Kotaku

Cool. Now we have to build shelters for the avalanche of awesome-ness that will engulf us all in about 2 weeks.

What do you guys think? I say GOTY.

I never trust the 10 reviews, but really, it's a new GTA game. It doesn't follow scoring systems. 11 out of 10.

Sounds great, but then again the rest of the gaming industry fapped over all of the last gen ones, which I never liked at all.

2008 > 2007.

@Mech_Master:
Shame, cause they were very fap-worthy.

Is it normal for subscribers to get OXM a month in advance? Because the newest issue, as in it just came out last week, is not this one, but rather one that features a preview of GTA IV's multiplayer modes.

Nevermind, just noticed it's the UK edition.

I'm looking forward to this game as much as the next guy, but a 10?
10 is supposed to be reserved as an unreachable point on the grading scale.
A point of perfection with little to no room for improvement.
It's going to be mighty tough to live up to that rating.

Pc release please! I cannot afford a console :( wonder how long it will take

I'm not buying the score until some impartial reviewers put a grade on it. Being from the "Official" xbox magazine just doesn't seem to scream legit

Can you climb ladders in this one? No seriously, I didn't care how bad San An looked, I didn't care that I lost my previous saved game because of that stupid Hot Coffee thing, I was pissed when I found a ladder and I couldn't climb it. THAT is one of the few ways GTA 4 (screw the romans) can be better in MY book.
Still getting it even if it doesn't, I'll just be a little ticked.
~Peace~

I doubt it perfect, but I'm sure it's a good game. I'm not too big on reviews anyway.

I tend to stay away from Official Magazines, mainly because they often shit all over the other consoles and spout stupid theories.
The game sounds great, but y'know I'm still with the idea that the ratings system of most sites/magazines is seriously flawed with the scoring aspect.

I think we should ban that review for shouting "First!" like a wanker.

I kid. I'm excited for this game. GTA multiplayer is going to rock. Never played the PC multiplayer stuff.

@VishusBurn: OXM UK wrote a 9-page review of the game, and in my estimation, the score is justified in the review. They go into great detail about what makes the game so good.

Here's a link with some high-res scans:

[cid-3085454822782b0d.skydrive.live.com]

If you feel they're too big, use Firefox with an Image Zoom extension to zoom out.

Well that score was predictable. I think it's a safe bet that there will be a chain of other perfect and near-perfect scores, with the odd 4 or 5 out of ten from late reviewers who need to slate the game to get their hit count up.

I forgot the the city was Algonquin! The real ones is inhabited by Moose and chipmunks. I have a feeling there will be more roadkill in the GTA version.
[en.wikipedia.org]

It's very rare when a game lives up to expectations but it sounds like GTA4 is going to be one of those few.Let's hope that the PS3 version can generate as many good reviews as the 360 version seems set to.

Just over two weeks to go.:)

Did anybody ever play that Vice City mod, the Multi Theft Auto one. That was great.

Engrossing story? That's not a word I'd use to describe GTA storylines. Microsoft needs to stop trying to promote how great the series is. This is how they do it for all multiplatform games. Just look at Devil May Cry 4 and how much they propped that thing up.

@Zeliard:

Well come on, do you think they're really going to badmouth one of the most highly anticipated games of the year? One that will potentially move systems no less? At this point its just creative writing.

Oh God yes.

Not that I had my doubts, but this just made my morning. I'm gonna go brag about this to everyone at work!

Here's hoping the PS3 version gets a score of 11.

/obligatory fanboy comment

@Mech_Master: I must agree a lil bit. I like the other games but never truly loved them. I do play alot more San Andreas than any of the previous versions but I think that is by default since it offered the most of the first two PS2 versions. I like the rpg elements of the game. So I am really looking foward to the latest endevour which is GTA IV....

So, when OXM gives a game a '10' its 'perfect'? What about Halo 3? They gave it a ten, when just about anyone who is not paid by Microsoft knows it's an 7.5-8.5 at best.

What I am getting at is that since MS paid for the extra content, they are kinda forced into giving it a great score. I would not be surprised if the game was honestly an 8.

I've run out of adjectives to describe how excited I am for this.

@Sparx: GTA4 is more far more likely to push PS3s than it is 360s. The general public generally identifies GTA more with the Playstation brand, as it didn't come to Xbox till much later, and it also didn't sell nearly as much there as it did on the PS2.

Plus, with games like MGS4 coming out quite soon and other heavy-hitters later on in the year, there's an added incentive in purchasing a PS3 now.

OXM isn't doing the 360 any particular favor by giving it a perfect score, considering those circumstances.

@KingBroly:

I agree. GTA doesn't have bad story lines, but engrossing? Hardly...

@DigiMish: I'll buy either a ps3 or a xbox just to play this game. However, we still have MGS4 coming this year so I think it might be a little early to nominate any GOTY.

@KingBroly: I didn't finish GTA III & Vice City, so I can't speak for those, but I'd disagree with you as far as San Andreas went. Elements of gang warfare, corrupt cops, CIA coverups, music industry shenanigans and even alien activity all added up to a storyline that I couldn't put down. Which is probably the reason it's the only 3-D GTA that I've finished...

Just like the series' graphics, GTA seems to make big strides in storytelling with each new installment too, which means IV's story will likely even be better than San Andreas'. Can't wait for the 29th!

This is insane..I cant believe how excited I am for this game. It saddens and awesomates me at the same time...thats right, awesomates.

Off course GTAIV got a 10 from OXM... cough marketing! cough...

