Is GTA IV worth getting?

Thomas Adams wrote:
>
> In article <nfidh4pmcfqp1o7fv5q0s28c2fiqen4mph.TakeThisOut@4ax.com>,
> kirk <kirk.TakeThisOut@noaccount.net> wrote:
>
> > I have noticed a general lack of interest in this group toward IV. Is
> > that because the game is bad or because people have moved away from
> > USENET?
>
> It is certainly true that people have moved away from Usenet. But this
> particular group was buzzing for quite some time after GTA IV's release.
> I guess most people have finished it and moved on to other games.
>
> I would recommend it to you. I didn't experience a major blocker in the
> game like the flight school in SA that you mentioned.

I just got a little bored with it, but that happens.

For the OP this game doesn't seem to have generated the hardcore of
fans that SA got. still a fantastic looking thing and some really cool
stuff in it, but it did have a hard act to follow.

--
Paul (We won't die of devotion)
-------------------------------------------------------
Stop and Look
http://www.geocities.com/dreamst8me/

On Sun, 09 Nov 2008 03:40:10 -0800, kirk <kirk.RemoveThis@noaccount.net> wrote:

>I have a PC and no game consoles. I have really enjoyed GTA III and
>Vice City. SA was questionable for me as I was unable to complete
>the game due to my inability to get past the flight school.

Using a gamepad and first person view is pretty much essential for
flying in SA.

>Christmas is approaching as is the potential release of GTA IV for the
>PC. I would like to know if GTA IV is a worthwhile game or if it is
>time to pack up the franchise.

It kind of depends on what you liked about the series. For me GTA4 is
going back to GTA3, but a bit less fun than that was. It is an amazing
recreation of a virtual city, but it feels a bit dull compared to
GTA:SA.

>I have noticed a general lack of interest in this group toward IV. Is
>that because the game is bad or because people have moved away from
>USENET?

Most of the contributors in here have an unjustified chip on their
shoulder about cross platform games.
--
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On Sun, 09 Nov 2008 17:23:41 +0000, Andrew <spamtrap.RemoveThis@127.0.0.1> wrote:

>Most of the contributors in here have an unjustified chip on their
>shoulder about cross platform games.

Oops, ignore that comment, I thought I was posting in another group

--
Andrew, contact via http://interpleb.googlepages.com
Help make Usenet a better place: English is read downwards,
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Andrew wrote:
>
> On Sun, 09 Nov 2008 17:23:41 +0000, Andrew <spamtrap.RemoveThis@127.0.0.1> wrote:
>
> >Most of the contributors in here have an unjustified chip on their
> >shoulder about cross platform games.
>
> Oops, ignore that comment, I thought I was posting in another group
>

I was just going to slap you one aswell :O)


--
Paul (We won't die of devotion)
-------------------------------------------------------
Stop and Look
http://www.geocities.com/dreamst8me/

kirk <kirk.RemoveThis@noaccount.net> writes:

> I have a PC and no game consoles. I have really enjoyed GTA III and
> Vice City. SA was questionable for me as I was unable to complete
> the game due to my inability to get past the flight school.

Yeah, flying is hard. Even though I got to the point where I can
easily pass the flight school missions, most of my landings are still
crash landings. Let alone actually fighting effectively with the
gunship or harrier...

> Christmas is approaching as is the potential release of GTA IV for the
> PC. I would like to know if GTA IV is a worthwhile game or if it is
> time to pack up the franchise.

Well, that all depends on what the PC version will be like.
Traditionally, Rockstar has shown steady improvement with the PC
ports. GTA3 was pretty awful in my experience, but Vice City and SA
were great and the slightly clunky controls can be tuned with third
party tools.

Anyways, I'll probably get GTA4 for the PC when it comes out or maybe
later when it's cheaper. Depends on reviews. I don't have much time
for playing right now and there are other interesting PC games, like
Fallout 3, Red Alert 3, Dead Space. There's also Saints Row 2 which is
a GTA-like game and it's probably coming out on the PC as well,
although release has been pushed to January 5th now according to
Gamespot.

> I have noticed a general lack of interest in this group toward IV. Is
> that because the game is bad or because people have moved away from
> USENET?

Probably both. I played GTA4 on Xbox 360. Finished the plot, haven't
touched it since. In comparison, I played GTA:SA about halfway through
this spring on both PS2 and PC while waiting for GTA4, i.e. it was
still fun four years after release.

I guess I just didn't get into GTA4 and that's because the driving
isn't fun, the story is too dark and most of the characters too
annoying. I haven't even bothered trying to fly anything.

Andrew wrote:

> I don't know what cars you drive, but I haven't driven anything
> remotely as bad as GTA4's car handling.

I guess you don't own saint's row 2 or Test drive unlimited? SR2 is
fun but it is not a patch on GTA4 for driving or looks. Test drive
unlimited was one of my first favourites on the 360 but having played
PGR4 and Forza 2 and even GTA4 I think it's one of the worst games for
feeling jerky and the cars feel like they're stuck on a rod which you
wave around to steer. Having left the game for a while I find it very
hard to get back into.

GTA4 is not as bad as painted, but neither is it the best game ever.
Those graphics on San Andreas would have been fantastic.

--
Paul (We won't die of devotion)
-------------------------------------------------------
Stop and Look
http://www.geocities.com/dreamst8me/

On Dec 2, 9:55 pm, Paul Heslop <paul.hes... DeleteThis @blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

> GTA4 is not as bad as painted

That's all I was really trying to say. I do love it, though, and
there are some real stand out bits. The story cut scenes are
brilliant overall and some (like the one where Niko and Roman are tied
up in the basement by Dmitri's(?) goons) are hilarious. If there has
ever been a better scripted and acted game story, I'd like to know
what it is because I want to play /that/ game.

