Is GTA IV really too big to carry off DLC in the form of expansion packs The Lost and The Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony?
Well that radical view is the opinion of our old analyst chum Michael Pachter from Morgan Wedbush - who, in response to AmTech analyst Ben Schachter (are you following? Keep up) - said that he thought the original GTA IV was too big and that many players never actually finished it.
Speaking to VG247, Pachter said: "Ben's right that the DLC disappointed, but I suspect that the reason is that GTA games are so massive that a substantial majority of the GTA audience hasn't finished the core game, so they don't feel especially compelled to buy the DLC.
"My guess is that fewer than 20% of GTA owners finished the game so fewer were interested in DLC."
Controversial stuff indeed. But what do you think CVG-ers? Did you play GTA IV all the way through and if you didn't, did it put you off buying either bit of the admirable DLC? Let us know in the comments field below.
I managed about 50% of GTA4 before I was bored of it. I was just sick of driving around the same old streets, to be honest. Therefore, no matter how good the DLC was, it wasn't even on my 'mildly' interested list.
Just my experience of the game, guys, so don't have a mare.
Maybe if Rockstar had added the apparent 'fun' bits of the DLC to the main game, it may have kept my interest.
I don't think it's controversial. I've completed the main game 3 times, but there are moments in the story when it drags. Usually when you're working for annoying characters like Manny. With the DLC however, I couldn't get enough and hope Rockstar can find a balance in-between for the next GTA.
I agree with you there, Mark. I also got irritated with driving for ages, getting killed (hey, I never said I was GOOD at it) and then having to do the driving again.
I got to the bank robbery mission and after 4 attempts I couldn't be bothered to listen to the argument in the car between the brothers again.
Call me shallow. I don't mind a challenge but when you have about five minutes of totally UN-challenging gameplay before you return to the tricky bit I just want to move on! So basically, No, I never invested in the DLC either.
Totally agree. Got sick of GTA 4 IV after a while. There was no way i was going to download DLC for a game I had no intention of completing. I really tried to like gta4, but in the end, it wasn't really that great a game really, was it? Fallout 3, on the other hand, I Got towards the end of that and realised that I didn't really want to stop playing, so I got BOS installed and went off for a wander around the wasteland after the end of the normal game. I've since done all but mothership zeta.
Did anyone realistically think even 50% let alone 100% of GTA purchasers would have gone for the DLC? TBH the DLC is too pricey for what people still see as a minor add on, you could buy a full game for the price of it.
Totally agree. Got sick of GTA 4 IV after a while. There was no way i was going to download DLC for a game I had no intention of completing. I really tried to like gta4, but in the end, it wasn't really that great a game really, was it? Fallout 3, on the other hand, I Got towards the end of that and realised that I didn't really want to stop playing, so I got BOS installed and went off for a wander around the wasteland after the end of the normal game. I've since done all but mothership zeta.
I completed the main game a couple of times and enjoyed most the DLC although saying that I know so many GTA fans who got bored of the 5 hours of "press A to shoot" messages so yes, not many will jump to the DLC.
Sadyly I think the guy is right but this would open up games to be small just to sell you the latest levels.
I'm someone who hasn't bought the DLC or completed the game - yet. But I think what rockstar accomplished with both the game and the DLC was great. It's a real shame that it hasn't performed as deserved and now we're at risk of being peddled crap for the next few years till someone else takes the risk.
I don't know if I didn't find the main game fun, or perhaps I just didn't feel I had the time to devote to a story that was so textured. I was terrified I'd miss something that would have added to the experience.
I've considered buying the DLC and playing that as a taster to get myself back into the main game. Though parts might be lost on me if I play them out of order.
The second DLC was never given the chance to perform due to releasing it at the same time on hard media - that will always be a better buy, selling it on used, always able to own it, buy it cheaper, etc.
I'm hoping that the next GTA will add elements to bring the fun back. GTA4 really killed the hype surrounding the series, which is astonishing to me considering how accomplished it was.
Well having just completed The Lost and Damned and started on Ballad of Gay Tony I think that Rockstar have set a new benchmark for DLC. Sure it's the same old Liberty City with a few new interior areas but there's a whole host of new weapons and vehicles. They've even put in new TV and Radio stuff. Also the way all three stories weave in and out of each other is excellently done. Sure they're expensive bits of DLC but when you compare it to other DLC it's much better value for money.
I finished GTA4 on PS3, and later got the 360 version for the DLC, which is amazing, and much more tightly plotted than GTA4. as well as being considerably more fun. Great value for money compared to some of the Fallout 3 DLC, which I was a bit miffed at afterwards (most notable exceptions being Point Lookout and Broken Steel).
Once i got to the second part of the city i was totally bored of running here driving there in all the same streets. DLC was never on my wish list for GTA!!!
