Grand Theft Auto IV

Rockstar has succeeded again in creating one of the biggest, most ambitious games ever, and managing to keep it fun in the meantime. With making the leap to the current generation of hardware, they had to step up the technology, as by now the PS2 games look ancient. They did so in a big way. There's slowdown in the more chaotic moments and some texture popping when you're driving quickly, but it's overall a good-looking, polished game. Faces sometimes look a bit weird, but the overall presentation is miles beyond previous installments. The radio is pretty solid, with good songs usually in reach even if you don't recognize them, and a few funny talk stations. The voice acting is generally at a very high level. Everyone with a real part does a decent job at the least, and the throwaway voices on the street are usually funny.

The series always did a good job with the cutscenes besides a couple awkward moments, and they really shine here, with many scenes matching the quality of a good movie or television show. The story is good, with Niko being far from innocent but still a sympathetic character. The plots are always so long in these games that they tend to lack a real focus or arc, but most of the time he's working towards his goal in some way, if not directly then in hoping whoever he's working for can help him. This is the first GTA game to feature choices, as several times you decide whether someone lives or dies and make a big decision near the end that determines the ending. I wish these choices had more bearing on what happens in the story, but they do have gameplay consequences as well.

The gameplay is improved, but there are still some issues, and the different sorts of missions you do have gotten pretty typical at this point. Sometimes you'll tail people, other times you'll chase them, other times you're running from cops, and quite often you're just shooting them up in a warehouse. It might just be selective memory, but I remember San Andreas being more creative with some of the bigger jobs. The driving has been changed in this game, as the handling is now much rougher than it used to be. It seems impossible to consistently get good corners. You get used to the new mechanics, but it's more of an understanding-your-limitations used to it than a actually-doing-it-well used to it. There are some cool things you can do with it, but it's hard. Thankfully, the shooting is much better. The auto-targeting still isn't great, but it's easier to aim freely and the ability to use cover makes shoot-outs an exercise in skill and not a crapshoot. It can get rough in tight areas, but you're usually better off than you used to be.

There are lots of little side missions you can do as diversions, and the expansion of girlfriends more into the story makes things interesting. Not just ladies anymore, you can hang out with various people you meet in game, and go out and have fun with them. You can see Ricky Gervais or Katt Williams do standup, go bowling, or my personal favorite, go drinking. When drunk, characters will wobble around and fall over in hilarious ways, demonstrating the game's excellent body physics. One of the best additions to me honestly was how well people interact with explosives or quickly moving vehicles. It's like ragdoll physics except it doesn't look idiotic. Anyway, friends or girls that aren't introduced by the story confer special bonuses if they like you enough, like selling you weapons at a discount or providing a couple thugs for backup. Cruising with a buddy between missions and then getting his help when you need it really add to the game's immersion. It's the most complete GTA yet, it's just not as exciting an idea as it used to be. The multiplayer's a lot of fun too, as soaring down the highway and gunning down opponents is even more fun with a friend. I haven't spent much time with it, but I'll definitely play it more during the summer.