PS3, Xbox 360: Grand theft auto IV

Review:

Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360

Developer: Rockstar North

Publisher: Take Two

Release Date: April 29

A little bit of information:

Well. You have probably played or at least heard about the Grand Theft Auto Series at some point in your life. GTA is considered a culture phenomenon by some people, and there are rumors that several penguin tribes have adopted it as their official religion. Even people who aren’t fans of the series have to admit that it is the King of the Sandbox genre (you know, the type of game where you can wreak havoc on the street of some undefined city and kill tons of defenseless people).

Review:

First of all: GTA IV is a huge improvement compared to its predecessors. The earlier games were troubled by a few problems, the worst being the aiming system. While you could be violent and evil, the aim would still be significantly more evil, always preferring killing innocents over killing evil gang members. This problem has been partially solved this time. The crosshair has been to a shrink and is now a lot more cooperative. Another difference this time around is the Euphoria animation engine, which makes sure that all the animations looks great. The improved controls and animation improves the experience a lot, and combined with Grand Theft Autos trademark variation in gameplay you would think that everything would be as great as an unlimited supply of cup noodles. But then the developers decided that it was time to start changing the atmosphere in the games, and so they did. GTA 4 is the most serious game in the GTA series. Sure, there is still humor involved, but it tries to deliver a deeper story than its predecessors. A lot of people believe that succeeded in making this change, but I believe they failed, or at least a little bit. Sure, the characters are deeper and there is good voice acting scattered everywhere, but it fails to involve the player. It is like looking at starts. Sure, they are pretty, but they haven’t got anything to do with me. Most of the missions are about someone else and their dreams and hopes. The only motivation the game gives me as a player is “Niko feels bad about doing crimes, but Niko needs money”. An explanation I found hard to believe when at the same time I had more money than the Swiss government and bloody nothing to use them for except form cop noodles of course.

GTA 4 is a huge improvement. It continues the GTA legacy, adding a lot of good features. It is really a shame that the missions and the story are so separate, because the story has all the ingredients to become a very delicious chocolate cake.

+: good controls. A lot of variation in the gameplay. Good graphics. Great animations.

-: the story isn’t well enough connected to the gameplay.

Graphics: 8/10

Gameplay: 9/10

Story: 6.5/10

Sound: 8/10

Overall: 8/10