Even though Grand Theft Auto IV has been released, we're still hearing plenty about the game. Whether it's from the excited gamers who are playing through the single player campaign or if it's the cries from those trying to get a multiplayer game going on Xbox Live or the PlayStation Network, it's clear that we're going to be hearing about the game for a long time to come.
Before we deliver our verdict on the game (which is set for tomorrow), we thought we would ask a few of our staff and our forum members a simple question: has Grand Theft Auto IV lived up to the hype?
Daniel Golding - PALGN Staff Writer
Well, I'd argue that at least the hype has lived up to the hype. GTA IV has to be the best-received game I've seen since I began reading game reviews. Near uniform 100% scores aren't exactly usual in this industry, and with terms like 'flawless', 'masterpiece' and 'best game of all time' being thrown around, you'd be excused for thinking that you'd be best off buying GTA IV and ignoring all other releases for the next few years. I think we've reached a point now where we can huff and puff all we like about the great things in GTA, of which there are undoubtedly too many to count, but there are always two sides of the coin. GTA IV certainly has some negatives that would be easy to miss if you were just going by the reviews alone.
GTA IV has not reinvented the wheel. It has perfected it, and made it incredibly smooth, but the basic gameplay flow hasn't really changed much from prior iterations. The controls, as improved as they are over the previous games, are really still not perfect, and can be a little clunky at times. A few gameplay mechanics are outdated, too: the health system and checkpoint-saving are hang-overs from the era where GTA made its name. Much has been made about the game's realism, but really, how real is any game where you can speed dangerously past police without them batting an eye?
There has also been some quiet, but determined criticism of the game's morality within gaming circles. While we all expect that the usual ruckus will arise about GTA in the mainstream press, there have been a few gaming voices raised in relation to the game's treatment of women in particular, with one well-known gaming website pulling a video promoting the in-game slaughter of prostitutes after complaints. We all know that GTA is essentially a set of tools, and the decision to use those tools rests with the player; but why, oh why, are we getting huge slabs of uncritical praise when there are actual issues here to be discussed?
What some people may have to do to shopkeepers if the game sells out*
*Note, we do not endorse this.
*Note, we do not endorse this.
Luke Mitchell - PALGN Staff Writer
I've played through and completed all of the GTA games since day one (apart from maybe one or two of the 'spin-off' PSone and PSP games), and the game absolutely deserves the hype that it's been getting, being built on a foundation of solid titles for many years now. Rockstar have always delivered an intense and satisfying game world and, it's safe to say, GTA IV is no different.
The weather and chronological transformations look gorgeous and the citizens seem to live and breathe just like we do. Factor in the amount of detail in everything from the always-hilarious radio stations and TV channels to the often time-consuming bowling and pool mini games, and there are plenty of 'wow' moments, where you'll just want to sit back and take in the amazing experience in front of you. But really, GTA has done this for a few years now; while the world Rockstar has created here is certainly one worth playing in, skeptics are going to argue, quite simply, that it's just more of the same basic game.
And, let's not argue: it is. You come to the town as a nobody, and build yourself into a somebody by getting involved with some caricature-like mobsters each with a different goal, and there are all kinds of twists and turns along the way in the narrative. More importantly though, you'll drive, you'll shoot and you'll drive and shoot at the same time, all the while evading the police that are constantly arriving at the most inopportune moments.
Where GTA IV thrives though, is that all of the updates and additions to the gameplay, combined with the obvious graphical upgrade, makes the game one of the most enthralling and entertaining experiences ever created. The amount of time you can lose just hanging out in Liberty City is ridiculous, and that's without getting involved in any of the several multiplayer modes that are at your disposal. Yes, there are flaws. Nothing is perfect, after all... but make no mistake: GTA IV is the ultimate open-world experience - hell, at this point, it's probably the ultimate gaming experience.
Kimberley Ellis - PALGN Staff Writer
Being a longtime fan of Rockstar's work, I came into the latest iteration of Grand Theft Auto IV with many high expectations, and by large the game has not disappointed me.
