there is a lot of stuff you can do that is new like bounce rockets off the ground if they dont arm up in time to your gun janimg and having to w8 to shoot untill the gun works again the cars dont blow up when u flip them and u get to go on the internet who do you know that puts the internet in to a game with over 100 web sites you can go to you cant get in to every building but you can get into most of them plus it take over 12 hours of gameplay to see the same ped more than once unlike the others and there is over 1000 music tracks more the 24 hours of music paying for taxis and the cops are crazy and will kill you if you run or even fire off a clip at them. from what i know this is not the last of this seires. my boss will get pissed if i tell you all any more but this better then than saints row a lot harder to plus there is no floating health circle that you pick up
gamexxover Moderator
Joined: Feb 17, 2007 Posts: 2131
XP: 143,168
Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 11:22 pm Post subject:
With GTA IV due out on April 29 a few of our esteemed magazine friends in the GamesRadar network have been granted access to review the game already. That's right - one of the perks of being permanently slagged off on forums and two-bit blogs is that games writers get the opportunity to play games before they're in the shops.
The first of our colleagues to actaully finish the game is Rob Taylor, deputy editor of Xbox World 360 magazine, and below he tells us (as best he can) what it feels like to be the first person to finish GTA in the world. Lucky bastard.
You're the first games writer to have finished GTA IV, how does that feel?
Pretty darn sweet to be honest, I allowed myself a quick smug grin when the Rockstar guys told me! It's funny; I didn't actually really get to play as much as – say – the Benelux journos we met while up in Chelsea (we were based in Rockstar's actual offices and I think I racked up 25 hours at the final count, while they were ensconced in their hotel rooms playing up to 11 hours a day!) and I also had to write down some fairly comprehensive tips for the first batch of missions so actually I got off to a slow start.
On day two though, I flew through a major batch of the story missions without messing up once and then on the final day a Rockstar PR sidled up to me pretty late on while I was swearing my head off at getting stuck during a mission called 'A D*** B*** S**** C***' (edited to avoid spoiler) and said "Keep pushing on, you're actually nearly there. The missions are meant to be tough near the end!". It's true; the final couple of missions are rock, but after a couple of retries I finally made the breakthrough. And boy did I feel relieved; to have missed out that late on after all that, ahem... 'hard work' would have been hard to take.
How hard has it been to keep it all a secret?
Well, I've been threatened with physical violence more than a few times by mag colleagues after my constant stream of GTA enthusiasm threatened to get a bit too spoiler-intensive! Generally though, it'd be a shame to ruin the surprises for anyone else; GTA IV single player simply has to be played on your lonesome to be fully appreciate it for what it is: a true milestone in videogames. Likewise, my review in Xbox World 360 (out Wednesday 23rd April) talks more in general terms rather than getting into specifics... I can tell people why they have to buy this game, but I'd rather not tell them everything that transpires while doing so.
How did it all pan out then? Where did you play it?
So we got the call from Rockstar to come up on the March 26 and play for three straight days in a row – including a Saturday! We'd usually kick off at 9 or 10ish in the moring, play until 8 or 9 at night, then go eat, then crash before getting up the next morning and do it all over again. Sat in front of a 60" LCD screen in a dark room for nigh on 30 hours – now that's hardcore! Every GTA fan's dream though, huh?
How hard did you find it, playing it under so much pressure? Did you die a lot?
Definitely. It's funny, I actually had another colleague in the room with me, who also got real close to finishing. We were always comparing stats though, and I think I'd died 40-odd more times than he had by the end of the game. And failed, like, 50 missions! So I think in my rush to get through the game my skills let me down once or twice(!) The pressure to plough through as much as humanly possible did get irritating at times – especially when you get stuck on a certain mission – but you want to soak in as much atmosphere for your readers, cover as much ground as possible... all while taking over 4000 words worth of notes on a nearby laptop! It was the ultimate mix of fun and high pressure.
How different is the game from the others?
It's certainly tighter, both in terms of the way Liberty city is structured and the way in which the narrative feels more movie-like than before. Otherwise, everything feels as if it's been given the next-gen treatment; in particular the driving and shooting are light years ahead of past GTAs. Overall, it's a stratospheric leap forward, beyond anything I'd imagined.
Was the game everything you expected? Or are there some surprises?
That's a tricky question. It certainly exceeded my expectations, while there are so many small, chucklesome Easter Egg-style surprises that you're constantly shaking your head at just how savvy a developer Rockstar really is – light years ahead of its contemporaries. Again though, it's hard to be specific without venturing into the spoiler region... sorry!
