Grand Theft Auto: Arrested

[madkevin]

That's not absurdism; that's satire. Absurdism is Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead or Waiting For Godot. Satire is The Colbert Report.

[Drastic]

Great, now I'm that guy. But...


Main Entry:
ab·surd·ism
...
: a philosophy based on the belief that the universe is irrational and meaningless and that the search for order brings the individual into conflict with the universe — compare existentialism

Unclean. I can't do that again this decade.

[Tom Chick]

I dunno, that all seems pretty absurd to me.

Well, even though "absurd" isn't the same as "absurdism", there's something inherently absurd about most gameplay conventions. But I like to think guys like us understand them for what they are: gameplay conventions, and not Genet or Pirandello, much less "irrational" or "meaningless". But nice try anyway, Drastic! :)

Also, look a little closer. Those aren't dollars in the Statue of Happiness hand! It's a venti half-caff no-foam latte or something.

-Tom

[Drastic]

The one time I looked closer I rammed my helicopter into it. The statue won.

edit: I'm not being entirely serious, even though I'm using no smilies. But I'm half-serious, as even disregarding the gameplay elements, GTA's universe is fundamentally insane. The radio spots are every bit as much of the game's world as the various grotty little concerns of the characters, for instance--the content is part of the setting, the fact that no radio is audible more than two feet away from a windowless car is gameplay.

Although, come to think of it, if it's a universe where sound waves really do stop dead in a two-foot radius from any car speaker, that's pretty irrational too! In closing, I triumphantly raise my latte full of money to the sky.

[zengonzo]

Does it matter how we classify the humor anyways? If you don't like it, then it doesn't matter what anyone calls it.

Not that every fart joke is genius commentary on the state of the union, sometimes they are just fart jokes. I'm able to toss off GTA's juvenile humor because it also comes with a degree of intelligence and awareness, absent in games that might be a little less overt in their sophomorism, but also less rich in underlying material.

[Tom Chick]

Does it matter how we classify the humor anyways?

Try to keep up, Mr. Gonzo. We're goofing on McMaster for trying to act all superior and using the wrong words to do it!

-Tom

[zengonzo]

OK. Let's call him Professor Doofus and fart at him. With absurdism.

[Shadarr]

GTA's universe is fundamentally insane. The radio spots are every bit as much of the game's world as the various grotty little concerns of the characters, for instance--the content is part of the setting, the fact that no radio is audible more than two feet away from a windowless car is gameplay.
Which is why it annoys me that they removed a bunch of fun elements in previous games using "realism" as an excuse. The game is not realistic, it never will be. So any argument that says "selling babies is okay, but using a firetruck to put out fires is just too crazy" makes no damn sense.

[Drastic]

I'll happily sing along in that choir. I'm hoping the inevitable sequels add the goofier side-missions and activities back in.

[zengonzo]

Thirded.

[zengonzo]

Apparently there's a game update. I just turned mine on and it prompted me to download.

For the PS3, anyhow.

[Tom Chick]

Yeah, you guys got a patch today that presumably fixes multiplayer. I'm hoping for a patch that fixes Carmen "Liar-Liar-Pants-On-Fire" Ortiz.

-Tom

[zengonzo]

Will it go over her mouth?

[Shadarr]

Hey, at least she's easy.

[KieronGillen]

I'm hoping for a patch that fixes Carmen "Liar-Liar-Pants-On-Fire" Ortiz.

Is Carmen the new Hotkeys?

KG

[Tom Chick]

Is Carmen the new Hotkeys?

A hit, a very palpable hit!

-Tom

[Rock8man]

Yeah, you guys got a patch today that presumably fixes multiplayer. I'm hoping for a patch that fixes Carmen "Liar-Liar-Pants-On-Fire" Ortiz.

-Tom

I actually thought that part was great. I'm glad I had already gotten to that part when I read your thoughts on the game Tom, because I was in a tight situation, running from the cops, calling up Carmen on the phone. I was very skeptical at how "phone healing" would work, and she tells me she can help me out, tells me to calm my breathing, relax, and I'll be all better. And when I saw it had no effect, I thought it was an inspired joke, and at the time I found it absolutely hilarious.

It also made reading your comments calling her a liar funny too. I strongly suspect Carmen's "phone healing" was never meant to be real. I hope they actually don't "fix" it in a patch.

[Skorin]

I've had it work... once. It gave about 25% of my health back.

[Adree]

At least Kiki's ability is super useful and works if you have 3 stars (maybe 4?) or less.

[Rock8man]

I've had it work... once. It gave about 25% of my health back.

Oh damn. Then maybe it is just a bug. :( How disappointing. I guess in that case, they should fix it.

[malkav11]

I never tried Vice City PSP, but Liberty City PSP was unplayable due to horrible load times. This was on the original PSP though, it might be tolerable on the newer models.

