Pre-order GTA IV on Steam, get Vice City free
by Griffin McElroy 
{ Nov 22nd 2008 at 2:00PM }
Admittedly, it's been quite some time since we visited Rockstar's tropical getaway -- that's why we were excited to hear that Steam is giving Vice City for free to pre-purchasers of the PC version of GTA IV. That's a savings of ten whole dollars, which is almost the exact price of Take it on the Run, REO Speedwagon's greatest hits album. Coincidence? We think not.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Sora @ Nov 22nd 2008 2:24PM
Ten dollars is also the price of the majority of albums on iTunes. Steam can be called the iTunes of gaming. Coincidence? I THINK NOT!
Dan @ Nov 23rd 2008 1:31AM
Yeah, except Steam doesn't run like shit on Windows.
megapenguinx @ Nov 23rd 2008 1:45AM
Wish steam was cross platform :/
BigD145 @ Nov 22nd 2008 2:25PM
Good move.
I still hate interest free loans to corporate entities... er, I mean preorders.
nips @ Nov 22nd 2008 4:13PM
When the pre-order price is lower or has a free gift, that would be where you get your interest! (Woo!)
JontheNinja @ Nov 22nd 2008 2:29PM
Ten dollars is also the same amount as 40 quarters.
Coincidence?
I think not.
Mike @ Nov 22nd 2008 2:59PM
I wish the all night disco coke parties went away, but they are definitely still around in the form of all night electro coke parties.
Diskoboy7 @ Nov 22nd 2008 3:10PM
Yup - They started calling them "raves" in the early 90's..... :)
JoeTheBlow @ Nov 22nd 2008 3:14PM
Not just the setting, its an all round better game that kept me hooked until the end.
Unlike the half-finished GTA4 which has shown you all its (admittedly beautiful) tricks by the halfway point.
Saria the Cat @ Nov 22nd 2008 3:26PM
Pretty good since Vice City is the best installment. Yeah, I went there.
Jakka ( The Order of Haters of Balance) @ Nov 22nd 2008 3:40PM
SA tops it in terms of sheer amount of stuff you can do, but at least we both agree GTA4 was shit compared to the rest of them.
Premature ejaculation man @ Nov 22nd 2008 11:47PM
VC is my favourite =)
Cesaria (GT: Cesaria360; PSN: Cesaria) @ Nov 22nd 2008 3:53PM
Vice City rocks because it's stylized and humorous in all the right ways, but GTAIV....I don't get the praise. No offense to anyone who likes the game, but it's easily the most over hyped game I've played. The controls were (still) broken, driving was boring, it was 'more of the same', the game didn't give me the feel of a 'living, breathing world', and it tried way too hard to be edgy. It isn't by any means a bad game, probably more like an 8 than a 10, but come on people. It's a great example of hive mind mentality in the gaming community.
Titanium_Orchid @ Nov 22nd 2008 7:23PM
e only problem I had with GTAIV was the fact that missions were overly simplistic (in that they tell you exactly what to do) and didn't allow for much creativity on how to complete objectives. I always likened it to someone allowing me to play with Legos, but only allowing me to build something from one set of instructions.
I thought the controls and driving were well fleshed out, and I didn't have a problem with the atmosphere.
This is why I'm responding to your post:
I think the reason GTAIV got the reviews it did was because of how Rockstar handled PR, not because of the "hive mind". They released very few images and videos, and did not allow the press much time to review the game ahead of time. This gave reviewers a very limited amount of time to play the game and develop impressions. When I began playing GTAIV, I thought the game was great. My opinion began to go downhill as the game progressed though. I think this is what happened with most professional reviewers as well.
If you look at the "hive mind" on meta critic, GTAIV on the 360 is averaging an 8.1 from users.
JoeTheBlow @ Nov 23rd 2008 5:32AM
Theres a GIGANTIC thread on Neogaf too full of former GTA4 lovers that was wondering what all the review scores are for after the halfway point.
Its an amazing piece of tech, but certainly not the best game of all time.
Haggard @ Nov 22nd 2008 4:30PM
I'm gonna defend GTA IV - I felt that it wasn't as engrossing or indeed interesting as Vice City and San Andreas, but on the other hand it is an excellent game.
I didn't realise until I played Far Cry 2 just how well-designed and streamlined GTA4 made the open-world experience.
Danzaiver @ Nov 22nd 2008 7:28PM
For me GTA SA was the best GTA.
GTA 4 is a great game, one of my favorites now but I was expecting more of Rockstar, specially on gameplay.
Lee @ Nov 22nd 2008 8:03PM
Already have VC so I'll just gift this to my girlfriend or someone. Good call though. VC is the dogs bollocks.
Haggard @ Nov 22nd 2008 8:04PM
Not sure you get to gift it.. there's only very exceptional circumstances where you can gift an unwanted game (e.g. buying the Orange Box with HL2 and ep1)
Kyouryuu @ Nov 22nd 2008 8:24PM
Just to chime in, Vice City was also my favorite of the GTA games.
There are only a handful of games that manage to convey such an incredibly strong sense of place and time. There's City 17, the bleak Eastern European metropolis. There's Rapture, the art deco-inspired underwater city. And then there's Vice City.
Vice City envelopes the player in the 1980s world of Miami Vice and Scarface. When you're cruising down South Beach, with the neon-laced buildings to your left, endless beach to the right, and Sister Christian blaring on the radio, you understand just how well Vice City captured the mood.
j.howlett @ Nov 22nd 2008 8:25PM
time for the lance vance dance
aj @ Nov 22nd 2008 9:46PM
Vice City had Ray Liotta and Slayer.
If you need any more than that, I just feel sorry for you.
SlimPickinz96 @ Nov 24th 2008 9:47AM
What did people expect of GTA4 being that its the first GTA of "current-gen" systems? Not defending it, just stating the obvious.
Video games, going to be a loong time before there is such thing as a flawless game. Only perfect games that exist are the ones "we" consider(opinion) so. Another reason i am glad Joystiq does Mega and Nega reviews.