Grand Theft Auto IV

Grand Theft Auto IV is not radically different to its last generation predecessors. It only introduces a handful of new features, many of which are fairly minor. You still commit thefts, assaults and murders in return for money. You still have to work for untrustworthy criminals who might stab you in the back at any time. You're still in . But GTA IV is better than its predecessors. It may be built on the same concept, but this time round, all of the small nuts and bolts that put GTA together are of much better quality, and fit much more closely together.

The game begins as you, Niko Bellic, step off a boat at the docks as an illegal immigrant in search of fortune, women and fast cars. All of this has been promised by Niko's cousin, Roman, who you meet almost immediately. However, it quickly transpires that Roman has been living in a dream world and has been falsely promoting . In reality, far from living a life of luxury, Roman has been living in a small, untidy one bedroom apartment and runs a small taxi service which apparently struggles to turn over any substantial amount of money. Unimpressed with his cousin's lies, and with little choice, Niko is thrust into the criminal underworld which is prosperous in – hardly surprising if you know anything about the GTA series.

It is difficult to pinpoint one feature of GTAIV which is better, or more compelling than any other. If one were forced to choose, the characters, the story or the city would be equally valid choices. However, perhaps the biggest improvement over previous GTA games is in the characters. Whereas in previous GTA instalments, characters could, at times, be a little too eccentric and thus unbelievable, this time round, they are, in most cases, nearly spot on. Every character is well developed in a way not usually seen in video games. By the time you have completed a few missions for each character, you should have a good understanding of what that character believes in, why they are who they are and what sets them apart from the other characters. The range of characters is also hugely diverse, from the jacked up, steroid fuelled Brucie to the marijuana smoking Jamaican, Little Jacob, to the gambling addict, Roman. What's more, each of the main characters are often more closely related in GTA IV than in previous games, something which proves interesting in latter stages of the story. Depending on how much you are drawn to big name actors, you may be disappointed to learn that there are no famous voice actors in GTA IV – no Samuel L. Jackson this time around.

With so many characters to do missions for, hang out with, and chat with, it is not easy to keep up to date on all of their situations. Luckily, this task is made a little easier via the new additions of both a cell phone and internet cafes. Your cell phone is accessible at any time (yes, even when driving) and can be used to call associates, ask for help, enquire about jobs for extra money and to invite friends out. The internet is also used to communicate with friends – although you cannot send them messages, you must wait until they send you one and then hit reply. As well as creating the ability to send emails, the internet is another medium for supplying players with a healthy dose of jokes and funny websites.

Equally as impressive as the characters which have been created, is itself. Or rather, and . is based heavily on real life , whilst Alderney is based upon real life . GTA III was also set in , but on this excursion, is almost unrecognisable and has been greatly transformed to the point where it pretty much resembles NYC as closely as possible without actually being NYC. As well as Alderney, features four distinct districts; Broker (Brooklyn), Dukes (Queens), Bohan (The Bronx) and Algonquin (). These districts have there own unique feel to them, so if you make the transition from one to another, it is quite obvious. This is especially true if you a flying overhead in a helicopter. Also within each district are a number of landmarks. For example, Algonquin features the Statue of Happiness (sorry, no prizes for guessing which real life landmark it is based on), and the connects Broker to Algonquin. GTA IV's is not as large as San Andreas, so don't go out expecting to get a bigger world just because the game is more recent. That, said, there are no 'empty' areas in . Unlike the vast deserts in San Andreas, is a crowded, busy city which is densely populated with people, buildings and roads.

