Grand by Name, Grand by Nature, an Amazing Game, With its Issues But Shouldn't Overshadow This Game.

User Rating: 9.5 | Grand Theft Auto IV PS3
After Note: After finishing writing my review, I had a look at some other reviews and I was shocked how many people didn't like this game. Fair enough on the face of it, I can understand but then the review is like 1 paragraph long just saying the shooting isn't as good as Call of Duty and they got bored. That isn't good enough. And please don't compare this game to Call of Duty. They are completely different and should be judged on their own merit and compared responsibly. If you read my review please remember this is my own opinion and judge my review on its own merits as I have done to the game itself.

Liberty City comes to life in Rockstar's signature franchise, a gripping and lengthy story coupled with hours of other distractions make Grand Theft Auto 4 well worth your time and money.

The city, broadly based on the real life New York City houses the main story following the revengeful Niko Ballic. The story is full of great, hilarious characters, more stereotypes than you can throw a stick at and plenty of gripping moments. Lengthy, depending on how many other things you do will take a good 30 hours if not more like 40.

Missions are broadly based on the same few prototypes. However verity in characters, context and environments means that it never gets boring. There is a great selection of side mission options, from dating to racing. This range offers plenty of ways to spend your time all with tonnes of options for each one. Of especial note are the police missions which offer hours of further Grand Theft Auto branded fun.

The city is quite stunning in its scale and magnificence although you may feel disappointed about the amount of buildings you can enter. The graphics are very decent, especially on the larger scale but close up shows signs of blemishes. Technically this game is strong however is showing its age in comparison to more recent games such as Red Dead Redemption, also a Rockstar product.

The game-play is great, destructive fun and the addition of a cover system is welcome. Occasionally though this can be fiddly to fatal consequences but once entered into cover there is little issue. The auto aiming is at times annoying but firing is satisfying and plasters over the minor issues. The driving is simplified although fun and really adds to the core experience. Not only cars are available though. Boats, helicopters, bikes, trucks and super cars. It's all in there and it is all very well done.

The AI is probably this game's biggest clink in its amour. Although on the whole you don't notice it, a good sign, occasionally it just seems to short of a few brain cells. The police suffer from this most and the system for eluding them is a bit simplistic. When you gain stars a ring is set up where the police look for you, the higher the star count, the larger the area and the more they shall try and stop you. Once out of the area you just don't run into any more police, who shall be marked on your mini map anyways and you are a free man once again. This system accentuates the idea of destructive fun if removing some of the difficulty and realism. However in a game that on the whole is about fun not realism unless it increases the fun factor, it would be unfair to slate it in this way.

What the game does best is set up this self contained environment full of depth and laughs. The story apart from the characters is devoid of humour but this is saved for the fine touches that make this game. Sets it apart, into its own league. The wonderful radio stations offer a great range of humour and verity. The TV is a nice little distraction, and this game makes a mockery of society at large. It parodies a vast array of subjects to hilarious results.

Although the game play at times is imprecise and the feeling this could had been so much more is common it would be unfair to withdraw from Liberty City with that view. This is a superb game, fulfilling and enthralling. It shall suck you to somewhere else and hold your thought long after putting the controller down, a rarity. Hours of unadulterated fun, laughs but with a serious and engaging story. A must for all gamers.