Play-by-Play: Grand Theft Auto IV
April 29, 2008
My GTAIV special edition just arrived at my frontdoor. As promised I’ll be posting my thoughts on the game as I play through it at regular intervals. I just need to set up my surround sound speakers that also just arrived, then I’ll jump into the game and let you know what I think. If you’re wondering I’ll be playing the PS3 version of the game.
Last Updated: 14:56
Play-by-Play is now finished
13:40 - Finally the sound system is set up, lunch is out of the way and I’ve completed the HDD installation required to play. I’m watching the opening cutscene now, and have to say I’m pretty excited about what’s coming.
13:50 - So I’ve seen a little bit of the city and some cutscenes. With all the hype surrounding the game it’s hard to know where to set your expectations, but this game really does seem to deliver what the hype promises.
14:10 - Spent some time learning about the phone in the game. The calls and text messages seem to be a great system. Done some more driving, it takes a little getting used to at first. The handling is more realistic than previous GTA games from what I’ve experienced so far.
14:23 - Just flicked through the radio stations. From first impressions it seems like another great mix of different styles as well as familiar and less familiar artists. When leaving a car, you can hear the radio playing still through the car which is a nice touch.
14:29 - “Great, a strike!” So now I’m playing a bowling mini game. It’s kind of fun, although I hope you don’t have to do it too often or it could get repetitive.
14:42 - I just had a choice of two ‘missions’ to do, and by doing one you can’t do the other, which effects the outcome. It seems really natural, and the phone allows you to be informed about such things which is good. In other news, I just saw a policemen chasing someone on foot, shouting over his radio things like ’suspect does not have a vehicle’. Their are a lot of these touches, like men with clipboards checking off boxes outside a factory, which really make the game seem really deep. Oh, and naturally I won the bowling.
14:56 - So now you haven’t just got the GTA humourous radio stations, but now television channels! Just watched some San Andreas footage advertising a Las Venturas poker tournament. It’s great. I’ve been introduced to hand to hand combat and it’s much more complex than before, with a good parrying system.
15:15 - Haven’t gone any further with the story for now, but have just played darts. Again, it’s a fun little mini game. The interaction between characters is really strong in this game. When playing mini games the characters encourage each other and make comments relating to how well the other is doing. When dating in the game the characters have a short conversation after each date, which helps develop them and gives you the sense that they are getting to know each other.
So far the scale of the game seems huge. I’ve yet to even pick up a gun yet and I’m really enjoying it. The presentation is great: the graphics, the sound, the cutscenes. All of it comes together to build a fantastic first impression. I’m going to carry on with the game now, but this is the last entry of the play-by-play. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my thoughts on the game, leave any questions in the comments.
Incoming!
April 25, 2008
Right now is a great time to be a gamer. Over the course of the next few days (and already, in fact) a few things are released, two of which will be covered on Turn on the System. They are:
Metal Gear Online Beta
The rumours are that the beta has finally launched in Europe and the US. I’m currently downloading the 1.02 update, and will be having a look as soon as that’s installed. My first impressions of the beta will be posted on the site in the next few days, so keep an eye out for that.
Grand Theft Auto IV
Apparently something big is happening on the 29th of April? That’s the rumour anyway. Look out for my thoughts on the game which I’ll be updating periodically on Tuesday (providing the release of GTAIV doesn’t break the postal service…). I’ll try my best to avoid any major spoilers, but they may crop up - consider yourselves forewarned!
Whichever games you’ll be playing this weekend/next week, have fun and don’t get too stressed out over deciding what to play! Now, the MGO beta or double xp on the new COD4 maps…
- A Wii
- An Xbox 360 Arcade
- A PSP
- A DS
- 2 Playstation 2’s
- 4 Copy’s of GTA IV
- A Real Guitar
- Several Acres of The Moon
- 18000 Penny Sweets
- My Respect
Seriously, don’t pay £180 for Rock Band. I don’t care how good a game is, it’s still not good enough to justify that price, especially compared with the US.
Hello and welcome!
March 24, 2008
Hello and welcome to Turn on the System!
This is a blog about games from the point of view of a UK gamer. I’ll be blogging about games, mainly looking at news stories as they develop and potentially other things as well. This is very much a ‘blog-in-beta’ at the minute as I play with designs and the general feel of the blog, so expect changes over the next few days.
Today saw the release of firmware update 2.30 for the Playstation 3. This latest update includes