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| From: Rockstar Games
Category: Video Games
List Price: $59.99
Buy Used: $29.10
You Save: $30.89 (51%)
New (66) Used (52) from $29.10
Avg. Customer Rating:  248 reviews
Sales Rank: 183
Platform: Playstation 3
ESRB: Mature
Media: Video Game
Edition: Standard
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Age: 17 - 20 years
Operating System: Playstation 3
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 0.1 x 0.1 x 0
MPN: 37011
Model: 15782621
UPC: 710425370113
EAN: 0710425370113
ASIN: B000HKP88C
Release Date: April 29, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: **Excellent Condition** **Original Artwork, Case, Guaranteed to play** 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Good but not Great May 4, 2008
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
I originally gave this game 4 stars on Amazon UK but have felt compelled to drop that to three stars having experienced first hand the awful loading and lock up bugs. Yes there is a workround (disable PS3 Internet) and yes maybe the arrogant Rockstar are working on a patch, but it's really inexcusable to release a console game with such a major fault. PC gamers are used to the "release now, patch later" approach but console games are written for specific hardware platforms so should avoid most of the pitfalls. Lucky for R* the PS3 actually has a hard drive to accommodate the patch.
On the subject of PC's, this game is crying out to see what decent PC hardware - e.g. Core 2 Duo CPU and Geforce 8800GT card - can do with it. The graphics tend on the blurry side, even in "HD" and I have now had to resort to playing on a PC monitor in order to read the on screen messages and in particular mobile phone messages, which form a key part of interaction with the game environment. The PS3 controller is fine for vehicular control but is clumsy and imprecise while the character is on foot, compared to keyboard and mouse.
All the above is a pity as GTA IV has the hallmarks of a really great game. The main character (Niko) is one you feel far more empathy with than his rapper predecessor in San Andreas. The game is structured a little differently. The side missions have been tightened up and integrated more into the overall structure (firefighter and paramedic seem to have gone). The role playing element has been retained, along with the girlfriends, but the levelling up of San Andreas - i.e. driving and weapon skills - have been dropped. Possibly as a sop to the "PC" brigade some of the violence has been toned down. You can no longer go out and carry out street robberies relatively unchecked to make money during the early stages. The police are everywhere, pedestrians now fight back and melee combat is much less effective, not helped by the cumbersome joypad control. In addition to money, weapons and armour are hard to find in the early stages (unless you have bought the Brady guide). Some missions offer you a moral choice as to the outcome with branches in the storyline, depending on your decision.
Whether R* were on a tighter budget than previous games, but the voice cast seems to consist entirely of unknowns. Not a single celebrity among them. Would have been great to see someone like Peter Stormare voicing Niko, or some of the reknowned actresses like Debbie Mazar or Marisa Tomei providing vocal talent.
As you start playing through the game, many of the missions seem familiar from earlier GTA's - deliver package, drive someone to a desination, carry out an assassination etc. Not sure how much gameplay there is as some forum posters are already posting they have completed (or nearly completed) the main plot. San Andreas took me something like 3 months to play through and even then I never finished the game. IV I discern may not occupy me quite as long - one could be cynical and assert that the "Schmoozing" aspects with other characters are in there as padding to prolong what may turn out to be a short game.
In conclusion, R* need to fix the bugs and look at releasing a PC version ASAP. Otherwise GTA IV runs the real risk of remaining a good rather than great or classic game. It doesn't quite live up to the pre-release hype.
Gta IV review May 4, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I really don't think this game was worth all the hype - sure its good and an excellent addition to the franchise but I was expecting more from Rockstar especially some celebrity cameo voices as with previous versions but sadly none.
4 stars overall
 Grand Indeed May 4, 2008
3 out of 7 found this review helpful
I held off writing my review as I suffered the freezing issue as well as other PS3 users. For those out there also suffering, just disable your Internet connection in your PS3 settings. The game will now load without issue and you won't freeze up mid mission. It's not a perfect fix, but it will allow you to play GTA until a patch has been released.
So to be fair, this review is based on the game and not the technical issues.
First of all, I am ashamed to say that the last GTA game I played was the very first. I never got around to playing the sequels so GTA 4 was my first real taste of 3D mayhem. As such, I can't really compare this game with the previous 3D releases.
When the game first started, I thought the opening sequence was awesome. The game is graphically impressive and very cinematic. The early missions will let you get to grips with the city and more importantly, the control system. I found the controls easy to get to grips with and was soon racing around Liberty City during mission down time. Get to know them well, you will need some fast reaction time later on. The GPS will show you where you need to go based on your current location so don't sweat to much trying to learn the city map. But knowing the layout will certainly help when things get fast paced.