While previous titles in the series have largely focused on its title character's tale of one man's rise from the bottom to the top, it's the social aspect of GTA IV, and its ability to get you inside the mind of Niko that is constantly compelling me to not put down my controller.
Through his interactions with friends, potential girlfriends and his cousin Roman, we see more side to Niko than any character that Rockstar has ever created. Niko feels more like a flesh-and-blood human being than just a mass of pixels and textures on screen, as he comments on his feelings and though processes making us look at him more than just a man with a gun, but making us think about the moral complications that the character too is feeling.
This also leads into the game world itself. For the first time in my experience, I feel as if I am alongside a character. Living and breathing amongst the many citizens of Liberty City. While I've spent many bleary-eyed nights with this game I am not ashamed to say that I have hardly even scratched the surface of the missions on offer, instead I am content to explore Niko's world. From the seedy bars and project housing to the glitzy part of town, you really get a sense of the cultural aspects at play in the game. Rockstar has really breathed life into this city, and it's definitely an experience that everyone should try.
Multiplayer is another touted aspect of the game that has me thoroughly excited. As a player of mods such as Multi Theft Auto, I, like many other GTA aficionados have craved for the chance to experience the world of GTA in a multiplayer. While many have filled their hours with the deathmatch modes, I have been gathering a couple of friends and cruising the streets of Liberty City, letting time pass me by. Like other sandbox titles such as Crackdown, the free roam mode provides countless hours of fun that you really need to experience with a few mates. Whether it's doing burnouts in the car park of the Burger Shot or trying to push each other off tall buildings, there is a lot of good times to be had roaming the streets of Liberty City.
On the other hand, I am disappointed to say that the clunky control system at times pulls me out of the game's immersion and frustrates me to no end as I have often found myself ploughing into a group of pedestrians or knocked out by an angry cabby due to the fiddly system that has been employed.
That said, the good far outweighs the bad and Rockstar should indeed be riding the high that this much-hyped title so welcomely deserves.
Niko, easily the most involving character in a GTA title yet.
Harry Milonas - PALGN Staff Writer
An ominous-sounding Niko once uttered, "Things will be different". If he was subtly speaking on the critical effects of a perfectly orchestrated hype machine, Mr. Bellic needs to find a new publicist.
Daniel hits the proverbial nail on its cranium. A shameful amount of time has been wasted on the seemingly indisputable grandstanding of additions and refinements to the GTA formula. And how. Bigger, better, faster, stronger, is certainly the Daft Punkish mantra of Grand Theft Auto IV. Had it been any other medium, the exhaustive, arguably unconcentrated design would negate more than it brings to the questionable critic's table. If anything, the hype behind GTA IV demonstrates once again how ridiculously broken the review system of this overenthusiastic enthusiast industry really is.
Sorry, folks. No game 'deserves its hype', nay 'lives up' to it. All those trailer countdowns; all that marketing money; all the frightening number of underage unboxing videos on YouTube -- indeed, all the 'perfect tens' in the world don’t mean any species of fecal matter if all we’re doing is raving on a laundry list of franchise upgrades. Grand Theft Auto IV isn't a 'perfect' game. It's not the 'best game ever', nor the 'best game yet', and it certainly won't change your life. It's hilarious, it's hip, it's disgusting, and it’s disturbing, with a mastery of the sociocultural -- both inside and outside the game -- second to none. It’s also still predictable, still padded, still needlessly frustrating, and still embraces an overall disconnection between the various facets of its world. But now I’m starting to sound formulaic too.
Of course, none of this matters in the slightest. You already made your mind up about buying the game the second you sent Officer Tenpenny to an early grave. We should be content as glorified mathematicians, justifying our arbitrary end scores for the faith of our validating readerships, PR monkeys and the four-year interim between a 'real' GTA game. Perhaps asking for anything more than blind hyperbolic fellation is asking too much of any videogame review, let alone 'critic'. Our EXCLUSIVEly anxious reviews mean ever so much, years from now, when the truly versed critiques of GTA IV finally come to light -- in unbridled anticipation of the next Grand Theft Auto, naturally.
