[SILVERBACK]

As much as im enjoying it (and i am) i just get the feeling of deja vu with weapons,guns,missions etc etc.i know the previous games have hardly been any great leap from one another but there has always been something resembling charm about the last three.the first one was lacking what the last 3 had, but WOW what a game,vice city had liota, the location and that soundtrack,san andreas had the custom cars,the gangster thing (which i was initially critical of) going on, the huge maps and jet planes.but i feel a little "empty" with the new version.once the initial buzz,hype and hunt for the game had worn off.i could be alone in thinking this but i think this is the last great GTA unless they make a quantum leap for its next outing.

[james.miller]

nope, there'll be more. gta4 is selling by the truckload. if ever there was an incentive to create more content, there it is. and i cant see it being any 'worse' than this release.

[waring192]

Im sure i read or watched a interview where rockstar said it would be the last GTA game. Im sure they will do something else though but maybe not branded GTA

[richmcveigh]

To be honest, the more I play it the more I love it. The fantastic storyline is only one of the many things which makes this the best GTA game yet. As much as I liked San Andreas, the map was just too big for me, and I got bored of endlessly driving through the countryside and dessert.

Heres to GTA IV, the best game ever made (best game I've ever played anyway!)

[beowulf]

i find it really rather dull , too much like the previous games , and the graphics are simply awful

played cod4 after a marathon gta session and was reminded what next gen really is all about

gta4 just looks so old fashioned compared to it , more like a suped up ps2 game - which it basically is

[james.miller]

Originally Posted by beowulf

i find it really rather dull , too much like the previous games , and the graphics are simply awful

played cod4 after a marathon gta session and was reminded what next gen really is all about

gta4 just looks so old fashioned compared to it , more like a suped up ps2 game - which it basically is

a linear shooter? yes thats what next gen is all about - more linear shooters lol.


while i do have problems with gta4's graphics, the sheer scale, the amount of dialogue and things to do, sub games ect, make this a very good game indeed.

[SILVERBACK]

i simply don't think there is anything left in the tank of this franchise (apart from it being a massive cash cow obviously) now.to be honest,the look of the game is fine,i mean you couldn't have the graphics of COD4 with the size of the map of GTA4.as long as the graphics are there (i know its suppose to be a next gen game) i would be happy to lose graphics and add game play.

i still remember the first time i seen the ps2 gta version i hadnt seen anything like it before,then vice city came along and raised the bar incredibly high and san andreas maybe matched it but the sountrack and liota voice over is still my favourite,id say gta 4 was just below san andreas and a good chunk behind vice city myself.

[prvjoker]

Originally Posted by SILVERBACK

i simply don't think there is anything left in the tank of this franchise (apart from it being a massive cash cow obviously) now.to be honest,the look of the game is fine,i mean you couldn't have the graphics of COD4 with the size of the map of GTA4.as long as the graphics are there (i know its suppose to be a next gen game) i would be happy to lose graphics and add game play.

I think there is plenty more to come because now the engine is in place, their development cycle can now focus more on QoL issues for GTA5. If you consider in the 3/4 years they were making this game, a huge chunk of their time would have been apportioned to getting to the engine to the level they wanted. A perfect example of this is Insomniac and what they are now throwing out with Resistance 2, same with Motorstorm 2. If you were expecting an evolution with GTA4 then you were looking in the wrong place. This is more of the same only better (yes yes we are missing stuff from SA which they could add via DLC's).

Personally I'd like to see the series move to Tokyo (say....Nico working for ULCP abroad, undercover) and the melee combat be expanded to include kung fu lol and also stealth elements.

Don't forget with DLC's providing a new revenue stream, we could see this GTA4 evolve.

[SILVERBACK]

Originally Posted by prvjoker

I think there is plenty more to come because now the engine is in place, their development cycle can now focus more on QoL issues for GTA5. If you consider in the 3/4 years they were making this game, a huge chunk of their time would have been apportioned to getting to the engine to the level they wanted.

Also with DLC's providing a new revenue stream, we could see this GTA4 evolve.

i see your point but i just think the engine might be there but how far can you take a game like this now ? i mean there are only so many police chases,car stealing to order,follow the criminal and kill him missions you can sugar coat time after time.

