Grand Theft Auto IV

 Xbox 360
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 3784 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,755 out of 3784
  2. Mixed: 569 out of 3784
  3. Negative: 460 out of 3784
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  1. BenC.
    Oct 8, 2008
    7
    Good game, but bad combat controls, slow framerates, frustrating missions. If you have a good gaming PC, I'd wait for the PC version.
  2. ShainE.
    Apr 30, 2008
    7
    This is a good game. However, it has some technical problems which are surprisingly severe. I really expected a better finished product. Far worse technical issues than other recent games have been crucified over. Euphoria engine is great in some places, but really awkward in others. Still, it adds a bit more life to the streets. I do like how the aiming system has improved, multiplayer This is a good game. However, it has some technical problems which are surprisingly severe. I really expected a better finished product. Far worse technical issues than other recent games have been crucified over. Euphoria engine is great in some places, but really awkward in others. Still, it adds a bit more life to the streets. I do like how the aiming system has improved, multiplayer is fun although buggy, and the story is above par for GTA.… Expand
  3. AndyHuber
    Apr 30, 2008
    7
    it's really amazing how overhyped this game is. i guess rockstar couldn't possibly have bribed all those reviewers. but still i'm wondering where it comes from, because:

    the "great voice acting and facial animation" - give me a break. there's a >lot< better in e.g. mass effect or lost odyssey. the lip synchronization often doesn't fit, characters move there    it's really amazing how overhyped this game is. i guess rockstar couldn't possibly have bribed all those reviewers. but still i'm wondering where it comes from, because:

    the "great voice acting and facial animation" - give me a break. there's a >lot< better in e.g. mass effect or lost odyssey. the lip synchronization often doesn't fit, characters move there brows seemingly random - it's almost like back to the games where they first started using facial animation.

    the "fantastic graphics" - admittedly, the city is huge but they still could've used more detailed character models and textures for closeup scenes. the "lot of detail" we're seeing in the game according to reviews look like something out of half life. objects with hardly any polygons and sometimes i'm wondering if there are even textures on them or they just colored them brown or something. once again i'd like to mention mass effect here. of course mass effect doesn't have those huge areas you can drive around in but it's simply wrong to just say that gta 4 has great graphics, period. if people would say that the graphics themselves aren't really nexgen-worthy but the huge world makes up for that - ok.

    the radio stations... according to reviews there's so much great music. well, i might have different taste in music than most people but the point is - when i'm listening to a rock station, i want to hear rock and not hip-hop or something else!

    now for the driving behaviour of the cars... since gta is mostly about stealing cars, you'd think that car handling would've been a major focus while developing the game. and it probably was but in my opinion they still didn't get it right. braking is way too slow.

    various other actions can be performed at just the tap of a button... sometimes different depending on the context. which might not always be clear to the user, so you sometimes end up doing things you didn't actually want to do. e.g. sometimes "X" means climbing up somewhere. but don't ever to that trying to get on the ledge of a roof of a skyscraper. or you'll have to restart the mission and once more drive all the way there.
    that's one more point to criticize... that you always have to drive where the mission actually starts if you restart it. very annoying.

    combat handling is also somehow related to this. for example you can switch your lock-on between enemies when using the right thumb stick while being locked on. sounds great theory, in practice it often doesn't work. you're locked on to someone who's behind some wall and just can't switch to the guy standing directly in front of you putting bullets in your head. and even if you try to switch off lock-on, look in the direction of the guy shooting at you manually and then turn on lock-on again, it often snaps back to the guy behind the wall. and you're dead. and you'll have to spend several minutes skipping cutscenes and either driving back there or waiting for taxis.

    then there are those "characters you care for" and the "great story". most of the characters are cliche thugs i couldn't care less about. there are some that are interesting but still the interaction is so... minimal and pointless that i'm almost tempted to skip even new cutscenes.
    also, i think that the dramatic story doesn't help the fun you have while you're playing because you can enjoy killing people and such more if the game doesn't take itself seriously. of course gta 4 isn't completely serious but still too serious for my taste. especially the main character.

    speaking about the main character. that guy talks to a "bro" whose slang is beyond everything i've ever seen in a movie. my mother tongue isn't english but by now i've seen around 1000 movies and quite some tv shows in english - and i still could hardly understand anything that guy was saying! even when i tried to read the subtitles! but the guy fresh from poland who doesn't manage to speak accent-free can understand him? yeah right.

