I think it was a biased and a negative review. The game was judged for what it isn't rather than for what it is. If this is the approach GR wants to take, it's fine with me, but do it with all other games, would you? BioShock seems to be the only game that got a clean A for 360 from GR ... I absolutely loved it, but if I start to analyse its shortcomings, the things the game isn't, then it would clearly be worse than GTAIV ... and COD4 should become B grade material at best ... Assassin's Creed got an A- ... the game that had probably the worst level design recently as well as completely WASTED potential of its mechanics.
My point is, if GTA IV is A-, then you have to absolutely downgrade all other games to remain consistent. Also, imagine someone who never played videogames before and has decided to start ... reading GTA IV review, what impression would one get? - First, one wouldn't even understand what GTA IV is about, since the review rarely bothers to talk about the complexity and extensiveness of the game (it's like it's being taken for granted), second - the review consists of shortcomings and flaws ... reading it one gets a sense that GTA IV is an overhyped game with nothing really worthy in it ... "Everyone must play it" is a formality, it doesn't save it. A- was the lowest score GR could have given, if it had been a B+, it would have lost tons of credibility as a serious gaming site.
People like to bitch ... it's their nature and I can bitch as well about ANY game, no matter how great it is. But that's the difference between a gamer who can have a biased opinion (be that a fanboy or a hater) and a reviewer whose job is to carefully evaluate the game for what it is. GTA IV deserves a solid A and a good review for what it is by itself and even more so for what it is compared to other games ... and I never actually was a fan of the series to begin with.
My point is, if GTA IV is A-, then you have to absolutely downgrade all other games to remain consistent. Also, imagine someone who never played videogames before and has decided to start ... reading GTA IV review, what impression would one get? - First, one wouldn't even understand what GTA IV is about, since the review rarely bothers to talk about the complexity and extensiveness of the game (it's like it's being taken for granted), second - the review consists of shortcomings and flaws ... reading it one gets a sense that GTA IV is an overhyped game with nothing really worthy in it ... "Everyone must play it" is a formality, it doesn't save it. A- was the lowest score GR could have given, if it had been a B+, it would have lost tons of credibility as a serious gaming site.
People like to bitch ... it's their nature and I can bitch as well about ANY game, no matter how great it is. But that's the difference between a gamer who can have a biased opinion (be that a fanboy or a hater) and a reviewer whose job is to carefully evaluate the game for what it is. GTA IV deserves a solid A and a good review for what it is by itself and even more so for what it is compared to other games ... and I never actually was a fan of the series to begin with.
