Day 86: Maybe an Hour and a Half in...
Initial Grand Theft Auto IV impressions from a guy who hates the Grand Theft Auto franchise.
- Why can’t I lock the camera slight higher behind the car when I drive? Like two degrees higher would be perfect.
- It no longer feels like you have to sacrifice core elements (shooting, driving, fighting) for the open world. Everything is much tighter, and makes being a thug a lot more precise and fun.
- The story is incredible. Well, maybe not the story since I’m not super far into it, but the characters are well done and everyone feels unique. Thus far everyone I’ve met has made an impression on me. I want the cool people to be my friends, the ladies to love me, and I really, really, really, want to shoot all the jerks in the fucking head.
- Bas Rutten has his own talk show in this universe.
- Subtitles are a must with all the thick accents, slipping into native tongues, and people talking over each other.
- The city is done in such a way that it feels really alive. People are doing stuff, not waiting for you to go on a spree so they can die.
- The geography is kind of amazing. This is the first open world game where I remember where things are, and could probably make a pretty good go of making my way around the city using street names, landmarks, etc to navigate with no radar.
- I still wish I could parkour up buildings or leap over them with a single bound.
Matt