The load times are down almost entirely to the slow UMD drive. If you were to hack a PSP and rip your Liberty City Stories UMD to ISO and load it on a memory card (which I have done), you would find that it's pretty zippy. Better than the PS2 games, in my experience. Not quite as fast as Vice City loads on my modern PC (ie, almost instantly).

But if you don't want to go that route, I'm sure the PS2 versions of the Stories games perform better. As to whether they're any good...well, I felt like they had what I liked about the other GTA games I've played, but the PSP controls are ill-suited to the game. I couldn't find a movement control system I liked since I prefer to steer cars with the d-pad and foot movement with the analog stick on the console versions. Due to the lower number of buttons on the PSP, you have to map one or the other as movement and the other set handles ancillary functions. Which would be fine if you could define that separately depending on whether you're on foot or in a vehicle, but the same controls map to both. Also, I think locking onto people was awkward, but maybe I'm thinking of the PSP version of Manhunt 2. And, god. If you hated manually aiming weapons on the PS2 version of GTA 3 or Vice City (and I really did), imagine doing it on the PSP. It's terrible. The point is to have GTA on the go, and they deliver that, but I can't help but feel I'd have a less frustrating time playing the later PS2 release of both games. I gave up pretty early.

[MyNameIsWill]

At least Kiki's ability is super useful and works if you have 3 stars (maybe 4?) or less.
Hmm I hope so. Francis' ability never works for me.

[Brakara]

One thing I really hope they fix in a patch, is making movement "run" by default when you're in a gunfight (like in Mass Effect). That would improve combat by tenfolds.

[thamer]

Carjacking a gay man has Nikko refer to the gay man as "woman." I chuckled until I realized just how wrong that is.

[ElGuapo]

Is there a way to save/view your cell phone pics? (once you get the cell phone camera). I can't seem to find them in the phone itself.

[zengonzo]

Yeah, seems like it only comes up for mission-applicable situations. I took a few photographs of pedestrians and tried to look them up on the police computer, but it didn't even register.

[Adree]

One thing I really hope they fix in a patch, is making movement "run" by default when you're in a gunfight (like in Mass Effect). That would improve combat by tenfolds.

You should be sliding from cover to cover like a real action hero. (Press LB while walking/running near cover)

[Brakara]

Yeah, but the first couple of seconds or so when I get out of cover is really annoying when my character is just walking slowly while getting shot at. Then I press 'A' and move towards the next cover before pressing 'LB'. My point is that I shouldn't have to press 'A' in the first place (unless I wanted to sprint).

[Talisker]

Wrong. Shotgunning bad guys as you slowly Bronson your way over to the staircase is awesome. Running? Cover? Pansies!

[BlueJackalope]

Wrong. Shotgunning bad guys as you slowly Bronson your way over to the staircase is awesome. Running? Cover? Pansies!

I like those moments too:

Niko shit talking goons and calmly mowing them down while slowly tilt-walking his way towards cover. Fully bad-ass.

[Skipper]

Hey, at least she's easy.

Carmen is not only easy, she also likes to go to the strip club and it makes her horny. Now that's a fun date. "Sit here while I get a lap dance. I'll be out to take you home in a bit."

Kiki is funny though when you show up in nice clothes or a nice car she'll ask if that's what you where when out with your other whores. Too funny.

[Shadarr]

Yeah, Kiki has amusing emotional issues, especially when drunk. Alternating between proclaiming her love and accusing you of treating her like a whore. But she still puts out on the second date.

[Funkula]

Wrong. Shotgunning bad guys as you slowly Bronson your way over to the staircase is awesome. Running? Cover? Pansies!

Yeah, whenever I bust out the shotgun, I feel compelled to walk slowly and whistle "The Farmer in the Dell." But that's just The Wire talking, I think.

[Adree]

Yeah, Kiki has amusing emotional issues, especially when drunk. Alternating between proclaiming her love and accusing you of treating her like a whore. But she still puts out on the second date.

The most accurate simulation of internet dating ever.

[Wholly Schmidt]

Ugh, I gotta do every race twice for the achievement? Lame.

[Tom Chick]

Actually, Wholly, I'm pretty sure the achievement is to just finish 20 races. Once you've done all six or seven, you can repeat each race as many times as you like. So you'll have to do each one three times, or just do your favorite over and over. Each race also gets you $500 and one percentage point of Brucie like.

The good news is that the AI is mostly incapable of actually racing, so winning isn't a problem.

-Tom

[Rock8man]

The good news is that the AI is mostly incapable of actually racing, so winning isn't a problem.

-Tom

Sheesh, in what world is this good news Tom? If the AI was even remotely capable of racing, the races would actually be more fun, and then it wouldn't matter if it required 30 wins for the achievement, because we'd have a better time getting that achievement.

[Tom Chick]

I meant the good news in terms of not having to run the races more often. Right now, they're not races so much as timed courses. If you want to make them more challenging, take a crappy car.

But, yeah, the racing AI is retarded.