I think my head just exploded

@Sparx: GTA4's storyline is supposed to be a huge break from past GTA games; it's supposedly much grittier and far more realistic. It is after all, deep-down, the story of an immigrant trying to adapt to a new world, in alien surroundings.

@Zeliard:

But thats my whole point, MS NEEDS GTA to sell. Aside from the possibility of GoW2 what else have they really got this year that will compete? MS doesn't want to see their competition gain any more ground than they already have which is probably why theirs is the first review out the door.

15 days, 15 days, 15 days...

Unless you can walk into every floor of every building and go through every office and see people populating each floor of each skyscraper in a realistic way (janitors cleaning, employees making phone calls, empty at night), then this perfect score is completely and utterly ridiculous.

I might pick this game up despite getting too bored to finish any previous GTA, but the hype machine is in full-force with this perfect review.

@Sparx: GTA4 is going to sell massively regardless. Pre-orders all over the place are basically full. Do you really think an OXM UK review is going to have that much of an impact?

The 360's install base is primarily in the United States, and Europe loves the PS3 a lot more than the 360. An OXM UK review of a multiplat that the PS3 is also getting isn't going to change that. They're still reviewing the exact same game that the PS3 is getting, and they actually mentioned "occasional pop-up" as one of the few gripes in the review, and everyone knows how people nitpick over the most minute of graphical differences between the two systems (to the extent that it sometimes influences which version they purchase).

I believe that OXM UK also gave the 360 exclusive Crackdown a 7/10. Or maybe that was OXM US. Either way, just goes to show that you can't always take things at face value (don't forget that Crackdown featured the Halo 3 beta, so it would've been in OXM's best intentions to give it a strong score).

@Sparx:
Very good point and I absolutely agree!

@Cozwic: Yes, look for the multiplayer preview

@pot3ntial2suck: So, the only way a game can get a 10 is if it equals real life? That's not very realistic, is it?

The purpose of a game is fun ... if you enjoy the game with no drawbacks or deficits, a 10 can fit.

@Sparx:
I'll agree with you to a point. I don't think MS needs to give this game high score to sell 8 million copies (or whatever the estimate is now), but it certainly won't hurt to add coals to hype train's engine. Regardless, it's going to be a console mover (both PS3 and 360)

@VishusBurn: OXM give every other game a 10. I think the lowest score they give is 8 or 9...

Starting to marvel at the hype of this title. GTA lost me when it went 3D...

OXM is an independant magazine that just happens to have licensed the Xbox name from Mircrosoft. They are not beholden to MS to give games good scores. Besides GTA IV is cross platform.

@KingBroly: Have you played through the storyline of GTA IV? Didn't think so.

@severeon: Only about 16% of all the Halo 3 reviews gave it less than a 90% rating. It's not just OXM who liked the game. They aren't paid by Microsoft either.

@VishusBurn: Why bother having a 10 if no one can get it? Doesn't that just make a 9.9 into a 10? Besides, reviews shouldn't be written in stone. They should be relative to the other games out at the time. If GTA IV is the best possible game at the time then it deserves a 10. Just as Call of Duty 4 deserved a 10.

10 =/= perfect

I really don't think GTA4 will be a "perfect" game - there will always be the one or two bad things that one might dislike. But all the hype has got to come from somewhere (personally I only saw that *somewhere* when GTA3 launched - then again, this is GTA4, so it might be mind blowing. Just hard to imagine at this stage of technology. I mean, it's already been 3D).

@Zeliard:
They didn't need to give Crackdown a better score "because" it featured the Halo 3 beta! They knew it would sell like hotcakes.

OXM uses a scale of 1-11, so 10 is not perfect. Just wanted to clarify.

[oxmonline.com]-MoarPlz-:
Please read the magazines before you say stuff like this.

m$ must invest a lot in gta4 ;)

@Garo: And GTA4 is different, how exactly?

@mike566:

Oops.

[oxmonline.com]

@jayntampa: yeah, Mario Galaxy wasn't an replica of the real Galaxy but it still got top marks from most reviews... goes to show what some people think makes a good game I guess...

@Zeliard:
Because it is one of Microsofts chances to take marketshare from Sony in the EU. GTA has always been a System-mover for Sony and as we both know there are still enough PS2 owners sitting on the fence. Also the UK is the last stronghold for MS in the EU they will do anything possible to hold that ground.

Don't you find it curious that it is OXM that has a the first review and not eurogamer who is the largest "independent" gamingwebsite in the EU?

yea i was actually pretty pissed off when i found out mario galaxy wasn't an exact replica of the real galaxy.

@Garo:

dont think so mate, we haven't even got rock band in the uk yet, and when we do we get fucked for 3x the price the US does.

so far MS has been pretty 'meh' on the UK

The general rule of evaluating reviews is if the review is made for a Microsoft focussed publication, the review is biased, like comon. If it comes out for a Sony Magazine, it's a truthful review. That's the only way it works in this universe, yep.

I read the whole review and though I enjoyed it, I was a bit disappointed that there are some minor spoilers about what's in there and hasn't yet been revealed. There's just that much more anticipation now.

who cares about what a game critic says anyway? I know that GTAIV is going to be great, just ask any gamer around you.

Because OXM has no reason to lie.

10's aren't that uncommon...Remember The Legend Of Windwaker for the Game Cube...Everyone was giving it 10's!

I'm excited about this version of GTA but I don't think I played the last version at all. Maybe the included multiplayer is adding to the anticipation for me.