Nothing says "gritty noir atmosphere" like magic armor!

Actually I like pre-order bonuses because you can typically sell them for 15-20$.

The other advantage to getting the game at Kmart, of course, is the unspoken one : What if the game isn't really all that great? . I always prefer waiting until I see some review at least. Let's face it : If this game weren't from Rockstar, we'd all be pretty cautious about a game that's been in development hell for a half-decade with no multiplayer component, where nobody has any idea about game length or replayablility, and where nobody has seen a review. Right?

Was Alan Wake any different?

You're demanding to see a review first? Look, pal, this is better than Call of Duty and anybody who says differently is a n00b.

Nope. Didn't pre-order that either. Got it for $30 about a month after release.

As long as I'm punished for not playing the game perfectly, I'll be satisfied.

I don't give a shit that it's 'a Rockstar' game, and to be honest it's Team Bondi game - Rockstar is the publisher and likely assisted on some development, but for all intents and purposes Rockstar is predominantly the publisher. If you look at all the other games that are "Rockstar" games, the developer is always Rockstar <city name>. Where this one is Team Bondi and a generic Rockstar Games moniker.

Also - Heavy Rain, Alan Wake both fall into your question - and both of those are the primary reason I bought the consoles, both in development for ages, and both are in my top 10 list of the generation.

I actually don't care about multiplayer or replayability as long as it's around 8 hours long , is fun and has a good story. I actually don't like Rock Star games for the most part as I tend to get bored of them quickly.

I do believe that anybody expecting "Red Dead Redemption in 1940's Los Angeles" is going to be sorely disappointed.

I'm expecting a playable "choose-your-own-adventure" version of LA Confidential. It can't go wrong!

I'm expecting an over-the-top futuristic FPS with RPG-inspired character leveling and a heavy rap soundtrack.

One of us HAS to be right.

I should have some early impressions for you guys Friday if anyone's interested. Hopefully I don't get hunted down by some PR people like in the Brink thread

I'm excited to play this one and hope it works out to be a great game. I'm generally not a huge fan of Rockstar games either, GTA IV was boring as hell but looked fantastic (I'm a Saint's Row guy). Red Dead was also boring, but less so than GTA. This looks a little more like Heavy Rain, which I loved.

GTA IV and Red Dead boring? Your credibility just left the building.

I'm expecting something that plays like a cross between Halo and Q*Bert, with a touch of Karateka thrown in.

I'll agree with whoever said that... Could someone explain the appeal of virtual driving/riding long distances to perform repetitive missions? Soooo much filler. Amazingly detailed worlds with excellent production values, but it always feels like nothing is actually progressing.

I think the appeal of "open world driving" is the ability to find stuff and some side mission work. I'd personally be willing to skip all that to just get to my next mission.

Here's to hoping LA Noire doesn't have you spending 10 minutes to get from point A to point B every time you try to chase down a lead.

I'm guessing you're going to have them even if no one is interested.

while I found the story good in GTA IV, i found it extremely boring and repetitive after a while.

Rockstar games are among the worst games of the past 10 years.

I know some games that are better than Rockstar games, but they are a bit too off the radar for you guys.

Shocking.

^ this

Just my opinion.

I was severely disappointed with GTA4. My complaint is always that the driving sucked. In previous installments, which I enjoyed despite their flaws, I loved just traveling around seeing all the environments. Four lost that for me when they decided in a completely unrealistic arcadey game to act like I'm playing Gran Turismo when it comes to driving.

I enjoyed Red Dead Redemption more due to the setting being so different, but man some things got repetitive there too. Oh look, the animation to skin an animal again. No, this won't get old the 4000th time you do it.

At this moment though, I will definitely not buy this game at full price or on release. This will go for all future Rockstar games for me because the multiplayer has not been something I go back to more than once. They are for single player and as such I'll just wait until they are cheaper.

Heck, I wouldn't even call them video games.

Edit: And I don't care what the Star Trek wiki says!