GTA 4, worth it?

[Lunareste]

I bought it the day it came out, played for about 1 week and haven't played it again since. on X-Box 360 i don't know if it was a glitch or not but the car handling was really bad when i played it. I had the feeling I was driving an Ocean liner hard time to stop or do sharp turns even at slow speed

Yeah I bought it on Steam sale for 5 dollars and this is absolutely BREAKING the game for me. I want to go fast and be able to precisely handle my car so I can outrun cops, get around the city, etc.; and I can't do it on GTA4. I even used the cheat codes to get a good car to see if they handle better, and they barely did, but it still felt like I was driving a damn boat.

Even at a slow to moderate speed you can't keep your car from crashing.

[dpguy]

If you want GTA IV id recommend getting Stories and playing Gay Tony which is the only part in the IV series to be like the older GTA III games. Id recommend San Andreas like many have said since there is a lot to do in that game and sadly most of it has been stripped in IV.

I liked it because it had so many things to do:

Drive Big rigs
Drive the train
Fly crop dusters
Steal a Harrier Jump Jet
Steal an Airliner!
Steal a Jetpack from a 'secret' army base.

It was the 1st GTA where you could swim as well if i'm not mistaken.

I agree with all of this. Actually, reading this post inspired me to break out the PS2 and start a new game of San Andreas. People say that graphics in GTA IV are better. Hoestly, I think San Andreas is easier on the eyes simply because the scenery is so diverse. The entire GTA IV universe is concrete, steel, and glass, as well as glass steel and more concrete. Even the urban areas in San Andreas are mixed with trees here and there. I find myself so engrossed in the colorful characters and the story line in San Andreas that I hardly notice the difference in graphics.

[Dragoncurry]

Yeah I bought it on Steam sale for 5 dollars and this is absolutely BREAKING the game for me. I want to go fast and be able to precisely handle my car so I can outrun cops, get around the city, etc.; and I can't do it on GTA4. I even used the cheat codes to get a good car to see if they handle better, and they barely did, but it still felt like I was driving a damn boat.

Even at a slow to moderate speed you can't keep your car from crashing.

You don't like planning a turn in advance do you. Once you know the city, you can drive anywhere np and the driving is amazing. Only if you dont invest in the game does the driving seem "hard".

[Vargur]

I agree with all of this. Actually, reading this post inspired me to break out the PS2 and start a new game of San Andreas. People say that graphics in GTA IV are better. Hoestly, I think San Andreas is easier on the eyes simply because the scenery is so diverse. The entire GTA IV universe is concrete, steel, and glass, as well as glass steel and more concrete. Even the urban areas in San Andreas are mixed with trees here and there. I find myself so engrossed in the colorful characters and the story line in San Andreas that I hardly notice the difference in graphics.

It is New York and New Jersey afterall. There's Central Park if you wanna relax.

On an unrelated note, I think there's a confusion as to what platform people should be playing GTA4 on, and that should be PC and nothing else. Simply because the consoles aren't powerful enough to compete with the PC GTA4. And you have no mods.

Yeah I bought it on Steam sale for 5 dollars and this is absolutely BREAKING the game for me. I want to go fast and be able to precisely handle my car so I can outrun cops, get around the city, etc.; and I can't do it on GTA4. I even used the cheat codes to get a good car to see if they handle better, and they barely did, but it still felt like I was driving a damn boat.

Even at a slow to moderate speed you can't keep your car from crashing.

Use a thing called braking. Also a thing called hand-braking is fun as well for precise cornering at higher speeds. Also, adjust your wheel constantly. Amazing!

[MatadorMedia]

I finally bought GTA IV. It was an ok game, but mostly boring and repetitive. I can't figure out why it's on top-game lists.

San Andreas is infinitely better. I played that game for months every day. Once I finished the GTA IV campaign (it's short) I was done with it.

Hopefully GTA V will be fun again.

[Blackmist]

GTA games had their high point in the PS2 era, IMO.

GTA + GTA2 were top down and a little awkward. Sold more than they should have done, tbh. They weren't great and relied more upon controversy to shift units.

GTA3 is where the good stuff began. We got a copy at lunchtime and somebody else had brought their PS2 in. We had a two hour lunch break that day. No on purpose, but none of us could believe how good graphics had got. We'd gone from Driver to this.

Vice City was an evolution of the same thing. A better game in many ways, but you're not going to blow minds twice in a row like that.

San Andreas was just more of the same, only with a horribly spread out map. Bigger is not always better.

GTA4 was a disappointment in many ways. Yes, it looks good, but much of the fun was missing for me.

Saints Row 2 is where the real sequel to Vice City ended up. Fuck me that game is awesome.

If you want to play a po-faced gangster trying to make ends meet, play GTA4. If you want to own a city, fly attack helicopters and be a fucking bad ass, get Saint's Row 2.

[dpguy]

Uh, yes actually, graphics IS fun in a game like GTA4 and EFLC. Also, driving is phenomenal, once you get used to the LESS-arcadey style typical to the other games.

If you want stupid, silly and childish consolised game get Saints Row series.
Or the middle ground, which is Just Cause series.

The Graphics in GTA IV are better than those in San Andreas, but why wouldn't they be? San Andreas was a PS2 game. GTA IV was made for the PS3. Simpy having better graphics isn't enough. Better graphics are an absolute bare minimum standard. If a PS3 game doesn't go above and beyond that minimum standard, then it should hardly be considered great, or even good.

