I realize a lot of us are excited about the upcoming release of GTA4, myself included. In anticipation of some of that hype I've created a pseudo-official discussion for the community to concentrate your observations, desires, and dreams into.

Some general rules of conduct should be followed here. The first and by far, most important rule being: no spoilers. Any spoilers at this point in time mean that you may be limiting the enjoyment that other people can have by discovering things for themselves.

Don't discuss piracy in this thread either. Every time there's an early release date this topic comes up. And absolutely no linking of sites that facilitate piracy in any way. This includes sites with unauthorized screenshots and or movies (until release date).

You don't have to be a fan of the game to post here. But, if you have something negative to say please try to back up your point of view with facts or at least, a well thought out argument.

Here's to seeing you all online on the 29th, robbing banks and generally being naughty.

Virgil (Stealth Edit):
Just a reminder - if you're on Xbox Live or PSN and looking for people to play with, go update your profile with your handles. It'll show on your profile, in friends lists, and on our Xbox Live and PSN member lists

A discussion on the game's story/spoilers can be found here.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.59414

I've been hiding behind the dog star, so I don't know - how does the multiplayer work? Is it similar to what it was in Liberty City Stories, similar to San Andreas, or something new, and if so, like what?

I'm not really interested in the gameplay and all, but I am interested in the 'Ruskie' in the game. I suppose that'll be my draw in. Lets just hope the devs have got the gameplay and stuff worked out. Then again, this is Rockstar.

- A procrastinator

Edit: Hey, didn't Gigantor make a thread like this before?

I've been hiding behind the dog star, so I don't know - how does the multiplayer work? Is it similar to what it was in Liberty City Stories, similar to San Andreas, or something new, and if so, like what?

its more like the PSP versions what i have heard from other sites is that there is no offline multiplayer

the multiplayer modes i can remember are (there are 15 overall):

deathmatch
T.deathmatch
cops n crooks
hangmans noose
team mafyia
turf war

they all sound rather good anyways go on IGN they have more deatails dingo ;)

anyways cant wait for this game its why i bought a PS3 that and its free online.

im like cartman waiting for the nintendo wii just now lol

PSNID:aferretsfury add it! (i need more friends for when this comes out haha

I've never really been into the GTA games. Sure running down fat civillians in a bus is fun for a few hours but then what do you do?

I have to ask why is Wilcon's name blue and why is his forum rank thingy "Red Guard" despite the fact it should be "Press Junketeer" like Stompy's.

I've been doing to GTA4 what I did to Fable, not reading a thing about it before its release. So why am I commenting? Errr, I just hope all of the hype doesn't become the proverbial albatross around its neck.
One thing I am concerned about is it dominating my life for the next month or so due to the addictive nature of these games. Any idea how many hours they reckon you could squeeze out of this baby?

This isn't enough to make me buy a PS3, even with the possibility of a bundle. I've always liked the sandbox quality of the GTA games, and IV seems to be improving upon the experience. But I don't think that there's much in the way of innovation or new gameplay experience from what I've read. Not that it's needed - the formula obviously works and I think that a couple of new neat features wrapped around an improved interface will be sufficient for it to succeed.

I look forward to reading about impressions and experiences, as I might purchase the game later after I take the plunge with a game that is more worth it to me (MGS4).

Fire Daemon:

I have to ask why is Wilcon's name blue and why is his forum rank thingy "Red Guard" despite the fact it should be "Press Junketeer" like Stompy's.

Do you not read the stickies? He's a mod now.

Back to GTA4, I always liked the gameplay of the series, and my one real criticism was that the Renderware engine was hideous. So, new engine and problem solved, as long as it doesn't mess up in some other way.

I avoid GTA4 hype because:

1.) Hyping myself up for games made me realize how much more they suck (after I get past the first impression where I think it's the best thing to happen to gaming, but after a few hours I realize that I just had a clouded mind, some people aren't as lucky to have the fog get wiped off their lenses though..)

2.) I have no console other than a Wii, and lots of "last gen" consoles, this is a very expensive generation, so I'm sticking to PC and Wii (am I a "WiiC gamer or a PCii gamer?) - and MAYBE I'll get a PS3, if I feel like blowing more money out my ass for a DVD player and some kick ass exclusives...

