Wow......what a game
Characters
The characters that appear in Grand Theft Auto IV are diverse and relative to the respective boroughs of Liberty City they are based in; belonging to various gangs and ethnic groups. The player controls Niko Bellic, a veteran of an Eastern European war. According to Dan Houser, virtually none of the characters from the previous games would return, as "most of the characters we liked were dead," further evidenced by in-game graffiti bidding farewell to these characters.
Unlike previous games in the series, the voice actors of Grand Theft Auto IV do not include notable and high-profile celebrities, instead opting for lesser known actors such as Michael Hollick, Jason Zumwalt, Timothy Adams and Coolie Ranx. However, several high-profile DJs host the various radio stations within the game such as Iggy Pop, Juliette Lewis, Karl Lagerfeld, DJ Premier, Fez Whatley and Lazlow Jones. Saturday Night Live actors Bill Hader and Jason Sudeikis appear on the liberal and conservative radio talk shows respectively, with Fred Armisen playing several guests on Lazlow's "Integrity 2.0". Katt Williams and Ricky Gervais also have their likenesses and comedy depicted in an in-game comedy club. Numerous other comedians, including Jim Norton, Patrice Oneal, Rick Shapiro, and Robert Kelly, appeared on the radio and/or as characters in-game.
Gameplay
Grand Theft Auto IV is structured similarly to previous games in the series. The core gameplay consists of giving the player a large, open environment in which to move around. On foot, the player's character is capable of walking, running, swimming, climbing and jumping, as well as using weapons and basic hand-to-hand combat. Players can steal and drive a variety of vehicles, including automobiles, boats, helicopters, and motorcycles. Grand Theft Auto IV takes advantage of Natural Motion's Euphoria engine, which combines artificial intelligence, bio-mechanics and physics to make NPC behaviour and movement adaptive and more realistic.
The open, non-linear environment allows players to explore and choose how they wish to play the game. Although storyline missions are necessary to progress through the game and unlock certain parts of the map and content, they are not required, as players can complete them at their own leisure. When not taking on a storyline mission, players can free-roam, giving them the ability to do activities.
It is possible to have multiple active missions, due to the fact that some missions will run over the course of several days and will require the player to wait for further instructions, etc. The player can also partake in a variety of optional side missions. For the first time in the series, Grand Theft Auto IV features "morality choices" at several points throughout the game, The game has two different endings, which are determined by deciding which of the two missions to complete. The player can choose between a revenge mission or a deal mission, each leads to a different ending.
Vehicles
During car chases, the player can focus the camera on the target vehicle by holding the cinematic camera button. Every vehicle in the game uses the in-game minimap as a GPS device, and additional voice directions are provided in luxury cars (but can also be activated in all cars or disabled in the options menu). "Waypoints" can be placed on destinations on the map, outlining the fastest legal route between Niko and the destination on the minimap. The ability to hail a taxi cab allows the player to travel to destinations without having to drive, and the entire journey may be skipped, allowing them to arrive at their destination instantly. The player cannot pilot fixed-wing aircraft, as was possible in previous games, but can still pilot helicopters.
The Euphoria physics engine causes Niko to react differently to every bike crash, instead of using a predefined animation. Niko can lose health or die if he crashes or smashes through the windscreen of cars during high speed collisions. Unlike previous games, vehicles will not explode if they are flipped over, however they may catch fire and eventually explode if the engine is repeatedly damaged via collisions, or if the vehicle is damaged via firearms. Explosions can sometimes render nearby vehicles unusable, or cause them to catch fire. Car engines can also break down, rendering them unable to start. Vehicles can also physically deform unlike in previous games, sometimes rendering them undrivable. When driving or riding in a car, Niko is able to smash the window, free-aim, and fire out of the vehicle with several different one-handed weapons. The player may also drop grenades or Molotov cocktails. In certain areas of Liberty City, Niko can stop his car alongside side a prostitute, honk his car horn and let her in. He can then engage in three different sexual activities with the prostitute at different costs.
Awards
Following the critical acclaim it received on its release, Grand Theft Auto IV has received awards from various critics and publications, including several Game of the Year awards and nominations. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions are, respectively, ranked as the second- and sixth-best games of all time on Game Rankings. The following are some of the game's awards (all of which are 2008 awards):
* IGN has given the game its "Best Xbox 360 Action Game", "Best PC Action Game", "Best Graphics Technology (Xbox 360)", "Best Voice Acting (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)" and "Best Story (Xbox 360/PS3)" awards.
* GameTrailers has given the game "Game of the Year", "Best Action Adventure Game", "Best Story", "Best Xbox 360 Game", "Best PlayStation 3 Game" and, for the game's trailer, "Trailer of The Year".
* Spike TV has given the game the awards of "Game of the Year" and "Best Action Adventure Game" in its Video Game Awards. They also gave Michael Hollick "Best Performance by a Human Male" for the voice acting of Niko Bellic.[146]
* GameSpy has given the game the awards of "Best Story" and "Character of The Year" (for the character Brucie Kibbutz) in its Video Game Awards.
* GameSpot has given the game its "Best UK-developed game" and "Best Xbox 360 Game" awards, and Bruce "Brucie" Kibbutz won the award for the "Best new character".
* GiantBomb has given the game its "Game of the Year" and "Best Multi-Platform Game" awards.
* ActionTrip has given the game the "Game of The Year" and "Best Story" awards in its Game of The Year 2008.
* Kotaku has given the game its "Game of the Year" and "Best Writing" awards.
* Game Informer has given the game its "Game of the Year" award for 2008, and a perfect rating of 10 out of 10.
Conclusion
So,overall.....GREAT GAME!!!