Jeff Morris | Producer |Epic Games
GamesRadar: There's no denying GTA IV is the most anticipated game of the year on 360 and PS3: what are your feelings about the game from what you've seen so far?
Jeff Morris: It looks like it maintains that great sense of being a real place that the previous titles had. I'll always remember San Andreas for the PC. The entire packaging was this hardback travel guide for the state, with the disc sitting on the back inside cover. Not only was it an amazingly elegant packaging solution, it dragged me into taking their world seriously from the get go. The recent TV spots I’ve seen for GTA IV have been faux "Come to Liberty City" ads like some states do. Again, really engaging me as a "real place" would, before I even put the disc in the drive.
Above: Unlike Epic's UT3 you won't find plasma green laser death in GTA.However, Epic's Jeff Morris believes you will find "some of the most compelling characters in gaming" in Rockstar's series
GR: How many of the other GTA games have you played and which one did you admire most?
JM: I played the original top down one way back when I was at Origin, and then lost sight of it until it blew up on consoles with GTA III. I'm probably an uncommon fan since GTA IV will be the first one I play on a game console. GTA/GTA III/Vice/Andreas I all played on the PC, and was pretty thankful for it. Those games on the PC had much superior visuals with hellishly long view distances. With the 360/PS3 though, I don't think I'll be making quite the compromise I would have back then.
GR: From a developer point of view how do you rate Rockstar?
JM: They're definitely some of the strongest writers in the games business, and their narratives are always interesting. Combined with their excellent VO casting, they've got some of the most compelling characters in gaming.
GR: Will you be buying GTA IV on day one?
JM: That's my intent!
GR: Okay, thanks for your time. Is there anything you want to plug to GamesRadar readers?
JM: Fans of violent, kinetic first person shooters should check out Unreal Tournament 3 (coming soon for 360, available now for PS3 and PC). It's what I’d prescribe for the unfortunate condition of Tactical Shooter Fatigue (TSF). Zero time to spectacle multiplayer carnage at its finest.
