Grand Theft Auto IV: Liberty City's Finest
Game Review | August 1, 2008 3:44 am
Let me start off by saying this one piece of personal information: I will never say that a game is perfect. You will never hear it coming out of my mouth that a game is so good, so well done, so amazing, that there was absolutely nothing wrong with it and it is the "perfect" game. While I have always said this in my years of gaming, there have certainly been some games that have come close and, thus, are considered so. The Xbox 360, having plenty of solid titles in their library, certainly flirted with that "perfect" ten rating, such as Bioshock, which has been the highest rated game on XBA since I began writing for the website. However, with this review, Bioshock has been unseated.
A flood of information at your fingertips.
By now, everyone is familiar with the phrase "Sandbox" style game, which is the coined term for an open world that is free for you to roam and do whatever your heart pleases. Rockstar took this idea and ran with it a long time ago, creating a game where you play the criminal, not the cop. Eventually, the series turned into something far greater than just a game. With the side stories, plot twists, and cliff hangers in each game, GTA has become a staple of the industry. The "fourth" game in the series (technically, it is the sixth) brings us the story of Niko Bellic, an immigrant who has come to Liberty City to live with his cousin, Roman, who has told him stories of mansions, fast cars, beautiful women, and plenty of money. Of course, Roman isn't exactly the most honest person in the world, and Niko finds himself in a broken down apartment in need of work instead of living the life of luxury. Good thing for us, though, that Niko is well skilled at many crafts, almost of them illegal.
The presentation of the game is about as close to flawless as you'll get. While there is no actual tutorial chapter that you'll play as everything intertwines with some form of a storyline, you do get plenty of tips that come up on the screen, not blocking your view of the game itself. While I hate most games that give you these tips, I certainly didn't mind it with GTA IV, simply because when they came up, they were at times where I actually needed to know how to do something. If you can incorporate your help system into the game and not be annoying about it, that's a big plus.
Controlling Niko is pretty fluid. The analog stick is very well in tune with Niko's movements and I generally had no problem figuring out what way I was going to go, even if the camera was turned in a funny angle. While there isn't a level up system that GTA: San Andreas had with running, riding skill, etc. that you could visibly check in the pause menu, you can't help but feel that controls get easier, especially with vehicles like motorcycles, as you ride the more. While it could be chalked up to just learning how to control one vehicle from another, it almost felt like it was a hidden system this time around. We never had this confirmed or denied by Rockstar, so we can draw our own conclusions.
Speaking of the pause menu, it's an absolute bastion of information. From the full map of Liberty City that allows you to zoom in and see where certain locations are at and even locking in your GPS (more on that later) so you have easy directions to a location to the incredible list of statistics that the game keeps for you, you can easily lose yourself in looking things up to see your progress. Expect anything on there from game time played to how many times you've been killed, even to the furthest distance you have fallen to your death. Simply put: If there's something that can be kept as a statistic, the pause menu is probably going to be able to tell you what it is.
Going back to the gameplay itself, the mapping system that I spoke about on the pause menu is used about as well as you could hope for with the on-screen action. Selecting a location on the pause menu map allows you to have easy directions to your destination via the GPS map in the corner of the screen. While you will eventually get familiar with Liberty City, which is modeled after New York City, complete with the "Statue of Happiness" and her ridiculously goofy smile, you will find that getting around will become much easier. Granted, the game automatically takes care of GPS directions when you are on a mission, so you may find yourself simply letting the game take care of it when you need it and free-roaming every other time. Even if you aren't using the GPS, however, the map reticle will provide useful information to you. The familiar lettering system that tells you where your next missions are located at are back by popular demand, making it simple to move from one mission to the next. Of course, there are plenty of side missions to choose from, and they have only been increased.
