Grand Theft Auto Finally Becomes Good
THE GOOD
THE BAD
In the eyes of the gaming public, Grand Theft Auto was revolutionary and something amazing. However, Grand Theft Auto III is not revolutionary. All the way back when the Nintendo 64 came out we had a free roaming title. Super Mario 64 itself let people go where they pleased around Peach's castle and where they pleased in each level. You could even gather some stars while hunting for others. Grand Theft Auto III took the idea of free roaming to the next level. But it was not the first 3D title to be wide open. And Grand Theft Auto III is forgiven far too much because of how it was different.
After three tries on the PlayStation 2, Rockstar is at it again with Grand Theft Auto IV. The difference is that they actually took the time to remake the engine and address all the problems that have haunted the series since its very first 3D installment. They refined the gameplay by remaking it from the ground up. They made it shine in ways they would, and could, not in the past. There are several things they could... no... should... have done on the PlayStation 2 installments that they did not but there is no denying that Grand Theft Auto could not have overcome what it did wrong in the past without the might of these two consoles behind IV. To put it bluntly; Grand Theft Auto finally becomes good with Grand Theft Auto IV.
Grand Theft Auto IV takes you back to the streets of, the New York City based, Liberty City. You play as Niko Bellic an illegal immigrant who comes to live with his cousin, who supposedly has made it big in America. When he gets off the boat he finds his cousin has been feeding him a bucket of lies and a shot glass of truth. Roman Bellic really runs a cab company and is up to his ears in debt. As Niko struggles to end his cousin's problems he only gets them in deeper and deeper into the criminal world. Niko will do anything for the right price and his talents at staying alive and killing others is something many people in Liberty City can use. But Niko is searching for something on his own and finding it may be the straw that broke the camel's back...
The story in Grand Theft Auto IV is probably the best thing about it. It doesn't glorify the criminal lifestyle as much as the past games have. In fact it constantly puts down the idea of being a criminal for fun and shows how these people are in it because it's a lifestyle that is hard to escape. The story hits hard in many areas and you might find yourself sitting there wondering what to do based on your own feelings in the game. There are times when it asks you to make a tough choice and when you get there you might not be ready for it. But luckily this is a videogame and you can set it down for several minutes to get yourself ready if you need to.
The game seems built to support the story but also to take the next step. The sheer refinement of everything that they built into this engine is oustanding. Just playing around with the physics can last for hours if you let it. Every little thing has been polished and cleaned up. And it all supports what happens in the story, aside from cheats and the things Rockstar let slide because it is a game. There are times when the realism can get in the way of the fun but these times are few and far between. Further than all the glitches and purely bad gameplay designs in the past entries to the series.
Niko can do quite a lot. He can scale walls, he can fire a variety of guns, he's a skilled driver, he's smooth with the ladies, and he's not great at life but he bowls like an angel. The game offers plenty of things to do in the city but most of it doesn't last. In Grand Theft Auto III you could still do most of the side missions when you completed the game, but both share the quality of being pretty empty afterwards. Many reviews seem to exaggerate how many things Niko can do. This is not San Andreas so we're not buying up property all over the city. We're not flying military helicoptors after petty criminals. We're not gambling away our money to a casino. They took out quite a lot when they decided to make a new engine but what they did keep in outdoes every attempt in the past, though there may be some exceptions.
The shooting is aided by the ability to lock on or to aim yourself. The auto-target is more of a problem than in other Grand Theft Auto titles because there are times you can see an enemy on the screen but the auto-target will not lock on. When it works it works very well but when it doesn't it can be an annoying thing to wrestle with. Niko can take cover to avoid damage and blind fire over cover and pop out to shoot and look around corners. He can do quite a bit to aid his aim and to keep himself safe. Combine that with the ability to ride motorcycles and drive all of the cars on the streets of Liberty City and the training to fly helicoptors and then the ability to use a good handful of weapons and you'll end up with an idea of what Niko can do in combat and out.
