Grand Theft Auto IV (Xbox 360) Review

Posted by Rod Oracheski on 05.14.2008

Vitals

Genre	Action Simulation
System	PS3, Xbox 360
Release Date	Q1 2007

Niko Bellic comes to America, but is America ready for him?



While the PS3 will still see Metal Gear Solid 4, and the 360 will have Gears of War 2 this fall, the biggest title of the year is, without a doubt, Grand Theft Auto IV (GTA IV). As one of the first big-budget multiplatform titles that has mass market appeal (the area in which Devil May Cry falls short), GTA IV had the hype, the history, and the attention of the Jack Thompson's of the world.

Did it live up to the hype, or fall short?

Gameplay:

Let's start off with the basics, in case you're one of the very few people who haven't played a GTA title in the past. You play the role of a central character, in this case a Serbian named Niko Bellic, in a fully-realized (or nearly so) world that you can explore as you follow the game's action-filled plot to its fruition. As the title indicates, you can steal cars, trucks, and bikes - among other, more esoteric vehicles like helicopters or boats - while you complete missions obtained by meeting up with NPCs.

The 'GTA basics' are in full effect once again. You'll steal vehicles and shoot up enemies in a variety of locations with a good variety of weaponry that ranges from pistols all the way up to assault rifles and the explosive RPG. Missions are started, as in past games, by heading to one of the NPCs marked on your map. After you meet up with your contact you'll generally have to head somewhere else, either in a supplied or purloined vehicle, then shoot up everyone unfortunate enough to be standing around the target area. Sometimes you'll take whatever they were guarding, but most of the time it's a simple matter of wiping out the local population and calling it a day.

One twist this time around comes with the introduction of the cell phone. With your cell, you can keep in touch with your friends and assorted other contacts. While you generally won't trigger storyline-advancing missions via the cell phone, it gets a heavy workout with side missions like driving taxi for your cousin Roman or delivering "packages" for the Little Jacob, the drug dealing (and almost entirely incomprehensible) Rastafarian.

The cell is also your primary connection tool for the game's somewhat limited dating missions, where you pick up one of a select few women (I dated four, though I believe there's a fifth available) and show them a good time. Getting a woman to like you is almost too simplistic - just pick them up, take them to a bar or restaurant (or one of the many other activities available) and then take them home. You can then ask them if they want you to come up for some "coffee" and succeeding will unlock Rockstar's self-deprecatory Warm Coffee Achievement.

There's a bit of depth added in their particular likes and dislikes - they'll like it when you drive any one of a half-dozen cars, different for each woman, and prefer one style of outfit over the others - but it's not particularly well fleshed out. Women in the GTA series have, at best, been considered window dressing, and they get the same treatment here.

While that aspect of the GTA series hasn't advanced at all, their ability to tell a story certainly has. GTA IV is, by far, the most focused effort yet by Rockstar, who deliver a hero that manages to remain sympathetic - even likable - despite all his flaws. Niko, from his introduction as an immigrant with a war-torn past lured here by his slick-talking but under-delivering cousin Roman all the way to the game's final missions, develops far more than any GTA character I can remember from the past.

Niko is faced with difficult decisions throughout the game, as violence threatens first his family - then himself. His reaction to the threats of this new world, responding with overwhelming violence aimed towards to those who stand against him, is never presented without the motivation driving it being very clear to the gamer. Niko might be a creature of brutish skills, but he's also a man of honour who holds his family and friends above all else.

As he continues to be pulled into bad situation after bad situation while trying simply to do the right thing, you begin to identify with his struggles more and more. He worries about his soul, about the stain of what he's had to do - and you might find yourself wishing he had an easier time of things too... At certain points in the game, when Niko has to make a decision (usually to kill or not to kill), it can hit home that Niko is being forced into these things despite wanting to live a far more peaceful life.

GTA IV is, without a doubt, the most polished game that Rockstar has ever delivered, as well as the most detailed open-world game of its kind. The game is packed with small touches that really emphasize the time spent working on this project. There are a variety of pedestrian-related incidents that you'll be a spectator to, even if you're not directly involved. Fights, thefts, accidents - you'll see it all.

It's the small touches that set GTA IV apart from other games, open-world or not. Do a brake stand in your vehicle and you'll see the typical smoke and patches on the pavement. Tons of games have those elements, but how many will have your tires pop if you burn rubber for too long?

