This is a good game for all types of gamers but it wasn't a big enough improvement on the last game to get an 9 or 10. Moving around on foot is clunky and most of the buildings are like cardboard cut outs, people dont die as satisfyingly as in the previous games, the feds are on your case in the airport and you cant blow up planes. The is plenty of good tho, the soundtrack, the characters and the drinking missions. Gameplay wise its just as good as the previous games but I was hoping for more.… Expand

Good game, but bad combat controls, slow framerates, frustrating missions. If you have a good gaming PC, I'd wait for the PC version.

This is a good game. However, it has some technical problems which are surprisingly severe. I really expected a better finished product. Far worse technical issues than other recent games have been crucified over. Euphoria engine is great in some places, but really awkward in others. Still, it adds a bit more life to the streets. I do like how the aiming system has improved, multiplayer is fun although buggy, and the story is above par for GTA.… Expand

I first started playing this game and I thought hmmm..... Overrated...maybe? But the more I played, the better it got. All I have to say is that the people that have already written reviews knocking it, haven't played it enough. I am giving it a 10 cause I know it will be when all is said and done. on top of that the multiplayer is ridiculously fun!

it's really amazing how overhyped this game is. i guess rockstar couldn't possibly have bribed all those reviewers. but still i'm wondering where it comes from, because:

the "great voice acting and facial animation" - give me a break. there's a >lot< better in e.g. mass effect or lost odyssey. the lip synchronization often doesn't fit, characters move there brows seemingly random - it's almost like back to the games where they first started using facial animation.

the "fantastic graphics" - admittedly, the city is huge but they still could've used more detailed character models and textures for closeup scenes. the "lot of detail" we're seeing in the game according to reviews look like something out of half life. objects with hardly any polygons and sometimes i'm wondering if there are even textures on them or they just colored them brown or something. once again i'd like to mention mass effect here. of course mass effect doesn't have those huge areas you can drive around in but it's simply wrong to just say that gta 4 has great graphics, period. if people would say that the graphics themselves aren't really nexgen-worthy but the huge world makes up for that - ok.

the radio stations... according to reviews there's so much great music. well, i might have different taste in music than most people but the point is - when i'm listening to a rock station, i want to hear rock and not hip-hop or something else!

now for the driving behaviour of the cars... since gta is mostly about stealing cars, you'd think that car handling would've been a major focus while developing the game. and it probably was but in my opinion they still didn't get it right. braking is way too slow.

various other actions can be performed at just the tap of a button... sometimes different depending on the context. which might not always be clear to the user, so you sometimes end up doing things you didn't actually want to do. e.g. sometimes "X" means climbing up somewhere. but don't ever to that trying to get on the ledge of a roof of a skyscraper. or you'll have to restart the mission and once more drive all the way there.
that's one more point to criticize... that you always have to drive where the mission actually starts if you restart it. very annoying.

combat handling is also somehow related to this. for example you can switch your lock-on between enemies when using the right thumb stick while being locked on. sounds great theory, in practice it often doesn't work. you're locked on to someone who's behind some wall and just can't switch to the guy standing directly in front of you putting bullets in your head. and even if you try to switch off lock-on, look in the direction of the guy shooting at you manually and then turn on lock-on again, it often snaps back to the guy behind the wall. and you're dead. and you'll have to spend several minutes skipping cutscenes and either driving back there or waiting for taxis.

then there are those "characters you care for" and the "great story". most of the characters are cliche thugs i couldn't care less about. there are some that are interesting but still the interaction is so... minimal and pointless that i'm almost tempted to skip even new cutscenes.
also, i think that the dramatic story doesn't help the fun you have while you're playing because you can enjoy killing people and such more if the game doesn't take itself seriously. of course gta 4 isn't completely serious but still too serious for my taste. especially the main character.

speaking about the main character. that guy talks to a "bro" whose slang is beyond everything i've ever seen in a movie. my mother tongue isn't english but by now i've seen around 1000 movies and quite some tv shows in english - and i still could hardly understand anything that guy was saying! even when i tried to read the subtitles! but the guy fresh from poland who doesn't manage to speak accent-free can understand him? yeah right.

so why do i still give the game 7/10 if i don't like all those things? well, the game world IS huge and impressive, the way people around the city behave and react to various influences is great and if the combat controls work like they should, it's really fun as well. also while the story, missions and such might not be the best, they are still moderately interesting.… Expand

It's GTA with a new story and new graphics. Not a 10 out of 10. Graphics are average, not as much freedom as Crackdown and the music is nowhere near as good as Vice City's. Good points are attention to detail, cinematography, and sound effects. The driving is also very good, loose and fluid control and great damage modelling.

An extraordinarily impressive virtual world, very interesting, but not as fun as it could be. The character and vehicle don't seem much improved on San Andreas and the gritty realism causes the sandbox feel that made the GTA series legendary to go away.

ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC, and the first game that could dethrone Half-Life 2.

Not deserving even half of its praise. Its a OK game, but so were the other ones. This is the same GTA but with better graphics. Most over-rated bullshit ever.

Very disapointing! Does not live up to the hype.

Comparable to GTA III the first time you played it. Superb storyline. Been a while since I've played a game this fun. Loses a point because the humor that we saw in GTA III isn't really there (where's lazlow when you need him?!). They might as well of just had people randomly say "Republicans are stoopid" followed by a laugh track and some random swearing, since that's basically what over half of the "humor" is.… Expand

I'd give it a 9.25 if I could, but this will suffice. The game is pretty damn good with the best story that GTA has had so far. The graphics are great, with some problems of graphic pop-in (I read that the ps3 verision has this problem a little less, but not much). The aiming system is much improved from previous games, but it still needs work, but the cover system is a welcome addition. I like the cell phone addition, but it could have been further worked on. The multiplayer is pretty decent, but there are some complaints. For example, after you play a ranked match, you are kicked back into the party mode instead of just searching for another match. If you are kicked out of the multiplayer game completely, it loads up the singleplayer again, which is just a waste of time. The load time are long (both single and multi) but not too frequent, and I'm patient enough to wait a whole 10 seconds or so during loading screens (the initial load is much longer, lasting closer to 30 seconds, but I didn't actually time it). All in all, it is a Game of the Year contender, but GTA will find it very difficult when competing against Metal Gear Solid 4, Fallout 3, and Gears of War 2. Buy the game (should take over 30 hours if you do some side missions).… Expand

To simplify the reason for a 10/10: DETAIL No game in history has as much detail to graphics, storyline, dialog, and gameplay as gta4 has. By all means this game deserves a perfect score.

It's just like every other GTA game with a bunch of extra, they didn't raise the bar here or anything. It's insanely repetitive and designed to make you play the game twice for achievement. News flash developers, if your game needs achievements to make me play it again, it's not worth playing the first time. Multiplayer is mediocre and uncreative. It's riddled with mad design and because of the "seamless" design you often spend more time on load screens then you do playing when you get one of the two popular connection problems. When you look at games like Halo, Call of Duty 4, and Rainbow 6 Vegas 2.. the mutliplayer of GTA is a real let down. The game was definitely overhyped and Rockstar should have kept it until the holiday 2008.… Expand

Boring missions, can't see anything in the dark, same old game no innovations, graphics are just ok. I fell for the hype and after the overhyped halo 3 this is the last 360 game I bought, this is the game that got me to trade in my 360 and get a wii yesterday and I couldn't be happier!

An excellent game in almost every aspect, but certainly nothing groundbreaking.

Ive completed this game now and its revealed itself to be pretty depthless once the main story is done. Why have a world so big when most of it isn't used? Ok you can go anywhere but theres nothing to do once you get there...i would have liked some more content once the single player was done. As for the multiplayer its pretty shabby (it seems everyone is going back to COD4 after 1 week). For those who have yet to purchase then grab a copy but beware, once you finish the single player missions this game with probably gather dust until the DLC in november - sorry PS3 fanboys but you wont be getting this.… Expand

Beautiful - just beautiful.

Don't listen to a word these "professional" game reviewers are selling you. This game is far from heaven sent. It provides a fun, realistic world in which to run amok with your friends, but the last-gen controls and graphical glitches keep it humbled in the presence of games more worthy of your hard earned cash.

It's not great. It's not awful. Just repetetive and boring like Assassin's Creed- I was excited but then when I lost my game save it seemed like a chore to play so I stopped. I'd say that any game that says it offers so much yet only a small percentage of people who play it actually experience it, then I'd say it's not worth full price. I'm confused why anyone makes excuses for this game. Do they own stock in the company? One more thing, I have in the past been hired to 'fill' user reviews on here and yahoo with a team so don't trust any reviews that are 10's on public forums. It's an industry practice that falls under marketing/pr. to fill in gaps so that a game doesn't track poorly. Remember, people get paid on how well a game or movie's scores are on here.… Expand

Visually, the preceding GTA's are sick jokes compared to GTA IV, but the missions are almost exactly the same with a few deviations. The side missions are dull this time around, and there are lots of annoying changes made to the GTA formula, such as limited cars, limited safehouses, limited weapon roster, and probably most annoyingly is the limit to how much ammo you can carry. The most unrewarding part of this game is that after you complete it to 100% you're rewarded with nothing except that the ammo cap is removed, and with NOTHING to do after completion, who wants to waste their money on ammo? Of course the physics are awe-inspiring and the subtle details in every inch of scenery and movement are incredible. The gameplay is a little better as well. But all of the customization that made GTA San Andreas (clothes, cars, body type) has been stripped in this title as well. I think that Rockstar held back on this one; they gave us enough to please the professional critics, but are saving all the best features for future installments.… Expand

