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Posted on: May 02, 2008
GTA IV: After the Hype
WORDS BY: Dan Amrich
Welcome to the weekend. Hardcore Grand Theft Auto fans have GTA IV in hand now, and most of those fans who work for a living are looking forward to the weekend as their first chance to really dive deep into Liberty City. The fun has just begun…but in a way, the honeymoon is already over.
Sometimes, waiting is good.
Say what you want about the media overhyping new games, but with Grand Theft Auto IV, everybody took part — and loved it. Yes, the magazines and websites wanted to talk about it. But gamers also wanted to talk about it. The mainstream, for better and worse, couldn’t wait to talk about it. Rockstar certainly wanted to talk about it. (Maybe EA didn’t.) But it seems like everybody was looking forward to it, and they liked looking forward to it. Getting there was…well, maybe not half the fun, when you’re talking about 80 hours of gameplay and really engaging multiplayer modes, but the journey was certainly some of the fun, even if that journey took a few months longer than originally planned.
GTA IV’s release gave us an event, something most gamers could rally around — a common eagerness. Releases this big are holidays to gamers. Hardware launches are too, but they’re less joyous because people are terrified of making the “wrong” choice with hundreds of dollars on the line. But software is different: the risk and the price are lower. If you’re lined up at midnight, you’re more concerned with whether a game will be as good as you want it to be, and not worrying about whether what you take home will (a) actually work or (b) still be on store shelves in two years.
Last fall’s release slate was an embarrassment of riches with many highly anticipated games coming out one after another — but only Halo 3 had pretty much everybody talking. GTA IV did the same thing, maybe moreso since it was multiplatform and has a wider reach. Those moments of communal anticipation are rare, and I see them as my fan love for games spilling over into "the real world" and "everyday life." And even though playing Cops 'n Crooks with my friends is the perfect replacement for that collective excitement, I already kinda miss it. I hope you enjoyed it, too.
Mon, 05/26/2008 - 01:21
Posted by Gamer911
I still think Halo 3 is WAY better than gta 4.. maybe I'm wrong...
Thu, 05/08/2008 - 17:42
Posted by solid_prime
Ilove gta 4.All i have done is eat sleep and play gta 4.I was playing rbv 2 and now its nothing but gta baby.The hype was good with this one.
Thu, 05/08/2008 - 03:03
Posted by D0 TH3 D3W
5N4K3 1N TH3 GR455
What the hell are you talking about Axe? Halo was the talk of the season even if the game could have been better (and COD 4 was better). Halo 3 had the most hype and it was the big talk of that season and will always be remembered for it
Tue, 05/06/2008 - 20:16
Posted by Axe Argonian
Yeah, everyone was excited for Halo 3... Yeah right! We all love Halo, but that was NOT the talk of the holiday season. What was you ask? Whatever the gamer WANTED. BioShock? Check. Mass Effect? Check. Guitar Hero III? Check. Call of Duty 4? Check. Assassin's Creed? Check. Orange Box? Check.
Tue, 05/06/2008 - 00:16
Posted by dietcoke4fatty
BEST GAME EVER
OXM SUCKS!
jk jk
9.5
i dont make sense do I!
Mon, 05/05/2008 - 21:44
Posted by cart00nstrip
I like big "event" thingies - keeping up with the hype, watching all the trailers, lining up at midnight showings, reading p/reviews, etc. Doesn't matter if it's for a new game I'm interested in, or a new movie - I just love all that stuff! I'm also a big fan of all the peripheral marketing crap that comes out, too - the "limited edition" soft drinks, the happy meal toys, the action figures, etc. - tho' I rarely buy them. It's just fun to breeze thru the toy section and check out all the myriad ways they try to grab your cash. Sometimes I even break down and buy the "special edition" versions of games, tho' rarely. "BioShock" and "GTA4" both had great special editions, but both "Mass Effect" and "GOW" had pretty dismal ones - what's with the big, oversized tins? Oh, great, a bunch of stuff I'm NEVER gonna look at more than once, and my game disc is attached to piece of cardboard. Ain't that special...
gt: cart00nstrip
Mon, 05/05/2008 - 20:21
Posted by Gronfors
Yeah, the hype is a big part....
I probably wouldn't have gotten it, if there wasn't much hype...
(this is the first GTA i've boughten [ I'v played others])
Mon, 05/05/2008 - 13:56
Posted by shoedog
Hype is great when what follows is a big success (GTA IV, Halo 3, etc...), but it isn't so much fun when what follows is a dismal failure (Brute Force). Having said that, it was fun to have another big game to look forward to. Now, when is GOW 2 coming?
Sun, 05/04/2008 - 15:18
Posted by DelishusSeagull
Agreed, hyping a game is part of the whole fun of the gaming experience. Hype, discovery, innovation, and fun are really what games are about.
Sat, 05/03/2008 - 00:29
Posted by ChrisTHGZ
Very Well Written.
I too, love and enjoy just simply hyping games.
I got this at midnight at blockbust am im about 5 hours in.
So far IMO it lives up to and exceeds the hype. Its already my favorite Xbox 360 game.
I don't know, maybe thats just me