In terms of the time it takes to finish, how does it compare with others in the series?
That's a hard question to answer really. I finished the story mode in 24 hours, without skipping cut scenes, but I literally blitzed through and hardly took on any side missions. If I was to play it again (which I will be, right on launch day!) I'd say to wrap up the story will take at least 40 hours at a normal pace, plus another – say, 25? – to wrap up the remainder of the missions. In truth though, you could be paving the streets of Liberty City in a year's time and still not have discovered everything. Plus, if you're a 360 owner, there's the promise of downloadable content to come...My advice is: just kick back, take your time and breathe every fresh sight and sound in, don't simply rush through just to finish it before your mates. I wish I'd had that option!
How many "Woooaah, Jesus that's amazing!" moments did you have?
Without giving away any spoilers; lots! I think, overall though, it'll be three overall things that entrance GTA fans like never before. The City is one, with a lighting engine that has to be seen to be believed, plus the incredible dialogue and characterisation is genuinely Oscar-worthy and Niko Bellic is absolutely the most amazing protagonist in any game I've ever played. Finally, multiplayer of course!
Are the GTA fans going to happy with the new game, do you think?
Obviously, you can't make everyone happy all of the time but if any GTA fans aren't happy with IV, they need to take a good long look at themselves. Seriously though, this game is going to make a lot of people very happy.
Did you get a chance to play much multiplayer? Did you get your ass kicked by the Rockstar guys?
Yes, Xbox World 360 actually snagged a whole day playing against Rockstar PRs and devs in a exclusive feature a month or so back. Rather than simply go with the whole Deathmatch and Capture the Flag stuff, they've genuinely taken their time creating some amazing new modes that'll do the business online. Mafiya (a chaotic, mission based affair), Cops 'n' Crooks (one team try to capture the other) and Hangman's Noose (players team up to take an army of AI SWAT troops) were our personal faves...
If you had to pick a favourite out of all the games in the series now which one would it be?
GTA IV. By a country mile. It craps on all the others – even the mighty Vice City – from a height equivalent to the Statue of Happiness. Believe me, GTA IV is even better than the hype suggests!
tweaked V.I.P. Lifetime
Joined: Jan 31, 2004 Posts: 1769 Location: NH, USA XP: 171,140
Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 1:33 am Post subject: Re: The countdown to Grand Theft Auto IV (GTA4)
Game_Mattster wrote:
Just letting everyone know that there is now 28 days until GTA4 hits the streets.
The wait is killing me (but it will be worth it)
Sounds like it will be more than worth it! _________________________________________________________ 10% VIP Discount (Coupon Code: HQ-VIP-001 ) - Signup for web hosting at www.TweakedHosting.com/clients/aff.php?aff=004 and earn the HQ network of sites recurring income!
gamexxover Moderator
Joined: Feb 17, 2007 Posts: 2131
XP: 143,168
Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 5:33 am Post subject:
Report from sarcasticgamer
It’s widely known that both the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 are very powerful yet very different machines. While third party developers do their best to ensure a “single vision” of their game is created on all the platforms they develop it for, there are ultimately always differences between various platforms. GTA IV is no exception to this. No, we’re not talking about the exclusive Xbox 360 downloadable content or the Achievements and Gamerscore here, there are more fundamental differences that will be manifested throughout the gameplay.
Continue reading to find out what we learned while visiting the Rockstar offices for our first GTA IV hands-on report.
First off, GTA IV for the PS3 will be yet another game that mandates a large up-front installation. We’ve been told that between 8GB and 10GB of data (the most of any game to date) will be read off the Blu-ray disc before you step one foot in Liberty City. We were also told that while the installation procedure does its work, your TV will display the inside of a creaky dimly lit cargo container aboard a ship nearing the end of its trans-Atlantic voyage.
We spoke to Kevin Thist, Creative Director from Rockstar for GTA IV. He said the 85 minute installation procedure was “meant thematically to get the player into character,” adding,
“You start the game with nothing… you’re an immigrant to Liberty City being snuck into the country with the understanding that you’ll work off your debt. We realize it sucks, but hey… crossing the Atlantic in a shipping container would suck in real life too and we’re striving to bring next-gen realism to next-gen gaming. We didn’t want to pull any of that ‘go make a sandwich’ crap that Capcom did with Devil May Cry 4 either, so you have to periodically push buttons to proceed through the installation process; such as pressing X to step on a rat carrying the plague. If you don’t sit there and press the button within 3 seconds, the installation process starts over again.”
