Official GTA 4 Review Manifesto.

Prepare for the hate mail! No seriously though, havent played GTA 4 yet, but im probably gonna buy it even though the review isnt worshipping the game like a alcoholic worshipping free booze. The more you look forward to something, the more you will get disappointed if it doesnt live up to your expectations. Hope the best, expect the worst, then you will never get disappointed. Thats all i can say.

Phew... I thought Ol' Jack here got a name change... Or That jesse Is actually Jack Thompson's naughty obsession

Wait... What the heck is Jack doing in this pic?

Just a heads-up, in the summary, "Continuous" is typoed. Also, props on being the only reviewer to bring up the camera. The "crappier" cars are fine, but when you start moving to faster cars, you have to constantly work the right stick to be able to look around corners and see what the hell's in front of you. What amuses me is how most reviewers praise that for "adding a sense of speed." Well, it does. 'Til you hit an oncoming bus. And you're definitely right about the friends... it would've been neat if you could decide to take 'em out on your own time, and they wouldn't start hating you. SPOILER ALERT: Couldn't really feel for Kate because every time I'd call to take her out on a date, she'd say she hates me or some crap like that. END SPOILER. However, the game still holds up very well.

"And instead of five stars, your wanted level now goes to six." Your wanted level always went to six stars, excluding GTA1.

I also thought he skipped way too many of the small details in the game, like the way dead drivers fall onto the horn and how people can get clothing stuck in car doors.

I noticed that Jack is wearing a Vercetti-esque hawaiian shirt. Coincidence? I think not.

I think this review nailed it.. overall I was was a little let down by gta4. The graphics especially are kind of upsetting. It does have its moments when it looks pretty good.. but if it has to chug along to make it happen then it just spoils it. It's almost like they took the, now, 10 year old formula.. slapped a new coat of paint on it and buffed it to a mirror shine, but in the end we are still are driving that old jalopy we've had for years. That said, I still am really enjoying the game... I really like the new physics of the rag dolls.

great review, pretty much exactly how i feel about the game, only thing i disagree with is the score. IMO this game is a solid B.

I have to say, very well worded review. I didn't like that the final score, with more cons than pros, got it an A-. I haven't played the game yes but I know that when you have more negative marks than positive it isn't good. Not hate mail or anything, but it almost feels like you were supposed to give it an A of some sort. I've never been all that impressed with GTA, sure they've been fun, but I've more or less always viewed them as MMO wannabes without the hutzpah to go all the way and take it online and enhance the RPG-esque feel it's always had.

I smell a mail bag coming up.

I thought the grade was spot on. Kudos.

The review certainly reads more like a B review than an A- review.

Seems good to me, so kudos to Jesse for a well written review.

Agreed! Feel the love Jesse! And is it me or does it look like Jack is holding a gun then a game box?

If I'd of read just this review, I'd of been flummoxed by the A-. The review read like a C. But with all the other sycophantic reviewers sucking on Rockstar's teet there's no need to put the good stuff in. We've heard it already. All that needs to be said is what's been ignored. Bravo GR. GTA IV is amazing but not perfect, nor as innovative as the others.

Is it just me, or does Jack look like he's starting to pack on the pounds?

I've yet to play a PC version of a GTA game, but for this one I'm definitely buying it. I'll post a PC review as well, since the controls and graphics are usually pretty different. Thanks for all the work you put into this review. Although I must say, playing GTA is never really work, so I guess kudos to you for getting paid to play GTA IV.

i haven't read the review but i can say GTA4 is not quite as good as it's forebears. alot of things got downgraded back to gta3 spec which is a shame after vice and san andreas added so much. and that depth of field may hide the pop-in and aliasing, but damn nico needs to get some visine

For all the people pointing out that the game deserves a B because it's score had more cons than pros, I would like to point out that none of the cons were really that bad while the pros for the most part seemed to stand out alot more. It is quality, not quantity, that counts. Overall, fair review.

Excellent review. Seems like many people are raving about the details of the game, but they fail to realize that details such as dead drivers slumping over in the cars is something that should be expected of next-gen games. This isn't ps2 anymore, so it should be expected that intricate realistic details are included in any game...and should not be something a game is specifically is praised over. The praise comes with innovation and well executed mechanics...which this game severely lacks.

Im sorry everyone but as much as I found GTA IV disappointing that was a horrible review. It mostly goes on and on about negatives and never says anything of substance about the game. Some real criticism would of been just that it's not as fun as SA was and that the realism takes a lot of getting used to. An entire paragraph about texture pop in is not substance. The review reads like he wanted to say good things about it but just had to sound different by making big things out of small things. I was expecting a great review from this site but all I found was a blog.