-Tom

P.S. Ten points off for using the 'F' word! Personally, I think the races are still plenty "fun" by trying to beat my best times. Not that I'll have any interest in doing it once I've gotten the achievement, but I am having "fun" working towards the achievement.

[Rock8man]

Heh. Yeah, sorry about using the 'F' word. And to clarify, I did find the races entertaining despite the lack of trying on the AI's behalf, because it's still a blast to try to go as fast as possible through traffic. But it could have definitely been even more exhilarating to go through traffic at high speeds with other racers on your tail.

[Wholly Schmidt]

Oh yeah, I realized that after I kept playing. I had lost count, and thought that I had just finished 10 races when I'd gone through every race once. Then Brucie's next race was one I just did, and for whatever reason it had exotics for the AI instead of the crap cars I'd been racing, so I jumped to the conclusion that I was now going back through each of the "ten" courses against faster cars.

Turns out there are only 9 different races, you're right you can do the same ones over and over, I have no idea why it gave me exotics for opponents that one time, and it didn't matter because it still wasn't a race past the first turn, so pretty much everywhere, it's gonna be boring.

[Tom Chick]

I think -- and I could be wrong here, because I haven't verified it -- that each race is scripted to have particular cars. My guess is that they're scaled based on which of the islands you've unlocked.

So if, for instance, you really want an Infernus (I frickin' lost mine when I got greedy and tried to park three cars in my safehouse's reserved parking), just call Brucie to set up the last race and jack an Infernus from one of the contenders.

But, yeah, like many of the minigames, Rockstar seems awfully lazy about implementing the racing.

-Tom

[Wholly Schmidt]

I don't think that's the case. I did every race once (all nine of them), going through them in the order the islands are unlocked (but I didn't even start the races till I had all three islands unlocked). After the ninth race, the first repeat I did was still out on the 3rd island, and was a repeat of the 8th race, which I'd just done 10 minutes before, and it was definitely different cars.

I did about half the races up to that point with some respectable but not too fancy sedan, and it was putting me up against crap cars, so I thought maybe it was picking opponents based on what I was driving. I switched to the Ferrari look-a-like for the rest up to that point and it was still all crap opponents. And after that first repeat put me up against the Porsche/Ferrari style opponents, the next two I've done have been back to crap again. I really don't think there's any method to it at all.

[garin]

Something's been bugging me: who's the woman on the cover with the lollipop (also featured prominently in advertising) supposed to be? Everyone else is a recognisable character from the game.

[Tom Chick]

I'm guessing that's concept art that eventually turned into Carmen. Sans lollipop, of course.

-Tom

[ChiTownBluesFan]

I'm guessing that's concept art that eventually turned into Carmen. Sans lollipop, of course.

-Tom
I'd rather they went back to lollipop girl. Carmen was freaking annoying.

[Adree]

I'd rather they went back to lollipop girl. Carmen was freaking annoying.

Carmen wouldn't be so annoying if you showed Carmen more attention!

[Rock8man]

Something's been bugging me: who's the woman on the cover with the lollipop (also featured prominently in advertising) supposed to be? Everyone else is a recognisable character from the game.

It's been bugging a lot of people. Apparently she is in the police database as Lola, and people have been trying to find her around liberty city. There's even a competition for who finds her first (http://www.xbox360achievements.org/news-722-GTA-IV-Comp--Find-Lola--Win-a-Prize.html). So if you find her first, you can win a prize.

[Sam Jones]

It's been bugging a lot of people. Apparently she is in the police database as Lola, and people have been trying to find her around liberty city.

She's probably a showgirl.

Sorry.

[BDGE]

I just spent about 3+ hours clearing all pigeons and stunt jumps on island 1 in one gruelling run. I don't think it saves when you shoot or find any of that either. I'd recommend anyone trying to get all of these to hold off until you snag a silenced weapon. Got a wanted level pretty much everytime I find a pigeon because the cops are very aware to gunshots. Annoying somewhat.

Oh and the airport pigeons are brutal. Lost about 13k on medical bills because wanted level goes directly to 4 the moment you enter the tarmac flight zone. One particular pigeon requires deft sniping from that area, not made easy with an army chasing you down.

[Funkula]

There are silenced weapons? I thought I had gotten all the guns.

[Jason McMaster]

McMaster, you're on thin enough ice with the "irony", but the "absurdism" is definitely a reach. There's very little of either in GTA4.

-Tom

True enough, irony was a bad choice, but I stick by absurd.

[Tom Chick]

You're going to "stick by absurd" when that's not what you said?

For the record, a little "ism" can go a long way, and often in a direction you didn't intend. Just a tip next time you want to be pedantic. :)

-Tom

ObGTA4Ref: Yeah, what's this about a silenced weapon? Is there any such thing, because that's news to me? Do want!

[Jason McMaster]

touche.

