Review

In many ways, games like GTA IV are the most difficult to review because I’d rather not break away from playing it to write anything but also it’s sold that many copies that everyone else has already played it. The main problem though, it that it's so damn good, that pointing out any faults would come across as nit-picking. With this said, I’m going to press on regardless.

Is there any way a game can live up to the amount of hype received by Grand Theft Auto IV? I’d say probably not, and your first five minutes of play – arriving at Liberty City docks and driving your cousin Roman back to his home and place of business – are swathed in disappointment. Not much seems to have changed, but it isn’t long before this fact actually becomes a blessing. Familiarity with the set-up actually lets you sit back and enjoy the story more and it also lets you notice the refinements and improvements that Rockstar have managed to put in.

Car handling now feels much better than before and actually encourages you to drive more conservatively. There were many occasions where I wrecked a car within only a few corners because I was driving at full tilt. It’s not quite mirror, signal, manoeuvre, but you actually need to slow down before corners this time around! The much-maligned targeting system has been changed too to the same tried and tested system as Crackdown. Although there are some issues with the camera constantly trying to reset behind you as you run it’s not enough to spoil things.

The missions themselves don’t stray too far from the expected formula and your car is now blessed with a GPS that shows the quickest route to your destination on your HUD. As you get further into the game you’ll invariably be required to run from the police after completing a mission. A circle on the map, which represents the police search area, now illustrates your “Wanted” level. Getting out of this circle is your objective although obviously, the bigger your crime, the bigger the circle, and should you get spotted in the attempt it will reset the centre. This works fantastically well and makes escaping a massively satisfying achievement.

One major new inclusion is the multiplayer, which has been experimented with before on the PSP but never managed to achieve any success. There are 15 different modes to try out including the expected deathmatch and team deathmatch alongside more focused games like Cops & Robbers – take it in turns to be law enforcers and law breakers – and the excellent Mafya Work where each player receives the same mission objective by ‘phone and a cash prize is on offer for the player who completes it. Accessing multiplayer also couldn’t be easier, just whip out you mobile and select it from the list of options. You’ll also be pleased to note that doing so doesn’t compromise your progress in the main game, unless you’re mid-mission obviously!

The mode we’ve been playing the most has been Free Roam. A word of warning though: when you set up your game set you number of private player slots to maximum otherwise you’ll find your game gets invaded by idiots! Playing with a number of like-minded friends ranks this right up there with PGR4 and CoD4 as one of the best online games the Xbox 360 can offer.

As ever though, what sets GTA IV apart from the rest of the field are the little touches. It’s possible to finish the main storyline and only see 60% of the game! It’s the reason why we’re happy to return to GTA years after we first played them, whereas games like Saints Row are forgotten after a few weeks. The radio stations are back and more entertaining than ever but you can now sit back and watch TV as well, which features spot-on parody trailers for well-known shows. There are so many delightful touches throughout the game that it encourages you to explore. Discovering them for yourself is all part of the fun so you’re not going to find any spoilers here.

Overall I think I still prefer Vice City, but this is still the strongest contender yet for Game of the Year. Did we ever doubt it would be anything else?

About the Review

Platform

Microsoft Xbox 360

Developer

Rockstar North

Publisher

Rockstar Games

Released

29th April 2008