I wonder if any Political figures will bitch about the location being New York lol.

Just because he has an Eastern European accent, doesn't mean he's Russian, or even he's going to be working for the Russians. Silly people

Anwar: It kinda makes sense for him to be a Russian. They've always been in the GTA games but always as your enemies. The Italians were the first two, then black gangs, now for some Russians. I wouldn't be surprised if in the next GTA you play as the Chinese.

Also, the guy isn't necessarily Russian. The accent is a little more Czech or Yugoslavian, but thats just minor differences for Americans isn't it :)

So... it seems i'm the only human being on the earth that's tottally unimpressed - at all - by this "trailer".

Okay, I can live with that.

And I kept that countdown tab open in my browser all day long. I was anxious. But... C'mon, it isn't even THAT graphically impressive. I mean, have you guys watched that old Lost Odissey trailer, back at last year's E3? It was gameplay, and it was way prettier that that.

Yeah, the Russians do make good criminals. You can't even go into a message parlor anymore here in Vegas without having a few Russian thugs giving you the once over. I mean, if I went to those types of establishments.

Or massage.

Xbox.com says only 1 player, then again, how often have they been right ;)

The "graphic" doesnt impress me to much, iam more interesting in what you can do in this game-engine this time.

Anyone think they might pull a MGS2 move and start you off in Liberty City and then have the majority of the game be somewhere else (and also switch up your character to a total pussy)? They did register those other city names...

I gotta come to Halo 3s defense here.
There have been no new screen-shots that weren't in the Alpha stage. But chances are if you have it now, you're gonna hate it no matter what anyone says.
As for GTA4 it looks good, and I want more info.

yea ussr in the house

I love to play GTA but that wasn't really worth watching. Why people are crapping their pants at the "trailer" is beyond me.

Well it begs the question... if GTA IV has such stunning graphics, and indeed manages to create a long involving storyline that you actually care about. Is the inclusion or exclusion of multiplayer going to still be a make or break decision for a lot of you guys? Or would a massive leap in the solo engine be good enough to quell many of you "Online or No Buy" folks?

For those of you who answer that you don't want it if its an offline only game, also indicate if you are purchasing Mass Effect or Bioshock... if you are, why not an offline GTA?

@moclippa, I do get the feeling that they are aiming for the most immersive single-player experience possible, and thats definitely nothing to be upset about, but in the age of Live and co-op, GTA is a game that I can't ANYONE not wanting to be able to play with friends.

Additionally, this game seems much more realistic and story-driven than the previous entries, along the lines of Mafia perhaps. While that's definitely good in some ways, I'm wondering if GTA will lose its trademark sense of pure unadulterated "fun". This character does not seem quite as crazy or reckless as previous characters, and I somewhat expect the gameplay to mirror that fact.

With that in mind, I'm wondering if there wont be some open-endedness to the missions. Similar to Hitman, Mass Effect, and Oblivion, perhaps this character will have the choice of being a bloodthirsty maniac or a man reluctantly forced into doing what is necessary to get by. The trailer indicates he is remorseful and looking to escape a terrible past, and that would certainly make the game more than just another GTA clone.

@Ignus, I LOVED Halo 1. It was just plain fun. It wasnt anything particularly new for people who owned a PC at the time, but the coop was one of the best gaming experiences many people, myself included, have ever had with a game. I'll scoop my thoughts on 2 as you can probably guess how I felt towards it.

Now, onto 3. You say that no screens have been released post-Alpha, but you never had to use that defense for games like Gears of War. Gears looked every bit as impressive years before its release as it does now, so unless Bungie comes to its greedy senses, Halo will be just another FPS, and not even a good-looking one at that.

Why should that matter? Because Halo has become some sort of Holy Grail in the industry, and fanboys and critics alike eat it up like it is the be-all end-all game. So with that kind of hype, and the absurd amount of money that Bungie now has because of it, its insulting for the company to deliver anything less than a AAAA+ title that will be remembered for centuries... give or take.

But don't get your hopes up. Bungie has even admitted they "screwed up" with Halo 2, not that you needed them to tell you that. And the Alpha doesnt indicate anything that makes me excited for 3. They can whip up all the cool commercials and trailers they want, the GAME itself is going to disappoint. /end rant... maybe

"It all depends on how they do the single player and multi player."

Same could be said of ALL games, couldn't it?

But I agree about GTA taking a more serious route. The more I think about it, the more exciting it is to have a game that truly puts you in the character's shoes, emotionally. Its too soon to know anything for sure as the teaser is extremely vague, but the lack of some crappy Aerosmith song and any action / gameplay whatsoever points towards a focus on a complex, involving story.

I guess we'll have to look to the Saints Row and Crackdown sequels for a GTA-like co-op experience.

"I killed people, smuggled people, and sold people. Perhaps here, things will be different."

That quote suggests he wants to change his past, but it also can mean a change in the game itself.

Has Rockstar caved to Jack Thompson and the others who don't understand the meaning of an "M" rating and decided to make a good guy clean-up-the-city game?

Are they going to take a huge risk and try to do a MMO (a successful MMO, mind you) on a console?

Will the game involve a dramatic gameplay change?

Who knows? But I can tell you that Rockstar won't make just another GTA game, even if the graphics will be amazing.

All in all, the trailer impresses. Should they have been a little mroe divulging? Yeah, but then again, it was the first media of that game, so...

Anyways, if anybody else on the internets hasn't said this yet...

GTA 4TW!

It looks phenomenal graphics wise. However, Liberty City AGAIN? MEEEEEHHH!!! Unless you can go into every fucking building, this is old hat. Not keen on the Russian accent either. Still, it will undoubtedly be fun to cause chaos.

al Capownage, the name of the game is still Grand Theft Auto and not Sims in the City with Sara Jessica Parker. It will be violent.

That is fair Spitfire747. Judge a game from a teaser trailer. You mean I could make a game with nothing but me sticking my sausage in an ant bed and have a really good trailer and sell the shit out of it?

the reason why it was great was the kyaanisqatsi parody. I fudging love those movies.

boners

Yea this looks like it's shaping up very nicely.

That delivered. And I play games for the single player, not a tacked on multiplayer mode.

I've never been a big GTA fan. Having said that, that looks like a must-play.

One disappointment though... NYC? Shit, here are three cities I never, ever, ever want to see in videogames again: LA, NYC, Tokyo.

Seriously.

I like the Russian mafia angle. Why couldn't they have set it in Moscow?