First off it's really difficult to change my greeting and banner, why is it.

As posted from my 1up blog http://rmsk8r05.1up.com


Right now I stand at 40.0% completion and I have just unlocked the third island. I have done jobs for federal agents, drug dealers, crooked cops and mobsters; however most of them are the one dimensional cardboard cut outs of yesterdays GTA games. Most of the people you meet are complex as the main character himself, the Slavic immigrant Niko Bellic. After witnessing several moments in the game, I feel that Niko is the most interesting and complex character in gaming history. There are times which he is funny and bit of a smart ass towards people even in the face of danger. However he's damaged in more ways than one; at one point you're dating a woman who wants to know more about Niko. The more you date her, the more Niko reveals himself to her. At one point she knows that he served in the Bosnian War and asks what it did too him.

"It ruined me", is his response and you can't help but feel sorry for the guy. At points like this you realize that GTA games and maybe videogames in general are starting to grow and become more engrossing then most movies I have seen over the past year.

Game play wise, a lot of things have been overhauled including the controls. Since I got the PS3 version I thought I was going to settle in the controls instantly. Well the one the foot control's were easy and the aiming was kind of weird at first (to free aim, you have to hold the auto aim button half way and hold it there). Car don't control like a block of wood on ice anymore, they respond to actually physics and most of them handle differently. Motor bikes however aren't the reliable ride they once where, as they too are under control by the new physics engine. The Euphoria engine is joy to behold, just watching how you interact with everything and watching the reaction is just so fun. From people holding onto your car door after carjacking them, to shooting people in the leg and watching them stumble; I can't wait to see Euphoria in action in The Force Unleashed. Hell it even affects vehicles, in one instance you're riding a motor bike and you start doing burnouts; do it too much and the tire will pop. The city it's self while smaller then the state of San Andreas; feels more alive and packed then previous games. Useable internet cafes, more traffic, more inside environments, yet there are no animals like dogs and cats. The cell phone you get is a god send because you can restart missions instantly after failing them, call up Little Jacob and he'll meet you close by so you can buy weapons out his car truck.



The only problem is that I still haven't tried the multiplayer aspect yet and I haven't beaten the game yet. Considering that I have heard that there is multiple endings depending on the choices you make. Grasping the whole entire game is not there for me yet, but it is one of my favourite games of the year so far.