blog
- GTA IV: The Greatest Of All Time?
- Posted 3 months ago by Veggie Jackson
We’re now a week into the experience of Grand Theft Auto IV, and while we’re still mostly hypnotized by the insane depth and breadth of the game and Liberty City itself, we’re far enough past the initial “wow” factor that we can start looking at it objectively. Gamervision posted its review of the game yesterday, and, to no one’s surprise, it got a ten out of ten. Most game sites and magazines, in fact, have awarded the game a perfect score, with only a third of them grading it at less than 100%, and no one grading it lower than a 90. When you stack the reviews up against other great games like Ocarina of Time, Super Mario Galaxy, Soul Calibur and Metroid Prime, you see that with over 50 total reviews online, GTA IV averages a score of 99, making it the best reviewed game of all time.
Does this necessarily mean that it’s the best game ever? Of course not. The ridiculous sales numbers ($500 million in the first week) don’t make it the greatest, either. When you look at the two together, though, and add in the overwhelmingly positive response from fans and the enormous population online at any given time, the case gets much stronger. The game has also gotten more attention from the mainstream media than just about any game before it, both positive and negative.
It’s the game itself, though, and not the hype that make GTA IV one of the greatest, if not the greatest of all time. As far as sheer amount of content goes, pretty much no game can match the combination of depth and breadth that IV offers. More importantly, all that content exists in a world of exceptional gameplay, stunning visuals, immersive audio, distractingly cool physics and inimitable style. Then there’s the multiplayer modes, where dying horribly is at least as much fun as killing your opponents. What other game can claim that?
If you ask me, it’s probably the best ever. I’ve never had as much fun, nor been quite as obsessed with a game as I have with Grand Theft Auto IV. I’ve probably played for close to 50 hours, and no aspect of the game ever seems to get old, repetitive or boring, no matter how many times I play. Were I to give the game a score, it would, without question, be a 10 out of 10; a grade I would give to only three or four games ever. In fact, the last one I’d give a 10 before this would be GTA: San Andreas, and GTA IV is a far superior game.
So what do you think? Is it as good as the reviews? Is it the best ever? If not, what is and how close is GTA IV to being your favorite?
Related Articles:
First Week Grand Theft Auto IV Sales Figures Announced
Video - GTA IV: First Impressions
| Share this article: |
|
- Rate This Blog Article
-
+100% of 2 votes - Go Back to other blog entries
Saying GTA 4 is the best game ever is like saying Sandbox shooters are the best genre ever. GTA 4 is the best of its kind...by far. It it still just GTA 3 with improvements though. Don't get me wrong, the game is a ten, no doubt. But, who is to say that Tetris isn't the greatest game of all time? It is still virtually the same as it was in the beginning, and still holds up. You might say "apples and oranges", but how do you define "best game ever"? Is it fair to say that a simple program like Tetris can compare to a technological marvel that is GTA 4? I say yes. Sorry GTA 4, but Tetris will be king forever!!!!
Sean - Absolutely not, though it helps. That quote was to let NickDynmo know I haven't forgotten Ocarina. How could I? How could anyone, for that matter?
Every GTA game has had a fairly high replay value, in my opinion, but this one seems like it's going to be ridiculously replayable. There's just so much to do that you can't possibly see everything in one playthrough. Hell, I like to pop Vice City in every few years and screw around town, so I can't imagine the same thing not happening with this game.
But the question remains: does best reviewed translate to best?
When you stack the reviews up against other great games like Ocarina of Time, Super Mario Galaxy, Soul Calibur and Metroid Prime, you see that with over 50 total reviews online, GTA IV averages a score of 99, making it the best reviewed game of all time.
I think you're forgetting about LoZ: OoT. :(
They should add another point to the score: 11 out of 11, best title of all time (so far). The more I play the more I want to keep on playing. If I could crawl into the TV I probably would and live out the rest of my days getting drunk and running over pedestrians....
It's hard to say "greatest ever". There are so many criteria that you have to consider. Graphics, online, and size certainly factor into the decisions. But so do things like replay-ability, the ability to stand up over time, and the ability to transcend traditional gaming sterotypes. It is those last three aspects that may be GTA IV's Achilles Heel. Yes, it's a lot of fun. But do you see yourself popping it back in 10, 15, 20 years down the road? Mario Bros. may be an 8-bit side-scroller, but it's as good now as the day it came out.
I'm not saying that GTA IV isn't the greatest of all time. I'm just saying that it could be waaaaaaayy to soon to make that determination.