With all that Niko can do it's sort of a surprise that Rockstar threw in this friendship concept. A handful of people will become your friend and want to do activities with you. These activities are mainly things like pool or bowling or just getting drunk, letting you watch Niko and said friend stumble around. The friend system has plenty of benefits but also plenty of annoyances. Calls can come at the wrong moments and you absolutely cannot say no. I'm glad my friends aren't as spiteful as to think less of me when I say I'm too busy to do something with them. You can make the plan and then cancel it and they won't dislike you for it but sometimes it would just be better to say no right up front than go through the rest of the trouble.
If you keep your friends in high opinion you then you can gain extras from them, though these aren't very big rewards. To access the reward, and many other things, you use your Cell Phone. Your Cell Phone allows you to call people, recieve texts, access the multiplayer menu, and more. You can customize it later in the game, though the options they give are extremely limited. The phone really isn't a huge change in gameplay as much as it is the next step in the use of the cell phone from the previous installments. Nothing in Grand Theft Auto IV is revolutionary. It's evolutionary. Taking the next step for the series.
In taking these steps the game still has plenty of problems but nothing like the past. Once you get used to the new driving physics you'll be navigating the streets fine. Once you get used to how Niko handles the game plays out rather easily. The missions you get to progress the main plot are often similar once you take off the extremely pretty wrapper. When you die you don't lose your weapons anymore and can easily restart the mission from your cell phone right away. There are plenty of missions but most involve you driving and/or shooting someone. A few grander missions are littered throughout the game but they don't change the other missions.
One thing Rockstar did change was the radio. For better or worse you may find it less amusing or just as amusing as ever. The internet in-game can be explored and is full of many spoof-websites, while also letting you set up dates and/or missions. Rockstar also got professional comedians to put on shows in the game and there are some silly acts at a club that you can visit too. Televisions in your safe houses can be watched as well. These pieces of the game are all fitting and fine but they come off as the game not wanting to be played half the time. They are short enough to not be too big of an annoyance but you might end up skipping them as much as possible to go get drunk or cause random chaos.
Random chaos, or rather crime in general, attracts law enforcement. And the new system for Liberty City's finest is both good and bad. In a way it can be easier to avoid the cops now but it also can be more annoying. You have a flashing circle and all of the cops looking for you. If they can't see you then you just have to make it outside the circle to escape. It can be very easy at times but then there are times when cops spawn at the wrong moments right nearby. And if they see you then the whole circle is centered on you again leaving you to escape their vision and then get out once more. A simple chase can go on too long due to this happening though for the most part the system works well and makes the game easier.
The past games were hard due to problems in the gameplay more than actual difficulty so it is nice to see Grand Theft Auto cleaning itself up. No game gives you so much detail in the world. Liberty City looks beautiful and holds up against other 360 and PS3 titles nicely, and it still manages to give us an open world. The characters and pedestrians look great and the facial animations really help make Niko and the cast believable. There are some times where it seems awkward but most of the time the game doesn't feel fake at all and just flows. Just wandering around Liberty City for hours to take in the sights is something that may interest you.
The multiplayer aspect is decent but nothing more. They added plenty of modes but limited what you could do in them. The standard modes where you're having a deathmatch come back. But then we get some co-op missions like Bomb Da Base II, which are actually quite nice if everyone is following the mission. Free Mode is probably the most disappointing because of just how empty the city is. None of the single player side features, like comedy clubs or drinking, make an appearance. You're left alone with several friends in a massive city without any activities open. Lock On also can make killing others too easy.
The last complaint against this game one that the past games share as well. There is no mission replay feature. Once you beat the story you can't start the missions over. Considering this is a brand new engine it is something Rockstar should have put in. But the overall experience of Grand Theft Auto IV is enough to forgive it's absense. But if future titles continue to keep it out it will become a negative aspect just like it has for the later installments using the past engine.
Combine the good and the bad and Grand Theft Auto IV finally leaps the gap to being good. Something it's predecessors all tried and failed to do. It is legitimately a good game that focuses on quality over quantity and it pays off heavily in the end.
- Superb Storyline
- Great Graphics
- Refined And Polished Gameplay
- Plenty Of "WOW" Moments
- Physics Are Superb
- Controls Are Well Done
- Has Online Multiplayer
THE BAD
- A.I. May Act Up.
- Radio Is Not As Inspired As Vice City's Radio.
- No Checkpoints In Later Missions
- No Mission Replay Feature
- Side Quests Don't Last.