*sigh* People are going to hate me for doing this. Folks its alright, and that is at a push. Now as far as a sand box game goes, the concept is pushed far here. But as far as a linear story line game goes, its pretty plain and boring. The Combat, occasionally confusing and not a great amount of skill is involved. Strenious, half the game is just pointless training missions. To be honest I have never really liked Grand Theft Auto in general APART from Vice City. The realism isnt appretiative in this game. I dont particularly see the fun in this game. Its always up to u to push for some action, it doesnt happen naturally. Basically im saying, if your creative enough and not easily bored, get it or try it. Whereas if your like me, prefer to get right into some action like tucking in to a nice steak pie get Gears of war 1 + 2… Expand

This game was a very well done game. The driving was realistic which is probably why everyone hated it but thats life. The glitches were aplenty but no one could forget the swingset glitch or the skydiving glitch. The contols were sketchy and that costed this rating a whole point and the repetitive missions plus the fail-and-do-it-ALL-over-again also costed this rating a point but the graphics, funny characters, GREAT story, and diverse world with its internet and advertisments galore made the grand theft auto series what it is today.… Expand

This game really has brought GTA to its finest. Although I would prefer San Andreas over this, GTA 4 is a ery good game as it is. THe graphics are very nice, as good as they can get. The driving has improved alot compared to the previous GTA gaes, and even though there might not be a lot to do in the game( ex. go to the gym, pimp your car), they made up for it by making the game feel very HQ. And to conclude my review, something for the people that are saying thre isnt anything to do in this game: quality over quantity. Overall, GTA 4 is really enjoyable, with all the cars and the multiplayer, although i think they could have removed some of the most unused things( the ATMs, other little things) to add one thing that everyone liked in san andreas: car pimping, baby!… Expand

Great set piece & immersive world & incredible attention to detail. Excellent story telling & voice acting... but compared to SA its was not as much fun. The mission design was so repetitive, that I wasn't able to play more then a few missions within one session. Beside of that, the game was too easy. And the final mission(s) didn't feel final at all.. I thought Rockstar is trying to fuck with me, when I saw the credits roll ... IMO overrated.… Expand

At the end of the day the game did a good job of keeping me entertained until its closure, but nothing about it made me go "wow" or "that should be in other games." I guess most notably the soundtrack was my favorite aspect, otherwise I'd just rent it.

It's apparent from most of these comments here that our society constantly degenerates. Easily one of the best games of the decade with a compelling story and great voice acting, tight gameplay, etc. Seriously, unless you have problems with some of the morals in the game (and the really bad decisions are left up to the player so people really can't get offended...) then I find it hard to believe so many people think this is overrated. Especially since San Andreas is slightly overrated in itself. Ugh.… Expand

I don't know how any of you are actually rating this game before its even released. You are all probably haters who just put low scores to be funny. Well I'm gonna give it a perfect score, just to go against everything you stand for.

Greatest game of all time. Period.

Grand Theft Auto has always been one of the games that gives one of the most open-world experiences. I've never gotten bored from any GTA game. I have been frustrated at times, but that shows that it all wont be easy. GTA IV will be a phenomenon that will easily change how people play games.

One of the best games I have ever played.

Dead set the best game out. Stunning visuals.

A very good game, and definitely the best entry into the GTA series to date. However, it has numerous small problems, that on the surface may seem insignificant, but on the whole make the game very stagnant around the 10th hour. Simply put, the combat still lacks any variety or nuance, and that just gets dull quickly.

Pros: next gen graphics, improved physics, slightly better combat systems, unparalled scope, better storyline and character development, and new gameplay functions like online. Getting to easily replay missions when you fail is a nice upgrade too. Cons: this game really doesn't feel much different than the prior 3 GTAs which all eventually got frustrating to play as you've combined a mediocre driver, poor shooter, etc. Movement and control are just not great and while the GTA universe is amazing it makes you notice how often controlling Nikko is downright frustrating. Like prior games this one also has glitches, framerate issues, etc. Finally, the character development and storyline is improved but Mass Effect really raised the bar by introducing choice as a key to the storyline. I feel myself wanting the same control over Nikko's decisions and it's just not there. GTA V will probably do the job. All and all it is a great sandbox with some nice enhancements over prior GTAs but it is still plagued by some of the problems that annoyed me about prior iterations. If you loved the others you'll love this more. Me, I still feel it's not quite there.… Expand

Best game of this decade and that's all there is to it.

