Grand Theft Auto IV

Written by Troy Matsumiya  on March 25, 2008

Final Glimpse: It's good clean happy fun for the whole family!

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You hear that sound? That's the sound of millions of people eagerly rubbing their hands with glee, half of which are gamers anxious to dive back into the ridiculously fun world of Liberty City, with the other half greedy lawyers and pompous prudes anxious to launch frivolous lawsuits in an attempt to suppress creative freedom of expression.

While there's not much we can do with the second group (other than giving them a huge dose of Metamucil to clear out whatever is stuck up their you-know-whats), we mature responsible consumers in the first group will be enjoying the next iteration of Rockstar's famous open sandbox action/adventure/driving/comedy opus.

At least, that's the hope. Rockstar is no doubt feeling the massive weight of enormous expectations but based on what we've seen so far, they should come through with yet another outstanding game in the series.

As you are probably aware by now, you will play as Niko Bellic, a scruffy Eastern European gent who moves to Liberty City at the behest of his cousin Roman, in search of the American dream. He quickly discovers that the streets aren't paved in gold and life is just as tough as before. However, in true GTA fashion, he learns that the American dream is there for the taking Ц with a little help from a gun, a few car jackings and a bad attitude.

The first thing about Liberty City that strikes you are the graphics, which are absolutely stunning; the place never looked so good, rendered in incredibly rich detail right down to the grime on the streets. What's even more impressive is the fact that this level of detail is maintained throughout Rockstar's version of New York City, where each borough, neighborhood, street and even individual buildings (both inside and out) are unique. Add in the fact that there will be no load times when entering or exiting a building and you can see how Rockstar is really taking advantage of the current gen's more powerful hardware.

Liberty City is spread across an area a bit smaller than San Andreas; while that sounds disappointing at first, consider that much of San Andreas was essentially empty space. In contrast, Liberty City will be a dense metropolis filled with skyscrapers and buildings, many of which you can enter or climb using fire escapes and ladders. The city is divided into five boroughs, each corresponding to their real-life counterparts, including Broker (the Bronx) and Algonquin (Manhattan). Also included is Aldernay, which represents part of New Jersey. Many familiar landmarks like Times Square and the Empire State Building will appear, albeit with Rockstar's deliciously humorous twist.

The characters also benefit from the enhanced graphics, especially Niko, whose scruffy worn visage has seen better days. He ain't pretty, but each wrinkle and crease in his leathery face tells you everything you need to know about his character.

Character physics are vastly improved as they move and react with eerie realism thanks to NaturalMotion's amazing Euphoria technology. For example, if a character is walking on an incline, they will adjust their stance just like you would in real life, bending knees and counterbalancing upper bodies for balance. When pushed off balance, characters will stumble and put out their hands to brace themselves, while characters that are shot will recoil in pain, crawl for cover or (if they're on a ledge) fall backwards screaming with flailing limbs. When a drunken Niko stumbles and grabs a NPC for balance, the NPC will push him off with disgust. Characters will even react to the weather, with NPCs running from the rain and pulling their coats tightly around them. The really cool thing is that none of these actions are scripted; instead, these are all natural reactions to the events occurring in the game world.

Okay, so it looks good but what about the gameplay? One of the biggest gripes of the series has been the poor combat mechanics and fortunately, Rockstar has completely revamped the system. Hand-to-hand combat is no longer a one-button affair; now you can tell Niko to punch, kick, block or head butt opponents. You can even disarm enemies and use their own weapons against them Ц nice. The shooting mechanics are vastly improved; while you will still have an auto lock-on system, you can now use a true free look system you would find in any standard third-person shooter that allows you to move and aim independently. You will want to take advantage of this new system since you will be able to target specific body parts like arms and legs; now couple this with the Euphoria technology and you can get some wicked enemy reactions. Why kill someone when you can wound them in the nastiest way possible instead?

You can also take advantage of the new cover system but don't plan on staying in one spot too long; most things you can hide behind will be destructible.

When you're not shooting people, the open sandbox world is yours to do as you wish. Surf the УInternet,Ф play video games, shop for clothes, perform side tasks, fly a helicopter, or just drive around like a maniac. And if you get pulled over by a cop, you will have a new option: you can pretend to submit to the arrest so they stop shooting you and then flee before they slap on the cuffs.

So all in all, it's looking like what you would expect from a GTA game, only in better looking duds. However, what's really getting people excited are the brand new multiplayer modes.

For the first time, GTA players will be able to play with and against each other Ц and we're not talking about the limited two-player co-op mode in San Andreas. We're talking about 16 players online with fully customized characters competing in 15 gamemodes, including Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch. Are you drooling yet? While only tidbits of information have been released about the other gamemodes, here is what we know and don't know so far:

Bomb da Base: This seems pretty self-explanatory; one team plants a bomb in the enemy base while the other team defends.

Bomb da Base II: Anyone want to guess this is a variation of Bomb da Base?

Car Jack City: This probably tasks players with collecting certain vehicles for points.

Cops N Crooks: One team plays the cops while the others are crooks trying to escape. Since the dense metropolis can make escape a bit too easy, the cops will have the benefit of a GPS tracking system while the crooks do without.

Deal Breaker: This is likely a capture the flag gametype where teams must retrieve an object and return it to their base.

Free Mode: Definitely the most exciting prospect is the ability to gather your 15 closest friends and enjoy the open freedom to do whatever you want, just like in the single player campaign. Sweet!

Hangman's NOOSE: This is actually a single player mission that supports co-op, where you have to safely escort a mobster being chased by the cops.

Mafia Work: This is a free-for-all game where every player tries to kill selected targets before anyone else.

Team Mafia Work: Even the mafia believes in teamwork.

Race: Pretty self-explanatory, you race through the streets of Liberty City; first across the finish line wins.

GTA Race: It's still a race but now you can chuck grenades and Molotov cocktails at your opponents, and can even jack their cars.

Turf War: This is likely a Battlefield type of gamemode where you need to capture and hold territories.

For those of you who have been worrying that the GTA franchise was in danger of becoming stagnant, these exciting new multiplayer modes will no doubt take things to a whole new level. Taking the GTA world online with 16 players will also likely mean millions of people will be pasty skinned from lack of sunlight as they spend countless hours creating havoc in Liberty City.