Grand Theft Auto IV Review:The Game That Is Not Old at All!
Review of Grand Theft Auto IV
The first set of games can be played for a week or two, while the second set always gives memorable impressions which stay with you for life. Grand Theft Auto IV is one such title that belongs to the second category. Despite the fact that it was released in 2008, it is quite hard to find GTA IV amongst today's open world games.
At first glance, GTA IV might appear as an outdated game, but once you spend some time in Liberty City and experience Niko Bellic's escapades, then you will know why GTA IV is regarded as one of the best titles from Rockstar Games.
If you wonder whether GTA IV should be played nowadays, then here is the review for you.
First Impressions
What immediately catches one’s eye is Liberty City itself. The developers have decided to create not some colorful and cheerful place, but an urban environment which looks alive and realistic with traffic flowing naturally, pedestrians reacting to the situation around them, police acting aggressively and variable weather conditions making every ride unique.
GTA IV differs from such GTA games as GTA Vice City and GTA San Andreas due to its more serious atmosphere.
In GTA IV, the plot plays the leading role, while the gameplay in the other games was characterized by the action aspect.
A Story Featuring Crime-Drama Elements
Niko Bellic, who is the character controlled by players in the game, is a recently immigrated individual trying to run away from his troubled past life in order to start a fresh new one in America. Niko travels to America after being motivated by his cousin Roman's stories about riches and fancy automobiles.
But, all does not turn out to be what he hoped it would be like.
To his dismay, he finds out that he ends up being caught up in troubles of debts, gangs, betrayals, and criminals. The game reveals to the player throughout the story that Niko is on a mission not only for money but also for the person who might be involved in incidents from the past.
What makes GTA IV such an incredible game is its emotional storyline. All the missions have consequences in real life, and many decisions change the direction of the story.Liberty City Feels Alive
One great feature of GTA IV is its world.
Each district has its distinct personality.
Crowded streets, busy intersections, taxi cabs, construction sites, parks, restaurants, and high-rise apartments contribute to making Liberty City believable.
Even driving around the city without playing a mission can be fun at times.
You will see:
Random conversations of NPCs
Police arresting criminals
Car accidents
Rain affecting road condition
NPCs' reaction depending on your action
All those small details make the gameplay interesting.
Driving Requires Some Practice
If you start playing GTA IV after GTA V, the way you control vehicles in GTA IV can be very strange for you.
The cars have realistic weight.
They tend to lean when you make turns, slide on wet roads, and need careful braking.
Those features can seem really annoying at first.
Once you spend some time with the controls, though, many people enjoy how different cars behave.
Fast acceleration of sports cars
Heavy feel of SUVs
Balancing motorcycles
Gun Combat
There have been many improvements in gun combat within GTA IV when compared to older GTAs.
These include:
Cover mechanic
Better aim
Realistic gun recoil
Enhanced enemy AI
In firefights, taking cover behind objects like walls and cars becomes essential rather than just running.
Weapons available:
Pistols
Shotguns
Assault rifles
Sniper rifles
Rocket launcher
Grenades
SMGs
Gun combat is still fun in the game.
Graphics
Taking into account the age of the game, GTA IV is still an impressive looking game.
Animation of characters is done nicely.
Lighting is realistic depending on the environment.
Weather effect is nicely done.
GTA IV has weather effects that include storms, sunset, fog and lights of the city at night.
Obviously, compared to other current generation games, graphics and textures of GTA IV are not among the best but because of its art style, it stands the test of time.
In case of the PC version of the game, the game can be optimized with higher resolution and graphics settings.
Sound Design
The sound design deserves particular mention.
The sounds produced by vehicle engines vary according to the model.
There is realistic weapon sounds.
The city traffic creates background noise throughout the game.
There is an enormous choice of music and interesting programs on the radio stations.
Listening to the radio while driving around Liberty City is one of the most exciting aspects of the game.
Mission Diversity
The game does not make all missions boringly alike.
