How is it possible that the critics gave this game 98 points out of 100? GTA IV isn't a bad game by any means but it's not that good.

At first I was afraid I'd be the jerk who didnt give this game a big fat 10, but after getting a chance to look at everyones' reviews here it seems I'm not alone in the least with my complaints. The action is great, the graphics are insane when you think of how much is going on at any given time, the voice acting is some of the best you'll ever find in a game, the story is engrossing and gritty. So yes this is a great game don't get me wrong, but it has a few core-game flaws. As everyone's mentioned, the mission fail system is terrible. Having to drive the same route five times to get to the same guy 5 times to try those 5 times to figure out what you're doing wrong gets old extremely fast. Since most of the missions consist of getting to the action; placing you just before the action when respawning would have made a world of difference. Another thing I seem to have in common with others here is the multiplayer complaints. It just simply isn't that fun. There is one redeeming quality in the multiplayer though. If you can do as I had the chance to and get yourself and a few friends and just run together terrorizing to city you'll definately be pleased. That was some of the most fun I've had gaming in a long time. The only problem is that I'm sure not everyone would be able to do this, and even the fun there doesn't last forever. As far as good things go though this game can be great, you just have to get over the whole mission fail system for the most part, because otherwise there's a ton of good story here to play though. I would say wait until it price drops some. I know it'll be awhile, but I was able to play it for free since my cousin got tired of it and lent it to me; and even then I somehow knew that I would have been horribly dissapointed if I'd dropped 60 bucks on this.… Expand

Very good game. Everything is very polished in GTA, only few more checkpoints in missions would be good, and maybe more guns.

The game is great, the graphics and the realism are bar none the greatest I've ever seen. The missions are fun, actually acting human is great in most ways but the game does have its flaws. Driving a car is a hassle, especially the brakes it takes a few seconds to go from driving to stop. Running is as hard too, tapping the A to sprint isn't really necessary. I don't think the game is as good as San Andreas, but it's still one of my favorites and I do feverishly play it still.… Expand

Love the realism they put into this game. Rockstar has improved the GTA franchise in every possible way and gave us a much deeper, much more polished game. Every aspect of GTA IV is fun and there's a lot to do after you finished the 30 or so hours long story mode. Compared to the living breathing city of GTA IV, San Andreas feels like an empty cardboard environment. GTA IV is unquestionably the best of the Grand Theft Auto series.… Expand

Ok here i go. Gta iv is a better game overall than any of the previous titles and any of its competition, improving in every area except one, the sandbox. Now this being a sandbox game thats almost unforgivable. If you have fond memories of spending hours just creating havoc in the streets of liberty city, vice city or the state of san andrias with a sniper rifle, rpg or tank or causing mayhem on the roads creating traffic jams and pileups or searching down every last stunt jump, hidden package or easter egg or just roaming around taking in the sights watching the weather change while listening to the in game radiostations, or just pottering around in one of the games many forms of transport, and many many other activities that had nothing to do with the story or missions. Then the good news (?) is you can do it all again in gta iv. The list of new things you can do in iv however goes like this. 1 clicking on the retry option to instantly restart a mission. and that i feel sums iv up a retry of whats gone before a great game but still a massive disapointment.… Expand

The game is great at first, in fact its amazing at first but then you discover you cant do some of the things you can do in San Andreas, which made me angry. you can't fly planes; do-up your cars; pump weights; get fat; get hair cut and more. I don;t know why they didnt include these so I'm giving it a fair 7, a vey fair 7

OMG are these game critics serious? 98 average? WTF. It is soooo boring. For one thing the physics program is too real. What happened to the good old days of Vice City? That game ruled. It wasn't graphics busy. The extra missions were fun. It was easy to get around. Just about everything was FUN. When did games become a second life? It makes no sense for GAME to be REAL. There is such a thing as TOO real. The next GTA game will be one where a guy who had a bad past life and is a master with all weapons moves to New Yor- i mean some completely new city and takes on the mob but gets assasinated by a hitman in the first 5 minutes of game play. Thats it. Real enough?… Expand

