Houser talks up GTA visuals

News - 'Lived in'

Responding to criticism in some quarters that the graphics of GTA IV aren't the games strongest point, Rockstar boss Sam Houser has said that the world of the game is about looking 'lived in'.

"The thing that I probably get the most upset about is when people go, 'Well GTA's not about the graphics,'" Houser revealed to IGN.

"I don't agree with that point. It's not about hi-res graphics (as hi-res as they can be) but the worlds always looked - and maybe I'm deluded in this - but they always looked lived in, in a way most people can't achieve."

Rockstar have reportedly worked hard to deliver a true next-gen 'feeling' with GTA IV, and graphics are said to have come on in leaps and bounds for the new game.

"Video games are tactile by their nature, and for it to feel next-generation it had to feel better," Houser adds. "We wanted to redo all the targeting, redo everything mechanical, how missions flowed into each other - all of that side of things."

The game is out on April 29th, and the big cheese clearly feels something special is on the way: "We've always loved doing open world games, but that was something we really felt this time... We can really bring it alive in a way people haven't really seen before."