Why does Niko walk with such a limp down the stairs? War injury? And why does he keep pulling at his crotch? Bat wings? Or another war injury...
Listening to the random chatter of pedestrians, they seem more realistic than previous GTA, instead of the over-the-top funny chatter of previous games ("i smoke cuz it gives me knowledge").
Oh I'm glad they kept this - while I turned away to type, the sandbox world goes on, of course, but they have the screen saver mode from the previous GTA, where you character looks around at things of interest.
Wow, they made a car wash sequence.
Strange, the game is asking if it can write over my auto-save What's the point of auto-save if you aren't continuously overwriting it?
Took girlfriend on date to Cluckin' Bell - when I came out my hot rod was gone. I guess I should have pulled up to the arrow, instead of getting out in front of it. Even worse, I had to jack a car, and girlfriend got run over by a cab, and died. Thankfully I have a recent save.
Finally, my first firearm. And a generous amount of ammo. I like that crouch helps you better your aim - I wish more games did this. I go around and collect ammo off the thugs I hit, got another 50 ammo. Hey, what is this, I specifically backed the car into this alley to make a quick getaway, and its turned around, nose in. Another reason not to trust this game.
I'm glad I turned the subtitles on - this Rasta accent is hard to decipher, even with the subtitles. Great, now I'm hot boxing with the fool. Last time Niko got drunk I could barely drive, I wonder if they have a different handicap model for this.
In another firefight - very nice, there's a cover system.
It looks like you can turn auto-save off. I'm tired of the game constantly interrupting me with its own save schedule, which I don't trust anyway, and shut off auto-save.
A theme is beginning to emerge. Not just trust and loyalty and betrayal, a constant in the GTA world, but in this game the theme of being Number Two, and having to serve Number One.
At last, a gun store. Finally I can get some body armor. The only weapon for sale right now is machine pistol, which is not very useful but my arsenal is small now, so I take what I can get. You can get a lot done with even weak weapons, but nothing makes up for not having some good body armor on you.
As usual in GTA games, I can't do something as simple and obvious as buy ammo. I have to keep buying whole guns to get a quantity of ammo. I still haven't found a single decent weapon or armor drop - but I haven't been looking all that hard either.
Some more missions, for "F" and "Lj", and the random drug dude who keeps showing up.
Manhattan island is open! And I see motorcycles! I love motorcycles, its a great way to explore, and more fun than even the fastest car.
Playing with the phone, I find Sleep Mode - I can pause the story! Strange, that. I'll try it, and go looking for a motorcycle.
I don't know if I've mentioned it yet, but I've noticed cop cars squawk at me when I go through red lights in front of them - but they don't pursue me. Maybe that will become a factor later. I still haven't ready any manuals or online hints yet on this game; I'm playing it cold until I need some guidance.
Oh cool - a helicopter. Will I get to play with one?
Thinking about the social aspect of the game, its greater in quantity but so far seems lower in quality. In the previous GTA, San Andreas, there were a lot of complaints that it was a little too detailed in the social, a little too much like The Sims, and not enough like GTA. People don't seem to realize that's what makes GTA so good, and why I even bother with a twitch game, is that it is always pushing the limit on gaming. One thing I liked about dating in the previous GTA, if you had a successful date it would show a few seconds of you and your date talking and laughing, with a little upbeat music. It was charming, and even a little sweet. It got the mood across quickly and well. Now its just little more than a taxi mission. And what's worse, now I have to socialize with friends and business contacts. I was always wanting more to do in GTA, but I think this is a little step backwards. It may be too early to judge.
OK, Brooklyn Bridge is not actually open, just a bridge to a small island.
