Bumbaclot!

Now that I’ve developed a spasmic kink in my neck due to the 45 hours spent playing GTA IV, my opinions on the game have ... evolved. No longer do I think the aiming mechanics are archaic/second-rate. As far as targeting specific body parts it seems pretty much on equal footing with Crackdown. Just a more rubberbanded aiming style, compared to Crackdown’s snap-on targeting. I do prefer the Crackdown interface, however. Improvements to the combat system go beyond requisite iteration, in my opinion.

I still think hand-to-hand combat sucks. Other than an unreliable block and counter system virtually nothing has changed since GTA III. CQC still bristles with offending levels of pointlessness. Outside of obtaining the “Finish Him” achievement, brawling is of no need, use, or consequence. It’s just not fun to fight. It's not like it can't be done. Consider this list of GTA clones, all of which offer better combat than GTA IV: True Crime, Spider-Man 2-3, The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, The Getaway. Fighting should be fun by now.

In other news, I’m currently playing Boom Blox. I’ve only played it briefly but the tactile sensation tucked away into its gameplay has me intrigued. Combined with the sort of tech demo-ey explosion/gravity/inertia style physics on display… I can already tell I’m going to be sinking a lot of time into it.

Looking forward to MGS4, June 12th – at which time I plan on feasting on the game velociraptor style.