[BDGE]

RE: silenced weapons. Sorry for the confusion, I sorta assumed the upgraded pistol was silenced, but I guess it's not... Sorry again folks. It's all firecrackers in GTA4.

Oh and you guys are correct about the driving becoming easier on island 2. Either my skills have vastly improved, or the cars just handle more competently, but I'm not having the struggles as such anymore. I have also noticed myself taking more care to deftly feather the analog triggers, which seems to make a huge difference in negotiating corners and overall driving ability.

Also, even with a faq, finding all these pigeons, stunt ramps, and random people missions is a HUGE timesink commitment.

[William Harms]

What happens when you finish the main storyline? Can you still do all of the secondary missions? (Like steal cars for Brucie, etc.)

[Tom Chick]

Yep. I don't think any of the GTAs ended when the storyline was over. Bully either.

Under the stats screen, William, the % complete is a measure of all the available activities and not just the storyline. When I finished the story, I was at about 70%. I still have plenty of side quests to do from random strangers, as well as the collecting stuff, and the awesome car hunts based on Steve's text messages.

-Tom

[tromik]

Spoilers about the Three Leaf Clover mission below.







Uhhh...I think I'm at that point. I'm basically ready to give up. I'm doing the Three Leaf Clover mission, and I've done it about seven times now.

The first time Packie died because he used a police car as cover, which blew up.

The second time, I was trying to find the characters on the map, and I was told I had abondened them.

On the third time, fourth, and fifth times, I died in the subway tunnel. For some reason, the hits weren't registering on the NOOSE guys. I had to walk towards them and then the hits started to register again.

On the sixth attempt, I made it to the bridge, but the car stalled as it was pounded by police vehicles, and I was shot to death in the car.

On the seventh try, I ran up the stairs to the street, and grabbed the first cop car on the scene, and waited. And waited. Then I was told that I had left the characters behind. So I ran back down into the tunnel and they were just standing there.

I "grabbed" them and was killed instantly as I entered the stairwell again as it had flooded with cops. Remember the first time you walked down the hallway to the welded door in Dead Rising? It was like that, only with cops.

So sad, since it starts out as such a cool mission, but the length, and AI, and the various glitches are just killing me here.

I mean, once I get them in the car, how to we get back across the bridge?

[Rock8man]

Tromik: Are you dating Kiki yet? If so, you can make the tail end of that mission a lot easier. It was the first time I'd used her special ability, at the end of that mission, and it felt a bit like a cheat, but I figured I'd already done the mission 3 times, and I didn't feel like doing it a fourth time, so once I was down to 4 stars, I gave Kiki a call, and she was able to clear the misunderstanding I was having with the Police at the time.

[Funkula]

Another point to consider: Hitting the Algonquin Pay n Spray is much easier than losing your wanted level by more organic means.

[tromik]

Tromik: Are you dating Kiki yet? If so, you can make the tail end of that mission a lot easier. It was the first time I'd used her special ability, at the end of that mission, and it felt a bit like a cheat, but I figured I'd already done the mission 3 times, and I didn't feel like doing it a fourth time, so once I was down to 4 stars, I gave Kiki a call, and she was able to clear the misunderstanding I was having with the Police at the time.
What!? No! I've gone on one date since Michelle, and that was with Kate. So I meet this girl through the dating site?

I'll give it a shot. It's just annoying how many times I've had to retry the mission due to buggy AI and glitches.

Thanks for the tip!

[Rock8man]

...and the awesome car hunts based on Steve's text messages.

-Tom

I'm still trying to do the first text message acquisition Tom. Is there a trick to them?

The first one I'm supposed to find is supposed to be behind the Burger Shot near Huntington Station. A Manana apparently? I looked on the map that came with the game, and there's only one Burger Shot even remotely close to Huntington Station. But that Burger Shot never has any cars near it that look like the one I'm looking for. I've stolen nearly every car within a mile of that fast food place, anything that might even look close to the car in question, but no dice so far. I've gotten so desperate at this point, I've started scoping out nearly every Burger Shot in the city. I just don't get it.

Any advice on how where to start the search? Is it at least remotely close to the Burger Shot mentioned in the email? Is it only there at certain times of the day? Should I just stake the place out for 24 hours and hope it shows up? I've been there at daytime, night time, I'm just not sure what to do anymore.

[Tom Chick]

That's odd. That car was one of the later ones for me. I guess the order is random? That's surprising, since the text messages mention the last car you got. Maybe the starting car is random?

It took me a while to realize that Huntington Station wasn't a police station, but a subway station. Doh. It sounds like you've figured that out already.

But the thing to remember is that you can't really rely on the map. One of the things I love about the text message cars is that require the good old-fashioned Mk. V eyeball. The Burger Shot near the Huntington Station station isn't on the map. Drive around and you're sure to see it.

Also, as soon as you jump into the right car, you'll get a message confirming that it's the car Steve wants.

-Tom

[garin]

You can also check the map of the cellphone cars on the in-game internet. I'm not sure I ever would have found the first car he sent me for without that.