As in past games there are several hidden things to find in GTA IV. You can track down hidden weapons, pigeons to shoot (200 in all), and even hidden vehicles (I found one customized Sultan RS, hopefully there are other high-end custom cars). There are also random people you'll find on the streets that you can choose to help out. You'll drive people to pay off their drug debts and help them get clean - or at least give them the chance. Niko's willingness to help out those who are even worse off than he is helps build a connection with the gamer, something the series hasn't done that well in the past.

As with other releases in the franchise, GTA IV has a host of small bugs that detract from the gameplay a bit. For the most part these are small glitches like being popped 20 feet into the air by a plastic road cone, but there are also a few that cause quite a bit more annoyance. Your cell phone is a prime source of irritation in this area, as any small bump while you're talking on it can cause you to lose the call. It's not crucial to hear the after-mission call to your contact, and you can even choose to just hang up and skip the conversation, but it's annoying to have that choice taken out of your hands by stepping off a curb.

While most of the controls haven't been changed, there are two major revisions this time around: driving and shooting.

The driving engine relies on more realistic driving techniques, including braking in advance of the corner. With practice, however, you can go back to doing the e-brake turns that previous games in the series relied on. Cars also seem to have more weight, though jumps are still a bit floaty even in the biggest SUV. There's no 'expert driving' cheat this time around, or at least none found so far, so what you see is what you get.

On the shooting side of things, Rockstar has finally addressed the series' most longstanding issue - targeting. Using the Left Trigger will bring up a targeting reticle and allow you to free-aim your guns. There's also a lock-on system that differentiates half-pull of the trigger to free-aim and full pull to lock-on, but I chose not to play with lock-on as I feel it detracts from games. I tried it a bit at a friend's house and it seemed functional, but meh...not a fan of the idea. You can even shoot while driving now, hitting the Left Bumper will break out the window with your elbow, then shoot at whatever you'd like to bring down.

Multiplayer:

As the first GTA to feature a full-fledged online multiplayer system, GTA IV delivers an acceptable introductory effort, though one that's riddled with small flaws. There are 14 competitive multiplayer modes that Rockstar fit into four basic categories: Competitive, Cooperative, Team, and Race. Within each mode there are a variety of other modes, ranging from the basic Deathmatch (kill other players to earn cash) to the more advanced objective based Mafiya Work (complete missions before other players do) or Car Jack City (steal and deliver select vehicles while other teams attempt to interfere). There's also a Party mode that sets gamers free in Liberty City with no restraints, you can just roam through the streets blasting up to 15 of your friends for as long as you want.

The Party mode is an amazingly fun time sink, especially when you can wrangle up a full list of friends to cause mayhem with. There's absolutely nothing like having a pitched battle in the middle of Liberty City's version of Times Square when an assault helicopter suddenly swoops down and kills everyone - pilot included - in a chain reaction of exploding vehicles.

Nothing is off limits. You can grab the sniper rifle and a helicopter, then land on a tall building and snipe your friends as they battle below. But watch out - someone grabs the RPG and you're in for a long fall and a world of hurt.

Cooperative modes Deal Breaker (2-4 players), Bomb Da Base II (2-4 players), and Hangman's NOOSE (2-4 players) all work very well. Each plays out like a mission from the single player mode, only with far more strategic options open to you with a team on your side.

Unfortunately the competitive modes, whether single or team, largely don't work as well. There seems to have been almost no thought given to balance at all. One time you'll start next to an armor and assault rifle spawn, making it possible to go on a five- or six-kill streak to start the game and jump out to a huge lead. The next time you'll start next to the pistol resupply spawn...awesome.

When you're playing team deathmatch in the two-man teams setting it's also possible to be pinned in a location by a pair of opponents. So long as they kill only one of you at a time, you'll be stuck respawning near your companion and completely at the mercy of your opponents. There's supposed to be a 5-second immunity upon respawn, but it didn't seem to make much difference on most occasions.

The sole competitive mode that works well 95% of the time is Cops N' Crooks. Pitting a team of four cops against four crooks who are tasked solely with getting to the exit spot is a good gameplay setup, and the ability to use a variety of strategies on both sides of the game make for a great hook to keep people playing. There are some unfortunate spawns occasionally, where the crooks (who start without a vehicle) will be run down by the cops (who start inside one car) who started just a block away. Totally unfair, but fortunately it's a fairly rare occurence.

The competitive modes are still fun, don't get me wrong. Using an RPG to destroy a van full of enemies hellbent on running you over is always going to be fun - but calling it competitive is anything but accurate.

All in all, the multiplayer offerings are solid for a first effort, and certainly set the stage for much better stuff to come. There's no reason that the GTA IV environment couldn't support a more fleshed-out competitive mode - Rockstar just fell short this time out.

