Big dissapointment

[P.B.]

I know it's not just me, as several people I've talked to have felt the same way. But I had to go out and see if maybe it was just a local thing.

I'm sorry, but grand theft auto 4 is the most overrated game of all time.

That's not to say it's a bad game. It's certainly a good game, however it currently having the best game ranking on gamerankings.com is a joke, I don't think I'd even say it's the best grand theft auto game to date at least as a stand alone, maybe with the multiplayer it is. I stayed up for the games midnight launch, and was super pumped for it but so many of the things I love just don't function as well now(at least in my opinion), and to me its just seeming like a couple steps forward in game play...with maybe one or 2 back as well plus enhanced graphics.

[Gummy]

To me, it's better than any other GTA I've played.

It's more fun to lose those Stars from the cops, and when I'm too lazy to drive to a location... a cab is just right there. The cell phone is really great add-on. Niko Bellic is fucking badass... probably more badass than any gangster out there. I love this game. Targeting system is great too, and the whole hiding behind a wall.

maybe this one isn't just for you.
The other gtas are still fun to play though.

I don't know, I like this series best.

[D3adcell]

It's the best GTA I have ever played and I bought all the ps2 games on launch day. It's not the best overall game I ever played but i'm enjoying it a lot, I didn't give into the hype and really read anything about the game before buying it and i am thoroughly enjoying it.

[Coded-Dude]

I don't have it yet, and am not eagerly anticipating it(its gta afterall), though I do plan to enjoy it. I just want to be able to see/play in Liberty City in HD. The story's in GTA were always on the back burner when compared to gameplay, but they've always both been decent(at least)

[TheGreenElf]

Yeah I couldn't give it a 10 as I'm still not very far, and the missions would have to get much better for me to think so, but I do like it better than other GTAs so far and think it's a great game. Best game ever? Probably not going to come near that for me but the great physics engine and the tougher driving mechanics (and more realistic) make it more fun (such as making a near miss through traffic or a clean getaway from the cops). I am also pretty attached to the characters. Example...I think Michelle is a cool character and am actually trying to hold a decent relationship with her...and the makers have the accent and mannerisms of a midwest girl down, which is impressive. They did their research and I definitely cringe when I make a decision to execute somebody I don't feel fully deserves it.

After seeing all the 10s though, it's tough not to find a few dissapointments

[Greg]

It's pretty much what I expected but then again I never get into any of the hype that comes along with big games and knew virtually nothing about what GTA IV was going to bring to the table compared to the others. So maybe that's your problem you actually bought into the hype which you should never do because no game can live up to it.

[Rabid]

I hated it until I got a little far into the story, and now I've been putting off school/work/eating/etc in order to play it, and yes, Nicko Bellic is one of the most badass characters I've played as, in all of video games

[JasonXe]

he reminds me of the scarface guy.

[P.B.]

maybe i do need to just play further into the game, ill give it the benefit of the doubt right now. and i certainly think its a very good game but still, i think that with the circle field it might be a little too easy to get away from the cops sometimes, but at the same time its easier to be caught by the cops...maybe thats a little balancing, but i don't like that i'm not able to mess around as much with just being violent as in some of the past games. some might argue that this makes it more realistic, but i cant agree with this due to the field to escape in, plus its not like i play this game for the most realistic experience. i dont think i really bought in to the hype necessarily i just expected a slight improvement from the past games...and to me it just feels like i dont know if i can even say that, and be that as it may...some of these reviews just make me wonder whats going on with these people writing them up. i can agree with 9's...10's though? oh well i guess, everyone has their own opinion

[SuperLuigiBros]

I have to agree. I dont know what it is Im meant to be doing when I turn it on. Surely theres more to it than those mediocre missions. When it becomes nighttime i try and call people to do stuff but theyre all sleeping. Thats like half the time Im playing the game there nothing to do except for explore. Even then theres not much to find. Killing people randomly gets boring after 5 minutes.

Maybe I just dont get the point of it.