Videogame hype, as always, is fleeting. 'Videogame journalism' is, unfortunately, forever.
Liberty City is a beautiful backdrop.
Next we thought we'd ask our forum members whether Grand Theft Auto IV has lived up to the hype, or whether they'll be heading back to the store to demand a refund.
Shannon - PALGN Forum Member
Going into this game, I was completely open minded. As with any other GTA game, you can only imagine what the game will be like based on little tidbits of information given by previews and interviews.
I didn’t expect this game to be revolutionary, I didn’t expect it to set a new standard for graphics. I expected it to be a game that I could play for hours on end while still wanting to play more after putting the controller down.
I’m 30 hours into the game, and still loving every minute of it, the story is great, the many little touches Rockstar have added to the game are all brilliant. I honestly can’t say that I wish that there was more in this game, or that something needs to be picked.
This game is just about as close to it gets to perfect. I’d be lying if I said that it didn’t outdo every single one of the previous GTAs.
It may not be the creation of a new genre, it may not have best graphics to ever be displayed, but it’s the best of its kind by years, and its that damn good, I’m failing to visualise, how Rockstar are going to improve on it.
This game got loads of hype and it deserved every little bit of it and then some.
Passa - PALGN Forum Member
Before GTA IV, I had never really played a GTA game before besides two or three of the opening missions. I consistently found the series uninteresting and overrated, in particular the awful characters, storyline and gunplay. I naturally assumed I wouldn’t be interested in purchasing GTA IV, ignoring all media prior to its release. I only decided to get it when I heard that the three biggest gripes I had with previous iterations in the series were fixed.
Four days after purchasing the game, I can wholeheartedly say it is one of the greatest games I have ever played. My first impressions were not as positive – it initially felt like any old GTA game, but as time went on I realised just how rich, detailed and involving the game world was. The game seems to have no limitations, every fifteen minutes you discover something new in the game you didn’t know existed. Between the in-game television, internet, radio, individually named streets, interactive diversions (bowling, darts, pool etc) and the cellphone, you’ll be blown away.
From a technical side of things, the game also succeeds. The graphics are incredible considering the scope of the game and the multiplayer is surprisingly fun and doesn’t feel tacked on at all. It has a few issues at the moment (that can be easily worked out with a patch) but you can’t help but sit back and marvel at the game when you’re playing with 15 other people roaming around freely in Liberty City together. Almost definitely GOTY, and quite possibly one of the greatest games of all time.
Take the boat for a ride. Go on, you'll love it.
Capoeira - PALGN Forum Member
I’ve never been so hyped for a game than I was for GTA IV.
The month leading up to it was nigh on unbearable for me especially considering the amount of previews hitting the net during that time, continually heaping praise upon the game. It was hard not to be caught up in it all and I think it’s fair to say that by the time the game was finally in our hands, expectations were at inordinate levels.
For me to finally play the game, going in with such an attitude, and still have it completely blow me away hopefully speaks volumes about how monumental an achievement GTA IV turned out to be. I played a dangerous game letting the overwhelming wave of hype consume me but however reckless that may have been, it was ultimately inconsequential.
GTA IV utterly obliterated the astronomical pressure that was placed upon it by the media and legions of rabid fans by delivering one of the most engaging gaming experiences to grace our consoles. It’s still very much ‘GTA’ but anyone who was up late at night, scrounging message boards and gaming sites for the latest scraps of info on the game never, ever wanted anything else.
GTA IV absolutely lives up to the hype and delivers beyond even that.
There we have it. We'd like to thank Passa, Shannon and Capoeira for their participation. Check back to PALGN tomorrow for our review of Grand Theft Auto IV.
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