Your cell phone is your information center in the game and easily accessed when walking around or when driving. Players with small TVs may have a little difficulty reading the phone text as it sits in the bottom right corner making it a little small. Bored? Go through you phone book, find your girlfriends number and give her a call.
I absolutely love the free roaming aspect of the game. When your cousin isn't calling you in a panic or your girlfriend isn't bugging you to take her out, you can get the chance to look around. Find a nice place to eat, clothes shopping, darts, bowling, etc.
There is so much more to write about, but I just want to load it up and jump right back in.
Even with glitches... May 4, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
First off, no game is perfect. I don't care how good of a system you claim to have, there is going to be frame rate issues, and sometimes more serious problems.
This game is no exception. The first 15 hours of game play is nothing but smooth sailing. The graphics are a little better than before, and have a deep contrast than the X-Box version. When you first start out you have absolutely no weapons to wield. You can disarm one of the thugs that attacks Roman who has a knife (simple move).
Stealing cars has to be one of the funnest things I've done in this game, aside from bowling with whomever the lady of the hour is. The only thing I don't like is that the cops pretty much don't bother you unless you ram them, or they see you stealing a car. But then again, that's pretty much at the start.
Now, the bad side to this. There are glitches. Interesting ones, like disappearing into your fridge is really a beautiful glitch, and locking up the PS3 (60gig) is also bad. The fix is to reinstall the data though. Anyway, this is a good game that has a few bugs in it. Enjoy it none the less.
12 hours in, things are starting to feel a little too familiar... May 4, 2008
8 out of 12 found this review helpful
I've been playing GTA 4 for about 12 hours now. Is it a masterpiece, an opus that raises the bar and redefines the genre? No, not really. But it is a very worthy follow-on to the GTA series that really uses the capabilities of the 360 and PS3. And it clearly is a follow-on, in the sense that in most ways, it is literally a bigger, better GTA 3.
If you're a GTA fan, and haven't yet bought GTA 4, then definitely go buy it. I predict that you'll enjoy it immensely. If you've never really gotten into the GTA series, then GTA 4 has little new to entice you with.
GTA 4 is a very good game. The storyline, while not at the level of "The Sopranos" or "The Wire", is deep, moving, and involving. The missions, as in all the GTA games, have a lot of variety, but not much (so far) that I haven't seen before. The high-res graphics, while hardly "cinematic", are fairly realistic and are a big step up from previous GTA games.
The soundtrack--because that's the best way to describe it--is where GTA4 really shines. The music is well-chosen, diverse, and permeates all parts of the game. There is rarely a scene where you're not hearing a song in the background, and it usually fits the mood extremely well. I look forward to doing some relaxing driving through town, with Philip Glass, ELO, or Smashing Pumpkins on the radio. With real-world gas prices pushing or over $4 a gallon, cruising around Liberty City is starting to have a lot of appeal.
The old GTA3 humor is back with a vengeance. I missed it in the Vice City and San Andreas sequels, and it is very nice to have it again. Plus, it is hidden everywhere in the game, on the radio as always, on TV, on the internet, you name it.
There are a few obvious flaws in the game:
- The graphics, while generally of high quality, sometimes are obviously and jarringly bad. Polygon edges are often easily seen, aliasing artifacts / jaggies are far too common, and frames are dropped during busy scenes. Sometimes the graphics do look pretty high-def, but more often they just look better than GTA 3.
- The targeting mode, in my opinion, is a little worse than in previous GTA games. Or, it is simply different, and I've become accustomed to working around the old system's flaws. Auto-targeting has a nasty habit of picking a person--and really, really wanting to jump back to that person--who has nothing to do with the action, and not picking the person who is ten feet away unloading an Uzi into you.
- As I mentioned, the missions are nothing new. There are a lot of "chase 'em and kill 'em" variants. Even with the superb storyline, I'm already starting to lose interest.
- The game has already locked up on me twice and become "stuck" (where it seems to still be working but ignores button presses) twice. I've had earlier GTA games lock up on me upon rare occasion, but it usually involved 5 "wanted" stars and me trying to do something stupid or clever, but GTA 4's lockups are already far beyond what I've seen in the past. Hopefully Rockstar will send out an easily downloadable patch to fix these bugs.
- There are more "Sims"-style interactions in the game, and while that new dimension may work for some people, for me it is a distraction. I've already grown tired of going out on dates with high-maintenance friends and lovers, and would prefer that there be some sort of opt-out for that entire aspect of the game. The dates generally involve a lot of cross-town driving, a little "fun" playing virtual pool, darts, or bowling, then more driving. For me, the fun stopped after the first experience of each new type of date and the first "hot coffee" scene.
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