Eyes on Grand Theft Auto 4: It’s more like life, not a video game
God damn people , i was so angry when read this “Our gaming expert got two hours with the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the highly anticipated game. ” :DDDD
But here is the review , so enjoy it and wait for more details 
There are two ways to play a “Grand Theft Auto” game: following the rules or not following them.
On Wednesday morning at the headquarters of Rockstar Games, we took Xbox 360 and PS3 controllers in hand and spent two hours with “Grand Theft Auto IV,” trying both. The result: a better understanding of what “GTA” rendered on cutting-edge video game hardware feels like and how it might impact fans and nonfans of the series in a whole new way.
“Grand Theft Auto IV” is only six weeks away from release, but only recently have the developers at Rockstar let reporters get their hands on the game. During MTV News’ session, we explored the depths of the game’s missions and the randomness of simulated city life that makes every tour of a Rockstar gaming metropolis a sandstorm of surprises.
We flew helicopters, we returned an in-game text message on our cell phone, we crashed lots of cars, we wondered if the game’s version of the Statue of Liberty was supposed to look like Hillary Clinton (not intentional, Rockstar says), and we earned a five-star wanted rating on the series’ newly expanded six-star police-alertness meter.
First we followed rules, or at least tried to. A Rockstar rep working the MTV News demo turned the lights out and loaded a two-week-old build of the Xbox 360 version of the game, displaying it on a large flat-panel TV. He used a developer cheat to warp the game’s protagonist, immigrant Niko Bellic, to a mission called “Jamaican Heat.” This mission is available early in the game and involves Bellic escorting a gun dealing Rastafarian named Little Jacob to a drug deal gone bad.
These “GTA” games are certainly still not for kids. Little Jacob names the drugs he likes. The game’s improved aiming controls offer smooth, precise techniques for shooting enemies in any body part. The radio stations still lampoon current events and skewer sacred cows. As ever, “GTA” is a crime story, unapologetically profane, irreverently sarcastic.
Following the rules had us pursuing a few more “GTA IV” missions, one involving a shoot-out in a brownstone in the game’s stand-in for Brooklyn, another a shoot-out at a dock, and another that wasn’t a shoot-out. This last mission, named “Call and Collect,” featured Niko helping a dirty cop by shaking down a blackmailer. We did this � almost � without firing a shot, relying instead on the power of cell phone technology. The blackmailer was hanging out near a fountain in a small park, though the game didn’t indicate exactly which person milling about in that area was him. Instead, Niko received a text message on his ever-available cell phone. With a few presses of the controller, we could call the texted number, causing the blackmailer’s phone to ring. Once the call commenced, the goal was to walk Niko through a crowd of people, looking and listening for someone talking on their cell phone. We heard him first and eventually stood face to face, with Niko’s and the blackmailer’s phones to their ears, their voices echoing through the phones and the virtual thin air. The blackmailer almost ran. Niko’s gun stopped him. And then Niko ran from the cops. Mission just about complete.
While we followed the rules of these missions, it became clear that Rockstar has tried to make “GTA IV” feel like less of a video game, a change that will likely excite fans and further horrify the series’ critics. Shooting a policeman, a criminal or a civilian will cause them to tumble with convincing physics. Shot people look hurt. Cars handle more realistically and more distinctly, depending on the type, making driving feel more true to life. The improved physics and animation make the game feel more real, the player’s actions more fraught with consequence. We stole a car, tried to evade police and fishtailed through an innocent crowd. Our car was damaged. The cops swarmed. And so while trying to drive up a hill, our vehicle simply stalled. The police won that one. When we stole a motorcycle in another mission, we were arrested immediately, without a shot being fired.
“GTA IV” has been designed with the intention to strip away a lot of its predecessors’ video-gameness. Extra guns and health packs don’t float a few inches above the ground, waiting to be walked through. They lie on flat surfaces, waiting to be picked up. A Rockstar rep told MTV News that the developers didn’t even want those found items to glow, as they do now, because that’s not realistic. But a concession was made so players could more easily identify what they could and should try to grab in this world.
“GTA IV” felt less like a video game because there is no “Mission Complete” graphical flourish as there had been in old games, just a brief instrumental riff to indicate a job’s successful finish. Icons in the upper-right corner of the screen still display the player’s equipped weapon and money, but they are reduced in size, subdued to blacks, grays and whites, doing as little as possible to distract the player’s eyes.
In its missions, the game feels less like a game and more like interactive drama. It’s a playable crime story, doing what it feels it should. Get in a car and the GPS system maps you to a destination � and, if you’re in the right car or turn the option on in the game’s pause menu, it talks you there as well. There’s less getting lost, less struggling with the controls, less frustration, at least as judged by a two-hour session.