3.) PC gets it in october, so I'll wait then. Although, that's just a rumor.

Hey good on ya wilson, making mod! I wondered about the blue thing.
As for GTA 4, not having a good connection really hurts me.

I am gonna need a bitch of sort to follow me around when i get the game, to bring me guns are cars.

Any volunteers?

i don't know, i personally feel like the series has kind of peaked and anything they do from here isn't going to be different enough to shell out money for, i'm not saying it'll suck i'm just not going to get excited about it. i'm going to sit on the sidelines and wait out the psyco excitement storm. for me the gta games always devolve into an excercise in mass murder it's just a matter of when so as long as i still have saints row i'll be good for some time, at least until saints row 2 comes out hehehe.

Fire Daemon:
I have to ask why is Wilcon's name blue and why is his forum rank thingy "Red Guard" despite the fact it should be "Press Junketeer" like Stompy's.

Gold = Staff
Blue = Moderator (Yeah, you've never seen that before)

Virgil:

Fire Daemon:
I have to ask why is Wilcon's name blue and why is his forum rank thingy "Red Guard" despite the fact it should be "Press Junketeer" like Stompy's.

Gold = Staff
Blue = Moderator (Yeah, you've never seen that before)

Oh good for him and good for the Escapist.

I'm not understanding the GTA IV hype machine. I can understand that people liked Vice City and San Andreas and therefore expect to like number 4 but how much can you be excited for a GTA title. They are pretty much the same game. Pretty much it seems like this game is rater over hyped and for no real reason. Its not like its brininging anything new to gaming and it isn't really going to be something to remember.

Virgil:

Fire Daemon:
I have to ask why is Wilcon's name blue and why is his forum rank thingy "Red Guard" despite the fact it should be "Press Junketeer" like Stompy's.

Gold = Staff
Blue = Moderator (Yeah, you've never seen that before)

And why the title? Or is that the same thing?

ok before you all think im attacking your for dissing GTA some of you make some decent points on why you think its not worth it or whatever.

and i agree the hype is sky high for this title and we all know what hype does to a game (points at halo 3) but i think it has enough diffrences from san andreas to warrant a rent if not a purchase, i know that they have fixed the horrible aiming they improved driving so you cant rely on that trust handbrake anymore the way the wanted works has been changed and then theres the 2 obvious ones multiplayer and graphic overhaul

its fine o wait and see whats what since its this hyped but theres nothing wrong with looking forward to it GTAs tend to have people hooked for quite some time so i dont see why GTA:IV wont

"I've never really been into the GTA games. Sure running down fat civillians in a bus is fun for a few hours but then what do you do?"

ok you could then do:

1)story mission
2)taxi mission
3)vigilante mission
4)ambulance mission
5)look for secret packages
5)look for easter eggs
6)multiplayer i could just put in all the modes for mltiplaye but im not going to
7)rack up a 6 star wanted level and see how long you survive
8)rob a few banks
9)get yourself drunk and see how long your car lasts
10)shoot as many civilians as possible
11)see how many police you can kill with just a baseball bat
12)cause a massive road block and blow it up!
13)see how much carnage you can cause before your ps3/360 throws up its hands and says "are you serious"
14)go online and see if anyone is up for a drunken race
15)go online and doexactly the same as all the stuff i told you but in FREE ROAM

and more!

im sure if you have a creative mind other than to run folk over in a bus you will find something else to do. even stuff i havnt mentioned

Having spent every spare moment of the last few weeks cornering strangers and telling them about all the exciting things in GTA IV, I've got quite a lot resting on next Tuesday.

Most interesting new thing for me? According to all the previews, comedy clubs play a large part in the game, but none have elaborated any further. We also know Ricky Gervais has recorded some new material and will feature as a character in the game (though I'm guessing he won't be playing himself). I want to see what all this comedy club business is about. Could there be some sort of stand-up comedy mini-game? I dunno.

Also, the explosions and the water effects look amazing, and I'm a sucker for things like that.

The fact that Ricky Gervais has recorded some stand-up material for this game shows a little of the mass detail and effort Rockstar has put into this game. The fact it was supposedly ready for October also suggests these past 5 or 6 months have been spent tweaking, improving and maybe adding to an already complete game.