This is the most over-rated i have ever played.the game play is pathetic and there low class violence.missions are easy and too less.this game had a lot of expectations from all of us but turned out to be a flop.(sigh)this game overall doesn't receive any good compliments from me.this was the worst rockstars have ever made.This game SUCKS! believe me.i ain't lyin'.don't waste your $60 to buy it.most of the critics score comes from the EDITORS CHOICE.… Expand

Did I play the same game that the major reviewers played? This game is BORING. The spark that made the past few games truly great is completely gone.

This isn't a chink in the armor; this is a fundamental flaw in this series, and I hope it's corrected before the next one comes out, because I miss GTA.

This game is not even close to the best game on earth....it is very fun in the beginning and then it gets very, very bad. I've noticed that when I am online stuff is different for my buddies and it has horrible lag. My friends will float and sometimes cars will not be in the same spots for them. The multiplayer mode is by far one of the worse I have ever played. Other than that, the only other flaw is the physics, couldn't they have just used ragdolls? I can't have any fun when I stand on top of cars or anything cause you just fall! And your guy always stumbles around like a dunderhead. But, besides that the singleplayer campaign is amazing! The story is very well told and it couldn't get any better. The graphics are also eye bewildering, from the cars to the buildings and to the water it looks life-like. If you want a game with a good singleplayer and great graphics please buy this game. But if you want a fun combination of singleplayer and multiplayer with ok graphics, buy Saints Row 2.… Expand

Brilliant game!

The game is disappointing on the narrative level; Niko's nemesis is not really that, being always in the background; he's not an overshadowing presence, or something lurking in the closet, is a sleeping character without spine. On the gameplay level it's enjoyable and an upgrade on every level on the previous installments. Liberty City is impressive, but less memorable (and so navigable) than the previouses cities. It is annoying to always rely on the GPS.… Expand

Disappointment City. 30 minutes into the game and I was feeling like I was playing early GTA games. Better graphics, but the storyline and running from cops got a little old in early GTA games, so doing it again in this entry doesn't warrant the rave reviews placed on the game.

It is itself a brilliant game, but not enough has improved over the last 3 3D GTA games to warrant garnering a maximum rating from nearly every reviewer. For Immersion in a game world it recieves about a 95 but for gameplay it wanes down to about a 70, purely because we have seen it all before!

While it was worth its money, In play time and fun. I felt this game is far too overrated. There is NO way this game deserves to rate a 98/100 meta score! The game lacks a proper world market. Money is useless in this game, the online is very poor and it would be far better if you were allowed to have your own gang members or posse you could travel with! Although the introductions of choices having an effect on the story was a pleasing surprise, The story line was I felt much worse than the previous GTA.… Expand

I'm not going to argue that this is not a good game. I think all the games in the GTA series are good, but this game does not deserve anywhere near the praise it is getting. The story is not any better than any of the other games. Nico simply says, I feel bad about what I"m doing while he blasts people away and people eat it up. That is not realistic behavior at all! The shooting was a little better, but still awful. The driving was worse than any of the other games since 3, and that should be the best part of the game! A lot of people say the ending is where the best part of the story is, but I just don't have the patience to make it that far, and I don't think I missed much.… Expand

Grand Theft Auto IV is a must play game, best than any others of the GTA series. This game is way better than San Andreas, because of the graphics, the cellphone, history, voice acting, vehicles, and the whole athmosfere that the game put you in. The carachters in GTA IV are great, and you will be involved with then, you care about then, that's a great point because other games don't give you this immersion. Well, in the game city you can do wherever you want, go for a drink, eat junk food, pick up your friend and go to a strip club, take a helicopter tour, that's all part of the amazing world of GTA IV… Expand

gamertag: gamezombie009
send me a message about any negative word about gta iv, wether you saw this in the game or some one told you, and can can prove it wrong