A great game, but definitely not the best next-gen title.(Bioshock and Oblivion still ahead in my opinion) The environment has some grade A graphics but the cars themselves are a let-down. (There is no excuse for semi transparent cars in a next -gen game) The strength of this title and the reason you should buy it is for the storyline,both in its cinematic quality and scope. And it's a lot of fun.… Expand

Considering the scope of the city, the graphics are amazing. Being able to go in and out of a building without any load times and go back out without load times is truly amazing, especially when you take a look inside some of these buildings and see how much detail there is. The gameplay is absolutely fantastic. Without a doubt a 10/10.

Since I've bought it I cannot put it down. Whereas other GTA games grow tiresome after a couple hours of play, this one keeps you interested and entertained for multiple hours on end. And that's just doing the missions. Theres also free roaming around, side missions, relationships to tend, and the awesome multiplayer.
The story and graphics are also excellent.

10/10

Not perfect. But pretty darned good.

Rockstar does it again, but whatâ??s different from the previous GTAâ??s. Well in my opinion not a lot, after playing for 15 hours I was awe struck yet disappointed, I donâ??t know how but I was pulled into the hype of GTA4 and for some reason I was expecting something different something that wasnâ??t GTA Something Amazing!, what I got was GTA?. From the off it feels like GTA and sounds like GTA, nothing much has changed from the previous versions, and for me I am glad of it because you donâ??t screw around with a winning formula, but what is it that makes GTA4 so different, well the only thing apart from multiplayer is the graphics, oddly enough while driving around liberty city you come across areas that look familiar, and only then do you see that your driving around the GTA 3 liberty city, only now it looks like a living breathing city, I guess this is what Rockstar wanted all along and it is only now with the next generation Consoleâ??s that they decided to remake GTA3, and all I can say is WOW. I donâ??t disagree with the magazine reviews or other play.com reviewers, GTA4 is a contender for Game of the Year but take away the polished graphics and what you have is GTA3 with extra contend and better thought out gameplay, donâ??t get me wrong GTA4 is fantastic and if youâ??re a fan of the GTA series then this should be part of your collection without question. Hopefully they donâ??t bother with a Vice City remake and go straight to the San Andreas remake.… Expand

It's awesome, and this 10/10 is deserved. Also, big lol's at the people trying to bring the overall score down that have never played it before.

The best GTA of all, but still not that good I expected from a next-gen-gta...maybe next time.

Tremendously good game - I have not played it all clearly, as it only just came out - but from initial hours a spectacular achievement. Has that godfather type pacing, so does not grab you by the throat from the outset like, say, Bioshock or COD 4, but this is a different creature. Why not a 10? Controls. Maybe its just me, but I find them a bit sluggish, on foot in particular. I also found the car shard to use at proper speeds... it too quickly began accelerating wildy and skidding all over the place. That's fun, don't get me wrong, but for true sandbox I would have preferred conservative driving to be a little easier.… Expand

Not exactly perfect but its GTA4 on a next Gen console!!!! Its a sandbox game. And this game deserves Game of Year for 2008. The new game engine RAGE with euphoria physics is just amazing. You could say it could be better, but compare to san andrea's and its 100% better. This is a great game and everyone and anyone who doesn't own it should! 10/10 CAN"T WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE!!!! HELL YEA NUKKA!… Expand

Best game ever

Brilliant game. Outstanding storyline and a great world to play in. BUT its not perfect and so no-one can give it 10. 1. No garage 2. No car customisation like saints row 3. Targeting system is still not as proper FPS like saints row 4. The targeting system is not as good as the one in crackdown 5. Not enough variety of clothing 6. The main character is an idoit, he looks like a troll. Why cant we customise him?… Expand

this GTA is the best one that came out of the 8 that did. the thing that sucks is that you can't fly the jets.... or the forkleft you can't realy work it... but thats just what suckz with it... the car damge likes real you can see ever dent, the cop realy don't want to just kill you if you pull over they get out and walk to the car and realy arest you... but if u run they pull out there fire arm and starts fireing at you.. that makes the game more like the real life cause cops just don't just shoot you.… Expand

You know what got me about this game? The cinnematics. The characters in this game act BETTER than REAL actors in hollywood. And the script is ROCK SOLID. I'm going to replay this game forever... Until the next 1 lol. GO ROCKSTAR... Oh yea and there is a hot coffee joke in the game and it is hilarious! ROCKSTAR U R SUCH PIMPS LMAO

This is the best game I have ever played. Ever. It's innovative, and will definitely change the face of gaming as we know it. The story is movie-quality, the characters are unique and interesting, and the gameplay mechanics are topnotch. After you get used to the new control scheme, you will love every minute you play.