There is a diversity of missions, including:
Chase missions
Assassinations
Shooting wars between gangs
Running away from police
Protecting people
Missions involving boats and helicopters
Some missions will test your patience.
Other missions will test your reflexes.
Side Activities
If you want to take a break from the main narrative, there are numerous things to do.
You can:
Play darts
Go bowling
Visit comedy clubs
Play pool
Watch cabaret performances
Check out the in-game internet
Use your mobile phone to call your friends
Take taxi rides
Discover secret places
Mobile phone feature was quite revolutionary at the time of release of this game.
Characters That You'll Remember
One of the factors that make GTA IV a remarkable game is its characters.
Roman Bellic acts as a comic relief character.
Little Jacob turns out to be an extremely loyal character.
Brucie brings about many funny episodes.
Packie McReary takes part in many exciting missions.
PC Performance
When GTA IV came out, it received the nickname of being hard on PC hardware.
Older hardware usually had trouble with the performance of the game.
Nowadays, with newer gaming PC systems, the game performs much better than before, even though it might need a bit of tweaking from the PC version.
Application of patches and adjustment of graphics settings will definitely help with stability.
Positive Aspects
Fantastic storyline
Great main character
Very realistic atmosphere of the city
Good physics engine
Exciting combat
Great soundtrack
Excellent voice acting
Many secondary activities
Dynamic weather
Extremely detailed open world
Graphics
Despite being developed back in 2008, the graphics in Grand Theft Auto IV have aged relatively well due to the emphasis on realism rather than vibrant colors and other special effects. The city of Liberty is alive with details, such as various buildings, traffic, changes of weather conditions and character models.
Lighting plays a significant role in this game and adds a lot to the realism of GTA IV atmosphere. The rain, sunsets and fog provide a unique ambiance to the city which makes it look really well even now. Driving at night in the rain with reflections and shadows makes the experience more vivid.
Although character models are not very detailed, their facial expressions and animations enhance conversations and cutscenes. Additionally, explosions, smoke and damage of vehicles make GTA IV more realistic.
On PC, higher resolution and graphics settings can make the game look better. Modern equipment allows making the game look even better visually.
Aspects That Could Be Improved
Not everything is perfect in the game.
Here are a few elements that maybe won't suit everyone's taste.
The driving mechanic requires practice.
Missions could be a little shorter.
Secondary activities could get boring after some time.
Less optimized for PC than recent games by Rockstar.
Few vehicle checkpoints in missions.
Advice for Newcomers to the Game
Some tips that can make your journey into GTA IV easier are as follows:
1. Do Not Haste With the Plot
Explore Liberty City while waiting between missions.
You will notice many secrets and events by doing so.
2. Save Your Progress
Although the game automatically saves, you can save yourself manually prior to challenging missions.
3. Get Familiar With Vehicles
Vehicles are more heavy than in future GTA titles. Try making turns and braking rather than constantly speeding up.
4. Use Cover When Engaging In Gunfights
Cover mechanics are very efficient and simplify fighting.
5. Have Money on You
Money is needed to buy weapons, taxis and other necessary things.
Typical Missteps of New Players
First-time players tend to repeat some mistakes:
Driving too recklessly before becoming accustomed to controls.
Not engaging in any side activities at all.
Missing story scenes that provide insight into the plot.
Trying difficult quests without having sufficient health or body armor.
Not buying enough ammo for prolonged battles.
Being careful not to commit these errors could significantly improve the experience.
Should One Play GTA IV Nowadays?
Definitely.
While other GTA games have more extensive maps and more attractive graphics, GTA IV manages to amaze with its realistic story telling, fascinating characters, and realism.
Thus, for players that enjoy sandbox games with a story line, this game of Rockstar Games can be considered their masterpiece. Although it may take some time to get used to the driving and old-style game mechanics, everything will pay off with its fascinating storyline and real-life atmosphere of Liberty City.
In conclusion, players that still haven’t played GTA IV and those who want to play it once again should definitely give it a chance.
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