Nico, it's your cousin Roman! Do you want to play GTA:IV?

F**K OFF ROMAN

 

     Today I'll be reviewing Grand Theft Auto 4, which is an open ended, 3rd person shooter/driving game. The GTA series are more well known for being giant piss around games, where 90% of the time you just drive around killing people, stealing cars and picking up hookers. This makes them extremely fun to play alone and with friends. GTA:IV is no exception, and whilst it may claim to be more realistic and grittier than past GTAs, I find it just as fun.

 

 Because running people over never gets old.

 

     The story revolves around an ex-military, Eastern European man named Niko Bellic. He has travelled to Liberty City to stay with his cousin, Roman, who has tempted him with the "American Dream." However, Niko also had other reasons to leave his home country- he had been set up by a money lender, and was wanted dead. As the game goes on, Niko finds out that American isn't at all what it's cut out to be and he is sucked into the dirty underworld of mobs and mafias, and he becomes a hitman of sorts. In the game you'll end up killing many gangsters, driving many fast cars and overall acting like a massive badass.

 

  He's definately up there with Chuck Norris for the sheer size of his European balls.

 

     Combat in the game uses a cover system similar to the ones used in Gears of War and Rainbow 6 Vegas- you can blindfire as well as lean out and shoot. The game also uses melee weapons like knives and baseball bats, and of course Niko's fists. The real gem of GTA:IV though is the driving. There are many cars, bikes or even vans to drive around, and all of them drive realistically, and have believable physics- for example, if you try and handbrake turn around a corner going 90, you will roll over, and if you crash into a wall at speed Niko explodes out of the windscreen as he is chucked out of his seat. The same applies for any NPC drivers who are just too damn stupid to stop.

 

Apparently cabbies in Liberty city dont believe in seatbelts.

 

     One drawback of the game, however, is the whole new social side. If you want to have trustworthy companions in the game, you have to spend time doing boring sh*t with them like bowling or playing darts. A typical example of annoying companion is Roman, who will call you in the most annoying times and ask you to go bowling. Luckily, not all companions are as annoying as Roman, and many provide you with side missions or jobs which will earn you money and respect from that companion.

 

     Overall, GTA:IV is definately a good game, but also very different to its predecessor, San Andreas. Instead of huge maps and lots of crazy stuff happening, Rockstar have made GTA:IV much more believable and realistic, whilst still keeping the traditional past time known as "F**cking about on GTA" possible with the introduction of physics, which modders love as it lets them do this:

 

    WHAT THE F**K IS GOING ON

 

    Thanks for reading this review, and I hope you enjoyed it. Dont forget to follow me and comment on my stuff if you like these reviews, I would appreciate it!