Grand Theft Auto 4

What is it?

Third-person action adventure with guns, cars and an exciting story.

Liked:
- Exciting and varied missions
- Well told story with some tough player decisions
- A city that is arguably the closest to feeling alive than any other game before it
- Intuitive use of in-game mobile phone
- New spoken dialogue if you have to repeat a mission

Didn’t like:
- The game lacks some of the sandbox nature of previous games leaving little to do after the story is over
- Misleading chase missions where targets are invincible until a certain point
- How every feature left me wanting more
- Play dates with needy friends quickly becomes a chore
- How I cant play pool or bowling in the online mode


I liked GTA4; I liked it a lot in fact. Being back in Liberty City reminded me of playing GTA3 and how much fun I had in that world. In many ways 4 still resembles most of my memories of 3.

The main structure is largely unchanged from before with fetch quests, assassinations and chases making up the bulk of your missions. Again you find yourself rubbing shoulders with various criminal low lives and that while cops will ignore your speeding they don’t like you tapping their bumper. GTA4 is still all these things but its delivery feels improved.

The controls are slicker, the story feels more involving and the city feels more alive. However the more I found myself asking “Can I…” the more the game said “NO!”

“Can I go into this shop?” … “NO!”
“Can I watch TV with Brucie?” … “NO!”

Not that GTA should say “YES!” to any of these questions or the ones you will find yourself asking, but every edge or limit I hit made me wish there was more. Perhaps that is just the sign of a fun game.

This game was certainly worth my £40, looks great on PS3 and had plenty of game-play to keep me entertained (at least 30 hours) but once I completed the story I had no desire to go back to Liberty City. There just isn’t as much non-story fun to be had as there was in previous games. An online multiplayer mode is also great fun, but I wouldn’t recommend it to people with out real friends to play with. If you are a big fan of previous games, action movies and virtual criminal activity you won’t find many better games this year than GTA4.

Quick Tips: Take your finger off the accelerator and break round corners. Always use cover in gun fights. Make LJ your friend.

Who’s it for:
- Lovers of great action games and movies
- Fans of previous GTA’s core story and mission structure
- People who love to shoot and blow stuff up, but also want an engaging story

Who’s it not for:
- Children under 18
- People who deplore violence and swearing
- People who have no interest in story and just want to mess about (try Saints Row 2)

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3) in under 500 words

What is it?

Third person action game taking place in a war driven future. Shooting and (optional) Stealth throughout.

What I liked:
- Changes in game play and pace keep the game exciting to the end
- Emotional involvement and attachment to the characters
- Graphics
- Production values arguably unparalleled by any other game
- Plenty of “WOW!” moments

What I didn’t like:
- Some cut-scenes and exposition can drag at times, but on the whole are very good
- That some of the exciting game play could have been a bit longer
- Staggered lord of the rings ending (that just like LoTR’s would have been better if it had stopped earlier)
- Online mode


I’ve been a part time fan of the series and if you have never had any interest in Metal Gear games or know nothing about the story I wouldn’t recommend this as your time to enter. That said this is the first Metal Gear I felt compelled to actually complete. I no longer felt stifled by complicated controls and while it can be convoluted I actually found the story a compelling reason to play on.

Whilst I enjoy being stealthy from time to time games that feature heavy doses of it often just end up frustrating me. So I was relieved to find this game didn’t punish me too harshly when I was (as expected) spotted. I even found opting to blast my way through a situation, rather than sneak around, was also a rewarding way of playing. Some parts even require you to go all guns blazing!

A couple of cut-scenes dragged on and I often wished I could have been more involved with the action they portrayed. However this game has amazing production values and I genuinely found myself laughing and almost crying at these largely non-interactive moments.

Overall I found Metal Gear Solid 4 to be thoroughly entertaining and well worth my £40, (It took me around 20 hours to complete on normal). I have no interest in the online mode (too slow and tactical for my tastes) but I’m sure it will interest people who like games such as Socom. I would definitely recommend this game to anyone who has had at least a passing interest in the series.

Quick tips: Tranquiliser and the syringe are very useful throughout. The face camo you use will be present in cut-scenes, so take it off before if you don’t want to see it.

Who’s it for:
- Metal Gear Fans
- Stealth Action Fans
- People who want to see what the PS3 is graphically capable of
- People who want a tactical online experience

Who’s it not for:
- Social/Family gamers
- People who can only play in short bursts (ie under 60-30 mins)
- People who hate cut-scenes
- People who aren’t fans of shooting, guns or war
- MGS haters :-p