Grand Theft Auto IV Review

I don't agree with the review...I love TBoGT. I also can't agree with it feeling old. The character in it were great and Yusuf Amir is probably my favorite character in the whole GTA franchise.

Though I disagree with what you say, I'll defend to the death your right to say it.
 
Erm, anyway...I disagree and think it's a pretty good expansion. The characters are nicely played out (Yusuf Amir is hands-down the best, imo), the controls handle well (in contrast to a lot of people who hate the helicopters...I find them easy to fly), the graphics are still pretty nice and it was, simply, fun.
 
Though the ending could've been...more. It was still pretty good, though it should've been Niko there. Still a nice ending to Liberty for now.
 
Edit: Thinking about it, the cover system could be better. It has nearly gotten me killed a few times (getting stuck on a wall for a few seconds while someone runs up to me and unloads before I can do anything), but other than that, I find the controls fine.

Okay, someone has to say it: Do you guys really need a 2-scale rating system, just "good" and "bad"? Or like a certain youth oriented website "rent it", "buy it" and "fuck it"?
 
What I am trying to say is: Three stars is not bad at all. It's not even mediocre, it's better than mediocre, it's decent. Apparently "good" starts at 4,5 for the most of you, which is not how you should read this 5-star-scale. It'll only piss you off.
 
As for the review itself, it seems that Ryan didn't like the characters, not because they were badly written, but because he really didn't like them, on an emotional level. The interesting question is how to deal with that situation as a reviewer. Ryan took the huge risk and rolled with it. I think he is well aware that people will tore this review to pieces.

Wow, this has to be one of the first Giant Bomb reviews I really disagree with.  The game is really great, easily better than both the original GTAIV and Lost and Damned.. and while Luis is probably the weakest of the three main GTAIV character, Tony, Yusuf and Mori alone were some of the best characters in the series.

I couldn't disagree more Ryan. I think Gay Tony is a fantastic game, I love the story and characters and I think in terms of gameplay its the best that GTA games have been to date.

Thanks for the review Ryan, I was on the fence on this one, now I know to stay away.  

" @darkjester74: You shouldn't base your decisions on one review, no matter what the review says. You might want to do some research first :D. "

I'm around 4 hours in and all I can say is that the characters are strong and likable, the story is interesting and widely entertaining,  and the gameplay and graphics have aged a bit but still make for a great open world game.  I just can't see how someone could play this game and think otherwise.

Great review, couldn't agree more.

" Great review, couldn't agree more. "

Kinda surprised here as I really enjoyed it. I didn't really mind Luis as a character and wasn't looking for much of a back story from him. He just seemed like the perfect throw away character for an expansion pack;  Sorta badass. In terms of gameplay, I thought it was a fun, short experience worth it's price tag. Also a lot of complaints seemed to be about GTA IV's system and since this was an expansion pack it was hard to expect Rockstar to go in there and change much about that.

While it's not as good as the previous stories, I think it's definitely better than it's made out to be in this review. But hey, everyone has a different opinion, and if Ryan thinks the game is average at best, then he's entitled to that opinion.

I think this is super-cereal and we need to take immediate action.  LETS MAKE A PETITION TO GET RYAN TO CHANGE HIS REVIEW!! If our petition does not work I guess we will just have to kill him via decapitation to set an example.    
 
AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

" @darkjester74:  See, this is exactly why reviews like this are troubling.  If you enjoyed GTA IV and TLAD, you'll absolutely love TBOGT. There's absolutely no legitimate reason, and Ryan provided none, to indicate otherwise. Virtually every other review confirms this.  Now, if you played TLAD and were underwhelmed, then I still think TBOGT brings enough new to the table to warrant a look.  "

Ryan didn't like it.  Many  other reviewers did.  So what?
 
Are we still at the point where we care what rating professional journalists give to a game, even after we've played through it, and already formed an opinion for ourselves?
 
Reviews are there to aid the decision making process in a purchase.  Should I plunk down $20 (or $60, or what have you) of my hard earned dollars?  As with anything else, you go and solicit opinions from those who have prior insight into the game, whether they be your friends, or professional video game writers.  You don't always agree with your friends, because they have their personal tastes to account for.  Why would that be any different with reviewers?
 
Ryan gave Rock Band Unplugged 3 stars.  That didn't bother me.  I went out and bought it, played the everloving crap out of it, and would easily rate it a 4.5.  Ryan's beefs with the game were legitimate, but they weren't enough to stop me from enjoying it, and immensely at that.  We clearly have different ideas about what makes a rhythm game good, and that's normal.
 
People, grow up already.  If you like Ballad of Gay Tony, more power to you.  Enjoy it, and forget this review.  Do you really think one review on the Internet will stop the GTA juggernaut?

His expectations were too high.

