Customer Reviews
Grand Theft Auto On Ice 
2008-08-20
Considering the vast changes and improvements this series has seen, from the overhead Micro Machines headache of the first two, to the improvement of GTA3 and Vice City, and then the huge environment of San Andreas, I was expecting great things with this latest release...but was let down. This is by no means a total disappointment but it does have some serious flaws that make me question all the hype around it. Granted, a Grand Theft Auto game arrives with considerable interest and enthusiasm from the video game world but here the ends don't seem to justify the means.
For starters just firing up the game and playing was a demanding experience; a two minute load screen and a whole new set of controls are an unpleasant way to start. I was really hoping the new systems wouldn't require load screens, or at least ones this long, but they're still here. The control scheme was also completely reworked, and though some players may enjoy this change, it was still frustrating to not be able to just start playing the game without a checking the instruction manual. Even when I switched over to the classic setup things just were not as responsive or crisp as past games, particularly vehicle control, this game's Achilles' heel.
If a game is titled Grand Theft Auto, and is part of a series that revolves around stealing, driving, and eventually crashing cars, then it would stand to reason that vehicle play would be at least somewhat intuitive and natural. Here though cars behave as if the streets are paved with ice or at least covered in snow. Hard turns, even at low speeds, produce spinouts and violent fishtails. Just basic driving is slow as most cars sound and behave as if they are permanently stuck in first gear or are just really underpowered. Generally the more powerful and fast a car is the harder it is to drive -- even at very low speeds. You're stuck between choosing small engine compacts with predictable handling or more powerful, but nearly unmanageable, vehicles. I quickly came to dread missions that would require chasing someone in a car as you can simply be outmaneuvered before actually being outrun. Also the vehicle camera is once again stuck in a low behind-the-trunk angle that makes for an enormous blind spot directly in front of whatever you are driving. I soon learned to just hold the thumbstick at a proper angle for a better view, but it would be really nice to see some kind of driving camera patch in the future.
(Personally I think the best all around vehicle is the Humvee; powerful and big enough to knock most traffic out of the way and climb stairs or small obstacles. Oh, and it's the one vehicle capable of moving on grass because for some reason all parks and lawns in the game are apparently very wet and most vehicles will just helplessly spin on them even if they are perfectly flat.)
The improvement in the vehicles comes in their reliability, or the fact that once they catch fire they don't explode a second later, instead you have plenty of time to get out and run for cover (small cars still produce big explosions). Cars also smoke, lose windows and body panels, and sometimes just shut off after a hard crash, all of which is an upgrade over past games where every vehicle was like a time bomb if you crashed it or flipped it over. Here they aren't quite as top heavy, but they can toss you through the windshield crash test dummy-style and sap up a lot of health (I guess seatbelts and airbags aren't in the code).
The game's strength is in its story, or rather in the depth and path in which you choose to play it. The sandbox style of gaming has always been very open-ended but here you can choose from multiple friends and, uh, business associates with whom to interact and perpetuate crime. Most get very annoying very fast, including Niko, this release's stereotyped protagonist, an Eastern European scumbag with a gut (he can't run very fast) and a short fuse (he ends up instigating a number of murders despite other characters' protests). Early on you get a cell phone and you end up with most contacts, services and shortcuts being only a call away. This combined with a very detailed and dirty environment and you have quite a bit of fun exploring and exploiting things throughout the game without having to drive really long distances or reload old saves.
The depth and detail seems to also hinder some play; there are almost too many people and vehicles to easily get around the city without involving yourself in multiple fender benders and hit and runs. The police are also very vigilant and you have to outrun them rather than just wait them out like in past games. Just stealing a car (practically the series' trademark) is risky as police will come racing after you and most drivers, from hunched over seniors to wannabe gangbangers, will actively fight you for their ride. Fortunately there are numerous parked cars (including unoccupied police cruisers) to steal and they are all for the taking because you can now simply smash a window rather than be stopped at a locked door.