@ John H.
hopping in a taxi can teleport you to any part of the city if you "press A to skip" when inside

I really wanted to love this game i really did. Its GTA for christ sakes, i have loved everone of there games up to this point... Pros: Amazing Story, Love the free roaming around the city. Decent Multiplayer. Some fantastic missions. Cons: Horrible driving, Bad gun mechanics, boring missions (755 of them) Multiplayer letdown. (some good games but mostly bad) Like i said i really wanted to like this game. But ahlast this gets my most disapointing game of the year awayd.… Expand

Amazing gaming nirvana that everyone should experience. Riveting plot-line that seems like a hollywood blockbuster, and it has many more games within itself. The multiplayer is sheerly fun, not for skill-based shooting, but for simply screwing around in cops'n'crooks, or free-mode.

The best game of this generation. One of the best games of all time.

Character movements are real slow, an the frame rates suffer a lot wen the shooting begins.

I think this game is just going to be incredible and revolutionary enough for all games to follow in its footsteps.

What a terrible game you can't kill kids or dogs.

With outstanding visuals, an amazing story and character development, and control that far outclasses all of the previous GTA titles, Grand Theft Auto 4 blows away the competition and even Rockstar's history with this truly epic game. 90 amazing missions, and multiplayer that shakes it's junk in even Halo 3's face, truly this is what all Next Gen games should be like.

Only minimal drawback is lack of "in-car" camera. This game is the best game I have ever played on xbox 360. Many, many hours of entertainment!

People giving it such low ratings are haters.

Been waiting since Oct 16 for this game and from everything I read its gona be every bit worth it and one of the greatest games of the year.

Simply the best GTA ever made. Great graphics and even more amazing gameplay. One of the best games of the year hands down.

Just truely and amazing game. The city feels alive and every previous problem in the series has been fixed. There may be the few instances of a technical glitch, but it takes nothing away from the experience. Once of the greatest games EVER made.

Awesome crazy graphics ultimate story and awesome soundtrack which gives it a ten.

THE definitive action game. It won't be surpassed until the next installment in the series!

GTA has always been the benchmark for sandbox games and GTA IV has set the benchmark extremely high and I can't see anything beating it for game of the year. It has it's flaws but the game is so well rounded it more than makes up for it.

Simply amazing most fun I had in years.

I've never seen this good game after the release of Ocarina of Time!

Great game, only about halfway through but even better than the previous games.

Yep it's that damn good...a rating of 10 really doesn't do this game justice and to think I was never really a fan of the other games. I'm just blown away by the size and the ridiculous amount of things that can be done in this game.

To the people of Rockstar it is your genius that creates a masterpiece. Break open the champaign, write out the bonus checks my friends you have done it! The greatest game of the last five years possible in the top five of all time! What could possibly be next for Rockstar Games!

Definitely the best game of 2008 so far.

Easily the best game ever made. It's the world before GTA IV, and after. This changes everything.

It's a nice game but I can't see it as a 100 points game. For that it should be perfect and in all means it's not perfect. Actually I found it only a small improvement in the series.

Buying reviews is wrong, ergo it doesn't deserve fair rating on my part.

This game is awesome I can already tell from all the things you can do in it. This is nothing like any other GTA game. And it deserves 10/10 in my opinion anyways.

A spectacular game in all aspects. One of the biggest steps into what most people thought "next-gen" gaming would entail.

Almost as good as Halo 3 as a game overall but even more technically impressive. Having the grace of owning both PS3 and 360, I would still say between the eventual added DLC, achievements and far superior texture and color representation, the 360 still manages to outshine the PS3 version.

Best game ever

Absolutely the best game ever to come onto the console market. Well worth the money, well worth losing your life to, well worth ditching the girlfriend for...... Do I need to go on?

Great game, only 2% in and I'm hooked! CANNOT fault it!

I received this game today and is WELL worth the purchase! What are you waiting for? GO BUY IT!

