GTA IV Multiplayer Previews Go Live

[Chris]

The next round of previews of GTA IV are now online, with these ones focusing on multiplayer again. As expected there's not really any major new bits of information, but the previews are still interesting reads and useful if you missed anything. Links to the previews are at the bottom of this post, and the 12 new screenshots which you may have caught a glimpse of yesterday are now in our gallery.

Some interesting points from Kikizo's article:

• Each player can choose radio stations independently of everyone else in the car
  
• For those of you worried about lag while playing online, "Rockstar told [Kikizo] that it's been tested with hundreds of people up at Rockstar North and transatlantic, and the performance is apparently consistent and solid".
  
• There's an option to turn off player markers and player locations on the radar, making for some excellent stealthy knife-only matches, for example.
  
• Kikizo's opinion on helicopter travel: "[it's] brilliant - you can lean out of the side in an over-shoulder perspective and shoot bitches on the ground; the cinematic view as the chopper traverses the tangible cityscape is simply awesome."
  
• One notable feature missing from multiplayer is replays - perhaps R* might consider packing this in with downloadable content?
  

The following websites all have previews up:

• Kikizo
  
• IGN
  
• GamesRadar
  
• Kotaku
  
• GameSpot
  
• CVG
  
• TeamXbox
  
• SPOnG
  
• Destructoid
  
• GameTap
  
• TotalVideoGames
  
• GameDaily
  

[tttony]

wow! cool

[Gycu]

That was a short yet good read! Looks like good news for all the console bitches users but I, as a PC gamer am worried about having multiplayer on the possible PC version of GTA 4.

[Hansui]

the screenshots looks nice

but the previews are better

[nikolaibellic]

Even though there is really no new info Its still nice to see new screens

[Red_91]

The new screens are simply amazing, I like the one where theres a guy trying to jusmp from the helicopter to the van, now thats funny

[mutu]

No new info, the screens shots looks good aswell. But they didn't show anything special.

[TM™]

Some interesting points from Kikizo's article:

• Each player can choose radio stations independently of everyone else in the car
  
• For those of you worried about lag while playing online, "Rockstar told [Kikizo] that it's been tested with hundreds of people up at Rockstar North and transatlantic, and the performance is apparently consistent and solid".
  
• There's an option to turn off player markers and player locations on the radar, making for some excellent stealthy knife-only matches, for example.
  
• Kikizo's opinion on helicopter travel: "[it's] brilliant - you can lean out of the side in an over-shoulder perspective and shoot bitches on the ground; the cinematic view as the chopper traverses the tangible cityscape is simply awesome."
  
• One notable feature missing from multiplayer is replays - perhaps R* might consider packing this in with downloadable content?
  

At least now we know that the Multiplayer's been tested, which means we can play it without worrying about those lags. Also, that's awesome that you can turn off player markers on the radar, that will possibly be the best part of the game for me as I do like stealth games.

[Charger]

The MTV Preview yesterday confirmed no Splitscreen multiplayer.

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1585030/20080408/id_0.jhtm

[Whitey]

I read the leaked review that was released, and it said that the PS3 version had split-screen, but oddly not the 360. The reviewer said he played both versions, and that was the only major difference apparent on the systems.

Now, I know either article could be wrong in some way, but I'm going to stand behind/hope in the split screen being present. I will be throughly p!ssed if I cannot sit down and play with my friends offline - bad move. Multiplayer will mean absolutely nothing to me if this is true.

EDIT: As not to be flamed/called a liar...

I know, you want details, but all I can confirm is split-screen on PS3 only. I was alone, so I didn’t actually get to have any matches, but I could tell that the split-screen worked really well. There was a significant decrease in the amount of traffic and pedestrians, but it didn’t ruin anything. This is understandable. Rendering two instances of Liberty City is a chore for any machine. I can’t conclude one way or the other why the split-screen mode was not available on 360, but......If you own a 360, don’t worry. You have Xbox Live…so you’re set.

Link to article and full review, here: http://www.gamerevolver.com/article-113-CG...eview-here.html

Edited April 10, 2008 by Whitey

[mark123]

I read the leaked review that was released, and it said that the PS3 version had split-screen, but oddly not the 360. The reviewer said he played both versions, and that was the only major difference apparent on the systems.

Now, I know either article could be wrong in some way, but I'm going to stand behind/hope in the split screen being present. I will be throughly p!ssed if I cannot sit down and play with my friends offline - bad move. Multiplayer will mean absolutely nothing to me if this is true.

EDIT: As not to be flamed/called a liar...