[D3adcell]

Reviews, who cares about them? If your having fun thats all that matters, no need to worry about if the game is deserving of a 10 or 9 or whatever score it gets, just enjoy it for what it is, not the number you expect it to be.

[SuperLuigiBros]

^But Im not having that much fun. Maybe the reason Im playing is because I want to find the part of the game that is so perfect. I was going to wait around and get it cheaper, but it started getting perfect scores so im like 'w00t' and got it, but not im like 'wtf'.

[/rant]

Its still pretty cool, Im just not seeing what all the fuss it about.

[Hisham]

Couldn't you have posted this in the GTAIV thread?

There wasn't really a need for this thread.

[SuperLuigiBros]

That would probably create a war with those who love the game. There was, however, that thread that was about whether or not it deserved a 10/10. But whatever.

[masteratt]

Well I'm sorry you are not enjoying it as much as you thought and I doubt you'll care but it DOES get much more interesting when you go past the 45mins - hour mark.

I said it before, the only flaw that makes this game not deserve a 10 is the boring start but that's hardly worth it dropping a point since I'm in 25 hours now and the game is still going strong with great variety so what's an hour of slow start? Nothing.

Not the best GTA?....I don't know why you say that.
Just the fact that Liberty City is so alive is awesome.
You can just stand around if you want and just let Liberty City live and you'll still have a good time.

It beats previous GTAs on everything, the main one being story that I care about.
Last GTAs stories felt boring and tired but this one is very fresh and excellently presented.

Anyway yeah, if it disappointed you, no-one is forcing you to play but it's a big shame.


And Luigi I have NEVER enjoyed randomly causing chaos myself in GTA games, so that's not the main point of GTA so don't worry, you are not missing it.

With GTA4, the main point for me is the story and contacts.
You get to start to care for people and ditch the people you don't like naturally.

The game doesn't go "hey look this guy is a fucking moron, he shot a kid and burnt down an orphanage, you are supposed to hate him", everyone is just a character and you as yourself chose who you like and don't like and can act upon it which is great.

And Niko is so easy to care for, I don't want to give a spoiler but something happens in the story and Niko gets really sad and afterwards I was like "wow.." and I just actually slowly drove around for a while until I got over it, it has that much immersion (for me).

There are lots of OMG! WOW! moments, and they do come along more often than not, sometimes simply through the living space of Liberty City but mostly through story and the missions/ characters etc.

But as I said, if it's not your thing, it's not your thing.
Half-Life 2 is not many people's 'thing' either but that doesn't stop it from being an excellent game.

And the bottom line is GTA4 does so many things in such a huge scale that the other next-gen games can only dream of doing.

[Colin™]

If you can agree with giving the game a 9, how in the world can this game be a big disappointment? Just because a game gets the mythical "10" doesn't mean you should be expecting it to bring you to a new level of consciousness.

I feel that with the sheer scale and complexity of the world, every gameplay aspect being top caliber, and an engaging story to top it all off, this game definitely deserves a 10. Regardless, review scores aren't everything and if you played the previous GTA's you should generally know what to expect.

Few more points. I have a feeling you're very early into the game. While the start is a bit slow, let me tell you it picks up dramatically. Also, the "wanted circle" is not easy. 3 stars is waaaay tougher than the older GTA's.

Finally, I'm under the impression no one really knows what a "10" game is. Its like, "Hey, this game is fun, but its no 10!" Well then, what is a "10" game?

[woundingchaney]

I am thoroughly enjoying the game. It has been some time since I have enjoyed a game this much. Best GTA so far (slightly better than VC).

[P.B.]

i dont know, i believe a 10 game should be more revolutionary as opposed to a few enhancements to a good game, i guess too much of it just feels the same for me, but then a lot of what i wanted to feel the same has changed.

I am currently going back through vice city for some comparison and i will say that at least the combat is quite a bit better in 4

[XboxEvolved]

I think it is funny that when a game is given a perfect score, or a high score, people are expecting it to be the best game ever made in the world.

