Rockstar is at it again. Their big time title has a follow up that has a lot of hype to live up to. The game has been out nearly two weeks now and a lot of people have beaten it, spoilers are abound and the cheat codes are out there. You won't find any of that here.
Like the previous GTA games, the world is large and you have the freedom to go where ever and do what ever you want. This time, instead of a reformed gangbanger in the 90s or a small crook in the 80s, Rockstar brings you to the modern day, or something like it. You play as Niko Bellic, former solider, people smuggler and now illegal immigrant in New Yo...er Liberty City. You are fresh off the boat, with the American dream in the front of your mind and your cousins emails of penthouses, fast cars and faster women swimming through your head. The reality of the situation quickly reveals itself and you embark on a quest to make it big in America.
There have been some major changes since GTA: San Andreas. The driving is the most obvious. No longer can you hit the e-brake and slide around corners. Going fast is almost not worth the risk of the big wreak you will get into. Many call the driving more realistic and while I have no idea if it is, it is harder. Combat as gotten a small upgrade with the auto targeting system and with some practice, you can take on a number of baddies with the auto targeting system. You also have the benefit of cover. A lot of cover in fact. Almost everything in the game can be used as effective cover and it is helpful. I have found, though, that the auto target gets iffy when the heat rises up and things can get away from you really quickly.
The biggest change, in my mind, is the cops. The LCPD will be all over you after two stars and it gets worse and worse from there. In the previous versions of the game, part of the fun was pissing off the cops and having an extended fire fight with them till you jacked a tank and went on a rampage. I havent messed with the cops long enough to see if tanks are even an option anymore. It is very very difficult to survive in the early stages of the game against a 4 star rating due to limited weapons. Even when you have access to the full compliment of weapons, its hard. Cops will swarm you, shooting away with accuracy and no concern for the amount of ammo they pump into you. One example of their eagerness to fuck your world up is this. I snagged a 4 star rating and had cops all over me. I had armor, ammo and I was in an ally with only one way in. Cops rushed me and caught me reloading, rifle butted me to the face and three or four of them unloaded shot guns into me. They don't fuck around.
Rockstar also removed some of the "RPG" elements that were in GTA: S.A. No more working out, being forced to eat, changing hair styles and so forth. There are different clothes but beyond the need for a suit in some missions, you could stay in the same clothes you start with and be fine. Sure, if you go on dates you will get insulted but as far as I could tell, it didnt affect how the date went.
While GTA: S.A. was MASSIVE in scale, GTA IV has shrunk things down. You do have the entirety of New Yor...I mean Liberty City to run around in, you are limited to the areas you can go to till they open up. This does limit the amount of places you are free to roam about for a good portion of the game but once it does open up, it can take some time to get from one side of the city to the other. Thankfully, there are a shit load of taxis you can hire to take you to where you want to go instantly, though it costs extra. The traffic in the city does make this option very attractive later in the game when money is not a concern.
While GTA IV loses all of the wide open spaces from GTA: S.A. the story telling, characters and over all plot has been improved. The characters, from the main character to bit players, are flushed out. It was said that missions would change every time you did them in some preview I read but that is not the case. Maybe the order in which you do some missions will change things but the actual mission goals do not change, only the conversations while you are driving around.
There are friendships and dating in GTA IV, some what like GTA: S.A. Each friendship you develop will have its bonus. One will get you free taxi rides, one will get you discounted weapons. I have ignored the dating side of the game but the one relationship I did build up gives me the ability to call her up and lose my wanted level, which is bad ass. Maybe once I finish the game and go into free roam, I will see what else is out there, but if you do not mind spending the time on dates and friendships, some of the bonuses are worth the time. The gun one is for sure, as is the losing your wanted level.
There is, as always, a shit load of stuff to keep you occupied in Liberty City. From dating, random missions for friends, playing mini-games (such as pool, bowling and darts), going to shows, comedy acts and even getting wasted. All of these cost you a little money and each of them is part of building your friendships or girlfriends. Some friends only want to do certain things, so try and remember who likes to do what. I am sure when you do the things they want, you earn their friendship faster. There are, still, the vigilante missions and so forth from previous games though they are abit more in depth than before.
So thats about it with out going into story details. The graphics are great, the sounds are well done. Liberty City feels like a real city and its always busy. You will not become bored while playing the game, though frustration with the driving and auto targeting may lead to nearly throwing your controller through the tv. The auto save, though, is frequent enough so you do not fall behind in the game should you turn off the console in anger.
Just don't piss off the cops.
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