27)Grand Treft Auto-4 Reviews Part-2 (Ps3/Xbox360)

Grand Treft Auto-4

Like tons of games now, a cover system has been implemented, although this one just isn't as good. First, you go into R1 to enter cover mode, with your side stuck against a wall. The reticle automatically pops up so you can blindfire here. However, it's quite hard to spray some bullets at many people at once due to having the game require you to hold down R2 just to continue shooting. If you release R2 at all, you'll go back into cover, so strategic shooting just doesn't work here, and you'll waste many bullets at once.
Sometimes, when you're at a corner, you won't stick to the place that you want and will go to the other side. It might seem that the cover system just should've been aborted to begin with, it just doesn't work here, yet they try to heavily emphasize its use in missions, especially when your enemies use this system too.

The camera is another issue that has hindered the shooting. The camera now moves along with Niko to automatically adjust to facing the direction that Niko is facing. This is so the new over the shoulder view can work with the game. It's rather annoying, especially in the past when you could pretty much control the camera where you want to. Running quickly away from cops and turning around to aim at them is a huge annoyance here. It's a massive flaw and although it takes a while to get used to, I just wonder how much better it would be if they had kept that old camera system. It is just makes it an unnecessary nuiscance.

The driving physics have improved here a bit, although it takes quite a while for cars to accelerate, and accelerating at turns is just annoying. A big issue is the camera: the camera is just too low and hinders what you'll be seeing ahead of you. Cars here are still floaty so flipping around is just commonplace here.

Missions – Missions are now mostly cell phone based. Your cousin gives you a phone and him and his superiors call you and tell you what to do. It's pretty much the same phone as Liberty City Stories, except this one is more refined and is interactive. Rockstar has claimed that the game will take you about 90+ hours to complete. It sort of is true, especially since the game really doesn't have to end with its free roam. However, the missions here will probably take you only about 24 hours and even less if you don't die as often. The missions are just as repetitive as before, not many changes from what has been done.

Just like what Madden has done, GTA has done with their own formula. Same exact missions, just better graphics. However, there are some pretty neat mini games on the side. There's darts, pool, bowling, and even going to see a show. However, the idea of it is better than it actually is. These minigames just aren't fun and are quite simple and bland. You can definitely tell that they were more of an afterthought.

Story (7/10)

The story is what will compel you to finish the missions due to its repetitive nature. However, it's not one of its strong points, considering how many games have a much, much better story. You start out as a man named Niko Bellic, a Russian who is fresh off the boat. He is there to see his cousin, Roman, after hearing his promises of how great it is. Niko soon realizes that Liberty City just isn't the place he thought, but however, he is there for other reasons as well. There are quite a few twists here, but it still rates as something along the lines of a Hollywood B-type gangster movie. However, I must warn you, people just seem to spout a bunch of nonsense that have nothing to do with progressing, so you'll probably find yourself skipping most of the cutscenes if you're impatient.

Multiplayer (6/10)
There are many different modes here including Cops and Crooks, Bomb da Base, and Deathmatch. They are pretty fun, for a while, except it's really simple stuff. Finding weapons and shooting people. However, you can jack cars and ram over your opponent. This does get old quite fast due to its simplicity. There is no respawn count like in other games, it's just replaced by a now loading screen. There are also plenty of frame drops in multiplayer, it's as if the system just couldn't handle it much. Playing online with 15 other people while having cops chasing you is just a nightmare, especially for those people who think the smoothness of a game is important.

Conclusion

Although it's a good game, it just has done what is already been done. We have already seen this before, and by now, I'm beginning to think that maybe I've just outgrown GTA. There are better visuals, but it's the gameplay and innovation that made the previous titles great. GTAIV Ps3 has just failed to do that for me. Maybe you're wondering whether this is a rent or a buy? It's a definite buy if you're a GTA fan, however, if you're looking for a deeper game or have already gotten tired of GTA3, it's a definite rental at best.

Buy this game=KENG Ps3 Games Shop Online