    so why do i still give the game 7/10 if i don't like all those things? well, the game world IS huge and impressive, the way people around the city behave and react to various influences is great and if the combat controls work like they should, it's really fun as well. also while the story, missions and such might not be the best, they are still moderately interesting.    … Expand
  4. Matt
    Apr 30, 2008
    7
    It's GTA with a new story and new graphics. Not a 10 out of 10. Graphics are average, not as much freedom as Crackdown and the music is nowhere near as good as Vice City's. Good points are attention to detail, cinematography, and sound effects. The driving is also very good, loose and fluid control and great damage modelling.
  5. ChristopherK.
    May 13, 2008
    7
    An extraordinarily impressive virtual world, very interesting, but not as fun as it could be. The character and vehicle don't seem much improved on San Andreas and the gritty realism causes the sandbox feel that made the GTA series legendary to go away.
  6. crg
    Jan 2, 2010
    7
    Great set piece & immersive world & incredible attention to detail. Excellent story telling & voice acting... but compared to SA its was not as much fun. The mission design was so repetitive, that I wasn't able to play more then a few missions within one session. Beside of that, the game was too easy. And the final mission(s) didn't feel final at all.. I thought Rockstar is Great set piece & immersive world & incredible attention to detail. Excellent story telling & voice acting... but compared to SA its was not as much fun. The mission design was so repetitive, that I wasn't able to play more then a few missions within one session. Beside of that, the game was too easy. And the final mission(s) didn't feel final at all.. I thought Rockstar is trying to fuck with me, when I saw the credits roll ... IMO overrated.… Expand
  7. EricR.
    Feb 1, 2010
    7
    At the end of the day the game did a good job of keeping me entertained until its closure, but nothing about it made me go "wow" or "that should be in other games." I guess most notably the soundtrack was my favorite aspect, otherwise I'd just rent it.
  8. MichaelR.
    May 2, 2008
    7
    The graphics are average.Lots of boring missions driving around from place to place.The detail in the game is excellent and its the most realistic game ever made although it could have been even more realistic.
  9. Impindahizzy
    May 22, 2008
    7
    Wildly overrated in my opinion. The one player game stuns at first, but the repetitive nature of most missions soon begin to annoy. To be honest I prefer my games more 'arcadey' (if that's a proper word?) and actually prefered Crackdown to this!! So it's really not to my taste. However, the reason I gave it 7 out of 10 is for the online multi-player modes which are Wildly overrated in my opinion. The one player game stuns at first, but the repetitive nature of most missions soon begin to annoy. To be honest I prefer my games more 'arcadey' (if that's a proper word?) and actually prefered Crackdown to this!! So it's really not to my taste. However, the reason I gave it 7 out of 10 is for the online multi-player modes which are excellent and great fun to play (doesn't come close to the likes of CoD4 and Halo 3 online though), otherwise I would have given it 5 out of 10. To sum up, it's not to my taste but I can understand why the game is well liked. Overrated.… Expand
  10. ILikeGamesSmooth
    May 3, 2008
    7
    A great game, a stunning work of art for Rockstar but frankly neither of the consoles are powerful enough for the game to be done justice to. I played PS3 version for quite some time then sold it because as much as I loved the content I could not contend with the blurred graphics (from scaling) the bad aliasing and especially the low low frame rate (may times sub 20fps esp at times when A great game, a stunning work of art for Rockstar but frankly neither of the consoles are powerful enough for the game to be done justice to. I played PS3 version for quite some time then sold it because as much as I loved the content I could not contend with the blurred graphics (from scaling) the bad aliasing and especially the low low frame rate (may times sub 20fps esp at times when you need it to be high/smooth ie during car chases/shoot outs). If only it ran as smooth as I'm sure Rockstar would have liked then it would be gaming nirvana (or at least sandbox gaming nirvana as it's not without it's gameplay faults either). I loved Vice City and I ran it on PC fast and with antialiasing and of course it looks very bad next to GTAIV but it FELT good to interact with as it was fast (at least on a fast PC). I hope for a PC version of IV by the end of the year and will rebuy it and run it as it deserves to be run without constant visual reminders that you are playing a game and a poor performing one at that. And it's understandable that the consoles are hampered by this work of art, it's just too much for them to handle right now and maybe R* should have scaled their design back a bit and got the frame rates and resolutions rock solid first as interaction will always be more important than 'cool features' in games. I'm hoping to give 10/10 on PC if it scales well and allows better clarity in the graphics. As it stands on PS3 i'd give it a 7 due to it's technical burden and tiresome interaction, but probably a 9 for the game itself if those restraints were absent.… Expand
