IV: A New Era
As far as narratives in the world of video games goscratch that. As far as narratives in the world of art go, the 30 or so hour ride through Rockstar North's latest opus, Grand Theft Auto IV, rises quickly within reach of the greats. You star as Niko Bellic, an Eastern European immigrant and veteran of the Bosnian War. Fresh off the boat in Liberty (New York) City, you find yourself in a world that has been transformed by the terrorist events and advances in technology of recent years. Your cousin Roman lured you here with promises of riches and opportunity unthought-of in your native land. However, upon meeting up with Roman you discover that things don't change and he talks much faster than his feet can carry him. The reality is that he's gotten himself in more debt than he can dig his way out of and more likely has enlisted your help to hold the shovel.
From this jumping off point you will meet new contacts and make friends along the way, keeping track of them all in a cell phone gifted to you by Roman. You can call them to do jobs, ask for favors, or go on dates. Of the latter, there is a wide variety in Liberty including: Bowling, drinking, pool, darts, and strip and comedy clubs. The more you socialize with your friends and girlfriends the more you will learn about them, yourself, and the world that you and Niko are experiencing for the first time. There are twists and turns every step of the way and many of the events (including the outcome of the story) are influenced by choices you make. Nothing ever feels dull in Liberty, as there is always a wide variety of ways for you to tackle each problem and even for you to transport yourself from point A to point B. Low on ammo? Phone one of your friends and he'll pull his car into a nearby alley and sell you some from the trunk. Cops making your life difficult? Call your lawyer girlfriend and she'll have a talk with the D.A. to get them off your back. There are thousands of choices for you to make at any given moment.
These are all driven by entirely new physics and targeting systems. Every time you interact with the objects and people around Liberty they will react in a realistic (and often hilarious) fashion. Objects have a real weight and gravity to them, so no longer do the animations feel canned. Much like in real life, the simple act of getting your character drunk makes you look at the world from an entirely different perspective. This level of detail never feels wasted and will really make the world feel like a place you want to visit time and time again. The new targeting and cover system allow for gunfights right out of your favorite action movie and efficiently fix some of the nits that were picked with previous installments.
Of course, all of your favorite standbys like police and taxi jobs, radio stations, and stunt jumps have returned (with TV and Internet added, and tweaks to them all). Overall, You will get what you put into Niko Bellic's search for the American Dream in Liberty City and along the way you will experience a story that may catch you off guard with its newfound maturity. It may seem strange for a video game to speak to you on this high of a level and perhaps move you to tears, but then, Sam and Dan Houser have built their careers on pushing the limits of the medium. Why should they stop now?
As far as narratives in the world of video games goscratch that. As far as narratives in the world of art go, the 30 or so hour ride through Rockstar North's latest opus, Grand Theft Auto IV, rises quickly within reach of the greats. You star as Niko Bellic, an Eastern European immigrant and veteran of the Bosnian War. Fresh off the boat in Liberty (New York) City, you find yourself in a world that has been transformed by the terrorist events and advances in technology of recent years. Your cousin Roman lured you here with promises of riches and opportunity unthought-of in your native land. However, upon meeting up with Roman you discover that things don't change and he talks much faster than his feet can carry him. The reality is that he's gotten himself in more debt than he can dig his way out of and more likely has enlisted your help to hold the shovel.
From this jumping off point you will meet new contacts and make friends along the way, keeping track of them all in a cell phone gifted to you by Roman. You can call them to do jobs, ask for favors, or go on dates. Of the latter, there is a wide variety in Liberty including: Bowling, drinking, pool, darts, and strip and comedy clubs. The more you socialize with your friends and girlfriends the more you will learn about them, yourself, and the world that you and Niko are experiencing for the first time. There are twists and turns every step of the way and many of the events (including the outcome of the story) are influenced by choices you make. Nothing ever feels dull in Liberty, as there is always a wide variety of ways for you to tackle each problem and even for you to transport yourself from point A to point B. Low on ammo? Phone one of your friends and he'll pull his car into a nearby alley and sell you some from the trunk. Cops making your life difficult? Call your lawyer girlfriend and she'll have a talk with the D.A. to get them off your back. There are thousands of choices for you to make at any given moment.
These are all driven by entirely new physics and targeting systems. Every time you interact with the objects and people around Liberty they will react in a realistic (and often hilarious) fashion. Objects have a real weight and gravity to them, so no longer do the animations feel canned. Much like in real life, the simple act of getting your character drunk makes you look at the world from an entirely different perspective. This level of detail never feels wasted and will really make the world feel like a place you want to visit time and time again. The new targeting and cover system allow for gunfights right out of your favorite action movie and efficiently fix some of the nits that were picked with previous installments.
Of course, all of your favorite standbys like police and taxi jobs, radio stations, and stunt jumps have returned (with TV and Internet added, and tweaks to them all). Overall, You will get what you put into Niko Bellic's search for the American Dream in Liberty City and along the way you will experience a story that may catch you off guard with its newfound maturity. It may seem strange for a video game to speak to you on this high of a level and perhaps move you to tears, but then, Sam and Dan Houser have built their careers on pushing the limits of the medium. Why should they stop now?