Development

According to Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey, a financial consultant for Take-Two Interactive Software, around 150 game developers are working on Grand Theft Auto IV. He also remarked that Rockstar Games is "fully capable of ushering in an entertainment experience categorically superior to the prior cycle's GTA product".

Promotion

Trailer 1: "Things Will Be Different"

The first trailer for Grand Theft Auto IV was released on 29 March2007 at 22:00 UTC. At the time the trailer was released, Rockstar's servers for the trailer's official website became almost immediately overloaded.

The trailer is 1:03 in length and features the main protagonist Niko Bellic, who has a brief monologue: "Life is complicated; I killed people, smuggled people, sold people. Perhaps here, things will be different."

The trailer features several New York City landmarks, including locations and structures resembling the Coney Island Cyclone, Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building and the MetLife Building (branded as "GetaLife"). The trailer uses a similar cinematic ****to Godfrey Reggio's 1982 documentary film Koyaanisqatsi and used Philip Glass's original music from the film (the opening and closing stanzas of the track "Pruit-Igoe") as well as emulated time-lapsed filming from "The Grid".

Rockstar has stated that all the trailer's footage is in high-definition720p, generated real-time by the game's RAGE engine, running on "a next-gen gaming console". Microsoft stated this console was an Xbox 360.

Trailer 2: "Looking For That Special Someone"

On 28 June2007 at 17:00 UTC, the second trailer was released. The Trailer is 1:06 in length and begins with an aerial shot of Liberty City before showing Niko in conversation who replies "We're all looking for that special someone". The trailer shows Niko holding on to the backs of vehicles and the skid of a helicopter, displays new gun and explosion effects and demonstrates the increased force of the police. Roman is also partially revealed in the second trailer. El Burro and 8-Ball make cameos as their game art is depicted as graffiti on a building opposite the Bank of Liberty, Vice City motorcycle artwork is also apparent on the wall. Other recurring elements from the GTA series appear in the trailer as well; examples include Binco, Sprunk, 24-Seven, Burger Shot and Cluckin' Bell. The song played in the second trailer is "Arm In Arm (Shy Child Remix)" by a New York-based band, The Boggs.

Trailer 3: "Move Up, Ladies"

On December 6, 2007 at 21:00 UTC, the third trailer was released. The trailer is 2:03 in length and begins with Niko arriving in Liberty City, being greeted by Roman, his cousin. Roman insists that they will soon get a mansion, but need to work their way "to the top" first. Niko is seen entering clubs and bars, where he is welcomed by a man who says "Move Up, Ladies". In a later scene, he is asked "So, where are you taking me?" by one woman, and kissed on the cheek by another. Niko begins looking for Roman, who is hiding from gangsters; various combat scenes are shown before Niko and Roman are attacked, captured and interrogated. At the end of the trailer, Niko is threatened by gangsters and is forced to join their gang. The song played in the third trailer is "King Ring" (Король Ринга) by Russian rap artist Seryoga.

Box art unveiling

On November 28, 2007 a video was released, labelled "Official Box Art Unveiling", on the official GTA IV website. The video shows several artists painting the cover art on a wall at a secluded warehouse location.

WKTT Talk Radio

On 13 July2007, a Liberty City radio station dubbed "WKTT Talk Radio - We know the truth" was released. The teaser site mentions that people can do their part for the War on Terror by calling in and ranting. The phone number listed can be called allowing the caller to leave a voice mail message of their thoughts on what is wrong with their health, the world, America, or themselves personally. Callers are asked to first read the Terms and Conditions before calling which allow Rockstar to use the voice mail message in GTA IV.

Unofficial Wanted Posters

In parts of Belgium, wanted posters depicting Niko Bellic and minor character Little Jacob appeared. The posters list specific details of each character, such as the characters' height, weight and age. Bellic is wanted for questioning in an investigation of a grand theft auto incident and Little Jacob for robbery and firearms possession. Other information revealed within the posters were the names of two streets in the game, Lorimar Street and Wordite Street; a possible way of car-jacking within the game via assaulting the driver with a baseball bat and a possible, unofficially released character within the game, 'Detective Moeller' Rockstar Games have indicated these promotion posters were accidentally released and therefore unofficial.

Gameplay

Titles in the GTA. series have traditionally been heavily mission based (fixed missions must be completed to progress through each game), but the freedom to explore and play outside of the set missions in GTA IV will now be more relevant to progress through the game, according to comments by a Rockstar spokesperson: "We're really trying to blur the line between on-[mission] and off-mission. So storyline, and what you do outside [it], and how those two things influence each other."

An Xbox 360 demo of Grand Theft Auto IV published in the May 2007 issue of Game Informer reveals that the storyline begins with Bellic standing inside the taxi depot (which Roman operates in the borough of Broker in a converted industrial garage), working at a cluttered desk in a shabby environment. Bellic walks to a brownstone house in Broker, where he pushes open the door and pulls out his pistol-the living room, however, is not occupied.

