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twitter.com/DragonAge - EA presents BioWare's new dark fantasy epic Dragon Age: Origins. '9/10' from Game Informer.
364 Comments
- commitone, on 04/30/2008, -5/+163nega-please!
- lacronicus, on 04/30/2008, -13/+118Wait, so this game has obvious graphical problems, a problematic cover system, broken aiming system, disorienting camera, "archaic" controls, no checkpoint system (didn't another front-page article list this as one of the things every modern game needs to have?), a smaller feature list than it's predecessors, fewer weapons and vehicles, stale voice acting, numerous reports of lock-ups on both systems, and it's *still* getting perfect reviews practically everywhere? I can understand it getting good reviews, but not perfect, and especially not "best game ever."
- likwidtek, on 04/30/2008, -4/+87I love playing devil's advocate. So the nega-reviews are always fun to read. No doubt this game is a must have but "best game of all time"? really?
- GCarden, on 04/30/2008, -16/+96"GTA IV has its flaws as a game." (1) "The flow of the game basically goes like this: you watch a cutscene, someone in the cutscene says that someone has done them wrong, you're told they need to be taught a lesson, and then you get in a car and go teach them the lesson. At that point another cinema is triggered and the process repeats. ... it can definitely become a little repetitive." (2)
"It's not like previous GTAs, or most other sequels, where there are new stand-out features that you can easily discuss and rate." (4) "GTA IV [actually] reduces the amount of activities when compared to the previous game, San Andreas. You cannot go the gym to beef up Niko's muscles. And eating a ton of cheeseburgers won't turn you into a massive, wobbly mound of lard." (3)
"You'll probably be surprised to hear GTA IV has noticeably fewer weapons and vehicles on offer than GTA: San Andreas did. ... Yes, this means San Andreas' more unusual vehicles like fighter jets, hovercraft, go-karts and jetpacks are all absent. Don't expect to be wielding chainguns, flamethrowers or chainsaws either." (4) "The world itself is smaller than the state-sized San Andreas" (7) and in general the game has "a feature list that's a step back from its predecessors." (4)
"Even though the plot line is simpler than previous GTA games, it still gets cluttered at times, with a glut of characters entering the scene; it can be tough to keep track of exactly why things are happening and to whom." (9) "There's still a clear difference between this and [even] a B-level Hollywood production. ... Every story note [is] delivered by flat, to-the-point dialog [and] we get characters over-explaining their feelings and opinions, leading to some awkward exchanges. (8) On top of that, "Niko's Serbian ... is God-awful." (3)
"Combat can be troublesome. ... When you're duking it out with enemies in confined spaces ... it can be easy to get disoriented when the camera moves around." (5) "The sometimes problematic auto-aim shooting" (1) means "you'll still die thanks to the odd lock-on screw up that has you looking at pedestrians instead of the policeman aiming up behind you." (1) Yes, the "lock-on can be a little finicky." (2) In general, "combat controls could be tighter." (1)
"Cover mechanics don't always work the way they should" either. (3) There's definitely "the occasional stickiness of cover points when trying to maneuver quickly." (7) and "times when attempting to take cover behind narrow objects (such as columns) will occasionally result in Niko attaching himself to the wrong side." (5) No, "taking cover may not always work the way you want it to." (3)
"The squirrelly driving control takes a while to master," too. (6) "Some cars in GTA4 are especially loose and hard to control when executing the kind of high-speed maneuvers required by the game. Using the handbrake to execute hairpin turns and drifts is, in general, more difficult than before, and you'll have to actually have to think about slowing down a bit before taking a tight corner." (8)
