Product Description

The most anticipated game ever, Grand Theft Auto IV will revolutionize gaming. You play as Niko Bellic, an Eastern European immigrant to Liberty City with a murky, violent past. Hoping to start a new life in a new country, Niko arrives on the docks and is met by his cousin, Roman. Roman’s promises of ready wealth and easy women turn out to be exaggerations and Niko must quickly adjust to a hard life. But this is America, and Niko wants his slice of the American dream. With perseverance and hard work, he just might grab it.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #42 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Rockstar Games
• Released on: 2008-04-29
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• ESRB Rating: Adults Only
• Platform: PLAYSTATION 3
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 2.65 pounds

Amazon.co.uk
What does the American Dream mean today?

For Niko Bellic, fresh off the boat from Europe, it is the hope he can escape his past. For his cousin, Roman, it is the vision that together they can find fortune in Liberty City, gateway to the land of opportunity. As they slip into debt and are dragged into a criminal underworld by a series of shysters, thieves and sociopaths, they discover that the reality is very different from the dream in a city that worships money and status, and is heaven for those who have them and a living nightmare for those who don’t.

Beginning with the 1997 release of the original Grand Theft Auto, the GTA series has been one of the most prolific, controversial and down right entertaining franchises in video games history. This pedigree of success guarantees that the highly anticipated eleventh game in the series, Grand Theft Auto IV, will garner at least as much attention if not more.

Return to Liberty City.

The dream as Niko expected it. View larger.

There's always a catch. View larger.

But some skills are international. View larger.

The Plot
Grand Theft Auto IV is a brand new adventure in the GTA universe following the experiences of Nikolai "Niko" Bellic, a new immigrant from an undisclosed eastern European country whose troubled pa st and the persuasion of his cousin Roman have brought him to the fictional Liberty City. Unfortunately, Niko’s search for the American Dream and a much needed fresh start, hits an immediate snag when the rags to riches story Roman spun to pique Niko's interest is exposed as not only a complete fabrication, but a ploy to enlist Niko’s well-known skills as a tough guy against the ample list of enemies clamouring for Roman’s debt-ridden blood.

Because Roman is the only person Niko knows in Liberty City he begrudgingly accepts his role as Roman’s protector despite the deception. But as time goes on Niko comes into his own, and his experience on the wrong side of the tracks proves more valuable than he could have ever imagined as he fights for survival and later supremacy on the crime ridden streets of Liberty City.

Game Environments
Based on several of the boroughs of New York City and parts of New Jersey, Liberty City, familiar to players of previous games in the series, has been entirely redesigned for GTA IV. Players can expect visible detail down to the weeds growing in the cracks in the sidewalk, cars and buildings of visibly different ages and a much greater level if verticality in the buildings and bridges that they are able to explore as Niko moves through the city streets. In addition, pedestrians in GTA IV are much more realistic. No longer simply moving cardboard cut-outs, these NPCs are intelligent, modern, human representations that laugh, cry, eat, drink, use cell phones and ATMs, and talking amongst themselves regardless of Niko’s interaction with them.

Gameplay
Historically GTA games have focused heavily on mission-based play, requiring successful completion of fixed tasks in order for players to progress through the game, but this has changed to a great extent in GTA IV. Players will experience an entirely new and exciting emphasis centred on the blending of on-mission and off-mission play, resulting not only in an increased sense of realism, but more interesting and unrestricted gameplay.

Features
Aside from the car jacking and a detailed city environment here are the new features for GTA IV:

• Improved combat system - Now you can use cover and also a target lock system, which allows you to take out targets with greater ease and accuracy. Plus, you can engage in some hand-to-hand combat if you can't get your hands on a piece quick enough.
• Cell phone - Not just for basic phone calls anymore. Use your in-game cell phone to receive missions via SMS, snap photos, and ZiT (tag) songs that can be downloaded exclusively on Amazon.com/mp3.
• Free time - In between missions you can take advantage of "me" time. There are gentleman's clubs, comedy clubs, bowling alleys, and bars, which all house unique activities.
• Take a break from the storyline - A variety of side missions allow you to help run a car service, "borrow" cop cars, assassinate targets, help solve problems for those on the street, or take to the air with stunt jumps that are scattered all over the city.
• Control your own fate - Throughout the game choice moments will arrive causing you to make a decision that will affect relationships and money.

