Title: Grand Theft Auto IV
Platform: Playstation 3, Xbox 360 (review platform)
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Developer: Rockstar North
ESRB Rating: M for Mature
Grand Theft Auto. In the minds of many outsiders to our hobby these words encapsulate everything that is wrong with gaming as a pastime. The GTA franchise attracts negative press like vampires to blood and yet still remains one of the most successful franchises in the industry. The most recent release, Grand Theft Auto IV, received a great deal of positive hype from press previews prior to release as well as negative hype from conservatives out to save the kiddies from the evils perpetuated by Rockstar Games. As a reviewer that hype can be difficult to ignore, but it's our job to look beyond the glamour and rate the game based on its own merits. Is Grand Theft Auto IV the perfect game? No, but it's close.
This Is the Story of Niko Bellic
The GTA games each tell a stand-alone story rather than following the activities of recurring characters. GTA IV concerns itself with Niko Bellic, an immigrant from Eastern Europe arriving in Liberty City, USA, to chase the American dream and perhaps escape his troubled past. Niko's impressions of America are largely based on the writings of his cousin Roman, who has been "living the high-life" or so he claims. Very soon Niko learns that Roman has not only been exaggerating his success in America but also accumulating a sizable gambling debt which forces Niko to embrace the criminal element of Liberty City in order to protect his cousin.
The story grows from Niko and Roman to eventually include Russian gangsters, Italian gangsters, a family of Irish thieves, a shadowy government organization and an impressive assortment of supporting characters that flesh out the underworld of Liberty City. It takes several hours for Niko's story to open up but eventually it's revealed that the real reason he's in Liberty City is to find the man who betrayed him and his fellow soldiers during a war. Betrayal? War? Now we're talking. Unfortunately much of the time spent in GTA IV is not on Niko's quest for retribution but on a series of shorter vignettes about the game's supporting cast. In this way almost all the missions feel like side quests since they don't further Niko's main goal.
Grand Theft Auto IV's Niko Bellic, newly arrived in Liberty City.
That's not to say that the other stories of Liberty City aren't well told, but aside from a monetary reward Niko is indifferent to their outcome. And if he doesn't care why should I? I wish more time was spent furthering Niko's goals instead of everyone else's. I can't get into specifics without treading into spoiler territory but the story didn't follow the arc I had hoped it would. The story is good with some interesting surprises along the way but it isn't epic. Fortunately the Grand Theft Auto games don't live and die by the story. They are all about the gameplay.
Liberty City - Where the American Dream Goes to Die
Grand Theft Auto titles are referred to as "sandbox games" and this is the most complex and densely packed sandbox to date. One of the pillars of the GTA series is the living, breathing city which serves as the backdrop to all the missions. Liberty City brought to life by GTA IV is nothing short of a technological marvel. Once all the islands are opened up you're free to cruise through the city endlessly without ever seeing a loading screen.
The city is populated with people and vehicles that all have their own agenda and they react to Niko in realistic ways. Crash into a car while driving and the driver of the other car will stop and get out. Drive a police car with the siren on and people will pull off the street out of your way. Start shooting in public and people will panic and run. The game goes to great lengths to convince you that you're operating in an organic environment and the end result is very compelling.
It isn't just the buildings, the people, the cars and the streets that make up the environment. It's also the radio, the internet and the TV shows. The fact that they all exist in this game each with their own lengthy set of content is amazing. There are over 100 web pages to view on the game's internet and some very strange television shows available if you opt to sit and watch some tube. Several different radio stations, each with unique programming, are accessible from any car and if you listen to the news broadcasts you'll frequently hear reports about the after-effects of your own missions. I have to praise Rockstar for including one of the theme songs from my youth as a music selection. Thanks to "Iron Eagle" I suspect many men my age had childhood dreams of stealing an F-16 and rescuing their fathers from the clutches of a middle-eastern country while listening to Queen's "One Vision" but escaping police capture with a truck full of money in Liberty City is a close second.
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