THE GRAND THEFT AUTO 4 LOVE/HATE RELATIONSHIP!  

Some of you might know of my love/hate relationship with Grand Theft Auto 4, I believe I've touched on the subject quite a few times in past blogs. But I felt it was only right that I discuss the issue futher considering I had recently restarted playing the Xbox 360 version. Now it took me quite a long time to adjust to the changes found within this latest entry of the much adored franchise, and I shan't bore you with the exact reasons for my hatred. But I shall say that unlike most recent GTA games, I found myself questioning the overall new direction being taken by Rockstar Games.  
 
To be fair GTA4 came off the heels of the simply stunning Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which in my own personal opinion was the best the series as seen. While I was over the moon to be returning to Liberty City and experiencing the joys of virtual city life, the actual story and characters within offered me few thrills. I'm sure some of you reading this might think me slightly strange, afterall wasn't the whole of gaming media calling GTA4 protagonist Niko Bellic the ultimate videogame character upon release. Don't get me wrong, I can see why some might say such a thing. But I never felt comfortable with Niko and still don't.  
 
Which is frustrating because that is half of the joy of such games, I've always loved Rockstar's ability to create such believable characters and though Niko is very believable, he is also one of the less enjoyable main protagonists in a while. Maybe part of me is looking at Niko in the wrong sort of way, but part of the reason I was so fond of the past few GTA games was mostly due to the main proganist. So I didn't exactly get along with Niko Bellic, I did though fall in love with Liberty City again. Yes it's quite different from it's legendary GTA3 roots, but Rockstar created a city which is as much a character as the actual main story characters. I recall spending so many hours messing around in the original Liberty City and could still drive around with my eyes closed. So returning was an absolute delight.   
 
Since my early rough experiences with Grand Theft Auto 4, I've come to appreciate it as a overall experience. It does feature some great GTA moments and stays true to the overall image of the franchise. But I honestly don't think I'll ever look upon this game with as much praise as many of my fellow gamers and the gaming media did, opinions are opinions and I know I'm not the only one who wasn't blown away with GTA4. But I do greatly respect it, with a slight wish that it offered some of the 'FUN' features of say San Andreas. For me, Grand Theft Auto 4 often took itself a little to seriously. But to travel on a little, I'm also rather excited about the Xbox 360 exclusive downloadable content that's been released. 
 
This is potentially where I could fall in love with GTA4, as the concept of episodic content in a Grand Theft Auto game as me rather excited. When it was first announced I showed little interest, but if it provides me with another angle of Liberty City, then how am I to complain. I love the idea of experiencing the city from a different individuals perspective and story, that alone made me purchase The Lost and Damned. Now I'm nearing the end of the actual story for Niko Bellic and can't wait to check out the first of two episodic content expansions confirmed for the Xbox 360, with The Ballad of Gay Tony set for release in November of this year. Maybe I'll actually discuss the expansion in a little more detail when I get around to playing it.  
 
Will I ever truly have that San Andreas experience with GTA4, probably not and maybe that's not such a bad thing. But for me personally, the actual city is the star of the game and the main reason for me to return for more episodic content. While I do believe that a good main protagonist can make or break a GTA game, I can't help but feel that my overall feelings towards the character of Niko Bellic as affected my overall views on Grand Theft Auto 4. I usually don't let that happen to me, but with such a celebrated gaming franchise, it's hard not to judge the game without letting your personal love for past titles make an appearance. I'm sure you could provide me with a list of a thousand reasons why Niko Bellic is the ultimate main protagonist, I just simply don't like him and wonder if he is the source of both my love and hate of Grand Theft Auto 4.  
 
Would you like to see Rockstar continue episodic downloadable episodes for GTA 4 after The Ballad of Gay Tony? 
and 
Who is your prefered main protagonist? Niko or Johnny? 
 
Thanks for Reading! 
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