Grand Theft Auto IV

Grand Theft Auto IV is a sandbox-style action-adventure video game developed by Rockstar North. It is the ninth title in the main Grand Theft Auto series and the first in its fourth generation. The game was preceded by Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and will be succeeded by Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars. Grand Theft Auto IV was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in Oceania, Europe and North America on 29 April 2008, and in Japan on 30 October 2008. A Windows version of the game was released in North America on 2 December 2008 and in Europe on 3 December. Two episodic packs are being developed for the Xbox 360, the first of which is entitled The Lost and Damned and scheduled to be released on 17 February 2009.

The game is set in a redesigned rendition of Liberty City, a fictional city based heavily on modern day New York City. It follows Niko Bellic, a war veteran from an unspecified country in Eastern Europe, who comes to the United States in search of the American Dream, but quickly becomes entangled in a seedy underworld of gangs, crime, and corruption. Like other games in the series, GTA IV is composed of elements from driving games and third-person shooters, and features “open-world” gameplay that gives players more control over their playing experience. GTA IV is the first console game in the series to feature an online multiplayer mode, which contains fifteen game types.

A major commercial and critical success, Grand Theft Auto IV broke industry records with sales of around 3.6 million units on its first day of release and grossing more than $500 million in revenue in the first week, from an estimated 6 million units sold worldwide. As of 16 August 2008, the game has sold over 10 million copies. Grand Theft Auto IV received overwhelmingly positive reviews, becoming one of the highest-rated games of all-time on the aggregated review websites MobyGames and TopTenReviews.

Gameplay

Grand Theft Auto IV is structured similarly to previous games in the series. The core gameplay consists of elements of a third-person shooter and a driving game, giving the player a large, open environment in which to move around. On foot, the player’s character is capable of walking, running, swimming, climbing and jumping, as well as using weapons and basic hand-to-hand combat. Players can steal and drive a variety of vehicles, including automobiles, boats, helicopters, and motorcycles. Grand Theft Auto IV takes advantage of Natural Motion’s Euphoria engine, which combines artificial intelligence, bio mechanics and physics to make NPC behaviour and movement adaptive and more realistic.

The open, non-linear environment allows players to explore and choose how they wish to play the game. Although storyline missions are necessary to progress through the game and unlock certain parts of the map and content, they are not required, as players can complete them at their own leisure. When not taking on a storyline mission, players can free-roam. However, creating havoc can attract unwanted and potentially fatal attention from the authorities. Niko can pick up prostitutes and pay for three different levels of sexual service, and request a private erotic dance whilst visiting lap dancing clubs. The game gives an un-detailed portrayal of sexual acts with prostitutes and there is no sexual nudity.

It is possible to have multiple active missions, due to the fact that some missions will run over the course of several days and will require the player to wait for further instructions, etc. The player can also partake in a variety of optional side missions. For the first time in the series, Grand Theft Auto IV features “morality choices” at several points throughout the game, in which the player is forced to choose between killing a character or sparing their life or killing one of two characters. The game has two different endings, which are determined by deciding which of the two missions to complete. The player can choose between a revenge mission or a deal mission, each leads to a different ending.

Combat and police response
Combat in Grand Theft Auto IV has been reworked to include a cover system.

The gunfight combat system has been reworked to a third-person scheme.[28] The player can slide to cover, blindfire, and free aim. When locked on, the target’s health is indicated by eight segments inside the target circle (which is white), these segments can be green (if the target is a civilian/non-attacking or non-aggressive target) or red (authorities/hostile targets or assassination targets), additionally, if the target’s wearing body armour there will be an additional smaller, blue armour circle inside the health circle, showing the target’s armour status. Niko can also perform “cinematic executions”, only possible with a pistol to certain characters/situations when the target circle blinks red. Players can target individual body parts using a revamped targeting system.[29] Niko’s health is represented by a green semicircle on the left side of the mini-map, while a blue semicircle on the right represents armour.

