» Sat Jun 30, 2012 2:54 pm
I like the approach that Rockstar takes with their games. Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed have completely lost my interest at this point because of the titles being released annually with few differences from their predecessors. I wish that companies would at least take two years to develop each game, even sports titles. Maybe then I would actually buy new games (I've only purchased two new games in the last two years...).
As for GTA IV, I thought it was a good game, but a bad GTA game. I would probably rate GTA III, Vice City, and San Andreas above it, simply because there is more to do in those games. I don't mind the darker atmosphere in GTA IV at all. It's just that there wasn't enough well-placed humor to give those serious moments more impact. The main let-down for me was that there wasn't much to do. The previous titles had diversions (like paramedics and vigilante diversions), but they weren't there in GTA IV. The weapon selection was poor, the car customization was removed, no planes or tanks, lackluster cheats, and the character customization was pathetic. There weren't even that many places to explore, so it felt like a chore to navigate the map.
I also found bowling, comedy clubs, watching tv, etc. to be incredibly boring. I got a good laugh when I saw Saints Row 2 ads http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcHkfLgsqZo for that. But with all of that being said, the multiplayer in GTA IV was excellent. Overall, I don't think it was a bad game, I just thought it was very boring for a GTA game. Hopefully GTA V will have some fun weapons, cheats, activities, and vehicles to use.