  11. BOBJ
    May 3, 2008
    7
    Just GTA They've done it before. 10/10? Overrated. Still it's GTA if you played one you played all. They just added a really good multiplayer.
  12. SteveK.
    May 4, 2008
    7
    this whole review debacle is a classic case of game magazines and reviewers getting doped up on the hype and extreme expectations that surrounds some games in the run-up to the release. gta4 certainly is a good game, but very far from perfection, even far from being excellent. it's very enjoyable sometimes and sometimes outright dull. why countless reviewers have overlooked the this whole review debacle is a classic case of game magazines and reviewers getting doped up on the hype and extreme expectations that surrounds some games in the run-up to the release. gta4 certainly is a good game, but very far from perfection, even far from being excellent. it's very enjoyable sometimes and sometimes outright dull. why countless reviewers have overlooked the glaring flaws is beyond me. a review score shouldn't rate effort and ambition. gameplay is king and in regard to that gta4 is certainly above average, but falls short of greatness. a healthy 7 points, I say.… Expand
  13. TruNorth
    May 4, 2008
    7
    Not the best, but good. The radar map is too small, so is the cell phone.(on a 47" 1080p)The graphics are anything but stunning, I was expecting a sharpness that wasn't there. now of course you can go anywhere and do alot, but If I want to wine and dine a girl, it'll be a real one. As for the story, now this is the best part of the game. I have only rented this game and will Not the best, but good. The radar map is too small, so is the cell phone.(on a 47" 1080p)The graphics are anything but stunning, I was expecting a sharpness that wasn't there. now of course you can go anywhere and do alot, but If I want to wine and dine a girl, it'll be a real one. As for the story, now this is the best part of the game. I have only rented this game and will only buy it at a discounted price. The one thing I hope is that other developers don't see this a what they can get away with and make clones that look even worst then GTA IV.… Expand
  14. michaels
    Jul 11, 2009
    7
    I have read a few comments, from gamers who love this game and it sound like they are the ones who designed it, trying to justify it's brilliants! I have not got HD so maybe i have missed out on that side of it, but i loved the last couple on playstation2 and i loved it for the game play, the graphics have alweays been cool! I wanted to enjoy what vice city and san andreas gave me, I have read a few comments, from gamers who love this game and it sound like they are the ones who designed it, trying to justify it's brilliants! I have not got HD so maybe i have missed out on that side of it, but i loved the last couple on playstation2 and i loved it for the game play, the graphics have alweays been cool! I wanted to enjoy what vice city and san andreas gave me, FUN, but trying to open taxi doors getting a lift was painful, why have the same button too steal as to get to a destination, plenty of other buttons to choice from! Also no animals or kids, is it unethical to have them in the game, does killing only adults push the boundaries far enough, is it not fun escaping reality for a few hours here and there to kill what you can, please explain!!!! No casino's or betting places really ruined it for me, is was a good way to get easy money, but i guess why need money when you can't buy houses only limited clothing and food and hookers, need more! Why can't you rob a bank or steal armoured cars to get money, it would be fun! As much as i love blowing things up, i love building things, can't you have more buying of properties and buying things for the houses, and having more clothes to choose from! Not just safe houses, but places you can design mostly yourself and want to spend time there not just for changing clothes or saving, but to bring friends you meet or chicks who you score with back there to party or to swim, or to play pool, anything! I really do hope gta5 if there is going to be one, brings all the best things from all the gta games into it, not just pushing out a really unfinshed game with good graphics, because i would rather gameplay over graphics anyday! Gta 4 should have made san andreas look bad, but it was just unfinished, i think due to deadlines! I beg the designers to read what people want not just do there own creations because they didn't seem to work there magic this time as they did in Gta san andreas which was orgasmic gameplay! I really think gta 4 was rushed so the designer can get to gta 5, i hope so! If the designer read this and they need some fresh ideas, i have plenty, i will give my email and will work for free, i just want goood gameplay!… Expand
