Like almost everyone else, my week was entirely hijacked by GTA4. Coupled with the fairly sparse amount of news this week, I’ve decided to do something different this week. From my place 17 hours in, I give you…

The opening credits

The way the words are incorporated into the world and move as the camera does is a very nifty trick. I found myself getting distracted by how cool it looked and not listening to the characters. I have a weird thing for cool text so this one might just be me, but I was hooked as soon as the credits started.

Helicopter ride

Seeing the entire city from a high flying helicopter is incredible. They have truly made the most realistic and alive city in a game so far. It feels like a living character. Seeing it all from the sky is a must as soon as you can. I haven’t jumped off a tall building yet…maybe tonight.

First date

I had heard there was dating in the game, but I didn’t realize how involved it is. Picking Michelle up and then going bowling, where you actually play a bowling minigame was a very new experience. I felt like I had to drive carefully, and not sprint to the bowling alley. I didn’t know if I should let her win, or utterly destroy her with my bowling skills. I wanted to see what would happen if I shot her in the face, but was actually scared of the repercussions. We have gone on many dates since…I guess you could say it’s getting pretty serious.

Toll Booths

Most people probably hate the fact that the bridges have toll booths that you have to slow down and pay otherwise the cops come flying after you. I think it’s amazing. Sometimes I will still blow straight through them, but more often than not, I toss in my $5 to go through. I will even weasel my way in front of other cars in line to get through quicker, instead of breaking the law. It’s so un-GTA.

Punching the passenger

This is a silly one, but I really like it when I carjack someone, take their seat at the wheel, and then turn to the passenger and punch him/her in the face. It always seems to make me laugh. It’s the little things that count.

Drunk driving

This part has been much talked about, but they did it really well. Driving after a few in game drinks can be damn hard. Before getting in a car, Niko will even say something about not thinking it’s a good idea. The next test is having some in game drinks and out of game drinks and seeing if they offset each other.

Email from mom

The letters Niko receives from his mother are a very nice touch by Rockstar. In a world where you can steal any car and shoot people willy-nilly, they bring you back down to reality with a somber letter from your mother. I realize people people will delete it immediately and go back to causing chaos, but I appreciated the gesture.

Mission retry

Besides being able to automatically restart a mission from your cell phone, the conversations you have with characters in the car on the way to your destination will change. Other games really need to learn from this. There’s few things as annoying as hearing the same few lines over and over as you try to finish a hard mission. There aren’t that many different things they will say, but it’s enough to not make me want to ditch the mission all together.

Radio commercials

As always, the satirical writing is top notch. The commercials on the radio are often better than the songs themselves. My favorite so far is the Curse Buster, keep an eye (ear?) out for it. You will not be disappointed.

The Ray Lynch song

This is a moment very specific to me, but it was amazing none the less. I was cruising around listening to The Journey and suddenly I hear this song. It was on a tape that my mom used to listen to when I was little. I had never known what it was but out of no where it was on my radio in GTA4. I’ve now come to learn that it is The Oh of Pleasure by Ray Lynch and the tape we had was Deep Breakfast, his 1984 album. Thank you to the Zits system in the game for helping recover a long lost memory. Too bad the Zits connection to the Rockstar Social Club doesn’t seem to work yet.

So that’s all I have so far. After reading this, I cannot wait to get further in. I don’t know how any game story will beat out Bioshock, but I’m eager to see it try. All of this and I haven’t even touched the multiplayer. Maybe after I finish the story. See you in the city.

Quote of the Week

“If this game were a tree, it’d be a pretty kick ass tree.”

-Jeff Gerstmann, on the Giant Bombcast Episode 4/29 discussing the hyperbole in GTA4 reviews.

This week’s Defeated is brought to you by: Lollipops. You wish you were one.