I completed the main game and I thought it was brilliant. One of the best games I've ever played. But I can see why a lot of people didn't finish it. It does drag in places and getting used to the controls takes a long, long time. Once you do, the missions aren't that tough.
Driving around really bored me too, until I realised that you can take a taxi pretty much anywhere. You can even get them to wait for you while you buy ammo and stuff. But I guess not many people even realise that because it isn't made very clear. The friendship stuff can be done really fast with cabs too, but I admit it's an annoying distraction from the story. At one point I attempted to rocket Little Jacob to death, but somehow he only suffered minor wounds
I haven't played the DLC yet because after spending about 50 hours on the main game, I'm not ready for any more GTA yet (I only completed it about 2 months ago). But I'll prob get the Episodes disc next year some time.
I liked the story for GTA4 but going for 100% completion sickened me of it. Finding 198 of the pigeons and not knowing which 2 I'm missing made me never want to load the disc again!
I didn't buy the expansions because while they might be great, the cost is hard to justify in terms of play hours. I got a lot of hours of LC chaos for my Ł45 disc, and I enjoyed almost all of it. The story took me maybe 30 hours to get through, plus loads of side missions and silly jumps and stunts. My play time is over 90 hours. But even at half of that it's basically Ł1/hour, which I can live with. But they reckon I should hand over another Ł15 for only 3 or 4 hours of actual added story-based content? I think not.
In fact, if the multiplayer had been better implemented I might still play it now. But it was a real disappointment. So the story is really all that's worth playing for.
I thought Lost and Damned sold upwards of 2 million or something? I might be wrong, but I could have sworn it was a massive success. I'm guessing Gay Tony didn't do as well, partly because of the time period it was released in.
If we're not basing our opinions on sales though, as packages both of the Episodes really set a new bar for DLC content on consoles. The production values and amount of content in both packs was incredible value and certainly I at least absolutely loved playing both of them.
Saying the game was so big it didn't need DLC is an incredibly stupid and narrow minded view IMO. Oblivion was a gigantic game I'm sure very few people completed entirely, the DLC still sold incredibly well though and was well received, the same goes for Fallout 3.
I got bored of driving all the time, so I took cabs. I also had a helicopter parked outside my apartment in Algonquin.
Thought GTAIV was awesome. I might listen to Pachter if he's talking about sales trends. If he is talking about gameplay and how many people finished a certain game, I'm not going to pay that much attention to him.
But saying the DLC is Ł15 for 3 or 4 hours of single play is simply not true. It doesn't cost Ł15 and I have spent more than that on the each episode without still getting close to finishing them!
I dunno though - horses for courses etc etc, I really liked 16 player team deathmatch and the races with weapons. Before I got L4D, I played GTAIV MP more than anything!
What do I think, "CVG Staff"? I think you useless snooker cues should stop copy and pasting every interview that moron Pachter gives and try your hand at journalism once in a while.
Amazing how most of the people slagging the D.L.C off are Ps3 owners Any way i completed the main story on gta i did enjoy it but its not a patch on the 2 episodes, I've just completed Lost and the Damned which was superb and ive spent a fair few hours on ballad of gay Tony and so far its Awesome
Many people say open world games are great and they hate scripted linear games. Yet it is impossible to keep an open world game going for more than 20hours until it becomes repetitive. Look at Far Cry 2 or Borderlands or GTA4. You end up going to the same places and getting into the same fights against the same enemies. That is why most games are linear and short, so people don't become bored and can actually complete it.
I got to the bank robbery mission and after 4 attempts I couldn't be bothered to listen to the argument in the car between the brothers again.
You obviously didn't; the dialogue changes each time then after the third attempt Packie says somethign along the lines of "f**k it, lets listen to the radio' and they don't talk any more.
Back on topic: I would have bought the DLC in a flash if I wasn't on PS3 only. GTA IV is one of the best games ever made, the story was great, I loved driving from mission to mission cos the driving was great fun. Likable characters (except a few, but they get executed usually). Exciting plot. Brilliant.
Glad I'm not hte only one who's got 197/200 pigeons. Little bastards.
Plus the multiplayer rocked. I can't believe they haven't added more modes outside of the DLC.
I didn;t finish GTAIV (in fact, I've never finished a GTA game...to my shame).
As with the others, I simply got bored - bored of the story, bored of the characters, bored of the gameplay...
That being said...I've just recently started playing The Lost and The Damned after taking a long break from the game, and am quite enjoying it.
The bikers seem a lot more fun that the somewhat dour Nico Bellic.
I think for the next full game, Rockstar would be wise to break the experience down, give you a few different characters to play as, and keep the narrative for each character shorter and more snappy.
Each Dlc episode lasted about 10 hours. Now forgive me if i'm wrong but aren't there full price games that don't.
