This might be a controversial opinion, but I honestly don’t think IV is the “all-time masterpiece” that everyone claims it to be, both on release day and retroactively.

Not to say that the game itself is bad, far from it. It’s just that I have a few issues that keep me from loving it as much as everybody else does, such as the slow first act, the lack of crazy weapons and vehicles, limited replay value, etc. For me, it and V lack the fun factor that got me coming back to San Andreas and Vice City, and even the Stories titles. Again, not calling them bad, I just prefer the older stuff.

I dunno, maybe I’m in the minority in this. After all, I can’t go through a single YouTube video or comment from YT/Xitter from people saying that their favorite GTA is IV or that it’s “the best one.” I won’t call anyone out nor tell them they’re wrong, I just don’t like it as much as everyone else does.

I’m probably just rambling, but this was something, I wanted to bring up for a while.

Not really a controversial opinion/hot take to be honest, but I mean this is coming from a dude who hasn't been keeping up with the forums lately, so take my words with a grain of salt if you want. Anyway from what I've seen, more people tend to criticize the game than actually praise it. From its bad optimization to repetitive mission patterns (drive-kill-drive), I have heard it all and believe me, those criticisms are completely valid. 

With that being said, this really depends on what you, the gamer, value most. Sure, GTA IV has those terrible qualities, but that doesn't really make it an overall terrible game now, does it? Unlike the main titles before and after it (San Andreas and V), GTA IV took on a different approach, gameplay-wise and overall atmosphere. It was dark and gritty, a change which some liked, others didn't.

Me personally, I'm in the same exact spot as you, I'm not a huge fan of the game. I hate how limited the game feels from the start, how there's a lot less activities compared to San Andreas (my fav game btw) and how most missions feel like a chore than anything else, but I'm not going to deny that GTA IV has its charm which makes it stand out among the other titles. What I really liked about IV is how the story progresses despite the repetitive mission structure. Unlike CJ (my fav protagonist btw), who's already known/had connections in the gang world, Niko started off as a nobody, a no named immigrant to becoming one of the biggest criminals in Liberty City. That kind of progression really hits a spot for me, it's one of the few games where I genuinely felt that "rise from nothing" sh*t, know what I mean?

But in the end, it's different strokes for different folks. I don't think it's worth dissecting every pros and cons of each title and comparing them side by side.

Different strokes for different folks indeed. San Andreas is by many considered the peak of the series. I love it too, for the most part, but the wacky traffic and ugly car damage system kind of ruin it for me. The Definitive Edition sort of fixed the traffic but it messed up other things so I can't have my cake and eat it too.

16 hours ago, IzzyBlues said:

That Algonquin Assassin dude really was a serious wackadoodle.

Anyway I don’t think this is that much of a hot take. It’s totally fine if you don’t like GTA IV as much as others or don’t think it’s a masterpiece.

Each to their own brother.

Edited March 18 by .Ryan.

Is this a hot take in the room with us?

I feel like the gta series has failed to capture fhe magic it had with gta 3, gta vice city, and san andreas. Liberty city to me in gta 4 was monotonous and repetitive. Bleak and gray, same old buildings and houses over and over again. Im extremely excited for them to return to vice city for 6. I hope some of that magic returns to the series... great writing, epic missions, awesome radio selection including talk radio, crazy weapon selection, tons of activities and things to do away from missions to stay entertained after the story is completed, sunrises and sunsets, wildlife... I cannot wait for 6 to come out. One thing that interests me most is what movies are gonna influence this storyline

You are definitely not alone. They overdid the serious and somber with IV. There is a reason why GTA V went the direction it did. The new resurgence of interest in the game is natural, it happens with most older games. People either forgive their shortcomings or just fix them with a mod.

I think GTA VI is such a 'vibe' as the kids say, that when you're in this certain mood, when the stars align, it can be the best GTA. If you aren't in the zone, that vibe, maybe not so much. Certain elements of GTA IV, cruising in a junker car, late at night, about to do some hit or commit some heinous crime, it just captures that dark underbelly New York aura so well.  

I gotta get back to playing GTA IV, I only got up to the Brucie Car Mission, I gotta look for a mod so I don't have to start the whole missions over like the way GTA V did it. 

The atmosphere and driving physics are largely up to personal taste but a hill I will absolutely die on is saying that GTA4 has the best shooting in the entire series.

The way the rifle blasts and echos as you gun down enemies (or random bystanders) and see them writhe on the floor and react as you pop off a couple extra rounds to finish them off is absolutely visceral, it's the one GTA where I still find it fun to go on a rampage and shoot at passing cars and people just for the heck of it.

That and the car damage modeling and crash physics.

I greatly disagree with the 3D era afficionados who think IV is less fun. To me it's the polar opposite. The physics suck me in far harder and the fun factor is MUCH higher to me in IV. To counter a few arguments:

-every GTA recycles assets map by map. GTA3 literally copy pastes the Hepburn Heights projects with some edits for Wichita Gardens. Cedar Grove is made up of the exact same buildings repeated a few times. Vice City is a baffling mess in terms of layout and how it was thought out. SA had a huge layer of variety but some of it was sadly underused and unexplored (like western LS) and Las Venturas is REALLY ridiculously broken, almost the same level as VC's mainland sometimes. IV recycles interiors in many areas and also houses from Beachgate reappear again in Westdyke. But that's typical for games and even in real life, you go from one area to another and you will notice many houses are veeery samey.

