Grand Theft Auto 4 (PS3)

Ah yes, the next Grand Theft Auto in the popular franchise. The first game I played with my new Playstation 3 back in July 2008. It was a tough choice to put in Grand Theft Auto 4 or Metal Gear Solid 4, but it just had to be GTA 4 for sure. My console did come with Haze, but that doesn't even compare to this bonified work of art! Thanks to the usual addictiveness of a new Grand Theft Auto game, I didn't even touch my other new PS3 games for weeks ...
...sandbox type of game like Grand Theft Auto is. Along with that, was a unique game manual wrote in a form of tourist guide. Thought that was rather amusing at the time and a little different.

== Plotline ==

Niko Belic, a Serbian immigrant and ex soldier from the Bosnian war seeks a life in the land of opportunity of America and in Liberty City (New York). Hoping to forget his troubled background and former criminal past, ... more

Ah yes, the next Grand Theft Auto in the popular franchise. The first game I played with my new Playstation 3 back in July 2008. It was a tough choice to put in Grand Theft Auto 4 or Metal Gear Solid 4, but it just had to be GTA 4 for sure. My console did come with Haze, but that doesn't even compare to this bonified work of art! Thanks to the usual addictiveness of a new Grand Theft Auto game, I didn't even touch my other new PS3 games for weeks until I completed the storyline.

Opening the box, I was immediately greeted with a massive two sided map of the game's city. Knowing this would come in handy for a large sandbox type of game like Grand Theft Auto is. Along with that, was a unique game manual wrote in a form of tourist guide. Thought that was rather amusing at the time and a little different.

Plotline

Niko Belic, a Serbian immigrant and ex soldier from the Bosnian war seeks a life in the land of opportunity of America and in Liberty City (New York). Hoping to forget his troubled background and former criminal past, looking to find a job with his cousin Roman. However, he soon realises that nothing has changed with his move and that his cousin is in mass debt with gangsters. Niko sets out to help his cousin clear his debt in order for them to have a life of luxury in Liberty City. Although later in the game, its revealed that Niko is looking for someone that betrayed his army unit back in the war...

It seems like a promising storyline and a great plot, but sadly it doesn't flow properly. Every twist that happens is not surprising in the slightest and you can see it coming a mile off, Rockstar really should have thought more on their story. The company should look back to one of their former titles like Vice City where the plot just developed intensively after every mission.

Niko himself, the main character is fairly cool guy to lead the game. Has a short fuss and can easily lose his temper, but a very down to earth and warm hearted individual. Caring deeply about his friends and family, always determined to help them out. Very sarcastic too and generally cracks jokes in many situations, especially when downing an enemy. The type of character that always goes down well with most gamers. After all, if your character was a pure jerk would that want to keep you playing?

Gameplay

The game engine is almost completely realistic. Players can now not run into the middle of the road and not have every car stop for them like in previous games; it’s very likely Niko will be hit by a passing car like a human would in real life at that speed. Niko will die after taking a few shots to the body, even with body armour on. Generally this means players will not be able mess around blowing up everything like in previous games, as the police and army will quickly take you down before you have time to react. Unless the player activates a health cheat, the ability to free roam killing everything in sight can't really be done.

Rockstar have done a great job of catching the life of New York City and converting it into a game. Every civilian walking around seems to be doing something and each has their own individual personality. A lot can be seen shopping, talking, waiting for buses, taxis, playing with their phones etc. I've even spotted people fighting, trying to mug each other, stealing cars...which someone did with my own at one point! So many random things happen this time in comparison to previous Grand Theft Auto titles. One man I ran past and bumped into even start chasing me and pushed me back, severely angry with me. Of course, he soon changed his mind when I pulled a game out on him. That’s another thing this time, many civilians are carrying pistols or knifes, due to America being a gun society. So if a fire fight breaks out in the middle of the street, many people will join in with their own weaponry to try and protect themselves. All hell can break loose when one shot is fired off in the distance. Again on the topic of personalities, many are good Samaritans and will help others. I randomly started punching someone and many passers by ran over and starting laying into Niko while another called for the police on his mobile.

As gunfire is more effective, Niko can take down targets very easily even with a pistol. One shot to the head, and the enemy is downed instantly. So generally the game itself is quite easy and very possible to complete the entire story with just a pistol and no automatic weapons. The crouch and hide feature is something very handy and makes the gunfights seem like more Hollywood movie style. Taking pots shots from out of the cover and firing at every target in the background by just poking his gun around the corner, shooting wildly. Grenades do devastating damage and I've never played a game up until now which they are completely effective against multiple targets and in rough situations. Being ex-military, Niko throws grenades with great strength and accuracy. Much like with every weapon he holds, Niko's aim is excellent.

Niko has the ability to grab onto a moving truck and hang on whilst shimming along. I remember one mission where this needs to be done in order to take control of the truck, whilst the driving is attempting to shake you off. I also believe you can do the same thing with a helicopter other than doing it in a mission, but I've never attempted to try. Due to the various types of jumping, Niko will need to jump from building to building at some point. Very dangerous too if mis-timed, a big fall won't go down too well on the human body.

