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Rating: 
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Niko is new to America. Brought by hopes and promises of his cousin Roman about how wealthy he is. Unfortunately for Niko he quickly finds the stories to be lies. Grand Theft Auto IV starts as others in the series with an anti-hero. Getting involved in doing the wrong things is all to easy in this game. From the very get go you are learning that living the American life can be difficult and in order to get your story going you must break the law. For the most part Niko doesn't have a problem with this since he has become raw after being a soldier in war.
GTA IV has probably one of the darkest stories so far in the series. This is not the type of game you will play and comment on how cheerful the story is. For those of you who have played previous GTA games you will notice many similarities. From the gameplay mechanics to the story line. Although people who are new to the GTA series will find how simple the learning curve really is in this game. The game gives you an incredible amount of tutorials and guides you thru your first several missions making things easy to understand. Most features in this game are simple to understand and keep this game from getting over anyones learning curve.
What has made the Grand Theft Auto series so superb is the story telling. Excellent voice acting with intense and exciting missions make GTA IV a true winner. From the first moment on you will notice that you aren't really playing a game as much as taking part in an intense crime drama. Think Sopranos from the former Soviet Union. The game is mission based and gives you the ability to choose what you want to do at any given point. You meet numerous characters who are all about committing crimes and they give you certain jobs. Of course these jobs increase your reputation and help progress you thru the story. Along the way you will find numerous characters. Some you will like and others you will probably want to get rid of yourself.
This game has further evolved ideas from previous GTA games. Niko can not only date one woman at a time but several. It's really up to you. Just remember how in real life this can be time consuming it can also be in a game. You will have woman calling and texting you if you ignore them to long. Then comes taking them out for dates. Each woman has different tastes and interests and it's up to you to know where to take them. Some of the activities can actually be fun like playing darts or pool as these mini games do have learning curves. The girl you are with will respond to your success or failure at these games. Obviously there are numerous other activities in wonderful Liberty City. Also it's important for Niko to accessorize and finding the best clothing to wear is important. Image is everything as as you progress you get access to better clothes. The car mechanics have improved in this game but don't expect to have similar handling to a racing game. What is cool to look at is the amazing detail they have put into the car damage. Every little ding makes an impact on the car you are in. Lastly is the music selection. An incredible 200 songs are available in Liberty City to listen to on the radio. Numerous radio stations including the talk ones belt out hit songs and comedic advertisements. Niko even has the ability to watch t.v. They covered every detail in this game and it shows.
As if a single player mode that will take you 30 to 40 hours to beat is not enough there is also online multiplayer. Yes you and 15 others can play on the beautiful streets of Liberty City. The multiplayer is truly open ended for your enjoyment. Several game modes plus the ability to create your own multiplayer. You can also invite seven friends to take on eight others. It's easy to say this game will be enjoyed for months on end. For those of you choosing between the PS3 and 360 version you may have to consider the 360 will have it's own unique content in 6 months available on XBOX LIVE.
It's easy to be impressed by Liberty City. It's as close to New York City as any game has ever got. From the pedestrians that make up the neighborhood to the realistic design of the buildings. The weather changes and the days progress realistically. This is one of those games where you can just take it in and enjoy the scenery. In Grand Theft Auto you have the freedom to do what you want. This game is intended for adults. The language and content can be mature most of the time. Although that is at a parents discretion. I wouldn't suggest this game for everyone. Although I would suggest it for those who have enjoyed previous Grand Theft Auto games. I would also suggest it for those who enjoy mafia or crime movies. This game will have you sitting back and enjoying the incredible story. Just don't forget that it's your story to play.
**Now for those of you asking. Is the special edition good for you??? If you are a GTA diehard fan I would say yes. If you enjoy getting extras for extra money I would say yes. The Special Edition comes with a mediocre soundtrack album featuring songs you may have never heard before. You also get a good quality lock box with a duffle bag. In the box is a rockstar key chain. I now own this stuff. It's nice but I don't think it's of the best value.
Rating: -
I got this game because of the last GTA for the Xbox, I really enjoyed it so I pre-ordered this one from where I work. I'm very impressed by the graphics and I do agree that the car handing take some time to get use it but all in all I am really enjoy this game.
Rating: 
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OK.
