Grand Theft Auto IV
Playstation 3 – $109
9.5 / 10
GRAND Theft Auto IV is not perfect. If you want to read another review that will give this game 10/10 or 100 per cent, put down the newspaper and stare in the mirror for a few minutes.
When you’ve come to realise that you, too, are not perfect, read on with an open mind and a loaded Uzi.
Liberty City is a thriving, pulsating metropolis, brimming with wealth, economic growth and cruel anti-social behaviour.
Every action has a consequence in GTA IV; run into a little old lady and she will fall, probably never to return to her feet.
Bump into a cheeseburger wielding, puffy jacket wearing homey and you’ll be pursued in a fit of testosterone fuelled rage.
The game sounds amazing, the in-car FM radio makes an impressive return and graphically, the game is almost perfect.
Players control Niko Bellic, the most dynamic and diverse character ever developed for a game. Niko’s personality is intriguing, aggressive and secretive, his troubled past leaks into the tightly woven script like a slowly dripping tap.
It’s engaging and highly entertaining.
You’ll anxiously await the next cut scene, time after time.
The game’s soundtrack is also excellent.
Wander down the street and you’ll hear pigeons chirp, cars crash and sirens wail.
The in-car FM radio returns and GTA IV adds more stations and songs on the dial.
Graphically, GTA IV is an overload of the senses.
Rockstar’s drawing, designing and rendering of a fully blown living and breathing city is award winning.
Many of Liberty City’s buildings can also be entered by Niko; clothes shops, diners, fast food outlets and bowling alleys are just a few of the many places you’ll visit.
Up close, GTA IV is faultless. Cut scenes look remarkable and are presented perfectly.
But the long range rendering of the city skyline and far away horizon causes a few minor problems.
To blend the close and the distant, Rockstar uses a mesh-like texture on everything not within 50 metres of Niko. The mesh effect has allowed the game to be graphically lag free and the city to be almost pop up free. But the mesh coating does generate some ‘that looks weird’ moments.
Is GTA IV the best game ever? It’s hard to say. It’s impossible to compare with classics like Mario 64 and Zelda.
Regardless, this game is a must buy. Take two weeks of leave, lock yourself in a room and say a temporary good bye to the real world.
Liberty City is much more exciting.