I wanted to give this a higher rating but the frustrating gameplay just doesn't allow it. Graphically it is an improvement, especially after San Andreas felt like a noticeable downgrade from Vice City, but despite its grimy beauty there were still heavy shadows and blinding sunlight at times. Despite doing away with pointless details like having to work out or wear correct gang colors, there was still a lot of dumb filler; the Internet and cable in the game are interesting for maybe two minutes each and then you wish game designers had spent their time engineering workable vehicle physics and playable controls rather than silly extras. After playing and enjoying GTA clone Saint's Row on Xbox 360 I was hoping that Rockstar would take note and clone the clone, but they didn't. That's what is so unbelievable after Grand Theft Auto IV: how could an imitator produce such a fun copy and the original series not completely outdo it in every manner? If you have never played a GTA game this can still entertain even with a demanding learning curve, but veterans deserve better.
nice to rent 2008-08-19
just rent it.... shooting cops gets old. I beat this game in just 2 weeks. I have yet to play it again.
Overhyped and boring 
2008-08-17
I'm not a huge GTA fan and never will be but that didn't stop me from playing Rockstar's latest entry which got perfect 10's from online sites. However after about 30 minutes into it I was completely bored and detached. Yes, there are some new innovations like dating girls, etc. but as a game it didn't make the experience any more compelling than San Andreas. Graphics are of course better but it doesn't change the fact that there is low replay value and a really gullible/lame protagonist. Why anyone would want to run around carjacking and shooting people with this awful character is beyond me. Save yourself the trouble and buy a better game.
Right direction, but still needs tweeking 2008-08-11
First the positive. This game had better "big" missions than the previous games (like the "heat" one). The minor missions were a little better. The shooting improved, but I liked that in san andreas you can increase your skills (like shooting and driving).
I played GTA IV mainly because I expected it to be awesome. It is a great game, but it lacks in what makes it what it is: being a sand box game. I was disappointed by its lack of customization. I liked how San Andreas (besides the fact it was too big, but with the new taxi feature it would have great) gave you the option of buying things. However I found that I had no need for money in IV resulting in an obvious choice between the two endings. In the previous games i felt like I could do whatever I wanted. In this one (and like the food, territories, and working out in san andreas) I felt totally stuck in doing what the game wanted instead of what I wanted. The driving and shooting also have something to be desired. The storyline produced no emotional attachment to any of the characters. The minor missions (especially the minigames, which fortunately they didn't force you to play to often) were better. I missed the ability to gain new skills from the ambulance, fire truck, etc. missions (not the missions themselves). I wish their were more missions like the hitman and most wanted ones, to help you gained those abilities. I also didn't like that they took out the airplane and parachuting abilities from the game.
If they could find some happy medium between all the gta games then they would be perfect.
GTAbore 2008-08-10
Basically, GTA3 with graphics that are a bit better. Same old same old. Definitely not worth the hype, and not a perfect 10.
If you don't have this game ........get it... its worth it 
2008-08-07
So GTA4 finally came in lastnight and i finally got time to play it today. i must say for someone that hasn't played any of the previous GTAs i was really blown away. i only had like an hour to play this game today (try playing this game with a 1 year old running around) but within that 1 hour i was already hooked. the cut scenes were really nice i think niko's cousin roman is kinda annoying but thats his character. i really need to sit down for a few hours and actually play this game. i am not a serious gamer so i think i won't be breezing through this game anytime soon. at time during the free roaming i found myself just stopping right in the middle of the street and just looking at all the detail this game has. the driving i still got to get use to, i mean i ran over quite a few people haha. but i know once i get to play a little more it will be alright. really do think this game is just crazy good. the detail alone in the graphics and what u can do in the city is reason enough to get this game. if u don't have it .... go get it .. its worth it
My favorite among the GTA series 2008-08-03
Pretty deep, especially for a videogame.
I don't want to tell any spoilers, so here's the gist. You play as Niko Bellic, a veteran soldier from the genocidal war in Kosovo. While fighting in the war, Niko, his cousin, and their platoon mates are betrayed by one of their members, leaving only four soldiers alive. Niko's cousin Roman goes to the US to seek a better life following the war, but ends up becoming a cokehead with a lot of gambling debts. He entices Niko to come to the US with tales of the American Dream, but when Niko arrives, he discovers the truth about his cousin's activities.
Niko has only two reasons to come to the states... to start over, and to find the remaining two soldiers from his platoon: Darko and Florian. There are no riches or comfortable accommodations for Niko, only the hunt for the betrayer.
Niko rampages through the streets earning money for himself and his brother. All the while, he meets a few characters along the way and tries to cope with his past.
