GTA IV

[Mrbloodworth]

If it's ugly (which it is)

You should have your head examined.

No, it's absolutely ugly as fuck. But that doesn't mean it isn't well-crafted. It is NASTY ugly. Like, holy shit how did they spend so much money ugly.

You mean it looks like New york?

[Prospero]

Liberty City Police Face Allegations Of Incompetence, Brutality

[Murgos]

Clever.

[Azazel]

SR kind of seems more true to the wackyness and style of the GTA3 series than GTA4.

[Samwise]

Holy shit that mission with the bikes in the subway is awesome.

[LK]

Holy shit that mission with the bikes in the subway is awesome.

I managed to kill the nigh-invincible biker after we popped off the bridge because of the train wreck and onto the side.  But that whole sequence was one of the more memorable parts.

[Hawkbit]

Pc version confirmed today for 11/18/08. 

[Samwise]

The sad thing is that having already bought this on the PS3, I'll probably rebuy it on the PC just so I can play with a goddamn mouse again.

[Azazel]

More details:

Rockstar has today confirmed what the gaming world has long suspected - Grand Theft Auto IV will indeed be coming to the good old PC, and it will be happening in November.

North America will be the first to receive the port on the 18th, with Europe following shortly after on the 21st. There's been no word of an Australian release date as of yet, but you can be sure it won't be too far behind.

We reviewed Grand Theft Auto IV on the PlayStation 3 when the game was released a few months back, and we thought it was rather good, to say the least.

The game has since gone on to sell lots and lots and lots of copies, and was removed from sale in Thailand earlier this week.

And on that Thai thing...

Rockstar's blockbuster hit Grand Theft Auto IV has been pulled from stores in Thailand, following claims from a teenager that it motivated him to kill a taxi driver and steal his car.

The 18 year old high school student committed the crimes on the weekend, and was discovered soon afterwards with the wounded driver in the backseat. He confessed to his crimes yesterday - if found guilty, he faces the death penalty.

"He said he wanted to find out if it was as easy in real life to rob a taxi as it was in the game," said chief investigator Veeravit Pipattanasak to Reuters. Apparently, the student was an 'obsessive player' of the game.

As a result, the game's distributor in the region, New Era, has removed the game from sale.

"We are sending out requests today to outlets and shops to pull the games off their shelves and we will replace them with other games," said Sakchai Chotikachinda, New Era Sales and Marketing Director.

So anyway, I'm going to have to chase up a UK copy for the PC somehow.

[schild]

You're in Thailand? What?

Fuck, reading is hard.

[Sky]

Where did the notion of an october release for GTA4/PC come from to begin with?

I was calling October a while ago, going off an old release date. With this release, it looks like November.

Woohoo!

[WayAbvPar]

There is an off chance I will pick this up just for MP. I got pwned mercilessly by all the thumb aiming Halo fucktards on XBL, and I needs me some payback.

[LK]

Asians are crazy. 

[Yegolev]

There is an off chance I will pick this up just for MP. I got pwned mercilessly by all the thumb aiming Halo fucktards on XBL, and I needs me some payback.

Ho ho, you should have seen how I headshotted a guy fleeing me in a Banshee so I could take his car.  Even my wife had to give me proper respect for that one.

My primary weapon in any firefight is the pistol.  I'm all about the thumbstick headshots.

[NiX]

Even my wife had to give me props for that one.

Fixed it for you. Now I have a funny mental picture of you and your wife doing something like this...

[WayAbvPar]

Heh. I picked a guy off a moving tank in BF2 the other day (I could just see the upper half of his head as the tank rolled behind a building) and was all "Honey?? Did you see that??".

She wasn't that impressed. I don't think she understands what kind of skilz it took to make that shot.

[slog]

Isn't the PC version of this supposed to be out today?

[NiX]

Apparently it's slated for Dec 2.

[Velorath]

The 360 exclusive DLC is finally given an official release date of Feb 17th.

Six months after the release of Grand Theft Auto 4, details of the much-hyped episodic downloadable content have emerged. And no, it's definitely not 28 Days Later-style zombie outbreaks or a return trip to San Andreas.
Instead, USA Today is reporting that the narrative, titled "Lost and Damned" and due February 17, will shift to The Lost biker gang member Johnny Klebitz. Klebitz is described as being "very different" from former protagonist Niko Bellic, with Niko himself fading into the background and only making a few cameo apperances

"I can't go into too much detail on the story, because we try not to give away too much plot before the game is released," said Rockstar Games vice president of creative development Dan Houser. "But I can say that the story will show you a different side of Liberty City."

