Before I go much further into the expansions, I might as well write down my review for the main game. I can already feel it receding behind me. Grand Theft Auto 4 didn't leave me with any much lasting impression, good or bad. It was a good product but it wasn't much of an experience either.
Like all the GTA games I know (the past 3), they each seem to push in a somewhat different direction, and they take some risks. GTA 3 brought the franchise into the world of 3D graphics, and gave us a more first personal experience. GTA Vice City gave us interesting new vehicles, and more interesting places to explore. GTA San Andreas gave us more of an RPG flavor, developing personal skills and managing relationships with other characters. GTA 4 gave us an intricate simulation of New York City, but cut back on advances from the previous two games.
GTA 4 did give us a more plot driven game, and in a way this is a bit of a risk taken. Previous games had more and more narrative to them, but were more muted, and I felt I could still be "me" in the game. Here, I'm watching Niko Bellic's story, maybe helping guide him around a few bumps in the the road, but other than that I'm not really part of it.
GTA 4 was a good gaming experience, and I have no regrets playing it or recommending it to others, especially now that its in the bargain bin. If, like GTA 3, all it did was push the tech forward, so we could follow up with some awesome sequels like Vice City and San Andreas, that would justify its existence, but I already have serious doubt that GTA 4's two add-ons will live up to that kind of legacy. So, if you want to play this game, you're really just doing it to enjoy the current state of the GTA art.
For all the beauty of sim-Manhattan, the characters and story are weaker than the previous GTAs. Maybe it was the average writing, but it just felt empty. It didn't help that the enemies were endless identical caricatures, so I didn't even know who I was warring with day to day, nor did I care. The radio stations seem rich in content, as does the TV, but after some listening I realize the writing is poor here too. It seems like the graphical department was more than pulling its weight, but the writing isn't up to previous GTA standard. GTA culture is built on satire both subtle and gross, but there's very little subtlety here.
I don't hate GTA 4, I don't even dislike it, but it leaves me empty. I would rather replay the previous two GTAs than this. But GTA 5 is coming out next year, and from the looks of it, I won't be coming back this way ever again.
