Carlos

The reason why I am posting in this forum, is because I don't have content for Xbox 360 owners. And besides, its the same damn game. So, it would have been a good idea to get this thread started. I have friends who are Xbox 360 owners, so of course I am going to respect that there are Xbox 360 owners.

I picked up the PS3 version of GTA4 the day after the launch and have been playing it when I got the chance. I was going to wait until I finished the whole game so that I can make a better judgement of the game.

What's the fucking deal, man!?

The big deal is, that the game is just fucking awesome! Seriously, if you haven't played the previous games in the series, you ain't missing much in the way of keeping track of the story. The game takes place with a different character, with a different setting than the previous games in the series. It has been developed from the ground-up.

It is the best sandbox game on any console. Any sandbox game including Saint's Row cannot compete with it. They have their own qualities, but nothing comes remotely close to GTA's level of success, nor quality.

The enormous amount of detail within the game is astounding. Little details are everywhere. Everything from the graphics, to animation, to physics. Its incredible. Even the story isn't like, linear. Instead, it feels like it has two stories, and at some times it has a side-story alongside the main story.

I also love the features in the game. It allows for a wealth of things to do. Aiming in the game is still "broken" but it has improved considerably, to the point of realism. I love shootouts, because it feels realistic. You can aim at one or more people at a time, if you know how to do it. You can move your trigger from one person, to another person with the analog sticks. I especially love the GPS navigation. Not only does it help you get to where you're supposed to go. It helps immensely to move along the story.

While you are free to do whatever you want, the game does have its limits, such as not being able to enter ALL of the houses. You can enter some houses, but for storyline purposes, side missions, and dates.

Speaking of dates, hats off to Rockstar on capturing that whole date feel in the girls' missions. Early in the game, you will meet two girls, and these two girls will call you for dates, and stuff.

The cell phone feature is a great addition to GTA4. You can call, recieve text messages, anytime, anywhere in the world of GTA4. The best part of it all. Is that its a portal within a product. You can go to multiplayer from there, you can restart a mission from this menu...Shit, Rockstar programmers has outdone themselves there.

Graphics:
In a word, its awesome. I love how the world is realistic, yet have a artistic feel to them. The buildings, the rooms, the garage, the alleyways, bridges, trains and their accompanying trainstations, characters, the little papers, newsstands, everything plays out morphing a game into a living, moving, seamless world. The animations along with the physics, all awesome. I love when you first crash into newsstands and garbage cans, you see papers and trash flying all over the place. Its crazy. The car designs are a great feat, too. They use all types of reflections, even blurry types. And I can't help but notice that crashes make the cars seem real.

I enjoy the little stuff we can see through character physics, everytime you hit him, they fly like crazy, blood splattering all over the place, even on the cars!

Controls & Gameplay:
I mentioned that aiming is still "broken" for the most part, but in its defense, the controls for shooting are really intuitive. It feels right when you shoot anything onscreen. When you start acquiring shotguns, and machine guns, it goes to a whole new level. So with this in mind, the gameplay as a whole feels right. Driving in the game take some time to get used to, but its still realistic, yet sensitive. You have the freedom to just drive, or do tricks. Skidding, drifting, all here, baby.

The controls for most actions are standard and basic. Standard as in, its similar to the previous games in the series. Some things are new, at least to me, such as shooting from driving a car. And to top it off, I love how you smash into the window before actually shooting out the window. Neato.

Music & Sound:
The game has some of the crispiest sound I have heard in a while. And I've played most of the major games that has come out in the last decade or two. GTA4 packs in any and all kinds of sounds. Everything from crashing objects, walls, people shouting, swearing, and let me tell ya, sounds from a distance is noticable. Very noticable. Gunfire close range, and distance are really realistic. I hope you have a surround sound system, because playing it loud will help make GTA4 an immersive game.

Verdict: What are you waiting for!? Get the goddamn game! It is available for Xbox 360, AND PS3, ya know.

This article is a copyright of CarlosX360 Co. Ltd., any use of this article without the author's permission is liable for a lawsuit.

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