Game you're playing. How far you are.

[Tofu Man]

Freeroaming between missions would be rather boring in a game like this so I'm kinda glad they were structured the way they are.

Yeah, so why have the sandbox anyway? What's so wrong with Exit safehouse-loading screen-mission? That'd, I assume, allow for more time to focus on the missions and actual gameplay rather than focusing on something that's just there to pad out your playing time.

Besides, when you're making a sequel aren't you supposed to add things rather than subtract? By Kash's description the only thing they added was clothing shops and multiple safehouses, while removing the only other fun bit aside from the missions (freeroaming). Sure freeroam gets boring fast (In all honesty, to me, the most memorable parts from the game, aside from the ending, shooting down the plane and chases started because I drove 1 mile over the damn speed limit, is precisely freeroaming through the countryside) but why remove it outright? To make space for those hideous hidden collectables? (flying rats anyone?)

[Burning Oasis]

Replaying GTA 4, just whacked Bucky Sligo, then went for some food with Dwayne. Gangster's gotta eat y'all.

Dwayne just pissed me off.

"Hey man, wanna go eat?"
*fleeing from police, getting shot.*
"I'm sorr'ee Dwayne, I'm a lee'tle busy right now."
"FUCK YOU, MAN! YOU JUST HATING. ASDFADSFSFAD!"

*proceeds to crash into wall, since handbrake was unusable.*

[VasikkA]

Too short for my liking

It seems they're churning out DLC's instead, like every other developer nowadays. That's not a biggie for a filthy pirate that I am.

there was practically no Freeride (free roaming) at all.

It's very linear, offers very little choice or variety and it just... ends.

I personally prefer less freeride as it tends to become boring after a while, at least in a single-player game. It keeps you focused on the plot whereas in GTA you barely remember what you've done in the last mission and for who. You're right about lack of choices. The game doesn't exactly claim to be an RPG, but a few different paths would've added more depth to the movie-like plot constuction.

It wouldn't have been that bad if half of the game play time wasn't spent on driving from one end of the town to the other.

Well, one thing that bugs me is that you have to drive home every time you finish a mission. I guess that's the time when you could roam free and cause mayhem.

You can't even hail a cab, although there are like 200 000 taxis in the city.

Now why the fuck do you want to hail a cab? That's the thing I hated about GTA; there's just too much of the useless stuff that lose their charm pretty quickly. The game area is much smaller in Mafia II, but on the other hand, extremely detailed and full of life.

[Retlaw83]

*proceeds to crash into wall, since handbrake was unusable.*

You're allowed to back off the accelerator.

[Yonmanc]

Replaying GTA 4, just whacked Bucky Sligo, then went for some food with Dwayne. Gangster's gotta eat y'all.

Dwayne just pissed me off.

"Hey man, wanna go eat?"
*fleeing from police, getting shot.*
"I'm sorr'ee Dwayne, I'm a lee'tle busy right now."
"FUCK YOU, MAN! YOU JUST HATING. ASDFADSFSFAD!"

*proceeds to crash into wall, since handbrake was unusable.*

Why didn't you just switch the phone to silent? That's what I do when it's time for undisturbed action!

[Stalagmite]

Freeroaming between missions would be rather boring in a game like this so I'm kinda glad they were structured the way they are.

Yeah, so why have the sandbox anyway? What's so wrong with Exit safehouse-loading screen-mission? That'd, I assume, allow for more time to focus on the missions and actual gameplay rather than focusing on something that's just there to pad out your playing time.

I think I made it clear that it just adds to the atmosphere a bit. Sure, it may take a bit longer between mission times but I think it's a bit more life to the game is all, more realism.

It's no RPG, that's for sure, and as long as you treat it as such and keep an open mind I think it's worth a shot. It's not like it costs anything.

[Blargh]

why don't you just not play GTA 4 surely you realise its a shit game eh shirley

[Burning Oasis]

why don't you just not play GTA 4 surely you realise its a shit game eh shirley

NOOOO!
YOU'RE A SHIT GAME! YOU ARE!

[Kashluk]

Yeah, the god damn collectibles. I don't really see the point. I guess that's the sole motivator to replay single missions? To... collect all the old Playboy porn?

It wouldn't have been that bad if half of the game play time wasn't spent on driving from one end of the town to the other.

Well, one thing that bugs me is that you have to drive home every time you finish a mission. I guess that's the time when you could roam free and cause mayhem.

Aaaand if you somehow manage to screw up your 'mayhem causing business', the game will revert to the last checkpoint, which is usually at the beginning of the mission. No other saving system = ultimate suckage.

You can't even hail a cab, although there are like 200 000 taxis in the city.

Now why the fuck do you want to hail a cab? That's the thing I hated about GTA; there's just too much of the useless stuff that lose their charm pretty quickly. The game area is much smaller in Mafia II, but on the other hand, extremely detailed and full of life.

Because I fucking hated driving 40mph from one end of the town to the other all the time, with no car chases, no shootouts, nothing else to do than listen to the two (or three?) identical radio stations that got boring real quick. Being able to hail a cab would've allowed to skip the boring part and get straight into the interesting part, but I guess the game play time would've been cut in half that way, so that's why this feature wasn't included.

[Blargh]

if you wanted free roaming you should just have played the mesmerising adventures of latin james bond the second where the free roaming is the whole point and the missions are tacked on afterthoughts instead of the other way round ffs

[Manoil]

The Just Cause series was pretty but devoid of anything comparable to decent writing.

"What are you looking at? Never seen a girl in a bikini before, shmuck?"

[Tofu Man]

Why didn't you just switch the phone to silent? That's what I do when it's time for undisturbed action!

What? You could actually turn that damn cellphone off?

[Retlaw83]

You can disable it so it doesn't ring with anything that advances the story.

[Manoil]

You can disable it so it doesn't ring with anything that advances the story.

Be awfully convenient if you could just silence certain contacts, listen to voicemails, and tell them in person that your phone is broken/glitched. Actually would make for additional humor on top of the added convenience

[Yonmanc]

You can disable it so it doesn't ring with anything that advances the story.

Be awfully convenient if you could just silence certain contacts, listen to voicemails, and tell them in person that your phone is broken/glitched. Actually would make for additional humor on top of the added convenience

I still love the game, one of my all time faves, but the phone not having voicemail was a bad move. Still, I play most of the game with it disabled. I'm trying to pick up hookers and beat up minorities, the last thing I need is my fat greasey haired cousin asking me if I want t go bowling.

[Stalagmite]

GTA 4 isn't even close to being a great game.

[Yonmanc]

GTA 4 isn't even close to being a great game.

I'm afraid I disagree.

[Stalagmite]

GTA 4 isn't even close to being a great game.

I'm afraid I disagree.

"Interesting" and "Fun" doesn't equate to greatness. Though it isn't always that "fun" so "meh" is the final answer.

[Manoil]

Depends on what you're judging as qualifying factors for "greatness."
I would maintain that it had not only impressive composition but well above-average story telling. The overall mood may feel depressing often, and the dimension of realism a bit limiting, but I wouldn't say those disqualify it from being a unique, enjoyable and [possibly] powerful experience in interactive fiction.

[Stalagmite]

Seriously the urban gangster shit is getting rather old isn't it? Someone needs to wrap it up once and for all so we can move on.