Keyofx
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Posts posted by Keyofx
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Everyone playing the game: DO NOT NEGLECT THE INTERNET. IT ALL TIES IN.
Edit: -=26% game completion=-
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Saw Speed Racer with a couple of friends today and as has been the experience elsewhere I think we were the only people actually enjoying the movie! The theater was half empty and the folks that were there just couldn't get into it. We loved it though. We even played the original theme song on our cellphones right at the start when the curtains went up. lol. Nothing says GEEK more than synchronised cell phone theme music.
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@keyofx:
You are getting to close to becoming
BUT WHY SAAR WHY???
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The money that he asks as payment isn't to live large. It's just to keep him going. Roman isn't doing too well and Niko has no job, so he needs all the money he can get. And we all know what happens as the story moves forward (those of us who have played the game at least); he just needs money to survive, nothing more.
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The Money: You've got tolls to pay, people to take out, weapons to buy, food to pay for, internet charges (lol) etc.
But jokes apart, I can understand why Rockstar stayed away from property and businesses in the game. This is all about Niko's story. And his aim isn't to plunder and pillage his way to the top like previous protagonists. It's much simpler than that. The story really is THE reason to praise this game to the heavens. I'm at 18% now and a LOT of things have happened. No spoiler though.
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Yea, they've got this fancy schmancy new engine but they still can't get the combat right? I mean it's better than the older games but nowhere near as intuitive as some of the reviews make it out to be. I think Rockstar realised this, hence Niko being extra resilient and the random health/armour pickups in-mission.
@KC: Yea, thats a workaround. Not the ideal way to go about it though.
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Niko's controls are a bit undercooked. They're fine when you're just doing time in the city but when its time to get your hands dirty with firearms in the story missions they kind of are a let down. It's a good thing you don't die as easily as you used to. And the cover system really helps as well.
Hot Tip for all of you getting the game a bit later on: Turn the subtitles on IMMEDIATELY after the intro cinematic. It's vital towards understanding the story, especially when theres so much russian/serbian etc. being thrown about. You miss a lot of the small details in the opening, but thats the price you pay for immersion I suppose. You boot straight into the game, no menu/options screen whatsoever.
Another thing thats been bugging me is the sound mix. I keep having to adjust the volume so I can hear the conversations. Yes, there are sliders in the audio menu, but they don't seem to do the trick completely. Most conversations are nowhere close to being comfortably audible (compared to standard in-game audio) or are drowned out by background noise. The mix just seems off for some reason.
The (in-game) Internet is a huge time-sink
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Далее в Москву, товарищи!
The reds go marching on, on, on...
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There isn't any dead space in this iteration of Liberty City. None at all. Almost all the buildings in the game look unique, and more importantly, the sidewalks and alleyways are littered with incidental randomness. The environment artists must've gone over each street and back alley with a fine toothed comb because try as I might, there really isn't a method or pattern to the incidentals. Everything looks like its meant to be there. It's a joy to just flag down a cab and then sit through the journey looking out the window, doubly so if it happens to be raining. The weather effects are very atmospheric. The graphics may not stand up to sustained scrutiny, but the end result of the all the bits and bobs that collectively make the city makes it all worthwhile. You get all fuzzy when you're in a landstalker driving to drop your date home after a night on the town when Iggy Pop (who is amazing here) shifts to 1979 by The Smashing Pumpkins on the radio and the rain is pouring down like the world is going to end, thunder, lightning, the works. Sublime.
And I completely agree with KC. The immigrant song is a subject very close to my heart (from personal experience), and this game has just nailed it. NAILED IT. Videogames need top notch writers like the guys who work at Rockstar.
More Randomness: Niko now takes stairs a couple of steps at a time in most cases. This is especially noticeable when running down a flight of stairs when he sort of leans sideways and goes as fast as he possibly can. And he does topple down and lose a bit of health if you push him too hard. That look of running down a slope is gone now, all thanks to euphoria I'm guessing.
