Grand Theft Auto IV

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Product Details

Description

What does the American Dream mean today?

For Niko Bellic, fresh off the boat from Europe, it is 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 and a living nightmare for those who don't.

Beginning with the 1997 release of the original Grand Theft Auto, the GTA series has been one of the most prolific, controversial and down right entertaining franchises in video games history. This pedigree of success guarantees that the highly anticipated eleventh game in the series, Grand Theft Auto IV, will garner at least as much attention if not more.

Return to Liberty City.

The dream as Niko expected it. View larger.

There's always a catch. View larger.

But some skills are international. View larger.

The Plot
Grand Theft Auto IV is a brand new adventure in the GTA universe following the experiences of Nikolai "Niko" Bellic, a new immigrant from an undisclosed eastern European country whose troubled pa st and the persuasion of his cousin Roman have brought him to the fictional Liberty City. Unfortunately, Niko's search for the American Dream and a much needed fresh start, hits an immediate snag when the rags to riches story Roman spun to pique Niko's interest is exposed as not only a complete fabrication, but a ploy to enlist Niko's well-known skills as a tough guy against the ample list of enemies clamoring for Roman's debt-ridden blood.

Because Roman is the only person Niko knows in Liberty City he begrudgingly accepts his role as Roman's protector despite the deception. But as time goes on Niko comes into his own, and his experience on the wrong side of the tracks proves more valuable than he could have ever imagined as he fights for survival and later supremacy on the crime ridden streets of Liberty City.

Game Environments
Based on several of the boroughs of New York City and parts of New Jersey, Liberty City, familiar to players of previous games in the series, has been entirely redesigned for GTA IV. Players can expect visible detail down to the weeds growing in the cracks in the sidewalk, cars and buildings of visibly different ages and a much greater level if verticality in the buildings and bridges that they are able to explore as Niko moves through the city streets. In addition, pedestrians in GTA IV are much more realistic. No longer simply moving cardboard cutouts, these NPCs are intelligent, modern, human representations that laugh, cry, eat, drink, use cell phones and ATMs, and talking amongst themselves regardless of Niko's interaction with them.

Gameplay
Historically GTA games have focused heavily on mission-based play, requiring successful completion of fixed tasks in order for players to progress through the game, but this has changed to a great extent in GTA IV. Players will experience an entirely new and exciting emphasis centered on the blending of on-mission and off-mission play, resulting not only in an increased sense of realism, but more interesting and unrestricted gameplay.

Features
Aside from the car jacking and a detailed city environment here are the new features for GTA IV:

• Improved combat system - Now you can use cover and also a target lock system, which allows you to take out targets with greater ease and accuracy. Plus, you can engage in some hand-to-hand combat if you can't get your hands on a piece quick enough.
• Cell phone - Not just for basic phone calls anymore. Use your in-game cell phone to receive missions via SMS and snap photos.
• Free time - In between missions you can take advantage of "me" time. There are gentleman's clubs, comedy clubs, bowling alleys, and bars, which all house unique activities.
• Take a break from the storyline - A variety of side missions allow you to help run a car service, "borrow" cop cars, assassinate targets, help solve problems for those on the street, or take to the air with stunt jumps that are scattered all over the city.
• Control your own fate - Throughout the game choice moments will arrive causing you to make a decision that will affect relationships and money.

Multiplayer
Give Niko a rest and create your own multiplayer "hero." GTA has added multiplayer modes allowing you to take your creation out to play online in competitive, co-op, and free form modes. Competitive mode has you fighting against the cops, jacking cars, or racing to finish odd jobs. Co-op challenges you and your friends with various tasks including Hangman's NOOSE where you are responsible for escorting a wanted kingpin to a safe extraction point. Freeform lets you and 15 others lose on Liberty City. Use this mode to hit up the bar and play virtual darts versus each other or head out to the streets and set up your own drag races. If you can dream it, you can do it in Freeform mode.

Customer Reviews

This is a Keeper

GTA IV, one of the most anticipated and hyped first GTAs of the next generation is nothing more then a stroke of great gaming, with some small flaws. This game is already in serious contention for game of the year, and justifably so, this is a great game that lives up to the pedigree worthy of the GTA franchise, and I'm not even a die hard fan. I've enjoyed the game, Vice City was a great game, but so is this one.

