This year's long anticipated crimefest has finally arrived. There was no doubt that GTA IV would sell millions like the previous games, but some hardcore gamers wondered if it could live up to the last three titles. GTA IV doesn't revolutionize the series like GTA III, but it fleshes out the core gameplay in several key areas. For the first time ever in a GTA game, I was actually compelled to stick to the missions. Previous GTA games such as Vice City and San Andreas have featured characters with distinct personalities, but GTA IV's Niko Bellic oozes with personality. Niko is a refreshing type of character, who is likeable despite the fact that he is a criminal. Unlike cocky, macho characters like Marcus Fenix from Gears of War, Niko is a calm, quiet character who will do anything for his family. He was lured to America because of his cousin's favorable portrayal of the country. His cousin Roman led him to believe that it was a land of full of parties, wealth, fast cars, and beautiful women. What Niko finds instead is a land full of hardship and struggle. To get by and protect his mischievous cousin, he has to perform many nefarious deeds. Even though many players will disagree with what Niko does, they will empathize with his difficult situation. When playing as Niko, you sometimes have to choose what to do in a particular situation. If vengeance is on your mind, you can kill a rival mafia member you are pursuing. On the other hand, if you are a merciful individual, you can let your potential victim live. Some of the choices you make throughout the game will affect the outcome of the story. This allows for an immersive gameplay experience. The story is lengthy, but enjoyable due to its memorable characters that are expertly voiced. Expect to spend 25 to 30 hours completing this game.
GTA IV contains an overwhelming amount of content. There is a lengthy plot, a huge city with three islands to explore, and a plethora of multiplayer modes. Over the course of the story, you complete missions for various crime bosses to earn more money and move up in the Liberty City social hierarchy. The missions vary little from the previous GTA games--you drive trucks containing bombs into enemy buildings, you steal drugs and jewels, kill drug dealers, snipe enemies, take out rival gangs, jack cars, and pilot boats and helicopters. Even though these types of missions lack originality, the highly realistic city and car physics make driving to various locations an enjoyable experience. Anyone who has been to New York City will notice the incredible realism in GTA IV's many neighborhoods. There is nothing like racing a sports car through downtown NYC at high speeds.
GTA IV's missions will take you all over the city, from the projects to construction sites. Luckily, there are a variety of vehicles to commandeer, but many are merely graphically improved versions of cars from GTA III. At least the cars don't flip over as often now, and they look like their real life counterparts. The game features cars that look like popular luxury SUVs, lowriders, sports cars, convertibles, and rust buckets. GTA IV gives you plenty of ways to use these cars--you can perform stunts, pick up passengers, crash through the windshield if you hit a concrete barrier, and drive drunk, although Jack Thompson probably wouldn't like the last option. Cars are more difficult to control than in San Andreas, but parts come off in a more realistic fashion, and likewise the steering has a higher degree of realism. Boats and helicopters don't control as well as the cars in GTA IV, but there are few missions where you have to leave the comforts of land. The biggest problem with the control in GTA IV still lies with the on-foot mechanics. Moving your character isn't difficult, but still feels clumsy. Maybe Rockstar should ask for the assistance of Shigeru Miyamoto in implementing better on-foot controls. Aiming with guns still feels awkward as well. Thankfully, the lock-on and manual aim have been improved from pervious iterations of the series, but they still don't work as well as you'd hope. There were a few situations where I died because of glitches and faulty controls, which made the game frustrating occasionally.
Not only does GTA IV have a great single player mode, but it also contains a variety of multiplayer game types. While the gameplay lacks the depth and polish of Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4, it still gives you a plethora of modes to mess around with. You can drive, fly, walk, and sail around the whole city with 16 other players. You can engage in intense fire fights, jump off the empire state building, jack cars, and have helicopter races. The variety of online modes is what will keep GTA IV players coming back in the long run.
I was skeptical that GTA IV would deliver a great experience. None of the previous GTA games kept me glued to the TV screen for the entire story, but GTA IV actually made me want to discover what would happen next. It throws out some of the innovations from San Andreas, such as being able to change your body composition, ride bikes, pilot planes, and travel to multiple cities, but what it does offer is one living, breathing city, which is a good thing in my book. If the gameplay of old GTA games felt repetitive to you, and you felt that it was lacking a good story, I highly recommend GTA IV. Some people who enjoyed the variety of gameplay features of San Andreas may be annoyed by the cut features, but I am glad that Rockstar decided to focus on improving the core experience. If they can fix the on-foot and shooting controls for the next game, GTA V will be a masterpiece.