I would like to announce with much fanfare that I have finally fired up my copy of Grand Theft Auto IV and I’m aiming to play right through it. For me, that is quite an achievement. The game has just been sitting there, gathering dust for over a year at my current estimate. Partly I think it’s been due to lack of free time, and otherwise it’s been total apathy towards the game.
Apathy, you say? Well, yes. Back on the PS2 the Grand Theft Auto series was genuinely ground breaking and it offered something new. On the next generation systems, despite great visuals, more detailed environments and gameplay enhancements, I’ve felt it’s been a case of peddling out more of the same. Besides, during the launch of GTA IV in 2008, I got hooked on Race Driver: GRID anyway, which is a totally awesome racing game. One in fact, that I need to revisit as all my gamesaves got wiped in the ‘Great PS3 Christmas Tragedy of 2008’ that I’ll continue to mention for a good while yet as it still hurts.
Back to discussing a bit of GTA IV- from what I’ve played so far, it mostly feels exactly the same as previous instalments. The only thing that got my attention was the explosion of a car bomb, which looked so shocking and real. A definite improvement from past instalments in the series. Yet I’ve felt the apathy creep in again. Although you play as an Eastern European with a conscience, you still end up going on a rampage like in previous games in the series, so I’m skipping through the cut scenes as I just don’t care. A bonus in doing this is I figure I can go for the ‘Liberty City Minute’ Trophy where I’ve got to complete the main story in less than 30 hours. Sorted.
Pausing to reflect for a moment: If there has been one downside to playing GTA IV and Prince of Persia, then it has been leaving Lara Croft on her own in some cave somewhere, waiting for me to guide her on her way…