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Grand Theft Auto IV | 
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| From: Rockstar Games
Category: Video Games
List Price: $59.99
Buy Used: $23.89
You Save: $36.10 (60%)
New (49) Used (64) from $23.89
Rating:  254 reviews
Sales Rank: 65
Platform: Playstation 3
Genre: role_playing_games
ESRB: Mature
Media: Video Game
Edition: Standard
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Age: 17 - 20 years
Operating System: Playstation 3
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 0.1 x 0.1 x 0
MPN: 37011
Model: 15782621
UPC: 710425372339
EAN: 0710425370113
ASIN: B000HKP88C
Release Date: April 29, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Carry on the Grand Theft Auto tradition playing through the single player campaign as Niko Bellic | | • | Get cars and other modes of transportation anyway you can | | • | Interact with various colorful characters who give you various missions to engage in | | • | Engage in multiplayer challenges ranging from cover matches to shoot-outs | | • | Game Rated 'M' due to Intense Violence, Blood, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Partial Nudity, Use of Drugs and Alcohol |
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| Customer Reviews: Read 249 more reviews...
 A Masterpiece. Video Games as Art. May 1, 2008
67 out of 86 found this review helpful
Let it be said that I've never liked GTA. But I decided to get GTA4 after reading several articles about the change in direction they were taking and my god, has it paid off. This game is PHENOMENAL.
The Good:
Graphics-
Even though this game is running at 640p and is upscaled on PS3, this is a BEAUTIFUL game. It has some of the best and most natural looking water and light effects I've ever seen that appear photorealistic at times. I often stop and just stare at the waves or park and watch the sun hitting the road as it sets.
Story-
The voice acting is top notch and the cast has some truly memorable characters. This is one of the few games where I actually have an emotional response when things happen to the main characters...which is no small feat. Sometimes you have to make choices whether someone lives or dies and I found myself really struggling with the decision I thought was appropriate to my character. The pacing is great too. Just as you are getting satisfied with a particular location, you get access to a new islands and contacts so things always feel fresh.
Gameplay-
Thankfully, they eliminated all the things that made past GTAs tedious. No more going to the gym to lift weights, no more being forced to drive twenty minutes across town to do a mission. Finally, you can take a cab and opt to skip the driving when you are in a rush. They've also added a much needed cover system where tapping R1 will let you take cover behind virtually any object. This leads to some truly epic shootouts that will literally have you diving for cover.
They also made your cell phone the menu for the game and you rarely have to leave the game world immersion. Just call up your friends for missions or hanging out and watch Niko talk to them while he walks around the city. You can even buy ringtones, themes, and even get a camera phone and organizer.
There are also 200 music tracks on a dozen radio stations with great music and talk shows on all of them. You can waste hours watching TV at your house, going on dates to see shows or play pool and darts, or you can fool around on dozens of webpages at the internet cafe. Basically, there is a ton of depth here that will give the game dozens of hours of extra traction.
Multiplayer-
Just whip out your cell phone in the single player and hop right in to over 14 online game modes. Imagine running around New York with 15 friends and playing paintball in the streets. To just be able to hop into the whole of Liberty City and do ANYTHING is so fun and chaotic words can't describe it. Just last night, I joined Free Mode, where there are no rules. I proceeded to blow up 3 cop cars and run over a flock of pedestrians before getting plowed over by another player who had stolen a commuter bus and was on a rampage in Times Square. That was just the first 10 minutes. And I was having a blast that even my wife couldn't turn away from.
The Bad:
Other than minor framerate and A.I. glitches, my biggest complaint is that the game does some unnecessary forced loading. When you die on a mission instead of just asking you if you want to retry it, you die, it loads a respawn at the hospital and THEN you are asked to retry the mission, which leads to another load screen.
Every time you launch the game, you are forced to sit through a 2 minute intro movie. I suspect this is to distract you while the game loads in the background more than it is to set a mood, but it would still have been nice to be able to skip it sometimes.
Other than that, the clothing selection feature remains terrible. You have no way to quickly cycle through your wardrobe without having to spend 2-5 seconds loading each new outfit. If you're like me, you bought every outfit as soon as you could only to learn that you had to cycle through every single one anytime you wanted to change clothes. And other than buying clothes, money has absolutely no value in this game. For some reason, they didn't include a casino or the option to buy property, so you amass all this wealth and have virtually nothing to spend it on at the end of the game's main story.
The Verdict:
That said, the sheer freedom and realism of this game signal a landmark in gaming and anyone who likes video games should buy this game. It is the most fun I've ever had with a video game and provides 100+ hours of entertainment for sixty bucks. Despite a few flaws, the amount of content, fun, and depth of this game make it virtually flawless and worth your money.
A Thinking Man's GTA? May 1, 2008
82 out of 109 found this review helpful
Just when you think you have Rockstar Games and their legendary Grand Theft Auto series figured out, they pitch you one heck of a curve. Speaking as a guy who spent so much time running amok in Vice City and San Andreas that I practically had to file tax returns there, I have been consistently surprised by the depth of play in GTA IV. Yes, it's true that the character modeling and some of the action moves are a little choppy, but most of the game looks great. Far more interesting, however, is the fact that this is not a video game per se - it borders on an interactive movie. The crime and violence in fuzzy-lit, pastel colored Vice City is practically cartoonish compared to the gritty reality of life in Liberty City in GTA IV. You're not just a thug with a bat trying to decide which car to lift, you're an immigrant with plenty of emotional baggage, forced into a series of moral quandries the outcomes of which carry implications throughout the entire game. Things you do even turn up later on the in-game radio stations!
