Everyone's favorite game to blame all the world's problems on is back for another round to punch you and take that car!
A very important key component to this well based series is the exceptional story telling that it consists of. In keeping with what the audience expects, GTA:IV see the rise and fall of center stage protagonist Niko Bellic, an immigrant fleeing some untold events from the motherland for a more "prosperous" life in the land of opportunity. He meets up with his already native cousin and is immediately and unwillingly thrown into chaos as he struggles to protect those he cares about all the while seemingly getting further and further from his objective. Like all good GTA games, this one is packed with twists and split paths. The events even fork at a certain point depending on choices you make while playing. The story has been this title's lightning rod to fame, attracting all kinds of praise and top scores from all the top reviewing outlets. There is truth to this, for this story is by far the most engrossing, emotional and down right awesome tales you will ever see associated with a video game. Sure the type of story might not appeal to everyone. That being said, this is a masterpiece of gaming screenplay that has ever graced a console. For all those screaming, "Overrated!" We all know you have not played through it.
For all the improvements on the way the story is told, Rockstar has tweaked about every other facet of this game, starting with the most influential. Those returning to the series will find that the vehicle handling has been noticeable changed. Not just in the control placement (the shoulder buttons are now your acceleration and brake/reverse) but in the handling overall. You will no longer be able to pull the hand brake and swing around turns like you used to, or if you are skilled enough to master the technique in this iteration, you won't be able to do so easily. That being said it is hard to determine if they are trying to make the handling more realistic or just more technical, either way, it won't hold you back for long.
You are going to need those new car controls as you discover that the staple to the GTA, the wanted level, has also been changed. The days of struggling to find a Pay 'n Spray as your car is being pummeled by police and government cruisers is over. They have traded this with an upgraded radial system. Now when you are being perused, you will see a flashing blue/red circle around you. The diameter of this circle changes with respect to your wanted level. The more stars, the bigger the circle. You will also gain the advantage of being able to see nearby police vehicles right on your radar in a Driver-esqu type feel. The name of the game now is avoidance. If you are able to get outside of the wanted awareness parameter, and stay outside of it by not attracting attention, you will lose your pursuers and be just an average citizen again. Take this new system as you will, it does make it easier to lose your wanted level.
The only other main difference is obviously the attention to detail that, in terms of sheer magnitude, has surpassed all attempts thus far. The game is so detailed that you will find moments where you are just dumbstruck. Not only is it a nice game to look at, the new generation of hardware is to thank for that, but the way the people behave and act, the level of detail in the everyday events, that is where it gets awe inspiring. Liberty City is beautiful, the people are purpose driven even the street preacher will come close to selling you his religion. The way the characters act will really drive home the feeling of realism that the entire game produces.
Along with all this you get a quick batch of mini games, from the standard bowling, (a fair game) pool, (horrible mini game) and darts, (by far the easiest) to the nifty little arcade cabinets, there is always more to do. Complimenting these are the theaters, where you can see a mix mash of magicians, performers, or just crazy people, to the comedy club where some of the bits are truly funny. All of these, along with eating, going out for a drink, or going to a "gentlemen's club" are all things that you can waste your time doing at any point during the game. They become especially critical in the relationship mechanic that Rockstar has tweaked. Through the course of the game, you will develop friends that you in term have to spend time with by doing any one of said events to gain special abilities, such as a taxi service, or weapons being delivered to you.
This along with some cheap SIXAXIS controls and an upgraded cover and gun fight mechanic round out the most noticeable changes in the game. The SIXAXIS control is awful, you won't ever find a need to use it. The new gun fighting on the other hand, is truly impressive and is leaps and bounds over what you saw in San Andreas. It is hard to describe other then saying it works. They even go as far as to throw in destructible cover, so hiding behind some boxes, not going to cut it I'm afraid. This new mechanic goes hand in hand with the games hardened difficulty. Not to go as far as being punishing, it will frustrate the hell out of you Then again, that is always part of Grand Theft Auto, there will always be missions where you will have to go through them again and again until you finally figure, "I'll just use the rocket launcher and blow up the stupid car instead of chasing him around town for an hour!" Luckily the game has an auto save feature, a long awaited addition that makes having to run to a safe house for a quick save between missions a thing of the past.
With all of these factors going for the title, it's not hard to see why GTA has such a profound following in the gaming community. This "fourth" installment in the series sees that same tried and true tested formula expanded exponentially to fit more detail and depth then ever before, all being crammed onto a disc with only a minimal install time to work with. This game truly does show the raw power of the current generation of consoles compared to its predecessors. You will feel for Niko and the hard choices he makes. You will love the improvements to all aspects of the game, especially that auto save! As for the overall mark that is going to brand this game for all of its accomplishments, this reviewer puts it as high as it could expect to go. The only fault this game possesses is that it is the subject of franchise. The thing about franchises is that they grow to become routine. Sure this game has more then you could want from a GTA game, but that is precisely the problem, at the end of the day it is just a GTA game. Since it doesn't technically revolutionize anything about that same tried and true formula, the highest it can hope to receive is a nine out of ten. Therefore, that is the final verdict.
9 out of 10 à "Above and Beyond"