- Realism Can Get In The Way
In the eyes of the gaming public, Grand Theft Auto was revolutionary and something amazing. However, Grand Theft Auto III is not revolutionary. All the way back when the Nintendo 64 came out we had a free roaming title. Super Mario 64 itself let people go where they pleased around Peach's castle and where they pleased in each level. You could even gather some stars while hunting for others. Grand Theft Auto III took the idea of free roaming to the next level. But it was not the first 3D title to be wide open. And Grand Theft Auto III is forgiven far too much because of how it was different.
After three tries on the PlayStation 2, Rockstar is at it again with Grand Theft Auto IV. The difference is that they actually took the time to remake the engine and address all the problems that have haunted the series since its very first 3D installment. They refined the gameplay by remaking it from the ground up. They made it shine in ways they would, and could, not in the past. There are several things they could... no... should... have done on the PlayStation 2 installments that they did not but there is no denying that Grand Theft Auto could not have overcome what it did wrong in the past without the might of these two consoles behind IV. To put it bluntly; Grand Theft Auto finally becomes good with Grand Theft Auto IV.
Grand Theft Auto IV takes you back to the streets of, the New York City based, Liberty City. You play as Niko Bellic an illegal immigrant who comes to live with his cousin, who supposedly has made it big in America. When he gets off the boat he finds his cousin has been feeding him a bucket of lies and a shot glass of truth. Roman Bellic really runs a cab company and is up to his ears in debt. As Niko struggles to end his cousin's problems he only gets them in deeper and deeper into the criminal world. Niko will do anything for the right price and his talents at staying alive and killing others is something many people in Liberty City can use. But Niko is searching for something on his own and finding it may be the straw that broke the camel's back...
The story in Grand Theft Auto IV is probably the best thing about it. It doesn't glorify the criminal lifestyle as much as the past games have. In fact it constantly puts down the idea of being a criminal for fun and shows how these people are in it because it's a lifestyle that is hard to escape. The story hits hard in many areas and you might find yourself sitting there wondering what to do based on your own feelings in the game. There are times when it asks you to make a tough choice and when you get there you might not be ready for it. But luckily this is a videogame and you can set it down for several minutes to get yourself ready if you need to.
I know I needed to...The story has it's flaws but it does make you care about Niko. Niko is a likable guy who is a hypocrite and never claims otherwise. It seems mostly that he does what he does because he has no other choice and wouldn't advise anyone to live the life he does. Along the way you'll meet plenty of characters who you'll end up caring about and some you won't. This can be one of the games greatest flaws in giving the player too much freedom but it would be impossible to explain why without spoiling the experience.
The game seems built to support the story but also to take the next step. The sheer refinement of everything that they built into this engine is oustanding. Just playing around with the physics can last for hours if you let it. Every little thing has been polished and cleaned up. And it all supports what happens in the story, aside from cheats and the things Rockstar let slide because it is a game. There are times when the realism can get in the way of the fun but these times are few and far between. Further than all the glitches and purely bad gameplay designs in the past entries to the series.
Niko can do quite a lot. He can scale walls, he can fire a variety of guns, he's a skilled driver, he's smooth with the ladies, and he's not great at life but he bowls like an angel. The game offers plenty of things to do in the city but most of it doesn't last. In Grand Theft Auto III you could still do most of the side missions when you completed the game, but both share the quality of being pretty empty afterwards. Many reviews seem to exaggerate how many things Niko can do. This is not San Andreas so we're not buying up property all over the city. We're not flying military helicoptors after petty criminals. We're not gambling away our money to a casino. They took out quite a lot when they decided to make a new engine but what they did keep in outdoes every attempt in the past, though there may be some exceptions.
The shooting is aided by the ability to lock on or to aim yourself. The auto-target is more of a problem than in other Grand Theft Auto titles because there are times you can see an enemy on the screen but the auto-target will not lock on. When it works it works very well but when it doesn't it can be an annoying thing to wrestle with. Niko can take cover to avoid damage and blind fire over cover and pop out to shoot and look around corners. He can do quite a bit to aid his aim and to keep himself safe. Combine that with the ability to ride motorcycles and drive all of the cars on the streets of Liberty City and the training to fly helicoptors and then the ability to use a good handful of weapons and you'll end up with an idea of what Niko can do in combat and out.
