The Grand Theft Auto series is something I’ve never gotten into. Due to because of the gameplay. Stealing cars, sex, drugs and shit. Just not my type of game.
However, a few days ago, Garion got me into this game, convincing me that I don’t have to do the things the game is designed to do.
After finally finding the official site, I asked questions, got answers, but I still wasn’t sold. Garion once again answered my more important questions, and I bought it.
So far, it was worth the $50. First of all, it seems the game is based in the year 2008. The game is based in and around New York City, dividing the city sections into islands.
But due to the corruption in politics, and terrorism, the mayor of Liberty City, the name of the game world, has raised the terror threat level and closed down all bridges leading into the center of Manhattan.
As you advance through the game, the other islands will begin to be unlocked for you, giving you a less linear way of getting around, and more fun. Just how do you know, you may ask? Listen to the news!
Seriously, listen to the ingame news. Use a computer in one of the internet cafes to see the news, or listen to it on the radio in your car.
Eventually you’ll hear news that bridges have been reluctantly re-opened. This also gives you access to the subway routes on the other islands.
Well. That covers the unlocked areas. Lets talk about the pros and cons.
First, the pros;
+ Combat. The combat in the game is pretty good. You can duck behind cover and attempt to kill the guy without him killing you.
+ Realistic car damage, physics, and handling.
+ Jaw-dropping views of the city.
+ You can leave you car anywhere you want and visit the parks.
+ Radio Stations, plus a custom music station (Independence FM) that you can put your own mp3’s in. It even has it’s own commercials.
+ Police arrest NPC’s.
+ Subways.
+ Speedboats.
+ Variety of weapons.
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And now, the Cons;
– You can drive everywhere, only if you advance through the game by doing missions. This is due to “terrorist threats”.
– The buddy system sucks. They won’t stop calling you, and there’s no way to say “I want to have some me time” except turning off your phone. Even then you still get text messages.
Plus, if you decide to pick up a friend to go somewhere, they expect you to be there within an hour, not fucking care you like obeying traffic laws. And no way to say “It’ll be awhile. I’m stuck in traffic.” What’s worse is if you accept while being on one side of the map, and the person’s on the other side of the map.
– Aggressive, but dumb AI drivers. They will attempt to pass you while waiting at a red light. Some will even get out of their car and yell at you, or pull you out and start a fight.
– Just loading the damn game. It HATES dual monitor users, and has a hard time saving your settings.
– Some buildings can only be entered when unlocked by doing missions.
– Body armor is hard to find, and is required for survival as you advance in the game.
– If you fail to complete a mission, you have to start from the beginning of it if you choose to redo it. This gets very annoying on long missions. Especially those that involve having to chase down a person in heavy traffic.
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But, I guess I should be grateful for two things.
1. It hasn’t locked up on me.
2. It runs beautifully on mainly high graphics.