Best of the three campaigns for me and tbh, enjoying it more than Uncharted 2 so far.  How Ryan feels about Ballad's story is exactly how I felt about GTA 4's story when that first came out though, so different strokes I guess.
 
I do like that Ryan isn't afraid to use the whole scale and always calls it exactly how he sees it.

I can see where Ryan's coming from. But I respectfully disagree.

" Ryan didn't like it.  Many  other reviewers did.  So what?  Are we still at the point where we care what rating professional journalists give to a game, even after we've played through it, and already formed an opinion for ourselves?  Reviews are there to aid the decision making process in a purchase.  Should I plunk down $20 (or $60, or what have you) of my hard earned dollars?  As with anything else, you go and solicit opinions from those who have prior insight into the game, whether they be your friends, or professional video game writers.  You don't always agree with your friends, because they have their personal tastes to account for.  Why would that be any different with reviewers?  Ryan gave Rock Band Unplugged 3 stars.  That didn't bother me.  I went out and bought it, played the everloving crap out of it, and would easily rate it a 4.5.  Ryan's beefs with the game were legitimate, but they weren't enough to stop me from enjoying it, and immensely at that.  We clearly have different ideas about what makes a rhythm game good, and that's normal. People, grow up already.  If you like Ballad of Gay Tony, more power to you.  Enjoy it, and forget this review.  Do you really think one review on the Internet will stop the GTA juggernaut? "

" @darkjester74: You shouldn't base your decisions on one review, no matter what the review says. You might want to do some research first :D. "

" Time and expectations have taken a certain toll on Grand Theft Auto IV, but all that aside, the bottom line for The Ballad of Gay Tony is that it's just not as good as the GTAIV experiences that preceded it.

Wow. This is where it completely flies off the rails. It's one thing to say that the GTA IV engine has not aged well. That's a matter of legitimate opinion, I suppose, and I don't entirely disagree with it. But to say that TBOGT is "just not as good" as the previous episodes, particularly TLAD, is ludicrous. After all, those games used the same tired engine.

It's borderline flat-out lying to suggest that the average player will find TBOGT less enjoyable than TLAD. There's just absolutely no valid reason to suppose that. The missions are much more entertaining and interesting, the new weapons are killer, the tank is a great addition and the parachutes are probably the best side game in the entire series. 
 
Does Ryan seriously suggest that episodic content of this nature should dramatically overhaul the core gameplay mechanics? Yes, it's fair to say that Rockstar North is responsible for this problem themselves by taking so long to release the episode. But there's absolutely no question that what they added and improved within this limited engine is better than anything seen so far.

I can accept someone saying that GTA IV's gameplay engine needs to me overhauled. But I can't accept someone saying that TBOGT, with all its additions and enhancements, is inferior to TLAD within that engine. . "

I personally think he expected too much from this game. It's not they are going to redesign the game itself in a dlc expansion. The problem this thing has is that it was released a bit late that now playing you can really see how dated the game is. IMO I think this expansion is a fun addition with an interesting story and cool side activities but I will agree with Ryan that Luis doesn't really emote all that well.

Why did they have Ryan review this? He has any obvious bias against GTA because he cant wrap his head around the "gamey" disconnect of the story. I hear him rag on GTA4 all the time for this. Someone tell Ryan its just a game that doesn't take itself THAT serious. Please.

While I respect Ryan's opinion, I must say I disagree with practically every point in this review.  
 
I found Luis to be a great, fleshed out protagonist and he was a great pivot point to view Gay Tony's tale from. Gay Tony is really an excellent character, going against the typical homosexual stereotypes shown in GTA IV with Bernie. He is smart, sarcastic and a little flamboyant but never that flaming. I really appreciate Rockstar's efforts with him. The story is definitely a little less serious and moral-based but still an entertaining tale. The cutscenes were excellent too. 
 
I find the combat still very playable to this day, with the new weapons definitely helping. Sure, Uncharted 2 is definitely smoother and easier to play but this is based off an old and pretty rad combat system for its day. Like San Andreas, which it is based upon, it is a throwback but definitely a well-made one.
 
Ryan, I love you death man but I really think you missed the mark here.
 
Still.....<3

Serious question:  What progress has been made with cover mechanics since this or even Gears?  You press a button to stick to it and then either blind-fire or lean out and shoot (granted the shooting mechanic itself is handled a little differently in GTA).  What am I missing?
 
I can't remember; does Uncharted 2 ever have to cope with dynamic cover like GTA4 has to?

i don't have this nor do i plan on getting it (advertising really only succeeds in making me NOT want to rush out and buy/dl the product... keep that in mind devs? ;) but i agree with the others.
 
seriously Ryan enlighten us: how  in any way shape or form have open-world games been refined and improved since GTA? I don't see the connection. Hell there's hardly been any, certainly none worth mentioning or in the same caliber has GTAIV. 
 

