Rockstar's crime drama has never been so visceral, but GTA IV falls short of greatness
Compared to past GTA's, GTA IV is much more realistic--everything from the physics to the animations and the environment reflect a sharp shift from the cartoony aesthetics of its predecessors. The game mechanics are also markedly different--players can hide behind cover and use free aim to target. These elements combine to create a more realistic experience.
However, GTA IV suffers from some major handicaps that debilitate it from breaking any major new ground. For one, while the missions are fun and diverse, they are not much different from the past games. You perform some mix of driving, shooting, fetching, and free roaming--all of which were revolutionary at the time of GTA III, but are now starting to show their age.
For another, GTA IV includes some unpleasant residues from the past games, the most prominent of which is the "girlfriends" mechanic--which forces you to take your girl or your buddies out on dates. The dates aren't bad per se, but the constant barrage of calls from your friends and the cumbersome friendship system get in the way of enjoying the game.
Moreover, faulty game mechanics (close-quarters shooting is a nightmare) and glitches (disappearing cars, pop-up objects) interfere with the game experience, and it's stunning that Rockstar has still not successfully addressed such basic issues.
My biggest disappointment, however, is that the story lacked the cohesion, focus, and drama to truly break the glass ceiling of storytelling in games. R* still has more work to do if it wants to surpass cinematic crime dramas like Goodfellas.
Despite its faults, GTA IV is still an excellent game, and remains the undisputed king of the sandbox genre. The main character, Niko Bellic, is multi-layered and compelling, an unlikely combination in an age of rubber-stamped heroes. Further, GTA IV featured a few genuinely exciting missions, though they were too few and far between.
Overall, GTA IV was a disappointment for me, I think in part because the developers are running into a creative wall with respect to how much variety one can create within the restraints of the sandbox crime drama. But if anyone can break invisible boundaries, it's Rockstar. Here's to hoping GTA V will "pull me back in" with the seductive mix of great characters, setting, and gameplay that Vice City had once captured me with.