Review - Grand Theft Auto IV

Review - Grand Theft Auto IV
Platform: Xbox 360
By: scratchy
From: www.xbox-360.co.za/forum

This game is just amazing.

I can't remember the last time I've played a game so well made, so full of atmosphere and so well thought out.

The city is just stunning and it feels like a real city. Ubisoft promised us living, breathing cities in Assassins Creed and thought we would be fooled by over-populated drones walking into each other and not doing much.

Rockstar promised us a city full of life and that's exactly what they delivered. Not once have I seen the same person twice. Somehow Rockstar exceeded in adding people to their game and not bots. Everybody is on a mission and everyone does things that you can expect from real people, in a real city.

The thing about this game has to be the attention to detail. It's just fantastic driving around the city and seeing how people interact with each other and how the city reacts to its current situation. About an hour in I decided to watch the sunset (which was brilliant, but we'll get to that later). I was just standing there when a fellow decided to join me. As we were watching this sunset, said fellow took a sip of his coffee, turned to me and said, "nice isn't it?"

Little details like that are what makes a game.

Graphically, I can't complain. I've heard numerous complaints about bland textures and uninspiring landscapes. Maybe these okes need to get out of the apartment and start exploring the city. The lighting is just top shelf stuff and accurate to real life. It really does add to the overall feel of the game.

I do however have to complain about the frame rate. It really does feel sluggish and as if the 360 is struggling to keep it steady. It does get really frustrating and I'm crossing my fingers for a patch.

The controls are also on my list of "to fix". It feels as if the 360 just didn't have enough buttons for all the functions in the game and just piled them on the controller. The left analogue stick feels overly sensitive as well. Of course, this is purely my own opinion and I'm sure after a few more hours I'll get used to it.

I'd like to comment on the story line, but I don't think I'm far enough into the game to be granted that privilege.

While the driving has definitely been improved, I wouldn't say it's been for the better in my honest opinion. I liked being able to take corners at 100 plus miles an hour without any slowing down and still being able to come out on the other side unscathed. The cars feel sluggish (as they do in real life) and I think it takes away from the excitement of the game. I much prefer the driving style of Vice City.

That's about it for now. Like I said - fantastic game with some small technical faults, but nothing a patch can't fix.

Scorecard
Evolutionary, not revolutionary
Graphics: 9
Controls: 8
Gameplay: 10
Overall: 9.3