I know, you want details, but all I can confirm is split-screen on PS3 only. I was alone, so I didn’t actually get to have any matches, but I could tell that the split-screen worked really well. There was a significant decrease in the amount of traffic and pedestrians, but it didn’t ruin anything. This is understandable. Rendering two instances of Liberty City is a chore for any machine. I can’t conclude one way or the other why the split-screen mode was not available on 360, but......If you own a 360, don’t worry. You have Xbox Live…so you’re set.

Link to article and full review, here: http://www.gamerevolver.com/article-113-CG...eview-here.html

wow good read!. i always thought the xbox was more.. colourful. the games do look brilliant. but the lighting textures or annimation on the ps3 for ingame play is just unbeatable. and it is a much more powerful system which would obviously relate to why the xbox couldnt handle it , or why the xbox dropped frame rate, or why there were a lower head count than the ps3. but that could all be pre-production. that might of all changed. but perhaps the xbox just dropped in quality a little too much for them to of passed a split screen and so they had to remove it from the ps3??

i'm glad i own a ps3, although he is right in saying that the tapping feature for running will cause wear n tear on the controller because mines squeks occasionally, im still waiting for the new rumblepak controller to be released by sony.

[Whitey]

The Dualshock 3 was just released - I saw two today when I went and picked up R6V2 from gamestop. The reviewer said that the head count was slightly lower on the Xbox, but nothing to worry about.

And it wouldn't seem fair to me to remove split screen just because one of the systems did not have it. Ever since I read that article the other day I allowed myself to be hyped up about the multiplayer, and now I'm going to be mad if the game ships with no splitscreen - it's all my friends and I have talked about.

Where we live, high speed is unavailable, thus making online impossible - and games like WarHawk pointless, and if this turns out to be the truth - GTA4 multiplayer.

[mark123]

The Dualshock 3 was just released - I saw two today when I went and picked up R6V2 from gamestop. The reviewer said that the head count was slightly lower on the Xbox, but nothing to worry about.

And it wouldn't seem fair to me to remove split screen just because one of the systems did not have it. Ever since I read that article the other day I allowed myself to be hyped up about the multiplayer, and now I'm going to be mad if the game ships with no splitscreen - it's all my friends and I have talked about.

Where we live, high speed is unavailable, thus making online impossible - and games like WarHawk pointless, and if this turns out to be the truth - GTA4 multiplayer.

my internet speed is pretty good. but, from what i've seen so far in previous gta games like san andreas. there wasnt a split screen in that was there?

i mean there were those stupid symbols you ran over whichactivated the multiplayer but it was still the same screen further out and two players on it, maybe gta 4 will be the same? although its near impossible to aim properly and you could only go a limited distance from each other which was rubbish. i wont generally use multiplayer offline, but it would be good to have the option there at least. lets hope! only 19 days.

[Charger]

I read the leaked review that was released, and it said that the PS3 version had split-screen, but oddly not the 360. The reviewer said he played both versions, and that was the only major difference apparent on the systems.

Now, I know either article could be wrong in some way, but I'm going to stand behind/hope in the split screen being present. I will be throughly p!ssed if I cannot sit down and play with my friends offline - bad move. Multiplayer will mean absolutely nothing to me if this is true.

EDIT: As not to be flamed/called a liar...

I know, you want details, but all I can confirm is split-screen on PS3 only. I was alone, so I didn’t actually get to have any matches, but I could tell that the split-screen worked really well. There was a significant decrease in the amount of traffic and pedestrians, but it didn’t ruin anything. This is understandable. Rendering two instances of Liberty City is a chore for any machine. I can’t conclude one way or the other why the split-screen mode was not available on 360, but......If you own a 360, don’t worry. You have Xbox Live…so you’re set.

Link to article and full review, here: http://www.gamerevolver.com/article-113-CG...eview-here.html

That preview is fake, its based on earlier previews from Magazines and Online Websites. He also seems to favor the PS3 more. So you shouldn't believe it.

[Whitey]

I have my doubts on the article, yes. But I doubt he was making up what was said - just that the information is inaccurate. This review was all over videogame news sites, but I haven't seen this MTV interview but from your link.

In the review, he said the model he was playing was dated as 2/2/08 - so it could have changed. Though I wouldn't see how it would be logical to remove split screen just because one version doesn't have it. I'll wait until official reviews, or when I actually get the game, before I call on this on. MTV has screwed me over before, but so has other news sites.

Sorry, I'll stop the ranting now - just hoping on that offline mode.