[Jack-Deth]

Originally Posted by james.miller

a linear shooter? yes thats what next gen is all about - more linear shooters lol.


while i do have problems with gta4's graphics, the sheer scale, the amount of dialogue and things to do, sub games ect, make this a very good game indeed.

Agreed. Whilst I love COD4, your freedom to "do" things is tightly restricted. There are very few choices to make, its gameplay is linear and whilst it is superior graphically, the levels are pretty much on the rails which helps keep things at that high level.

[Jack-Deth]

Originally Posted by SILVERBACK

i see your point but i just think the engine might be there but how far can you take a game like this now ? i mean there are only so many police chases,car stealing to order,follow the criminal and kill him missions you can sugar coat time after time.

I think the strength that R* bring to the GTA series is the characters, story and "world" that they immerse you in. Providing they can keep getting those right, I don't see the problem.

[leicesterlad]

The way a to go now is to play as a corrupt copper

They could do alot with this with the decisions you make having a big impact through the game.

I think there was a game on XBOX 1 called NARC, where you could choose to be good or bad cop at anytime.

Choose to arrest the drug gang leader, or take a cut of his profits if you let him go?
Take the drugs off him.... take it back to the station or take it yourself?
Turn a blind eye to the hooker on the street for some freebies.
Steal a ferrari and pin it on someone else.

Given Rockstars abilty at turning the GTA games into interactive movies, this would be like playing the GTA equivelent of LA Confidential

[wormvortex]

It's exactly like the other GTA's the way this was overhyped by the press and the majority of people on these forums people were making out it was something we'd never seen before and was going to be the best thing in the world.

[james.miller]

its still bloody great fun to play. who cares lol

[leicesterlad]

Originally Posted by wormvortex

It's exactly like the other GTA's the way this was overhyped by the press and the majority of people on these forums people were making out it was something we'd never seen before and was going to be the best thing in the world.

I don't think people were making out it was something we'd never seen before, they just couldn't wait to play the new GTA.
I also think it had every right to be as hyped as it was because it is a great game.
Going by the amount this game has sold on both consoles, people are still loving the GTA franchise.

If EA can keep churning out their yearly FIFA updates and people still buy them, I'm sure Rockstar will continue to make GTA games every 3-4 years, knowing how many people will buy them.
I know which I will spend my money on.

[Eddy.]

Originally Posted by wormvortex

It's exactly like the other GTA's the way this was overhyped by the press and the majority of people on these forums people were making out it was something we'd never seen before and was going to be the best thing in the world.

Sums it up pretty well really.

The 10 rating from IGN is something I still find hilarious. Especially the 10 for graphics.

I lost respect for IGN after that.

[withnail_wine]

Originally Posted by beowulf

i find it really rather dull , too much like the previous games , and the graphics are simply awful

played cod4 after a marathon gta session and was reminded what next gen really is all about

gta4 just looks so old fashioned compared to it , more like a suped up ps2 game - which it basically is

I dont really want to go any further into this, as there are about 90,000,000 posts already on the subject, but I still fail to see how the graphics can be described as 'simply awful'.

They are superb, and get better the more you play. The PS3 and 360 simply aren't capable of creating a sandbox game like GTA with the graphics of COD4.

[xSequentialx]

it might well be if EA go ahead with their take over of take two. there will then no doubt be a new gta released every year b4 xmas, all rushed and terrible

[iddqd]

They will probably take it into the direction of a MMO at some point.

[waring192]

ey will probably take it into the direction of a MMO at some point.

now that would be good. A bit like Home so it could be expanded as time goes on.

[shaun1208]

So GTA:Home will include trashing an unsuspecting victim's room, where they have spent money on getting their room just the way they wanted it. You could also break into someones trophy room and steal the trophies that you haven't managed to get yet and add them to your collection.

[Dave_C]

Originally Posted by shaun1208

So GTA:Home will include trashing an unsuspecting victim's room, where they have spent money on getting their room just the way they wanted it. You could also break into someones trophy room and steal the trophies that you haven't managed to get yet and add them to your collection.

Just try it I'll buy the doberman guard dog upgrade!

[Jonstone]

Originally Posted by withnail_wine

I dont really want to go any further into this, as there are about 90,000,000 posts already on the subject, but I still fail to see how the graphics can be described as 'simply awful'.

They are superb, and get better the more you play. The PS3 and 360 simply aren't capable of creating a sandbox game like GTA with the graphics of COD4.

