Grand Theft Auto 4
May 23rd 2008 06:10
Let me start this off by saying, If you don't enjoy animated violence and running rife through a world that suspiciously looks like a replica of New York City then this isn't the game for you. However, if that sounds like your cup of tea, your in heaven!
GTA4 has pushed the boundaries of the Xbox 360 and brings graphics and the use of a new physic engine to you in a whole new way. Natural Motion Euphoria is the engine which puts the out dated rag doll to shame. Now crashing your motorbike will show us an eastern European man hurdling through the air before smashing and tumbling along the ground in what seems so real you almost feel sorry for him.
The shadow of this game are by far the best i have seen in a game to date. Every little bit of criss crossed metal beam of the railways, bridges and guard rails cast a great shadow, Not to mention everything else in the world. But thats not even the amazing part, The tiny gaps between the bridges structure will let light through and onto the ground. This looks stunning when its midday and the sun is shining directly over the tracks portraying a shadow and light pattern across the road.
The textures are all very smooth, The cars so shiny, The buildings so slick. The individual bricks on the side of houses are even noticeable. The sounds actually shocked me, I've never had a game where the sounds sounded so realistic. The gun fire sounds great, running on concrete, dirt, tin roofs, cars, it all sounds right. Even down to hopping a chain link fence sounds realistic.
Compared to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (The last in this series of games) Grand Theft Auto 4 really takes everything a notch higher. The graphics are completely unseen before in any type of massive open world game and the level of detail is great. Liberty City feels like it has been alive for years and you really have just stepped off the boat to begin your adventure.
The cover system is a great idea and is similar to Gears Of War. However it can be annoying during fire fights when your trying to attach yourself to one wall and he'll slide out to a different area, resulting in your death. A reoccurring problem with the GTA series is money. Money will buy you weapons, food, clothes, taxis, hospital bills, police bribes and even helicopter tours. However even with all that you still end up with a good 500 thousand at the end that will be near useless in the long run.
The missions are repetitive however the great storyline and interesting character developments will have you forgetting you've done this 30 times before hand. The cut scenes are also great, The camera angles have been well thought out during these and makes it have more of a cinema feel than a game. It took 300 people, 5 years to create this! No wonder they've nearly gotten everything so spot on.
All in all, I think this game has really shown us what the Xbox 360 is capable of doing. I would say this is one of the few games that is completely aimed at adults and is definitely worth picking up a copy.
If you're interested in the achievements click here
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