Small details in make it feel like a real city. Pedestrians will go about their daily business, provided you don't give them a reason to either attack you or speed away in fear. Food stands are dotted around the city – an ideal place to restore your health. The subway is more complex too, to the extent it actually requires a real map of the subway system in the GTA IV box. Police Officers can sometimes be seen making arresting other people and occasionally there are traffic accidents, including the running over of unfortunate pedestrians – all these occurrences happen independently of anything you as the player do, again adding to a sense of realism. As a result of this added realism, it seems like a much bigger thing to have to kill people. You no longer necessarily feel you are just shooting a bunch of pixels on a screen. The people you kill may not be real, but they are real enough within the game for you to care about them. Similarly, sometimes you feel genuinely sorry if you accidentally run somebody over, killing them. Thankfully, if you do do this, at least you get more realistic animations thanks to the RAGE engine. This allows people, Niko included, to act differently in every collision, based on how fast you get hit, at what angle, the size of the car etc. It even allows for drivers to be thrown through the windscreens of vehicles in particular heavy collisions.

As mentioned, has quite a bit going on. So to get from one place to another, you're going to need some transport. One of the first things you will notice when you play GTA IV is how different the cars feel from previous GTA's. Sure, each car has always been different in terms of design and their performance properties, but in GTA IV the difference is much more noticeable. The feel of the cars weight is much more noticeable. This makes braking take longer, and also means that if you do like power sliding around corners, expect the slide to last a lot longer. At first this will probably mean you crash a lot, and the new driving model is a bit more difficult than before, but once you get used to it you begin to appreciate it, even if it is harder to master. As always, you can also catch public transport. As well as the aforementioned subway, GTA IV introduced taxis. Of course, taxis were always there, but now you can pay to ride in them. This is very simple. After hailing an empty taxi, you press a button to get in, tell the driver where to go, and they take you there (duh!). You can pay more money to skip the journey, which makes getting from one corner of the city to the other a much faster experience than before. If you do need to drive such distances on your own, this is made much easier in GTA IV via the use of GPS. Basically, you plot where you want to go on the map, and the GPS shows you the quickest (legal) route to get to your destination.

An area of past GTA IV games which has often let the series down is the combat. The auto aim in particular felt a bit broken and there was never really a way to shield yourself from bullets whilst aiming and shooting back at the same time. Luckily, this has been addressed in GTA IV. You can now employ the use of a cover system during intense shootouts with 'peacekeeping officers.' It's quite simply – press R1 to take cover, L2 to auto aim, R2 to shoot. The auto aim also allows for a degree of manual aiming, so headshot are quite easy (a little too easy, actually). Additionally, the hand to hand combat is improved, and you can now kick, punch and counter enemies' attacks. You can even disarm an enemy if they are wielding a knife. Unfortunately, the auto aiming system still isn't perfect. Especially in close quarters, it can be difficult to lock on or see who you are aiming at. For example, if a cop gets the jump on you at close range, it can be difficult to lock on and shoot them due to them being within such close proximity to you. Also, throwing grenades can be a little hit and miss. On a number of occasions, you may find yourself aiming a grenade in a particular direction, only for Niko to throw it into a wall next to yourself. These issues aside, the cover system still works well 90% of the time, and is certainly an improvement over how it previously was.

As usual, there a tonne of side missions and secrets to find in the game in order to reach 100% completion. However, most players will be more concerned with the story – and it doesn't disappoint. The story is more believable in GTA IV than you may have come to expect from the series. There is no breaking into Area 51, no flying jetpacks and no jumping out of planes. However, this is not all bad. The added realism suits GTA IV and complements it's more realistic setting. The story is pretty engaging, and tends to feel more like a film. This is probably due to the better character development in GTA IV than what you are used to seeing in GTA games. Cut scenes really convey more about characters now, and being able to go out and do activities with characters allows you to learn more about them. Unlike a film though, GTA IV is more thought provoking. This is largely as a result of a new addition to the series – the ability to make choices throughout the story. Whilst most missions will still tell you exactly what to do, a few of them allow you to make decisions, such as whether or not to kill somebody. These decisions grow in importance throughout, and you will be left with some genuinely difficult decisions to make. Most of these decisions to not drastically alter the way the story goes, although they do allow for two possible endings for the story. However, personally I found both endings a bit of a let down compared to the quality narrative of the story up until then. I found it a little predictable and also a bit clichéd. With the rest of the story being so good, I was a bit disappointed with the ending. The story is also quite lengthy though. If you just focus on the main story, most players would finish it in about 25-35 hours. If you take your time and explore other areas of the game whilst doing the story, though, you can easily get 50-60 hours out of the game.