Background: I am not a Grand Theft Auto fan. I'm not clouded by this game, nor does this game "own me". The only GTA games I ever beat were San Andreas (because it was just too well done) and Liberty City Stories on PSP (because it was the first PSP game to allow custom soundtracks which made the game all the more fun). I bought this game for one primary reason: I know it'll get banned, or severely edited, and I want to make sure I have an untouched version.
If you want the quick and dirty, skip to the very bottom.
I decided to actually give the game a fair chance to see what the hype was about, and from there, decide whether or not the game was worth every penny I spent.
I did buy the special edition from Amazon, pre-ordered the day before release date, got it today as I should have. I was very impressed with the packaging and the speed with which I got the game; I noted some others didn't have the same success, so I feel fortunate. Let's go down the list of special goodies, in order of worst to best (IMO).
SOUNDTRACK: OK, there's over 200 tracks in the game, yet we get a 16 track CD. Mind you, I wasn't expecting to get a full box set of songs, but why bother with a soundtrack at all if it's not going to be more than this?
ARTBOOK: Very nice, but I couldn't help but feel underwhelmed. I mean, I look at art books like those of Persona 3 and Growlanser and then I look at this and wonder if Rockstar understands how to truly wow its customers. It's not bad at all, just not as great as I would expect. I mean obviously a lot of art went into this game, so when I see just three wireframes of Liberty City I have to ask myself where the rest of the drawings are.
DUFFEL BAG: It's not what you think. It's actually quite small, and thin. Probably would suit storing stuff when you go to the gym or something. I wouldn't rely on it for much.
KEY CHAIN: It's a key chain, nothing special. Letter "R" and a small star. Good quality though, nice build, better than the one that came with Growlanser for sure, but not as nice looking.
LOCK BOX: Yes, someone with a bit of strength could pop this bad boy open with a butter knife, but so what? IT's a cool addition and a really nice concept. (FYI, that's why the box is so big, it barely fits in there)
LICENSE PLATE: Amazon says it's exclusive to them but is it really? Dunno. It's nice though - if California weren't so Draconian when it came to vehicles I would put it on my car.
Negatives are the lack of a "Making Of" disc: hopefully they'll put those clips up for FREE on Xbox Live - then this is a moot point, and, as usual for GTA games, a very lacking instruction booklet.
As for the game I'll just go through the various complaints people have and see if I agree or disagree. How's that?
POP-IN: Agree. It's not bad and it's not a deal breaker, IMO. In fact in the time I played the game I didn't notice it all that much. It's really when you're going faster than the loading engine can keep up with, which isn't often considering most of the cars are rather slow and the traffic is dense enough that you can't speed through like you could with the other GTAs.
JAGGIES: Agree. Again, not too bad and not a deal breaker.
BLURRY: Agree. It's not as bad as people are making it out to be though. Like in Lost Odyssey and Kameo where the entire background is blurred and it has a realistic feel to it, this is more subtle. It's not a filter, it's more like the textures start out degraded and then slowly improve as you approach various things in the distance. It's NOT that big of a deal, only videophiles would even notice, really.
FRAMERATE: Agree. Again, not that bad, and not nearly as much as Lost Odyssey. There is just some slight stuttering that occurs at times, it's noticeable but not a deal breaker.
MUSIC: Agree. The selection of songs was poor this time around. I pretty much keep going back to the jazz station because it's the only one I can really tolerate. If you're open to indie music you'll probably find some things you like here. Also there are some big name artists with little known songs (that aren't that great), i.e. Nas, so if you're open to new types of songs from established artists, you'll find some good stuff here.
GRAPHICS: You know, I don't know why these got a 10. Not to beat a dead horse, but I can think of at least 4 other games with better graphics just off the top of my head: Bioshock, Lost Odyssey, Gears (different art direction, I know), and Fight Night Round 3. It's not the city, the city is fine...it's everything that's animated about the city: cars, Niko, characters, bikes, etc. Even trees don't look that great. And it's often hard to make out certain objects like when there's a fence or something. Additionally, the text on the cell phone is a dark font which is hard to read against the navy green background when you're more than 5 feet away from the screen (which you should be to keep from getting nauseous while playing).
OK ReV, so what's the good news?