A little bit of trivia: GTA IV is the first game you can die and lose before ever getting to play!
After the long installation procedure, Kevin explained that “you emerge from the shipping container on the docks in Libery City. Because you’ve been in this container for 2-3 weeks, we’ve utilized the high dynamic range lighting capability of the PS3 to completely overpower you with extremely white whites. You’ll have a hard time seeing sh*t in the game for probably two hours. In our internal testing centers, this led to some hilarious sh*t with people wandering directly into traffic, people accidentally pushing children in front of trains, one guy even walked off the wrong side of the ship and died in the harbor!”
The media demonstration was done in a room containing six PS3 demo units and six 360 demo units. There were about 16 members of the media present, so while we all got extensive hands on time with the game, we also got quite a bit of time to roam around and watch other players playing. One thing that returned from previous games is “employing the services of a working lady” to replenish your health. As a side note, Rockstar’s internal testing crew make no attempt to judge and openly calls the characters “whores” and when they were asked to give us a hand to help guide us through the game simply referenced them in conversation solely for their purpose, such as “now go pick up a whore, your health is low and you’ve got a ton of money.” At first it came off as rather calloused, but we grew to like the simplicity of calling the whores “whores.”
I probably wouldn’t have noticed anything had I only had access to one platform, but I noticed the “whores” on the PS3 seemed to “do their business” quicker than the 360 whores. When I brought up the observation, one of the testers replied “Yeah, the PS3 whores are faster… they’re streamed off the hard drive… the 360 whores have to be read from disc. Take a close look… the 360 whores are actually drawn to be a little older and they’re more haggard looking. It’s an inside joke of the programmers and artists.” as he chuckled. He then looked around to see if his boss was listening and whispered “the whores on the 360 version only have red lipstick on 3/4 of their mouths… check it out next time you play, but don’t make it to obvious, we’re hoping to slip that one through certification testing. Brad, the artist that did that, calls it the Red Ring of Herpes!”
Be sure to check back for parts 2 and 3 of Sarcastic Gamer’s look at Grand Theft Auto IV for the PS3 and 360.
tweaked V.I.P. Lifetime
Joined: Jan 31, 2004 Posts: 1769 Location: NH, USA XP: 171,140
Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 12:16 pm Post subject:
Just goes to show how much Blueray sucks and now we are all stuck with it. One of the biggest media blunders in history! HD-DVD = faster than Blueray
That last article seems like a joke though. I wouldn't wait for an 85 minute installation. F or maybe double F (FF) that _________________________________________________________ 10% VIP Discount (Coupon Code: HQ-VIP-001 ) - Signup for web hosting at www.TweakedHosting.com/clients/aff.php?aff=004 and earn the HQ network of sites recurring income!
XBOXHQ4LIFE 360-HQ Elite Member
Joined: Nov 30, 2006 Posts: 286
XP: 0
Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 2:14 am Post subject:
tweaked wrote:
Just goes to show how much Blueray sucks and now we are all stuck with it. One of the biggest media blunders in history! HD-DVD = faster than Blueray
That last article seems like a joke though. I wouldn't wait for an 85 minute installation. F or maybe double F (FF) that
i dont want to start an arguement tweeked but HD-dvd has no benefits over blu ray, its just a step up from dvd! it has less storage capacity the blu ray ( more conpression = LESS QUALITY) i cant say yes or no towards comment on the 360 vs ps3 editions because it could be something that anyone would say just to get 360 going more sales or vice versa!.
best judgement is to compare both! as always neither is better for the usual part on a muti next gen system one benefits in areas that other doesnt and again vice versa.
Blu ray is better to say the least but research and KNOW your facts _________________________________________________________ |FTP|Useful Links| softmod vs hardmod questions
Joined: Jan 31, 2004 Posts: 1769 Location: NH, USA XP: 171,140
Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 2:40 am Post subject:
XBOXHQ4LIFE wrote:
tweaked wrote:
Just goes to show how much Blueray sucks and now we are all stuck with it. One of the biggest media blunders in history! HD-DVD = faster than Blueray
That last article seems like a joke though. I wouldn't wait for an 85 minute installation. F or maybe double F (FF) that
i dont want to start an arguement tweeked but HD-dvd has no benefits over blu ray, its just a step up from dvd! it has less storage capacity the blu ray ( more conpression = LESS QUALITY) i cant say yes or no towards comment on the 360 vs ps3 editions because it could be something that anyone would say just to get 360 going more sales or vice versa!.
best judgement is to compare both! as always neither is better for the usual part on a muti next gen system one benefits in areas that other doesnt and again vice versa.
