumference, and you escape them. But it sounds simpler than it is. The more wanted levels you get, the larger the area the cops chase you in. And with simply two stars, the "area of pursuit" becomes hard to get out of. By a full-on six, the circumference is literally the size of an entire Liberty City borough! I found this out when I tried to sneak into Algonquin (Manhattan). They have Pay N' Sprays still, but they're virtually useless now. The time you'll need them most, you won't be able to use them cause if the cops see you enter one, it's effect becomes null and void. And over two stars will have police swarming on you. And make no mistake, Liberty City's finest are three times as vicious as those San Andreas donut-munchers. The police are vicious on you, and their A.I. is quite enhanced and far more intelligent than before. Heck, a cop will shoot you even if you're unarmed and only have one star! To make matters worse, your car no longer provides you with adequate protection. Cops and other enemies can shoot you THROUGH your windshield! Before, your car just got damaged some. Now, you can quite easily die even in your car, and there's no real way to duck for cover inside, either. This is what I mean when I say the fun is sucked out of the game in favor for "realism."
  
  The controls of the game are often needlessly complicated, even with all things not involving cars. Doing a simple thing like running while trying to keep the camera fixed on you involve all your available fingers. The shooting is supposedly "improved" but it's not. I actually never found issue with GTA: San Andreas' shooting and targeting system, but many people did. Either way, the auto-targeting in GTA IV is flawed, at best, and as you'd expect, the targeting itself has no idea who you actually want to target. It's more like you targeting whoever *IT* makes you target! Yeah, it's a problem. What's worse is how much stronger the enemies are now. It takes a minimum of six shots with a pistol to take down ONE guy! And it's not like you get a lot of ammo with that pistol! You can't afford to waste a single bullet. What's worse is, limb-specific damage seems to be gone, entirely. Whether you aim center mass, or go for the head execution style, it'll still take the same number of bullets to take down a guy. Well, doesn't that just suck?
  
  Now, some more things about the game. The story, itself, is pretty subjective. You'll either get into it, or like me, become quickly bored with it. It's like the same old GTA-style story missions, only it's more "Been there, done that", which is disapointing considering the use of the foreigner Niko Bellic opened up a lot of storyline possibilites. But about your first hour into the game, you'll already be playing guard dog to a bunch of people you just met. Your cousin, Roman, is a pain in the butt, but everyone else is even worse. Why do I have to take orders from all these people I barely know? I expected more out of GTA IV, but this is the same old crap, man. What's worse is, the main story seriously ruins all of the "free roaming" fun you used to have in GTA! Because of your new, stupid cell phone (with the questionable gray background and black text color scheme which makes it hard enough just to read messages) you'll constantly be getting calls from people and will have to drop everything to help out in vital missions that are important to the story. You'd think a guy with no real job would have more free time. The only real side quest you'll get to have in the beginning is dating the cute and lonely Michelle. If only nice-looking women were this desperate and easy to please in real life. The dates have been upgraded a little bit, giving you the control in what to do, which includes fine dining, playing games like bowling and pool, the arts & theater, going drinking, and other activities. Sadly, the dates are pretty boring and have a "what's the point?" feel to them. As much as I like Michelle, even "Warm Coffee" isn't worth driving all around Broker all day long boring myself to death.
  
  The size of Liberty City is about maybe half or one-third the size of San Andreas. But considering Liberty is all city, it's pretty impressive. Like I said, you'll often be so busy helping random people, you won't have to much time to explore around (without purposely avoiding missions because you know you aren't going to save anything.) You start off in crappy Broker (Brooklyn) and will have to earn your way to Algonquin and the rest of Liberty City, just like before. That sucks though, because I expected this time to be different, and I wanted to explore everything right away. Rockstar before had said they were taking out all bikes and air vehicles from the game, but I guess, have changed their mind since then. There are a few number of bikes, one speedboat, and the rare, single helicopter in GTA IV. There are also lots of cars in the new Liberty City as well, but quite honestly, most the vehicles have very little relevance in this game and they take a backside to the story. The feeling you had in San Andreas of "Ooh! I like that car! Lemme go steal that and add it to my collection!" is gone entirely from this game. Anything you drive is about as equally important/unimportant. Maybe it's because you don't have any garages to put them in? Or any money to afford really modding them, if that's even possible in this game? Or maybe it's because trying to get them is such a pain, even if you manage to avoid the police catching you? At least, they have talking GPS in them, but (and I can't believe I'm defending THIS game, but) I personally like the GPS system in Saint's Row better.
  
