I’ve never thought of myself as the kind of person the GTA games are marketed for. I dislike the violence (essentially because it's violence without any personally meaningful context), have very little interest in cars or driving, and have never really gotten into traditional police or crime fiction. The pop culture marinade the series swims in is interesting but otherwise I’m obviously not in the target demographic. That said, though, the GTA games are very good. And popular. So I decided to try GTA4 and see whether it would grasp my interest better than the original GTA or Vice City did.
Overall the experience was somewhat bland. I just don’t seem to be able to get that much fun out of the series. I enjoyed some segments, and am of the opinion that GTA4 is an exemplary piece of good interactive entertainment, but to be honest I finished it more out of curiosity than enjoyment. The experience was similar to the first GTA and Vice City. The games lack things that I specifically like, even if they do at times manage to surprise me in a positive way.
My tepid disinterest is not a particularly enchanting topic, though, and GTA4 really does deserve better than that, so I decided to write something positive about the game.
Here’s a mixed assortment of moments and concepts that stuck, presented in glorious three-part format.
