Bob Varley

I’m a regular listener to the DIS Unplugged podcast.  The podcast usually comes out on Tuesdays, but there hasn’t been a new show since 4/22.  I went over to the DIS website to find out what the delay was and discovered some horrible news.

Bob Varley, one of the podcast team, passed away on 4/28.  I was kind of surprised at how upset I got when I heard this.  I had never met the man, but I feel like I’ve lost a friend.  

Bob’s humor was one of my favorite things about the show.  He will definitely be missed.  I will never visit “Interventions” again without thinking about him and smiling.  My thoughts and prayers go out to Bob’s family and the rest of the Pod Squad.

GTA IV

It’s not very often that a game comes along that turned out to be pretty much exactly what I expected, and yet also managed to wow me practically every second.

Grand Theft Auto IV is a GTA game through and through, but its execution is so epic and fantastic that you can’t help but be in awe at the fact that it has come together as well as it has.

Rockstar has really outdone itself and has issued proof that it is not only the founding father of open world games, but also the undisputed king.

GTA IV manages to break every negative stigma from past games in the franchise while keeping the series’ core gameplay intact, albeit much more in-depth than ever before.

The new aiming and cover mechanics, while not perfect, do a fantastic job of completely changing the way combat works while keeping it at least as intense as we’d seen in past titles. Mission progression is paced incredibly well, and side things like managing relationships directly impact your game.

Liberty City is simultaneously the most realistic and immersive location we’ve seen in a game like this. The amount of detail that you’ll find here is astounding, not only visually but with regards to the things pedestrians and whatnot will do.

Watching someone yank out a newspaper and hold it over their head while running for cover when it begins to rain is just one example of the personality and small touches of realism that you’ll see everywhere.

But while the mechanics, side missions and other core gameplay elements are all fantastic, it’s the story and overall presentation that elevates GTA IV to heights very rarely seen in gaming. Rockstar has once again done an amazing job of walking the fine line between humor and seriousness with characters that you’re immediately able to connect to. They’re almost all bad people, to be sure, but each of them has character weaknesses and vulnerabilities that make them real.

Characters have reasons for doing what they do, and it’s apparent that they also have morals and inner demons as well. The cast plays perfectly into a fascinating story that is not only is easily the best of the franchise, but one of the best you’ll find in gaming anytime soon.

I could go on and on about why Grand Theft Auto IV is one of the best games I’ve ever seen and why even folks who are easily offended should play it, but that would be pointless. The only thing you need to know is that you have to play this game. Period.

Here’s the offical IGN review.