by Pete Degrazio
June 17th, 2008 -
Players assume control of Niko Bellic, an Eastern European immigrant and veteran of the Bosnian Wars. Lead to America by his cousin Roman, Niko learns that living the “American Dream” isn’t as exciting as his relative described. The protagonist arrives in the States to find Roman was living a lie. His letters boast of living the good life in a fancy apartment, surrounded by beautiful women, all of which Niko will learn is a bunch of bullshit. After this short introduction, players are left alone to explore Liberty City for a little while, which is an amazing 1/5 scale of New York City. Shortly thereafter, you’re thrown right into the mix. Purposely avoiding giving away too much of the plot, be weary of the choices you make. For example, the game will present players with an option of letting criminals go, or executing them in cold blood. Whatever choice is made, will have an impact on how your story unfolds. Unique twists, subplots, and countless side missions will keep you intrigued throughout the game.
With GTA IV, developer Rockstar’s aim was not to reinvent the wheel with this latest installment of this record breaking series. Instead, they chose to make it quite possibly, one of the more detailed games to be born of this Earth. It could take months of non-stop exploration to uncover all the hidden jewels of this magnificent re-creation of the Big Apple. Assuming you’re not a cheater, right? The ninth addition to the series succeeded in making it the most realistic Grand Theft Auto to date. Everything from the details of the streets and buildings, to the conversations and interactions with random people, is ridiculous and also a sign several employees of Rockstar are definitely OCD. Compelling measures were taken to make the environment as substantial as possible. The game still bewilders me each time I turn it on. It’s just a monster. Basically, if you’re not in awe of the game’s layout and detail, then check your pulse, because you’re probably dead.
Taking a game to the next level without changing its foundation, is not an easy feat to achieve. Step 1, learn objective. Step 2, steal car. Step 3, kill objective. That formula was very simple, and there was never a need to stray off that path. I mean you’d have to be mental to change something that has consistently done so well for so long. Did they change anything? No. Did they pimp this bitch out? Fuck yea they did. Step 1 now involves well scripted cut scenes that drive the story, which always seem easier to sit through on a next-gen console. Primary objectives are initiated by phone calls received to Niko’s cell phone. By accepting a call, icons will appear on your radar just like old times. Players can choose to ignore calls from potential employers, friends, and girlfriends. Just be weary that by doing so, you can actually start to piss these people off, which could prevent certain perks from activating. One minor complaint is that it can start to feel overwhelming with calls, missions, dates, etc. Characters will start calling at ridiculous rates looking for some handy work, or just a night on the town. A simple fix here, just turn your cell phone to Sleep Mode under the options tab to prevent any further calls while you catch up on the story. Which is also a sweet way to explore Liberty City at leisure. (QUICK HINT: If you find a pigeon, shoot it, because shooting pigeons is awesome. Plus, if you manage to shoot 200 of ‘em, you’ll have a nice bonus next time you fly a certain helicopter).
Step 2, well let’s just say it’s just more fun to steal a car when you have to actually break into the damn thing, and tapping triggers to hot wire for a quicker get a way just, ups the adrenaline rush. The cars look better, the roads look better, you can lock onto any location using a GPS marker that guides you to said destination. And check this, if you happen to nab yourself a nice pimped out piece of mobile real estate, it just may actually have a built in audible GPS system. There’s just something about “Please make a U-turn when its safe..“ that makes me want to run over people buying hot dogs from a street vendor. How’s that for when its safe bitch!? Oh, and if you just want to get where you’re going, (because let’s face it, you’re a New Yorker now so you don’t have time for bullshit) just hail a cab.
As for the killing, one word…Euphoria. Rockstar enlisting NaturalMotion’s engine was a brilliant move. The push IV makes towards a more realistic game starts with this nucleus. Simply put, it’s a full 3-D simulation of the body, muscles, and motor nervous system. In other words, when you shoot someone in the back of the head while running, they fall just as if someone was sick enough to actually motion capture such a thing. All the character models move and react with incredible stimulations. Combining Euphoria with a new targeting system, combat is fresh and user-friendly. Players can lock in and just start blasting away, or manually aim for those ever so precious headshots for a quick put down.
Side missions are a bit more extensive this time around as well, most notably, a friends management system. If you don’t keep your friends happy, your relationships suffer. If you haven’t hung out with one of them in a while, they call or text you to complain. After a while they will become a major pain the ass. Two words. Sleep. Mode. Some friends will want you to deliver the latest batch of fine cheeba, ask you to steal the latest pimped out Banshee, or just get loaded at the Pub. Regardless, it’s all for something. Keeping your friends (and girlfriends happy) will unlock perks that will benefit Niko when the heat is on. Tie-in your car stealing, boat and street racing, along with assassinations (and even a serial killer!), and you’ll be busy with this title for months.
One last addition to the GTA universe worth noting is the multiplayer modes. While you won’t get the organization of say your Call of Duty 4, or Resistance: Fall of Man, it does satisfy the one component this franchise was missing and desperately needed. I can guarantee that including multiplayer in IV resulted in a significant boost in sales. With 15 modes of play available (including a few Co-Op missions), the multiplayer supports up to 16 players, yet another avenue for players to explore the entire city.. Cash earned during play able to be used to purchase clothing for their online customizable character. Hosts of the games can control many variables, such as time of day, police presence, pedestrian presence, traffic, location of game, and weapons. One grievance is the lack of a party system, making inviting friends tedious and annoying. However, once you get them together, mayhem will ensue. It’s really the only component of the game Rockstar didn’t obsess about.
Honestly, this game is epic. It’s huge. And I mean this on every level those words are defined. They took a Corvette, and made it faster. They took that juicy steak, and made even more succulent. Rockstar, take a bow sirs. You nailed this one.
OVERALL RATING 9.5/10
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