Grand Theft Auto IV
Picking up this game without ever playing any other Grand Theft Auto in the series made me hesitant. I have to admit I was a bit skeptical at first, the way the media spins all the Grand Theft Auto games I thought I was in for something bad, I mean really bad. However, after five minutes this game had me hooked, and I hadn’t even gotten past the opening cutscene.
Rockstar Games, the development team behind the acclaimed Midnight Club series, put you in the shoes of Niko Bellic, an immigrant coming to Liberty City for the first time so as to forget his past and make a new life. He gets a place to stay on the good graces of his lying cousin who made life in Liberty City seem a little better than it actually was. Niko soon finds himself repeatedly bailing his cousin out of problems and eventually gets himself mixed up with local mob boss. My brief summary here gives you just a taste of the very comprehensive storyline available within the game.
With so much content available in the game it’s hard to figure out what to write about first. So I figured, when reviewing a game whose title directly refers to stealing cars, why not start out by talking about the cars. You can steal any car in the game; which, to put it lightly, is a lot of different cars. Most of which are clones, whose names allude to their real world counterparts. When trying to explain what the developers included about cars, it’s much easier to write about what they left out: turn signals. That’s it.
You can do anything else when it comes to cars. You can pay tolls. Listen to the GPS tell you where to go. Run people over. Get into ‘accidents’. And listen to the radio. There are eighteen different radio stations, each with their own style of music, their own DJ’s, and their own commercials. Hours of radio content complements the driving in such a way that it only gets repetitive if you play the game relentlessly, and the content they come up with is easily worth hearing again.
The developers also included an in game cell phone based menu which helps you advance through the story. By pressing the up button on the directional pad you bring up the in game phone. It comes up in the right corner of the screen, not much bigger than the map so you can continue playing the game with it up. You can use the phone to call up contacts, enter multiplayer, and more. By pressing up on the d-pad with the phone already out you bring up the number pad and can call any number you’d like. Numbers given out on the radio typically lead to automated responses and such, but one feature that comes in handy is the song identification system. By dialing “ZIT-555-0100” into your phone you can mark a song that you like and will receive an in game text message, giving you the name and artist of the song. A unique feature that can help you increase your ‘virtual iTunes’ song list.
Voice acting is phenomenal in the game. Putting you into the scene and making you feel like you are really there. With relatively unknown actors providing the voices they have used this game to showcase their talent and ability to act audibly which, as some may know, is a lot harder than one would imagine. The emotion put into the character creates for a great storytelling experience.
When you’re done causing mayhem and destruction throughout the city you can interest yourself in some of the games various mini-games. Most of them come with their own achievements, and play as if they could be a game within themselves. The developers have included bowling, darts, and pool for you to enjoy yourself with. The game also features a relationship mechanic that allows you to bring along friends and dates to play with you. Getting a relationship up high enough, allows you certain ‘perks’; you can even bring them back to your place for some game playing of your own and stop wasting your cash on those fifty dollar hookers.
Visually any fan of the series will immediately notice a difference from previous games. This iteration provides a much more realistic feel than the others, a choice by the developers that has no doubt contributed to the success of the game. The lighting looks incredible, especially at night Liberty City can be seen as a real work of art. Various billboard advertisements, wall graffiti, and posters showcase real artistic talent and are also visually appealing for players.
Grand Theft Auto IV, like the other games in the series, includes a comprehensive map system. The map works to aid you as you progress through the game. Because the actual play area is so large, finding places would be extremely difficult without the help of the map. Sitting conveniently in the bottom left corner of the screen is a section of the map with your location in the center. The pause menu will bring up a larger version of the map and allow you to set destination points where a yellow highlight will show you the fastest, legal way, to get there. This element is non-intrusive and works with you as you move through the game.
Online Multiplayer is another excellent feature in the game, sporting up to 16 players online you can explore the entire city in a variety of different modes. The gamer also has the option of customizing your own character and as you progress through online rankings you can use cash to purchase upgrades. Multiplayer games include team based, cooperative, and racing modes. These modes include traditional deathmatch and various other takes on traditional gametypes that utilize the games mechanics but in new ways. The online play provides lots of fun for gamers, even skeptical gamers that would typically stay away from multiplayer modes. The addition of a freeplay mode is one of the best featuring almost anything you can do in single player with a bunch of your friends, making GTA IV a much more social affair this time around. From there you can use the cell phone based menu to call up a vote for a different game mode which is a nifty feature indeed.
Overall this game is awesome. One of the best. The animations are fluid, the graphics are top-notch, and the ability to do whatever you want is pretty appealing. With one episode pack already out and more to come, the level of gameplay and replay value for the game continues to grow. If don’t own it yet, this game is a must have for any gamers Xbox 360 collection.
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