I took in all the hype for San Andreas and that turned out to be one of the best games i've ever played. I'm hoping it's the same for this mammoth of a game, and i'm not really expecting it to disappoint in any way, shape or form.

I must say also, this new engine has made the game look incredible, for something that large in scope the graphics and effects look almost flawless. We'll soon see how it looks on our own TVs.

Although I am really looking forward to GTA4 as I'm sure it'll be fantastic I haveonly one request...

For the love of God please include Alabama 3's "Woke Up This Morning" on the soundtrack.

I'm not even a Sopranos fan (since I'm sure people will make the connection) but imagine how much that song would fit the atmosphere and aesthetic of the new game. Try playing the trailer on mute with the song playing, you'll see what I mean.

dallan262:

"I've never really been into the GTA games. Sure running down fat civillians in a bus is fun for a few hours but then what do you do?"

ok you could then do:

1)story mission
2)taxi mission
3)vigilante mission
4)ambulance mission
5)look for secret packages
5)look for easter eggs
6)multiplayer i could just put in all the modes for mltiplaye but im not going to
7)rack up a 6 star wanted level and see how long you survive
8)rob a few banks
9)get yourself drunk and see how long your car lasts
10)shoot as many civilians as possible
11)see how many police you can kill with just a baseball bat
12)cause a massive road block and blow it up!
13)see how much carnage you can cause before your ps3/360 throws up its hands and says "are you serious"
14)go online and see if anyone is up for a drunken race
15)go online and doexactly the same as all the stuff i told you but in FREE ROAM

and more!

im sure if you have a creative mind other than to run folk over in a bus you will find something else to do. even stuff i havnt mentioned

I know that there is a lot to do in the GTA games but these types of games don't appeal to me. The only Sandbox I have ever enjoyed was Crackdown and that was due to the super powers.

dallan262:
and i agree the hype is sky high for this title and we all know what hype does to a game (points at halo 3) but i think it has enough diffrences from san andreas to warrant a rent if not a purchase, i know that they have fixed the horrible aiming they improved driving so you cant rely on that trust handbrake anymore the way the wanted works has been changed and then theres the 2 obvious ones multiplayer and graphic overhaul

its fine o wait and see whats what since its this hyped but theres nothing wrong with looking forward to it GTAs tend to have people hooked for quite some time so i dont see why GTA:IV wont

Halo 3 was an FPS. There's never been an FPS released that ever warranted as much hype as GTA IV.

I find it really odd that so many people are giving this a lukewarm reaction. I mean, c'mon people, this is the biggest release in the history of next gen.

I don't think it's hyped up enough!

Agreed..this is big. I've always enjoyed the GTA a games. I'll admit that i tend to get bored of them faster than some other more structure games.

meh... the GTA series, although entertaining for a while, seems to get pretty boring to me after a few hours. All in all, even with missions, its really the same stuff over and over again. Steal car, shoot someone, drive around town for a while, steal another car, get a mission, drive off a cool jump, blow some stuff up, drive around, shoot someone, blow stuff up, shoot someone, hit someone. If GTA IV managed to break out of the mold and make it a little less... routine... then I might be interested. The driving part usually actuallybores me, its not really challenging and the mechanics could use some tweaking.

Oh, and unless they've changed the perspective, GTA is by definition NOT an FPS (FIRST person shooter). The game is usually in 3rd person.

I ignored the hype machine for this game as my heart was broken ever since I saw Master Chief sitting under a bubble way back in 2006 and Halo 3 campaign was a wank stain on my table cloth.

However I (subconciously, I think) ignored the hype machine for GTA IV right up until yesterday when my friend told me to read about it on Wikipedia. Now one week of waiting still feels 2 years of waiting. However I did go against my beleif's of "try-before-you-buy" and put a £20 deposit on the thing today because I bum-raped all of the GTA III chronicles. Halo 3 also forced me into the rental strategy because let's face it they shat into a disk and charged you £40. GTA IV has also forced me to hate people that I don't know too well such as a friend of a friend works in a game store and now has it 5 days earlier than me! The bastard...

I think looking at the trailers, they have either put too many polygons in to the game so graphically it is inferior to many of its competitors or its graphics simply aren't very good. It is esentially the same game being released each time albeit better graphics or bigger city or more guns. Personally I think that it is similar to Halo 3: hyped up to be the biggest thing since bacon sandwiches and it will recieve dozens of comments and reviews going 0mG!?>!?! GTAIV 1s lIk3 the grAt3st gAmE eVar!?<!!!!>!!! but when you play it, you just think meh and go and eat some cheese on toast.

