A new standard for video games has been set.
There's no denying that Rockstar North's Grand Theft Auto series is something truly magical. While I can think of numerous games that feature minor incremental additions in sequels and therefore lose some of their magic, GTA is a series that expands, develops, and improves dramatically with each release. Countless imitators come and go, but few even manage to match the brilliance of 2001's Grand Theft Auto III, let alone its follow-ups. Volition's Saints Row, released in 2006, is undoubtedly the best effort to emulate GTA so far, but even that was a far cry from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. It's been creeping up on four years since Rockstar North last distributed some new product, but the wait was inarguably worth it.
STORY:
What does the American Dream mean today? For Niko Bellic, fresh off the boat from Europe, it's the hope he can escape his past. For his cousin, Roman, it is the vision that together they can find fortune in Liberty City, gateway to the land of opportunity. As they slip into debt and are dragged into a criminal underworld by a series of shysters, thieves and sociopaths, they discover that the reality is very different from the dream in a city that worships money and status, and is heaven for those who have them an a living nightmare for those who don't. I don't want to spoil the rest of the story for you, but I'll just say that it's easily one of the greatest game stories ever. It's worthy of winning an Academy Award, as the plot and acting is better than those of most films. It's also much longer than your average game, as it took me around 26 hours to complete, but I still haven't got bored of the game, and at the time of writing I have been playing it for over 32 hours with a completion percentage of around 80%.
GAMEPLAY:
A whole lot of features added to the Grand Theft Auto formula in San Andreas have been removed for GTA IV. While there were seemingly a million different things to do in San Andreas, it's almost universally accepted that only a handful of them were actually well implemented, and most of the extras were only checked out once or twice by players. Honestly, how many times did you go out of your way to parachute, enter the low-rider competitions, dance in the clubs, gamble, mod your car, fly a jetpack, or play basketball? You could probably count them on one hand. Other things axed include aeroplanes, military vehicles, chainsaws, swords, bicycles, flamethrowers, diving underwater, jetpacks, open country, silenced weapons, property management… and that's not even the entire list. While that may sound like a lot, there's a reason Rockstar North has cut out so much: Every little detail, right down to the shortest of alleyways and the smallest of activities, has been crafted to perfection in GTA IV. There is simply no mediocre filler.
One thing which may upset some fans of GTA: San Andreas is that the character customisation element has been greatly stripped. Unlike CJ, Niko doesn't have any stats to build, so you can forget about pumping yourself up at the gym, perfecting your skills behind the wheel, or practicing your aim at the firing range. You can also forget about getting haircuts, tattoos, and wrist-watches as there are only three different clothing shops with limited selections. While this will perhaps be the most disappointing thing about GTA IV for some, a large number of gamers did not necessarily enjoy or indulge in these aspects of San Andreas, and Rockstar North's decision to make GTA IV more accessible than its predecessors inevitably meant the streamlining of the character customisation.
If you would like more details on the specifics of the gameplay, i suggest you read the GameSpot, IGN, and GameTrailers reviews.
GRAPHICS & SOUND:
The graphics are amazing. If you think of something like Saints Row, it's so much better than that (and that looked alright). This is truly Grand Theft Auto in next-gen. The characters look amazing, the buildings look outstanding, there's an excellent visual design to the city, the water looks and moves fantastically, the Euphoria physics engine with the cars and the people looks great... just about everything about GTA IV looks superb. The frame-rate can fluctuate at times but for what it is showing, GTA is a game with a streaming, open, sandbox, free-roaming world where you can do anything at any time, and normally the graphics in these types of games aren't that impressive because the developers have to compensate for that fact. But very few concessions have been made for GTA IV, it still looks comparable to the top games on the respective systems. The sound is phenomenal. The voice acting just stunning. It's up there with Mass Effect, The Orange Box, and Fahrenheit/Indigo Prophecy... it's just absolutely gob-smacking.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Yes, I have awarded Grand Theft Auto IV with a 10, but that doesn't mean that the game is perfect, because it isn't… The few minor flaws the game does have are easy to overlook when considered in the context of everything that the game gets right… Which means GTA IV breaks new ground, pushes boundaries, expands a genre, and does a multitude of things to a level so far above and beyond its competitors that they overshadow any flaws. Everything in GTA IV works in harmony. The story would be nothing without the city; the city gains realism from the physics engine; the physics complement the improved AI; the AI would make no sense without the new cover system… There is no one major weak aspect. I haven't played a game that comes this close to perfection since The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time back in 1998. GTA IV is a rare, elusively stunning game – the kind that comes around only once every decade if you're lucky. We're not even mid-way through 2008 and I'm certain I've found my Game of the Year. I won't be surprised if this is the best game the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 ever sees. If you do not play, or more importantly, if you do not buy Grand Theft Auto IV then you're not a true gamer. It's as simple as that.