Is GTA4 great art? Pulitzer prize winner thinks not

[Snieeke]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121460385251911957.html?mod=2_1168_1

"At the game's start he just steps off the damn boat and doesn't even have to flash a fake passport or worry about being caught up in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid, and despite his fresh-off-the-boat duds and no money, he bags an American girlfriend just by giving her and her friend a lift home. Possible? Sure. But a wicked commentary on the role of the immigrant in today's loot-and-imaged obsessed U.S.A., GTA IV is not. Trying to glean something about the contemporary immigration experience from GTA IV is like trying to mine African-American history from "San Andreas." Don't try this at home, kids."

Very good article in the wall street journal by 2008 pulitzer prize winner Junot Diaz. I wonder what he would say about the mafia game, which I found to not be as fun gameplaywise as the gta games but storywise to be more mature.

 

[Totallyfolked]

I generally agree with this guy but I think the plot is an improvement to the previous games.
I never really connected with Tommy and found CJ to be annoying (vehemently anti-drugs "cos they mess people up" but kills people at the drop of a hat ..... yeeaahh). I actually felt empathy for Niko, he was obviously a normal guy before the unnamed war messed with his head and he tries to put that life behind him, albeit whilst gunning half of liberty city
The main plot bit I liked was the bleak ending, it wasn't a masterpiece of writing but it annoyed me less than the "you are the master of everything, congratulations" endings of VC and SA. I do prefer the ending to III though simply for the comedy value as No Name blows away the annoying chick in the end credits.
What did confuse me was how Ninko kept whining about how poor he was after he'd robbed a bank and got away with a shedload of money. Didn't like the choice think because all of them except the last one had no real effect on the game, although this may be because I had been playing mass effect just before I bought GTA:IV

 

[Johnn Johnston]

GTAIV isn't trying to be an accurate education experience telling you exactly how the immigration experience is in real life.

It tries to be an enjoyable game.

 

[thejoblot]

GTA IV is great, but anyone who thinks it's some work of art needs to get their heads examined. From Game Informer:

"I now know how critics felt after screening The Godfather."

The Godfather > GTA IV

 

[T360]

GTAIV isn't trying to be an accurate education experience telling you exactly how the immigration experience is in real life.

It tries to be an enjoyable game.

id argee with this setiment. seems like some people just haveto find flaws in everything.