Review: Grand Theft Auto IV

Interactive entertainment technology has grown up over the past thirty years and, for the most part, our understanding of and appreciation for it did as well. The advancement of time has not meant universal acceptance however: video games have seen controversy after controversy since becoming a mainstream medium. Perhaps the most controversial of the whole lot caused a revolution for an entire industry: Grand Theft Auto III. Seven years ago on October 22nd, 2001 players were introduced to true sandbox gaming, allowing the person behind the controller to do, go, and see whatever and whenever they desired within the realm of the game's environment.

The incentives to this newfound freedom did not come without a political price. With the nature of the game being crime-based with the player on the side of the bad guys, the game became the most desired target for political abuse in the following year. With the release of Grand Theft Auto IV - the official sequel to the events that took place in Liberty City - players get to return to the worst place to live in America.

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My Country Tis of Thee

Rather than focusing on a nameless mute thug, a Scarface knockoff or an early 90s future rap star, the latest title in the series brings an outsider to Liberty City. Niko Bellic seeks the land of opportunity but hits the shore at the city of mafias, crooked cops, and ethnic gangs that fill the streets with violence and suffering. As a Serbian immigrant - literally fresh off the boat - he seeks a new start in life. Unlike his precursor protagonists, Niko comes to us as a man with a far more prevalent past. A former soldier in the Bosnian war, Niko is haunted by the past and seeks redemption for the horrors he and his former comrades visited upon others.

Unlike the previous main characters, Niko really develops as a person. He possesses a soul, a conscience that regrets his mistakes and failures in the past and only wants to start anew. Alongside his cousin Roman, owner of a local taxi service, the same thing that drove him to Liberty City stands in his way: his former comrades. Traitors to his former squad, of which there were only three surviving members (Niko included), he must seek out and find the truth behind who betrayed them and exact revenge by any means necessary. Along the way he is introduced to a large number of characters, probably the largest group seen in the franchise to date. Filled with plot twists, both somewhat obvious and many others completely unexpected, Niko fights his way up the criminal food chain all the while protecting both his allies, his employers, and his family. With the main quest lasting well into thirty-plus hours in length this game has by far the most inviting story ever produced by Rockstar.

With nothing but the clothes on his back and the few possessions in his duffle bag, Niko arrives on the docks of Liberty City with nary a penny. Drawn there by his cousin Roman's tales of women, fancy cars, and fortune, Niko's hopes of being able to enjoy life in the new country are quickly dashed. Reality sets in after he learns that his cousin's luxury condo is nothing more than a studio apartment filled with cockroaches directly next to an elevated train. It becomes clear to Niko that he will truly has to start all over again, having to work his way to the top one major player at a time.

Transition
Players who remember visiting Liberty City seven years ago will find that the city they once knew has been drastically altered. Unlike the almost mid-size city feel of Grand Theft Auto III, Niko Bellic's Liberty City is vastly larger and both looks and feels much more like the major metropolis it is modeled after. Gone are the islands of Shoreside Vale, Stauton, and Portland. They are replaced by the much larger islands of Broker, Dukes, Bohan, and Algonquin and even part of the state of Alderney: Rockstar's take on New Jersey. The resulting size of the city is gigantic, beating out recent renditions on games like Spider-Man 3 and maybe even the upcoming Sierra title Prototype. It can literally take up to thirty minutes to traverse the entirety of the map.

Rockstar has gone to great lengths to recreate New York in their own twisted fashion. Many of the landmarks of the city, such as the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building, are featured in the game. To keep the critics at bay, they have been renamed and slightly remodeled into the Statue of Happiness and the Rotterdam Tower respectively. Many other New York landmark locations are present, giving Liberty City a quite authentic feel. It is interesting to note that many of the streets of Liberty City are named after minerals and elements in the periodic table, though the vehicles in the game all have the same license plate.

When you transition from one neighborhood to another you will instantly notice the changes in people. The day-night cycle has the same effect; the transition going from businessmen and women to seedy prostitutes and lowlifes as the sun goes down is simply breathtaking. Of course, as is tradition in the series, the populace is filled with distasteful anger and road rage throughout so veterans will feel right at home. And all this can be enjoyed with the full freedom to roam around as you please. 

