"Least Roman can't call me asking to go bowling while I am trapped here."

Speedrunners: Yes, continue

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FYI this game have bugs with high fps, can't even pass final mission if above 30fps or maybe 40.

Idk what it runs at on Xbox series s but that’s honestly BS they’d let that bug keep existing

It's not Grand Theft Auto until you fall out of the map or glitch outside the interior at least once.

At least for the PC version they should have put the frame limiter in like they did for the older games to compensate.

Wanna go bowling?

I gotta be honest. I recently finished playing GTAV's story mode again after having not played it for a couple of years. It really put me in a GTA mood and I wanted to keep that going so, seeing how much praise this game always gets, I decided to go backward and give GTAIV a try. I've put about 3 hours into playing the game and total and at this point I'm on the verge of just calling it and giving up. I just can't get into it. I find everything just kind of blah, depressing, and boring. The much vaunted driving physics in particular annoy me rather than satisfy that itch I was trying to scratch.

Anyone got any words of encouragement? I'm not super far into the story...Probably about an hour and a half of that 3 hours is story missions so far. Is this just a "push through until it gets good" situation? Or is the hype for GTAIV more based in nostalgia than the actual reality of the game? Keep in mind when considering that question that I have also gone back and started replaying San Andreas and so far that one is way more engaging and fun.

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I’m having fun so far(1-2 hours) all I’m doing is taking my time with missions and trying to get a feel for the roads and car mechanics

I'll give it a couple more play sessions and see if it really grabs me.

Let me ask you a simple question: Have you played Red Dead Redemption 2 and if yes, how much did you enjoy it?

My point is that GTA IV is kind of the Red Dead Redemption 2 of the GTA series. It is a relatively slow, deliberate game, kind of depressing and unique in its tone, but also very colorful if you look deeper. It's a well-written, incredibly coherent world that you can fully immerse yourself into and still discover new things about after years of playing it, but it's also not for everyone.

The driving physics for example are deliberately heavy, contrary to the arcadey physics the rest of the series is known for. They are the equivalent of the slow animations of RDR2. You're not supposed to have an easy time dodging traffic and sliding around corners, because you're meant to slowly getting used to driving in a strange environment with strange rules together with the protagonist as he's trying to find his place in the absurd, but kind of not realistic persiflage America he found himself in. It's actually meant to take hours for the player to get comfortable with the driving. The driving physics aren't even realistic - cars have ridiculous mass and overlong braking distances - they are hyperrealistic, exaggerated to the point of absurdity, just like the entire setting of Liberty City.

This aspect alone shows that GTA IV has very experimental aspects to it, aspects that go against player's expectations, against what they want from a GTA, because the developers valued tone, atmosphere, narration and, crucially, ludonarrative consistency over pure and simple fun. In some ways, it's a huge success in this regard, but in others, it's an inevitable failure, a dead-end, a decision they almost entirely reversed with the sequel, which is far more of a San Andreas 2.0 that merely uses the technology of GTA IV (albeit simplified and toned down in many respects) while ignoring its rather groundbreaking attempts at unifying gameplay and presentation, only fixing the one glaring dissonance the series suffered from by introducing Trevor as a playable character who can go on wild rampages without breaking character.

I'd argue that it's very much worth it pushing through, but don't force yourself if you never get in the right mood, that is, don't expect it to be continuous, lighthearted fun in the traditional sense, like the rest of the series. Here's my recommendation: Just walk around for a bit, not doing any missions. Take a train ride without a clear goal, soak in the atmosphere, observe people, watch some TV, surf the game's Internet, call a few phone numbers, experiment with the features of the phone you're given, and just explore, do some sightseeing. Perhaps notice, while you're doing this, how every single building is unique and realistic, fitting its environment perfectly, how much the city changes over the course of each day, how surprisingly interactive and logical everything is. Consider treating it less like a game and more like a place you're visiting.

alright, thank you. I'll give it another go and see how it feels to me. It's so wildly different in tone, and in basic game mechanics/physics, from V that it was just jarring to kind of go back in time to that one. It's strange I suppose that GTAIV is so much harder for me to travel back in time and play than San Andreas was, but maybe that all boils down to that arcade style that you touched upon. I want to like GTAIV so I'm definitely willing to be patient with it...but yeah, it has admittedly been a bit of a struggle for me so far.

Thanks for not taking my post as some kind of attack on the game. I've been shouted down a ton on reddit for not particularly enjoying X game or another, regardless of how mild my criticism might be. So it was nice to have a serious response that took my general criticism at face value and acknowledged that it's not just me not "getting" something, but could in fact be a valid reaction.

My favorite part about starting up gta 4 is the uncomfortable "DADDY'S BACK BITCHES!" opening that i always forget about and then have to lower the tv volume for

Drive with some restraint and you might learn to enjoy it. Liberty City is the real star of the game, maybe take some time to immerse yourself and just walk around the map. IDK, I’ve played through IV and V 3 times a piece and always have a way better time with the former.

the story mode (I have never played GTA Online in any capacity) of GTAV is just a really special game to me. It came out at a time when I hadn't been a gamer in years. The last game I played to completion at that point was Metal Gear Solid 4 because I was and am a massive fan of (most of) the Metal Gear Solid series. Since then I had completely fallen out of gaming for a really long time. It wasn't until my younger brother moved in with me for a variety of reasons that he brought along all his video game stuff.

GTAV was the first game he purchased for his Xbox after he moved in and I became obsessed with it. I related in so many different ways to all the characters of the game, and that story for as satirical, over the top, and absurd of it is was a really deep and rich experience for me and still is every time I revisit it. It's the game that made me a gamer again. So I hold it in very high esteem.

I beat it on series X recently and ran into that problem. A YouTube video on an Xbox controller button mashing technique helped me get past it easily though (instead of tapping the button, rapidly slide your knuckle back and forth over it)

Don’t get me wrong, I love gta V also. When I first played it, I thought the return to arcade driving and fun over-the-top story/characters was a breath of fresh air. After all these years though, the vibe of IV just has that staying power for me. It’s like the same feeling I get rewatching Heat, which is fitting since both games have missions directly inspired by the movie — only IV is the one that matches it’s tone.

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I won't help you. I've recently finished the 5th, the remastered trilogy and then the 4th some days ago.

I have to say that I wanted to give up a hundred times. The story is boring, missions are 90% like "kill that guy that you don't know". This is definetly the worst of the post 2000's episodes.

The sad immigrant with a dark past storyline is definitely not doing it for me. My issues grappling with the physics, my issues with the lack of mission checkpoints, and my issues with the unengaging story with the character that's too dour, depressing, and one note for me to care that much about have really added up to a very tedious experience. I've really tried to give it a chance but I think I'm done with it.