GTA IV Review

“Life is complicated.”
- Niko Bellic

Never has such a short sentence summed up a game that is so morally questionable, yet so diverse and ambiguous, so perfectly. Life is complicated, and no one’s life is more complicated then that of Niko Bellic – protagonist to Rockstars’ new game: Grand Theft Auto IV.

Morally ambiguous as ever, the critically acclaimed developer has taken the series to the next chapter by officially crowning their latest release as the fourth GTA. (As opposed to Vice City and San Andreas, which are considered ‘spin-offs’ of the third game.) Returning to Liberty City, GTA IV has you take over the life of Niko Bellic, a Serbian with a dark past and the desire to make a new life for himself in America.

From the moment you step off the boat, you can tell there’s something different about this game. The rain falling down around you, the street lights desperately trying to hold the darkness at bay, even the people going about their business… for the first time, Liberty City feels alive.

This sense of realism is a feat not many can achieve, and whilst Rockstar come close, they don’t quite manage it with perfect execution. Like the previous GTA games, IV carries with it some bugs, some oddities, and those little things that can sometimes ruin the experience for you. The controls can also seem a bit ‘fiddly’ at times, especially with the new ‘cover & shoot’ combat system that’s been added. But if you look past this, if you ignore the hype and just enjoy the game for what it is, then you’re guaranteed a worthwhile experience.

One of its high points is the story, the character of Niko Bellic. Unlike previous GTA titles, Niko’s story revolves around the irony of his situation; that of a man who wants to do good, who doesn’t want to be controlled by others, yet inevitably finds himself reacting to other peoples actions. Previous characters, whilst being well-rounded, have often come up short when trying to factor in the sociopathic behaviour that comes as a result of the players actions.

Niko himself is a troubled man; he fought in the Bosnian war, he’s killed, smuggled and traded people and illegal wares…and now he’s on the run, and looking for a new life in the ‘land of opportunity’. The game starts you off in the ‘working-class’ district of Liberty City, Dukes & Hove Beach, where he lives with his cousin Roman who moved to America years before.

As you progress through the game, you meet new people, not all of them good. Despite his reformist dreams, Niko finds himself time and again do other people’s dirty work, and he makes more then a few enemies. As you slowly fight your way up through the districts of Liberty City, you’re confronted with betrayal, jealousy, friendship, love, and hope.

The physical world of GTA IV is smaller then that of the last game and other little things like the use of planes have also been dropped. This is because Rockstar have tried to shift the entire focus of the game; instead of just randomly walking around and blowing stuff up which was the favourite hobby of most GTA players, you actually get engaged in the story and what it has to offer.

Graphically, GTA IV is stunning, equally on par with the likes of BioWare’s Mass Effect, or even Creative Assembly’s Viking. As mentioned earlier, Rockstar have really brought Liberty City to life in this game. The pedestrians now act in a more realistic manner, they stand around and talk, they react to the environment, and even the weather. Other tweaks like the ‘escape radius’ for police chases, and the impact damage on cars, add to reality that this is a city, and you can do damage.

The multiplayer adds yet another layer of depth, letting you team up online with up to 16 people in a variety of different modes – Deathmatch, Car Chase City, and Free Roam to name but a few. Both fun and challenging, this extra mode will help ensure the game is played well passed the single player story.

If you were say that GTA IV was a triumph, that it was the best in the series, and that it is one of the best made games this year, then you wouldn’t be far wrong. That said, GTA IV is not a God, it’s not perfect, and whilst it my have wide appeal, they’ll still be those that question the ambiguous morals that it teaches to those that play. Still, it’s a damn good game.