The best gane of the year, it's awesome.

definitively a 10, Best game i've played since Ocarina Of Time. offline is great, online is even better

I've played this game for 12 hours straight and I have to say, while it does have its (very VERY slight) problems, this is one of the best games I have ever played. Period.

While I love the open-ended nature of the whole experience (of the whole series), the infuriating flaws like the difficulty driving automobiles etc. just get to me after a while.

Game is insane. Visuals are awesome and physics are really good too. For example, very satisfying to run people over with the car and backup over them and see the car ride over them like a bump. And to shoot people in the head while theyâ??re on the ground and blood splatters on the screen and watch it ooze onto the ground. Lots and lots of stuff to do besides missions. For example, I went on a bowling date with a chickâ?¦tried to call her for another date to see if I could get laid the second time, but missed the date (she kept callin/textin to see where I was) cause instead ended up going to a strip club with a buddy. Got excited to see the strippers and tried to jump up on stageâ?¦so the bouncers threw us out. So I went back in with my piece and shot everyone dead. Then the Cops flooded the place so I had a shootout with them till I ran out of ammo and died. That was all sandbox thing, not a real mission. Funnest game I've ever played.… Expand

The game is fun but nothing special. Minor improvement over past Grand Theft Autos.

One time while I was playing, I saw a fat man eating a hotdog walking across the street. A van came zooming by, and fat boy went in circles in the air. The driver got out to see if the fat man was ok. Fat man was on the ground, like he was making an angel in the snow, breathing heavily. LOL!!! After I saw that, I was sold.

I believe this game is the best of the year. No sandbox game has come close to this kind of size and scope an overall immersion of the player into the world (except for maybe Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion).

It's an alright game but putting it over OoT is an outrage.

Amazing. Played all the GTAs, and this one is the best.

Awesome story, awesome graphics, awesome gameplay, awesome game. Good work, Rockstar!

Epic on all levels, the music, the city, the peds, the vehicles. This game accomplishes what most games can only dream of and then some. Rockstar once again topped their previous efforts and put to shame the GTA clones. And don't even get me started on how amazing the multiplayer is. Now I must get some sleep.

Fantastic open world, superb voice acting. It's the best game in the series and a must for fans of video games worldwide.

Rinse & repeat. May as well have been a first person shooter for all the innovation it introduced.

Over rated, more of the same lark.

This is the best game I ever played in my life! I'm 19 years old and I was playing many, many, many games. I don't was playing on multiplayer but singleplayer is awseome!! Everything is very good. I don't understand why users give that low score. I love it.

This game is amazing. Easily the best game I have ever played. Rockstar has changed everything with this game, taking the next-gen consoles by the balls, looking at other developers and saying "Ok guys, this is how it's done. Feel free to take notes and build upon it."

In the first two hours of gameplay I watched some hilarious television, sped around the city in a stolen car, got into two fist fights, got arrested, went on a date to go bowling, played pool in a bar, and crashed so hard while driving that I flew through windshield. The actions and responses in this game are the most realistic I have ever seen. I can't imagine playing another game for weeks and look forward to exploring every aspect of this masterpiece.… Expand

Fantastic storytelling, above average graphics, and a below average soundtrack compared to previous GTA games. The vehicles control like the ground is made of ice. Nonetheless, it's a whole lot of fun.

10/10 means a perfect game, and GTA IV isn't. Anyone who gives it a 10 is kidding themselves. It's a good game, very addicting, and its popularity just got bigger. But games like Bioshock, COD4, Crysis (for you PC fanboys) have raised standards so high in terms of graphics, sound, and gameplay that GTA IV falls a bit short, albeit by not much. And those games didn't get a 10. So it's only fair that GTA IV doesn't either. And to those saying that GTA IV "is your life"... dude...… Expand

I like how when people see a something get a good score they immediately feel obligated to hate on it and give it low score. Its a great game accept it... get higher self esteem because your clearly hating for no reason.