[Tom Chick]

Which is kind of a shame, since the cell phone cars are a great way to show off the city. I love that you have to look around for the cars using clues and landmarks, instead of simply working your way to a dot on the map. :(

To each his own, of course, but I'd encourage everyone to at least try looking for the cell phone cars without referencing that whattheydontwantyoutoknow.com site.

-Tom

[Rock8man]

The Burger Shot near the Huntington Station station isn't on the map.

Oh! Thank you so much. I read that, and I had to start up the game again. And I found it instantly this time. It's a shuttered, closed-down Burger Shot! Brilliant! I'll have to be a lot more careful when making assumptions around this city from now on.

[jemann]

And I found it instantly this time. It's a shuttered, closed-down Burger Shot!
The text message I got actually described it as an old Burger Shot, or words to that effect. So that car, at least, I could find without any extra help. Can't say I'm enjoying the car collection, because the photo in the text message is generally so bad that I'm putting my face right up to the screen to look for details. And I'm too lazy to explore a district when I know the info is so readily available online.

Has anyone else encountered the saga of Fred? There are three parts, which I wasn't expecting. These mini-missions may actually make my completionist urges worthwhile (as opposed to the pigeons and jumps).

[Tom Chick]

And I'm too lazy to explore a district when I know the info is so readily available online.

I understand this sentiment, jemann, but the world Rockstar has built really does bear up under exploration. While hunting cars for Steve, I've found things in Liberty City I wouldn't have otherwise noticed. If you're looking at the car collection as merely something to be finished, then fair enough. But it seems to me Rockstar put it in there as a sort of tour of the city, where the actual tour is far more rewarding than the mere cash you get for completing it.

BTW, the Fred saga is another example of this. I don't recall what reward you get, but it was a pretty strange -- and uncomfortable -- mission arc. It was Rockstar telling a story instead of just sending you on a fetch quest. When you approach the car collection in a similar way, I maintain you're being told a little of the story of Liberty City.

-Tom

[jemann]

Yeah, I know I'm doing it wrong. Maybe I'm still thinking of the car-hunting in previous GTAs, where some vehicles were ridiculously rare (eg. the infamous BF Injection in GTA III). Or maybe it's because I have less game-playing time than I used to, and feel like I need to get maximum value from my time budget. I'll try to be patient and apply my Oblivion playing style.

[Tom Chick]

Aw, now I feel bad. I didn't mean to say you were playing wrong... It's entirely valid to maximize your time commitment to stuff you enjoy. But next time, grab a car for Steve by figuring out the clues and peering at the crappy cell phone picture he sends you. If you don't spot something cool in the process, I'll buy you a burger from Burger Shot!

-Tom

[madkevin]

Hey, I gots a question: I got my first car text message from Steve - a nice Infernus, I think, parked in one of those mobster-looking houses in north Alderney - and I found the car no problem. But I don't know what to do with it after I steal it. Do I drive it back to Brucie's impound at the docks?

[Tom Chick]

Stevie's garage is in Bohan, right off the East Borough Bridge. I believe it's on Guantanamo Avenue. It's marked with a car icon on the map.

-Tom

[Fozzle]

Hey, I gots a question: I got my first car text message from Steve - a nice Infernus, I think, parked in one of those mobster-looking houses in north Alderney - and I found the car no problem. But I don't know what to do with it after I steal it. Do I drive it back to Brucie's impound at the docks?

The first thing you should do with it is drive it to your safe house in Bohan, so you can get 3-4 more of them spawned around the safe house. Grab one and park it in your save space =) then the garage is 3 block east of there...

[BDGE]

I understand this sentiment, jemann, but the world Rockstar has built really does bear up under exploration. While hunting cars for Steve, I've found things in Liberty City I wouldn't have otherwise noticed. If you're looking at the car collection as merely something to be finished, then fair enough. But it seems to me Rockstar put it in there as a sort of tour of the city, where the actual tour is far more rewarding than the mere cash you get for completing it.
-Tom

I'm really looking forward to these missions. Just finished all the Brucie exotic collection, and came away mildly dissapointed that the auto-guides you to every vehicle. Was initially hoping the photo and neighborhood were the only clues I was given, and the rest was up to me to discover. Really happy at least -one- subquest in the game doesn't devolve into following the GPS.

Shame too, the pidgeon hunt could have been devised to really take advantage of exploring the city, being perceptive to your environments and maybe having subtle clues guiding you(tying it to a unique mission from a certain NPC even ala homeless guy in Bully?), but instead they opted for something far less creative. Much like my dissapointment with flag collection in Assassin's Creed.

[ElGuapo]

I can't believe how realistic/animated they made the hookers in this game. My, we earned our M rating with that one, didn't we? Before it was just a shaking car while the characters sat in their seats. Now they have full on sex animations. They animated all that, huh? I thought hot coffee had burned them until I saw that.