My Heart with Rapture Thrills

The most prevalent addition to the Grand Theft Auto universe is the creation of a cover system similar in function to games like Gears of War and Rainbow Six Vegas. This is a significant improvement over the previous three games, as many missions could be near impossible to play later on. It is such a good addition that the end result is almost game-breaking, allowing the player to sit behind cover for long periods of time and wipe out dozens of enemies without even taking a scratch.

The standard gameplay controls are very similar to the previous games but some things have been reorganized on the controller. All is pretty much well and good, though one of the nitpicky things players will quickly discover is the camera system. Like the previous games in the series, the player can freely control the camera any way they see fit. New is that the camera automatically reverts to its default position when the right stick is not in use. While this doesn't sound like an issue, it can be a bit of a pain when you are driving a car simply because you can't keep an eye out to either side of you. However, this is just a bad pistachio in a five gallon bucket full of goodness.

Rockstar decided to use the Euphoria physics engine, well known for being one of the most realistic engines on the market. With it, they have succeeded in providing some of the best drive-simulating in an action game to date. The only small weakness in the driving controls shows when you are in the heat of pursuit. At these times it can be overly difficult to navigate traffic while you (or a cop) are trying to do a P.I.T. (Precision Intervention Tactic) maneuver.

Escaping

The traditional six star wanted system is still there, though instead of having players search for star icons on the map to decrease the wanted level a simpler system has been devised. Rather than having to deal with cops all over the city, a circle will appear on your radar displaying your known whereabouts to the police. By simply driving outside the circle and hiding from any cops that pass by, you can end their search for you and remove your wanted status. This can make even escaping a six star wanted level a not so daunting task. Paint N' Sprays are present throughout the city but the number of them has been dramatically reduced and will rarely be used by the common player.

Let All that Breathe Partake
Perhaps the biggest achievement of the game is its full-on multiplayer mode. While there was a co-op mode in San Andreas, it was severely limited in scope. This new robust mode handles up to sixteen players in a room and comes with a whopping fifteen different modes to play in. Three modes stand out: Team Mafiya Work, a mode in which different teams attempt to complete random tasks for cash; Turf War, a variation of your standard King of the Hill mode; and Cops N' Crooks, a game in which one team hunts another down before they can get to their safe house. The Free Mode allows everyone to go where they want and do anything in the city. This can ultimately lead to some very creative antics on the part of your fellow players (helicopter jousting anyone?) but will no doubt lead to marathon sessions of survival against wave after wave of cops. Of all the modes Cops N' Crooks is arguably the most fun to play but you will find a good server with tons of players for every mode you load up.

The Stars of Progress Still

Grand Theft Auto IV is one of the best looking games to come out since the now-gen console wars began back in 2005. The environments really stand out but what ultimately makes the game awe-inspiring are the character models of the main cast and their supporting characters. The 'emotional modeling' is so fantastically done that it is sometimes easier to read the characters than to listen and understand what they are saying. The audio in the game is fantastic. The voice acting is top notch and well worthy of the hype and anticipation gamers have had for this title. Niko in particular is very well acted, as you can easily feel the sadness and anger despite his no-nonsense bravado. In addition, the cars and weapons almost all sound unique and are identifiable by sound alone. Listening to this game in surround sound is truly a treat.

Despite the impressiveness of the graphics and audio, there are still some issues. The frame rate in particular does tend to sputter, especially when a lot of things are on screen at the same time. Some bugs are still popping up at the time of this posting but there's no doubt Rockstar will step up to fix these issues.

Of Thee I Sing
Grand Theft Auto IV is by far one of the most impressive titles to have arrived since the first sandbox games appeared. While this iteration of the series may not exactly be a revolution as much as a refinement and a good sign of things to come, it is certainly worthy of the hype. I have only scratched the surface of what GTA IV can bring to the player and it would certainly take many more pages to even set foot beneath the surface of this very deep game. Perhaps not the Mecca of gaming, but certainly something very close.