GTA IV - Our Impressions

What non-press, true-blooded gamers thought of the game.

Seeing as we don't want to give away too much about the game – it really is an experience that should be experienced first-hand, and not through text or some shoddy video clip – we've chosen to simply outline some of our impressions of the game:

• The controls take a few hours to get used to, but we certainly encountered no major issues.
• The first two or three missions are relatively easy, so these missions can be used to familiarize yourself with the controls.
• One of the main differences in GTA IV compared to previous GTAs is the car handling. It's less sensitive than we're used to, and far more realistic. (Turning corners is tough.)
• Euphoria is amazing, allowing you to do all sorts of crazy things.
• Cars are much more resilient now. It takes a while to get them to catch fire, and takes then even longer to blow up.
• The screenshots we've seen are accurate; explosions are insanely intense.
• Everything is more realistic; things that you never noticed in previous GTA's will now be apparent.
• The city looks good during the day, but even better at night.
• Bob Ross may have inspired the art direction (hah)! Certain visuals mimic his work, although the "Bob Ross Filter" isn't as apparent on the PS3 version.

Multiplayer also brought on it's fair share of crazy incidences – buses have a use now, by the way – and nothing says "mayhem" like racing sixteen ice cream vans.