  Liberty City now has a huge amount of radio stations (like, 18, I think), but none of the music is on par with the older GTA's. I guess that's because GTA IV takes place in 2008, and it's hard to know what current songs are guaranteed hits in the present. Or maybe it's because music is such crap, nowadays? So, you have a wide variety of music, but no history of what's "good" or not helping you out, here. To sum it up, the music just isn't that good, but at least, it's very, very diverse. There's everything ranging from the familiar Hip Hop and Rock stations, to Latino Music and International Funk. And yes, the parody Talk Radio stations are back to, but to be honest, there aren't NEARLY as funny as they were on the West Coast in San Andreas. There's also custom TV and Internet sites in the game, as well, but to be honest, I never quite got around to checking them out. I mean, all that extra crap is great, but it's really just a distraction and it's utterly pointless to have in the game. It's not like it helps you DO anything. And just to bring it up, there's almost NOTHING in all of new Liberty City to remind you that this is a Grand Theft Auto game. All of the GTA staples and landmarks are gone. Well, at least they kept Cluckin' Bell around, but other than that, there's no familiar names or chains or shops from the GTA universe. It's like they all started going bankrupt in the 16 years since San Andreas, and went completely out of business in the seven years since GTA III. It makes the new Liberty City that much more unfamiliar, but then again, I guess some people would call that "enhancing the experience" for Niko Bellic, new to Liberty City.
  
  So to recap, GTA IV is a new, more real experience in the GTA world, but that sucks any and all fun and excitement out of the game. No, Rockstar did not reinvent the wheel here, and this is, without a doubt NOT "Game of the Decade" or the "Game of Our Generation." The little 13-year old boys posting reviews on here need to stop saying that! It's not true! Let's just all call this what it is: GTA on the new consoles. It's no greater or better than simply that. Everything they tried to "enhance" for a realer experience just makes the game tedious and tiresome, including your stupid behind cell phone, which I hate! I wish I could just chuck it somewhere! The controls are complicated and confusing, especially for driving. The graphics and interactivity in Liberty City are nice, but not exactly "on the next level" of anything. Free roaming is just about dead due to the story constantly keeping you busy, and the missions are old and familiar, but not in a good way. The weapons system is bad with it's targeting, and even fist fighting is a real pain. Fighting was simple and effective in San Andreas. Here, you're looking at three minute fights just to take down one fat slob. I mean, three minutes??? See, that's TOO realistic! The music is so-so at best, and just about everything in the game feels more like a chore than fun. I think because in older GTA's, the storyline wasn't as relevant, leaving you space to do whatever you felt like inbetween, sort of like the weekend from the work week. But now, it's like, everyday is a work day, and I think it's because Rockstar tries to push the story as being SO important and such a driving force in GTA IV. Yeah, I can tell that it was carefully crafted and polished, but it does NOT rank on the level of The Godfather or Scarface. So, no. This isn't an "interactive movie," as some overzealous fans of the game posting reviews will have you believe. The story's okay for a video game, but it's a video game story. It's not exactly good enough to stand on it's own. I really dislike it.
  
  I SO wanted to believe the hype, but I also knew that not having a GTA game in four years would leave a lot of people expecting and wanting more (and believing they got it with this). All GTA IV is, is Grand Theft Auto: Part Four. It's not the Second Coming of video games, or anything rabid fanboys and fangirls will have you believe. Personally, it's not really worth the four year wait or anything, but it's not like it's a horrible game. It's just not that fun, anymore, and the ones who'll play it days on end, will buy it, no matter what anyone tells them. But if you're on the fence, like I was, I would have no problem at all telling you to wait a few months till it drops down in price. It's not THAT spectactular.
  
  Don't believe the hype and don't drink the GTA Kool Aid. If this game REALLY did have a budget of $100 million, than I'm betting $75 million of that went to advertising, feeding the hype machine, and paying off notable gaming sites for unjust Perfect 10 scores. This ISN'T a Perfect Ten game, and I'd give it a 7 or 8 out of 10, if Amazon had that kind of scale. This is easily the most realistic out of the GTA series, but FAR from the most entertaining, no matter how many fake TV shows and websites arre in the game. The main content is what matters most, and GTA IV fails on all accounts when it comes to this.
  