[Murgos]

20 bucks?  It better be more than just a new character and a couple of missions.

[Hawkbit]

GTA 4 has Securom, and requires a fuckton of other shit running to play it. 

From http://pc.ign.com/articles/934/934268p1.html :

What do I need to do to start playing GTA IV on my PC?

Rockstar: A copy of the game (retail disc or digital distribution) and a computer that meets the minimum system specifications is required. An internet connection, assorted software installations, and certain service registrations are required for activation and use of all the software features. The minimum system specifications, recommended system specifications, required software installations and other requirements are listed at the end of this document.

You will need an active internet connection to activate the software and the retail disk is required to be in the computer drive in order to play.

In order to upload videos to our internet site and play online multi-player modes, you will also need an active internet connection and accounts with both Rockstar Games Social Club and Games for Window-LIVE.

GTA IV PC also requires a number of software installations, including Games For Windows, Adobe Flash, Internet Explorer, SecuROM and our Rockstar Games Social Club application.

[apocrypha]

I fully expect the next generation of DRM to consist of a hardware device which you must insert your dick into so that nails can be pounded into it.

[Azazel]

I've come to the conclusion that I don't mind the heavy-handed DRM so much on PC titles, IF it's removed a year or so on, like they did with Bioshock (which I just bought, because they totally removed the DRM on it.)

Saw Mass Effect on sale the other day, but the DRM is still holding me back. That and my pile of unplayed games.

[eldaec]

/sigh

Won't bother then.

[schild]

You're not missing anything. GTA IV was a let down from beginning to end.

[BitWarrior]

You're not missing anything. GTA IV was a let down from beginning to end.

I couldn't disagree more

[schild]

You're not missing anything. GTA IV was a let down from beginning to end.

I couldn't disagree more

OK.

[Rasix]

GTA IV was somewhat of a let down for me.  It was great initially, as the production values, the attention to detail, the driving controls, and first set of missions do a good job of drawing you into the world they created.  However, I stalled out on this one just like I stalled out on every iteration of the GTA 3 set bar San Andreas.

-The missions are pretty uneven as far as difficulty. 
-There's far too much driving set up before you get to the meat of any mission. 
-There's no check point for mission retries other than attempting a mission in the condition you failed it in and at the very start of it. Fast travel helps some via cab, but doesn't do it for a decent amount of the missions.
-Saints Row 2 ads hit the nail on the head as depicting the buddy activities as boring.
-After playing other titles, the game looks plain ugly.

Coming back and playing the game for an hour, all of the above immediately reminded me why I put the game down. San Andreas was a game I was able to revisit many times.  There was just so much stuff to do and what you're asked to do was mostly interesting.  And all of the customization.. I initially dismissed this all useless fluff when Hammer Frenzy brought it up, but I miss my golden dreadlocks, black velour track suit and kangol hat. All that greets you coming back to GTA IV is Vladistock FM and staining your bumper with pedestrian internals.  Unfortunately, both start to grate on you after a while.

Fake edit: I traded this title back in recently.  I don't anticipate ever regretting this decision.  Hopefully the next GTA IV takes itself a little less seriously.

[nurtsi]

Anyone bought this for the PC yet? Looks like the DRM is giving people trouble when trying to activate the game. Anyone got first hand experience?

[Xuri]

DRM might be giving people trouble when trying to activate the game, but hey! at least it effectively stops those evil pirates!

[Sky]

Waiting to finish Fallout 3 first.

[raydeen]

What's the hatred for Securom? Is it just annoying and/or invasive or does it eat brains like Starforce?

[NiX]

What's the hatred for Securom? Is it just annoying and/or invasive or does it eat brains like Starforce?

It's getting to a StarForce level. It's known for causing other games to act weird and even disabling your drive from playing anything.

[Big Gulp]

It's getting to a StarForce level. It's known for causing other games to act weird and even disabling your drive from playing anything.

Piracy: The Better Choice

[nurtsi]

On top of the DRM issues, it seems like the game is  a buggy piece of shit [GameSpot] as well. I guess it's indeed time to sail to the bay on the Swedish coast...