When the game still feels like a game, however, is when the rules aren’t followed. That’s the way that so many people play “GTA,” when the games become a glorified “Pac-Man,” a sandbox for mayhem or interactive Keystone Cops-style slapstick, pick your metaphor. The Rockstar rep had suggested the missions but humored our dalliances, which broke any illusions of this being completely hard-boiled fiction. We spotted an old roller-coaster and sprinted to its crest, then tumbled down its steepest drop. We sprinted on foot uncommonly fast, tiring less quickly than “San Andreas”‘ protagonist CJ, feeling like a bit of a superman. We took a helicopter for a joyride, in this case, in the PS3 build, traversing the city with haste, thrusting with the R2 button, rudder-turning with L1 and R1. The scenery was viewable from an optional in-cockpit, first-person view, the densely detailed Liberty City rolling by so quickly underneath that it’s little wonder that the private jets parked at the game’s airport are not usable. They’d be too fast for this game’s amount of real estate. Mostly we used the helicopter to land on skyscrapers and in busy intersections, the rotor blades magically hurting no one � not the least of whom Niko, despite what would probably be classified as hard landings. This is not the way a real world would work, and that’s a good thing.
Off its rails, the game can be cartoonish. We stood Niko at the foot of Liberty City’s Statue of Happiness and fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the statue, sending tourists fleeing and denting the statue not a bit. A tourist had dropped a jug of milk and a loaf of bread. A policeman, sensing cause for alarm, approached and dodged a few shots of the RPG right in his direction. He had a gut but was nimble, and he had a backup fleet of choppers and, across the waterway, armored vans and SWAT teams to back him up, an imbalanced cartoon dynamic of cops vs. robber that saw justice again prevail.
As absurd as some of the moments in our session with the game could be, though, it was clear that “GTA IV” presents a more convincing world than its predecessors did. It presents a place less riddled with imperfect game design and awkward controls, replaced with improved technology and handling. The game lets the content � not the struggle to maneuver through that content � arrest the player’s attention. It’s a realer “GTA.” Is it also a game? Of course. Is it still “just” a game? That depends on your perspective and what your hopes are for how something like this might impact those who play it.
“GTA IV” will be released for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on April 29.
(On a more personal note to Rockstar: Our subways in the real New York City aren’t dingy and graffiti-covered anymore. And the building where this story was filed houses MTV, not Music Entertainment TV, aka Me TV. What exactly is “GTA IV” trying to imply?)
FIRST GTA 4 Video Review + Gameplay
This is it - EPIC GTA 4 Review by IGN
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by » Gta 4 review by MTV ( MUST READ ), on March 14 2008 @ 4:38 pm
[...] ToC Gaming News Blog : All The Latest PC Gaming News wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptEyes on Grand Theft Auto 4: Its more like life, not a video game God damn people , i was so angry when read this Our gaming expert got two hours with the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the highly anticipated game. :DDDD But here is the review , so enjoy it and wait for more details (more) ShareThis [...]
by james, on April 4 2008 @ 4:33 am
when u say u stalled the car did it actually stall or was the ground to steap and did you do any of the activities like drinking or pool?
by dolphin278, on April 6 2008 @ 10:21 pm
I prefer reading this kind of information when Im alone in the room, so no one would see an expression on my face. Its disgusting! I dont believe a single grose word about it!
by garroway, on April 8 2008 @ 7:54 pm
sounds class. bring it on!
by Redeyeshev, on April 9 2008 @ 11:53 am
no matter how terrible people act, we don’t have a right to judge them. We are just to express our minds, and don’t have to pay attention what other people look like, what’s their real face. It doesn’t matter for me, if someone will say anything about me, I know what I really deserve, and what kind of person I really am.
by Kidder, on April 23 2008 @ 1:33 pm
Comment 5 - I think you speak a great deal of POOP!!!
by John, on April 23 2008 @ 9:28 pm
This game is going to be amazing, I found loads more links about it on http://www.gta4links.com
by Ohmz, on April 27 2008 @ 8:57 pm
yeah this game is sick, when you get your hands on a copy try throwing yourself out of a car into another on coming card, euphoria makes it look pretty special
by joe, on April 28 2008 @ 5:12 pm
NICE REVIEW DAWGGGGGGGGGGGGG
by joe, on April 28 2008 @ 5:12 pm
yeah niggggaaaa
by gay, on April 29 2008 @ 11:28 am
gay
by gay, on April 29 2008 @ 11:28 am
gayyyy
by booster, on April 29 2008 @ 8:54 pm
It is a cool game.