I wonder if the internet was so big a few years back if we would have these kind of conversations when Mario 64 came out? When a game is awarded a perfect score, it isn't because it is as good as it will ever get, or that the game itself is even perfect, it just means that it is the best in it's genre, it is a good game compared to a lot of other games in general, and the overall game is just great. Not only that, but this game is like a blueprint for other games to copy off for at least the next two years.

There are a lot of things wrong with GTAIV, but there is about 10x more things right with it that make it a great game. Back when Mario 64 came out, if I were to rate the game based on every single flaw it had, and everyone else did also it would have received like a 7.

[woundingchaney]

Im not sure I agree with the Mario analogy. Mario64 was an excellent game by any standards upon its release, I would like to think that it deserved well above a 7 under any circumstance.


I simply cant see giving GTA4 a 10 or even the majority of titles that do receive a 10 that are given perfect scores. GTA4 is a great game and IMO the best of its genre, but there is some very apparent flaws and it is far from a perfect execution. The title is plagued by issues that would result in a lower score for just about any other game out there.

IMO GTA4 = 9

[TheGreenElf]

My biggest disappointment has been that the cops still don't care how much you slam other cars or if you drive 95 down the street, but you accidentally bump them and they will go all out. Maybe the nicer areas should have had stricter law enforcement.

[Dakota Grabowski]

I'll chime in with my opinion.

It's a great game... not perfect... not fantastic... just great.

It takes what so many other games have tried to do with the sandbox action genre and beautifies it.

The downside, just like real life, it becomes a little boring. I find it disappointing to drive the same roads to get my next mission from my contact when he sent me all the way upstate for a little mission involving explosives.

Although I love the gigantic immersive levels, the traveling from point a and point be gives me too much time thinking about playing another game. Sure, running red lights, crashing into cars, and outrunning cops is fun, but for me, as a missions/storyline player, i just want to move on to the next mission.

I won't rate the game on any score based rating level, but I'll leave my judgment as this: it's a great game but far from perfect. It's better than the rest of the hyped games of 2008 so far that have left me scratching my head on their hype (SSBB, Mario Kart Wii, etc.)

GTA is the best game of 2008 so far, but I don't think it will hold up when this holiday season begins to unfold unless the download content for the 360 puts it over the top.

[P.B.]

that driving is something that is really annoying me...especially when you have a long ass drive on a mission you have to restart.

[r33hash]

I felt genuinely sad when Roman got shot. But now he's ok and annoys me again.

[Hisham]

The complaints about the driving in this game remind me of the complaints about the long ass sailing times in The Wind Waker.

[Gummy]

that driving is something that is really annoying me...especially when you have a long ass drive on a mission you have to restart.

call a cab, lol.


Haha, I hate Roman too, but at the same time, Niko made me care for him.
Just because you know... he says, "Don't fuck with my family!"

I don't know why you guys are complaining about the driving... it's a bitch at first I suppose.
I'm used to it now.

[JasonXe]

take a cab or call roman. I've taken a break from gta4 because the story loss a bit of edge to it. Right now i m just fighting my way through the story more than enjoying it.

I probably blame it on mission restarts after you fail. You could be so close to completing a long mission but die. Your pissed off blah blah. You have to painly do everything over and hope you can complete it. After you complete it, you look at the stats and you still got a long ass way to go. Instead of going back to your house to save, why not save whenever you want to. Saving the game is pointless because of auto save. Idk, I think the game would of have been better if it was shorten up a bit. 50% of the game feels like 87% of the game.

[HolyPaladin]

I'm sorry, but grand theft auto 4 is the most overrated game of all time.

Negative. The most over-rated game, at least of this generation, has been Halo 3. I like Halo 3, but it's far from deserving the praises and incessant worship people give it.

