A more realistic take on the GTA series that feels like the next generation GTA, but not as fun as the others
This game is the reason why I purchased a PS3. After reading reviews, I had to get this game. After I purchased it, unwrapped it, and slid the disc into the drive I knew I was in store for something great. After 6 hours in, I realized the GTA series had been remastered, brougthen into a new era. They have done away with the wacky all over the place story line, and went back to the serious roots of GTA III while keeping the mature silliness of GTA Vice City alive and the vastness of San Andreas. GTA IV has good graphics depeding on what type of TV you play it on. The main character, Niko Bellic, is a beliavable character. I did not really care for the whole Russian character thing, but after I got into the character, it gave the game more of a soul. Mostly all the in game characters are believable because they have personality. The missions in this game have the same 'drive here, kill them' feel, but it is done more tasteful and well thought out this time around. I do tend to hate having to retry a mission that involves driving. Each mission feels novel also if you just don't rush the game, but playing through each missions kind of dampens the experience. There are three Islands meaning there is enough world here to explore. It is mindblowing to see how far games have come and GTA IV represents that milestone very well. People may say the mature content this GTA packages is boring and not as fun as the others, but what they must understand is this game is maturing just like the gamers who played the first GTA games. Even though some missions feel stale, you can not disregard that each mission makes since compared to previous title in the series. They also make more sense than missions in other games.
In games cutscenes are well done with voice acting better than most movies which make the story so much more appealing and better to follow. The graphics are vastly improved over previous installments, while they sometimes do appear blurry. Away with claw hands and awkard head and body movements. We now get facial features that are close to real life which make Niko and other characters more appealing, believable and diverse. The mission contents are just like the other, but like I said earlier, it is done more tasteful. I think that greatest things this game has done is adding the cover system, beautiful dynamic weather system, detailed enviroments (outside and inside), and deeper characters. I do hate Roman and his nagging personality. I always wants to hangout and this lead to one of my first flaws.
There are many flaws such as side missions. The side missions are hanging out with friends, how boring it that. Not only do you have to drive, but you do the same thing. They are clever becaue it lets you get to know side characters better, but with such limited things to do, is seems like a underwhelming experience. Not as many sports cars. The cars handle in such a way that feel real, but to tell you the truth, it makes driving, sometimes, boring and annoying. But it make cop chases and car crashes even more satisfying because you do not feel like a God against people who play God (get it). Anyway, the game just feels real. Another problem is you can not buy property like in previous installments, day time graphics look fuzzy when sun glare is not present sometimes, cops are sometimes harder to evade due to car handling, and soundtrack could have been better. But those of just little flaws in such a well done game. This game is the definition of taking the next step and taking a risk because the end result is more rewarding then I could of dreamt. Niko Bellic will be a very rememberable character, even if he is just a video game character.
Sadly though, GTA is just missing something that made the other games unique. Yes, no other game on the market is like this game, but then again GTA has always been based on random action outside of the story. This time around they focus on the story, which is nice, but outside of that, their is not much to do except boring dates and irrelevant side missions which only consist of 12 or more. You can not use a tank and the police chaos that dominated the other titles is absent in this game. I use to spend alot of time just playing around on GTA III, Vice City and of course San Andreas, but I don't find myself really doing that hear because their is nothing to do inside the city except date or shoot cops. This is not so fun anymore, but the game makes up for that in a truly believable gaming experience.
Overall, GTA IV was the best game I played on the PS3, but time has passed and lot of good games have come out that have blew me away. I was not blown away by GTA so much as the other recent titles, just amazed at the new content. Though its story did not make me think too much, it was good enough to be considered on of my favorite in game experiences and the best in the series. The story was very believable. This game has put me back into a world of gaming that I sorely missed. GTA IV brings us back into the real world, not a imaginary world, which can be a good or bad thing. I love when you can feel emotionally attached to the main character and side characters in the game because it really feels like another world. Worth every bill!!! I would have gave this game a 10, but it is not perfect. The game has alot packed into it, but it is not an improvement over San Andreas in terms of fun and extended gameplay hours. I am not going to lie, this game will get boring at times and that may just be enough to knock GTA IV back some points. But for what you pay for, this game is perfect.
Actual Score: 9.8