Grand Theft Auto IV

[bellow]

I think the release was a bit of a cultural event and a lot of people got caught up the hype (check out the mad metacritic score it has). 

 

Personally I played it and replayed it and it's DLCs several times, and never felt any lack of fun. After San Andreas, I did think it felt a little small, and the lack of planes felt weird. But I really liked the characters and the story, and the acting was a major step forward for videogames of that era.

 

I dunno, it's like any game with RPG leanings, you can either commit to the role or fight against it because it's not moving you. 

 

 

[HandsomeDead]

GTA4 is the time I've most liked GTA so I was never on board with the backlash it got.  The physics are cool and the Slav in America vibe that the game has is pretty unique.  I was never really won over by the humour in the older games but it was so much more biting in 4 in made so much more impact to me than the goofyness from before.

 

I have this one memory of getting Nico drunk and the physics kicking in and having him fall down the stairs to the basement outside the bar in a pretty amusingly realistic way, then climbing out and deciding I should probably get a taxi and Nico yelling out and slurring "hey, yellow car!" as I stumble towards it.  It was after that I think I "got" GTA4.  It was that kind of low-key humour I preferred here.

[mfnick]

In hindsight this is probably my favourite one. Maybe second. 
 
I love the tone but the physics is what makes it for me. The driving model in this one is by far my favourite and the way cars crumple and how people react to things still

impresses massively. I prefer the more compact map too. Bigger is definitely it better IMO. 
 

The Gay Tony DLC is fucking fantastic too. In fact that might actually be my favourite GTA ever. 

[DisturbedSwan]

I never really rated Gay Tony to be honest 😬 I remember it for that one scene and the Museum bit where all the three story threads connect together but that's pretty much it, Lost and Damned was way better for me.

 

Much like others have said, my main issue with this game other than the annoying phone calls/texts etc. was the lack of humour overall, everything just felt more serious, less silly and more grey including the colour palette. 

[bellow]

I've suffered my first betrayal and had to skidadal to the second (even grottier) safehouse.

 

The game opens up at the point and you find yourself in wide areas of the 3 section map. I also had a bit of a nostalgia buzz when one the missions took me thru the Liberty version of Times square. That drive thrilled back in the day. It's still pretty great, but they could tune up the resolution a bit. What's it running at on Xbox? It's a bit loose I don't mind saying.