GTA IV discussion [SPOILERS]

Lets talk a bit about GTA IV. There’s another thread here (Thread 54507) but I don’t want to pack that thread full with spoilers concerning the story. Also like to focus more on story ang gameplay.

Here’s some heavy spoiler stuff. Really like to know what you guys did and what you thought about it.

I finished the story missions at 66% completion and 50 play hours.

Choices I made:

* Killed [B]Playboy X

* Killed Francis McReary

* Chose revenge on Dimitri

All situations in which killing the target was optional, I killed them anyway.

Some general thoughts:

Man, I don’t know where to begin. I’ll just go through some stuff.

*When I first started the game I had a hard time adjusting to the feel of how the cars handle. They seemed to handle a bit different compared to previous installments? Was also the first time I played GTA with a Xbox Controller.

* I liked the story. Although hilariously funny at times, overall it had a grim feel to it. The last 2 missions being a fine example. Where all the other GTA games ended in riches, Nico ended up losing something.

* Plot twists were ok. You know that in every GTA you end up being betrayed by someone. in IV more then ever, it seems. I basically figured that there was something wrong with Michelle. I didn’t saw Kate’s death coming though.

* I liked the cast of characters as well. Rockstar seemed to have made an art out of stereotyping. From the flamboyant Bernie to the sly Russians to the paranoid Italians. I think I liked Little Jacob and Brucie the most.

* I hardly did any side missions. I took some stunt jumps, did some Freak missions, Stole a few cars for Brucie, shot some pigeons, etc. But haven’t completed any of them yet.

* as for the missions: some where better then others. Heavy story missions were mostly awesome, though. Like the shooting at the funeral, the bankjob and the hunt for Jimmy Pegorino. Most missions wear easy as hell. Mostly thanks to the cover system. The most I had to retry a mission was 4 times. That being the last mission (where you kill Pegorino) since I kept screwing up with the bike and the helicopter. Although improved, I still think bike, boat and chopper controls kinda suck. I also died a lot because I failed to successfully throw a grenade from cover. :/ Frustrating as hell.

Well, I could go on for a while but maybe someone else like to reflect on the game?

So since there’s already a spoiler warning in the title, should I use spoiler tags? I’ll do so until that question is answered.

– My favorite mission was saving Roman at the warehouse. Niko’s anger made him the best video game character, imo.
– I also shoce those same paths as you, Ebichu. Except I spared everyone.
– Manny was by far the most annoying character in the game and I laughed so hard when Elizabeta gave his head another hole.
– The ending with Kate dying is the better one, imo. Stupid bitch never liked what I wore or where we went to. So after a couple of dates I ended up loading her onto the back of a bike and crashing to "injure" her.
– Packie is one of my favorite characters. He’s fucking hilarious and I wish there were more of his missions.
– My most hated part of the game is the aiming system. While it rocks in the open, in corridors it kinda sucks hard. Example, the mission where you gotta get the coke from the abandoned hospital… Holy FUCK I almost broke a controller.

Thanks for making this thread, Ebichu~