Who says crime doesn't pay...
GTA 4 offers a huge New York city imitation that finds a way too look both stunning and a little dodgy all at the same time. Making a huge city is not an easy task but despite the cars, street-walks and people (for the most part) looking fantastic and infact at night the city can look stunning, it still has problems. The cutscene models look a little off due to the game's engine which fails to focus on the little details and goes for the big picture instead but my biggest gripe is the blur effect used for distance viewing, which can stck out like a sore thumb and be quite displeasing to the eyes. I am so sure with the power of the 360 they could of done better too extend it or hide it better and don't get me wrong making a whole city must be one of the hardest tasks in gaming, but its so noticeable especially during the day.
GTA is the master of the sound department and creates a city that sounds so alive and real. The way the people sound, the radio stations, the cars, guns...everything feels so fantastic. Voice acting is simply superb and easily beats any other game ever made with GTA sounding more like a Hollywood movie than a game, with not only great written dialogue but top notch voice acting from everyone involved in the game.
Gameplay is what brings down GTA 4 in my opinion, despite some great elements being in the game. Cars have a more realistic touch to them but at a price and that price is the turning, which feels heavy on some cars and the brake just makes you skid all the time. Driving is what the game is about and you can feel like your constantly fighting an uphill struggle when you get in a car. Gunplay is great fun and is easily the best in the franchise's history, thanks to a solid aiming system and a more then helpful cover system. Playing online is a fresh take on the series and while its fun to play with friends especially in the open world mode, things can become boring quicker than you expected and it needs more variety. The online mode does suffer from being watered down with the removal of mini games and Trains in the subway. The police chases are still quite fun but with the game taking a more realistic approach, it feels stupid too have the cops drive smack into you instead of trying to nudge you off the road. Also the chases can be a little easy too get away from though it's more annoying how the cops can start chasing you when you commit a crime but their are no witnesses around to see you commit the crime. Due to GTA 4 going more realistic, some of the mindless fun does not translate well anymore and the wanted star system is all wrong with the helicopters coming out too early in my opinion.
The AI is the best for the franchise but still lacking compared to other games though it's still nice to see them taking a step into the right direction. The people do react well to your actions though it would be nice to see more random people armed since its based on New York and set in America. The enemy AI can provide a challenge and shootouts are fun though cop chases like I mentioned earlier need work to improve. The most annoying feature of the AI, is the friend system due to having them ring you up every 15 minutes because they want bowling, play darts etc...IT'S PLAIN ANNOYING.
GTA 4 offers a very good length single player which while fun can be extremely annoying at times. Too many missions feel the same and car chases are hampered by some having preset non linear endings so no matter what you do they will always reach a point that will make enemies get out of the car so you have to give chase but because you didn't know that, you have wasted ammo trying to shoot them off the road. The checkpoint/save system is seriously flawed so when you fail a mission you have to do all the driving to the mission again...AGAIN ANNOYING. However despite that the actual plot is funny, full of good action and the different endings is a nice touch. Online is an overdue addition to the franchise and works well but needs being expanded upon. Since GTA 4 is such a huge game, they have done a great job minimising any bugs in the game and you can't really argue with the price on this one.
GTA fans should pretty much love, Casual fans or first time players should enjoy themselves enough but its not the perfect game which was promised nor reviewed so well by the masses.