The most incredible world put together in a video game that exists. Everything about it is incredible. To really take in this game and understand everything it is about, you will need to play for 50 hours or more, because even after playing hours and hours, you will find or realize something you didn't know before. No this game is not just for people who like GTA, this game is for people who want to play the most amazing video game ever made thus far. People with short attention spans stay away, this game may not be for you.… Collapse

This game came with high expectations, but I'm going to ignore those expectations. Lets go beyond the fact that this game was supposed to bring God back to the Earth and shake the very foundations of Hell, lets look at it as a game. Graphics are amazing. People have a very endearing cartoonish quality while still having all the appropriate age lines and cars are just... well it might be a racing game for the next gen as far as those graphics are concerned. Alas, the world is not made or unmade by graphics. GTA III was a breakthrough because it was the first sandbox game and had more options then any other game of its time. GTA 4... well, its a sandbox game with a large world that the creators should be proud of, but by no means does it introduce new features. Bowling, Dart throwing, and getting drunk add some flavor, but are almost like half-hearted attempts rather then something you can truly enjoy. When the game was first being reviewed there was talk of cops pulling you over for just running a red light and a more "real" feel where everything was very dynamic. Ha. The cops are easier in some ways then the previous series and the action stacks up poorly to games out there like Saint's Row and CrackDown. CrackDown at least brought the unique powers to the table, and while the story brought to us in GTA 4 does count as quite good, it doesn't make up for the complete lack of innovation. Combat is jerky, the aim continues to lock onto people who are down and DEAD while the living continue firing, self aim is amusing but it is a complete pain in the ass to hold the trigger down halfway just to aim. Then there is the save system. I would like to welcome GTA 4 in to the 21st century and remind RockStar that we have HARD DRIVES now that can hold saves from ANYWHERE IN THE GAME. It is tedious to occasionally have to drive all the way across town after reloading in order to redo a mission. IT IS THE HEIGHT OF ANNOYING TO HAVE TO DO THIS SEVERAL TIME FOR THE SAME MISSION. Overall I applaud GTA 4 for the graphics, story, and random fun, but I cannot give it above an eight because the territory it treads has been marked as much as WWII in gaming and all the promise of the previews has become all the empty hype.… Expand

The greatest game ever. Period. I don't even have the game yet.

NO doubt great graphics when looked at the size of map and compared to previous GTA. THe controls are more realisitc and a ittle harder to control at first but then it is like second nature. THe story is one of the best ever THe sound also very good with a variety of stations and talkshows. The online is a little hard to get on but it was very fun when i was on. There might be a little problems but not enough from letting this titlw not get a 10 PS3 version.… Expand

Awesome game, but does not feel finished... very rocky in areas... far from perfect. I would say 9 but the 8 is to balance it out...a little anyways...realistically I'd say it's like a 9.2/10.

It was about time GTA got rid of those crummy canned animations. TG for Euphoria and 16 player Free Roaming!

Best game to come out since Ocarina of Time.

Honestly, if you think the graphics aren't fantastic, not only do you know nothing about video games but you should give them up all together. People need to stop pretending they know anything. GTAIV is the epitome of sand box video games. The attention to detail, no loading time between areas, fantastic physics, great story line, etc is what makes this a 10. If you think it's graphically mediocre, you're incapable of proper thinking. Just stop.… Expand

The best fun to be had since the Macarena. Nobody knew what the hell that song was about but everybody wanted to dance and have fun with it. Sorry... I have to go ROMAN is calling me on the cellphone I have to go pick him up.

By far the best selection from the GTA series. I started the game off thinking it was the same old thing, but the further I played the more I noticed the attention to detail. A living breathing world where every conversation you hear, every radio station you listen to, and every TV show you watch is downright funny. Plus the best characters from and GTA game yet, this game got rid of everything I found annoying with San Andreas and improved on everything that was working correctly. I highly recommend this, but it looks like everyone should already own it considering the amount they have sold for both the PS3 and Xbox.… Expand

This game is the most realistic game on the market today...and thats what people are looking for, this game offers so much more then expected. You're not a ture American if you don't play Grand Theft Auto IV.

This game is truly amazing.

Average game. This could have been so much better had they made the colours brighter, introduced more power ups, and put waggle in. My grandma can't join in, if only it was for the Wii, the world's most powerful console.

The graphics are average.Lots of boring missions driving around from place to place.The detail in the game is excellent and its the most realistic game ever made although it could have been even more realistic.

Wildly overrated in my opinion. The one player game stuns at first, but the repetitive nature of most missions soon begin to annoy. To be honest I prefer my games more 'arcadey' (if that's a proper word?) and actually prefered Crackdown to this!! So it's really not to my taste. However, the reason I gave it 7 out of 10 is for the online multi-player modes which are excellent and great fun to play (doesn't come close to the likes of CoD4 and Halo 3 online though), otherwise I would have given it 5 out of 10. To sum up, it's not to my taste but I can understand why the game is well liked. Overrated.… Expand

Great game, but a couple of flaws, and 10/10 means that it is perfect, which it is not. I'd recommend this game to anyone.

