Losing faith with review sites. This is not a 10/10 game!!
Hear me out. Firstly do not be fooled by the ad-campaign-driven score that this game has recieved. It is just a great example of how money can buy you a 10/10 review.
Now all things considered, this game is actually very good. If it was NOT a GTA game however, it would not have recieved a 10/10.
First the good points: The characters are more believable, the story line is gripping, the graphics can be very nice, the city is incredibly detailed.
Now the bad points: For a GTA game, this game does not feel FUN! GTA has always always ALWAYS been about fun. Fun first, then realism.
This game has done a 180 and tried to minimise the fun you can have, opting instead for a realistic experience.
About half way through the game you will be wondering "where are all those GTAish missions? Selling weed through an ice-cream van....burning a weed-crop before the FBI shows up...controlling an RC helicopter etc. etc. etc."
Believe me you will miss the crazy FUN missions that past GTA offered.
Instead what are you given?
Serious missions. Nothing BUT serious missions. After a certain point you begin to wonder if you are just working your way through an epic mafia movie.
The creators have tried to make the game much deeper. Nicko shows alot of emotions and comes across as a nice guy. You are told that he does not enjoy killing, and many of his kills are the result of a 'lesser of two evils'' type situations.
But there are missions where Nicko kills without hesitation. These severly ruin any credibility the creators had.
Also forget the scarface driven fantasy that Vice-City offered. Forget owning nightclubs, making money, buying new mansions. None of that in here. (Although you 'inherit' a few upgraded houses along the way. You never get the same feeling of accomplishment).
Another MAJOR problem for a GTA game is that after completing the story mission, there is infact not much else that will keep you glued to the game. Side missions mainly involve earning respect from other characters. But by the time you have finished the game, this is pointless as the characters all have a special ability that is designed to help you throughout the main game.
Throughout the game you are pestered by side characters who will ocassionaly ring you to hang out. At first this is a very nice novelty but it soon wears off.
At times you are on a mission, and have to decline the offer to go out with a friend. You will then AUTOMATICALLY be penalised and the friend will like you less. I found this very annoying as the user really has no choice but to reject the offer.
Also having a 30yr old steroid junky ignore your calls because you 'refuse to call him as often as he likes' is very disturbing and unrealistic.
Having the option to travel by taxi is two-sided blade indeed. On the one hand you will be loving the quick-travel (just press X and you are warped to your destination). But after a while you will realise that the fantasticly detailed life-like city that you are in is hardly getting explored!
So be aware. Getting a taxi is very time-saving and can be tempting, but it will ruin a part of the free-roaming experience that all GTAs have.
I finished the main story and was left very dissapointed. I had especially ignored the online feature as a special treat for when the single story was finished. So i was very excited about playing it online.
I admit online can be very fun. However you will find it hard to find many games with more than 4-5 players. Even games designed for 16 players.
However in all honesty, if you are reading this review you are probably already going to buy the game anyway. And you should. But I just hope this review can help bring this overrated game down to earth.