Car damage can quickly happen with a few impacts. It won't take much for the car too soon catch fire, leaving you a few seconds to quickly dive out before being caught in the explosion. Occasionally, the car can stall from smashing into something at a high speed and it will either start up again or not. Leaving Niko to sit there cursing at it while constantly trying the engine. On the subject of smashing into something at a big speed, this is not a good idea to do in a car with low safety abilities. Niko will go flying through the window and will more than likely die if low on health. This could be possibly telling gamers to wear their seatbelts, as this is a good example of what happens when a driver doesn't do so! Strangely, Niko never puts his seat belt on. Bikes are the most frustrating to take damage on, as falling off in the slightest way will cause Niko to take some hurt on the body. Of course bikes are the most effective way of weaving in and out of traffic due to their small size but are simply too dangerous to use in this game. Maybe Rockstar trying to show that bikers are also not invincible in real life and are just at more risk than car drivers with reckless behaviour.

The phone Niko carries around is a lot more vital in Grand Theft Auto 4 and generally is constantly used throughout the entire game. More phone calls come through along with text messages. Calls from your employer, friends, girlfriends etc. Niko can phone them anytime too by simply whipping out the phone and dialling their number from his address book. More ringtones and themes can be installed by shopping for them online in the game, depending on the player's taste and style. Prank calls can be made to the 911 emergency services, calling them and then hiding in any alleyway to the confusion of the emergency employees looking around for a while until they realise they were stitched up. Although, this is quite handy to do when you need a police car or an ambulance. When Niko is on critical health, you can call an ambulance and they will heal him up but will sadly charge a fee due to America's priced healthcare system.

There are also a few other methods for regaining health. Hot dog stands are scattered around the city, along with fast-food outlets and restaurants. Any piece of food will regain all of Niko's health and a quick way of getting life back instead of having to go back to a house to sleep and save game. I've recently noticed that drinks machines can also be used for a quick dollar.

Like San Andreas, GTA 4 has again implemented the girlfriend feature. Roughly around five women can be dated in total, each with their own personalities and offering Niko assistance with missions in some way or another when 'seduced' enough. One for example is a lawyer and can persuade the police chief to stop all police chasing you, probably one of the best girlfriends to have! All of these women seem to want your attention 24/7 and constantly ring Niko asking to be taken out and spoilt. It's all good to add more realism from life into a game like this, but is so frustrating to have to deal with whining and complaints like you would in real life. That’s one of the reasons I play video games is to escape problems like that for a while! So many social interactions from The Sims games have been borrowed and put into Grand Theft Auto it seems. Like in the real world, Internet dating is booming more and more, many of the girlfriends come from there and will email you back if they are interested too. Niko can dump them anytime too, cracking a cocky statement when he does so and doesn't go down well either way with your girlfriend. One of which continued to stalk my character with constant text messages until I started dating her again.

As well as girlfriends, Niko can interact with friends too. Doing the same kind of activities such as drinking, bowling, darts, eating, nightclubs, strip clubs etc. When a full friendship is developed, they also will offer assistance during your missions. For example: One offers discounted weaponry, another can offer backup with two hoodlums at anytime, and another can give you a helicopter ride. Niko is always the one that has to pick them up and pay for your day or night out. Now, aren't friends supposed to take turns in paying for things? Rockstar should have thought that through a little more.

Again the player has the choice of buying different clothing to match their own personal taste. Some clothing is essential for more important missions, requiring Niko to wear a suit or formal clothes. Everything he is wearing will also be shown in cut scenes and movie clips, something I've always admired in these latest games. On the topic of clothes, your girlfriends will also have their own taste in what Niko wears. Some like him fancy and some don't, requiring the player to constantly change outfits if wanting to have a successful date each time.

Multiplayer

Multiplayer is available as soon as Niko acquires a mobile phone, and from there the player just has to select the multiplayer feature on the menu screen. So this pretty much happens near the start of the game, as one of the first missions requires the use of a phone.

Every player can be customised to make their character look how they like. Not controlling Niko, but a completely new person altogether. New outfits and character models can be unlocked when a certain amount of money is won in multiplayer games.

There a vast number of game types to choose from. Death match, all players taking on each other in different parts of the city depending on where the host has set the game. Team death match very much the same but different sets of teams taking on each other. Cops vs criminals, again like a team match but with cop characters taking on criminal characters, slightly pointless multiplayer mode in my honest opinion. Standard race, players choose from a various amounts of cars and competing in a circuit around different parts of Liberty City. Death race, same as death but the ability to do anything possible to win the race against your opponents. Mafia work, in which a boss will ring you giving you mission objectives and you must complete them whilst competing with other human players trying to achieve the same thing. A game mode where hell can break loose quite quickly if many players in the same area at once. Team mafia work, very much the same thing but this time in teams against other teams trying to complete the same job. Turf war, players fighting each other for parts of the city and having to defend them from one another. Car jack, stealing certain cars and bringing them back to base for money, whilst fighting off rival players. Deal Breaker, co-operative mission with other players in which you have to bust a form of deal, killing them all and returning all the goods back to base. Hangman's N.O.O.S.E, having to escort a mafia base from an airport to a safe area avoiding all police presence. Bomb Da Base: Part II, collecting explosives from a truck and then taking them to a boat, placing them in certain areas in order to blow it out of the water. There is also a free mode, where players can do anything around the city together but I feel this is slightly pointless as nobody ever wants to use this game mode.