My favorite thing to do in game right now is to load up a free roam multiplayer match and create little stories for myself. I'll go into an interior and then get 3 stars (i.e. simulate a robbery gone bad), set a waypoint randomly and try to get there. Then I'll try and lose the wanted level, drive around a bit, case out a place, and repeat. I wish you could rob banks/stores in this game. I watched the street fight in Heat this weekend and got inspired. Heck, they even modelled the bag slung over Niko's back . . . why not put in out and out bank robberies? I can turn on the soundtrack to Heat off Media Center and rock out.

(Don't spoil me if you rob a bank later in the game . . . I mean unscripted robberies).

[BDGE]

My favorite thing to do in game right now is to load up a free roam multiplayer match and create little stories for myself. I'll go into an interior and then get 3 stars (i.e. simulate a robbery gone bad), set a waypoint randomly and try to get there. Then I'll try and lose the wanted level, drive around a bit, case out a place, and repeat. I wish you could rob banks/stores in this game. I watched the street fight in Heat this weekend and got inspired. Heck, they even modelled the bag slung over Niko's back . . . why not put in out and out bank robberies? I can turn on the soundtrack to Heat off Media Center and rock out.

(Don't spoil me if you rob a bank later in the game . . . I mean unscripted robberies).

Pretty much agreed. I adored Heat the movie and I would love an option to do big-time heists. I'm surprised they didn't offer a multiplayer mode similar to Kane and Lynch either, co-op bank heist escape with AI cops chasing you all down just makes too much sense not to have. The airport escort one just isn't the same.

Oh and I would also love to put Heat's soundtrack on while playing this game, shame you can't really though...

[ElGuapo]

Oh and I would also love to put Heat's soundtrack on while playing this game, shame you can't really though...

Are you on 360?

1. Buy soundtrack (or, cough, aquire it)

2. Open guide (center button)

3. Select music, navigate to soundtrack. Play.

4. Close guide, resume.

Viola!

I listen to all kinds of soundtracks when I'm doing something in game. For instance, I listen to the Batman Begins soundtrack when doing the "Most Wanted" missions. You can really change the atmosphere of the game with the right soundtrack.

A bank robbery co-op over LIVE where some people are in the getaway car and some have to rob the bank, then the police show up, would be all kinds of sweet. Come on DLC!

[ElGuapo]

Also, I just found out you can't do the co-op missions solo. WTF? That sucks.

[Rock8man]

Mild Spoilers:

Yesterday I played the mission in which you're trying to kidnap someone and they keep grabbing the steering wheel. I was laughing so hard as they managed to get me to flip the car over. This is such a brilliant mechanic. I really hope Saint's Row 2 steals this idea for their next iteration of taking random people hostage. A small percentage of them should actually try to get you to crash, or swerve, so that you slow down and have a better chance of being caught by the cops (or for the hostages to run away when you slow down enough). It might get annoying if everyone did it though. It'll be nice if a small percentage of hostages tried to that though.

[Jason McMaster]

that mission is hillarious

[Funkula]

I actually just finished that one. I spun out and crashed at one point because I was trying to test whether she went ragdoll after you knock her out, and was pleased to see that she does.

[jemann]

Aw, now I feel bad... If you don't spot something cool in the process, I'll buy you a burger from Burger Shot!
That's fine - while wandering around Suffolk I met Hossan, so that was unexpected and cool. Although how I was supposed to locate the Swingers Club (location of a Comet) when neither the map nor the manual mentions it is beyond me.

Unfortunately, 'unreadable disc' errors may soon spell an end to my GTA playing. (Aside: shouldn't the error be 'cannot read disc', with a few possible causes? Isn't 'unreadable disc' an immediate assigning of blame?)

[Adree]

Unfortunately, 'unreadable disc' errors may soon spell an end to my GTA playing. (Aside: shouldn't the error be 'cannot read disc', with a few possible causes? Isn't 'unreadable disc' an immediate assigning of blame?)

Provided you are still under warranty, send that sucker in. It only took me about a week and a half to get that fixed and sent back. By comparison they seem to hold RROD units indefinitely.

[zengonzo]

And if you aren't under warranty, RROD it.

[Jason McMaster]

coat a towel in vaseline and put it on the 360s core. That should probably do something bad to it.

[zengonzo]

Yeah, and if you're out of vaseline, turning it on and playing a game should have a similar effect.

Ohhhhhhh ...

[Jason McMaster]

HEYO!

[jemann]

A surprising turn of events:
1. 'Unreadable disc' errors occur, usually just before an autosave and after eliminating one or two pigeons. Suspicious glances made at console.
2. Examined disc, wiped away all obvious spots.
3. 'Unreadable disc' errors still occurring.
4. Wipe disc thoroughly with wet cloth, dry with tea-towel, then polishing cloth.
5. No more errors (so far).
6. Peace and love and nevermore suspicious of MS, until tomorrow at least.