[P.B.]

halo 3 was probably overrated, but it didn't score so much over what it should have...if halo 3 is the most overrated then gta iv is damn close

[Coded-Dude]

well....there's nothing terribly groundbreaking about it, its just the latest release of one of the most successful franchises in gaming history. Of course its going to get high scores. GTA has sold 60+ million copies of its game in NA on various playstation platforms, and HALO is barely pushing 20 million. They are different ballparks as far as overrating them goes. GTA is a pop culture icon that has fueled so much entertainment, yet so much controversy all while reaping the profits of both good and bad media that its bit harder to look harshly upon it and say: No RockStar, your formula for game design doesn't work anymore so your ratings are going down. Sadly, the name alone gives it an 80/100 for most, so unless they really screw up, theres only one way to go.....^ I don't know how often and how much scrutiny bugs or software issues are really considered in rating a game, but as far as I have heard, thats the biggest problem with this release(personal preference on art direction/graphics not considered).

[P.B.]

and thats garbage...last night i was playing that again and i was on a mission when i went to pick up the guy the game just froze in the middle of it...

that wasn't the first time crap like that had happened either...i know it's not my xbox since no other game has had that problem

[IEatFriedPikmin]

i never was really into the series before, but after playing IV, I would assume that this is the most overrated series ever by far.

[Gummy]

Woo, I love this fucking game.
i'm going to marry it.

[r33hash]

Ya... its safe to say that I'm addicted to GTA IV. I played for around... five hours straight last night. Just delivering cars to Brucie and running a few storyline missions.

I do wish that I knew how to make the game look better on my TV though. I have a 720p TV. When its bright in the game I get a lot of jaggies going on, especially with the shadows.

[D3adcell]

i never was really into the series before, but after playing IV, I would assume that this is the most overrated series ever by far.

I could say the same for Smash Bros. Just a matter of preference.

[IEatFriedPikmin]

well yea.

[pac4life]

^ Yep.


Like many others, I feel GTA 4 is the best in the series and the best in it's genre.

For the first time, some actual skills are needed in the game; before the AI was so bad you could screw up missions to the point where you wanted to throw your controller down and burn the disc

But GTA 4, while it still has its little quirks, is amazing: The Story adds so much to the overall experience, and the enhanced combat makes ALL the difference in my opinion. Its like Gears Of War plus Sandbox, you know?

However a 10? I dont think giving a game a "ten" dictates it as the best game of all time; just a testament to the overall experience. Zelda Twilight Princess would be a "10" in my books but its not the best game i've ever played. Half Life 2 would be a 10 in my books, but its not the best game i've ever played. Hell, Bioshock would be a 10 but even that isn;t the best game i've ever played.

I would give GTA 4 a 10, yes. But not because it is the most flawless game on the planet. It isn't. I would give it a 10 because from start to finish, it is an immensely satisfying experience. Its one of those rare "whole package" games. I can't even play the old GTAs (save San Andreas) now.

[TheGreenElf]

Is anybody getting occasional freezing from their game? Every once in awhile it'll happen and it's mostly annoying because it happens as I'm just cruising, not while mass explosions and action is taking place...I assume it's just the size and scale of the game causing hiccups but I thought I'd ask.

[masteratt]

Yeah lots of freezings on both version (worse on PS3), Rockstar working "around the clock" for a patch.

Nothing you can do but wait I'm afraid.

Try getting a new disc maybe since it's not the code that's broken (as many people can play without freezing), LiquidEagle made a good guess in one of the other GTA4 threads saying because they had to print shit loads of discs, maybe some of them weren't done properly, he might be onto a point there.

[The Wolf 07]

GTA4 is a good game i dont think anyone is going to say other wise. But it is far from perfect. One of the biggest problem i have is the story. Most people told me befor i bought the game that it was amazing and funny as hell. And to tell you the truth i have played it for about 5 hours now and i find it slow as hell. I mean it took me like 8 or 9 mission to just get a gun from some guy so i could cover him on a roof top. But the online is so sick, i love getting into huge fire fights on the street and then when you get over run having a buddy drive up and get you out of there. So for me the game is 9/10 because the online is so good

[Gummy]

Like ratt said, it's a slow start.
I think it's good it's a slow start because honestly, the game can go by fast and easily get whatever you want.