Grand Theft Auto IV

Game Info

Publisher: Rockstar Games

Developer: Rockstar North

Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Racing

Platform: PS3

Players: 16

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Release Date: April 29, 2008

Intro:

There is an opening CG in which we are introduced to Niko, a Russian coming to Liberty City, on a barge, to live the American dream as his cousin has described it to him in letters.  America will not be all that his cousin has made it out to be, however, and Roman, the cousin, has a bit of a problem with Albanian loan sharks.  Niko will have to learn to find his own way in America.

Getting Going:

Roman is drunk, leaving Niko to do the driving.  Getting into the car, we find that the controls have changed a little.  X and Square no longer act as the gas and brake, respectively.  Now, they are operated by triggering R2 and L2 respectively.  This would seem to make driving easier, but the physics that were so improved in San Andreas have lost their simplicity once again in GTA IV.  Getting to the house, Roman takes off on you, leaving Niko to explore this strange new world.

Fun:

Although you are playing a Russian character fresh off the boat, there is not much of a feeling of exploration or newness in GTA IV.  For life, Niko must either find food or sleep; choosing sleep causes him to lose 6 hours.  Losing 6 hours seemed insignificant in the grand scheme of things.  It didn't matter in my story; no one mentioned it.  I couldn't get the lady at the diner to serve me or even talk to me, which left me online searching for a way to eat.  It seems this was merely a glitch, since eating is a relatively easy affair otherwise.  When online, I found a cheat code instead, but was unable to use it.  Apparently, I wasn't far enough into the game to have a phone I could push numbers into.  Instead of being wholly enjoyable, the combination of physics problems and minor glitches made the game slightly frustrating.

Visuals:

Rockstar has once again upped the ante on visuals with this latest installment in the GTA franchise.  Niko can see how many people are in the car before he steals it.  The wheels turn, giving a good visual when backing or doing a y-turn.  In addition, the player can now see Niko driving and can even see the passenger fly forward in the event of a crash.  Every move is animated, including hot-wiring the car.  Signs are clear enough to read.  Vehicles are stunning in some cases, while plain sedans are also available for theft.  Traffic is only semi-predictable.  There was, however, nothing remarkable about the weather and night turns into day rather unexpectedly.

Sound:

The voice acting is superb.  The music is unfamiliar and the stations left a little to be desired, but it is notable that music is no longer limited to vehicles.  Radios now provide background noise in environments, as well.  Conversations can be heard on the streets and talk radio is fully scripted, offering humorous quips as well as in-depth stories.  TV is also available in Roman's apartment.

Intelligence:

It is still possible to run over a pedestrian without much consequence, but they don't run in front of you on purpose in GTA IV.  They also get out of the way, as long as you edge the car forward instead of instantly accelerating.  Nudging a police car earns you one star.  In GTA IV, if you pull the wrong driver from his vehicle, you will get into a fight for the car.  If you pull out a driver with a passenger, this is very likely.  If the car isn't at the front of the line, enabling you to drive off immediately, this is also possible.  Sometimes, bystanders will also get involved.  Passengers comment on your driving if it is poor and walking away from a date requires you to return to their side instead of expecting them to automatically follow you.

Immersion:

Time does fly when playing GTA IV.  There is so much to do, that you simply get lost in the experience and lost in thought.  Cars don't move as slowly and parked cars aren't always plentiful.  Meanwhile, Niko walks very slowly in a very large city and choosing the wrong car could end in loss of life.  There are many decisions to be made.

Win-Lose States:

Getting arrested still leaves Niko at the police department with a loss of all weapons and some money.  Niko can call 911 for an ambulance when he is injured and low on life.  It takes you further from play and costs more money than finding food, but remains an option.  Money is earned for completing missions which Niko can use to shop for clothing, weapons, ammo and other items.  There are trophies to be earned and accomplishments that can be player-directed.  For instance, a player might try to play without running over any pedestrians.  Every category of the game is tracked for players who wish to do more, or less.

Cameras:

The map function now offers GPS and a yellow line showing the shortest route to your next destination.  The camera on the left stick can be a little tricky.  L3 must be toggled left and right to steer, but pushing it forward zooms in on the rear of the vehicle at the worst times.  Pushing the select button offers many camera options and, in GTA IV, you can remain in that camera mode while driving.  Sitting in a parked vehicle, the camera can be swung a full 360 degrees to give Niko a complete view of everything going on around him.

Controls:

The driving physics are a bit rough to deal with at first and require a bit of a learning curve.  Once you get used to the touchiness of the controls, however, it is not to difficult to move down the road with a minimum of crashes.  Niko moves about easily; the physics for the player character had been as much of a problem as the vehicles in previous GTA games.  GTA IV makes use of the SIXAXIS controller for steering boats, motorcycles and helicopters.  It's a bit touchy with the helicopter, but feels more intuitive in the boats and on bikes.  

Ideas:

Once again, Rockstar has taken the qualities of the franchise that make the games great and improved on them, creating a franchise game that has surpassed every other game available for Sony systems.  GTA IV improves the graphics, makes use of the new technology of the SIXAXIS controller, and provides a richer player experience in the form of story and sheer volume of things to do.  

Memory:

Once the game is turned off, I still find myself wanting to explore the rich environment of Liberty City with Niko.  I would like to finish Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas first so that I can fully appreciate the changes present in GTA IV.