However, I think the best part of the game itself is the interactivity that you will have with the cell phone. Honestly, this feature is one of the best ideas that I've seen in a game in quite some time. The phone is used for many things, whether it be to call a friend to hang out at a bar and get drunk or to call about a side mission that needs to be completed. You will, of course, start off with a basic phone that does the functions necessary. Eventually, you are able to download ringtones off of the internet in the game as well as themes for the phone and graphics. The D-pad itself is how you control the cell phone, which can be a little tricky to navigate with if you are attempting to drive or do anything. I found myself driving with my left hand and trying to navigate through the cell phone menu with my right hand. I got good at it quick, but it is a minor nuisance.
Cars, women, and guns
Mentioning these three things in one sentence in your normal routine every day can result in excessive reactions, whether it be drooling or wide-eyed screams. In GTA IV, these are simply a necessity. There are plenty of vehicles to choose from, and they all have their pros and cons. Granted, some of the cars are amazing while others shouldn't be used for anything other than causing mayhem. You learn quickly that driving is a little more difficult this time around than in past games. You will have to adjust to your vehicle quite a bit, depending on what you are using. Case in point, early in the game, you are going to be driving some run down vehicles or your every day family sedans. As you progress throughout the game, you will have access to faster vehicles. While moving around Liberty City as fast as possible is very important, it is equally as important to do this in order to win the side races that come up, which will range in difficulty based on the types of vehicles you are facing, which was seemingly quite random.
Of course, one of the hottest topics in the last game was the "hot coffee" mod that came out and unlocked the sex scene that caused a huge uproar in the legal community. This time around, things have been toned down, although women are still a big piece of the side quest pie. Instead of just being able to pick up prostitutes on the street, you are now able to befriend women and eventually have them be your girlfriend. The clothes that you wear and the cars that you drive will affect how long this takes, which is capped off by being invited into any of their respective homes for sex. Yes, this information is kept via statistics in the pause menu, as well as how much a person likes you, which also has a pretty significant effect on the game itself.
Let's face it, though. The guns are what really determines how long you last in the city. Just as in the past, you will only have access to certain guns early on. While you will acquire some guns from missions and side quests, you can also buy guns from various suppliers in different locations around the city. Befriending a certain character in the game, however, gives you immediate access to weaponry no matter where you are in the city, and you will also get it for a pretty steep discount. Keep in mind, though, that money is a little tight at the beginning of the game. I found myself having to do plenty of side missions to build up cash in order to keep myself well stocked, which is exactly the feeling that I want when I'm playing a game like this. I want it to be challenging and have a feeling of fulfillment when I'm done with it. GTA IV does not disappoint in this aspect at all.
The beautiful city and its inhabitants
Sandbox style games can be a pain to develop because there are a lot of things that can go wrong graphically. Liberty City, as we all have guessed by this point, had to have been a certifiable nightmare to program. The area is far larger than the Liberty City from GTA III, sticking with a similar layout to NYC itself by having different sections of the city, although you won't find them named anywhere close to the Burroughs of NYC. You will, however, come to learn these names fairly quick and where they are located. If you are having trouble finding any of these places, however, the map in the pause system is more than capable of telling you.
The city itself is gorgeous. Graphics and textures are extremely clean with very little hint of flaws or problems. As with any Sandbox Style game, there are going to be these those times, however, where the processor simply cannot keep up with the speed you are moving, which results in some lag for the system. This is simply unavoidable, but it has been minimized in this version. I can only think of a couple of times where I was driving so fast that the game seemed to stop moving. Granted, it did crash on me once or twice when this happened, but I'm quick to forgive, considering that the 360 was working overtime to make sure the game was running smoothly.
The storyline itself is a masterpiece. While most games have a long, drawn out storyline that sometimes wears out its welcome until you get to that one specific moment that you were waiting for, GTA IV simply keeps you locked in. Multiple times, I would ask myself what Niko was hiding from his past, which is slowly unraveled through all of the missions that you do. Like a well written novel, you are fed little bits and pieces to tide you over for a couple of missions before you do a major one and a big piece is revealed. Simply put, Niko is looking for someone from his past, and by doing these favors, errands, and missions for the organized crime lords of Liberty City, you pull Niko one step closer to finding this person. Missions, at some point, will force you to choose one option or another, usually in the form of having to choose between two people and which one you want to kill. These decisions, ultimately, have little effect on the primary storyline but will open a different path and different things almost immediately. There is one decision that you make which greatly affects the story, but you are not going to get any spoilers here. That's for you to play through and find out.
