So this... this is the American Dream...
The first "true" sequel to the revelutionary Grand Theft Auto III, GTA IV throws gamers back into the crime-ridden streets of Liberty City for another spree of sex, violence, humor, and drama. However, the only thing gamers will recognize from the original GTA III is the same signature free-roaming sand box gameplay that put Rockstar's game franchise on the map. Though things have been added, its what GTA IV removes from the picture of past experiences, the way it streamlines gameplay and adds the smallest fiber of detail to create a living city combined with a superbly written story that makes GTA IV a near perfect experience from top to bottom.
The story this time around puts you in the shoes of slavic refugee Niko Bellic. Now Niko has gotten in some trouble in his east European home, his role in the Bosnian War leaving him a shell of a man forced to criminal activity to just make ends meet. When Niko gets in a bit of trouble, he decides to make a break for US shores, and what better place to make port than Liberty City, where his cousin Roman has reportedly hit it rich and is living in a mansion with fast cars and loose women. However, once reaching dry land, the picture starts to unravel for Niko, discovering Roman's legendary bullshit skills are still as keen as ever. Roman is in debt, his mansion is a crappy Broker (Liberty City's analogue for Brooklyn) apartment, the fast cars are cabs that Roman drives, and the loose women are only really loose for pay. Still, Niko loves his cousin and has a few more agendas in Liberty City than he lets on at first, so he sets out to just make a living in this strange land. The story escalates into a crime drama of revenge, memorable characters, and even more memorable story scenes that really satirize the idea of the American Dream as nothing more than a selfish culture of consumerism and sin. Powerful stuff.
But that all doesn't mean shit if the game plays... well... like shit. Ok ok, maybe even if the game wasn't the greatest triumph of the series, the story would still be worth checking out. Luckily, this year's installment IS the pinnacle of GTA's playability, taking the classic formula, stripping away all unecessary mechanics and adding new ones that either help immensely or at the very least, do not hinder. Anyone unfamiliar with the franchise, the biggest boon to GTA's popularity was its freedom of gameplay. You are dropped into a living city where there are a number of missions and activities that you CAN take part in to advance the story or boost your in-game fundage, but that has never been necessary for you to do to enjoy the Grand Theft Auto experience, as it is open to freestyle gameplay. The majority of this gameplay has always been driven by well... driving, and this year's driving might be the most realistic of the series, with vehicle physics being most impressive as you zip around the streets of the huge five burroughed Liberty City. Where once the shooting was one of the weakest elements of the game, this year's installment sees a revamp that adds not only a cover system to make your protagonist a much more deadly fighting force, but also a new targeting system that not only supports lock on targeting, but free-aim as well.
One of the more interesting additions to the mix this year is that of a veritable "social life" for our hero Niko. Throughout the game, you'll meet various characters who will be added to your in-game cell phone. Eventually, you'll be able to call them to just hang out and try out some of the city's activities (darts, bowling, strip clubs, etc.) and if they get to like you enough, they'll even offer you a service on occasion. This adds a brand new element to the game, as you'll have to balance friendships and story progression, or just choose to use these friends as a break from the daily grind of theft and police evasion, and overall, this is perhaps the most surprisingly well-done features of the game. On the minor side, the gym, barber, and diet elements from San Andreas have been removed (though you can still shop for clothes) and you can now use any of Liberty City's public transportations, be they trains or cabs, to zip across the lengthy landscape.
Grand Theft Auto has never been a pretty game, well, that is until this new installment. For once, GTA looks like it belongs with the other games of the current generations library. Though some textures don't exactly hold up to close scrutiny, character models look and animate great and there is just so goddamn much going on at any given time that if the graphical quality of the game sagged a tad (which it can, at least as far as frame-rate and pop in) one couldn't blame it. Overall, the scope of the world with top notch visuals make this easily the most graphically impressive Grand Theft Auto to date.
In the end, GTA IV didn't need any kind of critical approval to be one of the biggest games of all time, but it certainly did enough to reinvent and better itself to deserve the reviews it inevitably recieved from critics.
