Well, it's done. I got my copy of GTA4 reserved at the local Gamestop a day ago. This will actually be my first GTA game that I haven't waited for the PC release, but I think my 360 should handle the job nicely for now. If not, I'll just wait a year and pick up the PC version, which I am sure will run better, play better, and look better than either the 360 or the PS3. Ah, but who cares about that - if this game is half as fun as it looks, I don't think I'll even be thinking about all that once I start playing!
To be honest, I've been purposefully avoiding reading too much about the game, so that I can head on in with no expectations. Rockstar has blown the dust off the hype machine, and has been releasing lots of new information on their site over the last few days, and there was even a big photo of the game's city map floating around on the game news blogs a few days ago. I've yet to visit the site though, and I only took a brief look at the map (to see if it looked real, of course). Other than that, I just know a few odds and ends of technical information about the game (check out the Euphoria physics technology they're using... just turn down the crummy music), and not much else.
Well, nothing else except for multiplayer. I have actually read a bit about that, and I think that's going to be one of the best parts of the game. Rockstar finally included a fully loaded multiplayer component in GTA4, and it's looking to be capable of throwing up to 16 people in the city at once. Unfortunately, there's no co-op mission play, but between all the different multiplayer modes, I don't think I'll regret the lack of co-op much. I like the way Rockstar usually does the story-telling in GTA games anyway, so if it remains untainted by multiplayer, that's fine by me.
So yeah, I am gearing up for some fun times in Liberty City. I'm going to cut this post short, because I don't really have much more to say about this for now, other than I am pretty excited about it. Hopefully the game turns out to be good, huh?
GTA4 is out on April 29... better reserve a copy if you haven't already!
2 Comments
I have a feeling the GTA4 may be my Game of the Year … as in the only game I buy this year … unless I score a Wii, then all bets are off. I’ve never been a GTA fan. I piddled with the original GTA3 one day and I thought it was pretty interesting, but I didn’t have the GPU horsepower or gamepad to make it enjoyable. But This. This is the first GTA to actually excite me, it looks fantastic. Being a dislocated New Yorker is definitely a big part of the appeal.
You should pick up a copy of Vice City or San Andreas! Both games vastly improved upon what GTA3 built, and added a lot more cool stuff along the way. San Andreas is easily the best one, but as far as size, difficulty, and fun goes, I prefer Vice City.
I’m pretty excited about the new graphics in this game too though – it seems it’s been forever (well, since GTA3) that we’ve had a GTA game that actually pushes the technology a bit. The physics will hopefully be pretty nice as well, and to have a city that’s a lot like the real New York – well, it’s all for the better. I’ve only been there once, but the allure of that city being turned into a virtual playground is impossible to ignore!