Did you say multiplayer?
Indeed, most people were stunned to hear that there was going to be a form of a multiplayer when it came to GTA IV. We all hoped and prayed that it wasn't a co-op and it was just something simple to distract us from the primary game if we needed a changeup, and we certainly received our wish. The online multiplayer is quite enjoyable, mainly centering around races with various vehicles and such. Of course, there is an open area that you can simply just kill everyone in random ways for the fun of it. However, the bulk of my online play was centered around racing the various vehicles that you find in Liberty City, and this even includes helicopters, which are very difficult to control at first but very fun when you get the hang of it.
Another mode that you'll find online is almost like a capture the flag type that really is "Cops and Robbers". You are either playing as a cop trying to kill a particular person on the other team or a wiseguy who is charged with the task of taking out the cops and making sure the boss stays alive. These generally turn into some wild firefights, but they are certainly fun, nevertheless.
The final rundown
I really took my time with GTA IV. Knowing the hype that surrounded it, I wanted to make absolutely sure that I picked this game apart. While I simply don't have enough time to list everything that I came across in this game, I cannot stress enough how close to perfection this game is. Even with the minor haggles of trying to operate a cell phone while driving and some slight issues with the surroundings that you get with a Sandbox game, GTA IV is arguably the best game that has been put out on the 360 thus far, and while it doesn't surprise me that this is the case when you consider how much time was put into it, when you sit down to play through the countless hours of gameplay at your fingertips, you truly do appreciate it.
I am going to break away from my normal reviewing style because, simply put, there is just too much to write about with this game and I don't feel that I can adequately do it justice by categorizing everything. Each aspect simply intertwines with the next one with little to no break in flow, and I would feel terrible if I didn't mention that, hence the reasoning for me not bothering to put together the categories. As I stated before, I will never call a game perfect. I do not believe in such a thing. However, if there is ever a game that gets as close to perfect as possible....this is the one. Because of this, GTA IV gets stamped with the most elusive of all scores: Ten.
Rating: 10.0/10.0 (Excellent)
A flood of information at your fingertips.
By now, everyone is familiar with the phrase "Sandbox" style game, which is the coined term for an open world that is free for you to roam and do whatever your heart pleases. Rockstar took this idea and ran with it a long time ago, creating a game where you play the criminal, not the cop. Eventually, the series turned into something far greater than just a game. With the side stories, plot twists, and cliff hangers in each game, GTA has become a staple of the industry. The "fourth" game in the series (technically, it is the sixth) brings us the story of Niko Bellic, an immigrant who has come to Liberty City to live with his cousin, Roman, who has told him stories of mansions, fast cars, beautiful women, and plenty of money. Of course, Roman isn't exactly the most honest person in the world, and Niko finds himself in a broken down apartment in need of work instead of living the life of luxury. Good thing for us, though, that Niko is well skilled at many crafts, almost of them illegal.
The presentation of the game is about as close to flawless as you'll get. While there is no actual tutorial chapter that you'll play as everything intertwines with some form of a storyline, you do get plenty of tips that come up on the screen, not blocking your view of the game itself. While I hate most games that give you these tips, I certainly didn't mind it with GTA IV, simply because when they came up, they were at times where I actually needed to know how to do something. If you can incorporate your help system into the game and not be annoying about it, that's a big plus.
Controlling Niko is pretty fluid. The analog stick is very well in tune with Niko's movements and I generally had no problem figuring out what way I was going to go, even if the camera was turned in a funny angle. While there isn't a level up system that GTA: San Andreas had with running, riding skill, etc. that you could visibly check in the pause menu, you can't help but feel that controls get easier, especially with vehicles like motorcycles, as you ride the more. While it could be chalked up to just learning how to control one vehicle from another, it almost felt like it was a hidden system this time around. We never had this confirmed or denied by Rockstar, so we can draw our own conclusions.