If Niko gets injured, he can recover health by using the services of a prostitute, eating, drinking soda, sleeping, using medical kits or using his mobile phone to call for paramedics; also, one girlfriend has the special ability of healing Niko by calling her with the mobile phone. Health is generally reduced by physical injuries such as getting hit by vehicles when walking, going through the windscreen of a vehicle when crashing, and gunfire or explosions. Body armour is gradually damaged by gunshots, explosions and stab wounds.[30] If Niko’s health level reaches zero he appears at the nearest hospital, but loses 10% of his total wealth (up to $10,000). Niko is able to retain his weapons after re-spawning at a hospital, unlike previous GTA games (besides Vice City Stories and San Andreas), where this ability and the same but after being arrested had to be unlocked. However, weapons are still confiscated if he is arrested and taken to a police station.

Wanted levels operate differently from previous GTA games. When the police are in pursuit of Niko, a search radius appears on the map in which the police will be looking for him. The size of this radius increases with the player’s wanted level and re-centres itself on Niko’s location if he is spotted by the police. The player can evade the police by escaping the search radius and temporarily keeping a low profile by not committing further offences. The wanted levels can be lost by Niko either driving into a “Pay ‘N’ Spray” (unless seen entering by police) as in previous games or by disguising himself by clandestinely changing vehicles in empty areas such as parking garages. The player has the option to attempt escaping arrest before he is handcuffed, at the cost of increasing his wanted level by one star.[29] Additionally, pedestrians with cellphones can report crimes they witness in the surrounding environment.[31][32]

The type of police response also differs slightly from previous GTA games; however, creating more chaos still leads to a stronger response. “Minor” crimes, such as assault, public firearm discharge, grand theft auto and homicide, continue to be handled by police patrols. Higher wanted levels still activate police helicopter and water craft support teams and FBI-like agents, known as FIB (Federal Investigation Bureau) in GTA IV. Police SWAT and the military have been replaced by an elite counter-terrorism team known as N.O.O.S.E. (National Office Of Security Enforcement), an amalgamation of SWAT and the Department of Homeland Security.

Vehicles

Stealing a parked car shows Niko smashing the glass (if it is locked) and then hotwiring it, as opposed to previous games where the player simply entered the driver’s seat or cannot enter if it’s locked. The player can focus the camera on the target during chases, by holding the cinematic camera button. Every vehicle in the game uses the in-game minimap as a GPS device, and additional voice directions are provided in luxury cars. “Waypoints” can be placed on destinations on the map, outlining the fastest legal route between Niko and the destination on the minimap. The ability to hail a taxi cab allows the player to travel to destinations without having to drive, and the entire journey may be skipped, allowing them to arrive at their destination instantly. The player cannot pilot fixed-wing aircraft, as was possible in previous games, but can still pilot helicopters, including the police “Annihilator”, which has mounted machine guns.

When major collisions on motorbikes occur, Niko will most likely fly off in any direction, depending on realistic physics. The physics engine will turn Niko into a rag doll after a bike crash, instead of using a predefined animation. Niko can lose health or die if he crashes or smashes through the windscreen of cars during high speed collisions. Vehicles will not explode if they are flipped over, or shot in any place other than the engine block or fuel tank, however they may catch fire and eventually explode if the engine is repeatedly damaged via collisions. Explosions can sometimes render nearby vehicles unusable, or cause them to catch fire. Car engines can also break down, rendering them unable to start. When driving or riding in a car, Niko is able to smash the window, free-aim, and fire out of the vehicle with several different one-handed weapons. The player may also drop grenades or Molotov cocktails.

Communication

The use of the mobile phone has been expanded to perform multiple actions. When selecting the mobile phone, a zoomed-in version of the phone interface pops up in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. The phone allows the player to view text messages and appointments, as well as arrange to meet friends for activities. Retrying a failed mission can be done by accessing the menu and responding positively to a certain text message. The player can take photos with the mobile phone and upload them to the police computer during certain missions. Niko can dial 911 to call emergency services, who promptly arrive to his location and will respond to a situation, or lack thereof, occurring there. The police will arrest felons, and paramedics are able to restore Niko’s health. The phone also allows access to the game’s multiplayer mode.