Graphics:

The GTA series has typically aimed somewhere just south of realism, an exaggerated locale filled with color and short on the real-life details. Not so, this time around. There's still a 'not quite reality' feel to the graphics, particularly the character models, but the game sports a great deal of texture detail and a lighting engine that really pulls everything together nicely.

Objects in the foreground are well-detailed, and Rockstar has employed a variety of filter effects to mask the level of detail dropoff in distant environment. These techniques allow them to keep the environment from 'popping in' - you won't see block after block of buildings just popping into view ahead of you as you drive through Liberty City. There's even a high-speed blur that helps hide any imperfections as you roar through the city streets.

I only experienced one instance of textures popping in, on the bridge connecting the first island to the middle one. At high speeds, the textures on the corner prior to the toll booth (yep, they're in there too) would sometimes fail to load - leaving me driving on a plain gray surface for a second, then it would all rush in around me again.

The framerate is generally good, especially in interior scenes or in normal driving. At higher speeds, particularly if you've got police pursuit in tow, you'll see some stuttering as the camera swings on e-brake turns but it's really the kind of thing that only bothers you if you're looking for it.

Rockstar's devotion to details is especially prevalent on the graphical end of things. When it starts to rain, a pretty sweet 'sheets of rain' effect in its own right, watch for pedestrians strolling along under umbrellas (no, you can't steal them) or scrambling for cover while holding a newspaper over their head. Give Little Jacob a ride and you'll notice smoke billowing from the windows. Drive over a bench and it'll break apart into its component parts, and the wood slats splinter as you drive over them. Ram a water barrel barricade at an overpass and you'll see the top pop off and water slosh out.

You'll find these tiny details in the strangest ways. Doing a mission in the heart of the city I had to chase another car. During the chase it went down an alley and I followed - nothing strange there at all, right? Only I failed the mission after a cop (or two) became involved and had to do the chase again. This time when the target was approaching the alley his car was t-boned by another vehicle and he slammed into the scaffolding next to the alleyway, then barreled off down the alley undaunted. I followed - with pipes, boards, and workers raining down around me. It was just like an action movie.

On another mission, this time by the docks, I wound up driving down a pier, running down everyone in my path. As I hit the end of the dock and plunged into the water I noticed debris floating everywhere. It was wooden scrap, broken pallets and other garbage associated with loading and unloading ships. You only see that kind of wreckage near the docks, and you only see that kind of attention to detail in GTA IV.

One bizarre thing I've noticed is that the game seems very dark for almost everyone I know. Playing on a professionally calibrated 1080p set, I struggled to see during missions at night - finally breaking down and turning to the Options menu. Moving the Contrast slider two or three notches to the right solved the problem, even without touching the Brightness slider. I also adjusted the Saturation slider to the right one or two notches - personal preference there, though.

Sound:

The GTA series has always been known for having a great music selection, and GTA IV is no exception. There are a variety of artists represented, including Kanye West's "Flashing Lights" (on The Beat 102.7), "1979" by The Smashing Pumpkins (on Liberty Rock Radio 97.8), and "Schweine" by Glukoza (on Vladivostok FM). The talk radio stations, so popular in the past, have also made a return with three stations: Integrity 2.0 (the new home of Lazlow), Public Liberty Radio (PLR), and WKTT (We Know The Truth).

The rest of the sound package is also solidly done, with strong vocal work by everyone involved - bit part or not. Even some of the random NPCs on the streets get good lines in, particularly during carjackings or low-speed collisions with pedestrians. You'll really believe it when they tell you to go to Hell. Dialog during missions is good, and there's even alternate dialog that queues up when you fail a mission and have to play through a second time. It's a nice way to avoid the 'been there, done that' feeling that plagues other games.

There are a variety of engine sounds, and you can clearly distinguish the high-power Infernus from the Comet or Intruder. Engines will even sputter as the front of your vehicle (or rear, for rear-engine mounts) takes damage. Engines will also die completely if they take enough damage, and they've even done a good job on the sound of an engine that refuses to turn over.

If you're driving in rainy weather you'll even hear your tires buzzing through the puddles, and the sound of your tires locking up during braking changes as well. A great touch, but that's not the finest of the details included. Get a cellphone call while in your car and as it begins to ring you'll hear static on your car speakers. Nice attention to detail.

Detail also shows on a more meta-level scale, however. Get to a second-story rooftop and stand still, and you'll hear a pretty eerie recreation of a city's ambient noise. Pedestrians below, traffic in the streets, honking horns, shouted insults, a grenade going off in the street, followed by a helicopter flying by overhead and the approach of police sirens...

