Franky's Gamer Blog: GTA IV: Does it Live Up to the Hype? (Xbox 360 Version Reviewed)

Grand Theft Auto IV
Reviewed

(Picture barowed from an Ebay seller, thanx, don't sue me plz!)

As a smart gamer, I, like any who wanted a good surprise, did my best to ignore the hype of the famed sequel: Grand Theft Auto IV (4). I kept telling myself that because they (they being the developers) took out all my favorite features (ie. building skills, leaving out the ability to gain girlfriends) much of the supposed subtractions were mere rumors anyway, would make the next installment in one of my favorite game franchises an bore. I thought it would be like anyother mediocre, open world game, dry and limited and a Russian version of Saints Row, and since Saints Row was fair, but not a blockbuster hit, or a game worth keeping in my library, I wasn't very optimistic about GTA IV. I figured I'd pick up the Collector's Edition of GTA IV, frolic around for a while with my rocket launcher, and later pawn it off for a more meaningful game (keeping the safety deposit box and all that great swag). Boy was I wrong! Grand Theft Auto IV is everything and more that the press said it would be! It has knocked out all the annoying features of the previous game, making game play more seamless and easy to maneuver as well as minimal the distractions (we all know how hard it is to keep on track with the missions and not just run around on rampages and theft crazes) but GTA IV makes it much easier to not only follow the storyline, but actually relate to it. And the characters are much more likable, Roman, your zany cousin, is just plain hilarious! And getting a girlfriend almost right off the bat is a real plus (no one wants to be lonely in their virtual world). Niko is actually a really nice guy, and you can't help but like his cool, calm, badass attitude, which is really important since the main character that you play as in any RPG/Open world should reflect you in some way. All storyline and game play aside (those are the most important of course) Grand Theft Auto IV has simply stunning graphics. The character shadings are great, and even though they don't look "real" in the sense, they have their own, GTA brand stylized characteristics. The backgrounds are beautiful in every sense of the word, and the way the lighting mechanics work during each time of the day is pretty amazing. My only beef with the graphics are the hands, like in all the GTA's, the hands of each "human" are so square and lifeless, and never implore good movement. That is, of course, a miner setback, as there are so many more upsides that way over the downsides. And I have to say, the cars are Soooooooo Beautiful! Though the cars aren't labeled as brand name in the game, you can easily tell what they really are, with logos that cleverly resemble the real ones from far away. Of the dozens of great cars, may favorites include a 1970 Charger in many colors and forms such as convertible, hot imports like Lambo's and Ferrari's, plus huge SUV's like Hummer H2's and Chevy Tahoe's, all glorious and available in numerous paint jobs and custom versions.

Since I haven't yet beaten this Awsome, yet long-ass game I can't yet give it a proper rating, but here is what I have so far:
Rating Catagory Score
Awsome Rating: Awsome
#/10: : 9.5/10
Sars : ****1/2
Fame Hot Scale : Flaming Hot!
BadAss : Very, Very BA
*I use 5 levels of ratings to bring you the best possible measurement to your liking. If you have other ways/measurements of rating, let me know!

This 100+ hour beauty is a must buy for any gamer. If you haven't already picked your copy of GTA IV up, you better search for one soon, since most places have already begun to sell out in-store, and the online stocks are beginning to dwindle fast. If you had hopes for the Collector's Edition, I'd start looking for online auctions and third party retailers, cuz' this games going, and going fast!

Check out my copy of GTA IV: Collector's Edit.
(PS3 Version pictured, so you can see the plate, mine is the Xbox 360 version, I don't know if there is a difference, but I

here the 360 one is better)

It Came With:

A Metal Safety Deposit box: This bad-boy is made of strong metal, with a textured paint casing so it won't get scratched. It isn't dinky, or miniscuel in the least bit, capable of storing all your most treasured items (unless they're larger than about a foot in length)
A Sample of the GTA IV Soundtrack: Get a taste of the world famous GTA sound, packed with some of the best tunes from your favorite GTA radio stations.
A Nylon Supa'Strong Duffel Back: Complete with 2 pockets and the R* Rockstar Logo, this hefty back is big enough to carry around your saftey deposit box in the most sinister of ways.
A Shiny R* Rockstar Logo Keychain: Nice 'n' shiny, durable keychain to carry around your safety deposit box keys.