Grand Theft Auto IV takes aspects from previous installments and builds greatly upon them, and adds new things to form the best Grand Theft Auto game to date.
Grand Theft Auto games have always been big in the video game industry. Most of the games, if not all, generate some type of controversy in the media, shatter sales records in days, and they usually live up to the hype. Grand Theft Auto IV is no exception. In fact, it actually surpassed my expectations. If you have ever felt ripped off from purchasing a game, this is not the case here, in GTA IV’s case, it is well worth the retail price, if not more.
GTA IV’s well-written story engages with Niko Bellic, an illegal immigrant from Eastern Europe arriving to Liberty City because his deceptive cousin tells him he is living the American Dream, and asks him to live it with him. However, when Niko arrives, he finds out his cousin has been bull shitting all along with the letters he wrote him. He does not have the fancy car, the beautiful women, or the glorious mansion.
Game play wise, you will still be killing cops, chasing down important people, causing hell on the streets, and a boatload of other chaotic activities. In GTA IV, however, the formula has changed. The game play isn’t the same as it was in its predecessors. It has vastly changed, and for the better. Everything is now smoother and intuitive thanks to the still pre mature game engine called “Euphoria.” Euphoria helps everything moves in a more realistic fashion. For example, if you are walking out and a car hits you at slow speed, you’ll react in as if you were actually hit at that speed. Euphoria also reflects on the driving in GTA IV. In past games, it felt as if you were driving a car on ice. In GTA IV, cars will react more realistic than ever and sometimes you will feel that you are playing a driving simulation. If you go off a ramp, you will see the shocks plunge down and the body of the car scrape the ground. Aside from the driving portion, if I shoot a person in the leg he will fall or limp from that leg. Another great example of the Euphoria engine would be when you jump out of a car at top speed. Your body will fling out of the car like a lifeless ragdoll, and you won’t believe how realistic it is.
With the Euphoria engine implemented it makes Liberty City feeling more realistic and alive than ever. Pedestrians will talk on their phones; have elaborate conversations with others, and act like an actually pedestrian as opposed to the previous installments. With all of this combined the city becomes very immersive and captivates you in from the get go. The city itself has also become more believable than ever. Traffic now becomes dense or less depending on the time of the day, Policemen will actually arrest people, and some pedestrians will pull over and attempt to fix their cars. GTA IV’s subtle details will put you in disbelief and it’s the subtle things that help complete the feeling of a living and breathing City to come alive.
If want to take a break from Niko’s quest, you can, and there is allot to do. You can roam Liberty City and cause chaos in the streets. If you are not in the mood for that the game also features a handful of places that are accessible. Including, strip clubs, a hospital, random hotels, a prison, and other misc. places. While you are about in Liberty City you can do side quests which are quite diverse and are a nice change of pace if you are looking to take a break from the main quest. The cell phone, which is another new feature in GTA IV offers a variety of things to do. You can call and setup appointments with your friends, call random numbers you find throughout the game, and dial 911 if something is wrong. You can also customize your phone in the game. Another addition like the cell phone is the Internet. The internet plays a big role just like the cell phone. You can browse random websites; check your email, and online dating. Aside from that, most of the website are actually funny and the Internet is a nice addition for GTA IV.
GTA IV’s predecessor, San Andreas introduced dating and relationships. In GTA IV, it’s taken a whole step further. Dating is now more in depth and diverse. Depending on the girl you date, they will prefer to go to some place different, and as you continue to bond with her it will escalade, it will become more difficult. If you just ignore her calls, she will eventually break up with you. Same goes with the friendship aspect.
Another big change in GTA IV would be the graphics. In previous games they didn’t look so good. GTA IV looks phenomenal. Cars are well detailed and the crashes look excellent. Character models are nicely detailed and unlike the previous games, they actually have hands. The city looks nice in the daytime, but at night is when it shines. Everything lights up and if you are in the air, you can see little dots that resemble car lights. When the sun goes down you can see the sun reflect off the giant skyscrapers and it’s breathtaking.
Most notably the newest and probably the most popular feature would be the Online. Online consists of several modes: Free roam up to 16 players, team death match, cops and robbers, race, Mafia work, Team Mafia work, bomb da base, and death match. It is really a step forward for the series and all lots of replay value to the game. If you don’t have online, you are missing out. Co-op from San Andreas was dropped here in GTA IV.
The game has very nice voice work and believe it or not, most of it is actually funny. You can also watch TV in the game and its worth watching. The game is also full of ridiculous radio stations talking about our problems here in the U.S. GTA IV also offers a stellar soundtrack and is very diverse.
I have only reached the surface to tell you about what this game offers. With a compelling story from start to finish. An online mode that will keep you coming back for more. Once you are done with this game, you will appreciate it more than you first did because to me, this isn’t just a game. It’s a piece of art, just like music, a book, a movie, or anything else that is considered art.
5 out of 5