You play as Niko Bellic, an new American, fresh off the boat from Eastern Europe, who must build his fortune, and help his useless, idiot cousin Roman. Beginning with nothing in a brand new and massive Liberty City. Niko is a great character and the voice acting and mouth synch for the cut scenes is awesome, but Liberty City is what really stands out on this game, it'll rain sometimes which is just visually appealling, also the city lights up great at night, and looks beautiful in the morning, and that's skimming the surface. Liberty City is deep, not as big as San Andreas which was a state, Liberty City is stacked up and massive, you can fly in a helicopter, ride a boat, ride a subway, not mention all the places you can go into from getting doubled up on at a strip joint to changing your clothes for that all too important cab driver look to playing some pool which isn't that fun to playing some frames of bowling, getting drunk, going on dates, or even having some fun with a hooker, there's even online dating that Niko can take part in, hell you can even shoot some pigeons - 200 in total. There is a lot to do in this game which includes a great story, this game just has great value with it. The driving aspect is more realistic than with the last few games, you have to use the brake more often, but man can you get into some cool drifts, with the right car or SUV, I really enjoy the driving in this game, coupled with some radio stations driving is fun with a wide variety of music. And yes, you can go on rampages and just start shooting or running everyone you see, but damn the cops are very persistent and will start a car chase for a simple traffic infraction, but mostly the cops aren't that smart, so it's easy to lose them or drive out of the view of the perimeter they are looking for you.

Now for the downside, the game although it looks great once in a while there is the scenery pop up that has been a part of the franchise for a while, not a huge deal. Also although there is a great deal of stuff to do it feels more like mini games that don't really mean a whole lot to the game; although, the game is about the choices you make within it, unfortunately, there isn't a great amount of story elements that are flushed out with playing a game of pool with Roman, it would be cool if you could get into a fight at the pool hall. Even when Niko starts talking about his past and why he came to America it feels like a non-factor or chit chat because it'll be peppered through out the game as you're driving. The game is still great. But the major beef I have with this game is the melee fighting, if it were any other game this would be unacceptable, because melee fighting done poorly is a killer on most games. In the beginning before you get a gun you gotta fight people with your fists, and unfortunately to punch a guy you have to be really close and even then you might shove the guy, for a game as detailed and deep with a great aiming system, it feels that the melee fighting was just thrown in as if they forgot to put it in, the game would be perfect if the fighting system had more substance to it instead of just shoving and punching, maybe some sequence based combos that are unlocked as you play, for the level of overall detail on this game I was disappointed at how thin the fighting was. Yet another problem, and this isn't a horrible issue, the game is a little unforgiving if you die, not that you'll lose everything, this game is mostly auto-save, you can save if you go the safe house, but by an large you'll be going through missions and with some of the longer missions that require driving, like the chase missions, or even regular lookout jobs you might have to kill then get out of there and do another part to the mission and if you die or fail, then the entire mission must be replayed, which gets annoying, there are no check points or mid points that will re-spawn Niko halfway through a mission. However, with the way the game is, when you do finally get through that mission that's been driving you nuts there is a greater sense of accomplishment.

However, overall, the game is a great game, fun and extremely addictive to play, and I haven't even mention the multiplayer, but since I don't have Xbox Live, so I can't really comment on it. The game is worth the price on the single player alone, there is just so much to do and so many places to go this game is just pure fun. This game is not a rental just because of the sheer size of the game, and that doesn't take into account online multiplayer and the downloadable content that will be coming out in the future. Basically, Goodbye social life, get and enjoy this game.

Wow!

I know i'm jumping the gun on reviewing this game, cosnidering it won't be out for another week, but if even half of what i've read about this game is true, meaning the features and the game modes and the environment and the game engines and all that, then this will easily be the best game in a very, VERY long time!

Multiplayer

GTA has always been a solid series,
& with the new addition in GTA IV
(much anticipated Online multiplayer)
This game is going to be one of the best
games in the series

release date

Just pointing out that this page says its released on april 22 its actualy april 29th so dont be too dissapointed if ur shipments are a week later then u expected. Lookin forward to this game tho.

Don't listen to the 1-star

the Grand Theft Auto series has always offered a fun escape where you can do anything with no consequence. It really is enjoyable, and don't listen to those who tell you different. The series was getting repetitive, so Rockstar (developer) has promised a fresh take on a great series with
GTA IV. However, it's date has been bumped from October, 2007 to
Early 2008.