IV is the new #1.
| Grand Theft Auto IV Review. posted: 05/09/2008 |
| Grand Theft Auto IV PLATFORM (PS3, Xbox 360) PUBLISHER (Take Two) PRICE $60 ESRB RATING (M for Mature) PLAYERS (1-16 online) Is Grand Theft Auto the most perfect game ever made? In many ways it is! Sure, the game is mainly a combination of many very good, just Ok, or poorly integrated elements. But the reason this game is not dragged down by its weaker bits is because it throws such an amazing assortment of activities at you. The game then allows you to choose whether or not to engage in them, making it an experience that almost everyone will play differently. You might think that the center of GTA IV is simply killing as many people as possible, and this certainly is a possible way to play the game. Still, that is not exactly the narrative focus of the game. The core story of this game is the immigrant experience. The main character, Niko Bellic, has just arrived in America from an unnamed Eastern European country. The game follows Niko as he tries to retain his sense of self while also trying to fix the numerous blunders his cousin Roman commits. Niko in some ways is reaching for the American Dream in a world where the odds seem stacked against him. It is a bit disappointing that many of these intriguing characters mostly disappear in a truly meaningful way after their main set of missions, but I found that even minor characters brought some new revelation about Niko and of Liberty City. You can get even more information about these characters by taking them out for events, but many of these events are not exactly amazing. Because of this you will probably not feel too motivated to pursue them. GTA IV is the equivalent of about six or seven games woven together and then put into one huge and extremly detailed city. Races, bowling, darts, taxi driving, package delieveries, an engrossing mob game, an immigrant story, mayhem, intense multiplayer action, extreme content and more awaits anyone who picks up this stunning game. It takes the formula of the GTA series and fleshes it out in too many ways to list in this review. You could literally spend months playing this game and still not complete it to 100%. Grand Theft Auto IV might not be a perfect game, but it is a perfectly entertaining experience that is almost a sure bet for the best game of the year. If you like this, you might also like these. Mercenaries 2 PLATFORM (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2) PUBLISHER (EA) PRICE $60 ESRB RATING (M for Mature) PLAYERS (1-2) THE QUICK AND DIRTY: The first Mercenaries was a huge hit that put the focus squarely on destruction. Mercenaries 2 takes this formula, and adds a new focus on realistic fire that should greatly magnify this games intensity. Saints Row 2 PLATFORM (Xbox 360, PS3) PUBLISHER (THQ) PRICE $60 ESRB RATING (M for Mature) PLAYERS (1-2) THE QUICK AND DIRTY : The first Saint's Row provided the ideas for many of the best improvements in GTA IV. That games innovative GPS system and pitch perfect control really helped make up for the rather hokey atmosphere. Let's hope that is enough to help the second game sell. |