In GTA3, you were a nobody. In GTA Vice, you were a tool. In GTA San Andreas, you are caught up in the worst storyline ever. In GTA LCS, you were Tony C. In GTA IV, you are a real, original character.
Not only is your character genuine, he is also one hard-boiled mofo. His soldier background is present in the gunplay of the game. Niko can duck behind walls, blindfire, take cover, dive across gaps for cover, the whole shabang. Aiming is much improved from past GTA games. You can screw people up pretty badly if you want. Grenade tossing is spot on. The AI isn't too dumb either.
Perhaps the most notable upgrade is with driving. You have a little GPS locater in your car and you can set your own waypoints. You can also take taxis to all marked locations and waypoints, very nice. The radio stations are brilliant as always. Car selection is sweet. Just be careful while driving...lots of terrible crap can happen to you. Sudden stops will send you sailing out of the windshield, and if your car begins billowing even a little bit of smoke, it will blow up eventually with wear. Lucky for us players, cars in GTA4 take a pretty long time to blow up once they catch fire. Just dive out of the car if it does.
Finally, the graphics. The game is beautiful. The Liberty City skyline has never looked so alive. Take some time out to look around from a high perch or while driving across a bridge. You will be pleased with what you see. I was actually able to use this to demonstrate the next generation of urban environmental modeling. Yeah it looks great.
I would have liked to see the same variety of available vehicles that was present in GTA San Andreas. This was the one downgrade that bothered me about the game. But the improvements in gameplay more than repaid for that change.
great story, horrible gameplay 2008-08-02
This is one of those games that makes you suffer through horrible gameplay to enjoy a great story. I spent most of the game (when I could) on foot because of the horrible driving mechanic. How difficult should it be to drive around the corner? Apparently very difficult. I've been told by friends that I shouldn't expect great driving because this isn't a driving game - I guess it's time to remove the "grand" and "auto" from the title.
I've had nightmares that resembled this game 2008-08-02
Walking around a city full of people who are all the same person, react the same way, tons of buildings and stores but they're actually just cardboard sets.
I cannot believe such an unfinished game was put out at such a high price on two new great high end gaming systems. Did they fire the people that worked on San Andreas? This game is empty and depressing to play, the characters are annoying morons, the controls and physics are AWFUL, the shooting is boring after 5 minutes and NOTHING HAPPENS IN THIS GAME AT ALL.
I have about 13 hours playing time clocked and a good handful of missions completed and its THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER, its pitifully dull. I was really shocked at the lack of content and wish I bought something else. Speaking of such past being able to play PS1&2 games and MGS4 there isn't anything worth looking at on the PS3, should've gotten an Xbox360, or a Wii.
Dissapointing 2008-07-30
What a dissapointment. I wasn't a big fan of the series, I only played a couple of the previous games, so I'm judging it based on a solo game, not comparing it to any others in the series.
The cover system works nicely for the most part. Switching from lock-on to free aim is smooth and very easy to do once you get the hang of the controls, and the shooting in general is nice. Damage is area specific, and the enemies movements are smooth. The area specific damage gives some strategic thought, and its cool that you can shoot the weapon out of their hands too. Melee fighting feels clunky, but works well 1 on 1, but anymore than that can get a little tedious.
Graphics are fantastic, but nonetheless have plenty of glitches, abnormal shadows, and some bad glares.
The story is lacking. It was entertaining enough to get me through to the end, but it didn't get me involved with the plot. I couldn't really connect with the characters, none of them really interested me. There were some I liked, and then there were some that I just found impossible to like: Florian, Brucie, and especially Dwayne, who the only thing he talks about is his bad childhood and time in prison. What a conversation to have while driving to a strip club.
Vehicle controls are by far the worst thing about the game. The car controls were crappy at best, with horrible turning. Expect to spin out of control frequently, especially with the higher quality cars.
Bikes were even worse. I don't like flying 20 feet in the air after going 10 MPH hitting a fence.
Motorboats and helicopters are in a league of their own. Motorboats are slow, frustrating, and can't turn for crap. And trying to sucessfully deal with the vomit-controls of the helicopter will make you sick.
A fun game, but one playthrough is enough. After that it becomes too repetitive and tiring.
