I’m a little past a third of the way through the main storyline, have just played Three Leaf Clover (which is itself an incredible mission), and the game has really opened up in terms of options.
I have to admit that it does start out somewhat sparse. I have to assume that was because they wanted to pace out the other options and keep people engaged in the main storyline, but it might’ve hurt them somewhat as well.
The driving model can be very effective, particularly with better cars. The difference between bad cars and good cars in this game is more significant than before.
Yes, after Three Leaf Clover things open up a good bit, but even before that things take off. Really, the game starts becoming super fun (not just “wow” factor) after you finish the running around at the beginning.
I’ve loved it from the start, but I can see how others might find it a little slow going, and it’s unfortunate that someone might toss it out too early because it wasn’t as accessible as, say, Saint’s Row.
I can’t believe that I found Saints Row more playable than GTA4 in the early going, but now that you mention it, yeah I did.
Of maybe it’s because there’s so many f-bombs in the dialogue that I can’t have my kids anywhere near the TV when I’m playing, so I end up playing something else instead. Yes, I get it, you can curse in an M-rated game…
No kidding! I almost can’t even play GTA4 after they go to bed because I have to turn it up to understand what people are saying but doing so means the house is completely drenched in f-bombs!
Or was it just that I found the middle school concept of urban dialog even more offensive?
Saint’s Row offered up its candy as eagerly and cheaply as it could, which worked well for it. I’m sure they’ll do it again in the sequel, which will help the series maintain itself alongside GTA.
I don’t understand this. Having young kids makes you a valid candidate for the retirement home?
Yeah, I’m also relegated to playing this late-night, w/ the volume low & subtitles on. Yesterday afternoon the wife took our toddler to a birthday party, so I cranked up the volume and had the rare opportunity to play when I wasn’t bleary eyed. Good stuff.
I’m pretty sure that Saint’s Row, Mercs and every other GTA in the 3+ line has a ton of cursing in it too, it’s just more fun to complain about something new than remember something old.
Nah, I understand not wanting to play the game around small kids. I’m just puzzled between the various responses to GTA4 from, “I’m glad Niko is such a swell guy, not a scumbag like those other protagonists” to “gore and profanity have never made my gaming experience better.”*
I’m sure that’s true for them, but it just leaves me scratching my head in bewilderment. I guess QT3 has just seemed a lot more conservative lately than I’d expect.
I don’t think gore and profanity have ever improved my experience as much as the absence of either when expected has diminished it.
Of course everyone has their own threshold for each, so that’s impossible to balance properly. I mean, if your goal is to prevent kids from hearing or seeing it, then even one instance would be too much, right?
I don’t think any of those games come close the level of profanity in GTAIV. People throw out the f-bomb like confetti. However, there was definitely swearing in SR. One of my favourite radio ads was the one for Friendly Fire, where the authoritative sounding radio voice says “You don’t want to get caught with just your dick in your hand. Friendly Fire, ‘cause it’s fuckin’ crazy out there.” That always cracked me up.
Hey, I liked Pulp Fiction as much as the next guy, but I’m also a long way away from the days when the mere utterance of a profanity struck me as a hallmark of profound or authentic writing.
And yeah, I’ve never walked away from a movie dissatisified that the screenplay didn’t include enough “fucks”. It actually gets distracting after a while, and starts to feel like a symptom of a lack of ability on the part of the writer.
