Grand Theft Auto IV: Special Edition
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Developer: Rockstar North
Genre: Action
Release Date: April 29, 2008
Platforms: Playstation 3, Xbox 360
Reviewer: Eric
There was a time and place when the name Grand Theft Auto didn’t mean
anything to people. Once Rockstar Games turned the game into a 3-D masterpiece
with Grand Theft Auto 3 it became the game that revolutionized gaming history.
After some time Rockstar has finally done it again with the release of the
fourth Grand Theft Auto.
Grand Theft Auto IV is the best game in the series. Liberty City looks and feels
like a real city. Liberty City looks just like New York City so in ways you are
playing in New York City, which is pretty damn cool. You haven’t experienced a
true open ranged game until you’ve played Grand Theft Auto IV. Sure MMO games
offer entire worlds, but GTA IV is much better.
The game starts off with Niko. He is taking a ship to Liberty City, hoping to
start a new life for himself. Once he gets to Liberty City his cousin, Roman,
gets him settled down. When Niko has his stuff together the game starts, you can
do almost anything you could ever imagine.
Niko is a former military man. His experience with weapons will help you out as
you adventure into Liberty City. The new aiming system is a breath of fresh air
to the series, but it does have a few minor problems. It feels a lot like Gears
of War; you can hide behind anything around you and shoot behind corners. GTA IV
has an auto aim feature that locks right on your enemy or civilian.
That is my problem with the aiming system. The auto aiming is too good, if you
feel like shooting just in any old area the game will always lock you onto
anyone in sight. Sometimes I enjoy shooting out all the tires on a vehicle and
driving around, but it takes a lot longer doing this because of the auto aim. I
never bothered to check if you can take it off, but I think you need to know
that the aiming isn’t the greatest thing in the world.
Walking around Liberty City is a bit of a chore. You can walk, sprint, or run
with Niko, it’s all up to you. If your two feet aren’t good enough you can
always steal a car or take a taxi cab. Stealing cars isn’t anything new, but the
taxi cab feature is and I am so glad this has been inputted into the game.
Calling for a cab is simple; if you see one in sight just press a button and
Niko will whistle. The only problem with the cabs is you have to use the same
button that steals cars in order to get inside. Instead of pressing the button
you just have to hold it in. I ran into problems twice so it isn’t a huge
problem.
Rockstar added detail when stealing cars in GTA IV. The amount of animations in
this game for when you steal a car is mind blowing. There are times when I am
still experiencing something new. The owner of the vehicle may go as far as
holding onto their car when you steal it, which is funny as hell. When you steal
a parked car Niko will smash the window, either with his elbow or his fist.
Sometimes the vehicle may have an alarm so you need to disable it. If not the
cops might hear it and see what’s going on.
Grand Theft Auto IV is all about the detail. Everything seems so real, from
getting a hotdog from a vendor to paying $5 to cross a toll. The game plays so
much like real life that it is almost scary. Even the police are dumber this
time around, which also feels a lot like real life.
Depending on how you look at it the police may be a problem to veteran players.
Trying to get the cops attention may be more of a challenge than you would
think. Running down numerous people on the street usually ends up with you
getting out of your vehicle and collecting the money. Now if you were to take a
gun and shot it any where you’ll most likely have a run in with the cops. Does
this make sense? No, but running away from the cops is still just as fun.
One of the newest additions to the game is how the vehicles handle. Every car
feels different so racing fans are going to learn how to drive all over again. I
think this was the best thing Rockstar could have done for the series. The best
vehicle I think is the Hummer. It is so much fun driving around and running over
cars. Make sure if you crash into too many things that the cops aren’t chasing
you. Vehicles will stall on you in GTA IV so you better not always drive like a
maniac.
Fans of long games will have a fun time with this game. The real game takes
around twenty to forty hours to beat, but that isn’t everything the game has to
offer. Grand Theft Auto IV has a ton of side missions this time around, making
the gaming experience last forever.
Another new feature in the game is having the ability to date women. You
automatically get one woman’s number right away, but if you want to meet the
rest then you’ll have to browse the Internet. There are Internet bars around
Liberty City, you can sign onto the Internet and find new jobs, read random
emails, and meet women. Taking women on dates is a fun feature; you can go
bowling, play darts or even get shit faced. Once you’re done Niko can press his
luck and see if he can get some action, which leads to some of the games funnier
moments.
All of the games mini games, from the bowling to the darts, are well done. The
Xbox 360 version has some challenging achievement points with all of the mini
games. I hate to say it, but some of these mini games play better than full
version games.
If you haven’t heard by now Grand Theft Auto IVs online play is amazing. You can
play any of the different match types as teams or free for alls. There are a few
different modes to play, all of which are played on any of the islands on
Liberty City. GTA IV has no slow downs online, everything runs just as smooth as
the real game.
The last part I want to talk about is the special edition of the game, which I
am reviewing. For an extra $30 dollars you get enough extra goodies to make your
head spin. Special editions are popular right now in the gaming business, but
Rockstar actually went ahead and released a real special edition.
You get a limited edition duffel bag, a lock box with two keys for the lock box,
a key chain, an art book and a full blown soundtrack to the game. The lock box
is awesome, it functions real well and it doesn’t feel cheap at all. Same goes
with the duffel bag, it may be made in China, but it has enough extra
compartments to make you consider spending the extra money.
Final Verdict
I’m sorry if I didn’t mention everything about Grand Theft Auto IV. There is
literally enough here to keep you occupied for a very long time. The amount of
time and detail Rockstar put into this game is mind blowing. Everything from
online play to the story, GTA IV should be in any gamer’s collection. This game
will make you forget about every other game you own, the worst part about this
game is trying to put the controller down.
About the special edition though. Paying an extra $30 might be a little too
much. You do have to consider what you all get in this edition. I think the
extra money was well spent, but you can easily buy another game for $30. True
fans of the game should buy the special edition; I’ll leave it at that.
Rating
10 out of 10
Grand Theft Auto IV Trailer
