Rob (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} robyrt) wrote,@ 2008-05-12 12:24:00 |
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Grand Theft Auto 4: Initial Thoughts
I haven't finished the game, and to be frank, I haven't really put much effort into finishing it. Why not, since apparently it's the second coming of Gamer Jesus?
1. It's too long. Epic milieu-focused games like this must be played in chunks of at least an hour, preferably 2+. I have six such opportunities per week, and some of them are going to involve friends, chores, other media, Rock Band, etc. I just don't have the luxury of dropping all my other commitments for a week and playing the heck out of a single video game.
2. It's too repetitive. Against a game with more theoretical variety than a schizophrenic chameleon, this is a strange allegation, but after a half-dozen "drive over here, shoot these specific dudes, don't get killed, drive to various shops, repeat" missions, the charm wears off. I didn't pay $60 to be forced to make my own entertainment all the time, although I do appreciate the ability to do so. Plus, a lot of the missions are too difficult for me, since I've never played a GTA game before and the controls are very frustrating. (Where are my checkpoints?)
3. It's too dark. Unlike most hardcore gamers, I haven't become totally numb to the horrors of running over pedestrians, I like humor that isn't despairing satirical commentary straight out of The Colbert Report sometimes, and I'd like to be able to spend some of my near-infinite blood money on a pretty apartment or something. After a few hours of play, I need to take a break and look at cute puppies for a while.
4. I've been rereading X-Men instead. Chris Claremont has his faults - our heroes basically have everything and the kitchen sink thrown at them, to the point where their normal lives in regular ol' New York seem out of character - but the power of character development and regular opportunities to test our heroes' moral mettle cannot be denied. The level of drama and pacing is about 2 minutes of X-Men to 1 hour of Dragonball Z. And I thought Lost and Heroes had big casts and copious twists!
I haven't finished the game, and to be frank, I haven't really put much effort into finishing it. Why not, since apparently it's the second coming of Gamer Jesus?
1. It's too long. Epic milieu-focused games like this must be played in chunks of at least an hour, preferably 2+. I have six such opportunities per week, and some of them are going to involve friends, chores, other media, Rock Band, etc. I just don't have the luxury of dropping all my other commitments for a week and playing the heck out of a single video game.
2. It's too repetitive. Against a game with more theoretical variety than a schizophrenic chameleon, this is a strange allegation, but after a half-dozen "drive over here, shoot these specific dudes, don't get killed, drive to various shops, repeat" missions, the charm wears off. I didn't pay $60 to be forced to make my own entertainment all the time, although I do appreciate the ability to do so. Plus, a lot of the missions are too difficult for me, since I've never played a GTA game before and the controls are very frustrating. (Where are my checkpoints?)
3. It's too dark. Unlike most hardcore gamers, I haven't become totally numb to the horrors of running over pedestrians, I like humor that isn't despairing satirical commentary straight out of The Colbert Report sometimes, and I'd like to be able to spend some of my near-infinite blood money on a pretty apartment or something. After a few hours of play, I need to take a break and look at cute puppies for a while.
4. I've been rereading X-Men instead. Chris Claremont has his faults - our heroes basically have everything and the kitchen sink thrown at them, to the point where their normal lives in regular ol' New York seem out of character - but the power of character development and regular opportunities to test our heroes' moral mettle cannot be denied. The level of drama and pacing is about 2 minutes of X-Men to 1 hour of Dragonball Z. And I thought Lost and Heroes had big casts and copious twists!