The good news might be your bad news. To me, I like a game that sticks to a formula. Some hate that - some love games to always change. GTAIV sticks to the tried and true formula of the past PS2 games, with one small twist: Now you've got choices. You can make decisions on whether you're going to help or harm someone, save or desert someone, etc. So in a way it's taking the concept of Fable and slapping the GTA world around it, if you can envision that. Don't know if I care for the choice part yet, but it does keep things lively.
Everything else you love about GTA is here to the n'th degree. I'm sure you heard about the fact that you can now do more...uh...'more' with the hookers, plus the various engines for gunplay and weapons have been improved. Sadly, it's a LOT more difficult to control both Niko and the various vehicles. With Niko, he now walks by default, and you have to hold A to get him to jog (what was the default in the previous games) and tap A repeatedly to get him to run (what was hold A in the previous games). With the vehicles the buttons seem to have been switched around or made less effective. I had a very difficult time just steering in the city, and I still haven't been able to power slide around corners. It told me about handbrake controls, but I could swear I could do it with just the regular brake provided I was at the right speed, before. I actually failed a mission because of that.
So, in summary:
- There are things you will need to get accustomed to. Some things are different, some things are the same. Some things were improved, some were a blatant step back. It's anyone's ball game whether you'll truly enjoy the game for yourself or not. One thing's for sure...no matter what reviews come out, no matter what reviews get posted here, and no matter what a stripper tells you, THIS IS NOT A PERFECT GAME. It's a good game with its flaws, just like any other. If you can accept that, you'll want to buy this game.
Rating: -
Never before in a Game have you really felt like the character was really alive, at least, not like this. Immediately as the credits roll, you are Niko Bellic, a rough around the edges man with a past he's trying to escape for a new life in Liberty City. There's something to him, the sound of his voice, his body language, that even while you aren't playing, or even as you are, there's another layer there, something that seems-believe-it-or-not, very very human, as if you were watching and controlling a real tiny person trapped within your television set.
I find myself drawn to thinking about him and the other characters while I'm not even playing the game, while I'm at work, or on the John. The game is THAT captivating. It has a wonderful style and flair and the story is Oscar-worthy easily, if not some of the best dialogue I've heard spoken. It's both funny and serious, a dramatic satire of America, laced with the same poison that runs through our own culture.
The Graphics and Game play are amazing, and like some people have said, the only drawback is a little problem with the cover system, but it's easy to forget when you are so captivated by the sights and sounds of Liberty City.
This is the game to define the series, a fully meta-human experience, deeper Game play than I've ever seen or thought possible in a piece of interactive art. This game is pure magic, crafted by the some of the most talented artists.
Take the rough ride through GTA IV. Young or Old, it's for the mature mind looking for that next great story, the next level of Art & Entertainment in our times. It makes other games obsolete. Buy Grand Theft Auto IV, you won't be disappointed.
Rating: -
My review isn't about the game, but about what you get with the special edition:
Duffel Bag: Medium-Sized, black bag with a white Rockstar logo outside and a yellow-pattern lining on the inside...surprisingly very eye-catching design. This will make a great gym bag.
License Plate: Not as hard as the real license plate, but still sturdy enough to put on your wall or hit somebody with it.
Safe Deposit Box(with 2 keys): I'm very impressed with this item! I expected some cheap, easy-to-break deposit box, but it is very sturdy and hard to get into. I wouldn't trust my valuables with it, but its a nice box to use in your room to keep sensitive items away from other eyes. Somebody with a screwdriver and some time on their hands would be able to pry it open eventually, but still very stylish and modest safe deposit box.
RockStar keychain: 3-D letter "R" logo of Rockstar, which measues about one square inch.
"The Art of GTA" handbook: a very nice cloth hardcover booklet that shows how the game was made. Very interesting material inside.
"The Music of GTA4" CD: 16-tracks on this CD that comes with a carboard sleeve.
1 Free Month of XBOX Live! This wasn't listed as part of the offer, so I was surprised to see this. It is NOT A TRIAL and you can go to your Live account and simply add a month of XBOX Live Gold to your paid time.
Bottom Line: If you are a fan of GTA and have some money to spend, this is definetely worth an extra $30, especially with an extra month of XBOX Live included.
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