Grand Theft Auto IV

The Good
The stories of past Grand Theft Auto games have been predictable and not very gripping (in my opinion), not so here because the tale of Niko Belic, the immigrant seeking revenge for the deaths of his friends and family is both interesting and exciting and seeing how it plays makes the game stronger on a whole.

As far the mechanics of the gameplay are concerned, the actual shooting works well, the game gives you the option to use auto aim (the default setting) or you can play the game without it. Playing without auto aim makes the game feel like gears of war or a standard third person shooter, I prefer turning auto aim off because sometimes you'll be in the middle of a firefight and accidentally target a civilian (if you have auto aim on), leading to some frustrating deaths.

The driving mechanics take some getting use to, mostly because the new physics engine (which makes the driving a lot more realistic) can be a pain, but once you do get the driving down, you'll like it.

OK, so the mechanics work well (for the most part) but what will you being doing with those mechanics, well, you'll being going on missions, a lot of missions, the missions range from stealing a bag of drugs from an abandoned hospital to chasing two bikers through a subway system. The missions have a lot more variety then past games, although maybe still not enough on a whole.

The tunes you'll here on the radio (while driving) vary from rock to reggae (theirs definitely something in here for everyone).

The Bad
The cover system is bad, really bad, its hard to choose where you want to go into cover at and even when you do, trying to get out of cover can be a pain(considering taking cover is needed to survive, this is a big flaw). Overall the controls aren't that great, to run you have to tap the A button and getting Niko to stop moving on a dime can be tough. The controls sour the experience more then they probably should. Besides the prettier graphics and better story their isn't much innovation over previous installments in the series.

The Bottom Line
Even though there aren't many flaws the ones that are here hurt really hurt the game, their is a noticeable lack of polish to just about everything. The bad controls and cover system (turned) will turn a lot of people off to Grand Theft Auto 4. The lack of innovation is very frustrating (you still cannot go in many buildings), When you add everything up Grand Theft Auto 4 makes for a fantastic rental.

The Good
Grand Theft Auto IV is of much better quality when compared to its predecessors. It has better graphics, better sound, and better character designs. When you kill somebody, they turn into a ragdoll rather than there being a prerendered animation. In other words, running over someone in this game looks a lot like running over someone in real life. Another thing that I liked was that the car damage is more realistic. For example, if you ran into another car from behind in a previous Grand Theft Auto game, the whole back end would be effected. However, in GTA IV, only the specific spot that you hit would be effected. If you run over a person in GTA IV, their blood will be on your car (another feature not found in other games). Another good aspect that I noticed was the greatly improved character animation. For example, in Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, there was only one facial animation. If a character was angry, their facial expression would stay the same. GTA IV actually gives the characters the ability to change their expression, as well as spread their fingers apart.

The Bad
My only complaint about this game is that no characters from previous games returned (with the exception of Lazlow, but he's on the radio so he doesn't really count). Although it's true that many of them died, there were a few that didn't such as Phil Cassidy, Wu Zi Mu, or Claude Speed.

The Bottom Line
Overall, I would say that the game is nearly flawless. Longtime fans like me, as well as newcomers would enjoy it. Since it's a whole new story, newcomers could play it without getting confused.

The Good
I've never been a fan of the GTA franchise. Ever. I got sucked up into the hype of GTA IV, however, and sort of just went along for the ride.

I picked the game up on launch day and upon tossing it into the Xbox 360, I was immediately bombarded with game invites. I wasn't even allowed to watch the opening intro or credits. I joined a group (10-14 people) of LoadingReality.com folks and started off in a Cops 'n Crooks battle.

It was a blast. In my first two hours of play, there were at least five "holy crap" moments. Here's one that I remember:

Uncle Chase driving a pick-up truck straight at me, without wavering. I took my AK47 and popped two bursts into the driver's head, without locking on. He died and the truck kept coming. As gravity would have it, trucks don't stop moving just because the driver dies. I got squished.

I've spent about 15 hours or so in-game, and it's been nothing short of "very good." I can see the possibility of boredom from the game, but am impressed by the vast amount of things to do that keep it fresh.

I'll be playing this game for a while.

The Bad
The "good" section above was written 15 hours into the game. I haven't played it since that point, due to the level of boredom that set in after the flair of multiplayer ran out. Fans of the franchise will love it, but those of us that are used to non-stop action (a la COD4) will be left wondering what's next.

The Bottom Line
Presentation: Nice. The game is laid out as good as it can be, the UI is flawless, and the cell phone menu controls are a nice touch for immersion.

Gameplay: Nicer. The cover system is really well-implemented and the combat itself works nicely. Driving is realistic and once you become a master of the handbrake turn, you're in there like swim-wear.

Graphics/Sound: Nice. The graphics are decently strong and push the hardware quite a bit. I noticed a bit of popping and vehicle glitching, but only about 30 minutes into huge free play, multiplayer games. The audio is as good as any game, ever. It's one of the things that the franchise is know for. The radio is so good that it hurts.

Value Factor: Nicest. The multiplayer is surprisingly strong and when combined with a true open-world experience, there is incredible freedom and replayability in the game.