GTA4

It is what is. Coming out next week. I'm very excited about it, it looks nice. I think limiting it to just New York City is a good idea. GTA games can suffer from "Big World, not enough to do" sometimes so having the density up is cool. GTA voice quality and writing is usually really good and god knows I love the open world/emergent gameplay part of GTA.

This brings up something else. This is one of those games that my wife loves to play, actually, also cool. It's funny that what my wife, contrary to popular belief, doesn't like about most games isn't the killing part or anything like that (she's no prude, to say the least, probably raunchier than I am), but rather just the sort of macho bullshit quotient of most games and the like. The geek videogame community pulls the same "what silly light games can I get my g/f to play?" thing that The Other Game Site does but in reality, as with games, she either likes them or doesn't and most ladies aren't some stupid stereotype that only play pink games or something. We played GTA:SA for days, she would just drive some POS car through the countryside blaring horrible country music with the cops in tow.

Finally, multiplayer is coming too. It's slightly disappointing because it isn't just the full game with a second player, which was my dream. Rather it is a bunch of different modes in that open world (races, cops and robbers, some coop missions, etc). But it doesn't matter, playing this online with my friends and brother is going to rule.

Anyone else getting this? What platform? I only have an xbox360 so this may come off fanboiish but I would definitely not buy this for PS3 if you have an xbox360. Microsoft fed 50 million dollars to the developers to get them to produce big ten hour exclusive new installments for the xbox that will not be coming to the PS3. Not minor DLC content like most games but really big substantial campaign stuff.

I preordered it for PS3. I loved GTA3 and Vice City, but San Andreas didn't do it for me. There was just too much to do. I have heard several game journalists who had the same problem with San Andreas say that GTA4 has renewed their love for the series, so I am really looking forward to this one.

Double post - sorry, still groggy this a.m.

I was going to come on here and talk about how I discovered EUROPA UNIVERSALIS III and think it's one of the best games I've ever played but I guess you guys want to talk about GTA...I'll take my tophat and monocle and be out of your way SIRS.

Subject switch:

haha, yeah, the EU series is good but I stopped playing after HOI:2. I just could not take the unpolished buggy gameplay and *especially* the bad AI that only partially gets fixed 2 years later...

Never played a GTA game. Have no interest in ever doing so.

GTA man...I've got both Vice City and San Andreas and EVERY TIME I fire them up, I do so with the best of intentions. "Gonna finish some missions, gonna advance the story."

Next thing I know, I've jacked a car, drove out to some hick burg in the middle of nowhere, ordered a hamburger at their restaurant, stole some guys tractor, and drove back to the 'hood doing 25 mph on the interstate in my big assed green tractor. The next thing you know I'm beating up a bunch of civilians, then the cop chase is on, next thing you know I'm plowing through road blocks in an ambulance. I look up, an hour and a half has passed, and I haven't done SHIT in terms of the storyline.

I dig the GTA series but I'm in no hurry to get GTA4 right now. At the pace I'm going I'll finish San Andreas sometime in 2019.

You forgot to mention beating up an officer of the peace with a dildo.

Ken B. wrote:

GTA man...I've got both Vice City and San Andreas and EVERY TIME I fire them up, I do so with the best of intentions. "Gonna finish some missions, gonna advance the story."

Next thing I know, I've jacked a car, drove out to some hick burg in the middle of nowhere, ordered a hamburger at their restaurant, stole some guys tractor, and drove back to the 'hood doing 25 mph on the interstate in my big assed green tractor. The next thing you know I'm beating up a bunch of civilians, then the cop chase is on, next thing you know I'm plowing through road blocks in an ambulance. I look up, an hour and a half has passed, and I haven't done SHIT in terms of the storyline.

I dig the GTA series but I'm in no hurry to get GTA4 right now. At the pace I'm going I'll finish San Andreas sometime in 2019.

This is what turns me off it - just seems way too big.

Mr Skeletor wrote:

This is what turns me off it - just seems way too big.

I can see that. I think the open world adds to the appeal of the game, though. If you want to focus on the story, you can do missions, etc.. If you want to blow off some steam by beating up a prostitute and taking her cash, you can do that too.

A little something for everybody.

I haven't liked any of these since GTAIII - And I can't wait to pick up my pre-order for this.

I think San Andreas in particular was too big. You get so distracted having to drive a few miles between missions esp. if you failed and had to keep repeating them. I think that one took me three years of playing every now and then to complete. The earlier ones had taken me less than a week I was so addicted. I hope 4 takes place in a smaller rather than larger area or at least has a lot more save points dotted around.

SAN ANDREAS SPOILER WARNING

They do come up with some fantastic level designs though. Tie a guy to the hood of your car and drive up and down the Las Vegas strip to terrify him into giving you some information. Yeah, that is the kind of thing a truely psychotic nut job would do.

The one I really didn't like was Vice City. I never finished it, it was such a rehash besides a thin 80s pop culture veneer.

San Andreas *was* too big which is why I'm glad they're changing things for this release and really focusing in on the city experience. Only a couple days now...

It does look good. My worst fear is that it'll cut into my Mario Kart time.

Coming out tomorrow. I'll go out on the town tomorrow and let you boys know how it is if anyone is interested.