He pushes his way through the back door and smashes the window of a red four-door car using his elbow. The broken glass falls onto the street and the seat of the car, as Bellic unlocks it from the inside. He hot-wires the car and sets off to his next destination. The camera angle behind the car is closer to the vehicle than in previous GTA titles, which enables more detail on the car to be seen. After selecting a radio station, Bellic navigates to a section of the BOABO arriving at a dockside. Pigeons can be heard in the sky, and waves can be heard.

Bellic then pulls out his phone, which has options for phone book, messages, organiser and camera on its LCD screen. He selects phone book, and he is then presented with another set of options: City Contact, Docks Friend, and Cab Contact. After a brief conversation, he informs the receiver to meet him at the docks.

Synopsis

Locations and setting

GTA IV takes place in a redesigned Liberty City consisting of five boroughs based on four of the boroughs of New York City (Staten Island is not included), as well as parts of New Jersey. Broker is the GTA IV equivalent of Brooklyn, Manhattan is now called Algonquin, Queens is now Dukes, the Bronx is Bohan, and New Jersey is Alderney (after the Channel Island of the same name).Screenshots also show that the Brighton Beach area is renamed as "Hove Beach" from Brighton and Hove, the English city from which the area gets its name.[citation needed] The total area of the map is smaller than Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, but the new rendition of Liberty City will be far more detailed, and larger than any previous individual city in the GTA series.Additionally, according to the Official PlayStation 2 Magazine (UK edition), "to get from one side of the new and improved Liberty City to the other will take you at least an hour." Rockstar has stated that it is the biggest single city in a GTA game yet, and although smaller than San Andreas, it is comparable to it in terms of scope when "the level of verticality of the city, the number of buildings you can go into, and the level of detail in those buildings" are taken into account. Furthermore, developers are still deciding whether bridges will be used to cordon off certain areas, by way of blocking access to cross them. However, eventually the player will be able to lead Niko Bellic to explore Roosevelt Island and cross the Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Williamsburg bridges.

The GTA IV equivalent of the Statue of Liberty is called the "Statue of Happiness", Times Square is called "Star Junction" and DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) is known as "BOABO" (Beneath the Offramp of the Algonquin Bridge Overpass).

Another building called "Twitchins", the GTA version of Brooklyn's Domino Sugar Factory, is in the game. Dan Houser has also confirmed that an area resembling Central Park will be in the game.

Multiplayer

Multiplayer in the game has been confirmed. However, it will not be an MMO, as Houser had previously suggested when citing Everquest as a source of inspiration.[citation needed] Multiplayer will be accessible from Niko's mobile phone and will allow up to 16 players, with a possibility of open-ended gameplay and exploring the whole city.

We (I) helped make Gears and Bioshock, me and some other people are starting to make our own company.

When you die you must run away from the darkness fallowing you and reach the light. You come back to life because you make it some how and no one else can. You get on your feet and you were shot to death. Then all of your teammates look at you strange because your dead and now just getting up. Now You have powers such as telekinesis's and force push that kind of stuff. Your now also a chosen one from God himself. This angel tells you your true history later in the game and is on your side through the game. (She is in your mind). Aliens and other aliens are killing everyone later in the game. Because The aliens attacking you in the begging are running away from the other aliens called Centurians.

Creatures are also in the game. Its 3rd person.You can use any object and use telekinesis, hold the object and throw it down for cover. You can make your own armor and person if you want. A map editor also. The locations are around the whole world. In New york you must run from BILLIONS of the creatures crawling on the skyscrapers, buildings and on foot. the creatures whole army is after your team. and your running though the streets taking cover and killing running. The sky and every thing is like sand.

Like i was saying in the begging you get up from death and just start shooting down planes and killing there army and wasting them all. Tell me What you think about this story.

If that does not work out we have another idea When you die you must run away from the darkness fallowing you and reach the light. You come back to life because you make it some how and no one else can. You get on your feet and you were shot to death. Then all of your teammates look at you strange because your dead and now just getting up. Now You have powers such as teliknessess and force push that kind of stuff. Your now also a choosen one from God himself. This angel tells you your true history later in the game and is on your side thourgh the game. (She is in your mind). Aliens and other aliens are killing everyone later in the game. Because The aliens attacking you in the begging are running away from the other aliens called Centurians.

Creatures are also in the game. Its 3rd person.You can use any object and use tellkineses, hold the opbject and throw it down for cover. You can make your own armor and person if you want. A map editor also. The locations are around the whole world. In New york you must run from BILLIONS of the creatures cralling on the skyscrapers, buldings and on foot. the creatures whole army is after your team. and your running thourgh the streets taking cover and killing running. The sky and every thing is like sand.

Like i was saying in the begging you get up from death and just start shooting down planes and killing there army and wasting them all. Thats the other story.