"Some of the control mapping is a little bit odd as Rockstar chose to do things its own way in some respects." (2) There's "some clunkiness in ladder-climbing and vaulting objects" (7) and "some of the other interactive features, such as shopping for clothes in several clothing stores, have an awkward interface, making it a chore to try on different looks." (8) "The lack of analogue running." is also off-putting. (4) "The analogue stick is there for a reason and having to hold the A button to run and tap it to sprint, stands out as a little archaic." (4)
"GTA4 also suffers from those little things that have always plagued the series, such as sudden pop-in of objects in the environment and the occasional repetition of car models in your immediate vicinity." (6) "The frame-rate also takes punishment throughout ... with noticeable pop-in in places." (7) "I've [also] encountered a few odd clipping issues in certain obscure parts of Liberty City" (3) and "some of the secondary characters look a bit like clunky PS2 holdovers." (8) "The distance blur is also pretty heavy. ... It's ... a little disappointing to look at a distant skyline and see nothing but a complete blur. The shadows are also distractingly grainy at times." (4) "You'll definitely notice glitches." (5)
"The continued absence of mid-mission checkpoints" is another sticking point." (7) "With missions that can take an extended period of time, and require trips to several locations, not having a save-anywhere system will turn off mainstream and casual gamers." (8) "I do wish that Rockstar had added checkpoints in the multistage missions to cut down on the grunt work of frustrating retries." (6)
"GTA IV is very much Grand Theft Auto, which means that if you didn't like the last installments you're probably going to have the same qualms with IV." (1) The game "doesn't reinvent the wheel" (9) and "the game's missions will be familiar to just about anyone who played the last couple of GTA games." (5) In general, everything is just "a little less brave and intimidating this time around." (2)
Sources
(1) C&VG
(2) GameTrailers
(3) ActionTrip
(4) IGN AU
(5) GameSpy
(6) 1UP
(7) Eurogamer
(8) GameDaily
(9) GamePro - JavertHolmes, on 04/30/2008, -8/+85Locks up on my PS2.
- peagle, on 04/30/2008, -4/+75Caused a fire in my PSone
- TheCheeks, on 04/30/2008, -3/+65I've been playin this game for 4 days now and I don't see how it got a 10/10, its fun yes but not the greatest game ever. I don't think I've played for more than 2 hours without stopping cause I get pretty bored doing the same thing over and over.
- svenks, on 04/30/2008, -5/+59No problems whatsoever on my Zune
- twishart, on 04/30/2008, -3/+56SNES runs mine okay.
- salculd, on 04/30/2008, -2/+48Killed my dog and framed me for insurance fraud on my Sega Master System.
- ridestp, on 04/30/2008, -2/+45After reading this I wonder why it got all of the 10/10 and the A+'s. Seems many of the core components of the game are lacking in some way.
- YellowSnowDemon, on 04/30/2008, -2/+43***** me in the ass with a chainsaw on my virtual boy.
- Akaji, on 04/30/2008, -4/+39Sorry, the video game can't mimic your life :(
- Falldog, on 04/30/2008, -4/+35Honestly, after playing a bit, these are some of the same issues that came to mind right away. Especially the looseness when it comes to driving.
- dyranios2, on 04/30/2008, -6/+35"GTA IV [actually] reduces the amount of activities when compared to the previous game, San Andreas. You cannot go the gym to beef up Niko's muscles. And eating a ton of cheeseburgers won't turn you into a massive, wobbly mound of lard."
They say that like it's a bad thing, "working out" was a chore. - DNABeast, on 04/30/2008, -3/+30Man, This game sounds Terrible!
- rhylan, on 04/30/2008, -3/+29cereal
- limpl0uie, on 04/30/2008, -6/+32Well, as IGN said, The bigger video games get the harder it will be for any of them to be "perfect." Every game has its problems. No game has ever been perfect and probably never will...maybe.
Until then reviewers give perfect scores to the ones that come the closest because waiting for the "Perfect" game will be akin to waiting for Jesus to challenge Satan to a cage match. - slightlygifted, on 04/30/2008, -9/+35i cant make my character fat! no way in hell im buying this game now!