I loved GTA IV it was well paced and had genuinely likeable characters for a change. Part of the reason i never finished San Andreas is that I hated CJ he was just a whiny tool. CJ 'Oh but i don't wanna be crim any more' Some random guy 'Hey buddy wanna go hold a up a liquor store' Cj 'ok but i'm no crim. mums wa wa waaaaaa'
GTA IV was just a huge leap forward for the series in every possible way.
Yeah, I played GTA and gave up about 20% in as I was a bit overwhelmed by the games size. But that's exactly why I've bought and played the DLC, for a more concise experience.
Did anyone realistically think even 50% let alone 100% of GTA purchasers would have gone for the DLC? TBH the DLC is too pricey for what people still see as a minor add on, you could buy a full game for the price of it.
The DLC is fantastic value at Ł10 each. Personally, each episode on its own was a better deal than the Ł26 MW2.
I got to the bank robbery mission and after 4 attempts I couldn't be bothered to listen to the argument in the car between the brothers again.
You obviously didn't; the dialogue changes each time then after the third attempt Packie says somethign along the lines of "f**k it, lets listen to the radio' and they don't talk any more.
It took me at least 4 goes and I'm sure that never happened for me. It was the same convo over and over. I was playing on the 360... wonder if the PS3 had more dialogue thanks to bigger disc capacity?
I had that conversation happen to me too on the 360 version. I was relieved, because like the rest of you I hated that drive. That mission is annoying because you want to kill all of the cops, but you only need to kill a handful. Then the bit breaking back out of the subway is much easier if you sprint as soon as you hear the voices, because you can get to a vehicle before the police get to you, and from there it's all over.
This game was over rated from the start. I brought the game for the multiplayer with a friend and in the end stopped playing the online mode after a few hours just because of the loading times each time you died. I guess i'm just use to the instant respawn like in UT series.
I finished the story mode for the sake of completing the game so i had good reason to uninstall it to make more room for better games
I lost my save games due to an unknown reason, and had to start over again after a Windows re-install. The game was really great, but I didn't have patience to replay everything anew to get to the same spot.
GTA2 (the one on 2d) was my favorite game for several years and I haven't finished it yet, then in GTA3 I got to the third island and stopped there. I want to play GTA4 but I know I won't have all the required time.
I got to the bank robbery mission and after 4 attempts I couldn't be bothered to listen to the argument in the car between the brothers again.
You obviously didn't; the dialogue changes each time then after the third attempt Packie says somethign along the lines of "f**k it, lets listen to the radio' and they don't talk any more.
I reloaded it each time from the same save game as I was "tooled up" when I first started it, which is obviously where I was going wrong and why it was just repeating over and over so thanks for the tip that it would change if I "re-tried" the mission rather than reloading the save game. Shame you had to try the "you obviously didn't" line though an just assumed that I was lying.
EDIT: As other posters have commented, it was on the 360 so perhaps PS3 version is different but I'm not willing to buy it again in another format to find out
completed the game with 95% of everything done, then completed all 3 DLC with 100% done. the best amount of content i've ever gotten from a game and i loved every second of it. a masterpiece.
I got to the bank robbery mission and after 4 attempts I couldn't be bothered to listen to the argument in the car between the brothers again.
You obviously didn't; the dialogue changes each time then after the third attempt Packie says somethign along the lines of "f**k it, lets listen to the radio' and they don't talk any more.
I reloaded it each time from the same save game as I was "tooled up" when I first started it, which is obviously where I was going wrong and why it was just repeating over and over so thanks for the tip that it would change if I "re-tried" the mission rather than reloading the save game. Shame you had to try the "you obviously didn't" line though an just assumed that I was lying.
EDIT: As other posters have commented, it was on the 360 so perhaps PS3 version is different but I'm not willing to buy it again in another format to find out
Maybe he just didn't think anyone would be stupid enough to keep reloading a save when it takes far longer than just restarting the mission via your phone, & you get to keep all your weapons.
The best thing about the DLC is the new save points & being able to start a failed mission half way through from said save points. Unless of course you feel like reloading your save & having to drive all the way to the mission start, lol.
Other good things about the DLC are the improved car handling, the improved bike handling (it's MUCH easier to stay on your bike now), being able to replay any mission once you've finished the game, parachutes, the tank, the stupidly fun new weapons & the improved graphics in Gay Tony. The game is 10 times sharper & looks amazing in Gay Tony.
GTAIV & the DLC is easily the highlight of this generation for me. A true technical masterpiece.
gta 4 was fine in size and i completed it. i was quite up for the dlc game pack when it came out reccently but i bought it and it kept freezing, took it back twice including buying it somewhere else and it kept crashing...!
my x box was fine and other games worked so i sent a bitchy tech support email to rockstar and told them i was taking the game back. they finally responded almost 3 weeks later and told me to clear my system cache... if anyone else is having this problem then this could be the answer for you. i dont know as i did take the game back and got modern warfare 2 instead.
i think that gta4 was enough though to be fair, there are better games to play than the two episodes they released on 360.
