There is a point in Grand Theft Auto IV where the player guides the main character Nikko Belic, who is naturally clutching a sniper rifle as if it was an extension of his body, to the roof of a apartment building in Liberty City. Belic runs up a handful of interior stories of the building, and every wall, door, stair, trash bag and flickering fluorescent light is as realistically run down as they would be in a similar building in reality. Various apartments throughout the building blare music from the various local radio stations. The claustrophobic corridors of this inner city place of residency look and sound exactly how they should. After a After Belic reaches the top floor, he pushes open a door in a single, confident, fluid and realistic motion.
Suddenly, Belic is surrounded by a plethora of bright lights, coming from towering skyscrapers, poorly timed traffic lights, a whining helicopter in the above distance, and the headlights of the angry and impatient drivers of liberty city. Pedestrians walk calmly through the dark streets, each with their own agenda. A woman on the sidewalk in front of the building Belic stands atop picks up her ringing cell phone, and begins a conversation. She then dodges a group of three men in a circle who appear to be discussing the finer aspects of life. The woman on the cell phone then obliviously crosses the street. A black car closely resembling a vintage Cadillac successfully avoids the woman by coming to a screeching halt, the green SUV behind crashes into it, and its' angry driver exits his car to confront the shellshocked Cadillac driver. But the player doesn't notice any of this. They are too busy with what feels like an extremely important moral dilemma.
Belic is guided to the edge of the rooftop. The building overlooks a well lit courtyard. Sitting at a bench are two men who have both asked Belic to kill the other. Both are friends of Belic, and both have already received various services from the Serbian hitman. The player guides the cross hair of the rifle's scope, and with a pull of a trigger, makes a decision which will greatly effect the proceeding events of the satiric, dark and beautiful interactive crime drama.
This sense of total emersion, created by a culmination of beautiful graphics, wonderful characters, invigorating gameplay and the behemoth of a virtual metropolis that is Liberty City, is what makes Grand Theft Auto IV one of the best games of all time. The game is a sharp satire on American culture, expressed by both a main plot line which tells the very real very of an immigrant's pursuit of the American dream. All of the characters throughout the game are very well realized, and all seem as realistic as any high quality movie character. Due to the length of the game, which has a main story line of 30-40 hours, the epic story that is told by GTAIV feels much like a novel; the player is drawn completely into a rich and realized world, and once the experience is over, they have trouble removing themselves from it.
And the world, represented by developer Rockstar's version of New York, Liberty City, is one worth clinging to. The game has wonderful graphics; the citizens faces to the flowing water are expertly textured and colored, and the result is a game which is extremely nice to look at. The city is beautiful, especially at nighttime when it lights up. The various citizens can be eccentric and rude, and through a play though of the game, it is extremely hard to see the same pedestrian twice. There are four areas of Liberty City, representing most boroughs of New York, as well as one area which represents New Jersey. Each one of these unbelievably intricate physical sections of the map has their own unique vibe. The city truly feels like a real urban center.
The city serves as an open playground for excellent gameplay. All of the cars which appear throughout the traffic-ridden streets are all drivable, and each one drives different. The driving is similar to that in past GTA games, and other vehicles such as speed boats and helicopters make important appearances. There is also always an option to bypass driving by calling a cab.
The combat in GTA IV, which is based around the gunplay skills of the Belic, is also excellent. Combat heavily utilizes a intuitive lock on system which is complimented by a surprisingly important cover system. It would be extremely hard to successfully complete the game without utilizing the cover which is offered by anything from car doors to large trees. Gunfire or any other crime will often attract police men, who must be outrun to stop their pursuit. Many moments in the game, such as shooting a helicopter down from another with a rocket launcher, or escaping the heat from the LCPD after a bank heist feel like genuine, adrenaline filled moments which would feel at home in the most extreme of action movies.
The mission system makes a return from previous games, and the structure of visiting various employers works very well with Belic's story. A new feature added in this GTA is the friends system. The player can choose to call up any one of Belic's various friends and girlfriends from his cell phone (the phone acts as a sort of menu in the game), and do various activities with them, such as bowling or a cabaret show. Once a friends or girlfriend likes Belic enough, they will offer him services, such as free cab rides or discounted weapon prices.
Grand Theft Auto IV is truly a landmark in interactive entertainment. This game proves concretely that video games can be considered art. A serious story line which the player has immediate influence on is complemented by a deep and engaging world and exhilarating gameplay. The result is something which will change the way games are made. The quality and innovation of Nikko Belic's struggles in America are something which have never been seen in any video game, and ultimately the unique type of experience which this amazing crime drama endows on the player is something which has never been seen in any entertainment medium.