The hero: Eastern European immigrant Niko Bellic, the poorly shaven chap we all saw in the trailer of a few weeks ago, who has come to the US in a bid to live the American Dream. After being tricked into moving to Liberty City by his cousin Roman, Nico quickly finds himself supporting his debt-ridden relative, initially his only contact in the alien city. Bellic possesses an LCD mobile phone, which gives the player access to numerous other menus: Phonebook, Messages, Organizer and Camera.
The setting: Liberty City in 2007. Inspired by New York (the Statue of Liberty in Rockstar's game has been renamed as the "Statue of Happiness"), this Liberty City is even bigger than the Liberty City of Grand Theft Auto III, though smaller than San Andreas. It consists of five boroughs, four of which are based on New York, and one on New Jersey. Open expanses of countryside are no longer part of the map either; in GTA IV, you'll be playing in the concrete jungle.
Talking of which, Liberty City itself sounds marvellously detailed. Not only does the magazine's report pass comment on the immensely improved visuals (something you'd expect, naturally, given the leap forward made by the host hardware), but it also details the modified pedestrians, who now smoke cigarettes, sit on benches, and read books. Meanwhile, pigeons fly overhead and litter the streets, and traffic behaves far more realistically than in previous entries to the series. Worried that such detailed environments will prove a loading nightmare? Fear not, for after an initial load sequence, there's absolutely no loading whatsoever. Impressive.
Hop in one of the cars, and you'll also find that one of the staples of the series, the quite brilliant radio stations, are also present and correct. Motorbikes are available, though other more outlandish vehicles that have previously appeared in the franchise, such as planes, have been scrapped, due to Rockstar North's increased focus on realism.
Realism, and also freedom. For example, you won't be bossed about quite as much in GTA IV as in previous games, with your mobile phone giving you more chances to cherry-pick the tasks you decide to carry out. That's not to say completing said tasks will be easy, however; according to the report, Rockstar consulted ex-policemen and other experts while working on the game, and GTA IV's police are a lot more stringent as a result. This is intended to reflect improved police techniques, and consequently adds another layer of realism.
There will be multiplayer modes, though producer Dan Houser insists the team behind the game is steering clear of creating an MMO-style experience, instead preferring to concentrate on "interesting, fun and progressive" gametypes.
Finally, the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions are supposedly the same game, though the 360 version will benefit from exclusive downloadable episodic content. Could that be a haymaker to the PS3 version's crotch? Time will tell.
) so it makes sense. and all joking aside, given it's New York, and given 9/11, i don't think even Rockstar are that heartless/daring.
Loading...
