Grand Theft Auto IV, Playstation 3
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I don’t think I approve of this game," my father said as I slaughtered an entire hospital wing with a shotgun simply because I could.
Grand Theft Auto IV dropped for the PS3 and Xbox 360 recently, and it’s scenarios like this one that sum up what you might have been wondering about the game. Yes, it’s violent. Yes, you can make poor life decisions on a whim. And yes, it’s pretty awesome.
Players take on the role of Niko Bellic, a Serbian veteran of the Bosnian War. Filled with anger and regret after being betrayed by a fellow officer in the conflict, Bellic tracks the traitor to America — home to good ol’ Liberty City. After meeting up with his cousin, Roman, Niko proceeds to make several acquaintances — and a few enemies — in the game. Who he befriends and kills is entirely up to you, the player, as the storyline is much more open to alteration than previous GTA games.
Compared to the hyper-anal
cops of GTA: Vice City and the ridiculous character details of
GTA: San Andreas, IV seems modest in both regards,
making it the true sequel to breakthrough installment GTA III. Enemies are easier to combat — some can be felled in a mere two punches — while the character’s
customizability isn’t so ridiculously in-depth that one has to watch
when he eats and sleeps. Other than switching up his clothes for dates
(homey gets laid a lot), Niko is a rock-solid kind of guy.
GTA IV has been in development for almost four years, and the detail shows. The maps, based off of the New York City boroughs, are expansive but, thanks to Niko’s GPS, not as overwhelming as in previous Rockstar efforts. While the game’s in-story is interesting, simply riding around in a yacht through the game’s lushly crafted oceans is a gorgeous experience. Plus, you can hop from boat to boat capping rich people.
But despite the hype and positive reviews, GTA IV is not a perfect game. Glitches abound. Some
are small, like the when the GPS messes up your position or when you
end up inside a building/vehicle without meaning to do so. Then there
are the mid-level ones. If you’re sharing the game with other players, you’re
going to be frustrated when the auto-save feature keeps trying to erase your buddy’s file instead of picking a new slot. And then there’s the
granddaddy of all console faux pas — the screen freeze. Just like Rockstar’s
Bully re-release from earlier this year, GTA IV will freeze
from time to time. And it will suck every time.
Get past this discouraging glitch, though, and there’s a good game in store. While the GTA formula isn’t close to trailblazing at this point, it’s still an awfully fun one. Especially after you get your first gun. Oh my word does it get sweet then.