TheCC Staff
06-17-2008, 09:52 PM
Life, liberty, and the Pursuit of Violence.
by Pete Degrazio
June 17th, 2008 - Players assume control of Niko Bellic, an Eastern European immigrant and veteran of the Bosnian Wars. Lead to America by his cousin Roman, Niko learns that living the “American Dream” isn’t as exciting as his relative described. The protagonist arrives in the States to find Roman was living a lie. His letters boast of living the good life in a fancy apartment, surrounded by beautiful women, all of which Niko will learn is a bunch of bullshit. After this short introduction, players are left alone to explore Liberty City for a little while, which is an amazing 1/5 scale of New York City. Shortly thereafter, you’re thrown right into the mix. Purposely avoiding giving away too much of the plot, be weary of the choices you make. For example, the game will present players with an option of letting criminals go, or executing them in cold blood. Whatever choice is made, will have an impact on how your story unfolds. Unique twists, subplots, and countless side missions will keep you intrigued throughout the game.
With GTA IV, developer Rockstar’s aim was not to reinvent the wheel with this latest installment of this record breaking series. Instead, they chose to make it quite possibly, one of the more detailed games to be born of this Earth. It could take months of non-stop exploration to uncover all the hidden jewels of this magnificent re-creation of the Big Apple. Assuming you’re not a cheater, right? The ninth addition to the series succeeded in making it the most realistic Grand Theft Auto to date. Everything from the details of the streets and buildings, to the conversations and interactions with random people, is ridiculous and also a sign several employees of Rockstar are definitely OCD. Compelling measures were taken to make the environment as substantial as possible. The game still bewilders me each time I turn it on. It’s just a monster. Basically, if you’re not in awe of the game’s layout and detail, then check your pulse, because you’re probably dead.
Taking a game to the next level without changing its foundation, is not an easy feat to achieve. Step 1, learn objective. Step 2, steal car. Step 3, kill objective. That formula was very simple, and there was never a need to stray off that path. I mean you’d have to be mental to change something that has consistently done so well for so long. Did they change anything? No. Did they pimp this bitch out? Fuck yea they did. Step 1 now involves well scripted cut scenes that drive the story, which always seem easier to sit through on a next-gen console. Primary objectives are initiated by phone calls received to Niko’s cell phone. By accepting a call, icons will appear on your radar just like old times. Players can choose to ignore calls from potential employers, friends, and girlfriends. Just be weary that by doing so, you can actually start to piss these people off, which could prevent certain perks from activating. One minor complaint is that it can start to feel overwhelming with calls, missions, dates, etc. Characters will start calling at ridiculous rates looking for some handy work, or just a night on the town. A simple fix here, just turn your cell phone to Sleep Mode under the options tab to prevent any further calls while you catch up on the story. Which is also a sweet way to explore Liberty City at leisure. (QUICK HINT: If you find a pigeon, shoot it, because shooting pigeons is awesome. Plus, if you manage to shoot 200 of ‘em, you’ll have a nice bonus next time you fly a certain helicopter).
Click Here To Read The Whole Review (http://thecomiccollective.com/Video_Games/Reviews/_2008/Pete_Degrazio/Grand_Theft_Auto_IV/)
by Pete Degrazio
June 17th, 2008 - Players assume control of Niko Bellic, an Eastern European immigrant and veteran of the Bosnian Wars. Lead to America by his cousin Roman, Niko learns that living the “American Dream” isn’t as exciting as his relative described. The protagonist arrives in the States to find Roman was living a lie. His letters boast of living the good life in a fancy apartment, surrounded by beautiful women, all of which Niko will learn is a bunch of bullshit. After this short introduction, players are left alone to explore Liberty City for a little while, which is an amazing 1/5 scale of New York City. Shortly thereafter, you’re thrown right into the mix. Purposely avoiding giving away too much of the plot, be weary of the choices you make. For example, the game will present players with an option of letting criminals go, or executing them in cold blood. Whatever choice is made, will have an impact on how your story unfolds. Unique twists, subplots, and countless side missions will keep you intrigued throughout the game.
With GTA IV, developer Rockstar’s aim was not to reinvent the wheel with this latest installment of this record breaking series. Instead, they chose to make it quite possibly, one of the more detailed games to be born of this Earth. It could take months of non-stop exploration to uncover all the hidden jewels of this magnificent re-creation of the Big Apple. Assuming you’re not a cheater, right? The ninth addition to the series succeeded in making it the most realistic Grand Theft Auto to date. Everything from the details of the streets and buildings, to the conversations and interactions with random people, is ridiculous and also a sign several employees of Rockstar are definitely OCD. Compelling measures were taken to make the environment as substantial as possible. The game still bewilders me each time I turn it on. It’s just a monster. Basically, if you’re not in awe of the game’s layout and detail, then check your pulse, because you’re probably dead.
Taking a game to the next level without changing its foundation, is not an easy feat to achieve. Step 1, learn objective. Step 2, steal car. Step 3, kill objective. That formula was very simple, and there was never a need to stray off that path. I mean you’d have to be mental to change something that has consistently done so well for so long. Did they change anything? No. Did they pimp this bitch out? Fuck yea they did. Step 1 now involves well scripted cut scenes that drive the story, which always seem easier to sit through on a next-gen console. Primary objectives are initiated by phone calls received to Niko’s cell phone. By accepting a call, icons will appear on your radar just like old times. Players can choose to ignore calls from potential employers, friends, and girlfriends. Just be weary that by doing so, you can actually start to piss these people off, which could prevent certain perks from activating. One minor complaint is that it can start to feel overwhelming with calls, missions, dates, etc. Characters will start calling at ridiculous rates looking for some handy work, or just a night on the town. A simple fix here, just turn your cell phone to Sleep Mode under the options tab to prevent any further calls while you catch up on the story. Which is also a sweet way to explore Liberty City at leisure. (QUICK HINT: If you find a pigeon, shoot it, because shooting pigeons is awesome. Plus, if you manage to shoot 200 of ‘em, you’ll have a nice bonus next time you fly a certain helicopter).
Click Here To Read The Whole Review (http://thecomiccollective.com/Video_Games/Reviews/_2008/Pete_Degrazio/Grand_Theft_Auto_IV/)