[Vargur]

The Graphics in GTA IV are better than those in San Andreas, but why wouldn't they be? San Andreas was a PS2 game. GTA IV was made for the PS3. Simpy having better graphics isn't enough. Better graphics are an absolute bare minimum standard. If a PS3 game doesn't go above and beyond that minimum standard, then it should hardly be considered great, or even good.

Sorry, I hate consoles. All GTA games are PC games for me.

[PBitt]

I think it's the most highly overrated game of all time, but it's not a bad game for the price, I suppose.

[SirRobin]

GTAIV was worth the price for me but it didn't last. All that driving just got boring after a while. "Oops, died, I need to drive all the way across town again?"

[dpguy]

All I'm saying is that graphics are just one feature of any game, whether on PC or a console. GTA IV fans mostly rave about how great the city looks while ignoring the fact that so much of the fun stuff from the previous games has been stripped. I mean, many of the rave reviews don't even mention it. It's like they didn't even notice the businesses, planes, etc. are all gone. The vehicles handle very differently as well. And so many of the rave reviews made no mention of any of this. Liking the game is one thing, but how can you simply blow off the fact that entire components of the previous games are completely gone?

For the record though, since the game is pretty cheap these days, I recommend giving it a try. Don't take my word for it. Try it out for yourself. You might like it, a lot of people do. I can understand people liking it. But I can't understand people not being just a little bothered by everything that's gone.

[Poppincaps]

Honestly, I've played all the GTA games since GTA 3, and I feel like GTA 4 is the best of them. The story is great, and the characters are some of the best in the series, especially Nico.

[Jay 90]

On your own GTA4 is good for about 30 hours but if u have friends playing it with you its such a good buy cloaked over 400 hours in free roam with my friends.

GTA4 is the only Gta with proper multiplayer

Also i recommend playing with a 360 controller/PS3 the car controls are quite annoying on a keyboard

[GKLeatherCraft]

Yes, buy it it's an awesome game, so fun, driving around into crowds of people is so much nicer, the physics are improved, as with alot of people who play it, the 5hour slaughterfests are brilliant, i've got the game and both add-on packages and completed both, (Not completed the main game, as i got most of the way through and my HDD got corruptQ_Q) but it's a great game=)

[dpguy]

I bought it the day it came out, played for about 1 week and haven't played it again since. on X-Box 360 i don't know if it was a glitch or not but the car handling was really bad when i played it. I had the feeling I was driving an Ocean liner hard time to stop or do sharp turns even at slow speed

It's not a glitch at all. The cars in GTA IV are nothing like those of any other GTA game. They take off slow, swerve out-of-control very easily, and are just a chore to drive, at least I thought so. No one can deny that the vehicles handle differently though. Again, this seems overlooked by fans of the game. Again, I have no idea how you can not notice it and not be bothered by it.

[Verdugo]

It's not a glitch at all. The cars in GTA IV are nothing like those of any other GTA game. They take off slow, swerve out-of-control very easily, and are just a chore to drive, at least I thought so. No one can deny that the vehicles handle differently though. Again, this seems overlooked by fans of the game. Again, I have no idea how you can not notice it and not be bothered by it.

And should I be bothered by it?

[Pickynerd]

While I agree with both notions that you are entitled to your opinion and that graphics don't equal fun / greatness, you lack a proper argument in regards to why it sucks.

I can employ the same logic: It was the best in the series.

You obviously think differently than I do, yet I still don't see how this helps the OP. I think it sucks, you think it's great, maybe the OP should do some research on youtube like normal people :P

Godfather vs GTA4.

[Jon]

After the excellent San Andreas, GTA IV was a disappointment. Hopefully GTA V is closer to the wacky fun that was GTA: SA... at least the setting looks promising.

[icedwarrior]

After the excellent San Andreas, GTA IV was a disappointment.

Geez, so many "it sucks", or "it was a disappointment", without any elaboration. At least tell us why.

And so many irrelevant reasons, imo. Graphics? Soundtrack? Minor gripes. Such gripes indicate that it's a superior series to me, since you're griping about little things. Graphics don't matter to me at all, so long as I can distinguish what's going on.

[dpguy]

Geez, so many "it sucks", or "it was a disappointment", without any elaboration. At least tell us why.

And so many irrelevant reasons, imo. Graphics? Soundtrack? Minor gripes. Such gripes indicate that it's a superior series to me, since you're griping about little things. Graphics don't matter to me at all, so long as I can distinguish what's going on.

Here's a comparison, side-by-side

Weapons spawn inside safe houses?

San Andreas: Yes. GTA IV: No

Access to planes/ jet fighters?

San Andreas: Yes GTA IV: No

Ability to increase driving skill ?

San Andreas: yes GTA IV: no

Ability to buy safe-houses, some of them with helicopter pads and helicopters and other cool stuff?

San Andreas: Yes GTA IV: No

Ability to claim entire sections of town as your turf and recruit gang members?

San Andreas: Yes GTA IV: No

Fans of GTA IV only seem to notice the way the game looks. I notice the way it FEELS and plays.

The game LOOKS like a beautifully detailed next-generation console GTA game. It plays and feels like a throwback. It's like Rockstar dug up a game from the PS1 era and did some extensive redecorating.