- exomni, on 04/30/2008, -1/+26"GTA IV [actually] reduces the amount of activities when compared to the previous game, San Andreas. You cannot go the gym to beef up Niko's muscles. And eating a ton of cheeseburgers won't turn you into a massive, wobbly mound of lard."
I fail to see how this is a bad thing. - dboy3587, on 04/30/2008, -5/+28and you'll have to actually have to think about slowing down a bit before taking a tight corner." (8)..........so your telling me they added physics to the game.
- dmac41, on 04/30/2008, -2/+21I have the ps3 version and I can say pop up still happens a lot.
- Akaji, on 04/30/2008, -0/+18The driving is, to be honest, annoying. I'm all for semi-realistic physics, but these cars handle as though someone smeared melted butter all over the road...
- kingUssop, on 04/30/2008, -9/+26Yeah this is probably the craziest overhyping in reviews I've ever seen for a game, nice to see some perspective. I know there are diehards that play GTA to the end, but where are the reviews for the many who can only take a short dose of the super repetitive missions, use the engine to create mayhem for awhile, then get sick of it? Has the game really gotten any better? I'd say no, and the scores it's getting imply it's revolutionary, when it's a graphics upgrade.
- Markpdotcom, on 04/30/2008, -1/+17No, its weird... you expect to pull off a hand brake turn... then flick the wheel the other way, floor the gas to pull the car back round... But it doesn't work like that anymore, if you do flick the wheel in the opposite direction to your slide, you end up going backwards the wrong way. Its very confusing. It may be more true to real life driving, but thats not really what I want from GTA.
- linuxrocks2007, on 04/30/2008, -0/+15"An boring." An boring? An boring! ANNNNN BOOOORRRRRIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGG!
I'm going to be buried to oblivion. - jmask5, on 04/30/2008, -1/+16Wow reading those makes the game seem abysmal. Whatever GTA is for GTA fans . They will love it. I just really don't think Sequels should ever get a 10 because they share too much from the Original. If this was the first game in the series then no question it would be a 10. The reason Soul Calibur, Ocarina of TIme etc got 10s is because at the time there was nothing like them.
- UtopiaInTheSky, on 04/30/2008, -12/+27One of the following (or both) explains the Perfect scores:
1. TakeTwo is "bribing" game review websites.
2. The reviewers are excited by the massive hype, and give out overly generous scores. - timothy53, on 04/30/2008, -3/+18is it me or is driving really hard, i still have yet to figure out how to take a corner, either i drive into a wall or do a 270 degree turn.
- Dacvak, on 04/30/2008, -1/+14Unfortunately for me, and your argument, "guaranty" is a real word. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/guaranty
Still, I'll invest in some English classes. - XtheXlanternX, on 04/30/2008, -0/+13The thing that pisses me off so much is that you can't save anywhere. I have ***** things to do Rockstar. I can't just keep playing until this mission is over if I have to leave now. Not only that, if you have more than one save file (i.e. multiple people playing separate games) the autosave doesn't work right (you'll overwrite your friend's games) and you have to return to the house. ***** the devs who left save anywhere out.
- inactive, on 04/30/2008, -3/+16Put a hole in the space time continuum on my Atari 2600.
- garageboy101, on 04/30/2008, -1/+14What's next? you have to perodically poop and piss in the game?
- Rosco, on 04/30/2008, -5/+18Best way to fix the aiming issue is to use a keyboard and mouse. Release it for the PC dammit!
- BriceHutch, on 04/30/2008, -2/+15Some of those are pretty valid points. But then some of them are just nit-picky. The game has less features? Good! That whole going to the gym, eating burgers and getting fat, was a bad idea anyway. I think it took away from what GTA has always been. Fun and story based. GTA3 didn't have any of that stuff and it was one of my favorite games ever. And the whole. " watch a cut scene, do something, repeat." is fine with me. The story has always made GTA interesting. I wanna play to find out what happens. And hey if you get bored, just put in some cheats and cause some massive chaos. That's straight fun.....admit it.