Lasting Appeal:

This was the first GTA game that I finished the main mission in, though I have to admit that I didn't do it alone. I hit a friend's house over the weekend, determined to get through the final few missions, and we burnt through it in 'same room coop' mode. No, you're not missing a setting - it's the old school mode where you hand over the controller whenever you die or fail a mission. Tons of fun, and only one screen. Even though I finished the game, I still want to play - and not just the multiplayer mode. I'm still going through the game on my own save, choosing the other fork in the road during Niko's decision options so I can see where that takes him.

Even without the primary missions to do, the game still has the typical GTA "throw it in and play for an hour just messing around" appeal. There's a lot of fun to be had trying to max out your wanted level, hit every stunt jump or make your own, or even trying to steal a dozen cars and cause the biggest chain reaction explosion that Times Square has ever seen.

When all that fails, there's the multiplayer. As I said earlier, it's not perfect but it's worth exploring with friends. I'm hoping the DLC that Rockstar is working on will yield more of the cooperative-style play experience, which has proven to be far more focused and fun than the competitive side of things.

Fun Factor:

You'll play a remarkable amount of GTA IV with a smile on your face, marveling at the ridiculous mess you just created. I had a blast in single player, even when trying to burn through the last few missions as fast as possible (those last few can be damned hard!) and the multiplayer (particularly Free play) is hilarious.

There are some truly remarkable missions, most notably Three Leaf Clover. Without spoiling anything, if you've ever wanted to play through a movie like Heat...you'll be in awe.

It's a great game to just pop in and play with friends over as well - passing the controller around after every death or capture and trying to one-up the previous effort.

The 411:

If you've skipped ahead then you already know that I didn't give GTA IV the 10 that it's gotten elsewhere. It's not that the game isn't stellar, of course - it's probably the most polished open-world title that Rockstar will ever put out - but the game just doesn't really do anything new.

In fact, the title actually takes several steps back from previous iterations, though these omissions fall in the realm of 'extras' and not in the primary gameplay. Things like buying up property, getting tattoos, or changing your appearance, for example, content that seemed like fluff at the time, but you miss having a point to the money you collect outside of buying more guns.

Yes, there's multiplayer - a first for the GTA series, but not for the genre. Saints Row had it first, and was maybe just a little better at the competitive side of things. GTA's co-op missions are cool, and if we see more of those in the DLC I'd be pretty happy, but the overall implementation of multiplayer is a bit shaky.

For me though, the biggest failing is the lack of an ingame photo and replay system. This is a game that's built around those hugely entertaining 'I can't believe that just happened' moments, but there's no way to see those moments again - much less share them with your friends.

This is especially frustrating because the game has so many small touches that are one-in-a-million, and you'll never see them again. For example, I was sitting near a date location, parked by the curb after having stolen a vehicle type that the woman liked. I didn't want to get my new ride messed up and there were only a few minutes to wait, so I figured I'd just sit near the house for the pick-up arrow to appear.

After a minute or so, there was a commotion in the intersection behind me, then a vehicle slammed into the back of mine at full speed. I was stunned, my new car was ruined and the date was about to happen - but then it got really weird. The driver of the other vehicle jumped out of his smoking car and pulled me out of my own.

With a cop car arriving on the scene I was left without a clue what to do. I couldn't steal the car back without attracting police attention, and I didn't know if I could shake them in time for the date. Shaking my head, I let the guy speed off in my car with the cops in hot pursuit - leaving an intersection full of mayhem in their wake.

Then my date icon popped, so I triggered it. She walked out and the first words out of her mouth were the "What, you didn't bring a car? Are we supposed to walk?" line, and that's why I shot her.

Why can't I capture and share that video with others? You give me that, and this game's a 10.

Graphics	9.5	An insane amount of detail in an open-world design. Solid framerate overall, with a fantastic lighting engine. Why so dark on default settings?
Gameplay	9.5	Retuned driving and shooting bring the GTA series out of the Dark Ages and into modern times. Great missions.
Sound	10.0	Great music. Great sound effects. Well-voiced dialog (with alternate lines). Nothing left to ask for, really.
Lasting Appeal	9.5	The thrill of driving around will die down eventually, but multiplayer helps keep things fresh.
Fun Factor	10.0	There are few better ways to spend an afternoon than touring Liberty City.
Overall	9.5   [  Amazing ]

Screenshots
All 5 Grand Theft Auto IV Screenshots