If u havent played this game...well u are missing out my friend. It's not perfect, but it's close to it.
Rockstar has served up another amazing GTA, that, while is very similar and the formula has not changed very much, is still probably the best game hands down that any of u will play this year, if not ever. Let us talk about the gameplay: Rockstar has decided to tighten up the realism in their physics, using their new R.A.G.E. gaming engine(also found in Table Tennis). While some have gripes about the driving being too difficult from the previous series of games, i find it to be just right, though after playing San Andreas thru six play thrus, it does take some getting used to. There are fewer weapons in the game than in San Andreas, or even Vice City. While this sounds like a setback, there is still enough variety to hold your palette. There are 2 kinds of pistols, shotguns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, and melee weapons. The newest change to one of the most popular weapons is the RPG, which, like everything else in the game, has been made to be more realistic. No longer do rockets travel at insane speeds, but they can however be skipped, yes skipped like a rock on water. Now, there have been some things in San Andreas taken out. For example, money in the game is pretty useless. Guns, food, activities, and clothes. That is all u can pretty much spend your hard-earned dollars on. Speaking of activities, most of them that u did in San Andreas are back, and now, u can do them with a friend. This gets annoying, especially when your friend calls u during a mission, and their liking of u goes down...terribly stupid, but i like playing darts and pool and bowling, and seeing Katt Williams at the comedy club. Oh, i almost forgot, unlike in San Andreas, u dont have to worry about having 8 girlfriends, and the Hot Coffee thing too(Rockstar makes fun of it in some of the game's billboards). U have 3 girlfriends(not including Kate McCreary), and having each of them at a high fondness will unlock a special ability from that person that u can call them for. Carmen Ortiz, for instance, is a nurse, and if u call her on your cell phone, she will replenish your health. The cell phone in this game is more useful than in San Andreas, but im not going to get into it here. As for shooting people and things, there is a new cover mechanic, so it is a lot harder to die than in SA. I almost forgot, a new feature is the ability to go on the internet at one of the internet cafe's strewn on the map. The websites are mostly for show, but one website shows special maps of all the stunt jumps and hidden packages, as well as some others(it's a secret!). Since i cant recall anything else, lets move on to graphics
Graphics: The graphics in the game are fantastic, just fantastic. Sure, there are some games where the graphics are better, but for a game on this large of a scale, these graphics are great. Though, the trees if u look closely are rendered like a ps2 game. The explosions are fabulous, the player models are great, cars are really nice, environments, especially Star Junction, look unreal. Animations are smooth, really smooth, like when u have to bust the glass of a car, then hotwire it...very nicely done by Rockstar.
Story: Probably the best story in any GTA, u are Niko Bellic, fresh off the boat from Europe, coming to America to seek out the American Dream, and start fresh. Now i wont get into the details, but this story is nice and strong, and it branches a little bit, as there are two endings. You will like it trust me, its full of awesome characters that most of u will like. It will take about 35 or so hours to complete, but if u blaze thru, it will take maybe 20 or 25 hours.
Multiplayer: Now this is where the fun is at. Compared to San Andreas' multiplayer, which was 2 people going on rampages thru out San Andreas, GTA4's multiplayer is something else. Up to 16 players can terrorize the city of Liberty and there are quite a few modes of play that are really exciting. Cops & Crooks, Mafia work, street racing, are just 3 of the 10+ modes of play. My fav is team deathmatch, b/c nothing beats 2 teams of 8 going at it in Liberty City.
All in all, this is one of those games that people are going to remember as one of the greats of all time, if not the best of all time. While it isn't perfect, it comes close to it, and u will be enjoying this came for months on end, because i kno i have.