I'm not here to drudge up the long dead argument of how the two games are similar. Having just grown tired of GTA IV and it's expansions I'm looking to have a little super-hero fun in a Hi Res Manhattan and I was wondering if there was anyone out there who could attest to each game's accuracy.

At the moment I'm looking at Spider-Man Web of Shadows and Prototype.

I know neither will come close to GTA, but for whatever reason I just love playing games set in NYC. I've lived here for many years and I just love playing games where I can act all super-human in my neighborhood.

Feel free to open this up to "What non-GTA game represents the city best?

My two cents: I think the most accurate city game to date isTrue Crime: Streets of NY.

Of course, as a last resort, you could always tell her to find another place to stay.XIntoTheBlue

If that fails, talk to your girlfriend about the problem (remain vague but make sure she understands how you feel) and see what happens. Most likely she'll side with you and the other girl will conclude it's not worth the effort and leave you alone.Black_Knight_00

Alas, we are under the parents' roof so it's not really my call. This is all just the tip of the iceburg when it comes to living with the brother and his girlfriend. I won't dwell in any of the non-gaming issues, but lets just say my girlfriend and her parents have 99 problems with them and video games are not one of them.

...I would ask her about her hobbies and passions and attack (aka argue aka discuss aka conversate) them.jjtiebuckle

Well if you count being grouchy as a hobby then I know just the one!

I don't really take her comments to heart, I'm just appalled that someone could be so bitter towards something as light and fun as video games.

One big problem with our society is that so many people feel it's ok to openly judge and condemn others. I bet your girlfriend either watches talk (yell) shows on tv, reads fashion magazines, loves collecting shoes, is interested in gossip or all of the above. Now, nothing wrong with any of those things, but YOU might consider one or more of them to be a stupid waste of time, yet you're kind enough not to tell her, because you don't want to hurt her feelings. Well guess what, she doesn't care and as you said she picks every chance to remind you how stupid and childish your hobby is. This is a problem. The solution as always is to openly talk about it. Tell her how you feel and that her spitting on your hobby hurts you. Maybe she does it without thinking of the consequences and if she really loves you she'll ponder her actions and change. If not, well... millions of chicks in the world, man.Black_Knight_00

Excellent advice in regards to dealing with this problem in girlfriends. Thankfully my girlfriend is completely supportive of me and my hobbies.

Unfortunately, I was talking about my girlfriend's > brother's > girlfriend. Somewhat convoluted I know.

Sorry for the confusion, it's tough keeping people straight when you're not using their names. It's much less of an issue I know, but I still have to share a house with this chick.

P.S. I don't think I would have gotten to the point in a relationship of moving in if she did have a problem with video games :P

I, like many of you out there consider himself a hardcore gamer. I have a deep seeded love for gaming that started as far back as I can remember, and as far as I'm concerned, will be continue well into my retirement. While gaming has always had a healthy place in my heart and life (even after moving in with my moderately non-gaming girlfriend) recent living situations have spurred the question "how do you cope when living with someone who shuns your passion?"

Recently my girlfriend and I moved from the stressful pace of New York City to the small-town second home of her parents' up in Massachusetts. We set up camp and began our long arduous search for career changes. A few months in, her employed brother and his full-time student girlfriend decided that this setup would be ideal for them to save money towards a house and decided to move in as well. Previous to the move I introduced him to Forza 2 using the steering wheel which seemed to pique his interest quite a lot! However, as soon as they moved we got to know his girlfriend; it was apparent that she had a rather large chip on her shoulder when it came to video games.

A while back her only sister married a hardcore gamer, and has recently been impregnated by him (clarification: her sister is now pregnant). In her retelling, it would appear that her once fun and outgoing sibling has since been turned into a dull, shut-in, with no desire to go out and be fun anymore, all thanks to this aspergian video gamer. While this language may seem a bit harsh, I assure you that in terms of describing her family, it's par for the course.

As a big RPG fan I am no stranger to clocking hundreds of hours into games. With that said, I always make it a point to respect those around me by not letting the game deter my attention. So when first alone in the house with this girl she walked in as I was playing a game, and told me her position on gaming. With game paused and controller placed next to me I gave her my full undivided attention. It was then that she stated how she thought gaming was only for people under a certain age, and her disbelief at how her brother-in-law could be so socially inept and devote so much of his time to them. While these comments, and many others have not been directed toward me, her criticism of a person very much of my own likening is thinly veiled. Whenever ads for video games are shown on TV she expresses her fear that her niece or nephew will like video games and how much of a loser this brother-in-law of hers is, she tries to relate by saying "I tried that game once" only to continue her campaign of "but it was stupid, all you do is run around". I am always very respectful in my gaming. If someone is watching TV I keep the sound down, I always forfeit the the larger tv to other people simply to be kind, but in return all I get are insults.

Now I'm not trying to spark any "gamers are people too!" rallies, nor would I ever want to be mean and stoop to her level by passive-aggressively retaliating (since her countless social improprieties and roommate fo pas make her argument somewhat of a moot point), I just want to know people's experience with this kind of adversity, and how you have overcome it. While, gaming is just a hobby for most of us, it doesn't matter how masterfully crafted the story is or how the game play engine pushes the boundaries, people will still just see animated visuals as "cartoons", however, when it comes to living with someone who is just downright vindictive about hating it creates a horrible environment no matter how big gaming is in one's life.