GTA IV - My first impressions

A SpecialFriend · 04-29-2008

At about 12:36am EST time I arrived back at my house with the package, and promptly put the disc into my X-Box. Excited like a little boy on Christmas morning, I knew I was in for some fun. To my somewhat surprise, the game loaded up instantly with no menu and just thrust me right into the story mode. So far, so good.

I played a few missions, all of which seemed easy enough, however, my main concern was the multiplayer, I just couldn't find anyone to play with, until I got a Game Invite from Wiseguy. Within 10 seconds I was in the land of multiplayer with Wiseguy and one of his buddies. My Cell Phone rang. (In the game) The caller ID showed Wiseguy. I was kind of confused but hit "A" any way, and actually answered, "Hello?" It was indeed Wiseguy! Calling me from the other side of the map. How cool is that?! Apparently, you can call anyone of the players in the game, just for fun or maybe to stratigize. Neat stuff.

Anyway, the multiplayer was a blast. Although we couldn't figure out how to customize our characters quite yet, and Wiseguy ended up being female. We only had about 4 or 5 guys in the room just running around free roam, but still, it was a lot of fun. I noticed really no lag whatsoever and the framerate seemed okay. Weapons are all in the form of Old School Pickups, at least in the mode we played, and are all marked on your map, along with armor. I played well over 3 1/2 hours last night and had ZERO issues unlike a few reports so far. The controls seem easy enough to understand, but I did have to refer to the manual a few times to figure some things out.

Driving. Hmm. Driving. Not the best part of the game. In my opinion it seems pretty difficult. The cars do not corner as well as in previous GTA's and the handling I feel could use a little tweaking, but the physics are great! Wait until you hit that first corner of a wall and your car spins out like it really would if you hit the corner of the wall at that angle! Good stuff.

One thing that bothers me just a little bit, and I know it's petty, is the way that Niko leans right or left depending on which way you turn him. It's almost like he's walking on a tightrope and it bothers me. Again, that may just be me.

Multiplayer is going to bring a lot of good times, especially if we get a room filled up, and some of the minor things I mentioned will be nothing to worry about.

Right now, I wouldn't give it a 10 out of 10, but it's close, and I'm sure once we get this thing rollin' and we start to get some rooms filled up, it will be something we will be playing for quite some time.

AlphaQ GehaD · 04-29-2008

Posted by A Special Someone

Quote:

At about 12:36am EST time I arrived back at my house with the package, and promptly put the disc into my X-Box. Excited like a little boy on Christmas morning, I knew I was in for some fun. To my somewhat surprise, the game loaded up instantly with no menu and just thrust me right into the story mode. So far, so good.

LMAO, "WTFFFFFF NO MENU...So Far so good!" I was surprised by that too, Then having to get the cellphone just to play Multiplayer. Most pickups i seen is just lying around on the street, and i too have an issue with the Leaning. Guy looks like he is on Heroin when he runs and turns but its comedy. The driving as i stated in the other thread is kind of hard, But i think they made it more realistic, cause i was a machine while driving in the other GTA's. But i beat it needs some mastering, because GTA needs its driving & the makers now this. I too had a problem with joining multiplayer games, but I also took into consideration that it was 2 am and the game just released, plus i didnt know which of the 15 multiplayer game modes people were mostly playing.

Fun times ahead for sure.

Crippler · 04-29-2008

I'll be picking this up shortly.

Found something VERY interesting on the Beyond3D Forums. Probably deserves it's own thread really. Apparently the PS3 version runs at a res of 620 to 630P with NO AA and the 360 is running at 720P w/ 2xAA. There's always something when peeps say a game is better on the PS3. Then the real facts come out.

Are you going to get GTA4? - Page 6 - Beyond3D Forum

KEEZY · 04-29-2008

ASF! Sorry, I just saw your message this morning. I was crashing anyway, so I couldn't jump into the Multiplayer. I'm glad it was fun!

