Grand Theft Auto IV - PlayStation 3

I'm a 36 year old man. I play video games occasionally. I'm mostly into sports games, but sometimes i'll get the urge to play an action game. The only other action games I've played are the Drake series and Infamous. It's difficult for a video game to keep me entertained. Eventually i'll see repetition and I get a little bored, leaving the game for weeks at a time. I gotta say, I wanted to play GTA 4 almost everyday. There are dozens of missions, all with their unique dialogue, unique scenery, unique characters. This game felt A LOT like a real movie. In fact, I'm surprised there is no GTA: The Movie.There is so much to do in this game and you can do it at your own pace. When i didn't feel like shooting people down and just wanted to take a break, I'd take a taxi(or steal a car) and go to the comedy club or cabaret show. These are actual shows. The comedians do about 5 minute sets and it's pretty funny stuff. You can go many times(i think 6) and never get a repeat performance.The game is long, and along the way you make some friends, or acquaintances. If they end up liking you enough(by hanging out with them at strip clubs, bowling, shooting darts, comedy clubs, etc), they'll do you favors. One guy will sell you weapons for cheap, another guy will detonate an explosive for you on one of your missions, another guy will send a couple of his buddies to help you kill an enemy. That was just one small detail that I thought was brilliant.You can go on the in-game internet and find women to date. You can buy ringtones on the in-game internet. The list of things to do is endless. If you're not into wasting time and want to go right through the missions, you can do that too. There are about 15 different weapons to choose from and you can get them anytime. If you don't have the money to buy them, you can find a map online and search for the hidden weapons. The coolest weapon, a rocket launcher, is found on a tiny island out at sea. You actually have to swim to get there.A lot of the negative reviews say "if you don't complete a mission all the way through, the game makes you start all over, frequently having to drive 10 minutes just to get to the mission!" This is only true if you drive to the mission yourself. Instead, get a taxi! When you get in the taxi, the driver will ask where you want to go. Choose where you want to go from the list, and just click x as soon as he starts driving and it'll skip right to the start of the mission. Sometimes reading the manual goes a long way.The acting is incredible. The different environments are incredible. Graphics are really good. Not super duper excellent or anything, but close enough. According to the stats, i've been playing this game for 58 hours. If i wanted to, i could still shoot birds around the city(there are 200 you can kill), find side missions(there are random guys on the street who ask you to do favors for them), date some women and have sex with them(you don't actually see niko getting laid, but you hear his woman having an orgasm--of course she could be faking it), hang out with your friends(strip club, bowling, grab a bite to eat, etc), or just go around the humungous city killing people and running away from the cops.A definite masterpiece. I cannot WAIT for GTA 5.

I'm going to start this review by saying that i've been playing GTA games, and have been a fan of the series since the original GTA, and of course GTA 3 on PS2. Needless to say, I was very accustomed to the gameplay of GTA. Coming straight out of San Andreas, you're left wanting more. My dream was to have a GTA game on a seventh generation platform and Grand Theft Auto IV completes that dream.MISSIONS: You start the game as Niko Bellic, an Eastern European fresh off the boat, and fresh from the Yugoslav war. The first mission basically introduces you to Broker (like Brooklyn), and driving a simple car. (Were definately not driving a Banshee on the first mission.) Overall I like the missions and they interest me more than any other GTA game. The missions always offer some kind of action, as well as clever dialog that keeps the player immersed in Liberty City. You will definately see Niko, as well as his story progress throughout the game. I am very impressed with the high quality of the missions and cinematics, as well as the in-game cinematics.FREE ROAM: One of the funnest parts of GTA games has always been free roaming around the city and exploring. GTA IV takes that to the next level with the incredible detail and depth Liberty City now has. You'll hear people talking on their phone as you run by, you'll knock over boxes and trashcans in alleyways, you'll be climbing over any fence and wall that you can, and you will see newspapers and other litter floating around occasionally. The detail and depth of this new Liberty City is definately there, and i'm very pleased with the new design of Liberty City, making it much more like New York is a refreshment from the old Liberty City.MULTIPLAYER: Multiplayer is a very important aspect of GTA IV. You can customize your online character, and earn money by killing enemy players to unlock new clothes, advance in rank, and buy new clothes. Multiplayer has many modes, but if you're not into objective games, don't worry, free roam online is just as fun, if not the funnest, as you can do anything, and even invent new ways to play with your friends, or with friends you may make during the game, try pulling over next to another player, and they might just get in your car and shoot at other players. There's always new and exciting things happening on the multiplayer.SUMMARY: I give GTA IV a 5/5 because I really feel that GTA IV is an absolute masterpiece. I read a review earlier where someone said "videogames as art", I agree 100%.