Did anyone else feel like GTA4 lacked the things that made you keep playing...

Currently, I have GTA4, about almost done with it, but since I first popped in the Blu-ray, I felt like I was missing a huge part of my GTA experience. I mean, Yes, it was a great game, but I felt like they left out the little things that made it special. Being a sequel to GTA3(which means, it directly excludes SA and VC) I felt like they didn't deliver the features/extras I wanted. The game plays like an updated version of GTA3, which essencial it should be, but I missed the features like buying property, owning property, car customization, and even the details that made it unique. Being a sandbox, it shouldn't leave out things that made it good, because with sandbox games, it's those features that make it realistic. If I eat myself stupid, hey I should get fat. If I work out, Well my punches should be stronger. Unlike in MGS4, with a game like that, you can't just reuse the same mechanics over and over, because it would be to linear, but with GTA, I should be able to experience new ideas for a change to make it hit me closer to home. Something along the lines of buying cars for example or to give you a more personal connection with things to enhance your gameplay experience. I mean, I thought being that they were crossing over to nex gen, I thought that it would make me feel like I was living niko, not just unlocking his story.

Although there were many features that enhanced fighting, driving, and surviving, but wasn't it the little things in GTA:SA that made it great? Online, they have some of these features, but honestly, the online isn't even that great and it feels like there are more online features then there are single player features. I just think that there are things they could have put in GTA to make it a great game, and still have lots of room to make the next GTA game. I just feel like GTA4 gave me a story, and thats pretty much it. They brought back some features from GTA3 that were phenominal and made it great, but I felt like they left too many things out, or didn't add enough to make it great. But other than that, I wouldn't say the game deserves a "10", more like a 9.

Anyone else fell this way? Or is it just me.

I've completed the game twice and still feel lied to.

I gotta agree. I've played all the PS2 GTA games and they were all equally fun, yet they got better and better. This one just got too.... I guess, realistic. Like in the old games, I could take on a squad of police officers but in GTA IV I'm actually afraid to get any stars.Lyphe2k

Lmao I know what you mean. I haven't used one cheat yet, I wanted to get 100% without cheating, but I just feel let down. Although the new Police feature does make it seem alot harder to escape, yet at the same time, both real and fake. But it's like living the game, almost like playing The Sims without the regret of feeling like a lame, but I just don't get that feeling anymore :(.

Nope. I keep playing the game. I felt it was an improvement over all the worthless crap jammed in San Andreas. BioShockOwnz

Well, what works for you I suppose...I look for depth. Not just repetative stuff. I want to have stuff outside of the story because I don't play gta4 online that much. I wanted it for the single player, infact other than MGS4, it was the one game that I wanted a perfect single player experience since crossing into the next gen level of gaming. Because pretty much, if a game doesn't have online play I won't buy it. Regardless of reviews. Luckily, MGS4 and GTA4 both had online ^_^.

Its the first gta on the next gen consoles. They needed to get the fundamentals right, so they have something to work on for the next game.

If you look at gta 2, it had a lot more features and stuff to do than the beloved gta3. But since it was a next gen leap, they needed again, to get the fundamentals right so they had something to built on for the next game.

By the way, I like the "fear" of getting the cops on my a$$.

I guess if you like that. and yeah i agree with you with the

fundamentals. but still. Shouldn't they have the

fundementals down already from the previous games?

Plus they didn't do the fundamentals on the first psp

gta. and that one had more features than this one

i loved it

i thought the storyline was great, kept me interested in playing for hours on end
the graphics were great as well, just not MGS4 AMAZING

idk... i mean taking in consideration of how vast Liberty City is and how much constantly goes on in game...that right there was enough to keep this game very interesting and fun to play... plus the ragdoll physics and being able to get thrown out of a car was a major plus :P

yeah the only thing that i kept playing this gta 4 because of the Online Multiplayer.hxcpride

It's fun, but laggy. I played it on both consoles and it was so-so. Some of the fun multi player modes I never really get to play since everyone does DM/TDM/Race. Which gets pointless if they added in 16 game modes lol.

I mostly drove around in S.A., and I drove everywhere, off road, and in the city. But in this game, it's all city, and it all feels the same. Plus, there are no good cheats for me to use and cause real havoc.

Yeah, i played through the single player, did about 5 hours of online and then i got bored.I actually feel that MGS4 has a lot more replay value. than GTA4

Nah its a different game the engine is way better the driving is spot on the guns are all good, radio stations are mint. Theres more to gta then owning property and going to the gym if you dont enjoy it as much you not playing it properly!fhoeiuwhdousah

If so, what exactly is there besides running aimlessly into gun fire, shooting out with the cops getting 6 stars and killing random people? Allt he things you listed don't really make any or break any game. All GTA games have had great soundtracks, and pretty much offer the same weapons, generally 2 types for each class, If guns and radio stations are all the things you can come up with I say if I'm not playing it properly there isn't much there to play in the first place lol.