Multiplayer
Give Niko a rest and create your own multiplayer "hero." GTA has added multiplayer modes allowing you to take your creation out to play online in competitive, co-op, and free form modes. Competitive mode has you fighting against the cops, jacking cars, or racing to finish odd jobs. Co-op challenges you and your friends with various tasks including Hangman's NOOSE where you are responsible for escorting a wanted kingpin to a safe extraction point. Freeform lets you and 15 others lose on Liberty City. Use this mode to hit up the bar and play virtual darts versus each other or head out to the streets and set up your own drag races. If you can dream it, you can do it in Freeform mode.

Customer Reviews

Over rated by the hye and reviews
It just shows that you can't depend on reviews when choosing games.

I was disappointed with this game and have now traded it in after about three hours of game play. I couldn't be bothered to play any more.

I felt the general game play was nothing special. I couldn't get a hang of the driving and found myself having to restart some of the missions over and over again until I just got frustrated. Also, it is frustrating having to go back to all the same location again and again to do a mission that involved chasing someone round in a car. Not very interesting really.

On the other hand, I admit that the general presentation of the game was second to only Mass Effect. And I admit Nico was quite a likeable character.

But the gameplay didn't appeal to me. But I can understand why some people were raving about the game. It just isn't to my taste.

Next gen as it should be.
I really don't understand why people are so unsatified with the new GTA. Its a bonified masterpiece. Its breathtaking and its how Next Gen games should be. Visually its amazing the first time you step out into liberty city and look ate the secnery its one of those rare videogame moments you never forget. See Mario 64, The ocarina of time, MGS and of course GTA3. Yes ok essentially its the same format as all the games in the 3-D series but it is so improved. The shooting is much better with quickfire aiming of various targets. The driving feels more realistic and fluid. And of course the story is What GTA was crying out for, a realistic outlook on life as it is dark ,sometimes disturbing and often very dark humored.
In comparrison to GTA san andreas which was a shocking black explotation of how a culture is portrayed. GTA4's story is brave and honest. GTA 4 feels like a city it breathes, which GTA san andreas NEVER did!
The involvement in other chacters lives you are able to influence is what really makes it stand out. Socialise and understand your friends makes this game more in depth than and of the series.

The long awaited... big dissapointmet!
GTA as a series have been fantastic with few let downs. From its early areial view to the graphics that won countless prizes in GTA3 to this is a big leap. The graphics are still great, but the story and location is tired, over used and unfortuantly this game has gone the way of GTA-sanadreas sadly!

The single player game follows the same premise as all the others guide your guy in this case nico round liberty city doing jobs for gangsters, mob bosses and the like while all along acheiving your own goals to get back at something in your history! great i can live with that, by anymeans youll have fun, the cars are fast, the guns have ammo and the civilians dont get out your way and it is great fun. The graphics are excellant and i can see where all the work went because it didnt go on the story!

The missions themselves are easy and unchallenging in the most cases, you find the odd diamond in the rough but other than that you progress quite smoothly! the side line mission like kill the pidgeon are nice touches but even with a location map from the internet labourious in their capture.

The Multi-Player is the biggest let down of all. Compared to the calibre of Call of Duty 4 ( see other review ) it was less than poor, the lobby is tempremental, you often suffered frezing or inexplicable removal from the games, the microphone speach often didnt work or was inaudible to a third party.on the other hand the graphics were down graded but still good and the game modes were okish if you could get them to load!

This game made alot of money through its hype, i was one suckered in but i dont regret buying it im just let down that it was poor in the areas where it should of been fantastic. Ive completed it not to 100% because i have a life and sanity but the missions are fully completed and as such i have found that there is nothing really i want to do, it has nothing to keep me there like COD4.