So, I'm expecting my copy from Amazon on Monday.  Anyone played it?  Have any thoughts?  Is it even as close to as good as Vice City?

Pete

I'll get the PS2 port sometime soon...I think.

Yeah, that's what I ordered, although I'll be playing it on the PS3.  I sure hope GTA IV can justify me spending so much for the damn console.  So far it hasn't done anything special.

Pete

Ha-ho!  I came back from running my bi-weekly D6 space pirates game to find the my darling wife had snagged a copy for me while she and my daughter went shopping tonight.  Avast!  

I'll likely play a bit tonight while she takes her shower.

The quad-bike race, "When Funday Arrives", is HARD HARD HARD.  Those things maneuver like...uh...like a duck on an iced pond.

Still playing?  If so, that's a good sign.  If not. . .

Mine comes in the mail tomorrow.

Pete

Pete, shall I take your silence as an indication that you're trying to rescue those four hookers?

I only wish.    I've been buys with some EarthAD stuff and outlining a new project I'm working on.  But I can't wait to rescue some hookers.  They're always so grateful.  And they really appreciate you for who you are, too. Just like strippers.  

Pete

Oh, and "Boomshine Blowout" is an exercise in tedium as well.  

I dunno.  This game is by turns enjoyable and frustrating.  Also, the PS2 port looks funny -- like everything's dirty.

Meh.  I haven't completed any of the missions, just driving around and getting into trouble, but you're right, the graphics seem very grainy.  Plus, the vehicle handling is pissing me off.  I keep spinning out when I make a turn.  Is this happening to you?  Also, they seem to have eliminated one of my favorite parts of the original---cinematic jumps.  That's really annoying.  There was nothing like racing along at top speed only to see yourself do a slo-mo action scene jump over three buildings.  I'm sure I'll enjoy it more once I start getting into the story line, but overall I'm unimpressed.

Pete

Yeah, I'm just....kind of...I dunno.

I dunno.

That's not good to hear.  Rockstar games are either unbearable shit or GTA.  If the shit is creeping into GTA, then soon they will have nothing of worth.

It's not bad, it just looks a little dark and parts of it are really hard.

The original one frustrated me plenty, too, though.  And I finished it twice.

Quote from: Dr Rotwang!It's not bad, it just looks a little dark and parts of it are really hard.

The original one frustrated me plenty, too, though.  And I finished it twice.

I remember being frustrated, but in a good way, as in, take a break from the game only to think about different ways of approaching the mission, then come back and try them out.  I had the same experience with GTA 3, but not San Andreas (never even got a 1/4 of the way into it) or Liberty City Stories (never got anywhere, did the 1st mission and then just drove around irked at the vehicle handling and no cinematic jumps).   To be fair, tons of people loved San Andreas, and LCS and VCS were both geared for the PSP so they couldn't go crazy with the added features, but still . . .

Rockstar has a bad track record with its other games.  GTA IV is going to make or break them I think.  If it kicks ass, Rockstar will be back in business.  I hope it does, but I have my doubts.

Pete

Well, I've been stuck on that goddamned "Boomshine Blowout" mission for days.  The locked camera makes certain driving maneuvers frustratingly counter-intuitive, which is a damned shame because you're doing them on a motherfucking forklift.  In a warehouse.  Around obstacles.  Which keep changing.

Grrrrrrrr.