I agree with the score. The friends managing was anoying, i have real friends for that ****. All the other stuff was also true. But it is still a great game, go out and buy it. But i miss some over the top missions like breaking into area 51, stealing a jet and parachuting. Once again go and buy the game.

so grading system wise, Galaxy is better than this? yay for stupid fanboy logic

but really tho if people are mad they should have seen this coming. GR is always harsh on sequels and whatnot. Metroid Brawl GTA....

@ above poster: not so much on halo sequels iirc. about the review, generally i agree with fireace, that review wasn't too great. not because of the final score but because of basically just mentioning the bad things and blowing up (relatively) minor things to big paragraphs. also funny how sometimes it was described as too realistic and then again as not realistically enough.

i agree with the grade, but the review was bad. Fireace sums it up good.

I don't like reading the reviews sometimes. I might actually read the GTA4 one because I'm interested in the game, but I mostly jump straight to the report card.

As I said in the forums, it weaves around the positives to get the negatives. Instead of "more focus" (which was an obvious goal of Rockstar and one that made the game a more cohesive and genuine experience) it's "smaller scope". It says nothing of the atmosphere, the remarkable attention to detail, or even that much about the game really. I wouldn't mind the grade if I felt like he gave every aspect of the game a fair look.

I think the point is that there are dozens of other reviews that all talk about "the good parts" and very few give more than a passing glance at some of the faults... It's a good game, more than worthy of being purchased, but the point of the review was to let you know what you're up against and in that respect the review nailed it.

How come most of the reviews I read don't mention the Euphoria engine at all? I can't WAIT to see it used in more games. Friggin LOVE it.

The framerate is annoying at times and the gun controls are too, I think the overall package is what critics are so in love with. It probly is the best game i've ever played but it is definitely flawed.

I've gotta say, this review is one of the reasons why I stll freakin' worship this site. He didn't focus on the super cool new details 'cause, truth be told, we already know 'em all. What we gamers want when looking at a review, or me at least, is the dirt, the real sore spot on a game, if it's worth forgiving or not. GTA IV must be one hell of a game, but it never deserved an A+, no game this generation does in all honesty. Hell I'm not even getting all psyched out about MGS4 releasing next month 'cause I can already predict some gameplay quirks won't be delt with, MGS, like GTA when it hit 3D, has always had some bizarre

glitches, I don't think the 4th installment will be any different. If anything it will only be marred by newer glitches due to it's new features.

For everyone complaining about the reviewer blowing up small problems into big paragraphs, remember that Jesse starts the review by saying: "everyone already knows this is a game worth playing and that you should run out and get it if you haven’t already". He picks on the little problems because, on the whole, the game is apparently really great and that's all there is to complain about. I think the review was very fair..remember, A- is NOT a bad grade.

@Frankfurter209: Totally right about the number of stars. Thanks.

I loved the honesty of the review but you seemed to just name the bad of the game and very little good then you give it a good score i understand its your opinion but if you really think the game is bad you should give it a bad score and if it is good you should talk a little more about the good things but other than that it was a very good review

Thefronz23 is absolutley right.

Hell, I'd still get this game if got a B.

Thefronz23 is absolutley right.

I think this review really hit the nail on the head. From reading all the reviews that came out before the game went on sale, I had the expectation that this would be the be-all-end-all open world game. Then I got it and it's certainly awesome, but not nearly as amazing as the adulatory reviews make it seem. The GR review is the best one out there so far because it's grounded. It talks about the game, not the philosophy of games as works of art, or the deeper meanings of the story, or the background of the protagonist. It still comes across as a product well worth your 60 bucks, but also gives the reader a reasonable idea of what

Thefronz23 is absolutley right.

airbob110 stop spamming.

i havent played the game yet, but i knew since reviews started coming out it wouldnt be nearly as good as people were saying it would be. im going to play it in two days, hopefully. oh, thanks for putting my blog on vox, whoever in GR staff did it!!!

oh and can we all agree IGnNand Gamsspot had to have been bribed or something? an A- and a perfect 10 are 2 very different scores. Neither of them mentioned any graphical flaws or anything

Maybe because they were DIFFERENT OPINIONS. GR isn't the only official site man.