With all that Niko can do it's sort of a surprise that Rockstar threw in this friendship concept. A handful of people will become your friend and want to do activities with you. These activities are mainly things like pool or bowling or just getting drunk, letting you watch Niko and said friend stumble around. The friend system has plenty of benefits but also plenty of annoyances. Calls can come at the wrong moments and you absolutely cannot say no. I'm glad my friends aren't as spiteful as to think less of me when I say I'm too busy to do something with them. You can make the plan and then cancel it and they won't dislike you for it but sometimes it would just be better to say no right up front than go through the rest of the trouble.
If you keep your friends in high opinion you then you can gain extras from them, though these aren't very big rewards. To access the reward, and many other things, you use your Cell Phone. Your Cell Phone allows you to call people, recieve texts, access the multiplayer menu, and more. You can customize it later in the game, though the options they give are extremely limited. The phone really isn't a huge change in gameplay as much as it is the next step in the use of the cell phone from the previous installments. Nothing in Grand Theft Auto IV is revolutionary. It's evolutionary. Taking the next step for the series.
In taking these steps the game still has plenty of problems but nothing like the past. Once you get used to the new driving physics you'll be navigating the streets fine. Once you get used to how Niko handles the game plays out rather easily. The missions you get to progress the main plot are often similar once you take off the extremely pretty wrapper. When you die you don't lose your weapons anymore and can easily restart the mission from your cell phone right away. There are plenty of missions but most involve you driving and/or shooting someone. A few grander missions are littered throughout the game but they don't change the other missions.
One thing Rockstar did change was the radio. For better or worse you may find it less amusing or just as amusing as ever. The internet in-game can be explored and is full of many spoof-websites, while also letting you set up dates and/or missions. Rockstar also got professional comedians to put on shows in the game and there are some silly acts at a club that you can visit too. Televisions in your safe houses can be watched as well. These pieces of the game are all fitting and fine but they come off as the game not wanting to be played half the time. They are short enough to not be too big of an annoyance but you might end up skipping them as much as possible to go get drunk or cause random chaos.
Random chaos, or rather crime in general, attracts law enforcement. And the new system for Liberty City's finest is both good and bad. In a way it can be easier to avoid the cops now but it also can be more annoying. You have a flashing circle and all of the cops looking for you. If they can't see you then you just have to make it outside the circle to escape. It can be very easy at times but then there are times when cops spawn at the wrong moments right nearby. And if they see you then the whole circle is centered on you again leaving you to escape their vision and then get out once more. A simple chase can go on too long due to this happening though for the most part the system works well and makes the game easier.
The past games were hard due to problems in the gameplay more than actual difficulty so it is nice to see Grand Theft Auto cleaning itself up. No game gives you so much detail in the world. Liberty City looks beautiful and holds up against other 360 and PS3 titles nicely, and it still manages to give us an open world. The characters and pedestrians look great and the facial animations really help make Niko and the cast believable. There are some times where it seems awkward but most of the time the game doesn't feel fake at all and just flows. Just wandering around Liberty City for hours to take in the sights is something that may interest you.
The multiplayer aspect is decent but nothing more. They added plenty of modes but limited what you could do in them. The standard modes where you're having a deathmatch come back. But then we get some co-op missions like Bomb Da Base II, which are actually quite nice if everyone is following the mission. Free Mode is probably the most disappointing because of just how empty the city is. None of the single player side features, like comedy clubs or drinking, make an appearance. You're left alone with several friends in a massive city without any activities open. Lock On also can make killing others too easy.
I'm not one for versus multiplayer though so take my word here with a grain of salt. ... I think that's the term...
The last complaint against this game one that the past games share as well. There is no mission replay feature. Once you beat the story you can't start the missions over. Considering this is a brand new engine it is something Rockstar should have put in. But the overall experience of Grand Theft Auto IV is enough to forgive it's absense. But if future titles continue to keep it out it will become a negative aspect just like it has for the later installments using the past engine.
Combine the good and the bad and Grand Theft Auto IV finally leaps the gap to being good. Something it's predecessors all tried and failed to do. It is legitimately a good game that focuses on quality over quantity and it pays off heavily in the end.