GTA IV belongs in your game collection. It is clear how much thought has gone into this game, and it is superb. This isn't coming from a GTA buff either. I am new to the series and am quite impressed. There are a ton of activities to do and so much to see. It's up to you how the game plays out, so what you put in is what you get out of it. Even the humor within the game is an awesome touch and makes it that much more enjoyable. The cell phone integration works well also and adds a more social side, which helps to make it an even more memorable experience. Even after you get bored of single player, there are plenty of multiplayer modes such as Cops and Crooks, Hangmans Noose (a personal favorite), deathmatch (of course) and free roam. These can be a hoot when you get all your friends together and just go at it. I can't tell you how much you need to experience this game. At bare minimum rent it, and see what everyone is talking about.… Expand

A great game, a stunning work of art for Rockstar but frankly neither of the consoles are powerful enough for the game to be done justice to. I played PS3 version for quite some time then sold it because as much as I loved the content I could not contend with the blurred graphics (from scaling) the bad aliasing and especially the low low frame rate (may times sub 20fps esp at times when you need it to be high/smooth ie during car chases/shoot outs). If only it ran as smooth as I'm sure Rockstar would have liked then it would be gaming nirvana (or at least sandbox gaming nirvana as it's not without it's gameplay faults either). I loved Vice City and I ran it on PC fast and with antialiasing and of course it looks very bad next to GTAIV but it FELT good to interact with as it was fast (at least on a fast PC). I hope for a PC version of IV by the end of the year and will rebuy it and run it as it deserves to be run without constant visual reminders that you are playing a game and a poor performing one at that. And it's understandable that the consoles are hampered by this work of art, it's just too much for them to handle right now and maybe R* should have scaled their design back a bit and got the frame rates and resolutions rock solid first as interaction will always be more important than 'cool features' in games. I'm hoping to give 10/10 on PC if it scales well and allows better clarity in the graphics. As it stands on PS3 i'd give it a 7 due to it's technical burden and tiresome interaction, but probably a 9 for the game itself if those restraints were absent.… Expand

Just GTA They've done it before. 10/10? Overrated. Still it's GTA if you played one you played all. They just added a really good multiplayer.

It seems quite obvious that to me that this game is one of the best ever created in the videogame world. From the lifelike city, the realistic physics, the infallible humor, and the well-written script to the intense cop chases, the carefully-honed characters, the sheer open-endedness, and the promising prospect of shooting anyone who pisses you off in the head with a shotgun, GTA IV is very much like the games that came before it; however, at the same time, it has made several improvements that easily boost it above any other game of this type, and, indeed, most other games in general. I won't ramble forever here, but I will say this: forget the naysayers, as this game has received so much hype that it seems impossible to this reviewer that there would be no negative scores and reviews. This game, unlike almost every that has come before it (Halo 3, Bioshock, Mass Effect included) lives up to the hype. it is not flawless, obviously, but the flaws themselves are almost minuscule, and critiquing it on these flaws alone would be like hating a perfect film because one of the actors/actresses had bad hair. GTA Iv is certainly greater than the sum of its parts, and, when these sums are added up, it flashes its wealth of gold in gameplay and humor, and almost reinvents--yet again--the sandbox game. This one's a must play. And I didn't even begin to touch on the multiplayer....… Expand

This game is a masterpiece. If you say it's just like all other GTAs, your an idiot. The online multiplayer sets the bar very high. However, the game did freeze on me countless times and now I have the Red Ring of Death flashing on my Xbox so it gets a 0....

Brilliant plot and graphics, disappointing handling (Nico seems to have minor retardation) and abysmal online interactivity, seems as if Rockstar never heard of Play testing. (Multiplayer game could not be joined, returning to single player. But I want to play Multiplayer!)

All the people I see giving the low scores are all whining about the same thing: GTA IV isn't much different than other GTAs.......ARE YOU RETARDED?!?!?!? 16 ONLINE MULTIPLAYER!!! 16!!!!! This GTA is very different than the other GTAs. Very good ragdoll effects on the civilians. The vehicles are fun to use. The new police escape feature is new. So if you say that GTA IV is no different, please, do us all a favor and shoot yourself.… Expand

The first truly next gen game. The PS3 version has slightly better graphic- but then again the xbox 360 gets more downloadable content with new missions-i know which one I'd choose!

