Review: Grand Theft Auto IV

Every once in a while gamers get treated to a pleasant surprise where the long awaited sequel to a good/excellent game actually lives up to the hype and delivers. The best example that comes to my mind would be Half Life 2 which went through a prolonged delay but in the end still managed to deliver, perhaps even better than the original Half Life. Perhaps Team Fortress 2 could be considered as another example, though it is observed many of the original Team Fortress fans were disappointed and angered by the new direction TF2 has taken. I hope the next example would be MGS 4, but the verdict won't be out until I get to play it myself; reviews for the game are so far pretty impressive.

I'd like to think that Grand Theft Auto IV has actually went even further than just delivering the promised hype to fans of the GTA series; it has the potential to draw new audiences into the series. The near perfect gameplay, together with the massive coverage it has received in the mass media, definitely helps it achieve such status. And here is why I feel that GTA IV has improved in every aspects since San Andreas.

It doesn't take long after booting up the game for the first time to realize that the graphics has went a long way since SA. The developers have decided to take up a more realistic design for GTA IV instead of the cartoony feel GTA III, VC and SA sported. Perhaps that is what they have been striving to achieve since the start, but system limitations had forced them to stick to the cartoony graphics up until GTA IV. The change in direction of the art design definitely comes as a welcome, as I suspect that is what many GTA fans have been craving for all along -- a virtual world which closely mirrors reality with a convincing environment in which they explore freely and wreck havoc without any repercussions. The game is definitely beautiful, no doubt, even when played in a SD TV. The complaints about occasional drop in framerates and pop-ins are there, however, it is not so serious as to ruin the general experience.

Another superior advantage GTA holds over many of its imitators is the variety of characters, together with excellent voiceovers, and the simple but engaging plot it sports. The same goes for GTA IV, where the main protagonist, Niko Bellic, is sure to be well liked alongside with the other main characters of the GTA series (Claude, Tommy, CJ etc.). Niko plays the brooding anti hero who was forced to commit crimes/acts against his will, and there are certain missions and instances where players would feel for him. In a way, he is kind of similar to CJ, who was constantly threatened by Tenpenny to oblige to his biddings. However, there are also certain occasions when you'd feel the plot inconsistencies with regards to Niko being an unwilling criminal. An example, as brought up in the 1UP Yours podcast, would be the mission Three Leaf Clover, where Niko, together with Packie and his family, pulled a bank heist. By the time the player does that mission, Niko should have been quite well-off (in this game, seldom do you worry about not having enough cash), and there was no reason why he should agree to rob a bank -- it's not like he must do it to survive. It is moments like these that kind of spoil the setting of the plot.

As for the other characters, the developers have done a good job in fleshing out the individual personalities. Roman, though may seem detestable initially and brushed off as a good for nothing lusty loser, soon won a place in my heart by the time I was done with the missions in Broker. Brucie, the steroid-pumped internet buddy of Roman, is a weird one; he is a indeed a good friend, but his self obsession sometimes may freak you out. Then there is Little Jacob, the Rastafarian whose accent is so thick and near incomprehensible that I frequently have to refer to the subtitles to understand what he is talking about (the Rastafarian language doesn't help too); LJ would prove to be a loyal and useful friend throughout the game. The mission characters are not neglected either; the first guy who gave you your first paid mission, Vlad, is an absolute dickhead, and you can feel for Niko when he is forced to do errands for him so as to erase Roman's debt to Vlad. No words can describe the (spolier-tagged!) satisfaction when Niko popped Vlad in the head eventually; that is how much you'll hate Vlad. You'll soon encounter another big fucking dickhead, who would prove to be the turning point of the plot and also play a very big role in a twist near the end of the game if you made certain choices, which I will not spoil for you. Throughout the game, you'll meet tons of colorful characters, some of which you will take a liking to, some whom you wish you can just shoot them in the head once and for all.

With so much painstaking efforts in the graphics and plot/character department, it would be an injustice if the gameplay were mediocre. Fortunately, GTA IV is far from that; the gameplay is epic. Liberty City may feel smaller than SA, however, do note that SA was composed of vast areas of empty wasteland/grassland. Also, Liberty City is definitely more interactive, and the NPCs are more believable. Pedestrians react accordingly to your various actions, drivers drive in a more realistic manner than those in SA (those fucking mad drivers are no longer a worry). Next, the combat control definitely took a huge improvement over the past GTA installments. The cover system is a welcome, and aiming is much better this time around, although there are still some sheer annoying moments where the gun is locked on to the wrong target at the most crucial moments. However, so long as you take covers and refrain from fighting in the open, you'd seldom die. Missions are also no longer as irritating as in the past. Gone are the near impossible flying missions, hard to control RC missions etc. Throughout the main campaign, I've only encountered two or three annoying missions, in which I also took at most 5-6 tries. Side missions are still around, however it feels much lesser than the previous games. The staple taxi and police missions are still there, except this time round you can't just trigger them with the L3 button; you'd actually have to call Roman to get taxi missions for him (Roman runs a taxi company) and police missions are accessed through the police network. Then there is also the standard car delivery (read: theft) missions and stunt jumps; all these are required for 100% completion. The package collection is replaced with killing flying rats (pigeons) in GTA IV, however, the reward (a helicopter, which is quite troublesome to access, plus the fact you can get it through other means easily) isn't as appealing as that in SA (infinite supply of ammo in your various safehouses).

The various subtle humor Rockstar has put into the game is much appreciated too. You can actually watch television shows within the game, and the programs are actually parodies of real life programs, such as ridiculous reality shows and over sensationalized news programs (come to think of it, they are actually on par with FOX news). And the mini internet portal you can access in the numerous internet cafes is pretty interesting too. Finally, the radio stations are still as solid as ever (though I still think VC had the best music), with the occasional hilarious talk shows and commercials.

GTA IV is what I call a complete package; the main story campaign is just part of the massive gameplay. There are things for everyone to do. Feel like playing Driving: The Simulation? Sure, just get a car and drive lawfully like what you'd do in real life. Feel like going on a rampage? Sure, buy yourself some ammo from the gun shops (which are now seedy underground shops unlike the much publicized Ammunation in the past games, which I consider to be less realistic) or just activate the weapons cheat and have fun wrecking havoc in the city.

PS: I won't touch on the multiplayer aspects of the game as 1. It definitely seems to be a last minute addition to the game, as the interface is so fucking awful and getting into a game with your friend is so troublesome. I am not going to consider this into the final review score as I personally believe GTA IV is mainly a single player experience. 2. I haven't delve much into the MP to give it a justified impression.

The good: The sheer freedom you have, engaging plot and characters, beautiful graphics
The bad: Some inconsistencies in the plot, character models look awkward during close up cut scenes, occasional pop in and framerate drops
Score: 10/10 (The good way overwhelms the bad; all in all, it is a near perfect game)