>, but neither is it the best game ever.

I'm not even sure if it's the best game I've /got/ and I've only got
five. I can't fit a cig paper between it and Fallout 3 at the moment
and sharing time between the two is tricky.

> Those graphics on San Andreas would have been fantastic.

And the physics, of course. And the gritty Balkan humour. And the
gruff, funny, flawed but instantly likable protagonist (I liked CJ,
don't get me wrong, but I'd rather /be/ this sardonic Serb - cool in a
way that you can't ink into your forearms.) Oh, and it would need the
same level of chemistry between a cast of characters, some of which at
least, might as well be real people.



Si

On Dec 2, 4:30 pm, Andrew <spamt....DeleteThis@127.0.0.1> wrote:
> On Tue, 2 Dec 2008 03:05:02 -0800 (PST), SimonH

> I don't know what cars you drive, but I haven't driven anything
> remotely as bad as GTA4's car handling.

I would like to know what you drive actually. If you drive it at full
speed and swing the wheel to full lock while yanking on the handbrake
(as you would in, for the sake of argument, San Andreas) can you make
it round a corner cleanly? Because my BMW 328 would slot you
backwards through a shop window.


Si

On Dec 3, 10:53 am, Andrew <spamt....RemoveThis@127.0.0.1> wrote:
> On Wed, 3 Dec 2008 02:19:39 -0800 (PST), SimonH


> The GTA handling isn't realistic no matter what speed you are doing,
> if they were realistic our roads would be strewn with wrecked cars.

Ah, no argument. It is, however, *more* realistic than previous games
in the series. Which is what I said.

> > ... It's different,
> > sure, because it's more realistic and the new control scheme takes a
> > little getting used to

On Wed, 3 Dec 2008 02:19:39 -0800 (PST), SimonH
<simon.hudson1 DeleteThis @gmail.com> wrote:

>I would like to know what you drive actually. If you drive it at full
>speed and swing the wheel to full lock while yanking on the handbrake
>(as you would in, for the sake of argument, San Andreas) can you make
>it round a corner cleanly? Because my BMW 328 would slot you
>backwards through a shop window.

The GTA handling isn't realistic no matter what speed you are doing,
if they were realistic our roads would be strewn with wrecked cars.

What spoiled GTA4 for me was Burnout Paradise, it has way better
graphics and infinitely better car control. GTA's dodgy physics and
super blurrovision graphics ruined the experience for me. I really
wish they had got for a less ambitious game engine, something like
Saints Row and making it more fun.
--
Andrew, contact via http://interpleb.googlepages.com
Help make Usenet a better place: English is read downwards,
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SimonH wrote:
>
> On Dec 2, 9:55 pm, Paul Heslop <paul.hes....TakeThisOut@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
>
> > GTA4 is not as bad as painted
>
> That's all I was really trying to say. I do love it, though, and
> there are some real stand out bits. The story cut scenes are
> brilliant overall and some (like the one where Niko and Roman are tied
> up in the basement by Dmitri's(?) goons) are hilarious. If there has
> ever been a better scripted and acted game story, I'd like to know
> what it is because I want to play /that/ game.
>

This doesn't work for me, I rarely watch cut scenes, too impatient. It
really pains me when I am forced to sit through them.

> >, but neither is it the best game ever.
>
> I'm not even sure if it's the best game I've /got/ and I've only got
> five. I can't fit a cig paper between it and Fallout 3 at the moment
> and sharing time between the two is tricky.

Well I bought saints row 2 and am having more fun with it than I did
with GTA4, but I am annoyed that I kind of got bored with 4, in fact I
didn't finish the story line. I must make myself finish it just to see
if I can get back into it.

>
> > Those graphics on San Andreas would have been fantastic.
>
> And the physics, of course. And the gritty Balkan humour. And the
> gruff, funny, flawed but instantly likable protagonist (I liked CJ,
> don't get me wrong, but I'd rather /be/ this sardonic Serb - cool in a
> way that you can't ink into your forearms.) Oh, and it would need the
> same level of chemistry between a cast of characters, some of which at
> least, might as well be real people.
>
> Si

Yeah, not keen on the balkan thing. There's something very cold about
our eastern bloc cousins, they scare me.

--
Paul (We won't die of devotion)
-------------------------------------------------------
Stop and Look
http://www.geocities.com/dreamst8me/

SimonH wrote:
>
> On Dec 3, 10:53 am, Andrew <spamt....RemoveThis@127.0.0.1> wrote:
> > On Wed, 3 Dec 2008 02:19:39 -0800 (PST), SimonH
>
> > The GTA handling isn't realistic no matter what speed you are doing,
> > if they were realistic our roads would be strewn with wrecked cars.
>
> Ah, no argument. It is, however, *more* realistic than previous games
> in the series. Which is what I said.
>
yeah, i can't say the driving has ever been great, but I did get into
driving in GTA4, except on two wheels. I got fed up of falling off,
pretty much like real life :O)

--
Paul (We won't die of devotion)
-------------------------------------------------------
Stop and Look
http://www.geocities.com/dreamst8me/

>... If you drive it at full speed and swing the wheel to full lock while
>yanking on the handbrake (as you would in, for the sake of argument, San
>Andreas) can you make it round a corner cleanly? Because my BMW 328 would
>slot you backwards through a shop window.

My Explorer is a lot like the Landstalker from SA - you don't "drive" it,
you "guide" it.