GTA IV - A Theory

Having spoken to a few of my friends about GTA IV, I've come to the following theory about how people play GTA games. There are two groups of GTA gamers. There are those who play the game to blow things up, bang hookers, kill people and maybe play the odd mission. Generally they only play the game to mess about and don't play it for too long. For them, GTA games are a pick up and play experience and not much else. The second group are those who play the game to complete it, whether just to complete the main storyline, where they become the involved with the game's plot, or to collect everything and complete it 100%. The former shall hereon in be referred to as Group A; the latter, Group B.

The thing is, I don't think GTA IV is made for the members of Group A and I think Rockstar have done this on purpose. I haven't ever made a videogame, but if I did and I was incredibly proud of what I had done, I wouldn't feel all too great about the fact that a lot of people only play the game to mess about on it, especially if it was a game as big and as detailed as GTA IV, or any other GTA game. Let's face it, a hell of a lot of work has gone into GTA IV. Not only have Rockstar created a massive game world filled to the brim with things to do, but they've also used a completely new engine. Essentially, they've built the game from the ground up instead of reusing the game engine from GTA: San Andreas. So with all this time, money and energy spent on developing this game, you'd be hard-pushed not to feel slightly disappointed that a hell of a lot of people who play the game barely scrape the surface of what it has to offer. Seeing as though roughly 95% of everything in the game is unlockable by completing the missions, it's obvious that those in Group B get a lot more for their money.

So, in my opinion, Rockstar have done certain things to dissuade people from using the game as a mere virtual playground and missing out on that 95% of the game. Don't get me wrong, Rockstar don't want to stop people messing about in GTA IV, they just want people to do the missions as well. The driving is a lot more realistic this time around. Turning corners is a lot harder, as you have to release the accelerator or brake before you turn otherwise you'll career off the road. Hand-brake turns are also a lot harder to do. Contrary to the beliefs of some of my friends, though, they're not impossible, otherwise Rockstar wouldn't have given you the option of using the hand-brake at all. Also, racking up a wanted level is much more punishing to the unwitting player who causes a crime. The LCPD come down a lot harder on you this time around. Get anything above three stars and you're not likely to escape the cops' attentions alive. Again, it's not impossible, but it is harder, especially if you've just started playing the game.

So, the scope for creating havoc in the game and driving like a maniac has been decreased dramatically. You can still do these things, but you have to be a lot better at the game to come out the other side unscathed. How do you get better? Well, you play the missions, don't you? The missions make allowances, such as erasing your wanted level should you complete them, and thusly allowing the gamer to get better at the game through tutorials and by practicing what you'll need to cause the freeform mania you want to.

So, if you're incredibly disappointed with GTA IV because of this, then I urge you to play the game's missions. They are there for a reason. Of course, if you take my advice and go away to complete the game and come back with an unchanged opinion, then I'll accept that. At the moment, though, your opinion, in my opinion, is misinformed.