Why I like GTA IV: Addendum

Something else that I enjoy about GTA IV: if you want crazy stuff to happen, you kind of have to set it up yourself to a degree.  In a free-roaming sandbox game, gameplay that gives order and structure to “extreme” events that ought to be improvised sucks the fun and sense of discovery out of them – it’s like eating an all-frosting cake: the concept sounds tasty at first, but in reality it gets old fast (not the best metaphor, but you get the idea). Just Cause 2, for example, is a game designed for people who want to skyjack a plane in midflight with no effort.  It’s fun and “extreme” for the first few times you do it, but the relative ease of stunts like this makes it little different than nabbing a car or motorcycle on the ground.  In GTA IV, if I want to complete a mission by ramming a helicopter down a guy’s throat, then I have to earn it.  It would be something improvised, something over the top because it defies expectations.

Skate 3 is making a big thing out of allowing gamers unparalleled control over their skater’s falls: you can aim and pose them, and even keep them moving with a little push or flail.  This is a perfect example of what I’m talking about: the fun of randomly pulling off a hilarious, painful wreck of a bail is stripped out of the game, replaced by something blandly patronizing.  What’s the point of having a sandbox game if you script the awesomeness?