Blu ray is better to say the least but research and KNOW your facts
Like I said, HD-DVD is faster on data transfer (Doesn't mean Blueray can't get faster down the road). I am not making this up. Hence the reason they need to load the game on the PS3 drive = slow data transfer of Blueray. They also were about to release higher capacity HD-DVD somewhere around 40 GB. HD-DVD has a better compression allowing better quality in less space for HD content.
Some more favorable HD-DVD points. Blue ray media costs more to manufacture = costs higher to consumers. Blue ray players are expensive.
No need to argue, Those are pretty indisputable observations. I still say the the biggest blunder in history = Sony and the better media format would have been HD-DVD as I see it. Cheers. I agree everyone should compare for themselves about the versions of the games.
Anyway, I can't wait for the xbox 360 version of GTA! _________________________________________________________ 10% VIP Discount (Coupon Code: HQ-VIP-001 ) - Signup for web hosting at www.TweakedHosting.com/clients/aff.php?aff=004 and earn the HQ network of sites recurring income!
XBOXHQ4LIFE 360-HQ Elite Member
Joined: Nov 30, 2006 Posts: 286
XP: 0
Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 2:50 am Post subject:
both formates could of inproved with the course of time blu ray was thiking of 200 gb!.... theirs no need to worry about conpression if theirs enough space blu ray cost more due to the security mesures they are delt with otherwise it be cake , i think ms wanted to consider blu ray due to the fact that you can store more info on a game making it longer AND TRULY HD , dvds are not HD not the way not their yet. negociates with sony and or cost and such would make it harder for 360 to aquire rights i see it as a foreseable future and its, i agree i too cant wait for GTA !!!
sorry for going off topic lol i wanted to get it off my chest because i see alot of post saying HD dvd is better then blu ray, but truly people are uneducated or miss enformed, as far as cost goes i think thats why people like the fact of HD-dvd lol _________________________________________________________ |FTP|Useful Links| softmod vs hardmod questions
Just goes to show how much Blueray sucks and now we are all stuck with it. One of the biggest media blunders in history! HD-DVD = faster than Blueray
That last article seems like a joke though. I wouldn't wait for an 85 minute installation. F or maybe double F (FF) that
i dont want to start an arguement tweeked but HD-dvd has no benefits over blu ray, its just a step up from dvd! it has less storage capacity the blu ray ( more conpression = LESS QUALITY) i cant say yes or no towards comment on the 360 vs ps3 editions because it could be something that anyone would say just to get 360 going more sales or vice versa!.
best judgement is to compare both! as always neither is better for the usual part on a muti next gen system one benefits in areas that other doesnt and again vice versa.
Blu ray is better to say the least but research and KNOW your facts
Like I said earlier, My sister is getting it for her PS3 and my brother for his 360, so I will get to test both out and let you guys know if I notice any differences, and if the cargo container story is true, but It does sound like something sony would do, Have you guys ever played Metal gear solid? that game is all about waiting through cut scenes, And heck trying to survive in the dark,hot rat infested container might actualy be interesting, I wonder if you are in there alone or with a group of illegals.
gamexxover Moderator
Joined: Feb 17, 2007 Posts: 2131
XP: 143,168
Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 4:47 am Post subject:
tweaked wrote:
Just goes to show how much Blueray sucks and now we are all stuck with it. One of the biggest media blunders in history! HD-DVD = faster than Blueray
That last article seems like a joke though. I wouldn't wait for an 85 minute installation. F or maybe double F (FF) that
Look at it this way, if it does make the hookers get you off quicker in game, and you plan on partyin with them as much as I do, then maybe you will actualy save enough time in game that the 85 min load time will pay for it self lol Now I just need to find that GTA IV map that shows the locations of all the pharmacies that sell antibiotics in bulk. Ouch, that burns
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum You cannot attach files in this forum You can download files in this forum
HQ Network: 8,511 | 
Guests: 4956 |
Members: 0
and its, i agree i too cant wait for GTA !!!
Now I just need to find that GTA IV map that shows the locations of all the pharmacies that sell antibiotics in bulk. 
Ouch, that burns
