Category — Games
Grand Theft Auto IV (GTA 4) - a players eye view
Anyone with an XBox 360 or PS3 not played this yet? If not why not? OK, so maybe I’m being a little pushy in pushing my opinions on people, but I’ve loved the GTA games ever since playing the original ones on an old mac running Virtual PC (Yes, I’m a mac head).
But what is it about these games that keeps me coming back? I’ll be honest with you here. GTA 3, in my opinion, was the best of the GTA 3 series. There was something about it that was so good, and something that Vice City and San Andreas never managed to capture. There was something about this living, breathing city that is Liberty City. You could drive any car, do pretty much anything and the city was laid out in a fun way. The ones since have been bigger, with more to do, but somehow, they never captured that magazine.
And with GTA IV, I think Rockstar Games may have re-captured that original magic! Why? Liberty City is once again resurrected, but this time it’s got a lot more depth, a life of it own and feels like it might actually be based on something real! Cruising the streets, there’s people wandering the streets, and cars driving by, But now the people mingle and react to one another and you. Car drivers go about their business and crash into each other occasionally and apologise. There’s a real feeling of purpose and history to this place!
Liberty City feels like it’s been around for a long time and grown to what it is now. Some neighbourhoods are run down with graffiti and burnt out cars, with only a few cops to guard the streets. Other areas are very affluent, with nice modern cars, cobbled streets and lots of protection. There’s industry that might actually support the residents of the city. And the story covers a range of topics, letting you into bits of the city, and give you a hint at what’s happened to them over the years.
Weather is prominent too. On a sunny day, the streets are dry and cars handle well. Then the heavens open and cars start slipping and sliding, and - this is a simple but impressive touch - the people get their umbrellas out and put raincoats on. It’s such a little touch, but it really makes a difference. And one thing that impressed me no more was a thunderstorm! A thunderstorm that feels real! A crack of lighting illuminates the screen casting some amazing shadows, then the thunder comes making the controller rattle as if you were in the game with the character. I’m struggling to do how impressive this looks and feels but trust me, you’ll know it when you see it!
Then you move onto the vehicles. Lots of vehicles! And every one of them feels unique! That’s no mean feat. Jump in an American Hot Rod and your good for high speed in a straight line, but try to corner and you’ll struggle as the suspension wallows. Drive a big 4 x 4 and nothing gets in your way, but it’s a little slow but you can real feel the power. Jump in a sports car and it’ll weave through traffic. Fancy driving a lorry? Their slow, but somehow so much fun! And bikes… Well, they’re a struggle I find, but I’m sure some people love them.
Performing on foot has been improved immensely! I used to struggle with the old controls, but now it feels almost as good as Halo (nothing’s beaten that yet though). And the targeting system is improved through the simple act of letting you lock on fully (trigger depressed fully) or part-depress it, and you get free aim. It’s a simple thing but works so well! And combine that with the new duck and cover button, and you can’t go wrong.
What else can they do to improve the experience? Well… There’s the new physics engine that brings everything to life - knock the garbage bins over and they roll along and down hills. The graphics are a lot more comic book like - gone are the old simple textures of the old one. And the character animation is amazing! Some of the details you almost don’t notice, but crash your car and anyone in the car lurches. Corner too fast and their head rolls to the side. Jump out of a moving vehicle and your character - Nico - rolls along the street just like the movies.
Any faults? Well, sadly yes. Cover gets a little confused at times, but that I think is something very hard to get right. Even Gears of War got it wrong occasionally, and that’s an amazing game for the duck and cover idea! And being in Australia - and this is really upsetting - the game is censored. Come on Australia, WAKE UP!!! There’s no rating above 15 here, so the language has to be toned down. One example being how Nico thinks that Michelle is a “really good listener”, after he’s “Talk to me! Talk to me” in a rather enthusiastic way. It’s a little sad really.
But, that’s it. That game is simply amazing and damn near perfect in my eyes! The one thing that I’m concerned about is what happens when I’ve completed it… Just have to try and complete the myriad of micro-tasks within the game.
If you don’t have it, get it now!!! Why are you still reading… Get down the shops and buy it now!
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May 6, 2008 No Comments
Play, A video Game Symphony performed at the Sydney Opera House
Ok, I will confess to being slightly geeky at times. Ok, very geeky at times. But I’m also a big music fan, so games with top-notch soundtracks are naturally appealing to me. One of my favourite pieces of music is from the game Halo, written and composed my Martin O’Donnell. For those that have never heard it, you should try and check it out. It’s epic music for an epic game, eclipsing a lot of movie music, and is backed by a choir.
So, when I heard about Play, a Video Game Symphony was coming to Sydney Opera House, and would feature Halo, I jumped at the chance to hear such an amazing piece performed by one of the best Symphony Orchestras, the Sydney Symphony. It was conducted by Arnie Roth, who is also the director of the performances.
When the performance started, the first piece was Super Mario Bros. Now, you can imagine the laugh that went up when that famous tune started up. But the laughter was quickly replaced by awe as you realise what an amazing sound it was when performed this way.
It moved on through the pieces, many of which were great. But two pieces that really blew me away were from the Final Fantasy games, written by Nobuo Uematsu. One featured the entire Orchestra, a backing choir and the Grand Organ. The sound was just staggering. You were just pounded by the most powerful, wonderful music. The hair’s on the back of your neck standing on end. The organ player’s hands were a blur as he tried to keep up with the frantic pace of the music.
When Silent Hill was performed, the composer, Akira Yamaoka, came on stage with his Electric Guitar. Having already been treated to the Final Fantasy sound, we were then pummelled by this feast of auditory pleasure. That’s the only way I can describe it. It was so unexpected and so wonderful to hear this modern instrument played in perfect synergy with the Orchestra!
And then on to what was probably my favourite piece of the night. A suite of music from Castlevania - I’ve been trying to find out if it’s an actual piece, or one the conductor had put together for the show. Again, the Organ came into play, and again, the organ player was amazing. I only wish there’d been more pieces for him to have delighted our ears with!
I will however confess to being ever so slightly disappointed with the Halo performance. It was performed amazingly, apart from one key instrument. near the beginning there’s some bongo’s that are played softly, but in the performance, they were just too strong and over-powered the subtle sound that should have been there. But it was as good as I hoped other than that.
There were other classic songs, such as Sonic, and Zelda was kept until very near the end. Again raising chuckles from the crowd.
It was a simply awesome experience. And anyone who’s into their epic computer games, or thinks that hearing some of their childhood favourite games played live on stage would be something to behold, then go. If anyone else wants to hear something truly epic, and worthy of more attention, then go. I promise you will not regret it!
June 26, 2007 No Comments
