GTA IV - 360 & Ps3

[Concept]

You either like the 80s, or not. If they make a Mafia game set in the 30s - I won't have nostalgia for it, but if it's done well, I'd enjoy taking a trip to another era.

If you want to put it like that, I didn't enjoy the 80s. It's just a naff decade which has no appeal to me in terms of setting.

[Rossco]

Yeah Concept, I accept the trade off too. The physics, AI, light effects, etc all add up to what makes this GTA and its "living, breathing, city" so amazing.

[hudson]

The glistening effect on the pavement and roads when it's raining wins me over everytime. How sad of me.

[ezee ryder]

Has anyone been amazed by the visuals?

Me! Take a ride on a boat during sunset or sunrise and you will be amazed. The reflections on the water and the sun in the horizon is a sight to behold, it is picture perfect. Driving down Star Junction (Times Sqaure) also gets a "wow" from me everytime, I turn the camera to look around at the view and the detail around the place. Oh and the superb weather effects also have to be mentioned. The rain glistening on the ground or the fog covering the streets, just brillaint. I have said it before and will say it again, what were people expecting from this game visually?! Gears? Mass Effect? Crysis?!?!

[Adam Stone]

Gotta agree with Concept in regards to the smaller details adding and multiplying up to create something of a much grander scale. The slight - and to me they are slight - visual inadequacies are nothing when compared to the sheer insane attention of detail. Mere visual splendour is superficial and counts for very littler when it comes to overall gameplay and long lasting satisfaction.

[Matt]

It's about the graphics for me. GTA3 blew me away back in 2001. Yeah.. it looks poor now.. but back then it was simply amazing.

I've been put off buying this by all the talk of disappointing visuals. You've said that the game looks to be running at less than 720P - with a muddy soft look. I don't want to see that.

If Rockstar - who achieved so much with GTA3 and made a ton of cash from the series, can't deliver the best visuals on the planet, then what the hell is going on?

Maybe I will be surprised, but reading this thread I've hardly read any comments about being being blown away by the visuals.

Driving around doing missions - looking at airports - and swimming, just isn't enough enticement for me to buy another GTA.

Has anyone been amazed by the visuals?

Please don't let me put you off a game, you should give it a go you may really enjoy it. I wouldn't trust the splattering of 10/10 reviews though either.

It's not that I mind poor visuals, it's just I'm amazed at how horrible it looks [at times]. The shimmering puts me off immediately, and the low resolution blurriness in general is not what I expected. There's a lot going on, the scale and immersion may be incredible, but with the visuals putting me off I can't enjoy it. I'm driving around and something is popping up in the corner of my eye every second, and I'm not even looking for it! I try to ignore the jaggies but I can't - honestly it's like the game isn't even progressive scan, which is of course nonsense but it's that bad.

Don't dismiss games running less than 720p, as I think very few games really do. COD4 and Halo 3 don't, and I don't even think Gears is 720p - having played the PC version on the same TV I have my 360 on, the PC visuals were much sharper. My point is, I think true HD gaming may be 2 generations away - because if we're struggling at 720p now, next gen will be pushing 1080p and we'll probably get lower resolutions upscaled then as well.

This certainly looks better than previous GTA games, by a huge margin.

GTA never had the best visuals, though they were stylised and relatively grand in scale - all of which this has. It's the hype, they've laid it on so thick about how this is the greatest thing ever. Everything to everyone. I could pick each component and point to another game where the same "part" is better realised, but that's missing the point. You take GTA as it is.

I did expect better character facial animation and lip synching though, Half Life 2 was significantly better and that's getting on a bit now.

Again I have to say, it's a shame the character control is ropey. When aiming, with left trigger, it's a proper third person shooter - left stick forwards/backwards/strafe, right circle to look around. The camera always faces the direction you're character is looking. Not so normally, where the left stick turns you and moves you forwards. I find myself spinning the view around with the right stick to see where I want to head, then you touch the left stick and the camera spins back behind Nico and you have to manually turn him. It seems a throwback.