Speaking of the pause menu, it's an absolute bastion of information. From the full map of Liberty City that allows you to zoom in and see where certain locations are at and even locking in your GPS (more on that later) so you have easy directions to a location to the incredible list of statistics that the game keeps for you, you can easily lose yourself in looking things up to see your progress. Expect anything on there from game time played to how many times you've been killed, even to the furthest distance you have fallen to your death. Simply put: If there's something that can be kept as a statistic, the pause menu is probably going to be able to tell you what it is.
Going back to the gameplay itself, the mapping system that I spoke about on the pause menu is used about as well as you could hope for with the on-screen action. Selecting a location on the pause menu map allows you to have easy directions to your destination via the GPS map in the corner of the screen. While you will eventually get familiar with Liberty City, which is modeled after New York City, complete with the "Statue of Happiness" and her ridiculously goofy smile, you will find that getting around will become much easier. Granted, the game automatically takes care of GPS directions when you are on a mission, so you may find yourself simply letting the game take care of it when you need it and free-roaming every other time. Even if you aren't using the GPS, however, the map reticle will provide useful information to you. The familiar lettering system that tells you where your next missions are located at are back by popular demand, making it simple to move from one mission to the next. Of course, there are plenty of side missions to choose from, and they have only been increased.
However, I think the best part of the game itself is the interactivity that you will have with the cell phone. Honestly, this feature is one of the best ideas that I've seen in a game in quite some time. The phone is used for many things, whether it be to call a friend to hang out at a bar and get drunk or to call about a side mission that needs to be completed. You will, of course, start off with a basic phone that does the functions necessary. Eventually, you are able to download ringtones off of the internet in the game as well as themes for the phone and graphics. The D-pad itself is how you control the cell phone, which can be a little tricky to navigate with if you are attempting to drive or do anything. I found myself driving with my left hand and trying to navigate through the cell phone menu with my right hand. I got good at it quick, but it is a minor nuisance.
Cars, women, and guns
Mentioning these three things in one sentence in your normal routine every day can result in excessive reactions, whether it be drooling or wide-eyed screams. In GTA IV, these are simply a necessity. There are plenty of vehicles to choose from, and they all have their pros and cons. Granted, some of the cars are amazing while others shouldn't be used for anything other than causing mayhem. You learn quickly that driving is a little more difficult this time around than in past games. You will have to adjust to your vehicle quite a bit, depending on what you are using. Case in point, early in the game, you are going to be driving some run down vehicles or your every day family sedans. As you progress throughout the game, you will have access to faster vehicles. While moving around Liberty City as fast as possible is very important, it is equally as important to do this in order to win the side races that come up, which will range in difficulty based on the types of vehicles you are facing, which was seemingly quite random.
Of course, one of the hottest topics in the last game was the "hot coffee" mod that came out and unlocked the sex scene that caused a huge uproar in the legal community. This time around, things have been toned down, although women are still a big piece of the side quest pie. Instead of just being able to pick up prostitutes on the street, you are now able to befriend women and eventually have them be your girlfriend. The clothes that you wear and the cars that you drive will affect how long this takes, which is capped off by being invited into any of their respective homes for sex. Yes, this information is kept via statistics in the pause menu, as well as how much a person likes you, which also has a pretty significant effect on the game itself.
Let's face it, though. The guns are what really determines how long you last in the city. Just as in the past, you will only have access to certain guns early on. While you will acquire some guns from missions and side quests, you can also buy guns from various suppliers in different locations around the city. Befriending a certain character in the game, however, gives you immediate access to weaponry no matter where you are in the city, and you will also get it for a pretty steep discount. Keep in mind, though, that money is a little tight at the beginning of the game. I found myself having to do plenty of side missions to build up cash in order to keep myself well stocked, which is exactly the feeling that I want when I'm playing a game like this. I want it to be challenging and have a feeling of fulfillment when I'm done with it. GTA IV does not disappoint in this aspect at all.