Well the ballad of gay tony is a lot better than the main GTA IV imo, so people who don't buy are definitely missing out (Lost and Damned was meh). And its funny that people are saying they are over priced. For Ł25 you can get both of the episodes and thats near 20 hours of gameplay, something most Ł40 games don't come near.
Well the ballad of gay tony is a lot better than the main GTA IV imo, so people who don't buy are definitely missing out (Lost and Damned was meh). And its funny that people are saying they are over priced. For Ł25 you can get both of the episodes and thats near 20 hours of gameplay, something most Ł40 games don't come near.
i agree and i was looking forward to the ballard of gay tony. dont like being messed around with tech support issues though and doubt i will bother with this after the freezing. modern warfare 2 online does seem to be a better spend of time in the end.
Nope. Like all the GTA games before it (aside from GTA 2) played it, finished it, loved it. Bought TLAD, played it, finished it, loved it. Bought BoGT, played it, thought it was good but not great.
As they say in retirement homes it's different strokes for different folks. There are games out there that people love with a passion that I couldn't be bothered to play until completion. Oblivion springs to mind.
When games stretch above the 15 hour mark you have to either be a completionist or like the game to keep going. There are a lot of short games I haven't liked but managed to complete because the game elapsed before I'd truly formed an opinion.
And of top of that there are so many games out there, and some people simple don't have the time, inclination or drive to finish these huge epics that are being released. Don't get me wrong, I'm very grateful for them, but I only have to take a cursory glance on my friends list to see the people who don't play much or have other over riding commitments haven't finished GTA, yet COD 4 seems to have a 100% completion rate (on medium difficulty anyhow).
GTA IV was really boring, majority of the missions involved just driving around and working for boring old people. It lacked all of the features which made san andreas the best game ever, and then to release some of the features back in the form of payable DLC was just criminal.
Although I played through both TLAD and TBOGT DLC on the Xbox 360, it was another mistake to make it exclusive to XBOX 360 (don't get me wrong the 360 is an amazing console). I don't have much hard disk space left of the 20GB capacity I payed Ł75 for, would have been nice to have it on my 80gb PS3 instead and to play online for free.
Rockstar lost there way with GTA IV, hopefully if they can remake san andreas from fresh a lot of people would be happy.
I had more fun killing my friends in free mode than playing the main game (which took me longer to do because of that). The game was OK but hardly as good as the hype would have you believe. I didn't find the main game overly long though, but I was no way going to look for however many pigeons, find the stunt jumps etc. I don't like it when they try to extend a game's length doing boring crap like that.
I only ever got TLATD which I thought was crap and no way worth the money. I hear better stuff about Gay Tony but I've sold my 360 now so don't care
GTA IV isnt that big of a game to finish, if you stick with it you will finish all the missions. I think it took me longer to finish san andreas than what it did with GTA IV, have also finished Lost & Damned and working my way through BOGT atm.
If you got bored with GTA IV, best thing to do is get the two dlc's on disc a try, i think the missions are a bit more fun than what they were in GTAIV.
I'm really suprised at all of the complaints towards GTAIV. I too thought the Lost & Damned DLC was a success?
I too have never finished a GTA game but plan to wi†h GTAIV. For me its a game I savour, come back to it every so often instead of trying to complete it in one weekend. I bought the DLC double pack but haven't got round to playing them yet, but hey I own them and will play in my own time......
I think Pachters right most of the time, although people love to hate him he's kinda like the Simon Cowell of videogames....
I wasn't a huge fan of GTA 4, sure it was next gen ,the gunfights were better and the graphics were nice but everything else felt like a step backwards. I unlocked the entire city but I didn't bother finishing the story. The online play was a letdown and I wish it had kept the scale that San Andreas had (bigger map,planes, more safehouses, more variety,countryside) but my main complaint was that the game took itself too seriously and ended up too bleak, losing alot of the fun factor that the older crazier GTA games had(I miss the flying car cheat and the jetpack).
Lost and the Damned didn't interest me but I'm going to give Ballad of Gay Tony a try because it sounds like it brings back everything I loved about GTA on PS2.
i thought the DLC was a success,and some people enjoyed lost and damned better than the main story?
i loved the main game(finished it twice),loved the lost and damned(finished once),but have yet to get into Ballad of Gay Tony,prolly try again this weekend
I completed GTA but it was like a chore it was not like previous GTAs which were fun so I have no interest in risking purchasing more boring content for a an already overrated boring game.
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Any way i completed the main story on gta i did enjoy it but its not a patch on the 2 episodes, I've just completed Lost and the Damned which was superb and ive spent a fair few hours on ballad of gay Tony and so far its Awesome
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