There's something very familiar about all this

User Rating: 8.5 | Grand Theft Auto IV PS3
Grand Theft Auto IV is all about storytelling. It's the journey of an immigrant looking for the American dream through the underworld. The main character however is not Nico Bellic, it's Liberty City -The videogame alter-ego of New York City. The game is a testament of life in New York in the late 00s. Anyone who has lived, suffered, played, laughed and cried in NYC will find this game terribly familiar. I wonder if those who don't live in New York would be able to get a sense of the city once playing this game.
Other than the improvements in graphics and scenario updates, the game feels, plays and borrows everything from the GTA 3 series. A lot of the gameplay and level design will feel awfully familiar to GTA veterans. The cars handling, specially the motorcycles are way worse in this game. I wonder if they did it to add some extra difficulty.The shooting system is improved a little bit. Gone are the RPG-like elements of GTA San Andreas like incrementing the physique and stamina of the character, but having the main character able to swim is still a welcome addition from that game. GTA 4 is smaller in scope than GTA San Andreas, and possibly San Andreas raised the bar too high. This game is evolutionary rather than revolutionary. Veterans will feel even a little bored. Still, Liberty City is an amazing place, and no one should skip a visit.