I think what IV is really missing, what hinders the wandering experience tragically, is the lack of threat in the general world.
And maybe this occurs later, but in III, Vice City and San Andreas, there were sections where your mere presence would elicit a violent response. This made wandering the map between missions a little more exciting. Action could break out at any time.
In IV, I feel that the map is a little too tame between missions. You can’t ever go into the wrong neighborhood. Occasionally you fire a shot in the wild and some fellas nearby decide to reciprocate, but it really doesn’t have some of the pitched battles that frequently occurred in San Andreas and even in Saint’s Row. All this weaponry, all these opportunities for gang warfare, and it never happens organically. So instead it feels like the map is a little less vibrant and linked to the story, and a little more glorified mission menu.
I’m really missing neighborhood takeover … Don’t know how they could neglect it.
Yeah, I can dig that you didn’t like them - and perhaps a better system than demanding your presence in a completely different sector of the map while you were busy might have worked better - but for me it was relatively unscripted, dynamic gang wars, and I really enjoyed that.
Even without that, there is no large scale outbreak of violence or action on the map that you don’t cause yourself or is predicated on a mission. I don’t want total chaos perpetually raging, just the occasional outbreak that would call attention to itself, and allow a big street fight like the territory assault missions provided.
And even failing that, the rare rival gangster taking petty potshots at you would make things a bit more interesting while tooling around.
I will definitely be buying it. I already feel I got my sixty bucks worth simply due to the incredible rendering of the city. I really like that alone.
I’m just hoping they set it at a reasonable price, so I can feel somewhat less stupid than I know myself to be.
Just give us some in-game stuff to buy with our amazing slightly-better-rags fortunes.
I just made it to the second safehouse and for some reason all of my weapons vanished. Is that a bug or is it supposed to represent the fact that you’ve “lost” everything?
Either way, it was damned annoying having to spend a bunch of money to get back the weapons I already owned.
Hah! When my wife wanted to play last night that’s the only stipulation I made. “If the cops come after you, do NOT get arrested. Lose them or get killed but don’t give my weapons away.” Heh.
I’ve only lost my weapons when arrested, so far. In general, constantly repurchasing bullet vests (and the inability to map specific weapons for priority) is the biggest weapons hassle I have.
I checked that cheat map and tracked down a vest location, so now I don’t have to buy one ever ten minutes. It’s as much of a hassle to drive to a gun store, at least this way I’m saving money.
