gamers hated it because they can't just hold down the gas
GTA IV was hated, at least in my social circle (and the digital places I frequented), because when it was released for the PC it ran like crap and Rockstar tried to get away with: “uh... we actually programmed this game for computers of the future”.
I'm sure some people complained about the gameplay, but a lot of people praised it too, I personally liked it and I remember discussing it with friends saying that it felt like the first Driver where the cars had exaggerated suspensions and were therefore super fun to drive.