Full Review for Grand Theft Auto 4 by Ayman493

Introduction

After the major success of the GTA III Era, Rockstar have entered the next generation: GTA IV! The game is set in a new, improved Liberty City; unlike GTA III, it's now bigger and has a much closer resemblance to New York! The game engine used is completely different and much more advanced than it's predecessors, using RAGE instead of RenderWare. Beautiful Graphics, Stunning Sound Effects and Polished-to-Perfection Physics bring the energetic environment of New York to life! This is well and truly the best game ever! If that's all you needed to hear, then go ahead! You'll never regret buying it! If you want to look at the game in more detail, please keep reading this review!

You play as Eastern-European immigrant Niko Bellic, who is fresh off the ship to America. After thinking his cousin, Roman, is living the "American Dream", Niko discovers that Roman has been lying to him and that Roman is neither rich nore popular. As Niko settles into America, he ventures around Liberty City, doing various jobs in order to help himself and his cousing fulfill that dream.

Graphics

Graphics will blow your mind, those GTA gamers who haven't got their hands on this! The whole city looks just like New York in every way; complete with Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square, Central Park, the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty and many more! The explosions now more powerful than ever - they even look as powerful as they are - as victims get sent star-jumping over skyscrapers. On collision, blood can even stain vehicles; window smashing is also refined and car damage is no longer static!

Sound

The audio is perfectly recorded: car horns finally sound very atmospheric and life-like; every sound effect makes you feel you're actually in the game. It sounds just like a bustling city! Listen to the hilarious insults shouted by Niko as he mows down a group of pedestrians in his Cadillac. The soundtrack is great too; you can even hear the radio if you get out of your car!

Gameplay

The basic gameplay structure is the similar running, shooting, car-jacking mayhem to it's predecessors - but with a refined engine! The new ragdoll physics make free-falls, deaths and bail-outs more fun and exciting to watch. You even have a cellphone, where you can contact in-game characters (via calling or text messages); access online play; take pictures with the built-in camera; and even enter cheats!

Another big feature is the in-game internet! Yes, you can now browse at an internet kiosk on over 100 fictional websites (many of which parody real life sites). Use it to recieve and reply to emails from in-game characters; download ringtones and wallpapers to personalise your cellphone; or just browse random sites for the fun of it!

An advanced combat system makes this game feel like Call of Duty, only GTA IV is third-person. You can go into online play with up to 16 of your friends (or maybe enemies!), although you need to pay for Xbox Live which is quite costly, but single player is fun enough!

Missions are in a similar style to the predecessors although now, some can last for a few game days because you may need to await further instructions either via phone or email. But you can still do other missions and save your game to kill time when in this situation!

Lastability

This game should last you years, if not forvever, with hours (or even days!) of non-stop addictive fun, action and adrenaline. Even long after beating the story missions, you'll still be leaping out of helicopters; shooting pigeons; annoying the police; shoving people into trains; and millions more!

Overall

Overall, this has to be the best game ever. Perfect car physics, ragdoll animations used professionally, realistic graphics and sound effects; with the addition of addictive gameplay, millions to do, complete freedom and a realistic city make this the best video game known to man! This game is a definite must-have, especially for hardcore gamers! Rockstar, good luck with GTA V!

Final Score: 100%