The game also features several different in-game databases that Niko can make use of. An in-game version of the Internet can be used by accessing the Internet café chain, “TW@”, located throughout the city. There are over 100 accessible fictitious websites within the game, and Niko can also send and receive email (including junk mail) and set up prospective dates. Although the Internet café was seen in Grand Theft Auto III, it did not give the player the option to browse. In a police vehicle, Niko can use an in-car computer to access Liberty City’s criminal database, discover information about various criminals in Liberty City and even track them down for a reward. The game also features in-game television programming, with several viewable channels featuring programs and advertisements. The television shows cover a wide variety of genres, including news, talk shows, and sports. There is also a parody of Ric Burns’ New York: A Documentary Film running continuously on one of the game’s television stations, detailing the history of Liberty City in the same style as Burns’ eight-part documentary.

Multiplayer

Grand Theft Auto IV includes online multiplayer, with 15 modes of play available. The multiplayer supports up to 16 players (32 players in the PC version) and allows players to explore the entire city. Players use a customisable character in a majority of the modes, and cash earned during play translates to a level at which more clothing is available for their character, depending on the level. Hosts of the games can control many variables, such as police presence, traffic, and weapons. The online games are split into ranked and unranked matches. The reward for the ranked gameplay is cash, which determines players’ ranks. The game does not feature any split screen or LAN multiplayer modes on console, but the PC version does have LAN support.

There are several different game modes available. Team based gameplay modes include Team Deathmatch, where 2-8 teams compete to accumulate the most kills in a traditional deathmatch; Team Mafiya Work, in which 2–8 teams compete to complete contract work for the “mafiya”, such as escorting/killing targets or stealing cars; Team Car Jack City where 2–8 teams compete to steal cars and earn money for keeping them undamaged; Cops n’ Crooks, featuring a team of cops who must compete against a team of crooks (which features the “All for One” variation – requiring the cops to kill the crooks’ “Boss” before he is escorted to the extraction point – and the “One for All” variation – requiring the cops to kill all of the crooks before they reach the extraction point); and Turf War, involving two teams who compete to take control of designated areas of the map and control them for as long as possible.

The game also includes a variety of racing and cooperative modes, which include Race, in which players race through checkpoints in a traditional automobile race; a GTA Race variation, where players race through checkpoints in an automobile race, with the ability to combat their opponents; Hangman’s N.O.O.S.E., a co-op mode that requires players to collect a person from the airport and safely escort him to the extraction point before the cops kill him; Deal Breaker, a co-op mission that requires players to assault a construction site captured by enemies, then chase a group of enemies before they escape; and Bomb da Base II, a co-op mission that requires players to clear out a ship, then destroy it with explosives. The game also features a Free Mode, in which players have the entire map open to explore, with no end goal or mission to complete.

There are, however, limitations when playing Free Mode. Certain features from the single player story mode are disabled. The disabled features include the mini-games such as bowling, darts, and pool. Also disabled is other content found in the game, including cheats, clubs and the internet café. These limitations also apply for all other game-types.

Other Information

Publisher(s) Rockstar Games, JP Capcom
Distributor(s) Take-Two Interactive (retail), Steam (online)
Designer(s) Simon Lashley, Keith McLeman
Series Grand Theft Auto
Engine RAGE
Euphoria (Motion Engine)
Version 1.04 (PlayStation 3), 1.01 (Xbox 360), 1.0.1.0 (Windows)
Platform(s) PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows
Release date(s) PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, 29 April 2008
Microsoft Windows, NA 2 December 2008, EU 3 December 2008
Genre(s) Sandbox, third-person shooter, action-adventure
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

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