But this is gaming blasphemy and I will get so much stick, it will be like an entire bloody tree.

The only worry i have is about the story and characters not living up to the masterpiece that is San Andreas. Could Nico really be as interesting as CJ?

Have you detractors actually read what this version of GTA is bringing to the table before writing it off as "the same game being released each time albeit better graphics..." etc?

Of course, if you hated the previous installments of the GTA series, having gone through the story-lines and stuff, the only thing that they are adding that is a lot different is multiplayer mechanics that might be worth a look at.

It's true, it is just an improved iteration of GTA but what has been improved is really what we should take a look at.

-As mentioned by even detractors, the game is better looking.
-It is, from what I heard, the first commercial video game to be released using euphoria, so therefore civ reactions/phyics will be improved.
-The driving mechanics have changed to better simulate differences between to cars and to enhance the experience.
-If you don't like driving, you can take a cab anywhere in the city as well.
-Shooting mechanics have changed from awful to something like Gears of War or Uncharted, making use of cover and aiming. Headshots kill.
-The story looks interesting.
-You can cultivate friendships and recieve perks if you do it well.
-The city is, in area, smaller than the area of San Andreas. However, it is far more detailed.
-You can play darts, bowling, go to a comedy club, etc.
-There are several very interesting looking multiplayer modes, that look like they almost guarantee hours and hours of fun.

I don't know, if sandbox games don't appeal to you then they don't and GTA IV will probably not be far different. There is a storyline that they put a lot of effort in that you can follow but it still is a sandbox game and if you can't create goals within that sandbox that seem fun, then it's not going to be for you.

Of course, this is just based on what I've read so far. I'm sure I'll have a review up within a week or two of purchasing this game and getting it home. I do think, however, that from all the work they've put in it, it's worth at least a rent. GTA games are not something you're going to 'get' or enjoy if you just play an hour at a friends house (though, that might not be true of multiplayer). You have to actually sit down and give it a fair play from the starting. Anyway, I'll stop right now, I don't want to look like anymore of a fanboy. ;)

I wonder what the amount of requests Yahtzee is going to get in his inbox to review this will look like? "You have 4823 unread messages."

Man when that game comes out, I will play the living shit out of it. ON 360. By getting every single achievement, and every single mission and side mission done. Oh wait. How many years will that take?

bamforth:
I wonder what the amount of requests Yahtzee is going to get in his inbox to review this will look like? "You have 4823 unread messages."

rofl. He will probably do the same thing to GTA 4 that he did to Devil May Cry 4. No series based on any form of media, has ever still been good after shaken down for sequels. Then again, he might praise the shit out of it like he did to CoD 4.

Programmed_For_Damage:

One thing I am concerned about is it dominating my life for the next month or so due to the addictive nature of these games. Any idea how many hours they reckon you could squeeze out of this baby?

Some playtesters made it through the game in 25 hours without doing anything but the story missions. Rockstar has stated that you should be able to get 100 hours of play time out of the game. That's not taking into account multiplayer I believe.

Fun fact: Rockstar claimed that there was 40 hours of playtime in San Andreas. I did a "story only" run through and it took me closer to 20. Somewhere in there you could probably do a mathematical equation and figure out how much more content has been added to this game. Then again, maybe not.

*stops mid-way though writing spam for Yahtzee's inbox and tries to look innocent* Although that said, I'd be too nervious to see his review - after watching them, they can highlight something that you wouldn't normally care about and then it starts showing up. Damn you, my traitorous former countryman. What have the Australians got that we haven't? (aside from sun, pleasant environments, alots of killer insects, etc ;))

buy teh haloz:

bamforth:
I wonder what the amount of requests Yahtzee is going to get in his inbox to review this will look like? "You have 4823 unread messages."

rofl. He will probably do the same thing to GTA 4 that he did to Devil May Cry 4. No series based on any form of media, has ever still been good after shaken down for sequels. Then again, he might praise the shit out of it like he did to CoD 4.

*ponders spamming Yahztee's inbox about the contradiction there ;)*