Aw man, this review was like the equivalent of doing a hot chick and realizing you're not wearing a condom and she has AIDS; you're kind of sad, but you still keep doing her. Same with this review. It points out the bad, but everyone still wants to get the game.

well GS and IGN had essentially the EXACT same opinions, other sites LIKe GR had different scores

Jesse did a great job reveiwing the game. I love the game it has become my life this past week and a half, but there a bunch of smaller issues in it that standout just because the rest of the game is so good. Nice Job GR on fine reveiw.

It was a good review. Only because I have read most of the others on the web already. I know about all the good stuff in the game, so seeing someone point out some of the flaws was....refreshing. I guess. I think it focused too much on the faults of the game though. Reading the review i was expecting him to give it a C+ or something.

I don't like assumptions. The review does read more like a B, maybe even lower, than an A- because Jesse seems to assume everyone knows why GTA is so lauded. Bring the good and the bad, even if the bad is the only thing that will get your review noticed.

I love coming to this site for reviews on games. I get an honest opinion, not a paid one. The fact that you broke down GTA4 is just proof that you guys are not sell outs. Keep it up!

oh I never did say it was a good review which I believe it to be. Not perfect like the game but still excellent

I got the game for my little brothers birthday. I played it for a few minutes, seemed pretty much the same as the other GTA games. Then I got to play it a bit more and the story is a lot better than the other games. I give it a B+.

So let me get this straight: If a grade is too low, people complain, and if a grade is too high people complain. Man, I do NOT want to review video games for a living.

The review for GTA IV kind of perplexed me. It was given an A-, but the entire review is just him comementing on all the negative aspects of the game and not really offering an informative view of the game itself. I thought reviews where there to help us decide if we want to purchase a game, and give us some insight into the plot, gameplay etc. This review gives nothing on the plot, barely mentions the gameplay except in a negative way. This review seems more like an angry blog post than something that should be called a video game review. It just harps on the games problems, and even when it does that it cant even deliver properly. It goes on how so much was taken out of the game, but it never mentions what was taken out or why that is bad. It almost assumes you've played the game a decent amount already. I thought reviews weren't for people that own the game

That says something for the game, Wickedcarny. If I feed you a list of complaints about say, Ludwig von Mises' Human Action, understand that those complaints aside, I'm still recommending the book (in fact I do, it's one of the finest of its kind, and well worth the 20 or so dollars one would send F&W Books' way to get it) and the complaints are only about particulars.

GTA IV is a sticky game to review; on the one hand, one is inclined to try to, in a single review, give proper attention to the virtues and vices of any game's content, and to show their extent and significance. With GTA IV, we have an endless barrage of reviews giving a one-sided second coming of the video game messiah depiction. On the other hand, the game is no such thing. Really, Constantino's review doesn't dissent from most others; it still considers the game an excellent one, but it stands, at the same time, applying critical standards that it always has. I see no contradiction (or even much of a contradistinction) in Constantino's position, in the ultimate sense.

Something that Jesse mentioned unspecifically was one of the most innovative, impressive and often hilarious features of GTA 4: the Euphoria animation engine. It's strange to think that a game on such a mind-bogglingly large scope focused so obviously on the smallest details; even choosing to cast away gameplay features from Vice City and San Andreas like property ownership, car customization, etc. in its favor. I'm happy that at least GR is able and willing to put out a realistic and informed review of the game... how many 10/10's did it get the day before it released? My own experience with the first third of the game was extremely frustrating, as it donned on me that GTA4 wasn't going to expand on San Andreas, it was going to try to perfect GTA3. The controls (particularly the aiming) are twitchy and unresponsive, and what the hell kind of game in this day and age can you not toggle off auto-center camera?

sorry but it's exactly NOT an informed review of the game. it basically says: "if you wanna know anything about the game that is good or descriptive of the general gameplay, please look somewhere else. here's just the flaws i found.". that's not informed, that's not good, that is sub-par at least. and for sb who actually does it for a living that's really poor.

I agree Poly. The Euphoria engine is what really makes the game for me. I mean, outside of the crazy, mindblowing animations that can randomly show up at any moment, this is just GTA. Same concept as the rest, just different story. The euphoria engine is what makes it different. Its just amazing to take the hood of your car and nudge a pedestrian with it, and watch him realistically shoot his hands down onto the hood to support himself from falling over. And also knowing that none of those animations are motion captured or scripted, but processed in real time based on the speed and angle and impact is absolutely amazing. Watch the tech videos of the euphoria engine, the characters are basically self-aware. Its amazing and I can't wait for more games to use it.

