GTAIV: First Impressions from a GTA Skeptic

The direction is scattered to say the least, but with the addition of the cell phone it's scattered at your pace.

Since missions come from calling someone up, or having them call you, it's easy enough to pick one up whenever you want. But the tedium of some of them, like a bowling date with jank controls, can really put a drag in some of the pacing. An with the Sims-like relationship stats you'll need to taking your cousin out to a strip club, or taking a date out to play pool just to keep them happy enough to advance the story.

There is always the sandbox world to fall back on though and with all my late nights playing since it came out I'm only 15% through the game. I find becoming sidetracked seems to be a feature.

I don't think it's a requirement to do any activities in order to advance the story. But it does affect their willingness to offer their special services to you or provide you with side jobs. I only do them because you get this one-on-one time with the characters and a chance to get some insight into what makes them tick. Roman and Niko crack me up and I think it's fun spending time with him even if he is a good bowler who talks a lot of @!$%#.

I think the narrative aspect of this game is really tight and I'm only just getting introduced to some of the long-term issues facing our friend Niko at fifteen hours in. Rockstar didn't just make a virtual New York, they made a virtual society. With all the branding and cross-promotions, you've got TV stations and seemingly endless faux-internet on top of this great euphoria engine... It's a world more real than most you've ever seen or read about in any medium. I really feel like this is a landmark game in a lot of areas, a game that has a lot to say, but I've barely even touched it and I just want to go play some more. We'll talk more later. Pinky-swear.

Steve, are parts of the city "out of bounds" until you progress within the game, or, is there an "open driving" mode, so you can explore?

Due to a "terrorism scare" with no details most of the city is blocked off at first. They reference it on the radio now and again. The bridges are barricaded and if you try to swim helicopters swarm you and shoot you as a terrorist. An interesting take, given that you're not a terrorist but in some ways you're a lot worse.

Thank you both, Steve and Myk, for your replies.

The bridges are barricaded and if you try to swim helicopters swarm you and shoot you as a terrorist. An interesting take, given that you're not a terrorist but in some ways you're a lot worse.

Yep. If you come too close you instantly get full star wanted rating and they come at you hard. Learned that the hard way :)

Due to a "terrorism scare" with no details most of the city is blocked off at first. They reference it on the radio now and again...

If you go to TW@ and dig around in the news online you can find out more about the "Algonquin Bridge Massacre". In fact, you can stumble on a few items of interest that hint at Niko's mysterious motivations, too.

Does anyone have any idea as to when it will be released for the PC?

Once XBox and PS3 sales slow down.

As usual, then. :O( Damn! Why should the console players get it first? Why not all formats released at the same time?

I bet, overall, there are far more serious gamers using P.C's than there are using consoles.

Ah! Good old "Marketing" again, what would we do without it. Thanks, Scipio.

You know, its funny, but whenever I'm about to go on a date with Michelle I steal a nice car at least a couple blocks from her house so she doesn't see, then I drive all nice and calmly, even sometimes obeying streetlights, I try my best not to smash into other cars or pedestrians, I don't commit any crimes and I go out of my way to get her home safe..... holy hell, I think I'm p-whipped by a fake video game girl.

. holy hell, I think I'm p-whipped by a fake video game girl.

:O) Did I just hear someone whisper in my ear, "oh, sad, poor boy, why doesn't he go out and get a real girl?"

Funny you should say that Sandie, cause when I'm out with my real girlfriend I don't even think twice about running over a pedestrian.... of course she has yet to see the game, all I've told her is that there's lots of shooting and good storytelling, didn't tell her about the whole "Michelle thing," who knows, she might get jealous.

But I'm about 6 hours in and honestly there's nothing to do. I keep driving around trying to find a clothing store but not having any luck...

Open up the map that came with the game. You'll find locations for the clothing stores, internet cafes and such on it.

Nobody is calling me for missions...

At six-hours in you don't have many "associates" to rely on. The missions you do get are still basically tutorials. Focus on churning those suckers out and you'll see your possibilities expand.

Michelle isn't talking to me because jacking a car in front of her was fine but when I got into a taxi to take her home and then got out again because the taxi wouldn't go there she got all freaked out and ran away. Then she texted me to stop calling her...

Michelle doesn't have a problem with Niko slapping around a few punks and taking their car but gunplay is a serious no-no. She gets all pissy if you get drunk and accidentally shoot one or sixteen people in the face. But don't worry... Give her a little time and space and she'll be blowing up your phone with requests to go out before ya know it.

This game is big. Massive, really. I think I've hit close to 25 hours and I've still barely scratched the surface. It's way too early to start calling out the perceived cons. yeah, you'll find some flaws here and there but in light of everything this game does absolutely right they are easily overlooked.

One more thing... Your in-game map is devoid of most activities around Liberty City until you find them and partake of their services -- or you're steered in their direction by the narrative -- at which point they appear full-time. Use the map included with the manual to locate them prior to the story's introduction of them. Some of them will appear "locked" until you accept the appropriate mission, however.

One one more thing... I think once you learn more about Michelle her actions don't seem so unusual. Though I thought it was odd, too, that she didn't say something the first time I hailed a cab less one cabbie. But we're picking nits if our biggest complaint is that our girlfriend won't complain enough.

You know what I hate? The online interface is @!$%#ty. Is isn't exactly @!$%#. But it's very much @!$%#-like. At least for the 360, it seems to ignore a lot of the conventions of multiplayer organization we've come to accept as second nature. Online play is fantastic -- don't misunderstand me -- but getting the game to do what you want with all your Friends is unnecessarily difficult. Update, please-and-thank-you.

This is a fantastic user-generated map of Liberty City, with all the locations by type, similar to google maps: Liberty City Map

Good resource for when you're lost/bored.

You know what I hate? The online interface is @!$%#ty. Is isn't exactly @!$%#. But it's very much @!$%#-like. At least for the 360, it seems to ignore a lot of the conventions of multiplayer organization we've come to accept as second nature. Online play is fantastic -- don't misunderstand me -- but getting the game to do what you want with all your Friends is unnecessarily difficult. Update, please-and-thank-you.

I've been wondering about that.

In every review I read, the actual MP game setup interface is glossed over with little more than "OMG, it's so totally cool that you just hop into MP from single player in-game!"

To me, that just sounds weird, especially if they're trying to cram MP setup into the cellphone mechanic of the game.

How is the MP start/join game mechanic?

(And no, I don't have GTA4 yet, because I just got Rock Band, and I only have so much time for gaming. :-p )

Eh, don't rush to the game store or anything. Play it for curiosity's sake, but don't stress yourself rushing to find it. It's not all that different from the others, just updated a little.

Rest assured, sir, I had no intent of exerting myself to do so - having just picked up over $60 worth of quality used DS games from Gamestop for less than half that thanks to the Buy 2 Get 1 Free sale, I am not lacking for virtual entertainment for a while.