-IV's radio selection was hit and miss for me but Vice City is so f*cking obnoxiously boring I can't even play the game without some user tracks smh

-most people don't care about side content and I will die on this hill that those who say they do, they're deluding themselves. Who in their right mind had fun doing the Paramedic side mission in their free time?? I get Vigilante or maybe even Taxi Driver but Paramedic is just insanely tedious. I won't even start about VCS and all the side sh*t that they added there. Or the SA stuff like the Quarry. Who had fun with any of this? I get the idea, sure you got side missions to do, but at least make them fun and not boring and tedious geez. IV's side missions were lame in that they didn't give any decent rewards, credit where it's due though. And it's even more embarassing V didn't fix this really.

-what kind of fun factor is there in Liberty City Stories, this f*cking game was the biggest snoozefest I've played out of the entire series  not even going on rampages is any fun there, because like, if every kill is just the same animation, no matter what gun you use, then what? It's like, sure you got miniguns, M60s and all but what difference does it make if you use that or an AK or a Shotgun to kill someone. There are no rancid physics that make the opponent fly around like in the HD era/Max Payne 2 or any other ragdoll-based game for that matter. IV dropped the ball hard on the weapon selection admittedly. EFLC kinda fixed this but Niko should also get access to better guns than the lame M4s and MP10s he's got only. But I still prefer rampages here than the 3D era by far.

Edited June 11 by Jeansowaty

I agree completely with the OP and I say this as someone who used to be such a staunch GTA IV and EFLC defender. Man, was I a serious whacko back then. Lol.

i can see it from your pov. what i was thinkin' it is that it all comes down to your own personal preferences... like, gta iv is set in a fictional new york city and its environment looks rather more cold / metallic in some way that other entries have never felt before (even 3, which never did bc its graphics and thats no shade, but it just looks like a dark game in coloring , but like any other midwestern or northeastern city yk) and with that theres also the whole thing surrounding its missions being repetitive, the map being rather smaller in a feel or having less stuff..

tbh all gta games r good i just think to each their own have their fav ones, i like iv-eflc and san andreas better and iv lacks in so many ways. it is js nostalgic to me, as ive been a then 6 year old watching my then 5 year old (ntm on that) friend playing (free roaming) on gta tbgot on his older teen stepbrothers xbox. its js nostalgic, and i for one like new york better than most cities / regions in the u.s.

i believe people who like the game better like it because of its stunning visual representation of a then mid 2000s new york city, the darker themes / storyline, a then ps3/xbox 360 vintage feel. san andreas is fun asf and so cool in its own californian way and again its so different and never done before but i still prefer iv overall cuz its more of a comfort game and mayhaps a little newer (cuz sa feels hard to me).

saying this or this or that is the best game will always B a personal opinion, altho most ppl  / critics can agree on one, its ever changing and im atleast grateful each entry has its own community and can be cherished in its own ways

I played GTA IV extensively between 2008 and 2013, reached 100% completion, then beat the game again this year for the first time in a decade. I really can't see this game as the absolute masterpiece its obnoxious fans claim it to be. Technically, the game was mind-blowing for its time and didn't age that badly in that regard. The city really feels alive. But unless you see GTA IV as an urban exploration simulator, it is not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination. I keep hearing praise for its "amazing storyline." Have we really played the same game? 80% of GTA IV is basically this:

"Hey Niko, I need you to kill that guy.”

“Sure, but it’ll cost you money.”

“All right, I’ll give you 5,000 dollars that won’t be of any use to you anyway.”

You go kill that random dude.

Mission passed.

Rinse and repeat.

The missions are incredibly repetitive and dull. But the worst issue is the discrepancy between Niko’s motivations and the complete lack of use for money in the game. Why should I care about Niko’s motivations if they are completely irrelevant during actual gameplay? I observed the storyline without the rose-tinted glasses of nostalgia or blind obsession for this game, and all I saw was a forgettable C-tier crime drama with a bunch of interesting characters, some bright moments here and there, but awkward developments and a serious, pseudo 'adult’ tone that feels overdone.

Outside of missions, the game has very little to offer. The friendship features and the associated minigames are trivial at best. Every novelty feature is played once and forgotten thereafter. The game is simply not fun.

In a way, I’m jealous of those hardcore fans who see GTA IV as the most perfect video game ever made. I wish I could enjoy GTA IV as they do. But I don’t. It is a product of its time, a wonderful display of technical improvements that impressed nearly twenty years ago. But behind this beautiful facade, I don’t see much substance.

It was, at least for it's time that is. Still holds up though in many aspects. Sure it has its flaws and all, but overall it is a masterwork and pioneer of video gaming. 

My all-time favorite Grand Theft Auto game. I am playing on my 3rd storyline playthrough this year alone.

Call me crazy or whatever--I just really like doing the missions, etc.