I'm convinced that people who trash this game only played for a short time and decided they didn't like it, so they declare that it sucks. You can't judge this game without taking the time to get deep into the single player and multiplayer. Yes, at its core it's got much of the same stuff as other GTA games, and it does have a few problems, which is why I give it a 9 and not a 10 (I'd give it 9.75 to be exact). But this game has so much stuff to do that it's insane, and most of it is really fun. It may be a little underwhelming at first if you've played GTA before because at first it feels like same-old same-old, but give it time and you will be floored by how much stuff there is to do in this game. People are going to be playing this game for a LONG time.… Expand

this whole review debacle is a classic case of game magazines and reviewers getting doped up on the hype and extreme expectations that surrounds some games in the run-up to the release. gta4 certainly is a good game, but very far from perfection, even far from being excellent. it's very enjoyable sometimes and sometimes outright dull. why countless reviewers have overlooked the glaring flaws is beyond me. a review score shouldn't rate effort and ambition. gameplay is king and in regard to that gta4 is certainly above average, but falls short of greatness. a healthy 7 points, I say.… Expand

Believe the hype. This is as good as everyone says it is.

Not the best, but good. The radar map is too small, so is the cell phone.(on a 47" 1080p)The graphics are anything but stunning, I was expecting a sharpness that wasn't there. now of course you can go anywhere and do alot, but If I want to wine and dine a girl, it'll be a real one. As for the story, now this is the best part of the game. I have only rented this game and will only buy it at a discounted price. The one thing I hope is that other developers don't see this a what they can get away with and make clones that look even worst then GTA IV.… Expand

This game has poor graphics for a PS3 game and poor taste. It appeals to little teenagers though.

In an odd "apples & oranges" kind of way id compare GTA4 to The Elder Scrolls 4 - Oblivion. Both are in their fourth official outing (minus side stories), both received major pre-release overhype, both sold through the roof, both retain all the problems previous episodes suffered from, both focussed more on technology than what made people love the series in the first place and both sacrificed features previous episodes had for no apparent reason. Although GTA4 goes one better in that it...at times...can frustrate you to despair! Combat is slow and stilted, driving often ends in a lightpole/12-car smashdance and the new pay & spray rules make its completely worthless. Its a well made game no doubt and worth a high score but its for workmanships sake alone. Im hoping 5 if and when it appears will be more of a leap forward instead of sideways with more window dressing.… Expand

XBox- Not quite a 10 due to graphical issues, worst pop-in in any game ive ever seen. although the amount of content is the reason, i understand. i believe many wouldnt have minded an additional month pushback if some of these errors would have been taken care of. PS3- although no DLC, theres plenty of game there to be ammused with. the pop-in, wait a min....there is no pop-ins! Including smoother edges and less screen tearing. pushing the PS3 version to at least a 9.5 Both- Controls are clunky, which takes a bit of getting used to. Cover system is nothing like GOW. except for the name "cover system" in addition: i think the white aim cursor could have been a little bolder, when shooting far distances its quite hard to see. Conclusion: Best Game Ive Ever Played. Flat out.… Expand

Better than Bioshock (my previous favorite game), in my opinion. I'm half way through playing it for the second time and it's still fun as all hell.

The story shines, the game play is solid and despite a few minor glitches like collision detection, popups, and lousy save rules, compared to everything else this game is at the top. As good (if not slightly better) than Bioshock, which was my game of the year last year.

amazing game, visually stunning worth every quid. honestly i can't describe how awesome this game is, I honestly just spend most my time TRYING to be good, even though its sooo easy to raise notoriety...sitting in a cab, just that deserves an award...its just soo amazing. the only problem is that because its so awesome when it doesn't live up to it in minor moments you feel the fail, even though how minute it is but you feel it. Game of the year nominee right here.… Expand

#1 GTA game in their series on the 360.

Just voting 10 to balance out all the retards voting 0. Peace.

Sublime. Sound is perfect with memorable songs, excellent sounds of weapons and explosions and pitch perfect dialogue. Story is best in series and very human in its presentation of the main and sub characters. gaemplay aint perfect but a FAR improvement and the realism i think adds to the game in spades. Overall its long enough (but not 100 hours) and worth a purchase in every regard.

Some people rate games on imperfections ,and some rate games on fun factor alone ,or both , i do both this game has minor flaws, but with that said, the AMAZING amount of things to do, and the FUN to be had in Liberty City, is what makes this the Best game ever (so far) ,and the most amount of Fun i have ever had to date in a virtual world, i have been gaming for almost 3 decades , and this game just blows me away . in every way.… Expand

