haha, i got two copies by accident. i guess i preordered a year ago then forgot and preordered again last month. dumb amazon! i guess i will flog one of the copies to someone at work.

awesome game, btw. ive only played for 4 hours or so, but all the little details are amazing. it's taking me a bunch of tries to get used to the car and/or fist fighting controls, but shooting is a lot tighter and more fun.

they certainly did a good job of making the city feel a lot more alive, too.

Does anyone get how darts works? I got bullseyes every single time and never won

do you know how darts work irl?

you have a total number (like.. 300 or 500 usually, i think) and you have to build up to and hit that number exactly. if you go over, you wasted your turn.

getting bullseyes is fine until you have like 20 points left to get, then you obviously need to hit a 20 to win.

i havent played darts in the game yet, but yeah it might work the same way?

Ooooh that's how it works.

I thought you had to get the highest points possible, being bullseye every time.

WELL THEN

Picked up my Ps3 copy of it today, but haven't had too much of a chance to play it.

Man I am kind of really disappointed. I've got like 3 hours into it and I'm at 11% already. Even the Stories games had more content.

Man I am kind of really disappointed. I've got like 3 hours into it and I'm at 11% already. Even the Stories games had more content.

Most of the percentage is in extra stuff like getting everyone's respect/like meter to 100% and doing all the side missions.  If I remember correctly, doing all the story missions in San Andreas was only 40% of the total game.  Rockstar said in an interview that they cut out a lot of crap that they felt was unnecessary (hidden packages and a bajillion collectibles) and I'm sure multiplayer will be a big time waster.  I hate playing multiplayer on consoles but my friend let me play his game and I actually enjoy it.

Coolest thing to happen to me so far is jumping a bridge and landing ontop of an old guy.  This woman standing next to me backs up, looks around, then claps her hands as she says "That was FUCKING SUH-WEET DUDE!"

Most of the percentage is in extra stuff like getting everyone's respect/like meter to 100% and doing all the side missions.  If I remember correctly, doing all the story missions in San Andreas was only 40% of the total game.  Rockstar said in an interview that they cut out a lot of crap that they felt was unnecessary (hidden packages and a bajillion collectibles) and I'm sure multiplayer will be a big time waster.  I hate playing multiplayer on consoles but my friend let me play his game and I actually enjoy it.

Coolest thing to happen to me so far is jumping a bridge and landing ontop of an old guy.  This woman standing next to me backs up, looks around, then claps her hands as she says "That was FUCKING SUH-WEET DUDE!"

That's my problem though. I don't enjoy multiplayer, and I actually really liked all of that 'unnecessary crap'. It is actually kind of wrecking the experience for me because it's been nothing but mission after mission because I don't care to explore when I have no reason to, which is one of the reasons hidden packages were good. In all of the other games I've tried going for the 100%, but I doubt I will with this one because most of the extra shit in this is NOT FUN

I heard a lot of good stuff about the game, but unfortunately I don't play video games enough to (in my mind) validate the large sum of money I'd need to get a 360 and Live and all the games I'd need, so... I don't see this coming out on the Wii, so that sucks, but I'll play it at my friends' houses I guess. It sounds fun!

I've never been in love with the series, really, but I always enjoyed taking a nice motorbike ride through Vice City and beating up old guys, and staking out in malls, chucking grenades and building a fort with the benches. If you can still do that stuff, it's probably good enough for me.

Well, after much playing I've come to the conclusion that this is (as gametrailers said) definitely the most "friendly" GTA in terms of getting new players to the series.  A lot of the hardcore collecting and stuff is gone, it's much more story oriented, and a lot of the bitch work you had to do in previous games is gone (friends and girlfriends will now set up dates before their respect/love meter lowers). 

This is kind of a mixed good and bad to me.  The combat and driving has been tweaked to the point where it no longer feels broken and could be part of a normal action game itself and while the missions start out with the generic "FIND VINNY'S ROMAN'S MONEY" they end up becoming pretty cool and varied once you get past the beginning training levels.  The script and writing has definitely taken a huge leap and Niko is actually a kind of likeable character.

All in all it's pretty DIFFERENT.  So different that actual fans of previous GTA's will be put off by it.  I think it's a step in the right direction but it's a definite rental.

That's my problem though. I don't enjoy multiplayer, and I actually really liked all of that 'unnecessary crap'. It is actually kind of wrecking the experience for me because it's been nothing but mission after mission because I don't care to explore when I have no reason to, which is one of the reasons hidden packages were good. In all of the other games I've tried going for the 100%, but I doubt I will with this one because most of the extra shit in this is NOT FUN

you're arguing FOR pointless pseudo-content?

you're arguing FOR pointless pseudo-content?

Absolutely.

What is the point in having a giant city if you don't want to explore it? That little shit not only gave alley ways and rooftops purpose, but it was a buffer between story tasks, and you got GOOD REWARDS for doing it.

Now all there is is story, dates which include stupid games like BOWLING which are boring and forced as shit, and... driving. WOO.

and the driving is really slow and annoying.  if i wanted to play gran turismo i would have bought it BRING ME BACK MY ARCADE STYLE DRIVING

I am seriously put off by this game.  It feels more like THE GETAWAY than it does Grand Theft Auto.  During the first mission where you drive to your pad I actually said out loud "Annoying controls?  Annoying camera?  Cover system?  Is this shit The Getaway 3?"

Maybe I'll warm up to it once I get deeper in the story and more shit becomes open for me to do but it is very very slow going.  I don't mind doing pointless pseudo-tasks like package collection but when I'm forced to chug around in cars with exagerrated shocks and citizens that want to pound my face in at every corner... fuck.

if you really like exploring a big, full of life city, then you shouldn't really need rotating golden discs that collecting 50 of will get you some type of prize to do it.  the joy of exploration isn't precluded by a lack of fluff content.  you may have a point about HEY I GOT COOL REWARDS FOR IT, but i don't think it's that big a deal.  i wandered around the areas in morrowind and oblivion even when i knew there probably were secret hordes of treasure waiting for me, because the locations genuinely had some interesting stuff to just SEE.  if they did a good job designing the city, it should be the same in gta 4.

also, idk, i'll buy this game in the next few days.  i have a test tomorrow and a paper due the next day and blah blah blah, so i don't want to buy some really involving game, but i don't have much to do over the weekend, so i might pick it up then.


edit.  did they really make the driving that bad?  why in god's name would they want the driving in a gta game to be hyper-realistic?

Everything in the city is all crammed together though and it's actually kind of BLURRY or something. There's just too much.

Although while I say I like exploring I really don't like exploring without a purpose at all. I truly do need the fluff to keep me entertained. I mean... I like hearing what the people have to say and also seeing shit and being like HEY THAT'S COOL but I need something between that. Idk I just don't like doing shit without a reason I guess.

edit: also yeah the driving is pretty poor. most cars handle really uh... haphazardly and you go flying like 900 feet away from the car on impact with the smallest thing.

I have a hi-def tv so the blur effect isn't that bad and the city looks pretty good (there's even shit like leaves and trash that blows around in the wind) but yes, the driving is annoying.  I wouldn't be surprised if they had a driving school course that mimicked the annoying tutorial sessions from gran turismo.

honestly at this point if you don't have an HD tv and are going to complain about blurriness it's kind of on you, considering that's pretty much THE FUTURE you gotta catch up to.

I DO have a high def tv with the component cables. It is just really blurry because there's so much going on.