Disappointingly, the number of interior locations are few and far between. And it's a damn shame for the simple reason that the ones that I've seen are as detailed as the city itself.
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No idea Chaz. A year from now maybe?
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Yup. But I think its best if they discover it on their own, hehe.
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@GTA Rules: Thats the one.
The default ring tones on your first phone are really nice in a retro sorta way. Theres also this hilarious ring tone advert on TV that I won't spoil for anyone. lol.
@O&E: Thanks man
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@GTA Rules: NPC's are non-playable characters. Pedestrians, civil servants, quest givers etc. And you'll find flight mode in your cell phone's options menu, although I think its labeled differently.
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Rockstar has pretty much eliminated celebrities from the game. GTA4 is the antithesis of GTA:SA in this particular regard.
HOWEVER: One of shows on TV has Bas Rutten in it. Anyone familiar with Pride FC or MMA in general should know and love Bas. And the guy is just wonderful in this. You'll smile ear to ear watching him, and the smile will only be wider if you know him.
And yes, you can watch TV, plus there seems to be a lot of it too.
OT: Any Pride/MMA fans round these parts?
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^^ That sounds suspiciously like a mission I just completed today. Needless to say, it ended pretty badly for one of the parties involved.
/backs away slowly.
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Observations: [No Spoilers]
I can report first hand after completing 12% of the game in one marathon sitting that I have not experienced stuttering frame rates, disappearing cars or mission markers or anything of the sort. No bugs at all except the standard GTA object clipping. Load times are not a problem either. There are loads before and after cut scenes, sure, but nothing to get worked up about, and the initial game boot-up is pretty painless thanks to the on screen art/music.
Driving sure is different though.
The relationships (friends and more-than-friends) tie into the game beautifully. Using the Cell phone becomes second nature and you instinctively find yourself pulling it out to call and message contacts. Masterful game design by Rockstar, mostly because it just fits. The first girl you meet is such a darling. Nothing like the GTA female caricatures of old.
Missions have been pretty easy so far, and I've been able to pull off a few without firing a single shot even when it was required and the game expected me to. The only time I died and needed to restart was due to one of those freak GTA world occurances. In this instance I was run over by a train that appeared out of nowhere.
The story is amazing, all the characters are fleshed out and you care about each and every one of them, even the not-so-nice chaps. Its also a lot more grounded in reality than any of the previous GTA's and theres this overwhelming feeling that you are actually playing a role in a fancy crime film, like London to Brighton. Consequently, I found myself behaving a bit more responsibly in the world, consciously avoiding killing and maiming as much as I could.
The NPC's have to be seen to be believed. lol. The range of random dialogue and odd jobs they do in the world just have to be seen. Just one random example being municipal workers hanging behind garbage trucks.
The GPS makes life a whole lot easier and there are male and female voices to boot.
Theres also a flight mode like setting on the phone that completely turns off the single player campaign so you can mess around in the city without worry.
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Some of the cars just don't seem to want to brake/corner. The braking lines are a mile long in some cases!
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Did he have the 360 version KC?
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Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme
Cut Chemist is in there too. Now i just HAVE to watch it.
Edit: I'll join the Foo Fighters huddle. Dave Grohl \m/
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After Sam's offering, I just have to reciprocate.
This is Fugazi, a band I've listened to and supported for ages now. From the streets, like Black Star a few posts above.
Peace.
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Brill
Just how it should be. street corner sh*t. the roots. more please! -
On it.
/runs off.
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@Sam: mos def and talib kweli
that was just sublime. i wish some of these guys would get their heads out of their arses and give this sh*t a chance (exactly how i think mos def would put it). and hes a damn fine actor to boot. -
@Snake: Verrry nice. God I love that movie.
So Iron Man's worth a watch after all eh? And I've always loved RDJ. Anyone remember him on Ally McBeal. I miss that show
Grand Theft Auto IV
in Games
Posted
From what I've read, all they've done is prevent the camera from being panned around the vehicle after you've picked up a streetwalker and parked in a quiet corner.