Overrated for sure... I don't know why Its getting THIS good of ratings, but it is a cool fun experience and a must buy for console gamers OVER 17 years of age. Plus I hate it when People are dissing the xbox verson because of one Point... the only reason why its down by one is because it has twice as many reviews.

so cool, the graphique are great (but not like COD4), after you finish the game you can play for houres and houred, do side mission and get lost in the world. And in + rockstar put's multiplayer mode WTF so cool you can play for so long and years so let's play and wait for the nexte one. This is one of the best game of my life.

I can't stop playing it..this game rocks! Huge scenario, great gameplay, detailed graphic, hilarious dialogues and a bad arse music selection..how could it be any better?

Its really the same old gta with a fresh coat of paint...San Andreas had a bigger wow effect on me. Its not bad, just dont believe the hype...best video game ever? Not even close.

Good game, meh graphics, overall overrated! PLease compare GTA 4 to GTA SA or even Saints Row before labeling this the greatest game EVER! It's the same ol fun to play formula with the usual weaker than everything else available graphics that GTA fans have come to love but lets not get ahaead of ourselves.

This game has some issues, there is some pop up and the new driving mechanics take same time...but once you get through that it is without a doubt the BEST game to come out within the last 10 years. regardless if ur a fan of GTA or not this one is absolutely necessary to play. If your a gamer this needs to be in you collection

Best game I've ever played!

The review scores for Halo 3 and Metroid Prime 3 were docked by some review sites for being "more of the same." Why wasn't this? Sure, there have been improvements from previous games, but I'd hardly call them revolutionary. I'd score it in the mid to upper nines but would dock it a few tenths just like Halo 3 or Metroid Prime 3 got docked for basically being an improved version of the same game.… Expand

I agree the engine looks great, especially the lighting. But I am so bored. It is no where near as good as the amount the praise it has received.

The graphics are impressive just because of how much stuff is in the game. The skyline views are beautiful, the city feels alive, and the violence is portayed far more realistically than ever before. Multiplayer is fun and crazy. Gears of War style cover and shoot mechanics make this one of the best games I've ever played. I can't wait to get off work and return to the streets of L. City.… Expand

This is a GOOD game, but not nearly the 100 score reviewers think it is. Camera controls, melee fighting, controls, driving, minigames, gps/map... they're all lackluster. GTA really shines with it's incredible storyline/openworld aspects - the attention to those asset details are amazing... but it really could use some more polish before it gets any game of the year praises.

9 because it isnt perfect, but honestly its damn near close. Theres nothing like chasing someone accross rooftops murdering him in a alley and then going home to watch HSN sell swords haha

A groundbreaking triumph of the art form - in every way: graphics, sound, gameplay, presentation, story... simply amazing.

As close to perfect as a game can come.

The game is very good,but it misses something like in san andreas you could do everything. This was kind of a set back. Although multiplayer adds a kick to the game. I think the big reviewers such as gamespot and ign were payed to give a good review. Remember how Kayne and Lynch sucked, but got a bad review from gamespot so gamespot fired their reviewer.LOL consipracy. It deserves an 8 maybe 8.5 just because it ahs multiplayer. if it didn`t have multiplayer I would of gave it a 7… Expand

In terms of actual gameplay elements and innovation id say this is more like grand theft auto 3.2! A little bit more environment to explore and a few fixes and additions here & there. Combat is awful as Nico never moves properly and far too many enemies get far too many free hits on you before youve even got a chance to react, take cover or do anything other than get drilled till you end up outside a hospital $100 poorer. Proof that hype covers all flaws a milion times better than "soft focus"!… Expand

The game hasn't changed much from the past beside prettier graphics. There are plenty of glitches and uncomfortable controls. It gets off really slow due to having a mission for every little feature in the game. My enjoyment comes not from the game itself but just goofing around and seeing the behaviors. They definetly benefitted from using euphoria to make their game seem really life like. An pretty good game at best but not 100%. Reviewers are caught up too much with the hype. Nobody cares to talk about negative or if they do they say there are all these issues but I'll give it a perfect score anyway.… Expand

Every 2 minutes I have to pause and say "No way". Nuf said.