I have to admit although i did enjoy the storyline it really did lack the extras that keep it alive that much longer, i think the things i missed most was buying houses and also buying businesses and doing the side missions to unlock the cash earning capabilities of it.

Kind of surprised to see this many people agree with the TC... I totally agree as well, but somehow I figured I was in the minority in thinking that GTA IV was just... not as "Grand" as San Andreas or GTA III... I think part of it is the restrictive feeling you get playing the game after SA... SA let you buy up property, explore a TON of open country along with 3 different cities, gave you control of all sorts of planes, packed in an "Area 51" style base, etc etc... There just seemed to be a ton more to do, with a lot of variety in scenary... The cities had entirely different atmospheres to them and required a bit of travel to get to, so it just felt like a big game.

GTA IV, on the other hand, feels almost totally restrictive... Everything seems to be the same sort of iron jungle... There isn't as much variety as there was in SA (or hell, even in GTA III the islands were more varied)... You can fly choppers, but it isn't necessary or convenient the same way planes were in SA...

Part of it is almost certainly the fact that this is the 4th major GTA release, and that there are just some things that are gonna be the same everytime. But I also think that Rockstar miscalculated a bit when they decided it wasn't worth expanding on SA, and instead made things smaller... It just feels like a step back.

It's a good action game, but it's a TERRIBLE gta game. It's insane how much they cut out, things that had even been in the series since gta 3, like gangs. There's just no way gta 4 was a finished product. They couldn't have possibly thought it was a good idea to cut out planes, parachutes, gangs, property, clothing variety, car customization, tanks, the 6-star military...all that stuff. I sold my game already :(

I know they thought some of this stuff would take away from their realistic vision for the game, and they tried to give it a good story, but the story was pretty bad too. Niko seems to want to get away from that violent thug lifestyle, but it's hard to take him seriously when he kills a bunch of random people just because some crackhead gave him 3 grand to do it.

I couldn't put it in words, but something just felt missing in GTAIV for me.

One of my biggest complaints though, is the buyable property. When san andreas got such limited flexibility with this mechanice, so many people were outraged. I know it doesn't fit in with the theme of living the GTAIV, which is partly to keep Niko as a poor thug for the whole game, but they could at least let us buy something. Not only did rockstar not learn from SA, they actually went to cut out the whole idea.

Nah its a different game the engine is way better the driving is spot on the guns are all good, radio stations are mint. Theres more to gta then owning property and going to the gym if you dont enjoy it as much you not playing it properly!fhoeiuwhdousah

It's GTA. There is no "proper way" to play it. And there is something missing. I think R* spent so much time giving the characters a soul, it forgot to give the game one.

I couldn't put it in words, but something just felt missing in GTAIV for me.

One of my biggest complaints though, is the buyable property. When san andreas got such limited flexibility with this mechanice, so many people were outraged. I know it doesn't fit in with the theme of living the GTAIV, which is partly to keep Niko as a poor thug for the whole game, but they could at least let us buy something. Not only did rockstar not learn from SA, they actually went to cut out the whole idea.

PSdual_wielder

+1 to monkey power. Every sequel will either improve on the last, redesign what was viewed, or just make it shinnier. Looks like that gloss on Nikos face isn't all that lipstick from that chick he picked up in Brooka.

Lol your all wrong the game is awesome, its going for a different more subtle realistic approach which makes acheiving cool things in it more satisfying. The graphics and physics are way improved the cars are miles better the shooting is way better all this makes the core gameplay and presentation better!

So what if theyve took out a few things its going for a different approach and it totally works, expect planes buisnesses etc in the sequals like vice and san andreas. There only extras there not neccesary to make the game great.

what makes me stop playing is when u die in a mission when ur almost done. You have to drive all the way back and do it again... after a couple times im done for the day.WhatsPoppin

I hated that too. They made the ride from the mission start point to the target a lot further in most missions than they have in previous GTA games. It wastes so much time and gets very aggrevating after awhile.

Lol your all wrong the game is awesome, its going for a different more subtle realistic approach which makes acheiving cool things in it more satisfying. The graphics and physics are way improved the cars are miles better the shooting is way better all this makes the core gameplay and presentation better!

So what if theyve took out a few things its going for a different approach and it totally works, expect planes buisnesses etc in the sequals like vice and san andreas. There only extras there not neccesary to make the game great.

fhoeiuwhdousah

That's exactly the problem. People who have followed the GTA series don't want something different. They want more of the same thing, just bigger and better.