[neoboy259]

I never really got on with any of the other titles in thre franchise, but I am hope;ess;y addicted to this game.
Niko must be one of the most likeable, funniest game characters I've come across, some of his one-liners had me LOLing. Also love the little details, like the

->Open Spoiler<-

using the "internet", and receiving spam

. Played for 10 hours and done about 15&#37;, but thats been done in about 3 sittings. The game reckons my addiction level is "casual" heh

[prinnysquad]

Again I have to say, it's a shame the character control is ropey. When aiming, with left trigger, it's a proper third person shooter - left stick forwards/backwards/strafe, right circle to look around. The camera always faces the direction you're character is looking. Not so normally, where the left stick turns you and moves you forwards. I find myself spinning the view around with the right stick to see where I want to head, then you touch the left stick and the camera spins back behind Nico and you have to manually turn him. It seems a throwback.

I'm confused - can you do the money shot view, i.e., throw a grenade, walk away from it and spin the camera to face the character so you can see the carnage behind him as he walks away?

[hudson]

You can push the stick in to look behind you.

[Pookmunki]

How good is the

->Open Spoiler<-

LCPD Computer

?!!!

Spent most of this afternoon

->Open Spoiler<-

bringing in the perps!

Easily the best of the GTA's by a mile, and I can't even go online with it just yet...

[Concept]

Just did the best mission in the game

->Open Spoiler<-

with Playboy X

. Really satisfying combat (with the SMG) and an absolutely superb chase I scraped by on the skin of my teeth (thanks to falling off a freeway) and turning the car upside down for a brief time.

On the second island now at last. Time to explore.

[Concept]

Rossco/Adam Stone/Hoolak

Yeah, the rain is excellent. Always makes me want get out of it and hop in the back of a taxi. I think that's the point. The atmospheric effects and general art direction/extremely polished overall presentation make up for the technical issues.

[Leon Retro]

If you want to put it like that, I didn't enjoy the 80s. It's just a naff decade which has no appeal to me in terms of setting.

The 80s had many cultural strands. Everyone has an image of what a decade was like, but when you actually sit down and go through all the elements that made a decade, you'll see that there was far more to it, than you realise.

This decade, I think of Terrorism, Pop Idol, Big Brother, Chav Culture, The Cheeky Girls, Gun Crime, Big Budget no brain movies, and an overall feeling that it's been rubbish.

Would it be fair of me to condemn the decade as a whole, though? ... When I actually think of some of the good points - I think this decade hasn't been all bad.

Please don't let me put you off a game, you should give it a go you may really enjoy it. I wouldn't trust the splattering of 10/10 reviews though either.

I will give it a go. I wish there was a demo.

As much as GTA3 looked cartoony - with pop-up etc... I really was impressed with the whole look and feel of the experience back in 2001. It was a big technical achievement to my eyes.

People are either impressed with that Rockstar have achieved this gen, or not. I get the impression that the overall look of the game has fallen short of expectations- and maybe the hype, but as people are saying, the game has a lot going on- which will keep gamers gripped.

I guess I'm just a grumpy guy with very high expectations. Gears Of War was so unimpressive, that I got rid of it quickly. Forza2 didn't deliver the wow factor I had hoped for. Halo3 wasn't the big step-up I desired.

Only COD4 has impressed me with it's smoothness, lack of glitches, and overall visual fidelity.

Oh well, I've listened to peoples views, and I think GTA4 is worth giving a chance.

[hudson]

If you like any GTA games before, you'd be mad to let this slip by.

[Leon Retro]

If you like any GTA games before, you'd be mad to let this slip by.

Well.. seeing that I thought GTA3 looked good, and others didn't, and they are saying that GTA4 looks good, I think I'll be pleasantly surprised with GTA4( fingers crossed )

I'll definitely be buying a copy - because I do like the GTA games, and it does sound like a laugh.