GTA IV: The First Mission

[feo]

Even if it was called 'Free-roaming Mafia shooter IV' Rockstar's new GTA would still be the biggest game of the year. That's because even without the brand, the hype and the moaning lawyers, it's shaping up to be a bloody impressive game.

Ushered in to a dark room by half of Rockstar's PR department (they're protective of their baby), we're greeted by a giant leather sofa, a giant HD telly and a bowl of sweets big enough to give Ronaldinho serious toothache.

This is our second look at the game and we were promised a lot more action than what we saw (or didn't) in the first demo. This isn't the first mission in the game, rather the first mission Rockstar has shown anyone.

Read the full article (2 parts) here:

Part 1
Part 2

Pretty comprehensive for a preview, definitely worth a read.

Interesting titbits in the preview:

Now that we've got some fire power, Little Jacob takes off in his car and Niko's off to the local internet café to execute the second leg of the mission. The internet plays an integral part of today's modern life so it's no surprise to see it also playing a key role in GTA IV.

Paying a double fare will cause the cabby to put his foot down, and you can skip the whole journey if you wish, but Rockstar fancies giving us a good look at the Liberty City streets.

Graphically it's comparable to a grittier Saint's Row, but the magic really is in the detail. The road is no longer just a flat texture; there are random pot holes that dip and manipulate vehicles in a realistic way.

GTA IV's virtual web browser lets you surf a whole number of pages written by the same team who scribe the rest of Liberty's City's comedy billboards, shop fronts and radio stations.

At any point in GTA IV Niko can pull out his mobile phone and use it to his heart's content. The phone shows up in the bottom right hand corner of the screen and looks exactly how you'd expect a real phone to look, with a phonebook, buttons and all.

Outrunning the cops in GTA IV is a completely different affair to previous GTA games; this time around if they don't see you, they won't know where you are. This makes for a real game of cat and mouse; cop cars show up on your radar Metal Gear Solid-style and a round circle on your mini-map displays the cops' search radius. The higher the wanted level, the bigger the search radius.

In GTA IV you actually have to hot wire stolen vehicles, which takes a lot longer than simply pulling the driver out of a moving vehicle.

This one I love.

Combat has been completely overhauled for GTA IV and frankly, it's about bloody time. Gone is the on-rails lock-on system from GTA III and in its place is a visceral, Gear of War-style cover system that makes shootouts far more complicated than tests of button mashing.

Very good breakdown of the first unveiled mission and there's been a TON of improvement from the last game. This is shaping up to be a...dare-I-say...PS3 killer!

Oh, I forgot, it's coming to the PS3 as well.

 

[Fudzy]

Isn't it being released on PS3?

 

[feo]

Isn't it being released on PS3?

I forgot about that, edited my post a minute after I posted.

 

[ld13]

/me DEMANDS that it be Released on PC as well . . .

 

[Fudzy]

Regardless of that fact, it's a mighty tempting reason to get a console. I wish I had more money

 

[feo]

Regardless of that fact, it's a mighty tempting reason to get a console. I wish I had more money

Second hand?

 

[useless]

Dont know if its mentioned in the article but it seems Rockstar admit the X360 will be a more fulfilling gaming experience out of the 2 console platforms :

http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=80401

Rockstar has said Xbox 360 gamers will get a better Grand Theft Auto IV experience.

It was detailing the differences in the two console versions and refusing to get caught up in the crossfire, when it accidentally let slip its preference.

"They're identical games. We're not hardware makers, and we're not like a pawn between these companies, we try not to be as much as we can. We make great games for people to enjoy on whichever system they want," spokesperson Hosi Simon told Games Radar.

"But I guess if you want the complete experience with the episodes, then yeah, you should buy the 360, I suppose." Whoops.

He was referring to two episodes that will build on the GTA IV experience exclusively on Xbox 360 - the same ones MS reportedly paid USD 50 million for. The first of these is expected to be available around March 2008.

Grand Theft Auto IV is due for release on PS3 and Xbox 360 on 19th October.

Will 50 million U$d tilt the gamer's preference for the X360 in the long run?

 

[knobshine]

Noooo, is it going to be like COD3 and only come out on console?

 

[useless]

Noooo, is it going to be like COD3 and only come out on console?

Well, you are quite luck CoD 3 never made it to the PC as its a horrible game. Its only saving grace is the multiplayer which redeems the inadequate, collision ridden single player experience.

GTA IV might become a PC candidate after the console versions go platinum.

 

[TheBossMan]

This is bullsh!t GTA first started out as a PC game, why the hell should we have to wait till it goes Platinum on consoles before we get a copy for PC..

Anyone still remember GTA1 & GTA2 ????

 

[GavinMannion]

This is bullsh!t GTA first started out as a PC game, why the hell should we have to wait till it goes Platinum on consoles before we get a copy for PC..

Anyone still remember GTA1 & GTA2 ????

Because consoles are better... accept it

GTA style games (Crackdown, Saints Row) actually seem to suit consoles better than PC's....

It's nicer sitting on the couch for hours than sitting behind a PC

 

[feo]

Because consoles are better... accept it

GTA style games (Crackdown, Saints Row) actually seem to suit consoles better than PC's....

It's nicer sitting on the couch for hours than sitting behind a PC

Only disadvantage (if you wanna call it that) is no quick precision turning with a mouse, but I read there's gonna be a mouse for the PS3.

*lemme double check that real quick*

EDIT. Yip, SplitFish FragFX for the PS3

 

[WiseCrack]

This is bullsh!t GTA first started out as a PC game, why the hell should we have to wait till it goes Platinum on consoles before we get a copy for PC..

Anyone still remember GTA1 & GTA2 ????

Also all the little dirty kids pirating pc games have led to game developers rather going the console route.

 

[feo]

Also all the little dirty kids pirating pc games have led to game developers rather going the console route.

Console games get pirated too.

 

[GavinMannion]

Console games get pirated too.

Not when you make them rely on Xbox live they don't

So how do you make sure people don't want to pirate your game? You add in really cheap DLC from Live which few hacked consoles can access...

I used to miss my mouse as well but not anymore... since everyone is in the same predicament (360) as you it doesn't matter.

 

[WiseCrack]

True ,but for the moment it looks like consoles piracy is the lesser of the two evils IMO.

 

[feo]

True ,but for the moment it looks like consoles piracy is the lesser of the two evils IMO.

Can't disagree with that.

 

[WiseCrack]

I actually have my xbox up for sale on the xbox forums ,but considering all the exclusive titles being released for consoles only I'm tempted to have a rethink about selling it.