Grand Theft Auto IV

May 5,2008 - The sixth installment in a series pervaded with pseudo-sequels, GTA IV is the formal successor to the revolutionary Grand Theft Auto III. It’s been four long years since we’ve seen anything from Rockstar North, the Scottish development house responsible for the highly praised and highly controversial franchise. But the wait is over, and we can proudly say that those four years were spent crafting a near-perfect game that easily trumps its predecessors and copycats without flinching a muscle.

There’s nothing that the GTA series has offered in the past that isn’t improved upon in GTA IV. Without sounding too much like an over zealous pundit, GTA IV is easily the best installment in the series and one of the most enjoyable and well-polished experiences available on the games market.

We head back to Liberty City; only this time it’s not the same metropolis you remember from GTA III. It’s bigger, better, bears a striking resemblance to the actual New York City, and because of that is ten times more impressive. Simply put, everything is superior in every way possible over previous entries in the series, including the richer storyline enlivened by its deeper characters.

Niko Bellic, an eastern European immigrant looking for an answer to a question that has haunted him for years, has come to Liberty City after hearing of his cousin Roman’s success in the land of opportunity. When he arrives, his cousin’s “mansion” is actually a dilapidated apartment on the wrong side of the tracks; or more appropriately, right under the tracks in the virtual recreation of Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach. We wouldn’t dare ruin any plot elements for you; GTA IV is a game that must be experienced.

GTA IV’s rendition of Liberty City drops the GTA III portrayal and opts for the more accurate Grand Theft Auto (original) representation, breaking the city into four major landmasses. Dukes (Queens) and Broker (Brooklyn) share an island, while Bohan (Bronx), Algonquin (Manhattan), and Alderney (New Jersey) are individual entities. Being based out of the real Liberty City—“Dukes” to be precise—we can tell you from an insider’s perspective that Rockstar North has flawlessly captured the very essence of New York City.

New York's boroughs are reproduced to such a fault that it feels as though some secret has been let out, and Rockstar has managed to tame, cut, and paste the greatest city on earth. The atmosphere of the neighborhoods are so authentically replicated it could have “A Spike Lee Joint” slapped along the front of the box. From the projects in the Bronx to the lofts in SoHo, Rockstar has perfectly bottled the soul of the Empire City.

As is expected, you take jobs from people of questionable backgrounds, including but not limited to reformed Italian mobsters, toked-up Rastafarians, dipsomaniacal Irishmen, and Puerto Rican gangsters. No one is safe from the cultural potshots that GTA IV fires off. In many cases, however, these underbelly miscreants and low lives become your friends who you literally call upon for assistance and R&R; enter your new cell phone.

It just goes to show you the effect consumer technology has had on society. In GTA IV, communication is done primarily through your cell phone, whether that includes tip-offs for jobs or calls from your friends asking to hang out. Rockstar North has always attempted to make a living, breathing city, and while they have made valiant efforts in the past, none have quite nailed it as well as GTA IV does. The cell phone is so essential to your life in the game that it can strengthen or weaken friendships if you don’t actively call and answer. Even pedestrians have cell phones, and can report crimes they witness to the police, resulting in a raised wanted level. The cell phone adds a previously unseen dimension to the open-world game, allowing you to choose when many things happen, instead of waiting around like a fool.

Beyond that, there are so many other activities that go beyond the phones, cars, and guns, which can suck hours from your life: Checking your email or looking for a hot date, watching television at home, sightseeing, interacting with the locals, going to a comedy club, drinking, bowling, and of course getting a lap dance at one of the city’s strip clubs.

We especially get a kick out of getting completely plastered and staggering after yellow cabs which will drive you to any destination on your map for a fee. Alternatively, you can navigate the mildly confusing subway system to get around, which we see as a godsend. We can’t express how glad we are that Rockstar chose to take on the necessary equipment—like the subway—in order to faithfully produce this doppelganger.

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