Let's talk GTA IV

[Gigantor]

Hello all.

Ever since Peter Molyneux convinced a younger, wider eyed, less jaded version of myself that Fable, his magnificent octopus, would feature characters growing seamlessly from childhood to old age and would simulate the life-cycle of each and every blade of grass in the game world, I have tried not to be taken in by hype. Oblivion and Bioshock aside I have done fairly well in going through life unhyped.

But GTA IV has me hyped. Stoked. Psyched. Excited, essentially. It has me contemplating the previously unthinkable: buying a network adapter for my 360 and upgrading my Xbox Live membership.

I would like to discuss how we feel about GTA IV. Our hopes and dreams; giddiest imaginings and deepest fears. I'll start by saying that I am concerned the police spawning will not be based on the AI calling in backup, but will be in the style of the series' previous iterations where the cops can teleport into your vicinity. While I can understand the technical limitations that mean teleporting police is required, it still leaves me uncomfortable.

On the plus side, I am profoundly excited about how amazing the water looks. As a self-confessed water graphics whore (there I go again, confessing it...) such things will convince me to overlook a multitude of sins. It's also nice to see an Eastern European lead: as a quarter Ukrainian myself it's nice to see the balance redressed.

(Incidentally I expect to see you all online, wherein we shall tear up the streets of Liberty City in one, big Escapist street racing gang. Different time zones be damned!)

 

[WingedFortress]

I was wondering when, and how this subject would be broached.

I've been obscenely pumped since last summer. When they announced the delay, I traded in my first pre order to get Metroid Prime 3. Around christmas I picked up my second, and since then not a single game has been able to even touch my anticipation for GTA. The developers have remained cool and over confident throughout the whole ordeal, and everyone who's played it inevitably ends up with them foaming at the mouth while trying to get across how "AWES03ME" it is.

In GTA3, I remember walking down a street, who cares which, and noticing a nice little shop, "leo's porno emporium" or the like, and then noticing a hundred little shops. All with cute little names, all piquing my curiosity. I want to be able to checkout these places. Not one or two, not alot, but damn near every one of them. I understand that buildings cant be fully fleshed out, but the first floor should be available, at least in part, in every single one them.
That being said, I want to be able to interact with the population a bit more. Take a cue from san andreas' different fighting stances, and let me customize how I smack people around a bit. Let me grab someone, take them home, and beat them until I can arrange a meeting for some ransom money. Let me go online and set a meeting with someone, a park for example, and have them come. Then let them realize, in horror, that they made a fatal mistake by trusting someone online, when I walk up to the meeting place with a loaded shotgun. And mabye even have the cops come ask me some questions a few days later. I might even have to pay someone to cover my alibi. For me, the game has to have alot of options. I want to think at one point "I am one sick ************.". And all because I chose to be.

Im hoping for at least 5 tiers of weapons. 8 per tier. Please more. I want destructible walls, in building and such, and when I wreck a street, I want a contruction crew there the next day. While I realize that full destructible buildings may be a little out of reach, I want as much things to be destroyed as possible, and for as long as possible.

Well, its time to end this meandering post. Its 19 days away, and nothing will make it come any quicker. I wish I could be cryogenically frozen.

 

[Chilango2]

I'm feeling... mixed. I enjoyed SA, but SA also started to demonstrate to me some of the limitations of GTA. It was almost *too* big, I was barely able to bring myself to finish the game. It feels like every iteration of GTA has gotten bigger, but mostly by throwing in more stuff to do that I don't so much enjoy (car races). I played the PC port, and SA was the first of the PC ports that felt a little rough around the edges on how much effort they put into porting it.

 

[sammyfreak]

I cant say im too exited. All the GTA's have been great fun but the new one doesnt seem to have alot of new stuff to offer. Some fun but short-term multiplayer, improved controlls and a few gimmicky changes to your celphone. Not really that exiting.

But a new GTA game is definately worth the price and will probably offer hours of entertainment.

 

[SonofSeth]

I love the GTA! I like the storys and I love the characters, I like it's over-the-top-ness and underperforming graphichs. I finished San Andreas in 4 days and then I went to sleep, I was thin, I was fat and I was a beefcake.

I want it, I'm looking forward to it and I think that I broke my suspension of hype fuse.

Whatever it turns out to be, great or garbage I'll probably like it.

