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Grand Theft Auto IV

Written by DM on Monday, April 28 2008

One of the changes you will notice right off the bat is that driving and carjacking has changed rather radically. First, at least one third of the parked cars you come across will be locked. You can then use your elbow to break the window and have your alter-ego Niko hotwire the vehicle. If hotwiring parked cars is not enough excitement for you, you can always go the traditional route and beat someone out of their moving auto. Once you are inside any car, you will instantly notice that the driving mechanics have been completely overhauled. In fact, this is one of the few areas where GTAIV has a downside. The cars all have a real, visceral feel about them, and driving is now much more of a chore. Gone are the days where players could zoom around the city map at 200mph and take any turn using the e-brake. Now, if you do not slow down, you will not make the turn, e-brake or no. Once you add to this the fact that the car types in Liberty City all drive noticeably different, and it does suck a bit of the fun out of the game, especially when the cops get involved. It is frustrating to have to worry about the police while driving to your next destination or job. What is the point of stealing a fast car if you can’t brake in time to avoid that hydrant, or that lamp post, or that person! This is just a minor gripe, like I said. All inhabitants of Liberty City, even the cops, must abide by the new, realistic physics, and you will re-learn how to drive, eventually.

Speaking of the Police, they have matured as well in GTAIV. Nothing was more angering than those omniscient policemen from GTA games past who seemed to know where you were at all times and then suddenly start to appear around you. In keeping with the realism of the city the police give chase as best they can, but they must follow the same rules as you, so if you avoid them long enough they will give up. On the flipside, the realism factor comes back to bite you in the ass, as it were, when something as simple as firing a gun in a public place sends everyone into a tizzy. You will then hear on the radio a police call for “shots fired” at corner of Main and Maple. Usually, you have ample time to flee – provided you do not have many wanted stars, your getaway will be successful.

Speaking of the wanted meter, even that has been tweaked to fit into the city’s realistic atmosphere. In the previous games you could just run and run and run until you hit a spray barn or grabbed a power up. Now, you must do what people who committed a crime would actually do, and that is be as inconspicuous as possible and get the heck out of the area. If you are spotted breaking into a new vehicle, the police will ramp up their search and re-focus the search area where you were just spotted. Don’t even bother finishing the hotwire if you are caught. The car’s description will be broadcast over the police radio and you might as well turn yourself in. All in all, Liberty City is much closer to a real life dirty , grity, city, then the cities in the previous GTA games were.

No GTA game would be complete without the combat system used to complete many missions. In the beginning, you will have to use your fists, which gets a bit tedious until you get the hang of it. You can punch and kick and even block, but most of the fights you just stick and move until your opponent goes down. During any confrontation, you will be able to use the targeting reticule. The reticule not only helps you to aim when you are able to use firearms, but it also tells you the opponent’s remaining life. Once the bars on the inside of the reticule are gone, then your enemy is no more. Speaking of guns, once you actually obtain a firearm, there are gunplay mechanics that can be used. You can use the left bumper in order to take cover behind an obstacle and then either wait for your shot or fire blind. Think Uncharted or Rainbow Six – that is the type of cover system used, and it works well. Rockstar even does those other games one better when it comes to aiming, actually. When you are aiming at someone with the reticule, you can pick and choose which body parts to hit. Sure, you can do that in the other games, but in GTAIV, the enemy actually responds like he was shot wherever you hit him. The gun battles will also range from run-and-gun through back alleys, to execution-style killings, to cover-and-fire drawn-out battles, to the most insane type – holding your Uzi out the window of the car you are driving and pretending to aim while you fire wildly! Each battle will have its own preferred method, but you can still just pull out the good old 12 gauge and start blowing everything away.

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