Not Perfect
Grand Theft Auto IV was considered one of the greatest games ever by many. Gamespot gave it a shocking 10, which was only handed out to maybe 5 other games at that time. Yes, it is a really great game, but no, it is not perfect. Just thought I'd throw that out there before continuing with my review. Anyways...
The Good: Long game with a very memorable story, awesome characters- Niko is one of my favorite videogame characters ever, fantastic environment along with nice visuals, excellent missions for the most part, addicting multiplayer
The Bad: Some missions or achievements are just plain annoying, occassional glitches here and there, aiming, and the online is not very competitive
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I primarily enjoyed Grand Theft Auto for its story, and what a terrific story it was. You play as Niko who tries to live a different life and make a decent living in Liberty City. At first, your only connection is with your cousin Roman, but you gradually hook up with numerous guys and girls throughout the story. These characters are vital to progressing through the story, as they are your source of missions and money. The story takes around 40 hours the first play through...at least it did for me. It can easily be completed in under 30 hours if you are focusing on completing the main missions. Yeah, some missions are side ones, while others are significant to the events leading up to the conclusion. One really cool feature in the story is the decision making. Similar in BioShock, this game has critical decisions Niko is forced to make and it is awesome to see how these choices affect what happens.
Now let's talk briefly about what missions there are. Most of them require your typical GTA stlye crimes, such as shooting up some place, or stealing a car and losing the cops. However, there are other missions you can do that I classify as side quests. You can date girls you hook up with, and you can take some of your friends ou to play billiards, darts, or visit the strip club. Some missions are fairly easy, while others are tedious and challenging, but overall rewarding to complete. Thankfully, when a mission is fairly harder than others you have completed in the past, you generally recieve more money. Still, there are some that are really annoying and they don't feel worth it after you fail several times, but that's just me.
The controls in this game work fairly well, except for shooting. Yeah, it's not the biggest deal, but sometimes Niko doesn't aim at what you want him to aim at. A cool feature in this game is the cover system that was added in. You can now post behind a wall and pop out to shoot your targets. Driving is pretty awesome in this game. The controls are fairly easy to get the hang of. The only vehicle I had trouble controlling at first was the helicopter, but it doesn't take very long to master. Overall, I'd say the controls are sharp unless Niko is aiming at the wrong thing.
The graphics in this game are pretty good, too. The City looks beautiful, and all of the people in this game look fairly realistic. Niko looks awesome, and so do all of the vehicles and what not. Some people say that this game has the best graphics on the 360, but I have to disagree there. I think Call of Duty surpasses this. Yes, they are completely different games, but this one feels a tad bit more animated than Call of Duty. But don't get me wrong, this game's visuals are really great for the 360.
Another really enjoyable thing about this game is the thoroughness put forth. During the story, Niko has access to the Internet and he uses a cell phone, recieving calls and text messages often. Online is even started up by activating the cell phone. There are a failry wide variety of weapons, too. You have weapons such as bats to sniper rifles and rocket launchers. Nothing is better than stealing a car, running the guy over, and then firing a rocket at him. So yeah, even when you are stuck on the story's main missions, there is always something else to do.
The online is really addicting, as mentioned before. The only problem I had with it was the fact that it wasn't very intense...but I guess this really isn't the kind of intense game. Anyways, playing with your friends is always fun, but there is bound to be some "gangsta" annoying you. Doing whatever you want online is really fun. You can choose whether or not to have cops, and all of that good stuff. There are your traditional Team Deathmatch type games there, too, but really, I think the highlight it the free mode. Still, kudos to Rockstar for featuring so many online options for this game.
And then there is the challenge of the game: completing it at 100 percent. After you finish beating the game, you may have a sudden urge for attempting a 100% completion. I did not do so, and trust me, it is a frustrating process. Some of the things you are required to do are so time consuming and flatout pointless, that it just isn't worth it. The primary goal that I find rediculous is hunting all of the pigeons of Liberty City...That would take me forever. But yeah, this game can be played for a long time. If you are interested enough to play through the story and comeback to play this for a 100% finish...It would probably take you well over 50 hours, plus the online. However, don't consider that an automatic plus. Some people I know weren't even interested in finishing the game. And if you're looking for competitive multiplayer, look elsewhere. Otherwise, this game is fantastic.
Overall, Grand Theft Auto IV is a must buy, if you asked me. However, it has its flaws every now and then, and it is not perfect. It doesn't have everything, but it does indeed promise a lot. Whether you're seeking a deep story or addicting online, this game is a definite purchase for you. In conclusion this game is pretty much worthy in anybody's collection, and you get your money's worth. With its great story, seemingly unlimited missions and achievements, addicting online, and a hell of a lot of fun, Grand Theft Auto is pleasing to any gamer. Thanks for reading.
-Oblivion