I noticed the lean too. It is kind of awkward looking. I mean you do lean when you run, but not until you get up in speed. It is minor, and I think you'll get used to it.

The driving is difficult, but I think it is just different. It sort of feels like it went from too tight to too loose. It takes time getting used to, but I started to not mind it so much. I'm so down for some MP tonight... I just want to get a little bit further in the SP.

MadBryan · 04-29-2008

I've only been playing an hour or two. When does it get fun? I'm guessing when the gunplay starts (I hope)

BiffCo · 04-29-2008

If you aren't having fun yet Bryan, I'd venture to guess that the game is not for you.

-Brad

D_Litch · 04-29-2008

While the driving is difficult, it gets more fun as you get used to it. It is more realistic than a good deal of race sims. So a Mercury Cougar will not go as fast or handle as well as a BMW. Roman's cab sucks, only use that when you have to.

AlphaQ GehaD · 04-29-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadBryan

I've only been playing an hour or two. When does it get fun? I'm guessing when the gunplay starts (I hope)

Did you do a hooker in a stolen squad car at the police station's parking lot then beat her down to get your money only to notice you did it in front of 2 cops and now they are chasing you down?

If that doesn't work try doing an online multiplayer drive by in a Greyhound bus

GoatMother · 04-29-2008

"drive by in a Greyhound bus"

That sounds great. Can a big team of players online go in one bus for as showdown? Perhaps shoot out windows

Crippler · 04-30-2008

So far the most fun I've had "playing" was watching TV for about 30 mins. Hilarious shit on there. The story is slow as balls right now though and MP needs a ton of work. I was hoping the MP would be MUCH better. Maybe after peeps get familiar with shit, it will be more fun. I hope so. Oh yeah, fix the disconnect shit in MP. Come on.

Did the devs sit more than 3 ft from their screens when making the icons and cell phone is this game? They are TOO DAMN SMALL. I can't read shit, even with that large font, on the cell phone and in MP the map is basically useless with all the tiny ass crap on it. Can we change the colors of the cell phone text and screen? As is, the cell is useless to me. I sit ~10ft from my screen and I have to actually get up to read that shit. I also can't stand how the character leans when you turn. WTH? Why? Just rotate the camera like any normal game would do. It makes you feel like you have the turning radius of a RV or something plus it just looks weird. My wife even asked me, "Why the hell does your guy lean like that? That looks stupid."

So far I haven't seen any pop-up in game that these review folk have talked about. The graphics are clean and not a jaggy in sight. That I like. 720P w/ 2xAA

namehater · 04-30-2008

anybody tried it out on ps3 yet? im curious to see the differences

btw- i havent played my 360 in a few weeks and i discovered that all my damn battery packs are dead! 3 of em, thats irritating!

KEEZY · 04-30-2008

The story is a bit slow to start, but I've only really done 2 missions, 1 date and 1 trip to the strip club with my co-sin.

The multiplayer is so much fun. People running all about, flipping out in the streets is hilarious. I think once people get the hang of the game and what to do in some of the missions, it will be even better. It seems that in Team Deathmatch, the icons don't always pop up over a character. I know botmann got killed 3 or 4 times in one round by his own team. Sorry man!

I was laughing pretty hard all night though. The helicopter race was awesome. Spectating other players also lends to some chuckles. Watching a bunch of thugs pile into a minivan and hang out the window with guns is great. As is when Wonder landed his helicopter in Time Square. The camera changed to a ground view, and people were running everywhere as papers and dust were kicked up. Excellent.

Wondermonkey · 04-30-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by KEEZY

I was laughing pretty hard all night though. The helicopter race was awesome. Spectating other players also lends to some chuckles. Watching a bunch of thugs pile into a minivan and hang out the window with guns is great. As is when Wonder landed his helicopter in Time Square. The camera changed to a ground view, and people were running everywhere as papers and dust were kicked up. Excellent.

