Grand Theft Auto IV
| Format | Xbox 360 |
|---|---|
| Year Released | 2008 |
| Publisher | Rockstar Games |
| Genre | Action, Racing & Driving |
| ESRB Age Rating | Adults Only |
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TVG Rating: 9.7
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Average User Rating: None
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Amazon.co.uk
For Niko Bellic, fresh off the boat from Europe, it is the hope he can escape his past. For his cousin, Roman, it is the vision that together they can find fortune in Liberty City, gateway to the land of opportunity. As they slip into debt and are dragged into a criminal underworld by a series of shysters, thieves and sociopaths, they discover that the reality is very different from the dream in a city that worships money and status, and is heaven for those who have them and a living nightmare for those who don?t.
Beginning with the 1997 release of the original Grand Theft Auto, the GTA series has been one of the most prolific, controversial and down right entertaining franchises in video games history. This pedigree of success guarantees that the highly anticipated eleventh game in the series, Grand Theft Auto IV, will garner at least as much attention if not more.
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The Plot
Grand Theft Auto IV is a brand new adventure in the GTA universe following the experiences of Nikolai "Niko" Bellic, a new immigrant from an undisclosed eastern European country whose troubled pa st and the persuasion of his cousin Roman have brought him to the fictional Liberty City. Unfortunately, Niko?s search for the American Dream and a much needed fresh start, hits an immediate snag when the rags to riches story Roman spun to pique Niko's interest is exposed as not only a complete fabrication, but a ploy to enlist Niko?s well-known skills as a tough guy against the ample list of enemies clamouring for Roman?s debt-ridden blood.
Because Roman is the only person Niko knows in Liberty City he begrudgingly accepts his role as Roman?s protector despite the deception. But as time goes on Niko comes into his own, and his experience on the wrong side of the tracks proves more valuable than he could have ever imagined as he fights for survival and later supremacy on the crime ridden streets of Liberty City.
Game Environments
Based on several of the boroughs of New York City and parts of New Jersey, Liberty City, familiar to players of previous games in the series, has been entirely redesigned for GTA IV. Players can expect visible detail down to the weeds growing in the cracks in the sidewalk, cars and buildings of visibly different ages and a much greater level if verticality in the buildings and bridges that they are able to explore as Niko moves through the city streets. In addition, pedestrians in GTA IV are much more realistic. No longer simply moving cardboard cut-outs, these NPCs are intelligent, modern, human representations that laugh, cry, eat, drink, use cell phones and ATMs, and talking amongst themselves regardless of Niko?s interaction with them.
Gameplay
Historically GTA games have focused heavily on mission-based play, requiring successful completion of fixed tasks in order for players to progress through the game, but this has changed to a great extent in GTA IV. Players will experience an entirely new and exciting emphasis centred on the blending of on-mission and off-mission play, resulting not only in an increased sense of realism, but more interesting and unrestricted gameplay.
Features
Aside from the car jacking and a detailed city environment here are the new features for GTA IV:
- Improved combat system - Now you can use cover and also a target lock system, which allows you to take out targets with greater ease and accuracy. Plus, you can engage in some hand-to-hand combat if you can't get your hands on a piece quick enough.
- Cell phone - Not just for basic phone calls anymore. Use your in-game cell phone to receive missions via SMS, snap photos, and ZiT (tag) songs that can be downloaded exclusively on Amazon.com/mp3.
- Free time - In between missions you can take advantage of "me" time. There are gentleman's clubs, comedy clubs, bowling alleys, and bars, which all house unique activities.
- Take a break from the storyline - A variety of side missions allow you to help run a car service, "borrow" cop cars, assassinate targets, help solve problems for those on the street, or take to the air with stunt jumps that are scattered all over the city.
- Control your own fate - Throughout the game choice moments will arrive causing you to make a decision that will affect relationships and money.
Multiplayer
Give Niko a rest and create your own multiplayer "hero." GTA has added multiplayer modes allowing you to take your creation out to play online in competitive, co-op, and free form modes. Competitive mode has you fighting against the cops, jacking cars, or racing to finish odd jobs. Co-op challenges you and your friends with various tasks including Hangman's NOOSE where you are responsible for escorting a wanted kingpin to a safe extraction point. Freeform lets you and 15 others lose on Liberty City. Use this mode to hit up the bar and play virtual darts versus each other or head out to the streets and set up your own drag races. If you can dream it, you can do it in Freeform mode.
First Episode of Downloadable Content for Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned. (Downloadable content that is not included with the actual shipped game) Available exclusively on Xbox LIVE from February 17th 2009.
The Lost and Damned will feature all new content and is the first of two episodes announced for Grand Theft Auto IV on Xbox 360.
