GTA IV Update

In a previous post I mentioned how one of my biggest problems with the GTA series is that despite its open world nature, the game does a whole lot of hand holding during the actual missions. It tells you exactly where to go, what to do, all you have to do is follow the magic arrows.

I just completed a mission that was the perfect example of this and how it actually hinders the immersion and overall experience.

Your mission: whack some guy in his apartment. When you get there, the game "tells" you that you have to go into the building across the street and climb to the roof. Once on the roof, an arrow tells you exactly where you have to stand. Once you stand there, it triggers a cinematic showing you the guy through his window across the street, etc. Once the cinematic is over and you regain control, you do not have a clear shot because he is sitting down watching tv. Your only view is of the tv and his telephone next to it. His number is clearly displayed on the phone. The person that hired you tells you to look around for a way to get him off the couch. After the previous cut-scene, it was pretty obvious what I had to do. Call his home number to get him off the couch.

Off the bat, I already have a few problems with the mission. I don't want to be told how to whack the guy. Sniping him from across the street is great, I like it, but I just want that to be one option. One that you can figure out by trying. I would have also liked to have just been able to walk up to his apartment, shoot out the lock, and go in guns blazing. Hell, I wanted to be able to toss grenades into his window from street-level. What I don't want is to be limited and shown exactly how it must be done.

Another thing that bothers me are those short cinematics that break up the flow of the game. Fine, the game tells you to go to the roof across the street. Let me go there and not have to stand on any "hot spot" to trigger a cut-scene showing me exactly where the apartment is. Let me walk up there, take out my sniper-rifle, and search for him myself. Stop holding my hand so much!!! If after a minute of standing on the roof I haven't figured it out, THEN have the game trigger a phone call from your employer giving you a hint.

That is a typical example on how this series can feel so limited at times, even though it promises a "sandbox" experience. Sure, you can do whatever you want, but really only while messing around on your own. The missions themselves are very linear with a ton of hand-holding. If that is a result of trying to appeal to a bigger crowd (the casuals), then it should be an option you can disable.

Alright, GTA rant over.

P.S. - That mission reminded me of one of my favorite gaming moments. It was a level in Hitman 2 where you had to assassinate someone from a building across the street. The game tells you which building your target is in and which one you should go to for the hit, but it let you choose your spot. Best of all, you did not know exactly who your target was going to be. You had a picture, but it was hard to pick him out (a large meeting was being held and he was one of many sitting in a large conference table). Your assistant would begin to tell you things about him to help you determine who your target was (such as him being "left-handed"). You had a limited amount of time to do the hit (before the meeting finished) and you had to actually "think" and observe to pick your target. It was tense, fresh, and insanely fun.

That same mission in the GTA series would have had your target with a big red arrow above his head. Gee, fun. :p