GTA IV (1 Viewer)

IGN gives it a 10 out of 10 and calls it the best game since Ocarina. I wish I had a system to play it on. I was thinking of getting a Wii, but maybe I should get a 360 before that.

IGN: Grand Theft Auto IV Review

San Andreas is probably my favorite game of all time, and this looks to top it by a lot. I watched a leaked average gameplay video the other day, and it was pretty amazing.

Yup,
pretty sure this is going to keep us busy for years to come

Also, the online multiplayer should be an absolute blast!

I'm not watching them, but there are supposedly some good videos on IGN. Watch the one called Ladies of Liberty. I heard it's pretty shocking and X-rated. I won't have it for a while, but I want everything fresh.

Yep.
I got mine pre-ordered for PS3 and half paid for already.
I won't be able to pay the rest off until Friday.

But I also bought a bluetooth headset just for this game.

I'm a fan of San Andreas too.

I think it's cool you have a cell phone in the game and you can answer it using your bluetooth headset

Fantastic review!

I bought my very first gaming system, the xBox 360,
simply due to hearing about this game on the Opie and Anthony Show.

I'm looking forward to receiving the game. Ordered it through
Amazon with one-day shipping, so I am unsure if I'll get it on
release day or not.

Look forward to talking this game up with all of you.

JohnS,

What bluetooth headset did you end up purchasing?

My copy for the Xbox 360 shipped on Friday; should be here by this afternoon. Can. Not. ****ing. Wait.

Yeah, it's amazing that IGN handed GTA IV a perfect "10" score -- the last game to earn that particular rating there was Soul Calibur back in 1999, and Ocarina of Time the year before that. Sounds like GTA's in very good company, here.

For me, the 360 version wins hands-down, due to the exclusive downloadable content and the whole Xbox Live experience -- though I'm probably gonna just take a week or so to soak all of Liberty City in, get to know it a little bit better, before I start taking down bitches in "Cops-'N-Crooks" over Live.

Amazon just notified me that my copy shipped today and I
will have it tomorrow on release day.

Josh, it sounds like you found a great supplier that
can get things to you prior to street date.

Anyone here getting the limited edition? I don't even have a system yet, but I'm thinking of buying the 360 version tomorrow. Having the soundtrack would be cool, but the duffel and safety deposit box might look good laying around collecting dust.

Ron,

I got the Motorola H350

which has worked great.

Actually, mine was Amazon, too, but I'd pre-ordered my copy a few months ago (though it seems like everyone's getting theirs on or around Zero Hour, pretty much).

Mine should arrive from Amazon tomorrow as well. I just finished watching two hours of live play for GTA4 over on gamespot.com and am psyched to try it out. It looks like a lot of fun. As a native New Yawker I can say that Liberty City is similar, not identical to NYC (probably to avoid lawsuits). The guys at gamespot spent quite a while trying to find Madison Square Garden over on 8th Avenue near 33rd street to no avail. I'll check it out when it arrives as I get my feet wet.

And, of course, Super Mario Kart for the Wii arrives tomorrow from Amazon as well. So many things to do, so little time.

I got the xBox Elite package from Amazon which had
an included wired headset that plugged into the controller.

Thought it would be of "cheap" quality but I used it in a ONLINE
LIVE game of Call of Duty 4 yesterday with friends and the
headset worked great.

Not sure what the advantages of a wireless bluetooth headset
would be for me at this point.

Mine should be coming from Amazon today or tomorrow.

I'm really looking forward to this (I have PS3), but as with GTA3, Vice City, and San Andreas, I'll only be able to successfully complete eight or nine missions before my complete lack of coordination takes over and I spend the rest of my "career" enjoying the sights and shooting gang members like a crazed vigilante. By that time, one of my friends will have successfully completed the game and will give me a save game file so I can explore the rest of the game world.

It'd be absolutely useless as you can't use bluetooth headsets with the 360, just the PS3. There are wireless headsets for the 360, but not bluetooth per se.

So, first day with GT4 and I am kind of bored.

This is not to say the game isn't good --- it's just that being
new to this I need to really learn how to play.

So far, after getting off the boat I take the car and arrive at
the apartment, walk around and exit, finding myself on the
street with a mission to find Ricky Ricardo (or whatever the
name is).

That's where I am totally lost. So I spent a few hours hijacking
cars and driving around. Problem is, driving is not an easy thing
and I always get cornered by the cops.

I also noticed you can't get through the bridges and the train at
the Coney Island stop doesn't go anywhere since it's the final exit.

I realize I am only scratching the surface on this game, and to
be honest, I have been getting addicted to online COD4 so
I am constantly switching games out.

Maybe a little advice on what to do next would help me further
my enjoyment of this game.

I just started playing last night. I really dug the credit sequence, with the title cards plastered on the sides of buildings (similar to "Panic Room"). I was initially just going to steal a few cars and drive around to get a feel for the controls and the environment before attempting any missions, but the first car I tried to "jack" was full of Russian mobsters who beat me mercilessly before a cop showed up and actually started shooting me.

The game looks absolutely stunning, yet somehow I think the cars should look even better than they do. There are a LOT of cutscenes, but they are great for the most part, but if you're the A.D.D. type, they might detract a little from your experience. The city itself seems much more "alive" than previous versions.

The cars handle a bit differently from previous GTAs, and I don't just mean the control layout. The various vehicles all seem to have a different feel, and it just seems more realistic. There are a lot more radio stations this time around, and I've already heard some stuff that had me doubled over with laughter (Jim Norton voicing some guy in a Judge Judy situation complaining about a dog in a Santa hat).

Politicians are already in an uproar (I thought to myself "Oh, Man, they're gonna have a FIELD DAY with this one from the very first scene after Niko arrives at his cousin's place...you'll know it when you see it). NY mayor Mike Bloomberg has already publicly condemned the game and its "detrimental effect on our children." Of course, he has a slightly better reason to be more outspoken than others: let's face it, Liberty City IS New York City.

I heard Anthony Cumia (Opie and Anthony) singing a beer ad!

I also hear that he's in a truck yelling "I don't understand why
they took us off the air!"

I stopped by Best Buy and picked up the game after work. Went home, ate some supper, and then put the game in my 360. As the opening sequence was running, my 360 froze up. No big deal, I thought, I'll just restart and try it again. I turned it off and then turned it back on again and got the dreaded Red Ring of Death. So, long story short, after spending a half hour on the phone with Microsoft, I'm sending my 360 out to get it repaired and won't have it back for 2-3 weeks. At least I have Iron Man and a trip to Wrigley Field to look forward to while I'm waiting.

Ron, are you lost in the sense that you don't know where to find the guy? I've only played through a couple missions so far, but I thought it usually shows you where to go using the GPS, or at the very least, there should be an indicator on your map showing you where you need to go.

Haven't really played the game enough to have much of an impression on gameplay. Cars definitely take some getting used to (you can't really drive at breakneck speeds and expect to not crash), and the graphics seem kind of blurry (I expect this is to keep framerates up?), so they're not quite as good as I was expecting. I like the fact that there is soooo much you can do that is not related to the central storyline though, such as watching TV, trying out the minigames, and a pile of other things I probably haven't even discovered yet.

I know they also played a clip on O&A of a guy talking to another guy saying "I can't believe they took Gregg and Tony off the air"