GTA IV screens steal our attention, then beat it to death

by Nick Doerr { Jan 27th 2008 at 3:30PM }

We're not going to lie -- when the first screenshots for Grand Theft Auto IV leaked out onto the interwebs, we thought the game was rather fugly. Nothing against the folk at Rockstar or anything, we just didn't really think they looked that special. We've got some new screenshots for you to look at now and the game seems to be improving in visual quality. But really, who plays the GTA games for the graphics? It's all about the stuff you can get your character into and that seems just as top-notch as ever. We're looking forward to seeing and hearing more!

Tags: grand-theft-auto-iv, gta-4, gta-iv, rockstar

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Tranando @ Jan 27th 2008 3:48PM

I think it's safe to say the lacklustre graphics can be attributed to the limitations of the 360's DVD9 and lack of standard HDD.

The sooner studios break away, the sooner PS3 shines on multi-platforms.

Jakob @ Jan 27th 2008 4:10PM

Oohh shut up. I love my PS3. But Blu-ray isn't that necessary, just a luxus to the developers.

Just the fact it looks better than the GTA games on PS2 is enough for me. I just can't wait!

But anyways Denmark are Champions of Euro'08 :D

L @ Jan 27th 2008 4:31PM

God would you give over! you mite if you looked into find that the small thing called RAM comes into play..... YAY o look i have a BLU-RAY with 30 GIGS of game and can only load 512Mb of it Great?
Anyway my point is it has Nothing to do with the 360 or the PS3. yes if the game was on one or ther other systems only it would look better.

(sleeps) Can,t believe people still cream themselfs over GTA

Livi70590 @ Jan 27th 2008 4:33PM

I think it's safe to say the lacklustre graphics can be attributed to the limitations of Developer's intelligence. They should at least be aiming for Resistance/Motorstorm level, heck, maybe even as low as dead RISing

dan @ Jan 27th 2008 5:17PM

it appears that none of you can read...

when was bluray mentioned?.... and you obviously dont understand more than just 30gigs -> 512mb.... so youre saying that with 2 gigs of ram on my computer, i should only have a 2 gig hard drive, that way i can optimize it?

he was talking about the lack of a built in storage that the core... erm... arcade versions dont include

Imbro @ Jan 27th 2008 5:02PM

The ram issue still makes me wonder. I hope some engineer at sony got fired for that design decision. It was extremly short-sighted. Now I can go pick up a 1gb chip for 20USD. Imagine the price if I could order several millions of those. The ps3 would blow x360 out of the water with 1gig of ram. It's almost always the bottleneck in this generation of consoles. What a waste!

Nick @ Jan 27th 2008 5:28PM

L, that's not how the PS3's ram works at all. Thanks for giving me something to laugh at this afternoon.

L @ Jan 27th 2008 6:20PM

Dam right let me put this into some sort of words..emmmmmm

Tranando said...

"I think it's safe to say the lacklustre graphics can be attributed to the limitations of the 360's DVD9 and lack of standard HDD"

the point i was looking to make because this GEN of systems only have 512mb of ram (256 GFX 256 System As the case for the ps3) so have 256mb for the textures & other things.... THATS THE limitation Of this GEN not the DVD drve in the xbox. Point? even if GTA was only on PS3 and it could used was 30GGs in size it woulden matter the game won,t look any better,,,,,,, iF the PS3 and xbox had 1gig ram Well then yes it would theres more room for high-resolution textures BLAH BLAH,,,,,,

Tesley @ Jan 27th 2008 9:32PM

Is that you Fernando? Did you change your name?

Exo @ Jan 28th 2008 4:58AM

uh no tranando the graphics are because its a sandbox game.

do you already forget how bad gta3 looked compared to any other game of last gen?

Carlton @ Jan 28th 2008 6:59AM

@ L
1.) People still cream themselves over GTA because it is frickin' awesome.
2.) As Nick has pointed out, you clearly don't understand how RAM works. I suggest you do a little research on streaming.

Imbro @ Jan 28th 2008 7:34AM

L still has a point though. Because of the limited ram, you can only have 512MB (- Game OS use) loaded simultaneously. While it's possible to use a dynamical/statistical loading of textures/models/scripts, it has its limitations. And it makes programming it extremely much harder.

sinergy @ Jan 27th 2008 3:57PM

looks like a ps2 game :p

paul @ Jan 27th 2008 4:00PM

GTA is always visually behind most other games, but that doesnt matter at all. its always been 100% about the gameplay

Relaxiknowarchie @ Jan 27th 2008 4:18PM

I do believe that they have the best of both worlds now!

I'm thinking revolutionary for the future of video games...

This and the new metal gear.

Ruben @ Jan 27th 2008 4:52PM

This picture shows the best graphics this game has lol.
http://media.ps3.ign.com/media/793/793799/img_4654742.html

And yes the game was limited by X360's limitations, R* Said it themselves.

Imbro @ Jan 27th 2008 4:57PM

Am I the only one that actually preferred the 2D versions? I would sooo buy a GTA2 in the psn :)

Haiddasalami @ Jan 27th 2008 5:01PM

Dude the original GtA were awesome though the press never welcomed it. O how do things change!

Haiddasalami @ Jan 27th 2008 5:00PM

Who cares who has the better version. GTA followers always played the game cause it was pure fun not for graphics. I loved London 1969 and the original GTA though nobody else did. As long as the PS3 version does get the short end of the stick or pole Im happy. Im looking at you Assassin's creed!

MatthewJ @ Jan 27th 2008 5:04PM

I dunno, when I look at past GTAs, I always thought they had some spectacular graphics going on for their generation. I mean they didn't *look* specifically amazing, but the technology was fairly brilliant, with the long draw distances, the mostly persistant local world, the dense population and the massively complex environment. Not many other games managed that. And I'm sure this will continue that legacy.

