Is anyone else disappointed with GTA IV?

[greenmedic88]

Currently stalled in GTAIV, but still think I'm on track to playing this one all the way through, unlike GTAIII, Vice City and San Andreas.

I thought San Andreas was overrated, and I waited over a year before buying it. Other than the different story line and characters, I didn't see enough of a difference from the previous chapters to bother finishing the game. It was a bigger game, but that doesn't mean anything if you don't spend months playing it.

GTAIV has addressed some of the issues I've had with the series previously, but others like the driving (improved, but still too loose for a game that focuses so much on driving) still have room for improvement. But change too many things (driving and cars have a definite "GTA" feel to them) and eventually the game may wander too far from the original concept. Good if you don't like the series, bad if you do.

From a character, performance and plot standpoint, this is the first GTA that I'm actually interested in playing to see how the story progresses rather than just plodding through missions just for the sake of playing a GTA game.

Niko in is a bit less of a stereotypical protagonist than in previous iterations of GTA and I find myself liking the character despite the fact that he's essentially an amoral sociopath.

Maybe I'll end up liking the game less as I continue to play through it to the point where I stop playing altogether. Still too early to say, but so far it's been a better experience than previous GTAs. More believable world and more detailed, immersive environment thanks to the updated visuals.

Overall, I just prefer killing time in this version of Liberty City more so than in previous versions.