Yeah, I think I had more fun spectating in multiplayer than I did playing it. I've always wanted to crush the Naked Cowboy with a helicopter, so now maybe I can.

It's a bit eerie though, for me at least, how much Brooklyn (Broker), Queens (Dukes), Bronx (Bohan), Manhattan (Algonquin) and the urban slice of New Jersey (Alderney) actually look like the real thing. Even Coney Island has some of the same layout. It's creepy, but cool at the same time.

Grits · 04-30-2008

The story is Damn amazing. Wait till you see some of the characters. If you aren't into it yet, just play the main missions and I bet you'll fall in love.

I really like the driving now. I'm getting much better at it and it feels great. I love sliding a 180 into a parking space and hitting corners just perfect.

I don't mind the lean at all now that I'm used to it. I Love the cab rides. The TV and Radio are amazing. It runs pretty smooth, though I wish it had a little better fps. But with all the detail, I can't complain.

MP is great fun. I can't wait to get more in depth with it.

See you all online!

PS I realized that I had my voice chat set to friends only last night. So, if your not on my list and tried to talk to me, that is why I didn't respond. I changed it back today.

GoatMother · 04-30-2008

Well I've only played a few of missions (PS3 version) and I agree. I'm still having fun with the game but definitely not nearly as good as expected from all the hype and ridicously inflated review scores given. I expected to be thoroughly sucked in like I was the first time I fired up GTA III.

Graphics certainly are not a 10. kind of inconsistant, sometimes I think it looks really great, other times not so much. The lighting on the graphics and time of day really effect how it looks, sometimes very realistic, sometime cartoonish. The explosions look for example look very good. The close up blurriness is what is annoying but hopefully I'll get used it.

Gameplay is far from a 10 (they really need a firmware for at least full customization). Also, the combat just feels sluggish. This is the biggest drawback for the game is the gameplay, I'm really hoping it grows on me but for now it just feels so clunky.

I do like driving around and the crashes are fun. Flying out of a winshield or off a bike in a high speed chase is great. I actually died from flying off a bike too far. The combat though, it is really a let down at this point.

Sound is reasonable but the songs sound overly compressed. Why can't they do CD quality songs?

I'm already finding myself skipping some of the cut scenes as the main characters cousin (I hope he gets axed pretty quickly) is annoying and I was sick of waiting for some action. Then to find I'm doing something stupid like buying clothes.

edit: forgot about the camera angles get annoying when reversing at times.

I'm probably focusing too much on the negative but I think that is from reading all the 10/10 scores and not agreeing with it. I definitely need to put more time into the game as this is a very early impression.

Nuklhed · 04-30-2008

The game is fun, is it a 10? I dont think so, at least the little bit that I played. I have the same problem with the cell phone text. I wish that was bigger. The MP is quite a bit of fun and I had a blast last night. Im getting a little further in the SP and starting to enjoy that more.

Wondermonkey · 04-30-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nuklhed

The game is fun, is it a 10? I dont think so, at least the little bit that I played. I have the same problem with the cell phone text. I wish that was bigger. The MP is quite a bit of fun and I had a blast last night. Im getting a little further in the SP and starting to enjoy that more.

I'm inclined to agree that it's not a 10 at this point, but honestly, in an open sandbox game, you really can't get the true feel of it until you've put some solid, uninterrupted time into it.

I think this weekend will be the true test for me. I do love how huge it feels, although that's also a bit intimidating to someone who has a hard time finishing these kind of games completely.

Crippler · 04-30-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wondermonkey

I'm inclined to agree that it's not a 10 at this point, but honestly, in an open sandbox game, you really can't get the true feel of it until you've put some solid, uninterrupted time into it.

I think this weekend will be the true test for me. I do love how huge it feels, although that's also a bit intimidating to someone who has a hard time finishing these kind of games completely.

Agreed. For me Oblivion felt the same way. The sheer vast world felt intimidating at first. Over time, it just felt right.