I've found that it is a combination of scaling and blurring that tend to make GTA's graphics look worse than they are.

On my 1680x1050 monitor they look pretty ropey (not only a lot of scaling going on but the aspect ratio changing to 16:10 as well), but the game looks a lot better on both my 720p projector and my sd plasma.

Its a shame the big push to 1080p displays wasn't accompanied by console hardware that could run the games at this resolution. At the moment too many games are suffering from too much scaling, tv's that overscan over hdmi, motion blur etc etc., in a lot of ways the industry wasn't quite ready for 1080p when it arrived

[kBm]

Originally Posted by FutureTech

it might well be if EA go ahead with their take over of take two. there will then no doubt be a new gta released every year b4 xmas, all rushed and terrible

Not long to wait now then;

Electronic Arts has secured a loan of $1 billion to support its bid for Take Two, which is due to be wrapped up this Friday....The amount will have to be paid back with interest in full within a year, or by 9 August 2009

So, if EA gets its hands on Take Two, could we see a GTA V or, more likey, a San Andreas Stories before the end of 2009 to recoup the cost?

[Norlo]

Originally Posted by Eddy.

Sums it up pretty well really.

The 10 rating from IGN is something I still find hilarious. Especially the 10 for graphics.

I lost respect for IGN after that.

I can't believe you had any respect in the first place

[Zeromajor]

Can people please just drop the graphics thing now ***?

Two weeks and you're still banging on about it. The graphics are excellent for a game on the scale that it is.

That's it, no more to be said!

[james.miller]

Originally Posted by MajorZero

Can people please just drop the graphics thing now ***?

Two weeks and you're still banging on about it. The graphics are excellent for a game on the scale that it is.

That's it, no more to be said!

are they really? i wouldnt call an average of 25fps excellent. perhaps they coudl have done any better. perhaps. but they are still far from perfect.

[Zeromajor]

Originally Posted by james.miller

are they really? i wouldnt call an average of 25fps excellent. perhaps they coudl have done any better. perhaps. but they are still far from perfect.

No-one's calling them perfect.

Yes, I really think they're excellent, as do a lot of people (the majority of the gaming press also!). It seems that the only people who don't are the whingers intent on tearing apart every new game down to how many pixels it has or how it doesn't compare to xxxx (completely irrelevant and incomparable) game.

There are thousands on posts in this folder bemoaning the lack of xxx or what's wrong with xxx in the game you've completely lost all focus on what the game does right, and in abundance compared with what ***** £40 can buy you for the system.

God forbid what will happen on the release of mgs4 when the cod4 casuals *waste* their money on something that doesn't live upto the graphical perfection they expect.

[james.miller]

Originally Posted by MajorZero

No-one's calling them perfect.

no, but you called them excellent and they arent. i was just playing online actually, and the framerate becomes a real issue with the online racing. with fps in the low 20s, the handling on the bikes can be very challanging. this means they are not excellent. the resolution isnt excellent. the lack of aa is not excellent. the awful blur the ps3 version suffers and the overall lower frame rate is not excellent.

it's like we cant say a bad word about the game. if its that boring for you perhaps its better off if you dont actually read about it? as i told some other all-praising GTAaphiles, this is where we discuss the good AND bad points. that does not mean we arent happy with everything else. And as i also said, i wouldnt have put 25 hours in to it if i didnt like the game.

[Zeromajor]

Originally Posted by james.miller

it's like we cant say a bad word about the game. if its that boring for you perhaps its better off if you dont actually read about it? as i told some other all-praising GTAaphiles, this is where we discuss the good AND bad points. that does not mean we arent happy with everything else. And as i also said, i wouldnt have put 25 hours in to it if i didnt like the game.

It wasn't aimed at you directly, it's just that you replied to my original comment.

I'm not averse to debating the game, it's just that the majority of the posts here are so negative, and several try to indicate that there are things that render the game unplayable, when that is simply not the case (aside from the lockup issue which i've not had)

On a micro level, the detail is incredible - people walk around talking on phones and drinking cups of coffee/reading newspapers (that fall out of their hands when you bump into them). Depth of field is also incredible (look at the lights on the bridges at night for instance) and no other game portrays water as realistically as this game does (the waves, reflections, sparkles from the sun as you glance as it from a distance). So many things are missed on people who prefer to look at the graphics overall, I just can't understand it.