Grand Theft Auto 4: your veiw

[nickyf1]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlF6fbIFiCM

This is quite an interesting subject I think, whats your veiw on the GTA series, are you for or against it? or do you not care? This one looks darker than any of the other ones. So whats your veiw?

[Knowlesy]

One of the very best series of games ever.

Extremely well designed and they upset those campaigners who think video games are evil.

I downloaded the GTA IV trailer off Marketplace the other day, it looks terrific. It'll sure beat the pathetic Saints Row. Roll on October.

[nickyf1]

Oh yeah, just to tell you: THIS IS SET IN LIBERTY CITY, NOT NEW YORK.

Thankyou... I have seen some nasty arguments on youtube about that....

[Knowlesy]

Liberty City? Oh dear...

[Rockmunky]

Are you sure nicky?.... Looks like New York to me..

[Knowlesy]

It is probably a redesigned Liberty City based on New York...

[kelvin88]

i love them and i simply could not live without them!! all the gta games. even the old 2D ones!!

[rustyfan]

There are two signs on a building in the trailer that say Liberty City (one is for the Liberty City Tree newspaper and the other, I believe, says "Welcome to Liberty City). There is also a LCPD police car in the trailer, so yeah it'll be Liberty City with a proper New York influence which I personally think is great.

Should be an awesome game, and the story does indeed seem to have a bit more depth to it this time (compared to GTA: SA). I do hope Rockstar has made sure to include some video game technologies that pretty much are standard in "sandbox" games these days though, like ragdoll physics etc. Oh, and hopefully the explosions will look at least half as good as those in Saints Row

[Knowlesy]

Yeah, the ragdoll physics are great in Saint's Row it must be said. And explosions!

Saint's Row felt like GTA3 to me though. Which would be fine. If we were in 2001. Too small a city, nothing really new. Just a copy really.

One sandbox game I have enjoyed lately is Crackdown, which is a rather different take on the genre. Shortlived, but enjoyable all the same.

[nickyf1]

notice they have renamed the MetLife building as GetaLife

[rustyfan]

Originally Posted by Knowlesy

Yeah, the ragdoll physics are great in Saint's Row it must be said. And explosions!

Saint's Row felt like GTA3 to me though. Which would be fine. If we were in 2001. Too small a city, nothing really new. Just a copy really.

One sandbox game I have enjoyed lately is Crackdown, which is a rather different take on the genre. Shortlived, but enjoyable all the same.

I actually liked Saints' Row a lot. Sure, it was, to put it mildly, rather influenced by GTA: SA, but since I'm a huge sandbox-nut I didn't mind that too much - the way better graphics (rather obvious due to being a next-gen game of course), the ragdoll physics, the explosions, the highway system (vastly superior over that in GTA: SA) etc made up for it. Being able to completely customize your character was another nice touch (the character I play every now and then right now looks almost exactly like Agent 47 from the Hitman series ), and I also prefer the car customisation in SA over the one in GTA: SA.

I agree that the city could've been bigger though and I also miss aircraft and boats etc. The overall story (although it does have some rather funny moments) isn't as clever (when it comes to the humour and satire) as it usually is in the GTA games either.

Insurance Fraud kicks arse though

As for Crackdown, I love it. Yeah, would've been nice with a proper story, but hey, there are Orbs to hunt! Being able to scale the skyscrapers and jump around and just wreak general havoc is lots of fun too. The view distance is simply amazing too, and Crackdown is probably the first game where I've paused for a while to just enjoy the view, for example after making it up on top of a huge skyscraper.

It's a shame there wasn't a next-gen version of Scarface.

And to try and be a little on-topic, there's supposed to be a 10-page preview of GTA IV in a gamer magazine towards the end of April. Hopefully some details from that preview will find its way to the internet as well.

[rustyfan]

Originally Posted by nickyf1

notice they have renamed the MetLife building as GetaLife

Yep, looks like Rockstar will be in top form despite the overall story seemingly being a bit more serious and "movie like"

As for, ehm, interesting signs, how about the tv-show "America's Next Top Hooker" and the movie "I Slept With Your Mother"?

[Knowlesy]

Nothing beats the feeling of climbing to the peak of the Agency Tower in Crackdown....and then jumping off into the pool below!

I hate the orbs though. I need four agility orbs and two hidden orbs and can't find them anywhere, not on building, rocks, the coastline etc...so I gave up.

But yes, a fun game indeed. The vertical scale of the game is what impresses most. Just a shame I can't get my network to run it in co-op.

Back to GTA IV....I hope they expand Liberty City a lot. The thing I liked about San Andreas was just that ability to be able to grab a cool car or a big motorcycle and just drive forever and a day round the countryside and islands etc....it was such a massive playing area.

I think Edge has some GTA IV stuff in the coming issue, I'm not sure.

[nickyf1]

Type 'liberty city' in on youtube! A full history of liberty city and Rockstars 'fictional earth'. Carcer City from Manhunt is situated North of Liberty city according to that and Vice city is north of Miami..... [/gamegeek]

[MagnetON]

Is it just me that thinks that shops that are taking pre-orders and deposits NOW for an October release are taking the urine somewhat?

[Knowlesy]

Such is the modern retail life.

[Rockmunky]

Graphics look very good, the last few installments hadn't really moved on from the GTA3 on the PS2, this one seems like another leap in the right direction.

[Knowlesy]

Bloody hell, play GTA3 and then put on San Andreas. There is a massive difference! GTA3 is like a manky cartoon.

GTA3 is a very basic game compared to later installments. Seems crazy to say it!

[Rockmunky]

Yeah but it wasn't the huge leap that GTA 3 was from the PS1, although that's to be expected.

San Andreas was really the first game in the series to have such a huge game are.

[nickyf1]

GTA3 was the only one I had, so to me that was the best, I loved trying to fly the dodo, which is possible! Theres a video on Youtube on how to fly it.

[Knowlesy]

Yeah, it was pretty easy, although it didn't fly for long periods very well!

The planes on San Andreas were awesome, added a whole new dimension. And you could 'chute out of them too!

[Rockmunky]

Yeah, nothing quite like stealing a fighter, getting chased, then parachuting out from rediculous heights.

[MikeH]

I still lovingly recall the vast hours I lost 10 years ago playing the original GTA on the PS1. While that was about the time I stopped gaming as much as I did as a teenager (ahh, the Megadrive - yet to be beaten...) but I still found myself playing all the following GTA games over the years. Can't wait for this next one having watched the trailer - looks like it'll be a hoot. Hopefully when it comes out it'll finally give Jack Thompson a heart attack and we'll be rid of him.

[Spudgun]

Originally Posted by MikeH

I still lovingly recall the vast hours I lost 10 years ago playing the original GTA on the PS1.

I did play it once or twice on the PS1 and I had it on the PC, although they are essentially the same.

Its also my favourite. I thought of it as a slapstick comedy, albeit a violent one of course. 'Kill Frenzy!' and 'Gouranga!' still make me chuckle to this day. I must dig out my CD and see if I can get it to run on my modern PC.

[Knowlesy]

I still dig out the PS1 version of GTA (and GTA London) from time to time. It's so hard to believe it is ten years since I was playing it for the first time. I remember it like it were yesterday. Jacques Villeneuve was just crowned F1 champion! Doesn't time fly?

GTA2 was a bad one I thought. It seemed....a bit futuristic and glossy, although it was quite ambitious.