This first thing that I'm going to say is that I love GTA IV. I know that I'm not the only one, as this game is getting nothing but praise. While the game is quite amazing, it's not perfect. In fact, I know many people that just pain don't like it.

In my group of friends, only a few of us are 'hardcore' gamers. Those friends of mine that fall closer to the 'casual' group of gamers are quite divided on the game. It's these type of people that have opinions that really matter, as I think they are the closest to 'unbiased' as you can get. They have no real allegiance; while they don't hate games they don't love them all either. They usually come to a game with a fresh outlook, and if on the surface it's just more of the same - they won't like it.

So in no particular order I'm going to outline some things that I think the 'average' gamer would pick out as reasons not to like the game. 

Multiplayer is Awkward.
The first thing that I usually mention to people that haven't played GTA IV yet is that the multiplayer is pretty damn fun. However, after clocking a few hours online it's become far less appealing to me. First off, the menu to get online is on your in-game cell phone. While this is cool the first couple times, after getting kicked out or leaving a game and being sent back to the single player world, the loading times get frustrating. And being 'hidden' in the cell phone menu causes some to not even to know how to get into multiplayer! (I've had two friends ask me this.)

Organizing games with your friends is also a pain. While the party system lets you easily set up your first game (you're given a open world to join before you launch off with your group to find a game), continuing onto a second or third game with the same people requires you to exit back into the single player, start a party game and send out invites all over again.

Two paragraphs and I haven't even mentioned the quality of people you'll meet online. While this isn't a direct problem with the game itself, it still affects gameplay. Now I haven't played online with the PS3 yet, but on Live, I wish you luck organizing anything. 'Free mode' sound awesome in theory, but after actually getting online to try it you'll find it is nothing more but deathmatch. The targeting system doesn't help in this regard, as it will prioritize other players over anything else. Even if you manage to get a few friends together in a party (see above) you'll always have the rest of the server filled with teenagers killing you as you try to run from the cops with your best mate.

Simplified Content
In making the transition from GTA 3: San Andreas to GTA IV, many things where cut and more was changed. Overall, the changes were for the better. The game is much more streamlined, and it plays very smoothly. Features such as the new police search area were much welcomed and really make the wanted system make more sense. However, this streamlining comes at a cost. No longer can you run around with two hundred different weapons ranging from chainsaws to dildos and be at a five star wanted level fighting tanks thirty seconds into your killing spree. In fact, even with a nice bulletproof vest, it takes some serious skill to get over four stars. I've tried a few times, only getting four stars a hand full of times. While I'm not even half way through the game yet, I'm noticing the police are much more ruthless and that new six star target is a distant goal.

But why is this a problem? Some people don't really care about the story. All they want from GTA is to be able to sit down and cause some chaos. GTA IV makes you work much harder for that chaos. Piling up ten cars and blowing them up for a barricade and holding off the police for hours on end is no long as variable. Even just the simple change of the cars not blowing up from too much impact damage could disappoint some fans of the older games. While GTA IV is still quite clearly GTA, this time around it's much different game.

Hypocritical Main Character
Very early in the game I noticed something different about Nico, the main character. He quite vocally opposed blindly following orders. He talks about understanding the reasons behind anything he's asked to do on multiple occasions and I began to seriously like the character. All too often in games you are left to 'walk the path' the developers have left for you. Sure in many games you are given options, but it still always boils down to a NPC asking you to do something, and then you go do it. In fact, games are starting to touch on that very realization.  I wasn't expecting anything groundbreaking in this respect from GTA IV, but when Nico was saying these things I thought we would be seeing a little more than "I want you to kill X character." and then having me running over to take care of it. In fact, the things Nico was saying blatantly said he was not going to do that. However shortly after, we have the first person asking Nico to kill someone, we happily turn around and go take care of it - no questions asked. And so far, this hasn't changed throughout the game, which I found to be hugely disappointing.

Sprinting Mechanic Hurts your Thumb…Like, a Lot
What made them think rapidly tapping the A button to sprint was a good idea? Why couldn't they take advantage of 'new technology' like the pressure sensitive sticks? Every time I am trying to chase down a car on foot, I feel like I'm playing Long Jump on NES Track and Field (that's not a good thing). This wouldn't be such an issue if you didn't have to do it so often! Anyone that has played a GTA game before knows that sometimes, to get a car you want or even any car for that matter, you have to run down the middle of the street like a madman. This hasn't changed in GTA IV. In fact, the area that has me replaying missions the most has very few cars on the streets most times. This leaves me running to a more populated area quite often, mashing the A button as I go.

I could continue with many other problems I’ve noticed, some even more serious than those listed above, but they are things the average gamer wouldn’t take issue with.  If you’re ready to argue against anything I’ve brought up in this article, remember one thing; I’ve written this article from what I think the casual gamer would see. Chances are if you’re reading this site, you don’t fall into that category.