Plus y'know, amazing gameplay, who really cares about graphics?

bs6268d @ Jan 27th 2008 5:24PM

is gta a big franchise in japan ?

and bring gta : San andrea to psn

Add me bs6268d

Titty Pink @ Jan 27th 2008 6:07PM

Yeah, God of War II level graphics...but who gives a fuck? Its GTA, its not for graphics whores. I'm just looking forward to the story...

John J. @ Jan 27th 2008 6:27PM

Ya and Rockstar delayed GTA because of the ps3 they said it bot the ps3 and 360 both have faults

mr sauce @ Jan 27th 2008 6:44PM

First thing Lackluster is spelled with an er at the end. Not with re.....Second the game will look just about the same on the 360 and the ps3. Blu ray means nothing for the graphics if the developers don't use the extra space.

linebeginstoblur @ Jan 27th 2008 8:29PM

To reply to your first point, lackluster and lacklustre are both correct spellings. It depends on what type of English you speak, such as British English, American English, etc. It's like theater and theatre. Please check your facts before you write them, or else you'll look really ignorant.

ryan @ Jan 28th 2008 11:51AM

but doesnt it make more sense since lackluster is pronounced with an "er" sound? i mean, i don't pronounce it lack-lust-RAY anyway...

klexam @ Jan 27th 2008 8:13PM

Here is my opinion. We all have one. I do believe that graphics play just as an important role as the gameplay in this next-gen world. Games should be built from the ground up for these new consoles to make sure there is no polished rehash. GTA was never the best graphical game, but it had a wonderful open-world experience that allowed a great deal of freedom. This new installment will probably not look as beautiful as Burnout Paradise, but it better make a great stride in that direction. From the looks of the new screenshots, I do believe they are going that way now.

As far as Blu-ray is concerned, it will make a difference as next-gen games grow. Higher detail in graphics, great musical scores, huge open worlds, and long games are just a few things that will push the storage envelope. We saw this happen with the PS1 when they had to put Wing Commander games on several discs due to the video cutscenes. Lair, although not well accepted by many, had one of the largest musical scores in a while. The Lord of the Rings style of music was said to have been so large it would take a dual-layer DVD just to hold it. For all intents and purposes it was an awesome cinematic score for a video game. Now, with graphics aside, if what they were saying is true, this game could have never fit on one disc for other platforms. (Please don't comment on these games. These were all just reference points.)

Games that can't hold enough on disc will probably go the way of putting on what they can and then making new levels downloadable.

I am a PS3 fanboy, but I am also a realist. The fact of the matter is this, Sony should have done something about developers having to access the PS3's memory from two different points. The 360 should have come with a next-gen optical drive. Although, I think they didn't build it in because they knew HD-DVD may not win out. Sony seemed confident in their format from the start.

Rockstar needs to take their time and get the game right. I had rather wait a little longer and have a game that is good, rather than get one quick that is lackluster. To me, this is what happened with Devil May Cry 4. The game is just a polished rehash of all the other ones. The graphics never felt next-gen to me, and neither did the "pop-gun" sound of the guns. I see Capcom as playing it safe. You have to do like Burnout did and mix it up to make a new statement. This is what will keep a game alive. I know I'll get some harsh responses for these DMC4 comments, but the truth is the truth. It will be a solid game, but nothing new has really been done here. The graphics of the mountains in the background on the snow portion cutscenes look almost PS1. This a franchise that could have benefited from a new approach. So, here's to hoping GTA has done their homework. Let's hope for an addition of online multi-player. This would really open it up.

Haiddasalami @ Jan 27th 2008 10:31PM

totally with you on the DMC topic. Felt like I had played it before .

finelicker @ Jan 27th 2008 8:28PM

my biggest concern is that they have not shown the ps3 version running yet. I hope its not another Assassins Creed jobby where the ps3 gets stiffed.

driven2sin @ Jan 28th 2008 12:56AM

it cant b 2 real or banned as muder simulator - must dumb down graphics so u can hang hookers in alleys

Consolcwby @ Jan 28th 2008 1:54AM

Even though I agree that the GTA series never really tried to push the graphics tech envelope, I have to admit to being disappointed in the attempt this time. Rockstar should've realised from the start: the importance of being at least on par with other 3rd parties prime franchises. I'm not expecting FF or MGS, but come on! I'm just afraid that they didn't bother to try too hard, particularly after watching last years videos, since they know the game will sell no matter what. BTW: I'm of the opinion that these latest screens are from the PC version of the game, not the 360 or PS3.

Exo @ Jan 28th 2008 5:03AM

its a sandbox game. look at any sandbox game, they dont push graphics as hard because you are in a huge world. all of whihc is loaded at once,with many vehicles and npcs moving about.

please show me another game that has that much going on in a huge world and looks better.

if they cut it down to optimize for graphics youd be here complaining the world is empty. unless of course you want a load screen after every city block

B1gC72 - PSN: KillaKornbread @ Jan 28th 2008 10:43AM

saying you play GTA for the graphics is like saying you buy Playboy for the articles. dont get me wrong, they made a great leap in graphics from III to SA but the graphics were never stunning.

that being said, these graphics are about what i was expecting. they just look ok for a next gen game but you can tell from the screenshots that the environment is not only huge but it has a whole heap of stuff going on all the time and that's what counts in a sandbox game. i love pretty graphics as much as the next guy but if it gets to the point where you sacrifice gameplay for graphics then it's a problem. i dont really think anyone should have expected much more graphically from this game anyway.