Hardware Geeks

Yup, I was one of the unwashed masses that stood in line last night at midnight to pick up their copy of GTA IV and I had a chance to play a little bit before I figured I should get some sleep before having to get up in four hours for work.  Here’s just a few thoughts on what I’ve played so far…

First, let me just start off by saying that the game looks absolutely gorgeous. I have the 360 version myself, but I hear both 360 and PS3 versions are pretty much on par with each other in the graphics department, and man are they staggering. Shadows, lighting, all the different textures applied to the different surfaces… truly a technological marvel if I’ve ever seen one.

There’s no cookie-cutter buildings in this GTA, all the buildings have their own distinct feel to them, and I don’t think a single texture is repeated from one block to the next, and if they are, I didn’t notice them.

Anyway, on to the game play.

The first thing you’re introduced to after the opening cinematic is the new driving physics. Driving is a completely different beast than it has been in the past. The cars actually handle like real cars, I felt more like I was playing Gran Turismo or Forza Motorsport when driving a car than a GTA game. One thing I noticed right away is the braking. Apparently, the few cars I had the chance to drive so far don’t believe in having ABS systems installed. I found myself slamming on the brakes to make a turn, only to either go sailing through the intersection and missing my turn entirely, or I ended up slamming into oncoming traffic or a wall. I am by no means saying the driving is bad, it just takes getting used to.

After driving around a while, I finally started to get the hang of how the driving mechanics worked and I ended up having less accidents. I didn’t get the chance to explore the city too much, because a majority of the city is inaccessible due to the bridges being closed down because of a “terrorist threat”, and even then, the parts of the city I did have access to, I was too busy doing missions I didn’t have time to explore.

The thing I was kind of impressed with was the fact I played for a little over an hour and a half, and I never fired one shot. Sure I beat up a couple of loan sharks and pushed a guy through a glass window to his demise on the street below, but I never fired one shot. Mostly due to the fact that access to weapons hasn’t been opened up yet, but still, even if I had, there’s kind of a different vibe with this GTA that makes you want to act a little more reserved with the firepower. Hell, I even slowed down to pay a toll on a bridge rather than just crashing through the gate.

Other activities I engaged in was a surprisingly enjoyablle date with one of Niko’s new lady friends to the local bowling alley and a trip to strip club with Niko’s cousin Roman. The bowling game was pretty cool, though I did horrible. It will probably take a little more practice to get the nuances of the game down to the point where I can actually roll the ball down the alley at a faster speed than two miles an hour.

As for the strip club, after getting some personal one on one time with one of the dancing ladies in the backroom, I walked out into the main room, at which point I decided to see what would happen if I jumped up on the stage. The reaction I got was a lot different than previous GTA games. In the previous games, jumping on the stage in a strip club resulted in nobody even batting an eye, as if you were almost expected to be up there. Not the case in GTA IV. In keeping with the more realistic feel, strippers crouch and cower in fear while screaming, patrons scatter, and bouncers rush you from all different parts of the club. Needless to say, I was NOT expecting this.

Roman and I had to make a hasty retreat to the exit, where the door bouncer started chasing us through the parking lot. His mistake. After pummeling the bouncer into submission, I took Roman home, and I went to the safehouse to save my game and call it an evening. All I can say is, from the brief smidgen I was able to play last night, I still cannot stop thinking about the game, even as I type this while sitting at my desk in my work office. The remainder of the day will be spent on agonizing pins and needles as I wait to get home and slap GTA IV into my 360 and start playing again.

Pick up GTA at Circuit City, they are giving out $10 dollar gift cards with the purchase of GTA on any system.

Post Tags: xbox 360  gta iv 

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