The game is very good, but all these reviewers giving it a perfect 10 must be all the fanboys that we keep getting told about. The game is far from perfect. Without commenting on the the glitches and all the freezes irrespective of console that have widely been reported. The graphics are barely better than GTA-SA. The only genuine addition to the game is a very unstable "better" multiplayer. Absolutely nothing new to the series, purely evolutionary.… Expand

am afraid to say that this is just GTA3 in a pretty dress, that isn't such a bad thing, but its a case of DON'T BELEAVE THE HYPE!...every single fault with GTA 3, the pop ups, the twichy controls, the in-door enviroments, the unfair mission structure, the cops that seem to able to lock a tractor beam on to the back of your car an follow you were ever you go, are still all there, a lot of reviewers are talking about the refinement of the controls but as far as i can tell there is none, the aimming system is still "lock on", the cover system feels like an afterthought, GTA 3 really was a gaming landmark an for this you forgave all the promblems an enjoyed the sheer amount of freedom the PS2 game gave you....if your a GTA fan and have played the games that came before this will be nothing new at all. that said its GTA so if your feeling a little bit retro...an fancy reliving the joys an the sorrows of the series then give it a go...but i would recommend that you put GTA 3 in your PS2 or your x box an just to remind yourself of what to expect from its replacement.... it really should be called GTA 3 HD.… Expand

I agree with a lot of the other user reviews. This is a very good and entertaining game, but is by no means a 10, or even one of the best games of the past year. I find Call of Duty IV, Halo 3 and Bioshock just as good, if not better. However, it is very immersive and the scope of the world you're dropped into is amazing. Fun multiplayer action, too...when it works.

You know a game is great when you get Nintendo fanboys posting ratings of "0" because they're jealous they can't play it on their chosen system. This game for once lives up to all the hype. It's the most fun I've had in a long time.

Best game ever

Highly overrated game. Don't get me wrong, i extremely enjoyed this game, definitely one of the best on the 360, but the reviews are EXTREMELY overrated. First off, the gameplay is fun, but incredibly repetitive. Basically, every mission has you calling a guy, or getting summoned to your "employers" home/base to watch a short but always entertaining cutscene that explains your mission. then you drive to your destination and complete your task. Steal a car, assassinate someone, deliver drugs, etc. After you are done, you get your pay. While it is fun, it gets old doing it literally dozens of times. Because that is all the game has you doing over and over. Now before GTA fanatics flame me, i know there are many other things you can do. Exploring the city by just driving is great on its own, plus doing many other side stories, dating, going out with friends, whatever. But the gameplay is what matters most, and for me, its too redundant. There are the occasional missions with little innovative twists to the game (hopping on the back of a truck, getting ambushed by gangs/cops, deciding on who to kill when both people hired you to kill each other) but they are not enough to make the game feel fresh. that's my only problem with the game preventing me, like most other usual critics, from giving GTAIV a perfect score. No doubt a great game, but when the game play is that repetitive with very little changes, i can't possibly consider it to be one of the best of all time. Definitely worth playing or even buying, but even more so, definitely overrated.… Expand

A very good game, but not nearly as engaging or complete as San Andreas. My primary criticism is that I agree with the reviewers who noted that the game took a big step back in the area of character customization. And while I didnt really care that I couldnt get a different haircut or sculpt my body shape, I was dissapointed by not being able to complete missions to 'upgrade' my character. In San Andreas, successfully completing side missions, taking gang turf, snapping photos, finding all of an item, mastering a vehicle/weapon to 100%, etc., all allowed your character to unlock certain bonus's, vehicles, weapons, extra heath, damage, vehicle control, etc. Now, all that happens when you complete side missions is that you are 1 step closer to 100% completion. Sure you get a few things here and there.... but there isnt as much incentive to keep playing the game. For someone who isnt as interested in that 100% number as he is in creating a powerful character and collecting a bunch of stuff... this is a big letdown. Especially since they already incorporated those elements into a previous game, I don't understand why they would take them away.… Expand

For those who think this game sucks, why don't you buy a genesis or a N 64 and play those Kirby games you like. Obviously GTA4 has defects but is the best videogame ever made (no doubt about it). Some of you think themselves as 'rebels' saying this game sucks, stupid sexual frustration.... The same with COD 4(obviously again the best FPs ever made), some seem to prefer mercs on snses or commando, go ahead guys, so rebel, so badass!!!!… Expand

GREAT GAME!

Not a revolution, but rather a delivered promise of a refined formula that reveals detail like no other game has. GTA 4 is not without its flaws, but none of them are able to take the spotlight away from the experience as a whole. Special attention goes to the context of the narrative and gameplay that have sobered up since the series' latest title.

hey ANTHONY M. i am one of the Rockstar developers you talked about and yes i do smoke cockroach repelent on the job. giving the cops god powers was my idea. not to cover up the ai (it is fantastic), but because smoking all that cockroach repelent makes me feel like i have god powers. there was going to be an exterminator mission in the game but my idea got rejected. so then i suggested that there be 200 cockroaches randomly placed in liberty city that could be killed with cockroach repelent. in san andreas there was spray paint to leave your gang sign, so i thought that cockroach repelent spray paint could be a great way to kill the rodent and leave your mark. that was accepted but then later replaced with pigeons and there was no cockroach repelent spray paint. but yes since i will get fired if i say something bad about this, this piece of fun game is the best game in the entire star wars galaxy.… Expand