Edit: the disc hadn't been out of the drive since purchase, and was free of obvious spots/scratches.

[Lizard_King]

Unreadable disc errors have been a way of life with my xbox for some time. Very rarely is any disc cleaning required. 9/10 times, I simply eject and reinsert without even touching it and it works. Every now and then I need to rotate the disc a little. It's almost like it has mood swings.

[Malcolm Tucker]

While we're talking about technical issues, my 360 is scratching the shit out of my disc. GTA4 went straight from the brand new case into the 360. I took it out for the first time ever today to play some Rock Band, and the thing is covered in shallow little scratches, like hundreds of them, in a spirograph pattern. WTF!

[Rock8man]

While we're talking about technical issues, my 360 is scratching the shit out of my disc. GTA4 went straight from the brand new case into the 360. I took it out for the first time ever today to play some Rock Band, and the thing is covered in shallow little scratches, like hundreds of them, in a spirograph pattern. WTF!

This happened to me: Quick tip about talking to technical support. You might get a person who barely speaks English, who's reading off a script, and the script tells them that you have to have scratched two discs. They figure one might be a fluke, so they want you to put in a second disc, to see if it scratches that too. At that point I decided to lie and say I already tried a second disc and it got scratched too. There was no way I was going to scratch a second disc for which I didn't have a same day receipt.

[Tom Chick]

Although how I was supposed to locate the Swingers Club (location of a Comet) when neither the map nor the manual mentions it is beyond me.

Aw, man, I just got this message from Stevie and I can't figure anything out from the cell phone picture. I presume that's a "Swingers" sign in the background, behind the Comet. The skyline doesn't help. Also, what's a "golf club"? I know what the object is, but the location is baffling me. A store? A country club? A meeting hall? A bar?

I drove around the classy area of Aldernay (Westdyke and Leftwood) looking for some sort of country club or golf store, but no luck. I'm thinking maybe there's something in Dukes, either in Meadow Hills or Willis, so I'll look around there next. Has anyone found this one? Am I missing something obvious, or is Stevie just throwing me a curve?

-Tom

[Tom Chick]

Oh, also, since I'm achievement whoring, what are "hidden packages"? Are these the weapons, medkits, and armor scattered around the map?

-Tom

[Shadarr]

Pigeons. You need to kill 200 pigeons.

[Tom Chick]

Isn't that a separate achievement? I'm pretty sure there are separate pigeon and hidden package achievements.

-Tom

[Funkula]

Aw, man, I just got this message from Stevie and I can't figure anything out from the cell phone picture. I presume that's a "Swingers" sign in the background, behind the Comet. The skyline doesn't help. Also, what's a "golf club"? I know what the object is, but the location is baffling me. A store? A country club? A meeting hall? A bar?

I drove around the classy area of Aldernay (Westdyke and Leftwood) looking for some sort of country club or golf store, but no luck. I'm thinking maybe there's something in Dukes, either in Meadow Hills or Willis, so I'll look around there next. Has anyone found this one? Am I missing something obvious, or is Stevie just throwing me a curve?

-Tom

I believe that one's in northern Algonquin. I had to consult a faq for that myself.

[Rock8man]

Am I missing something obvious, or is Stevie just throwing me a curve?

-Tom

You're missing something REALLY obvious. If you want me to, I can PM you the answer, but it's so obvious, you'll kick yourself. I suggest taking a helicopter tour around the city. You'll more than likely spot something very obvious and think "duh, of course".

EDIT: And by helicopter tour, I do mean steal one and fly around the city yourself.

[Shadarr]

Isn't that a separate achievement? I'm pretty sure there are separate pigeon and hidden package achievements.

-Tom
As far as I can see (http://www.xbox360achievements.org/game/grand-theft-auto-iv/achievements/), there's only the one.

[Tom Chick]

Doh, there's even a picture of a pigeon on the icon. Thanks, shadarr.

As for finding Swingers, I'll take a look from on high. I even went so far as to check the fake Internet, but to no avail. There is a moderately funny Golf Lovers site, however.

-Tom

[Tom Chick]

Ah-ha! Thanks, Rock8man. So awesome! Yet another cool example of Stevie's quests showing me another 'I had no idea that was there' tidbit.

-Tom

[Wholly Schmidt]

Ah-ha! Thanks, Rock8man. So awesome! Yet another cool example of Stevie's quests showing me another 'I had no idea that was there' tidbit.

-Tom

And fueling your case for the city being an awesome place, I haven't even started the cell phone car pick-ups, and I'd never actually driven up and been to been to the specific place we're hinting at, but the city makes a great enough impression that I figured out exactly where we're talking about just from reading along in the thread and fondly recalling my hours spent just flying around.

[Erik J.]

I tell ya...what the fuck is up with this last mission? Talk about shitty game design. Any hints for a frustrated gangster?

Erik J.

EDIT: Bah, I see how this goes now. How lame.

