Grand Theft Auto IV

I had great hopes for this - in fact it was the launch of this that finally got me to buy a PS3 - San Andreas on the PS2 was so good, how could this not be? Well, technically, it is good - but the gameplay just isn't as fun somehow. The main character isn't as easy to love, perhaps because in GTA San Andreas we could customise his look more. So, it's OK -I was expecting the PS3 / GTA combo to wow me but it didn't. In the final analysis, this review is a bit pointless - you have to play this game at some point if you have PS3 - but it's just not the classic that San Andreas was.

The GTA series is one ive always loved on ps2 and spent so many hours playing since I first got my hands on the amazing GTA3 to the still amazing GTA:SA.

However, this latest installment is not as good for several reasons including the very weak and boring storyline which at several times had me yawning and the missions all felt repetitive and not so GTA like. It mainly consisted of: go there, kill this person, chase this person, kill this person, check this place out, kill some people. There was no fun missions like the old rc helicopter or burning down a cannabis farm or bike hopping along loads of buildings etc. The missions were very repetitive and boring.

This wasn't helped out by the very dull city which although was nicely detailed and lifelike, it was also the same grey roads and houses no matter which island you were on and every island felt like the same. A great thing about GTA's are the fact that when you unlock a new island it really feels like you've entered a new place but in this one it didn't.

Other annoyances were the way the cars handled which felt like they took a crack at making the cars have more realistic handling but at the same time took the fun out if it. Also the graphics which for the big city there rendering were quite good but as far as next gen goes, pretty average. Especially the ps3 version which having played both ps3/x360 versions on same tv the ps3 version suffered more blurry/less sharp image for whatever reason(despite hdmi advantage). Another thing was the money: you can buy guns or... guns or... guns, yeah thats it where's the properties? casinos? custom paint job? engine upgrades? place to collect cars so you can choose the one you want? Last annoying thing was actually the cheats which although the phone was a nice storage place, it kept disappearing when shot or in water, and the cheats this game had were very limited, although some people don't like cheating, I always liked the fun cheats GTA's had for second playthrough and for general messing around which this one lacked.

However there is still some great improvements over previous versions like the graphics which although average for next gen, there still a great improvement on previous versions. Also little details were done very well like the car taking damage like smacks and gunshots would show where the car was actually hit and looked very good. The cover system was a nicely implemented feature that added a new dimension to gameplay. Also people walked and reacted with objects realistically and it really felt like you were driving down new york. Multiplayer was a very nice addition and had many great modes to choose from and being able to use the whole city while online is better than I expected.

Overall I think this game is still a great game and alot better than most games, but for the most part it isn't as good as previous versions and I hope that Rockstar address the issues for the next GTA.

Hype is hype, people get drawn in and then are dissapointed as soon as they play the game because it's not the "simply perfect" in every way game they were promised. Of course the game isn't perfect. But if you love GTA then there's no question you will love this game.

The positives?

Well the map is great. Graphics are fantastic, I did find the city a little dark for me and my tv so I simply changed the in game brightness to a level my eyes liked.

If you have played GTA before you will know the mission layouts. Go somewhere and kill a guy or two. We all know that. But Rockstar have tweaked things a little this time. The missions can overlap, some take time to complete. In that time you can choose to go off and do a different mission. Also at times in the game you are given personal choices to make on who lives and who dies, sometimes that choice can be a pretty tough one too! There is also an alternate ending to this game, depending on what choice you make in the last mission.

The main thing I have enjoyed so far is the storyline itself. The common theme of GTA games is to start from the bottom and finish at the top. This is still the same but it's not so easy this time to get from one to the other. You will suffer setbacks along the way and at one point you are actually in a worse position than when you started. I liked that.

The social aspect of the game has been hugely improved. You can still take your girl out on a date like San Andreas. But this time round you can take your friends out. As you progress you pick up a fair few friends and taking them out for a drinking session or perhaps a game of darts can really benefit you. Get your friends to like you enough and you will unlock their special talent. One friend will sell you guns at cheap prices, another will provide you with a few goons for back up if you need it.

The mobile phone! I love this new way of connecting with the GTA world. You can do everything via your phone. Call your friends for nights out, call them for jobs, call them for guns or back up like I said above. You may also use the internet. You can apparently date girls off networking sites (haven't dabbled too much into the net myself). But I love the way I can prepare for a mission by calling my man Jacob up and requesting him to meet me somewhere so I can buy a collection of guns and grenades off him.

An if you haven't got a car to go meet Jacob with? hail down a taxi. This is actually something I find myself using alot more than I would have thought. They really are a great way of getting around. You can skip the taxi journey by pressing X. Also in the early days when your bank balance is not so large you can call your cousin Roman up and ask him to send you one of his cabs to pick you up and take you to your destination for free, as he owns a taxi company.

The cover system is a great addition too. It takes getting used to. But give yourself time and you will be using it very effectively. Shooting itself has been improved too. Also if in a gunfight or just beating up a poor bystander you can leave them half dead. What I mean by this is you can beat them up until they have only one bar of health left and then sit back watch them as they stagger this way and that and then fall over in a heap. They don't die until you finish them off but it can be a great feeling playing out a mission, chasing a guy all over the city, killing all his goons and then have him half dead in an alleyway, unable to move and just begging to be shot one last time. Maybe I'm just cruel.

Multiplayer!!!! Finally GTA has the ability to go online and it's pretty damn good on first impressions. You can choose different gametypes etc. You've got deathmatch, team deathmatch, cops and robbers just to name a few. I went straight into a team deathmatch and loved it. We were able to go anywhere on the map and cause as much chaos as we liked. You generally start off with an uzi gun and have to search for other types. But don't worry about that as there are plenty of weapons around every corner. The team deathmatch can be summed up by the vision of a team mate pulling up his car to pick you up, you get in and go commit a drive by shooting on the nearest enemy on the map. Great stuff. Also I got a thrill out of playing "cops and robbers" and the racing was interesting lol

Positives? man I feel like I've forgotten some. Oh yea, the games are quite good. Darts, bowling and pool all serve as nice additions.

OK negatives.

Business owning. I always loved having a business make money for me in the past GTA game. It's not been put into this one so I'm a little dissapointed with that and I'm kind of left thinking there is less to do after completing the missions, compared to previous GTA's where I never felt bored of the game even after completion. There is a feeling of "well what do I do now?" once you have completed the game.

Safehouses - Now I've done all the missions I'm a little confused as to why I don't have more safehouses than I do. After San Andreas where you have houses all over the map. That's not the case here and you never really achieve that mansion style house we all want.

Driving? This to me isn't a negative. But I'm going to put it in the negative pile because I think most people won't enjoy the driving on this one (until they get used to it). It's basically more realistic. You can't fly round a corner so easily. You have to slow down and turn with caution. The cars themselves are fantastic. They take damage brilliantly and the "flying through the windscreen" is a nice touch. Also people will get killed in car crashes now, just tonight I hit a car side on at full speed. I was ok but the other driver slumped out of his car door and died on the pavement.

Review long enough? lol overall a great game. Definately worth buying and I have had no problems with bugs at all. I think after completing the missions there may be an issue with if there's enough in the game to keep you playing. But it seems Rockstar have sacrificed that for a very good online multiplayer. So if you do play your console online that's where the longetivity will come from I believe.