  15. TimBremner
    Nov 11, 2008
    7
    This is by no means a bad game, its not a great one though either. Aside from what has already been pointed out about the uselessness of money, poor multiplayer and repetitive everything! This game was really killed (my vocabulary is very limited, I know) by the lack of enjoyment after finishing the campaign and also the developers choice to go down a more realistic path..... Bad move Rockstar.
  16. Roger
    Apr 30, 2008
    7
    Its got a great dynamic world with great weather effects. Its a maasive game with a great story. BUT i think the missions are a bit dull and the basic gameplay is old. Very dissapointed to be honest after all the hype. I see nothing to justify a 10/10. Im not saying its bad its just nothing special.
  17. DocK.
    May 1, 2008
    7
    Nothing special as far as I can tell, just a typical GTA game with a few graphical improvements. Story is ok so far, but overall I think the game is vastly overrated.
  18. WoodrowD.
    May 21, 2008
    7
    Pretty Great, but it's getting old on me fast. Definitely enjoyed GTA: San Andreas longer and better. The new improvements are all met by equal losses. The map is too small, and I don't know what else I can do with a helicopter.
  19. SteveC.
    May 2, 2008
    7
    Same game, (*yawn*), new engine. Driving is terrible but the cars look excellent, characters look awful, acting is worse than Britney Spears. Environment looks great. Missions are "okay."
  20. JetEngineJesus
    May 29, 2008
    7
    Overall a very good game, but not deserving of the perfect scores coming from the game "journalists". Characters are all well-developed, writing and voice acting are top notch. Niko is easily one of the most interesting (and strangely moral...?) protagonists in modern video games.
    Gameplay marred by clumsy control and camera issues. Missing a lot of the features that made San Andreas so    Overall a very good game, but not deserving of the perfect scores coming from the game "journalists". Characters are all well-developed, writing and voice acting are top notch. Niko is easily one of the most interesting (and strangely moral...?) protagonists in modern video games.
    Gameplay marred by clumsy control and camera issues. Missing a lot of the features that made San Andreas so much fun (mountain biking, jet-packs, parachutes, etc.). The radio stations all seem like an afterthought, without any standout music or DJs, and get annoying VERY QUICKLY; I've had the volume on them turned completely off for weeks now.
    I don't know what Wallpaperman has been smoking. I'm at 79% complete, with only the story missions remaining, and am sitting at around 70hrs of gameplay.
    Definitely a must play, in spite of all of the criticisms. Just don't go in expecting ZOMGBESTGAMEEVAR!1!!!1!!!!!ZOMGITHINKIMGONNAPLOTZ!!1!    … Expand
  21. BruntFCA
    May 3, 2008
    7
    A great story does not make it a great game on all accounts. I am feeling quite disappointed with the title so far; if I wanted a great story I could just watch a movie, I expect more from a game. KOTRO/Bioware/Fable etc, have been making Moral Choiceâ??s in their games for ages now, itâ??s hardly a new mechanic. So far my choices have mounted to kill someone or A great story does not make it a great game on all accounts. I am feeling quite disappointed with the title so far; if I wanted a great story I could just watch a movie, I expect more from a game. KOTRO/Bioware/Fable etc, have been making Moral Choiceâ??s in their games for ages now, itâ??s hardly a new mechanic. So far my choices have mounted to kill someone or notâ?¦deep. NO matter how amazingly good/twist the end is, I expect to have fun and innovation **along the way**, I donâ??t see how having a great ending should allow a game to get such hire scores. From what I see so far Go here, shoot that person etc gameplay Few real interactive places to go in an otherwise impressive looking city Very few interaction with NPC outside of scripted NPC Money is almost meaningless. no homes to buy, no territory. No flying, no hair customization/car customization. Insane/Outgragoes slapstick humor of SA gone. In SA its not problem that the protagonist is a Psycho since its such a spoof. SO far I see GTAIV taking itsleft a bit too seriously (TV adds aside, Republican space rangers are gold). The main guy is an almost Psycopathic killer with some vague loyalty thing.… Expand
  22. Solidzell
    May 30, 2008
    7
    Ok this game is not 10 not even a 9 the graphics is 6-7. this is not ps2 any more this ps3 the nextgen game system if you compare the graphics with mgs4 this would get a 5 for graphics. im starting to get pissed off at people that say this game is great because you can do anything. but the thing you do is not all that fun i rather have a smaller game with better graphics better gameplay Ok this game is not 10 not even a 9 the graphics is 6-7. this is not ps2 any more this ps3 the nextgen game system if you compare the graphics with mgs4 this would get a 5 for graphics. im starting to get pissed off at people that say this game is great because you can do anything. but the thing you do is not all that fun i rather have a smaller game with better graphics better gameplay and amazying story and i mean amazing story and bioshock is a fine example of it not just a game that has a bad graphic striper gaves u a lap dances. this is almost like sims but with the M rating and there are so many games better than this period.… Expand