As far as im concerned its still probably the best of it's kind.
 
Saints row 2? Laughable man, why don't you mention Postal while you're at it. vapid minigames for vapid ADD 'sufferers'. 
 
But doesn't everyone and their dog have add or adhd now? I supposedly do or did, shit just kill some trees guys, it's not hard.
but yeah they're ruining everything. only in this day and age can fat asses balancing palates balls over their fat heads be 'riveting' television. It's that damn symphonic orchestra, and slo mo then really-fucking-fast camera tilts 
swear to God

While I'm not gonna sit here and tell Mr Davis his opinion's wrong and moan at him for not liking the expansion, I do have to comment on a few of the things I heard in the podcast and also read in the review. 
 
First of all I'm baffled by the comment that open world games have come on since GTA IV was released last year, with the likes of Red Faction and Infamous being named as examples. I fail to see anything that these games did that eclipses Rockstars game in any way shape or form? It's not a perfect game, but the level of detail in the world, the realistic portrayals of characters and modern culture and just the feeling of immerision in GTA IV blows all competition out of the water. Red Faction and Infamous were incredibly average games, certainly not stand out offerings in the genre. 
 
I do find the complete dismissal of GTA IV on the podcast as not holding up a year later rather silly. GTA IV is still a massive technical achievement that nobody has come anywhere near close to. Even though I'd agree the controls could definitely do some work, to compare it to Uncharted 2, a game that contains incredibly linear and scripted game play again seems rather silly to me. 
 
Also Ryan's review only really seems to talk about the storyline in Gay Tony, which I'll agree probably lacks the direction of LATD and the original game. What it does have though is some really memorable characters (how can you write of review of Gay Tony without mentioning Yussif Amir baffles me) and some of the most varied and over the top missions in any of the GTA games. I'd agree that maybe the main characters aren't as likeable as Niko or Johnny. Instead of going for really deep characters Rockstar seem to have harked back to the insanity of San Andreas. 
 
Ah what the hell, opinions are like arseholes etc. Ryan just seems a bit too quick the dismiss the game IMO, but hey ho. I love both the episodes and can't wait to see what Rockstar does with the next GTA game. I don't expect everyone to enjoy it like me, but I would have expected the review to at least go into a bit moredetail as to why you didn't like it.

" This was a better game than ODST. "

Still a good score.

To me, this review says, "I hardly played the game or paid much attention to it.. eh I'll give it a 3."
 
Also, as Tiltawhirl pointed out:  "how can you write of review of Gay Tony without mentioning Yussif Amir baffles me"
 
That's more proof that Ryan glazed over the game without a second thought. Yusuf Amir is f'in hilarious in the game, and one of the main reasons I liked it so much.. and it seems tons of people agree. When so many agree that this game has a solid story and characters, you can't help but wonder how wrong Ryan must be.

This is one of the first reviews on this site that I have to disagree with. The review text seems a bit rushed. I thought the new storyline packed much more punch then TLAD's plot and Yusuf Amir is hilarious. The gameplay has also been amped up with more over the top action and checkpoints to make the game a bit less frustrating then the original GTA 4. I also loved the new soundtrack (new Electro Choc and Vice City FM really add to the atmosphere of LC''s nightlife.  Maybe my love for the GTA franchise has blinded me for the games shortcomings but it's by far the best DLC I've played yet. (ODST was fun but nowhere near as good as this).

"once innovative, showing its age, aging framework, because of games like Uncharted 2 to compare it with" pfffffftssspshhhhhffffft. i scoff. 
 
the problems with GTA 4 were as clear as day when the game came out. i can remember saying when i was playing it: "these controls blow all the ass in the world" and aaaaaall the reviewers knew it too but the Hype-Train made reviewers ignore those facts and score it a perfect 10 every time. now reviewers try to pretend they were bamboozled when GTA 4 came out because there were no good games to compare it to. fuckers just need to admit the Hype-Train got em. no offence to Davis but reviewers blow.

Dude, it seems you're the only reviewer to point out the schizo nature of GTA's protagonist. All other reviewers rave how great of a character NIko is. No, he is not, I cannot sympathize with that man! While I can understand his drive for revenge, he is nothing short of a psychopath. Very early on, Niko kills the man that rivals his cousin for some chick's love, stupid. He then proceeds to kill many other petty individuals, only to piss and moan about it later. All he has to do is: STOP KILLING PEOPLE!
 
The story was pretty cleverly written, and all other characters are entertaining, if not ridiculously colorful. But Niko should not be at the front-and-center of all that praise.

I've been playing this a lot the last few days, and while I agree with a lot of the points made (mainly how clunky it feels), I also think that the missions in this are a LOT better than the ones in GTAIV, which to me makes me like this better, at least in terms of gameplay. 

Quite low, in my opinion. The DLC didn't impress me.