In a "City" that big of course it's gonna be hard to perfect everything. I got it this morning and haven't had a chance to play it. But I'm sure the level of glitches for a game that massive is acceptable. - charlesray, on 04/30/2008, -2/+14This is actually really disappointing for me. I never enjoyed playing through GTA and doing the missions. What I do like, however, is waiting until it comes out for PC, finding every cheat code, and just dicking around. This can entertain me for hours and hours. Even without any plot or any goals it has a replay value I very much doubt I will ever find in another game. So if they made the world smaller, reduced the amount of weapons, reduced the amount of vehicles, made driving harder, and made combat harder, well then they basically took a step backwards for me.
As a side note, one of the quotes saying that some interfaces are awkward is no surprise to me. The PC port has some god awful controls on secondary interfaces (i.e. buying clothes, playing arcade games). It seems like the keys that are used are chosen completely at random and on the spot; hell, sometimes they change from menu to menu. - Jwoey, on 04/30/2008, -0/+12Indeed the little things... Like when I stole a car, and when the original owner held on to the door handle and I flung his ass into a streetlamp. That was the first thing that made me think, "That was badass."
- MrTito, on 04/30/2008, -1/+12Uhh, hmm. FTA:
"Welcome, virtual felons and virtual felon wannabes, to yet another Joystiq Nega-review. This edition continues the proud tradition cherry-picking the middling negative points from the reviews of a well-hyped game with near unanimous critical praise, and arranging those points into an utterly unfair whole. This isn't a covert way of panning the game -- far from it -- but rather a convenient way to summarize the valid negative issues that can get lost in the deafening wave of praise."
So, yeah, looking for everything bad was kinda the point of the NEGA-review. - inactive, on 04/30/2008, -0/+11my longest session was 6 hours...
and i'm a smoker - martinj88, on 04/30/2008, -2/+13The only thing that really annoys me is that they did not include bicycles, basing the gaming in a big city with busy traffic a bike would come in handy.
But who knows, they might add them in the DLC. - thestranger, on 04/30/2008, -2/+13What's with all these people reading this article that has one or two statement from each outlets 5-7 page review, and going. "how can this receive a 10?" Because if you write a 7 page summary on anything its going to involve some criticism. I am not saying I definitely agree with it receiving 10s, but what's with all these people accusing those who HAVE PLAYED the game of "buying into the hype", or "ignoring crucial flaws", or "getting paid off by publishers". That's so presumptuous, especially; for those who have not played the game and are talking to those who have. If you are so perplexed at its rating then go out and rent or buy or borrow it.
- Tyrghast, on 04/30/2008, -6/+16guarantee. you have no excuse, nearly all internet browsers have a spell checker that checks you as you type.
- inactive, on 04/30/2008, -5/+15The driving isn't too loose, it's just more realistic.
- odiego, on 04/30/2008, -1/+11lol i like how you looked it up! "f- this mo-fo, this has to be a word.." Kudos.
- KaiUno, on 04/30/2008, -2/+12So did the 75 other people that dugg him up. You don't hear them yapping about it.
- JavertHolmes, on 04/30/2008, -1/+11I see what you did to the "I see what you did there" comment there.
- inactive, on 04/30/2008, -0/+10I like when this woman grabbed me out of a car I stole from her...I stabbed her....a lot....
- Klisk, on 04/30/2008, -6/+15I sure as hell can't play GTAIV for more than 20 minutes. It's torture. There's really nothing substantial about the game. I'm not interested in "just" playing around with the "world/environment." That's not a game. That's a crime-oriented Second Life.
- inactive, on 04/30/2008, -1/+10I would agree. The game is fantastic, but I wouldn't go as far as to say the best ever. I don't really think you could ever make a statement like that because of each generation's hardware limitations. I mean, can you really compare River City Ransom with GTA IV?
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