posted by admin on Apr 30
I’ve played a bit of GTA IV and my favorite part of the game is how it utterly and completely destroys the current review system for video games. The idea of assigning a numeric value to this game based on normal evaluation methods is simply ludicrous. It has so many flaws but creates a deep experience much greater then the sum of its parts.
Controls: Shitty. You can’t possibly debate this. The controls in the series have more or less gone unchanged since GTA III which is pretty astounding considering how much time has passed between games and how awful the controls are. Characters move generally the way you intend them, driving it’s pretty much impossible to have a feel for the handle of the car (leading to many, many unintended crashes, pedestrian killings, and flights off of cliffs), and the targeting system during fire fights borders on ancient. The inevitable mission where the loose controls screw you out of victory is always looming around the corner. Yet, somehow, the game is fun to play. Sticking with the mission formula allows the game play to be very rewarding.
So now I’m trying to figure out why the game is being hailed as one of the greatest of all time. They haven’t even fixed several significant flaws of the series. The easy answer is the immense, immersive world they’ve created. Stories are all over the place highlighting the similarities between Liberty City and NYC, praising the pop culture parodies pervading the world, and the independent AI of cities residents. The attention to detail is mind-blowing in this artificial world, I even spent several minutes watching TV. I’ll say that again, I spent part of today watching TV inside a video game. A stand-up routine by a Ricky Gervais-esque comedian. It was hilarious. But I don’t think this makes GTA IV a great video game. No, it’s not the gameplay, not the world but the writing.
Now I’ve only played a small portion of this enormous game but the improvement in the writing is astounding and not receiving enough attention. Niko is easily the deepest, most interesting protagonist of the series. An eastern European immigrant with a complicated past, Niko feels past redemption making him perfectly willing to take on the worst jobs in organized crime. Tension fills every cut scene and the main missions always seem to involve a kill or be-killed scenario.
Niko’s bosses often throw subordinates to the wolves creating an atmosphere where any mission might be a set-up to get you killed. I’m hopeful they can continue this feeling deep into the game without creating boredom through repetition.
New technology pushes the game up a notch but it’s the artistic evolution that sets the game apart. Giving GTA IV a 10/10 or an A+ is laughable. The game shatters the old standards for what a game can be.
All this should be taken with one caveat: Bioshock is better and they did it first. And yes, the title of this post is a reference to Aladdin.
