As a GTA fan, GTA IV to me is the most iconic. While this wasn't the first GTA I played, it was my introduction to the series through YouTube video's at the time. Back then all I could afford to play was GTA SA, so I did. Fast forward to today and I played every (non 2D) GTA game multiple times and I can pretty confidently say that this is still either the best GTA or a shared first position with GTA V.
GTA IV and GTA V are great games for different reasons. While GTA V has a better world map and is a return to the more classic formula of a GTA game, GTA IV shines more when it comes to realism and seriousness.
There are several factors that make GTA IV better compared to GTA V.
First thing being the physics. The way cars and pedestrians react to your actions in the world is miles ahead of any other GTA. Personally I think that the realistic behavior makes the game more enjoyable. Shooting people has a lot more impact and crashing into other vehicles does too.
Second of all the amount of detail is unmatched. While GTA V might have a lot of detail in it's world, GTA IV incorporates more detail in how the environment dynamically reacts to the player. You can shoot guns out of people's hands, when you shoot them in the leg they move accordingly, cops don't shoot with one star and try to arrest you alive instead, npc's react more appropriately to the player on foot, etc... I could go on, it's really an endless list. There is a very popular video showing the differences between V and IV that makes the same point. Although it does not mean GTA IV is necessarily the better game, it is a certain aspect that is much better that I care about very much.
Third point: The story is a lot more heavy and serious. GTA IV took a very different approach to it storytelling compared to other games. The story delved into some difficult topics and it was ultimately a very tragic story. While other GTA games are mainly about criminals rising to the top (for different reasons), this game is about a man that is stuck in the criminal life and doesn't really have a choice in that. It's a man with a tragic past looking for closure and a better life but is in some way unable to because of his unfortunate circumstances.
Now to talk about the game without comparing it to it's successor...
The story I just talked about and I don't really need to add anything else. It's a phenomenal character and a touching story.
All I can say is that the game is a very complete package. The city feels alive thanks to it's various activities and realistic features like the subway. The characters, the story, the activities, the world, the graphics and the realistic physics all combine into a real masterpiece that is underrated in my opinion.
I have a lot of fond memories of this game. This game is what got me interested into gaming all these years ago in the first place so there is also a factor of nostalgia.
Even though I've played this game many many times and have known it for many years, I keep coming back to it and I'll keep doing so for as long as I can foresee. This game really is one of the best games I've ever known.
The only reason why I can't give it five starts is because of the bad state of the PC port and how Rockstar has left this game in the dust. The issues are well known at this point. The performance is terrible and there are many bugs that have been known for years that never get fixed. It's so bad that this game technically isn't beatable at 60fps. The game itself is a masterpiece and the way the game was intended to be is perfect. But the state that they left it in on PC is a tough pill to swallow.
I could write a whole book about everything I like about this game. I could go into detail about the story, talk about features like the internet, talk about the lore and many easter eggs and myths, the atmosphere, the fact that this game serves as a time capsule at this point... There are many things I'd like to talk about that I just can't put into words in this review.
I think you get the idea.
GTA IV and GTA V are great games for different reasons. While GTA V has a better world map and is a return to the more classic formula of a GTA game, GTA IV shines more when it comes to realism and seriousness.
There are several factors that make GTA IV better compared to GTA V.
First thing being the physics. The way cars and pedestrians react to your actions in the world is miles ahead of any other GTA. Personally I think that the realistic behavior makes the game more enjoyable. Shooting people has a lot more impact and crashing into other vehicles does too.
Second of all the amount of detail is unmatched. While GTA V might have a lot of detail in it's world, GTA IV incorporates more detail in how the environment dynamically reacts to the player. You can shoot guns out of people's hands, when you shoot them in the leg they move accordingly, cops don't shoot with one star and try to arrest you alive instead, npc's react more appropriately to the player on foot, etc... I could go on, it's really an endless list. There is a very popular video showing the differences between V and IV that makes the same point. Although it does not mean GTA IV is necessarily the better game, it is a certain aspect that is much better that I care about very much.
Third point: The story is a lot more heavy and serious. GTA IV took a very different approach to it storytelling compared to other games. The story delved into some difficult topics and it was ultimately a very tragic story. While other GTA games are mainly about criminals rising to the top (for different reasons), this game is about a man that is stuck in the criminal life and doesn't really have a choice in that. It's a man with a tragic past looking for closure and a better life but is in some way unable to because of his unfortunate circumstances.
Now to talk about the game without comparing it to it's successor...
The story I just talked about and I don't really need to add anything else. It's a phenomenal character and a touching story.
All I can say is that the game is a very complete package. The city feels alive thanks to it's various activities and realistic features like the subway. The characters, the story, the activities, the world, the graphics and the realistic physics all combine into a real masterpiece that is underrated in my opinion.
I have a lot of fond memories of this game. This game is what got me interested into gaming all these years ago in the first place so there is also a factor of nostalgia.
Even though I've played this game many many times and have known it for many years, I keep coming back to it and I'll keep doing so for as long as I can foresee. This game really is one of the best games I've ever known.
The only reason why I can't give it five starts is because of the bad state of the PC port and how Rockstar has left this game in the dust. The issues are well known at this point. The performance is terrible and there are many bugs that have been known for years that never get fixed. It's so bad that this game technically isn't beatable at 60fps. The game itself is a masterpiece and the way the game was intended to be is perfect. But the state that they left it in on PC is a tough pill to swallow.
I could write a whole book about everything I like about this game. I could go into detail about the story, talk about features like the internet, talk about the lore and many easter eggs and myths, the atmosphere, the fact that this game serves as a time capsule at this point... There are many things I'd like to talk about that I just can't put into words in this review.
I think you get the idea.