1
I guess my favorite part of the game is the customization. Cars can be stolen, brought home and customized in a garage--supplies of garaged cars are endless, and that's pretty awesome. Character customization is also high on my list. It's a robust system that actually let me input a fairly close representation of my own self-image into the game. A 250lb bearded man in a pink pirate costume. Much better than the slimeball-du-jour most sandbox games go for. They even use my character model in cutscenes.
Then there seems to be a turf and real estate money generation system in place. It speaks to my greedy side. Tons of character and gang upgrades to unlock too, giving me incentive to keep playing. Yes, there is a 'pager' that gives missions, but thankfully it's in the style of red faction: guerrilla, meaning they tell you once, they're totally optional and there is never guilt for not helping out. I haven't done one yet, I should try.
Car handling is usable--though naturally they don't feel like cars. It's really the GPS that shines though, as it places arrow indicators across turns going the wrong way creating the feeling of a closed race course. They're not solid walls in that they can be driven through, but if burnout paradise had used this, I might have played it for more than a couple hours.
On the down side, the world is just a bit bland. Everywhere looks about the same. And speaking of looks, there is a fair amount of pop-in on not-so-distant objects. Main missions are pretty interesting, but I'd still rather not do them, and the side missions are all predictable sandbox faire that really don't provide enough money or respect to be worth the time (from what I've seen). Combat also leaves me a bit unsatisfied. The only weapon I really like is the mind-control-squid-gun from the preorder, but it needs to hold more ammo.
Edited by Reaperman, Thu Nov 17, 2011 10:23 AM.