2 to 16 players can take part in the multiplayer games online. The community seems to be generally well behaved and mature, haven't encountered too many idiots over the headsets just yet, although there is always the occasional person like that on every game. In order to be part of a great team during the co-operative game modes, it really is best to make friends with a few and use voice chat in order to communicate properly. Some of the co-operative modes unlock Playstation 3 trophies if done quickly enough, so top teamwork is essential in unlocking these which I sadly haven't done yet myself.

Overall, the difficulty isn't that hard against most people. Many of them are casual gamers and don't really know what to do, easy to take down with a headshot or run them down in a car. One opponent tried to run me over and crashed his jeep into a wall near me. He got out and just stared at me, not doing a thing. I took him down with a shotgun and sorry, but I just had to laugh. He wasn't lagging at all and had a strong Internet connection. If a player is great at single player, then they can easily covert to multiplayer and become even better.

Honestly, the PS3 and X-Box cannot compete with the PC's multiplayer, due to that allowing up to 32 players at once compared to the maximum 16 players on the console versions.

Graphics

The graphic and detail truly is next generation. At times, the game looks almost real and you completely forget its a video game. My parents have even walked in at times and asked me what movie I was watching.

To get the most out of the high definition graphics, a top television is needed. Even though I'm using a standard 32 inch screen, I can still notice the occasional blurs moving across, struggling to keep up with the high detailed aspects. If a person has the room and money for a top television, it’s definitely the way to go these days. Only a matter of time before every house has one.

There are many fine attention to details on every model. A slight bump on a car will leave the smallest of scratch on the paintwork. Rolling around and then landing back on the wheels, every area that was damaged will truly be shown in the smallest of details. Very much the same happens when ramming into a building, a chunk of the wall will be dented with the rubble on the floor. Breaking into cars will require smashing the glass, looking very effective and real like.

Sunrise and sunset look so effective and beautiful. How the sunlight reflects onto windows and the sea, it really feels lifelike to the point where you feel you're actually there.

Sound and Music

Again, all the sound and music is of pure high quality due to the game's high budget.

Many radio stations which can be switched over at anytime during a car trip. Public Liberty Radio, people calling in and talking about the recent debates and subjects of Liberty city. WKTT Radio, another form of talk show discussing all the problems in America and it's corruption. Vladivostok FM, mainly music from the Soviet Union and its countries. Tuff Gonf radio, music from South America. The Vibe, dance and techno like music. The Journey, old dance tracks from the 1980s. The Classics, classical type rap and hip-hop type tracks. The Beat, modern day music. San Juan sounds, Central America tracks. Radio Broker, a music of dance and modern day music. Massive B, hip-hop, rap music. Liberty Rock Radio, as in the title, lots of different rock tracks. Hardcore Rock, metal and punk music. The Studio, dance and disco music. Jazz National Radio, jazz tracks. International Funk, funk music from abroad outside of America. Fusion, soul and dance type music. Electro, electronic music.

A huge mass of music to choose from but none are spectacular or memorable. A few good tracks here and there, but I generally find myself switching radio stations as most of it is quite boring. Nothing compared to Vice City where every radio was great, music at its finest. I've also found that many of the radio advertisements in this game aren't exactly funny and never brought a smile to face compared to previous titles in this series. Some of which are mainly rather offensive to women and I'm surprised this hasn't caused more controversy. It seems the message is sending out that men are the superior sex in this game and women are inferior, very unnecessary to put into a game like this.

Voice acting is nowhere near as great and in depth as a game like Metal Gear Solid, but still great. You can hear the emotion in a character's words every time they talk and in great quality how it can be played into the background of other sounds without disturbing them.

Recommendations

No doubt about it, this is one next generation game that everyone should check out. Even if the violence and gangster nature doesn't appeal to you, it’s still quite fun to grab a car and just cruise the city normally. Many forms of mini games to do too, such as bowling, darts, pool, Tetris etc.

Be warned though when the entire story is completed, there is nothing to do at all. Of course there the hidden packages to collect, unique stunt areas, etc. However, no extra missions and no businesses you can start up. Very disappointing, as being a mafia boss was excellent in San Andreas in Vice City but sadly not inserted for GTA 4. The multiplayer action will be keeping this game alive for a long time, lots of players still taking part. Safe to say the story is not the strongest part of this game and didn't keep me completely interested in playing like previous games in the serious did.

Fairly cheap to buy now at around £20, for a game play provides at least 30+ hours of story and endless hours of multiplayer fun.

Review also on my DooYoo account. 

...less