@nitewolf. Look at every other review out there, NONE of them say really anything bad about the game, at all. So, by your logic, NO ONE has written a well informed review of the game. This review does pass on a lot of the great things about the game, but come on, you already know its great. It's gotten perfect scores and near perfect scores. The game is good, you'd need to be blind not to see that. But this review says "Yes, its amazing, but since no other review touched on the negatives, I'm going to". It may not be a perfect review, may have some flaws, but I'd give the Review an A- :)

@ Pred, I agree with nitewolf. We are not saying that taking a different stance on the review is wrong, but the review itself is not informative. It chooses to point out the bad things mainly, but it fails to inform about the game overall. It tells very very little about the game except certain flaws, and even those flaws pointed out are not very informative. Yes elements where taken out of the game, but for what reason and what impact does that have on gameplay vs. older titles? The review really seems like a nitpicking forum thread geared solely to those who have played the game, rather than an actual informative review.

@Wicked. I can buy that, and agree with it. Especially with the idea of it being geared more to those who have played it, and experienced the flaws, then those who haven't played it. But with a game as large as this, and with how many things that were added and taken out, the only way to really grasp the whole game for all its worth is by either writing a 10 page review on it, or playing it yourself. And I feel the review is telling you to do the latter by saying "Hey, this game rocks, we are giving it an A-, but here are some things to expect." Which is 10x more informative then any other review out there.

I don't get all these people saying "You can get the good things about the games from other sites. I'm sorry, that's a sign of really bad writing. I should be able to tell what the person writing the review thought was good about the game without going to other sorces This review should be a complete (or nearly so) assessment of what the person thought of it. I should not have to go to another site to find out what's good. And yes I agree other reviews have sucked for not pointing out some of the annoying things about this game but that doesn't give GR a reason to half ass the review. Text is cheap. If the review needed to be three times as long to fully express what's good about the game, so be it. All I have here is a review of a great game that just whines about minor flaws and that's about it.

Taken alone, this review makes GTA4 sound pretty dismal. I mean a single sentence is spent on this games great story (as in the mention that it is good) while two paragraphs are spent complaining about graphics that are still better than most games out there but not as good as some. Multiple mentions are made about how the city is smaller yet there's no mention that the city now feels more like a real city then ever. The paragraph dealing with the new gun controls just talks about the negatives without even mentioning that it's still by far the smoothest gunplay seen in the gta series. I agree with the A- as in this is not a revolutionary game like an A needs to be. It takes the GTA formula and improves it in a million little ways and still has a few flaws but nothing that really takes away that much in the end.

@pred: as wicked correctly pointed out the main problem we have with the review is the lack of being generally informative. i didn't say or mean that a review has to include everything, but it should give a general impression of the reviewed game. the gta IV review doesn't even come close to that. it doesnt need 10 pages to give an overview, i'm not asking for an every-minor-detail-review here. take one of the review of another site with some content about the actual gameplay, add to it the few flaws in one paragraph and voila, a good review. but going "nag, nag, nag... oh btw if you wanna know anything about the game in general go to another page lolol" is what i'd expect from some half-assed reader's-review on ign, not from sb who writes regularly for GR.

Hey I thought they would pull a Final Fantasy 7 when I was reading it. But seriously that is the perfect grade for this game and I love this game, and an A- is a really good grade on this site.

This game is incredible but i just dont think that it lives up to the scale that was GTA SA. This is just the closed in city without the big countryside and the huge oceans between (TO THE FURTHEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE) other than that, i dont understand what could be better...

Been awhile, but in my personal opinion GTA IV lived up to everything Rockstar said it would be. Playing on a 360 Elite and a high end HDTV I can say that the little details do make up a rather awesome whole. The "scope" may be "smaller", but because I didn't have to wrorry about cross-state chases I could get more involved with Niko's story, as well as just breathe in the setting. I do think that the review was overall very negative, and when I read the final grade I was shocked--not because it got an A-, but because it didn't get a C-. I honestly don't think anyone would be complaining about the review or reviewer if the review was more balanced, weighing pros and cons more effectively.

And I'd like to know who is experiencing frame-rate hiccups. I've been playing since 1 AM on April 29th, and I've never noticed anything like that. I also don't have a problem with the camera, the aiming, or the cover system. It could be that I don't have sausage fingers, or it could be I got a

I liked his review. It was exactly what needed to be said. GTA IV is great that goes without saying I mean come on... Its GTA as long as it isn't singstar with a story its going to leech hours, days , weeks from our lives... He talked about the major issues he found... I've experienced the same ones... Doesn't mean I'm going to give it to my son so he can make a frisbee out of it... Complain alll you want guys and dolls.... GTA lives on and he's getting a bit crotchety