Articles about the PC & Macintosh

I read the many reviews about how hard it was to install the game and was dreading spending hours installing it. but when it arrived i put the disk in and after installing and a quick update i put in the product key (printed on the inside of the box) and i had no problems at all. everything went smoothly and within in a few seconds i was into the game. which is, by the way, looking very promising.

I would highly recommend this series of games to anyone and i'm very pleased with this new model.

I like many people have had very bad service over this and it may well cost them my custom and many others. Bad enough I was never sent the game, but when I complained and they send the would send me a copy, that too has not yet been dispatched! So much for hoping to join in the launch day fun, if amazon get there way I wont get to play for 2 weeks!
Off to by it else were.

I was shocked when i first played this game, simply amzing.

Its like being in a zombie film, realistic, fun and challenging.

I can easily see this becoming game of the year

BUY IT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Like many people, i've waited in anticipation for this game and feel let down by the poor standards. Even if you ignor the bugs (which should be fixed soon) there is no reason to by this game if you own COD4. The first person is terrible, its short (completed on normal dificulty in about 6hrs) and very limited game play with small maps. The multiplayer is also poor, only a few maps and also a very small game area, this results in constant spawning in the same area as other team. All in all the game play is worse than COD4 save your money!

As i seen through all the reviews that many poeople are hating EA for putting spyware on to a game that seems very impressive. THERE IS ANOTHE WAY! if you want to buy the game spy ware free. all you need to do is buy the xbox 360 version no spy ware no problem. although the controlls are very different the game and gameplay are still the same. The only problem i see is if you dont have the 360 console.

First of all, this is not a game you should spend all day playing. It is best played in chunks of an hour or so. I've been playing it for over 20 hours in total, according to the game time, so in actual fact a whole lot longer, what with saves etc, and I am only half way through.

This is a big game. A lot bigger than you think too. Contrary to most of the reviews here I have played it long enough to come across the SECOND map. There may be more too, though I doubt it.

So what is the game like?

Graphics: I am playing it with a new XFX 9800GTX+ and it is quite simply supurb. I upgraded from an 8600 and it looked pretty good then too. If anybody thinks it looks like a 2004 game then they must be using a 2004 card. Thats all I can say.

Sound: nice, ambient. Some of the weapons sound great.

Gameplay: so far I have played the following:

Tutorial: lasts about an hour and is designed to show you how to play the game. The rest of the game is not like the tutorial, you have far more freedom.

Part #1: you get a big map to play with, with loads of locations marked on it. These locations range from:

Gun shops. Here you buy guns and get missions which can unlock more guns. The missions are of the format: go and blow up the ammo train at the following location.
You can also get ammo etc. Once you have bought a gun, you effectively can pick up a brand new one for free whenever you enter any gun shop. Later on you can also buy upgrades and repair enhancements etc.

Radio turrets: Here you can get missions which pay you in the diamonds you need to buy guns. The missions are of the format: Go to a location and kill somebody. The fun often begins when you have to escape having killed somebody.

Safe Houses: these are not safe until you kill the people at the house, but once safe you can sleep there. This means for instance, that if you want to do a mission at night, you can sleep in a safe house beforehand to advance time. As the game progresses, the safe houses get upgraded so that a jeep will also be available, and more ammo and health etc. Also, you can buy crates at a gun shop, and stick a weapon in the crate. That weapon will then be available at any safe house. There really is no excuse other than sheer desperation to use a knackered gun. Just learn how to use the gun shop and safe houses properly. At safe houses you will also occasionally meet buddies.

Bars: your buddies hang out at the bar. Occasionally just as you are about to die, a buddy will appear and save you. However, don't rely on this as they don't do it repeatedly and can be killed. Buddies can give you missions. They really become useful though, when you do faction missions...

Faction Houses:
There are two opposing factions, and you can do missions for both of them. Once you accept a mission you have the advantage of being paid up front. Also, you will get a call from one of your buddies. They will suggest an alternative to the actual mission. You can either do the misson proper or follow your buddy's advice. I always did what my buddy wanted, as it was more fun, so I can't say what happens if you do a vanilla faction mission. If you do the buddy mission you get more reputation and history. I have no idea what the history actually does, but it increases.

Finally, you also get Underground missions. These only appear when you need anti maleria pills, and are fairly straightforward affairs.

With the exception of the underground missions, you can do the other missions in whatever order you choose. I went immediately for the gun shop missions, as it unlocks weapons quickly.

You don't have to do missions to get diamonds though. They are also scattered about the island in suitcases. The island map is divided into sections. If you zoom in the detail map actually has a number at the top which tells you the amount of suitcases in that section, so you at least have a clue as to how thorough you should search.

The other buildings you come across tend to be mission related or guard posts. You can explore them whenever you want though. You don't have to wait for a mission beforehand. Opponents respawn fairly quickly, so if you wipe out a guard post, go and finish a mission and return via the guardpost, it is likely to be repopulated.

One other thing to note, there are bus stations at the extremities of the map. So if you get a mission on the other side of the map, don't spend half an hour driving across the map, just get on a bus and you will be instantly transported.

Weapons: weapons vary. You will soon have a decent variety though. I currently have an Uzi for close range spraying, a decent sniper rifle, and a flame thrower. The flame thrower is just about the best weapon I have ever come across in a game, especially in the second half. It even beats the HL2 gravity gun! Avoid picking up guns from dead foes unless absolutely necessary, otherwise they will invariably jam.

Vehicle: small on realism, big on fun. There are a variety ranging from lorries to jeeps to racing cars. There is even the odd hangglider.

Second Half:
When you get to the second half, things also get harder. People take more hits to die for a start, and wounded people still shoot at you. I am enjoying the second half, though it was frustrating at first as I had got used to the ins and outs of the first map. Plus the enhancements to the safe houses were reset.

this game is big. It isn't a run of the mill shootemup. If you play it all day it will bore the pants off you probably, but if you play it in shorter bursts you will be able to appreciate it to its full. It deserves to be played properly.

Rockstar released the system requirements for GTA4 for PC last week:

Minimum System Requirements:
OS: Windows Vista Service Pack 1 / XP Service Pack 3
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8Ghz, AMD Athlon X2 64 2.4Ghz
Memory: 1.5GB, 16GB Free Hard Drive Space
Video Card: 256 MB NVIDIA 7900 / 256 MB ATI X1900

Recommended System Requirements:
OS: Windows Vista Service Pack 1 / XP Service Pack 3
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad 2.4Ghz, AMD Phenom X3 2.1Ghz
Memory: 2 GB (XP) 2.5 GB (Vista), 18 GB Free Hard Drive Space
Video Card: 512 MB NVIDIA 8600 / 512 MB ATI 3870