  
• It's not really GTA... not really
  By ACUOXOSWMTL21 on 2008-06-22
  I tried really hard to like this game... I really did. I played Vice City 4 times through, played San Andreas 3 times through. This one, I still haven't beat and barely pick up. It's lacking. GTA was known for pushing limits in gaming and for it's sandbox attitude. Most of the time I'm just asking myself why I'm still playing it.
  
  Pros: The storyline is great. I think this is the most solid story yet. It's creative and integral to the game. The graphics are much nicer than before. The explosions are very realistic. The characters are far more interesting than they used to be. It's sad this is all I can find positive.
  
  Cons: This should be long. Where do I start? How about the first thing that made me angry. Where is my sandbox? I can't change hairstyles and can't customize my clothes much. This gives me little involvement or personal belonging to the main character which I PLAY! It's like they said, "San Andreas was way too complicated with all that clothing and hairstyles... nobody liked it anyway. It's stupid let's just throw it out." It's part of what made me feel more into the game. Without that I don't own the character, I'm just playing as him. It's a disconnection.
  
  Next, I hate the fact they removed custom cars. I loved boosting cars and then pimping them out. You drive around the city find some insanely cool car then make it even more awesome. I really really miss that from GTA. You can't even select what color the car changes to. What's up with that? No Nitrous either. That means no insanely insane car stunts.
  
  Now one I've always hated about GTA and is just worse in this one. If you ever see Zero Punctuation you know. I can ram through giant light poles with nothing more than a tap. I can topple hot dog stands with a scooter. Yet a tiny tree or the smallest of metal rods holding up an awning and I go flying out of the windshield. Can't tell you how many times that happened running from the cops after a 30 minute mission... then having to do it all over again. Consistency rockstar? Maybe just once?
  
  How about the worst peeve of them all. Save points. I don't know if it changes but for the first 15 hours of the game your one and only save point is always a 10 minute drive away from where your mission ends. Every time you think you should save you find yourself halfway through the city and you have to drive all the way back and on top of it, pay a $5 toll. What? So I basically have to pay to save or run from the cops but either way I can't just save. No that would be too easy.
  
  I hate the fact that rockstar tries its hardest to make the game realistic while living just outside the realm of reality but still manages to keep you from doing what would be considered actual realism. Like paring my own clothes, or driving through a tree. Oh but I can sit and watch my character watching television. The level of realism has hit sitting on a recliner but I still can't get my hair cut. Not to mention I have to eat to gain health but food is nearly impossible to find in the city of NEW YORK! It's New York and it takes me like 20 minutes to find a stupid hamburger. Can't it be on the map? Because in the real NY, you walk one block and you'll find a sandwich shop of some kind. Or how about the fact I carry thousands of dollars with me but my fridge is always empty?
  
  I pre-ordered this game. I wanted this game. I was hoping to love this game. However, this is a step backwards. It's not as good as San Andreas and not as fun. There are less weapons, less vehicles, less options, and less of a sandbox. This game is in every way less than San Andreas. Way to let me down.
  
  
• First Impressions...
  By A1B71N2FENH3JU on 2008-04-30
  So far, I gotta say "meh". It's a fun game, but nothing really new. I'm not impressed by the graphics at all, especially after COD4; in game and cut scenes look like last gen to me, kind of blocky and a lot of sharp edges. So far the hand to hand fighting sucks, but the shooting is much improved. Everything that I've seen so far, Saint's Row did better and made it look better. Over a couple of hours, I've made like 4 cab trips, took out some drug dealers, and went bowling. Whoopee! Please tell me it gets better...
  
  
  
  
• Fun but VERY vulgar!
  By A3UIK87VHKGTVM on 2008-04-30
  I have only played this game for about 5 hours so far. In that time I have heard - in one form or another - the "f-word" used so many times that it reminds me of the Beverly Hills Cop movies with Eddie Murphy.
  
  Even pedestrians will pop-off the "f-word" at you.
  
  For me, this is a turn off.
  