Developed by series creator Rockstar North and set in Liberty City, The Lost and Damned features a new main character and plot that intersects with the storyline of Grand Theft Auto IV; new missions that offer an entirely fresh way to explore Liberty City with new multiplayer modes, weapons and vehicles; and a diverse soundtrack with additional music ? all with the incredible production values that are the trademarks of Grand Theft Auto.
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned requires players to have the full version of Grand Theft Auto IV for Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE membership to download.
Amazon.co.uk Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 4.0
lovely!
Don't understand everyone's problem with the driving, it just requires a bit more thought because it's more realistic than previous GTA titles. To me everything else apart from serious simulators like Gran turismo feel inferior now, and I think otherwise good fun games such as Just Cause 2 would benefit from an improvement in the way the cars handle.
Great driving + damage + ragdoll physics + Eastern European accents, laavely!
Rating: 5 Buy from amazon.co.uk
Rediscovered...
This review is solely based on rediscovering GTA 4 after owning it for so long. I bought it when it first came out and loved it instantly. I have always found the GTA series to be a reliable source of hours of gameplay and incredibly crude humour and action. San Andreas was the pinnacle of this and GTA 4 needed to be something special.
It has been over a year since I played this game last. I became bored of the lack of new challenges when you complete the main missions and online offered very little stimulation. Mainly because of the loud American school children constantly shouting their mouths off. I'm not being nasty but a game can easily be ruined when all you hear through your TV is whining voices. So I put it back in the box and moved on and thought all that hype was not justified.
I started playing it again last week. Partly the reason was I could just start again with the main missions and watch all cut scenes. The other reason was to try and complete the game in under 30 hours so I could have the Liberty City Minute achievement. My enjoyment has been rekindled in GTA 4 as a truly fantastic piece of gaming. Admittedly the story is pretty bland, go here, shoot this, steal that and so on but there is such a high level of playability it's hard to put down.
I have yet to purchase the 2 extra DLC packs but I think I will leave these for a while as I'm having to much fun playing the original missions. I forgot how funny the radio stations were and the colourful characters. GTA is a modern gaming classic. It will certainly need to pick up its game for GTA 5 with greater focus on things to do, wider variety of missions and the types of decisions you make. GTA 4 is just one of those games that you can't get enough of
Rating: 5 Buy from amazon.co.uk
Hmmmmm...
There are good games, there are bad games, there are terrible games and then there is the monumentally awful type of game. This is at least ten times as wors as that.
I was set to think of this as a fun, do-what-you-want-type of game, much like its predecessors. I was wrong. Very wrong.
It is far too serious and so infuriatingly annoying, the combat is sticky, the driving is slow paced and badly handled and you have to drop everything to have stupidly pointless dates with your friends. The whole thing is just complete embarrasment to the franchise. If you want a real fun game, do-what-you-want-type of game, kill who you want with a good story and infinate customization, then buy saints row 2. Save your self from this misery.
Rating: 1 Buy from amazon.co.uk
Overall, quite fun.
The game itself is fun to play, with improved graphics and the use of the mobile phone to set up dates etc. In some ways, however, the game goes backwards. There aren't many types of cars available, with no radio stations that i immediately love. There are few shops you can go into, all other shops, however, have the typical GTA artwork expected from the earlier GTA games- fuzzy shopfronts, not the newest installment.
Its also a bit disappointing as you can not but properties or busineses like in Vice city, no planes and only 1 helecopter to take, and a laughably small choice of clothing.
I like the game, its fun, the characters are interesting and entertaining, but it pales in comparison to Vice City and San Andreas.
Rating: 3 Buy from amazon.co.uk
Samey same
From the main content to the DLC, does this game ever deviate from the Nico Bellic paradigm? In my experience, not much. The main joy in GTA IV is the unraveling of the plot, and the plot only. Liberty City itself, meanwhile, is functional, often lovely, but it is not a place to explore and wonder at as was San Andreas. As for Alderney island, well apart from some pretty, fire-spewing smokestacks, there's really not much there. If GTA isn't about opening astonishing new vistas, it's not really GTA.
As for the characters... Well, I doubt I'm the only one who thinks that they all look rather alike. Actually, they don't just LOOK alike, whatever their ethnicity, but they are pretty much all of the same characteristic hue, namely loud and brash. Where is the diversity of the previous gen NPCs?
Really, most of GTA IV and the DLC are much of a muchness. I am still playing GTA IV and the DLC, but it feels more like a chore than a pleasure, and I have had the original GTA IV since its day of release without ever feeling compelled to finish it. GTA IV, TLAD and TBOGT all start with a bang, but after a brief few minutes it is all the same. Same City, samey-looking characters (obviously built around an identical wire frame), same to-ing and fro-ing here, there and everywhere. Fun? Occasionally.
I'm just thankful I'm not trying to play this on PC.
Rating: 3 Buy from amazon.co.uk
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