GTA IV
Posted By: Kevin on May 25 2008

The last generation of consoles brought many benefits. It was the generation that brought us hard drives, Internet play, and true mature gaming. The forefather of what has been called sandbox gaming was Grand Theft Auto III for the Playstation 2. It can be said that GTA’s violent and sexual nature was what catapulted it to national stardom. But buried under the glitz and glamor, gamers found a flawed but ultimately enjoyable game. Rockstar continued to hone their craft, hammering away at 2 sequels that brought their own ups and downs. Despite better looking competition, the GTA series has consistently triumphed over them with clever plot twists and witty dialog. Now, Rockstar releases the first true sequel since their jump to the third dimension. GTA IV is without a doubt a system seller on the same caliber as Halo 3 or Gears of War.

A common complaint of the GTA series was shoddy controls outside of driving. Over the 3 iterations within the GTA III universe, Rockstar continued to tweak the controls, but the game engine and hardware always seemed to hold their true talents back. Given the long development time and powerful new hardware to work with, Rockstar has finally wrought a control scheme that will please all but the most disgruntled gamer.

Driving has become even more of a pleasure than the earlier GTAs. Cars are much sturdier and more equal in their abilities. There are few worthless vehicles in GTA. What Rockstar has fulfilled in this game is a sense of detail that most developers only dream of. As the main character, Niko, drives across the expansive streets of Liberty City, his vehicle will rock as it goes across manhole covers. Slick rainy nights create a treacherous terrain, forcing Niko to turn on his high beams to see the lonely road ahead.

Compared to all the other game systems found within GTA, combat sees the most impressive technological leap. Camera angles rarely disappoint as Niko shoots down wave after wave of dope dealers, crooked cops, and deranged civilians. Ducking and weaving behind cover to reach the exit of a warehouse, then diving into a cop car to only have to escape Liberty City’s finest is a magnificent rush. GTA IV is enjoyable simply to play outside of driving the plot forward. Retrying missions is a simple matter of a few clicks on the d-pad, so even the toughest of situations isn’t insurmountable.

You will not find any uncanny valleys in GTA IV. When watching a cut scene between Niko and Roman it ceases being a 360 game and becomes an intriguing story between two cousins from a foreign land. Rockstar has steeped their product with so much life that is hard to see beyond the polygons to appreciate the stunning amount of effort put into constructing such a universe. It isn’t the gut punching gotcha of a movie. Rockstar understands that GTA IV is a game not a movie. Dealing with a different time table means bringing a different pace to the entertainment. What is remarkable is the consistency throughout GTA IV. The more and more you branch out into Liberty City the more you are drawn back into it’s central themes: family, revenge, and fulfilling the American Dream.

This is not a title where voice acting is sprinkled throughout. Everything is fully voiced, and the majority of it is portrayed in incredible motion capture. This is perhaps the greatest underlying benefit of a huge budget and large development team. There is simply no going back to the rigid animation of yore. Experiencing the silly cabaret shows or witnessing the gruesome execution style shooting of the many antagonists will imprint the way video game characters laugh and die into any gamer’s psyche.

It seems almost an afterthought to mention the radio in a GTA game, but even here Rockstar has managed to top themselves and their competitors with several small tweaks. These all involve further encapsulating you into Niko’s sordid tale. The radio continues to play softly in the background as you exit or enter a vehicle. Announcements concerning current events in the city are frequently broadcast across news alerts. The actual mix of music leans more towards urban than rock, but then again with catchy tunes such as Top Down and Nicknames it's hard to argue against their effect. There is some disappointment amongst the commercials in a GTA IV. They simply don’t seem as memorable or funny as the GTA III series.

An absolute exhausting list of multiplayer modes is available in GTA IV. Adding in a good dose of both co-op and versus modes, GTA IV is the first GTA title out of the gate with multiplayer, and it is not a tacked on option. Most players will enjoy those modes that lend themselves to the best of GTA; basically those with light to medium shooting and heavy vehicle use. You can go head to head in a match of who can steal certain cars the quickest, or even who can chase down the fugitive in the excellent Cops vs. Crooks mode.

What you will not find in GTA IV is any split screen multiplayer. Perhaps this would be a larger disappointment if it wasn’t so damn enjoyable to just sit and watch someone play the game. Multiplayer in GTA IV is a game that begs to have the controller passed around. What it lacks in split screen it makes up in simple trash talk from anyone else in the same room. As long as players are understanding of the fact that multiplayer in GTA IV is a stand alone affair from the rest of the game. Not a half baked affair mind you. Much like the single player mode in Smash Bros Brawl, GTA IV’s multiplayer is huge treat from developer to gamer. It isn’t needed to fulfill the purchase price as it is nearly a full featured game as a bonus to an already stellar single player experience.

What defines an unforgettable gaming experience? On one hand, there are the incredible endings, like finding out Samus was a woman for the first time or delivering the final axe drop to King Koopa’s drawbridge. On the other hand, it can be a slow burn as in GTA IV. It is a game that prides itself on the fact that it is very unassuming. It is this realism, this attention to the finesse of the sandbox, that ultimately launches GTA IV into an elite realm. No greater acclaim can be given to a video game above remembering a portion of it years down the road. GTA IV is the sort of game that will rewrite a gamer’s memory. It will forcibly cut, burn, and blast away those lesser experiences. GTA IV will remind you that you remember those games because GTA IV wasn’t around that year.

As a single player event, GTA IV is the experience of a console’s lifetime. Whether it is browsing the Internet at Tw@ or cycling through the messages on your cell phone, GTA IV manages to bind the player to Niko’s fames and follies. It lays a groundwork, slowly and subtly, so that when the betrayals do happen they mean all that much more. Play GTA IV for the killing, for the mayhem, for the strippers and for the fast cars. But remember it for the way Niko grins at Roman’s idiotic optimism or the way Niko’s eyes stay focused and calm during a bloody and brutal murder.