Grand Theft Auto IV: no Claude, Tommy, CJ, Mike, Toni, Victor, planes, and loading screens

Games Radar reveals what Official PlayStation Magazine (UK) had to say about Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3, Xbox 360) Okay, if you’ve managed to read them off the scans, well and good, wait for the next update from the internet about Rockstar’s jewel. If not, as the title suggests, the word of the day is NO.

As in “virtually” no familiar GTA faces, for starters. This might mean that although there may be references to the prior games in the series (GTAIII onwards, plus both Stories and Advance, were single-universe – heck, you can argue even all the way to at least the second GTA), the characters from those games might not make any significant appearances in IV‘s storyline.

Too bad, though. A seven-way brawl among the leading con men of GTA would have been an interesting sight.

Yes, still no planes – although you do get helicopters – but Rockstar hopes there will be no loading screens either, all over the entire game. That means: no loading between islands, no loading between interior and exterior sets… that’s all Games Radar mentions off OPM, but the best-case scenario would also be no loading between machinima and gameplay sequences as well. In fact, the best case scenario is that the only loading should be a save file and the start of the game.

Another “no-no” is no character customization a la CJ. Niko doesn’t hit the gym or the GAP (what was that shop again in San Andreas?). Also in the “non” list is the fact that Niko won’t be able to access all buildings in the environment, although there wouldn’t be much of a gameplay reason to, although there also won’t be any “pointless spaces” in the game either.

One final no is “no-holds barred”. This is a collaborative evolution between three studios: Rockstar North, Rockstar San Diego and Rockstar’s New York studios.

Games Radar reveals what Official PlayStation Magazine (UK) had to say about Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3, Xbox 360) Okay, if you’ve managed to read them off the scans, well and good, wait for the next update from the internet about Rockstar’s jewel. If not, as the title suggests, the word of the day is NO.

As in “virtually” no familiar GTA faces, for starters. This might mean that although there may be references to the prior games in the series (GTAIII onwards, plus both Stories and Advance, were single-universe – heck, you can argue even all the way to at least the second GTA), the characters from those games might not make any significant appearances in IV‘s storyline.

Too bad, though. A seven-way brawl among the leading con men of GTA would have been an interesting sight.

Yes, still no planes – although you do get helicopters – but Rockstar hopes there will be no loading screens either, all over the entire game. That means: no loading between islands, no loading between interior and exterior sets… that’s all Games Radar mentions off OPM, but the best-case scenario would also be no loading between machinima and gameplay sequences as well. In fact, the best case scenario is that the only loading should be a save file and the start of the game.

Another “no-no” is no character customization a la CJ. Niko doesn’t hit the gym or the GAP (what was that shop again in San Andreas?). Also in the “non” list is the fact that Niko won’t be able to access all buildings in the environment, although there wouldn’t be much of a gameplay reason to, although there also won’t be any “pointless spaces” in the game either.

One final no is “no-holds barred”. This is a collaborative evolution between three studios: Rockstar North, Rockstar San Diego and Rockstar’s New York studios.