Welcome to America! So this is what the dream feels like? This is the victory we longed for.
I have a lot of history with this game. From initially playing it as a friends house on the XB360 when I was 13, I was blown away by this game. It certainly did not feel like anything that GTA 3, Vice City or San Andreas had to offer. As a kid I used GTA IV as my playground and never really thought about the story. Then came along GTA the complete edition. I managed to persuade my father to buy me this game as I was 15. When I got this game on my PlayStation 3 I was able to really get into the story a lot more than I did at 13 but I felt like the story although being good, did not catch my attention as much as I still used GTA as more as a playground to do all the naughty things. I still remember some key elements in the game but I felt like it just came and went.
Coming to replay this in 2023, I felt like I have matured more and I am able to enjoy the story and its city elements, gone is the whole playground aspect of me trying to do all the whacky things this game offer. I believe GTA IV is the best Rockstar has to offer in terms of a gritty and dark GTA. I felt like I could "Relate" more to the Niko Bellic. Although he is a criminal he still had some tough choices to make. Flawed and sympathetic as he is violent. The other games do not offer this kind of character motivation than maybe GTA Vs Franklin. It really felt at times I was dealing with the consequences of my actions.
This is also a very DENSE & ALIVE city. I felt like anytime I went onto my next mission there was something always happening. This is certainly something that the other GTAs did not offer and was actually a HUGE improvement. Every Island felt connected as you were going through the story mode. it always felt seamless. Just hearing other people and their 2008 cellphones just reminds me of how much we really relied on those and used Internet cafes lol. The city certainly feels dated at times but there is a Charm to it and I love it.
As for Combat and Driving. Combat is probably at its peak here. Drawing inspiration from previous games that used Tactical Cover Mechanics. GTA IV is no different. Every bullet I took really felt like it was my own fault for not checking a corner or just to see how good I am going in guns blazing. There certainly was consequences. The physics engine they use here should also receive a mention because it felt real at time if you shot someone in their hand or body they would react to where they were shot be impaired for a bit before picking up their weapon and start firing. Certainly had fun with this mechanic. As for Driving, it certainly was some getting used to. You actually feel the weight of each car and its handling. I think they went a little too realistic here but it did not deter me from ever driving and if I did not want to drive I could always use the Fast Travel Taxi Mechanic. It's certainly a hit or miss from the folks I talk to about this game but I did not mind after the 1st act of this game.
Overall GTA IV is the blueprint that Rockstar used in all of its open world games during the Generation and you can see the inspirations even with the release of GTA V. I believe this game is the best the franchise has to offer in terms of Story and its Characters. Who can forget those Iconic Loading screens and mesmerizing music. I absolutely recommend this game if you have not played this in a while especially on Modern systems where you can push it to its limits like 60 FPS and cleaner graphics.
I have a lot of history with this game. From initially playing it as a friends house on the XB360 when I was 13, I was blown away by this game. It certainly did not feel like anything that GTA 3, Vice City or San Andreas had to offer. As a kid I used GTA IV as my playground and never really thought about the story. Then came along GTA the complete edition. I managed to persuade my father to buy me this game as I was 15. When I got this game on my PlayStation 3 I was able to really get into the story a lot more than I did at 13 but I felt like the story although being good, did not catch my attention as much as I still used GTA as more as a playground to do all the naughty things. I still remember some key elements in the game but I felt like it just came and went.
Coming to replay this in 2023, I felt like I have matured more and I am able to enjoy the story and its city elements, gone is the whole playground aspect of me trying to do all the whacky things this game offer. I believe GTA IV is the best Rockstar has to offer in terms of a gritty and dark GTA. I felt like I could "Relate" more to the Niko Bellic. Although he is a criminal he still had some tough choices to make. Flawed and sympathetic as he is violent. The other games do not offer this kind of character motivation than maybe GTA Vs Franklin. It really felt at times I was dealing with the consequences of my actions.
This is also a very DENSE & ALIVE city. I felt like anytime I went onto my next mission there was something always happening. This is certainly something that the other GTAs did not offer and was actually a HUGE improvement. Every Island felt connected as you were going through the story mode. it always felt seamless. Just hearing other people and their 2008 cellphones just reminds me of how much we really relied on those and used Internet cafes lol. The city certainly feels dated at times but there is a Charm to it and I love it.
As for Combat and Driving. Combat is probably at its peak here. Drawing inspiration from previous games that used Tactical Cover Mechanics. GTA IV is no different. Every bullet I took really felt like it was my own fault for not checking a corner or just to see how good I am going in guns blazing. There certainly was consequences. The physics engine they use here should also receive a mention because it felt real at time if you shot someone in their hand or body they would react to where they were shot be impaired for a bit before picking up their weapon and start firing. Certainly had fun with this mechanic. As for Driving, it certainly was some getting used to. You actually feel the weight of each car and its handling. I think they went a little too realistic here but it did not deter me from ever driving and if I did not want to drive I could always use the Fast Travel Taxi Mechanic. It's certainly a hit or miss from the folks I talk to about this game but I did not mind after the 1st act of this game.
Overall GTA IV is the blueprint that Rockstar used in all of its open world games during the Generation and you can see the inspirations even with the release of GTA V. I believe this game is the best the franchise has to offer in terms of Story and its Characters. Who can forget those Iconic Loading screens and mesmerizing music. I absolutely recommend this game if you have not played this in a while especially on Modern systems where you can push it to its limits like 60 FPS and cleaner graphics.