[Rock8man]

Rockstar's website is showing some kind of Quarantine ad/announcement, leading to speculation (http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/23/rumor-gta-iv-dlc-brings-quarantine-zombies/) that they're adding some kind of Zombie game through DLC.

[Pogue Mahone]

I cannot allow myself to get too excited about this, the disappointment would be too great. But thinking about a zombie outbreak in Liberty City, well that's just about as cool a thing as I can think of -- what if you could do the helicopter maneuver like in 28 Weeks Later, just lawnmower a bunch of 'em? And combat would change, the auto-aim goes for body shots, you'd have to manually aim for the head. Aw man, I'm letting myself get excited. Someone tell me how much this could suck.

[zengonzo]

You could have to take each of the zombies out on a series dates before you are allowed to kill them ..

[UncleSmoothie]

Zombies in faux-New York? That would get me playing GTA IV again. And shelling out 1500 spacebucks or whatever it would cost.

[Pogue Mahone]

You could have to take each of the zombies out on a series dates before you are allowed to kill them ..

But think about the possibilities of a zombie girlfriend! Maybe you would have to keep her going with a steady supply of brains, so you're either digging up corpses or making them, if you know what I mean. And then you could phone her up, because of course she's got a cell phone, and you could unleash her on some gang lord, or the military, or whoever is keeping down the zombies.

Come on, man, you're supposed to be helping keep my excitement in check. Tell me about how the zombies will be driving in bulletproof cars or something.

[Staff Sergeant]

Would definitely pay for this, probably twice so I could play with my brother as well. Actually, what I meant to say is, I can't wait to download this for free, please? (in case any GTAIV devs/publishers are reading this right now).

[Telefrog]

If this actually happens, I will laugh maniacally at everyone that sold their copy of GTA IV.

[Xemu]

I think it's a multiplayer-only thing.

[Cubit]

I think it's a multiplayer-only thing.

And probably for a limited time. :( Don't worry though, we will have Left 4 Dead soon enough.

[Coca Cola Zero]

I totally forgot all about the 360-specific DLC that was supposed to come out for this game.... is this that?

[Cubit]

I totally forgot all about the 360-specific DLC that was supposed to come out for this game.... is this that?

I don't think so. I read somewhere that the DLC is coming maybe early 2009?

[Pogue Mahone]

Oh well, I guess multiplayer zombie killing is cool too, but I was hoping for some interesting scenarios. I haven't really dug into GTA4's multiplayer, so maybe this will be the kick in the pants that gets me started.

[zengonzo]

Yeah, this might not be as cool as all that after all.


With the all-new Viral Infection feature at the Rockstar Social Club, members can now see whether they are currently infected, the number of total global infections and the number of infections in the last 24 hours. Digging deeper, Social Club members can also browse a color-coded world map tracking the spread of the infection worldwide, including breakdown for all 50 US States. Click here for the Viral Infection feature.

They're adding trophies for the PS3 as well ..

[BobJustBob]

So this is just a tracker for that viral achievement for playing with a Rockstar employee?

Heh. Heh heh. Hahaha. HA HA.

Fucking Rockstar.

[zengonzo]

Yeah.

I really can't figure them out right now.

[Pogue Mahone]

I did some poking around on the site, and so far the only zombie model they're showing is the muscly dude in a speedo? Is that all there is? So if you are 'zombified' you strip off your clothes and sprout zombiefied muscles? OK, urge to participate ... falling.

[zengonzo]

No, that's something that's been in the start. It's just a different character model you can choose. It doesn't change anything about the fundamental gameplay.

This whole thing is just a WoW-esque viral communication study, except that it makes less sense because it doesn't happen in a virtual landscape.

Nothing added to the actual game, as far as I can tell.

[ElGuapo]

Christ, really?

Urge to kill rising, rising. . .

Still, I thought GTA IV's multiplayer was hella fun.

[zengonzo]

Yeah, it was great. Maybe they should've made it an actual part of the main game ..

[Shadarr]

So this is just a tracker for that viral achievement for playing with a Rockstar employee?

Heh. Heh heh. Hahaha. HA HA.

Fucking Rockstar.
It's especially awesome that they did it after SR2 came out with a zombie minigame. Sure, they could've made a full-city zombie plague mod that would've blown SR2 out of the water. But this is GTA IV, they have a reputation to uphold.

[WarrenM]

I still wonder wtf they're doing. Besides guaranteeing that nobody buys GTA 5 right away, I mean. Get some damn DLC out! FFS, the game is crying out for content.

[CheesyPoof]

If this actually happens, I will laugh maniacally at everyone that sold their copy of GTA IV.
I'm laughing now at all the suckers that are holding on to the game in hopes if it becoming good one day. What a fucking turd of a game.

I still wonder wtf they're doing. Besides guaranteeing that nobody buys GTA 5 right away, I mean. Get some damn DLC out! FFS, the game is crying out for content.
It'll get fun later!

Fuck GTA.