"GTA IV" is Rockstar's latest release in the controversial bestselling series of games. In this episode you are Niko Bellic, a Yugoslavian national who has travelled to America from Serbia. He is leaving the wars behind and has moved to follow the American Dream following an invite from his cousin.
As with most games in this series the early missions are more of a tutorial than a challenge. However, this works well in giving you a feel for the game and the differences from the previous ones. I think the main thing I took from the early missions is that this is the first game to actually utilise a lot of the PS3's capacity. Other titles just seem like PS2 games with slight upgrades.
Once you start the game you can genuinely do almost whatever you want. This is as non-linear a game as you could ever want. You can strictly follow the story missions or can just go bowling, drinking, socialising etc with your early contacts. There is no time pressure so the game is yours to do whatever you want with it.
You are given a mobile (I refuse to call it a cell) phone and you can do a lot of the missions through it. Again though, you have the choice, you can refuse calls, put the phone into sleep mode,
or call the people you want to speak to, the choice is yours.
The area you cover is massive, even though it is restricted in the early stages. Helpfully you can go to the map and put GPS pointers so that you have a guide to where you are travelling to. There is a mini-map at the bottom which is actually easy to view, even when driving so this prevents issues with getting lost and the inevitable frustration that brings.
The graphics are exceptional. Every aspect is perfect, from heat haze through to the lapping of the waves, it is as detailed as I have seen on any platform.
It is hard to describe the attention to detail until you actually try the game. A motorbike handles like a motorbike, a truck likewise. If you don't fasten your seatbelt and you will go flying through the window if you have a crash. You can shoot out another vehicle's tyres and watch it handle abysmally. Also, If you cause something major to happen in the game then chances are it will be reported on the radio the next time you are in the car. There are just so many things and I am sure I missed a lot of them.
You encounter numerous characters throughout the game. The time spent on the character dialogue was a real bonus for me. In previous GTA games I have found the cut scenes to be a bit of a drag, however in this one the characters and dialogue are hilarious, especially Brucie Kibbutz, the bodybuilding freak who may have taken a steroid or two too many.
The story mission is long, Rockstar estimate it will take 30 hours to complete. I took 37, admittedly that was with time spent on side missions and other nonsense. 30 hours seems like a reasonable estimate if you focus on the main mission stories only. Although this completes the game in terms of missions you are probably only 65-70% complete if you want 100%.
This is due to an unbelievable amount of side missions, you have nine street races, 200 pigeons to shoot (only 200 in the game and you have to find them too!), 12 random characters to meet and interact with, 30 vehicles to steal for Stevie, 10 to steal for Brucie, deliver 10 packages for Little Jacob, etc. etc. All of these side missions are introduced throughout the game and add a lot of variety.
What I also liked is that the missions were all achievable. This is the only GTA game I have completed. In the previous ones I would get stuck at a mission and just could not get by it. That's not to say it is easy, there are certain missions on this where I had to spend a good few hours to get past them.
The only slight downside to this whole game was the friends aspect. Your friends keep in fairly regular contact and if you turn them down their liking of you reduces. This can be a bit of a pain as you have to go out with them every so often. This was the only minor complaint I have with the whole game.
Trophies were introduced with one of the online updates. This added another aspect to the game where you were awarded trophies for a variety of things, from completing the first mission through to rolling your car 5 times following a crash!
As with all GTA games there is the negative publicity which goes with it. It is all too easy to see why. You deliver drugs for Little Jacob, most missions you have to kill someone, often not really knowing why, you get to use a huge range of weapons in the game, from baseball bats through to rocket launchers. Often a lot of the negative publicity comes from people who haven't really looked into the game. There are similar titles out there which don't get criticised and the 18 rating is appropriate and if enforced effectively then there shouldn't be an issue. Hollywood puts out far worse than anything contained in this cartoon world.
GTA IV is the most successful title ever released with first week sales of $500m dollars being reported. At the time there was also a noticeable increase in sickness which I am sure was just coincidental! There was also talk of Hollywood avoiding GTA release dates with future blockbusters as the box office hit was massive.
I would recommend this as the best game I have ever played. Just make sure you keep it away from youngsters, it's definitely for the big kids!
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Great review, very detailed and perfectly explained item.:O)
GJRendall 14.04.2009 14:49
It annoys me when people complain about how violent this and other GTA games are. Like, the 18 rating's there for a reason; it's your own fault for letting your 10 yr old play it! Anyway, good review.
What does the American Dream mean today? For Niko Bellic fresh off the boat from Europe, ... more
it is the hope he can escape his past. For his cousin, Roman, it is the vision that together they can find fortune in Liberty City, gateway to the land of opportun...
Advantages: Superb graphics, mass multiplayer modes, pure freedom, and excellent music/sound Disadvantages: Weak storyline, sometimes too realistic, and nothing to do when game is completed
Advantages: Arguably the best selection of games of any current console. Great HD graphics. Disadvantages: Hardware may still be somewhat unreliable. Lacks innovations specific to the Wii and PS3.
Phantom_Wombat 07.04.2009 (06.04.2009)
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