With that said, I realy don't belive it can be realy bad, sure, there will be people with broken hype baloons trolling the forums, there will be people who didn't like GTA in the first place and all of them will answer the call to arms to tear this overhyped POS down, but the rest of us... the rest of us will be causing mayhem all over again in a new old city and glowing with giddyness over all new easter eggs and pop cultural refences.

See you there!

 

[ElArabDeMagnifico]

The only downside of being a PC gamer is not getting the immensely popular console titles until like, months (if not years) later

I may have to buy a PS3 now.. (I have no need for a 360, and I don't care what exclusive content they have, I'm not getting XBL...besides, I'm not gonna get a 360 for just one game, I need some MGS4 too ya know...I also need the blu-ray player for our new T.V.) because I don't think I can wait till october for the PC GTAIV

Anyway, one thing that I think, just looking at screens and analyzing them (more like gawking...anyway) I expect either: A total overhaul of the game....or just a new coat of paint with a lot more interactivity, but no real gameplay change (like, getting rid of "star" system and having a more realistic one, with notoreity, etc.), but, the from the videos released, I know the story will be a lot better than the old ones.

 

[ElArabDeMagnifico]

Oh yeah, anyone think this game will bring up 'controversy' like all the last ones? I swear every time one of these comes out, two days later it's on the news...it's like Rockstar is paying them off or something....(or the other way around).

Also, why was the Hot Coffee mod such a big deal? There are tons of "nude/sex mods" out there for so many games that I can't even think of how many there are because I don't know what comes after a trillion..., anyway what made Hot Coffee so special? I mean, it's not like GTA was a kids friendly game to begin with. >_>

 

[Syrio Forel]

I like GTA games a lot, just because you can keep playing them for a very long time after you beat them and they're still a lot of fun. A pre-ordered my copy a while ago and am looking forward to it.

 

[hungoverbear]

i pre ordered my copy but now im not even sure im gonna play it. Im gonna see how much brand new copies are going for on ebay, and if people are dumb enough to pay 150 bucks for it then im just gonna put it up on auction. course i could probably just auction off the box and get the same thing for it

 

[hungoverbear]

i pre ordered my copy but now im not even sure im gonna play it. Im gonna see how much brand new copies are going for on ebay, and if people are dumb enough to pay 150 bucks for it then im just gonna put it up on auction. course i could probably just auction off the box and get the same thing for it

Now there's an idea...

hey if people are desperate enough to pay 8 grand for guitar hero 3, then how desperate do you think they would be for GTA4? (i know i wont get 8 grand but still)

 

[Minky_man]

All I love about GTA4 is the Coke Ad

 

[ElArabDeMagnifico]

i pre ordered my copy but now im not even sure im gonna play it. Im gonna see how much brand new copies are going for on ebay, and if people are dumb enough to pay 150 bucks for it then im just gonna put it up on auction. course i could probably just auction off the box and get the same thing for it

Now there's an idea...

hey if people are desperate enough to pay 8 grand for guitar hero 3, then how desperate do you think they would be for GTA4? (i know i wont get 8 grand but still)

8 grand?! Do these people wipe their asses with 100 dollar bills?!

 

[hungoverbear]

8 grand?! Do these people wipe their asses with 100 dollar bills?!

Of course not, they use baby seal fur, the $100 bills are for starting the fireplace.
Someone willing to pay 8K for a +/-$150 console game must drive a stretch hummer, throw away their clothing after one use, cook an entire 40lb turkey just for 3oz of white turkey breast, and live alone in a house large enough to consider a 5-Star hotel. I'm serious...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,317014,00.html heres the story, 4 months later i still laugh at it.

 

[Nerdfury]

I'm not all that excited. I loved most of Vice City, thought GTA 3 was pretty decent and got all super excited about SA but not totally disappointed.

All Rockstar did was take the same plot and make some cosmetic adjustments to the city and protagonist. They made it larger with more crap to do and worry about. I wound up spending half of my time driving from place to place just do do missions, until I decided to start cheating and spawning a jet just so I could get to the mission and get it over with.

The additional games like truck driving and train driving were just slapped in for no decent reason than fluffing it out, and having to freakin' eat, exercise and 'level up' you skills was poorly pulled off and unecessary.

All in all, it was just a bunch of badly executed fluff with the same story as before. Just with a black guy and the ability to swim.

I'm guessing GTA 4 will be much the same. It might be in a smaller city, but they're just gonna come up with the same crap as before. It's just going to be an excuse to make a next-gen game with shiny graphics and fart humour.

I think I'll wait til it's in the bargain bin.