The beautiful city and its inhabitants
Sandbox style games can be a pain to develop because there are a lot of things that can go wrong graphically. Liberty City, as we all have guessed by this point, had to have been a certifiable nightmare to program. The area is far larger than the Liberty City from GTA III, sticking with a similar layout to NYC itself by having different sections of the city, although you won't find them named anywhere close to the Burroughs of NYC. You will, however, come to learn these names fairly quick and where they are located. If you are having trouble finding any of these places, however, the map in the pause system is more than capable of telling you.
The city itself is gorgeous. Graphics and textures are extremely clean with very little hint of flaws or problems. As with any Sandbox Style game, there are going to be these those times, however, where the processor simply cannot keep up with the speed you are moving, which results in some lag for the system. This is simply unavoidable, but it has been minimized in this version. I can only think of a couple of times where I was driving so fast that the game seemed to stop moving. Granted, it did crash on me once or twice when this happened, but I'm quick to forgive, considering that the 360 was working overtime to make sure the game was running smoothly.
The storyline itself is a masterpiece. While most games have a long, drawn out storyline that sometimes wears out its welcome until you get to that one specific moment that you were waiting for, GTA IV simply keeps you locked in. Multiple times, I would ask myself what Niko was hiding from his past, which is slowly unraveled through all of the missions that you do. Like a well written novel, you are fed little bits and pieces to tide you over for a couple of missions before you do a major one and a big piece is revealed. Simply put, Niko is looking for someone from his past, and by doing these favors, errands, and missions for the organized crime lords of Liberty City, you pull Niko one step closer to finding this person. Missions, at some point, will force you to choose one option or another, usually in the form of having to choose between two people and which one you want to kill. These decisions, ultimately, have little effect on the primary storyline but will open a different path and different things almost immediately. There is one decision that you make which greatly affects the story, but you are not going to get any spoilers here. That's for you to play through and find out.
Did you say multiplayer?
Indeed, most people were stunned to hear that there was going to be a form of a multiplayer when it came to GTA IV. We all hoped and prayed that it wasn't a co-op and it was just something simple to distract us from the primary game if we needed a changeup, and we certainly received our wish. The online multiplayer is quite enjoyable, mainly centering around races with various vehicles and such. Of course, there is an open area that you can simply just kill everyone in random ways for the fun of it. However, the bulk of my online play was centered around racing the various vehicles that you find in Liberty City, and this even includes helicopters, which are very difficult to control at first but very fun when you get the hang of it.
Another mode that you'll find online is almost like a capture the flag type that really is "Cops and Robbers". You are either playing as a cop trying to kill a particular person on the other team or a wiseguy who is charged with the task of taking out the cops and making sure the boss stays alive. These generally turn into some wild firefights, but they are certainly fun, nevertheless.
The final rundown
I really took my time with GTA IV. Knowing the hype that surrounded it, I wanted to make absolutely sure that I picked this game apart. While I simply don't have enough time to list everything that I came across in this game, I cannot stress enough how close to perfection this game is. Even with the minor haggles of trying to operate a cell phone while driving and some slight issues with the surroundings that you get with a Sandbox game, GTA IV is arguably the best game that has been put out on the 360 thus far, and while it doesn't surprise me that this is the case when you consider how much time was put into it, when you sit down to play through the countless hours of gameplay at your fingertips, you truly do appreciate it.
I am going to break away from my normal reviewing style because, simply put, there is just too much to write about with this game and I don't feel that I can adequately do it justice by categorizing everything. Each aspect simply intertwines with the next one with little to no break in flow, and I would feel terrible if I didn't mention that, hence the reasoning for me not bothering to put together the categories. As I stated before, I will never call a game perfect. I do not believe in such a thing. However, if there is ever a game that gets as close to perfect as possible....this is the one. Because of this, GTA IV gets stamped with the most elusive of all scores: Ten.
Rating: 10.0/10.0 (Excellent)
Reviewed: Grand Theft Auto IV
Keywords: None