GTA IV is also the first in the series to offer online multiplayer for up to 16 other wanna be criminals. It works well enough, with a range of modes which include the standard deathmatch, cops n crooks and some interesting yet repetitive co-op missions only available online. It is also novel to be able to use the whole of to wreak havoc on one another via the use of various weapons and vehicles (or, using vehicles as weapons). Ultimately though, the online aspect isn't great, and can best be described as an added bonus to the single player experience – I would not recommend GTA IV on its multiplayer alone. I found it difficult to join any type of game, typically getting disconnected immediately and being kicked back into single player. When I did join a game, it was quite enjoyable, but the game did suffer from frequent bouts of lag, especially when players started getting hit by cars at high speeds which were being driven by other players. This happens a lot, too, as most players immediate instinct is to jack a car and drive around in it.

A major complaint I have with GTA IV is that it is too easy. I guess this is to cater for the huge market which GTA IV appeals to as casual gamers will make up a larger percentage of sales than hardcore gamers. Nonetheless, it is too easy. There were only about half a dozen missions which I did not complete first time round. Of these 6, the reason for failure was often because I made a silly mistake, such as shooting a friendly character and having to restart – not because the enemies were too tough and killed me. I also managed to go through the entire story without getting 6 stars. This was a feat I was not even trying to achieve, it just turned out that way because the game is so easy. In fact, even in the later missions, it is rare that getting more than 3 stars would be scripted as part of the mission.

Another issue I've had with the GTA series which has not been rectified in GTA IV, is the issue of money. You get awarded tonnes of money fro doing missions, yet there is nothing to spend it on. Granted, weapons cost more this time round, but you are still awarded with more money than you can do anything with. For me, it would be better if you were paid less – that way it would not be easy for you to just go out and buy the biggest rocket launcher in the game. You might further consider if it was not worth the risk of killing a cop or stealing a cop car to acquire a handgun or shotgun.

Ultimately, despite it's flaws, GTA is a great game. It is difficult to fault it on any given aspect of its gameplay. The characters are spot on and display many more human properties than past characters have done. Niko is, in my opinion, the best lead character for a GTA game to date. really does feel alive, with any number of possibilities available to happen during a days play. The story is engaging in a way not usually seen in video games, even if the ending does not live up to the rest of the story. On top of the single player package, you also get a decent multiplayer component thrown in for your money as well. Given all this, it is difficult to make any recommendation other than to get this game ASAP if you have a system to play it on.

Graphics: 9/10

Some textures look a little bland upon close inspection, and there are at times a few graphical glitches, but overall, all of the visuals come together nicely, resulting in a game that looks ace. You really wouldn’t notice much wrong with the graphics, unless you were looking for it.

Gameplay: 10/10

Driving is fun, shooting actually works in a first for the series. The targeting system works a dream. There’s never a shortage of things to do, and they’re all enjoyable.

Sound: 9/10
The guns and cars all sound distinct in their own ways. The music on the radio is varied, but arguably not as ear catching as previous GTA soundtracks. Talk radio is as funny as ever. Voice acting is top notch.

Lifespan: 10/10

The story can easily be replayed with as much fun as the first time, due to your ability to make decisions in the story and multiple endings etc. Plus, the game is too good to only be played once. Oh, and all the stunt jumps, side missions, pigeons to shoot…

Story: 9/10

Best story yet in GTA. It really feels like an interactive movie in many ways, helped largely by memorable characters. Ending lacked the twist I was expecting and looking forward to though.

Overall: 9.2/10