Every generation of game console, some game is proclaimed the next coming, be it of graphics, or gameplay, or some other measurable category. GTA IV is different. You can wallow in the muck of street violence and prostitution as always, but there's a deeper moral play going on that feels unlike anything else I've encountered not only in GTA, but in video games in general. Rockstar Games may have finally located that most ephemeral of experiences - one equal parts game and cinema, without belonging entirely to either. It's going to be interesting to see how many critics and politicians seize on only the overt, adult content, without grasping how far more creative and artistic this "game" is than your average deadening FPS or racing game. Rockstar Games is to be commended for what truly deserves to be called "genius."
Great game overall, but one thing for Amazon.....QUIT TAKING DOWN OTHER PEOPLE'S REVIEWS! This game does have its flaws... May 9, 2008
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
Overall, the game is fantastic. The graphics are rich, the animations are fluid, and the GTA series is as fun as ever. If your multiplayer actually works the online experience is deep and very addicting. That is a BIG if that it works. I've had my own problems with the online experience freezing up once in a while, but now with the new patch out it seems to be getting better. But it's still problematic to say the least.
The single player is amazing, like always. The new combat system is better and more intuitive than the old one, the environments are more interactive, and the cut-scenes are as entertaining and hilarious as ever.
The load times are minimal if any, as you install some components of the game to you're PS3 HDD to help speed up the load times. Very useful and keeps the game moving fast and smooth.
Online is worth the price of admission, if yours works right off the bat. Single player, of course is the meat and potatoes of this franchise.
Come for the story-mode, stay for the online and have a blast with one of the deepest and most entertaining video games I've ever experienced. If Oscars were made for video games, this one would win Best Picture, Sound, etc. It's that good and that much fun!
Oh, and Amazon...QUIT TAKING OFF PEOPLE'S REVIEWS JUST BECAUSE THEY DON'T LIKE THE GAME LIKE EVERYONE ELSE DOES. This is America and everyone is entitled to their own opinion. The game has made enough money as it is, flaws intact and all. Let people experience both the positive AND negative reviews. No game is perfect and people need to be aware of certain issues before warranting a $60 or $90 purchase.
With that said, I highly recommend picking up this game. This is what GTA fans and gamers have been waiting 3 1/2 years for and it far exceeds my expectaions. The city is just so huge it's hard not to get lost in your surroundings.
Whatever issues that continue to effect the online experience or even the single-player for that matter, will be addressed soon. They've already launched one patch only a week after the games release, so expect more as needed to be released as soon as available.
Bottom line-if you are on the fence about purchasing this game and are wondering if it is worth the price of admission, do yourself a favor and read into both the negative side of the story and the positive side. I think you will find that the good will far outweight the bad in every sense.
Welcome to Liberty City April 29, 2008
26 out of 35 found this review helpful
I have few words about this game, I think I don't need to explain how good it is and if you want so just check IGN review, however it's worth the wait, every cent and time spent on producing it and the fun is just begin, you shouldn't miss this game whatever your gameplay style. there is so much of reality in gta about streets life, bad cops, gangsters and using phone in game etc. no more that could be asked for from gta.
What's new in gta IV ? obviously new great story with new characters, improvements in graphic detail, load screen times are a little shorter, quicker and better, new targeting system much easier than old one, cover system, new multiplayer challenges support for up to 16 players with more than 10 modes such as races, deathmatch, team death matches and one co-op single player mission, there is also an autosave feature work after completing a mission, you have cell phone which you can use it even in-car anywhere and anytime and last but not least you will be able to track your statistics and feature competitions and awards based on player activity within the game through Social Club, it will be available on 17 April.
it should labeled with "MUST HAVE" and I'm pretty sure it won't be ejected from your console for long time.
Thank "you Rocks"tar!
review of the PS3 version by someone who has actually played April 29, 2008
32 out of 44 found this review helpful
Well I just played my first 6 hours of GTA IV (mostly exploring and hurting people.) I was able to get a copy during the midnight sale at my local Meijer. I don't even know where to begin...The game so far has been everything I expected and then some. The graphics are far superior to past GTA titles but not quite up to par with other games I've played on my PS3. Most people know that the graphics aren't what this franchise is about so It's OK. That being said, holy crap this is a FUN GAME. The first surprise I got was when I crashed my car into a wall at high speed. Niko went flying through the windsheild and smashed into the wall!!! Almost killed him. The car damage is awesome, way more detailed and more realistic. The car will actually stall out if it gets beat up too much. The hookers are back and sluttier than ever...You can go into a bar and get ****faced and stumble around or drive drunk(it gave me a headache, i recommend taking a cab) I have only completed 8 missions so far but they are the same type of stuff as before (drugs,protection money,driving hos around..)at least so far...I can't write anymore now because all I'm thinking about is getting back into Liberty City besides I don't want to ruin any more surprises. I haven't tried the online yet. If you haven't already ordered a copy I highly recommend it. you won't regret it....
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