Grand Theft Auto IV (PC)

Hire an exterminator for this bug-ridden port.
12/8/2008 7:02 PM | 2 Comments | Page 2 of 3

The graphics issues also seemed to impact my use of the new ability to record video, which for some will be a standout new feature. The basic idea is that you can press a button at any point and the last 30 seconds of video will be dumped to a file which can then be manipulated in all manner of ways. It should be 30 seconds, anyway. At times it might be 15 or 20, and maybe even 40. A lot hinges on how much of a load is being placed on your system resources when you're attempting to record, but of course a lot of the stuff you'll want to nab (at the outset, at least) is going to be that hectic rooftop gunfight or a particularly crazy race. So the video system is flawed, at least until the PCs for which Rockstar optimized this game arrive from space. Once that happens, however, the prospects for machinima are expansive.

More importantly, I got a lot out of Independence FM, the radio station you can stock with your own music. "Hey, custom soundtracks, woohoo! That's so cutting-edge!" Go ahead and be snotty, but the fact is, driving around to your own favorite tunes does make the game more enjoyable. When you're immersed in a world to a great degree, it's the small things that count, and this is a very big small thing.

Also worthy of applause is the decision to support jointly connected mouse/keyboard and gamepad inputs. That wired 360 controller once again comes in handy as the ideal way to control your car on the streets of Liberty City. During extended on-foot and shooting segments (like "Three Leaf Clover"), mouse/keyboard was the way to go, thanks to the definitively increased aiming precision. Using the cover system is a little easier with a gamepad, but if you're a dedicated shooter, mouse and keys will make multiplayer a blast. Eventually, I settled back to all-gamepad controls, but the flexibility is welcome.

Now, about that multiplayer. The simple fact is that it is excellent entertainment. The thing I missed in GTA IV on consoles was the sense of unbridled mayhem. Pour out a 40-oz. for the departed Rampages of games past -- but with 32 players online, multiplayer turns into an excellent replacement. Things can get out of control very quickly, in a more varied and unpredictable way than when relying only upon the in-game artificial intelligence and reaction system.

But, like so many other things in this release, my enthusiasm comes with a qualification. To play online you'll need both a Microsoft Games for Windows client and account, and a new Rockstar Games Social Club client and account. Neither of those is difficult to set up, but both need to run in the background, and if you've got a PC that is already straining to keep up with GTA, system resources are too valuable to waste.