GTA : The New Generation
And now...GTA 4.
You play as Niko Bellic, a eastern European immigrant, who arrives in Liberty City (New York to those who arent GTA buffs) in pursuit of money, fame and the American Dream. He is going to stay with his rich and powerful cousin Roman Bellic. Instead he finds Roman running a taxi service and living in an apartment full of cockroaches. Niko gets greatly disillusioned and is dragged into the world of crime. However he also has a hidden agenda in coming to Liberty City - revenge. Ok I agree the plot doesnt really get you ecstatic, but the screenplay will. GTA 4 probably has the best written screenplay I have ever sen in a game. The cutscenes are beautifully directed and wonderfuly motion captured.
The gameplay.
Rockstar seemed to be reading my mind when they made this game. It has everyhing San Andreas lacked and more. All the small issues with San Andreas were cleared out to make for a smoother gaming experience. Besides they have managed to convert the most tedious unimmepressive aspect of the previous games - shooting - into one of the reasons you should get GTA 4. The cover-and-shoot system works like a charm. You can get behind everything and anything large enough to cover Niko's body and shoot at will at your enemies who will also be ducking into the nearest cover they can find. You'll just love the elaborate firefights in warehouses, construction sites etc. Who needs dumb Hollywood action movies now, I can do better.
Liberty City is more alive than any other virtual city in any game. Life goes on even when Niko is just hanging around. And yes you have a cell phone in the game. And you can use the internet. And a GPS navigator. And you can go bowling, play pool, throw darts, watch stand up acts, get drunk etc with dates and friends and did i mention watch TV? All that and much more. Phew.
And please don't get me started on the graphics. I'll probably end up throwing a truckload of expressions (fantastic, outta sight, rocking, whoa!...you get the idea) at your face.
There are rumors of a PC version coming out by end of this year. I've been playing the game on an Xbox360. The game looks better and the visuals are cleaner on the 360 while the PS3 has shorter load times. Or so i've heard. I have all the time in the world so I guess i've got a good deal. I''ll be leaving you now. Niko has an appointment with an attorney tomorrow and i've gotta go get him a suit and i'm kinda tired after rescuing Niko's fat cousin from a warehouse full of Russian baddies.
Ciao.