  To me, the creators of the game either were not or are not "creative" enough to design a "hectic" storyline without the use of a boatload of profanity to "beef" it up. I prefer a "smart" story-line, such as Prison Break or Lost. And I can't remember hearing a curse-word on either of those shows.
  
  Even in very disturbing games like Bioshock or in epics like Mass Effect, I can't remember a single line of curse in either one. And they were some of the best games I have ever played.
  
  This means that it can be done without cursing and sexual inuendoes, but GTA is still as dirty and vulgar as ever...in fact I think it is getting close to being the most obscene piece of entertainment that I have ever watched or played. (Kane & Lynch was pretty bad too, but nothing was really sexual)
  
  Parents beware. I would not let my kids (if I had any) play this game until they were at least 18.
  
  GTA has always been borderline on being too vulgar for my tastes, but I still think that San Andreas is the best in the series. I believe that that game was a lot less obscene than GTA4.
  
  So I guess what I am saying is that I would be careful while playing this game because it could influence you in ways that you might not desire. It could make you think that cursing is ok, sex is just some wild game to play whenever and however you like, and that getting away with aweful crimes is as simple as outrunning the circular proximity zone on your map (you might be surprised).
  
  With all this said, I have to add that the game is a blast as always is the case with a GTA game. I just wish that they could put out an "edited" version of the game that has all the words bleeped out and sexual suggestions watered-down. All this coming from a 24 years old.
  
  I'll also add that this time around, the storyline really makes you care for the characters more than in other attempts. If you can get past all of the cursing, killing, and sexual stuff, there is a pretty good story packed into the game. I guess this is why I continue to play the game; that and the fact that the city looks amazingly real, the cars handle more realistically, and it is fun just to drive around and play the minigames like pool, bowling, and darts.
  
  Still, I do miss the RPG-like element that San Andreas had (lifting weights, running, ect). I guess this is why I liked that game better than the new one, although GTA4 does have and tell the best story of them all.
  
  
• Grand Theft Auto IV
  By A38F96T6FGDYA5 on 2008-05-01
  On Sunday, I purchased Mario Kart Wii. It wasn't too difficult to put that game down in order to play this one. I'm not going to be like most people and jump on the bandwagon. I like the game a lot, but probably for a different reason than most...
  
  I agree with most post that driving is a little more difficult. It's like the cars have no brakes at times. You can learn to get used to it, but it still is a pain. I'm not much of an online gamer, however, it was great how quick and easy it was to hook up online, even if it was just to go and shoot things up.
  
  Cons:
  1. Driving controls. Easy to go forward and reverse, but a pain to stop or to negotiate even a light corner.
  2. The music somehow needs to be a little louder with 5.1 surround. It's better than previous editions of gta.
  3. I meant to add that if you are setting a waypoint using the gps for yourself, it's difficult to see the dark green line. I prefer the bright yellow or the red that the game gives you during a mission. (the only time i had a red was when I had to climb up to the train station to shoot the guy after chasing him on the motorcycle.)
  
  Pros:
  1. I will say graphics, but, i'm not going to freak out like a lot of people have. I grew up on the atari 2600 with a yellow and purple basketball "players" shooting a square ball.
  2. The best thing of this game is the languages and the situations are extremely spot on. To the person who complained about being unable to understand the accented english, then turn on the subtitles. I do that regardless. I served over in Bosnia (US Army) working as a translator, and the actor does an astounding job of representing his pain of killing people or even seeing children lined up against the wall of a church with their throats cut. Someone had to have been soldier during the breakup of Yugoslavia and is now on the rockstar staff. If you think there is a racism epidemic in the US, then go witness firsthand in Bosnia of what it truly is like. To get your throat cut simply for saying Hvala lepo instead of hvala lijepo or hvala ljepo. THe people of the former Yugoslavia are among the most intelligent and dedicated people I have ever met, with the exception of all the warfare and the atrocities of not just ethnic cleansing, but other barbaric means of torture that makes waterboarding look like a whipping with a wet noodle. i definitely applaud Rockstar for the attention to detail in this aspect.
  
  
  
  

• Grand Theft Auto IV Series Guide (Bradygames Signature)
• The Official Xbox Magazine [1-year]
• Electronic Gaming Monthly
• Play

• Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2
• Grand Theft Auto IV Series Guide (Bradygames Signature)
• Ninja Gaiden II
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
• Army of Two