by Clayton, on April 30 2008 @ 8:14 am
wow the game just came out today, and it…… SUCKS!!!! DO NOT BUY THIS GAME!!!! The ‘realistic handling’ ensures no escape from police, just as described as described above, the ever-persistent targeting is still a problem, the wannabe dramatic movie enviroment of the game cuts gameplay into little tiny pieces and blows them away, this is more reminiscent of driv3r than gta, changing directions even when walking is like turning around a bus, i fell like rockstar completely cheated everybody, i suggest torrenting it off of the internet for free somehwere, but whatever you do do NOT make the mistake that i did and PAY for this mockery of a video game
by john, on April 30 2008 @ 10:44 am
this game is cool boi u no wat i iz sayin this is da shizz i will take dis blank out and put it up on shelf init man, its gonna go right off and be da bomb in da world man u no wat i meen
by jim, on April 30 2008 @ 10:44 am
finch me
by john, on April 30 2008 @ 10:45 am
tgrtgrtrt
by james, on April 30 2008 @ 1:49 pm
I have the game, It is Fucking Awesome !
by james, on April 30 2008 @ 1:50 pm
hey Clayton… your a butt pirate
by duane, on April 30 2008 @ 2:56 pm
blew my mind. crashing into something and flying through the window.the game is just sick.
by Lucass, on April 30 2008 @ 4:48 pm
my favorite part so far was executing a mother fucker!
soo sickkk
by glenn dixon, on April 30 2008 @ 7:41 pm
to the guy who posted comment 15.
cleary you are a pleb and have no clue as to what a good game is, its a little odd that you seem to be the only one who has played the game that says its sucks. im thinking you need to get to the opticians and get your glassed corrected or change them for milk bottles coz they seem not to be strong enough.
as for the game it is very impressive
by james, on April 30 2008 @ 9:08 pm
yea whoever the ass hat capcom fanboi is that posted pot number 14. get a life, this game is amazing, so much to do… yea theres a lot of cut scenes, but they are awesome and you can do wat ever you want to do you dont have to do the missions, the realistic driving is hard to get used to, only thing that dissapointed me was the handling of the motorcycles, they kinda suck… but other than that, no complaints, i give it a 9.5/10
by dan, on April 30 2008 @ 9:59 pm
number 14 you talk out the crack of your arse this game is the best gta ever made mind blowing 10/10
by The Truth, on May 1 2008 @ 6:15 am
I think they could have polished it up, it gets choppy sometimes when theres a lot going on, is it me or is the cellphone hard to see its grey text on a black background, there was also an an anoying line that went from bottom to the top of my tv(its not the tv its the gamr) like to emulate the qualtiy of eastern european tvs or something. Im at like 4% and there is a TON of stuff to do. I spent the 1st hour “acquiring” loot and weapons/ammo. The driving isnt bad once you do a couple missions, same with the targeting. Its a great game but it couldve been soooo much better. 9/10
by jamie hughes, on May 1 2008 @ 12:48 pm
even though im gay i love this game. As my 360 screen is specialised for my height as I am 7ft tall. Im interested in the characters trouser bulges and I find Niko very attractive and I wish he was real so i could shove my 1 inch wonder in his belly button and his earhole, i would not even need to crouch as i am soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo tall yet sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo small
by Jamie Hughes, on May 1 2008 @ 12:52 pm
P.S all you bum boys out there add me and maybe we can hook up i am very experienced and if it is ur first time on a man on man experience dont worry i will take control!
jimbobfishomniblog@hotmail.com
by John, on May 1 2008 @ 7:48 pm
To the chav who posted comment 15, I totally agree with comment 22, you are a total pleb and I suggest rather than playing on video games, you pick up a childrens book or a couple of comics and learn to read and write properly. Did you ever go to school? Probably not, more likely drinking buckfast on the park in your shell suit whilst twiddling with the 3 earings you have in each ear. So you illiterate wretch learn to ready & write, take your staffordshire bull terrier called “Tyson” for a walk and generally boil your head.
