Video Games : Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3)

Rating: - The biggest and best yet.
This is the first review ive written in a while so it probably won't be perfect lol.

I'm a huge fan of the Grand Theft Auto series going all the way back to the original on the PS1 so i had big expectations for the 4th instalment and im pleased to say that it has more than lived up to the hype. The game has you take on the role of Niko Bellic who has been brought to Liberty City by his cousin Roman to make a new life, but Roman hasn't been entirly honest with Niko and the two end up getting involved with some very nasy characters. I won't go into the story to much as i don't want to spoil it for the people who have yet to play this wonderful game. The gameplay is very similar to the previous GTA's with you completing various missions for Liberty's Citys many villians. The missions vary greatly, some are fun, others are a bit dull or incredibly annoying especially the missions that involve having to chase someone (They drive me nuts lol). The story is epic and the cut scenes are brillianly done and very funny. Now onto the graphics, well, they are just amazing, they truly are, ive spent hours just flying around the city in a helicopter just looking at the view lol. There are very few glitches at least that ive noticed and the game runs smoothly enough although it can slowdown when there is a lot happening on screen. There are a good ammount of weapons in the game and they all genrally work really well, especially the rocket launcher, it's still so satisfying when you take down a police chopper lol. Like all the other GTA's, there are loads of vehicles to get to grips with, they all handle really well and can take a good ammount of damage. There aren't any planes in this game like in San Andreas, but you do get take control of a number of heliecopters. There are also boats which come in handy and are pretty fun to handle. The online is a mixed bag for me to be honest, it's good fun especially with a group of friends, but it can become repetivive after a while much like in Burnout Paradise.

Overall, i love this game, the scale of Liberty City is immense, there's so much replay value here it's unreal. Even after you've completed the main story mode, there will be so much for you to still discover and see. The game gets the full 5 stars from me :).

---

Rating: - The emperors new clothes
GTA4 needs to be put in perspective. Yes, the graphics are great, yes, the sound is great, yes, the acting and animation is great, but, it's the same game we had in GTA3. Take out the mobile phone and there is nothing new here. The combat system is still rubbish, the targeting is still rubbish, and the cars handle marginally better than in previous games. Overall this is a triumph of marketing from Rockstar. Is it any wonder there are 10 out 10 reviews in all the magazines and websites when the only time people from these magazines and websites saw the game was in the offices of Rockstar. I wouldn't be surprised if Rockstar had final approval on all reviews (allegedly) before they were printed. It's the only way I can explain all these rave reviews because if you believe them, then GTA4 is the best game that has ever been made, and this couldn't be further from the truth. I was drawn into this media frenzy like everybody else and parted with my £45 on release day. I just wish I had rented beforehand as this is a twenty quid title at best.

---

Rating: - Falls ever so short of the hype
The fact this game has an average review worldwide is 99% seems to suggest its a masterpiece, and it is, but i think its been accredited with a lot more hype than it really deserves.

The game has become far more realistic, which can be both great (e.g. flying through a windscreen in a full force, head on crash and the new rag doll physics) and frustrating (driving requires far more patience with the days of gliding round corners are gone).

Online is top notch and only requires a flick through your phone to get started. The range of game modes are more than ample, with the best being Cops 'n' Crooks and Team Mafiya for me.

However, from talking to my friends the things that are likely to put you off buying are the lack of guns/cars (they've not included planes), property buying/owning, unextensive side missions, lack of/unappealing rewards, the ease at which cops can be lost and loads more little things. One of my friends just said it was "no longer fun to go round killing people anymore", which I can understand.

I would go on, but im just ultimately writing this review to avoid revising for my exams. In the end, GTA IV is an acquired taste, after all, I didn't fall in love with it until id notched up at least 10-15 hours. So perhaps you're better off watching gameplay videos than you are reading a review for this game.

Make the right choice, I know you will!

---

Rating: - Very Disappointed
I won't write reams as everyone else seems to have covered most of it but suffice it to say this really wasn't worth the wait. Let's not forget that this is the first GTA for the PS3 which is meant to be a whole host more powerful than the PS2...so where are the amazing improvements? Better graphics? Not really. Better missions? No. Better interactions? No. Like the title of this reviews says...I'm very disappointed.

---

Rating: - "Meh"
only reason i've been playing it is to see if it gets any better.. and now i know it doesn't i'll not bother any more..

i loved GTA 3, 3.1 and 3.2 but this leaves me cold.. all the vehicles handle like they're on glass (or maybe it's just how cars handle in the US)... the story's rubbish.. couldn't care less about the characters.. it's like they've sucked all the fun out of the game and there's nothing really new. Alright, contacting people by mobile is a nice touch, and the duck and cover system in combat, but having to do a mission then run round all your new friends and take them bowling, gets a bit tedious, especially latter when there's more of them. it's like the girlfriends in VC and SA.. and i couldn't be arsed then either.

Graphics.. yeah ok they're a step up.. but you'd hope so on new kit... and without a game behind it you may as well not bother

maybe the GTA franchise should be allowed to die. "i'm sorry there's nothing else we can do.. it's all been done before and we can't think of anything new" **BLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE**

was really looking forward to this, expecting big things.. they haven't arrived.

Oh and multiplayer.. if that floats your boat