  23. Heman
    May 4, 2008
    7
    The game play is slow and Multiplayer is ok. There is not much of a co-op game. the free roam with your friends is fun for about the first 10 min..They took out all the NPC in the bars and restaurants soo all you have to do is kill civilians and each other. Would have been a 10 if there was more to do online.
  24. SebastianI.
    Jun 30, 2008
    7
    I had really high expectations prior to the release of IV, and maybe that's why I didn't like it as much as I could have. Most things about the game are great, especially the seamless scenery, but there are some things that really bothered me while playing. The feeling that I'd done it before was what annoyed me the most. It's almost exactly the same thing as the other I had really high expectations prior to the release of IV, and maybe that's why I didn't like it as much as I could have. Most things about the game are great, especially the seamless scenery, but there are some things that really bothered me while playing. The feeling that I'd done it before was what annoyed me the most. It's almost exactly the same thing as the other games in the series, with some more detail. And the missions are basically the same thing as well. A common scenario is: "Go there, talk to a guy, go there kill some other guy, go back." Sometimes with a twist like, "kill 20 guys by yourself, and take item", added. The game was a good gaming experience, but with all the hype I expected something better.… Expand
  25. A.Mora
    Jul 8, 2008
    7
    This is fun but is more for thugs wannabe most critics get wrong give this game a 10.
  26. Jani
    Sep 22, 2008
    7
    How is it possible that the critics gave this game 98 points out of 100? GTA IV isn't a bad game by any means but it's not that good.
  27. LukeD
    Nov 2, 2009
    7
    The game is great at first, in fact its amazing at first but then you discover you cant do some of the things you can do in San Andreas, which made me angry. you can't fly planes; do-up your cars; pump weights; get fat; get hair cut and more. I don;t know why they didnt include these so I'm giving it a fair 7, a vey fair 7
  28. MichaelL.
    Dec 22, 2008
    7
    I'm not going to argue that this is not a good game. I think all the games in the GTA series are good, but this game does not deserve anywhere near the praise it is getting. The story is not any better than any of the other games. Nico simply says, I feel bad about what I"m doing while he blasts people away and people eat it up. That is not realistic behavior at all! The shooting was I'm not going to argue that this is not a good game. I think all the games in the GTA series are good, but this game does not deserve anywhere near the praise it is getting. The story is not any better than any of the other games. Nico simply says, I feel bad about what I"m doing while he blasts people away and people eat it up. That is not realistic behavior at all! The shooting was a little better, but still awful. The driving was worse than any of the other games since 3, and that should be the best part of the game! A lot of people say the ending is where the best part of the story is, but I just don't have the patience to make it that far, and I don't think I missed much.… Expand
  29. VladimirR.
    Apr 29, 2008
    7
    The game is fun but nothing special. Minor improvement over past Grand Theft Autos.
  30. RRahman
    Apr 29, 2008
    7
    Over rated, more of the same lark.
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2008
1
#1 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2008
1
#1 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2008

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
98

Universal acclaim - based on 86 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 86 out of 86
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 86
  3. Negative: 0 out of 86
  1. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    100
    It's got a world you believe in, a cast you care about and a script stuffed with brilliant moments... Utterly stunning in every resepct. [May 2008, p.79]
    Read full review
  2. Xbox World 360 Magazine UK
    98
    Rockstar have surpassed themselves, delivering unquestionably the definitive GTA and perhaps the greatest videogame of all time. [June 2008]
  3. IGN
    100
    I could go on and on about why Grand Theft Auto IV is one of the best games we've ever seen and why even folks who are easily offended should play it, but that would be pointless. The only thing you need to know is that you have to play this game. Period.
    Read full review
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