Always something new to discover, the detail is astounding... What sucks is that there are no servers or filters in multiplayer. Finding a server that does not use autoaim can be a real bitch, autoaim just kills the game!

Probably the best thing to come out on the next generation to date - I could go on about so many features I love about the game but the one thing that really stands out for me is the multiplayer - I was expecting this to be the weakest aspect of the game but city-wide battles with no boundaries are part of the reason the multi-player for this game adds a fourth dimension. Those who have found the storyline similar to other GTA's might one to try this online mode. My online highlight so far - a cop car chase down Times Square. I know you will love it too.… Collapse

For every really cool thing about GTA, there's something that really stands out as crappy. The map system is dysfuctional at best, with the game choosing to not show you many locations at times(such as your house, which is the only place you can save the game), not allowing you to cancel a mission you have already started, and having shitty motorcycle driving. These may sound like nitpicks, but they seriously impact the player's game experience when one has to spend 45 minutes redoing the same damn mission over and over because if you touch a car while on a bike you fly off and lose the mission. Missions where you have to face 20 or 30 guys with the same weapons as you and no support are also fun (not). This is the first GTA game I have ever owned, and at this point (25% missions completed) I am not at all impressed. Sure, it HAS everything, but it doesn't do anything well. Driving is better done by Forza and Gran Turismo, shooting is better done by Halo and Call of Duty, the whole open-world-with-one-character thing is done better by Crackdown. Graphics are subpar to virtually every other major 360 game, although they are not bad. Why is this game so highly rated? "It's Grand Theft Auto . . . FOUR!!!" so it has to be good. "It has TWENTY radio stations and interactive in-game computers and TV stations!!!" If that sort of thing is what you value in a game, then I encourage you to get this game. If you like playability without frustration, find any of the other genre games I listed above.… Expand

A very, very good sequel. Not just improved graphics, but a very nice story with great AI and most of all, more realistic gameplay. The humor is still there, but it's embedded into the details and not as aggressive as it used to be. Niko, as the main character, is more realistic and not just a trigger-happy killer. Excellent game engine, fabulous gameplay, wonderful, rich world to explore and exploit.… Expand

Phenomenal game. I love the cell phone and all the side-mission and time-wasting fun. This has truly re-defined the home console experience and it has truly raised the bar for all future developers - not a bad thing.

I think it needs to be known to the developers that there is actually ALOT less excitement and entertainment in GTA4 compared to GTA:SA. There is much less to do. It's sad, looking at all the potential and time put into the design of the new Liberty City, and then seeing it squandered without adding at least SOME of the side quests. I thought at least the player stats would still be present, or half the activities. It plays like a work of art meets crime saga, but my rise to the top is for nothing without rackets to run, safehouses to buy, or even a DESTRUCTION DERBY to roll in! None of the freedom present in San Andreas is here. Enjoy your 90 missions and a few car thefts, then bring it back to Gamestop and trade it in for the copy of GTA:SA you let someone borrow and never got back. All in all, I miss having a pink mohawk, dammit.… Expand

Really good game, advances on a lot of parts of the GTA series, but takes a step down in terms of size of the playable map and the RPG-style character building. I was expecting it to be an improved San Andreas, but is more of an improved Liberty City Stories. Those looking for the next step in the GTA series, this unfortunately isn't it, but if you want a greatly improved GTA:LCS, this is definitely it.… Expand

The developers wrote a fairly decent story, but forgot to make a fun game in the process. Pretty much every element of this game is fundamentally flawed, and I'll be surprised if I actually end up finishing it.

The most fun In a game I have ever had, The characters all give a feeling of being alive and the graphics are simply amazing for the massive size of the world.