Downloaded it, played it, beat it, loved it.

Damn, is the game really that short? I remember it took me like three weeks to beat TLAD back in February...of course, I only played it an hour a day, maximum.

quote

of course, I only played it an hour a day, maximum.

If you take your time over this in the same way then I'm sure it'll last you a good while. Aswell as all the story missions there's loads of side missions and minigames. Hell, the drug wars are almost like proper missions themselves and there's like 25 or them or something. The Cage fighting is pretty fun too...

Yeah I beat this 100% within the space of the weekend and it was ace. I loved it, it was akin to the Vice City feel and the story wasn't all deep and unnecessary, it was just a laugh. It was again yet more proof that Rockstar are amazing at creating not just a game but a full bodied 'feel' and atmosphere. It sort of makes me want to play Vice City again.

There were a few disappointing points about the release, like the Bahama Mamas thing and not being able to actually fly the sky crane, but other than that, I loved it. I especially liked the tweaks they've applied, the sound quality and depth is amazing, truly beautiful, and the weather patterns seem to be a bit less dreary and the game feels a bit 'fresher' and open.

And that pause music, that is so good, I could just leave that on all day in the background as I work, if the XBox itself wasn't so loud.

Were there a lot of side quests? Because while it looks interesting and all, it looks mighty short-lived for a GTA game, even a mere DLC. Sounds like everyone who played a decent amount of hours beat the game in its entirety in a day!

It took me over a week to beat. But that's playing it about an hour a day, and taking some days off.

For side missions, there are "Drug Wars" which are actually pretty good. There are quite a few of them and they aren't repetative.

There's also a "Bouncer" side mission which I have yet to try.

And there is "Basejumping", but it's more of just a little activity than a side mission.

The random ped missions are a bit pointless and are more about the cut scenes, you basically drive between two points.

Side missions like Drug Wars are pretty enjoyable, and the Triathlon races are cool. Then there's the 50 pigeons which is dependant on if you like doing them or not, personally I just see it as admin towards 100%.

The club management missions are cool, but there's a long introduction of just walking around the club before you get to the actual mission, that can be quite annoying. The basejumping is a quick burst of entertainment, and they're pretty easy to get 100% accuracy too.

They should have had car boosts.

I play a few nights a week just *bleep*ing about, and I always just end up causing loads of destruction and having massive police chases. It's great, it reminds me of GTA 3 days.

Ditto on the "fragile" helicopter physics. The controls are ultra-responsive which contrasts with every other vehicle in the game. The missile targetting is also not very intuitive. If there is a missile target lock, I could not figure out how to use it. Aiming the missiles manually is virtually impossible, so if there is no target locking, i'm going to absolutely hate the copters.

The missions are much more action packed and the weapons are a major upgrade. It's actually to the point where Luis feels overpowering. The missions are clearly better, but the game still lacks that "weird", pothead vibe that VC and SA had. The city still feels very sterile and corporate. It's hard to describe, but it just feels like Microsoft designed this game. Zero originally, still not decent and creative side quests, and absolutely zero Easter Eggs. We have this gigantic, beautiful city but nothing to explore.

I gave IV a barely playable score of 6.5/10, and I'm giving BoGT a 7.5 for the improved mission variety and overall fun. Rockstar has still lost their way and I'm doubting we'll get anything better with the next installment. We'll get a pretty version of Vice City with absolutely nothing to do other than storyline missions and lame side jobs.

quote Igotfired

We'll get a pretty version of Vice City with absolutely nothing to do other than storyline missions and lame side jobs.

Not to mention highly restrictive physics based wholly on realism and "what is believable" for the character in lieu of actual fun.

We all know there's nothing more fun than running down stairs at full speed!

What exactly is it about the physics that are 'restricting' you?

I wouldn't consider the physics to be "too restrictive" just incredibly annoying. The characters walk and run way too slow. Even the peds appear to be able to sprint faster than you in game. This probably cannot be corrected using this engine, but Rockstar should seriously consider adjusting the physics for the next gen.

BoGT is really growing on me. The further I go into the storyline the more addictive the game becomes. Drug Wars and Base Jumping are both incredibly fun and surprisingly don't become too repetitive. Both of these side missions are blatant rip offs from SR as are the interactive phone requests for cars and guns.

The storyline missions are almost perfect. Each mission is completely different from the next and none lack action. Rockstar has finally successfully incorporated the skyscrapers and helicopters into the gameplay in a meaningful and fun way, which was one of my major complaints about IV.

Rockstar has also conceded that going on "play dates" isn't even remotely fun and have removed the annoying nagging phone calls. Going on play dates is still apart of the game, but unless you are a 100% nazi, you can avoid these unfortunate side quests. I occasionally get a text for a booty call, but I don't think I've received more than two phone calls asking to hang out.

There are many encouraging signs from the game. Rockstar appears to be returning to action-packed, multifaceted gameplay. The friend quest will likely remain in the next game to a lessor extent, which I'm OK with as long as I don't get phone calls or texts or miss rewards..

As for hints for the next game locations, BoGT makes a few intriguing suggestions that the next installment will take place in San Andreas. If Rockstar expands upon the gameplay we saw in BoGT in a next gen version of SA, I will gladly go out and buy GTA: SA next gen first week. If they give us another BoGT set in Vice City, I'll have to buy off of the used sales rack a few months after release.

Overall, BoGT is a major improvement over IV, but still falls way short of the bar set by San Andreas. My expectations for the next GTA are incredibly low, and if they actually manage to put out a decent full length game, I'll be shocked. I still feel Rockstar has cut out a major part of the experience by not making the game weird or unrealistic enough. I also miss exploring the envirnoment looking for rewards and easter eggs. There is little incentive to explore Liberty City by foot, and I sincerely hope this changes in the next GTA

quote Igotfired

I wouldn't consider the physics to be "too restrictive" just incredibly annoying.

I would consider them to be both.

Tec 9, it depends on what you want from a sandbox game. I want a character that has INFINITE SPRINT and runs almost as fast as the slower ped traffic, not some plodding, heavy, restricted hog beast of a lumbering elephant man who plods along at a boring and REALISTIC pace. I want to be able to spend HOURS out in the open doing self-styled rampages, like PS2 GTA games and Saint's Row games! I want cars whose tires have some measure of GRIP on the pavement, and do not handle like the roads are made out of one huge sheet of ice.

lol Shall I go on, or you starting to get the picture?

I got Episodes from Liberty City last wednesday, and I've completed Lost and Damned, and am currently halfway through Ballad of Gay Tony.

In my honest opinion the first half of Lost and Damned bored the hell out of me. It wasn't until Billy went back inside that it got interesting, but the ending was immense and as soon as I've done Ballad I'll be going back and doing a second run through of Lost.

But Ballad really does bring a breath of fresh air to this game. Even the missions are a lot more fun. The options were limited in Lost and Damned for obvious reasons but this one has really had me pissing around for twice the amount of time I spend on the storyline. I'll finish it by early this week, and I only hope the ending is half as good as I've found the rest of this to be because I will be more then well pleased.