Adios
by The Beatmaker, on May 2 2008 @ 1:23 am
You all cannot knock that person who posted comment number 14, as he/she is entitled to an opinion. Although I disagree with his comment for the majority of what he said, I can also understand why he said it. GTA 4s driving is not easy to control nor is the walking/running, especially when you have been getting used to games like Halo 3 and COD 4. The aiming takes a while to get used to (if you ever do at all) and its even more difficult while driving. In addition, I too experienced some apparent flaws with the game. GTA often has server issues in which loading maps would freeze and leave everyone looking at a black screen only to be fixed by re-setting the console. I’ve also witnessed plenty of lagging and glitches in which players would be in one area, then jump to another in a split second. With that being said, I too feel GTA 4 is a great game that could be better with updates.
by Nick, on May 2 2008 @ 5:32 am
this is a pretty good game about an 8.5/10 but i personally believe that it doesn’t deserve the 10/10 it got… it is in a way overrated… i kind of get the idea of what clayton is talking about but overall i do think it is good… a little similar to saint’s row but w/e
by paul weezy, on May 2 2008 @ 8:09 am
game is ight
by milks, on May 2 2008 @ 11:41 am
to yo who say it suks… welll u suck. dnt spoil it for others u butt scratchers
by marrko, on May 2 2008 @ 6:37 pm
I got the game the day it came out, couldn’t wait for it. after a couple of days im losing interest if im honest. the graphics are crap, it doesnt use any of the power that these new consoles can produce. The lines on the map representing where to go arent even straight in places and looks as though its been designed on ‘paint’. I loved all previous GTA’s but this seems cheap with a lack of effort, its harder to control, it takes more time to do basic things, and its the same old same. there doesnt seem to be anything different here that you couldnt do on vice city, in fact the cars handle better in vice city
by eric, on May 2 2008 @ 7:15 pm
games ok nuthin special but please introduce me to the guy incharge of driving so i can kick his ass realistic my ass try 1/2 unresponsive and 1/2 over sensitive i hate that guy seriously
by Sam, on May 3 2008 @ 4:35 am
yay, thus gays sick, i really like it. The stearing makes me pissed but it is more realistic. Ithink comment #33 is crazy…i super enjoy the graphics, i only have encontered a glich in live, which by the way it took me a while to figure out how to do live…i had to call my friend. I dont have an of the other gta’s but i have played them..they’re all different…but i dont get board in this game cause i play campaigne and live. live is soo fucking fun…expetiually with a friend…or friends…fun to team up.I def give this game a 10/10…thnx for your time Sicerely,
Sam L.
by Sam, on May 3 2008 @ 4:39 am
hey again but this game is great..it got a 10 outa 10 and no game has done that since zelda like 10 years ago.just thought i’d share that peice of info
pce,
Sam L.
by The Beatmaker, on May 10 2008 @ 4:51 am
Im tired of people who clearly base there opinions on stupid ass ratings that games recieve in magazines and such. Dont yall understand money rules the fuckin world. Anybody could pay anybody the right amound of money to get what they can get out of them. Who’s to say what the people who created GTA 4 did to promote bogus ratings for more $$$. THINK….It dont mean a damn thing. I got a suggestion, use your own minds and come up with your own conclusions on how YOU feel about the damn game. It is then a sensible person, such as myself, will possibly respect your comment.
“Dont Be a BIRD HEAD”
The Beatmaker
by alex, on May 12 2008 @ 10:47 am
Great game but i have 2 problems.
1) seems kinda dark…way to much shadow work and haziness at one time i checked my tv screen because the constant hazy weather made me think my screen went black and white
2) Also dont find much non-mission stuff to do. San Andreas u get bored run to the beach work out learn marshall arts steal a plane personalize ur haircut mod ur car. GTA IV seems like its either missions or just drivin doin nothing..if u know somethin to do that i dont let me know
by Niko, on May 12 2008 @ 12:33 pm
its awesome
by DJ-Chrissy G, on May 12 2008 @ 1:14 pm
to the person who wrote no 28
who the fuck you talkin to man stop jipin people you fuckin nonse al find out where y live and rape ya u ugly cunt
by douglas, on May 12 2008 @ 3:59 pm
this is a good game jerry
by Craig, on May 13 2008 @ 4:02 pm
This Game is Awesome- People who say it sucks have no clue ehat they are talking about, Yeah the driving is different, but thats a good thing once you get used to it its class. for anyone who ays the graphics are crap- get a life they far supass any GTA in the past
all in all fantastic game keep up the good work
by Josh, on May 16 2008 @ 2:47 pm
I haven’t actually purchased the game yet, but have heard mixed reports. quite a few of my mates have said it’s aweful, someone even brought it into school to sell it the day after he bought it because it was so bad. but others have said it’s amazing. I’m going to have to make my own mind up on this one, I’ll be buying it sooner rather than later, and if I don’t like it then I’ll let you guys know.
by wade, on May 16 2008 @ 3:14 pm
The game is nothing special. If im honest playing GTA4 just makes me want to play san andreas again, its a much better game with much more to do!!!
by Kelly, on May 19 2008 @ 8:39 am
I agree. San Andreas is a far better game. I bought GTA 4 yesterday and I was really disappointed. I can’t believe they took the planes out. I mean what were they thinking?? I was hoping it would be San Andreas with even more stuff to do but instead the game has went far backwards. If I had known the game was going to be like this I honestly would not have bought it. I’m really disappointed.
by Vin, on May 19 2008 @ 3:56 pm
do you know what people who review badly about this game are funking dick heads this game is fucking awesome even for me I dont play more than 5 hours a week but after this game that has changed so just buy a copy
by ikraam, on May 29 2008 @ 9:24 pm
this games is good but when you goto a bar you cant see whats happening. it had 94 story missions . i completed it in 5 days. gta sa had 104 missions.
by The Beatmaker, on May 30 2008 @ 2:17 am
To Vin with the number 46 comment, and anyone else who judges the next mans opinion as if your view is absolutely correct. You sir, are an ass. A hairy, non washed, cellulite having, fat, stinkin ass. How bout that? And everyone who’s anyone knows that asses are full of shit. Its a damn shame a person cannot share his/her opinion without these ASSES making a complete ASS out of themselves and responding with comments like some of the ones I see on this forum. ASS
by D.R., on May 30 2008 @ 1:55 pm
In reply to Glenn Dixon, comment 22:
You are an arrogant prick with no life, just because you’ve been luckier in life than others doesn’t give you licence to brag about it you rug muncher. Plebs don’t exist, you’re wasting your life living in the past and playing immature video games which is an absolutely childish and useless. GET A LFE !
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by unknown, on June 13 2008 @ 2:31 pm
i like milk, and chicken.
by me, on June 16 2008 @ 11:50 pm
the beatmaker should keep his nose out and put is comments where the sun don’t shine gta is amazing i bought it today
by me pete, on June 16 2008 @ 11:54 pm
it should be the butt maker not the beatmaker
by The Beatmaker, on June 21 2008 @ 2:07 am
GTA IV is garbage
–Boring Game Play
–Dull and Out of Touch Storyline
–Realistic Car Handling and shooting(which makes it even more boring)
–Setting graphics are good, but the people look horrible
Overall, I’d say get Saints Row
by The Beatmaker, on June 21 2008 @ 2:15 am
like i said before….come up with your own opinion, dont let ign think for you with numbers….
Peace
by anon, on June 21 2008 @ 2:57 am
i agree with comment 54
after playing gta4 i immediately started playing saints row again
yes, gta4 has better graphics can only be expected. i mean, the graphics are awesome
the driving is ridiculously difficult though and wdf up with the camera
also brightness was terrible was much too dark to play at night had to turn the brightness up and no it wasnt my tv
the story line is pretty much the same as many of the other rpgs reminded me a lot of san andreas tbh
i’d give this game a six out of ten if that
it has its good points
but i thought it could have done with loads more improvements
and i think they just couldnt wait to get it on the market so they didnt bother touching it up to perfection or whatever
by anon, on June 21 2008 @ 3:03 am
oh and yeah all you people dissing other peoples opinions “IF YOU DONT LIKE THIS GAME YOU BAITLY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT GOOD GAMING IS” - grow up. this game isnt the best game made, you disagree then thats fine but yeah
people have different opinions
and if you havent learnt that already in life then srsli you really need to
by Ryan, on July 20 2008 @ 11:11 am
I just bought the game yesterday, and have only been playing it for around 3 hours. Already, I have become addicted to its fantastic graphics, realistic driving and exciting missions. 10/10
by sg, on July 30 2008 @ 8:59 pm
best game ever
by trav, on September 7 2008 @ 11:03 am
first of all clayton ur friggen tard, u dont know a good game if it hit ya in the face, (sorry gta cant meet ur requirments to pokemon, u sissy,
on a better note guys, i bought this game and it was the shizzle, alot of thing taken out of it but still kicks ass, as a gamer i give this game 9/10
by jesus, on October 31 2008 @ 5:34 pm
this game was awful…
wanna know why
1. you are an immigrant that just ruined it for me the fact i couldnt “personalize my charecter”
2. the camera angles were shit you can barely see whats ahead in a car
3. the missions were easily anticipated i could see what was going to happen in each mission about 1/2 a minute through and i skip the cutscenes
4. too dark i put my tele on full brightness and other games i put it on like 45/100]
5. shooting it too realistic as is driving
6. get saints row2/gears of war2/cod5
7. the game is overrated, and it sox a 3/10
8. gta3 was soo much better