Rockstar Games published the much-anticipated Grand Theft Auto sequel in 2008. Grand Theft Auto 4 became the sixth main entry title in the series, four years after Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Fans were taken back to Liberty City, new and updated, along with a great set of graphics and characters.
As a new Grand Theft Auto game, GTA 4 did a lot of things right, and plenty of things better than the other titles in Rockstar’s ever-growing library of commercially and critically accepted games. GTA 4 was the perfect stepping stone toward 2013’s Grand Theft Auto 5 and proves that Rockstar learns new things with every release.
8 Definitive Liberty City
Liberty City is perhaps the main location of the Grand Theft Auto franchise. It has appeared in a lot of titles, both in spin-offs and mainline games. It was also the first city to be introduced into the 3D space of GTA and returns in Grand Theft Auto 4 with an updated look.
Liberty City looks grand, and very reminiscent of New York City. There are overwhelming skyscrapers, and many fascinating landmarks like the Statue of Happiness, an obvious satirical take on the Statue of Liberty. Exploring Liberty City is fun, and it’s sprawling with activity.
7 Realistic Physics
Many GTA fans still claim that Grand Theft Auto 4 features the best physics in the franchise so far. The game utilizes the inhouse Rockstar Advanced Game Engine (RAGE) and bolsters an impressive use of gravity and dynamic objects placed in the environment. Examples of the physics can be shown in how Niko can fall from buildings, or how the water reacts and ripples to the spinning blades of a helicopter.
Players that interact with the environment will find a highly immersive physics engine to play around with in Grand Theft Auto 4, and will most likely notice this best with how vehicles crumple in crashes, or how dead bodies will slump and ragdoll instead of simply lying flat. It’s an impressive feat of technological advancements in 2008.
6 Niko Bellic
Niko Belic was a departure from what fans knew from the Grand Theft Auto franchise. The character was from another country, instead of being an American. He’s a great character, who enters America with the desire to chase the American Dream, but ends up tangled and exploited by the very citizens of the country he wants to be a citizen of.
Niko is a great character and remains grounded in a world that seems all too crazy to be real. Niko’s charm comes from the talented work of Michael Hollick, who performed both the voice and motion capture for the protagonist of Grand Theft Auto 4.
5 Let’s Go Bowling
Grand Theft Auto 4 features a character called Roman Bellic. This character is the eager opportunist and cousin to the protagonist, Niko Bellic. Often throughout the game, Roman will call his dear cousin to spend time with him through optional activities.
The most common activity that Roman asks Niko to do, is go bowling. Many times, Roman will interrupt the player’s activities by calling his phone, and eagerly exclaiming “Let’s go bowling!” The phrase itself has become somewhat of a meme in the GTA community, but it’s a fun minigame in GTA 4 that can be played alone or with one of Niko’s friends.
4 Crazy Supporting Characters
From the bowling-loving cousin of Niko Bellic, Roman, to the automotive entrepreneur and fitness enthusiast, Brucie Kibbutz, Grand Theft Auto 4 features a unique cast of characters. Most of the characters in Grand Theft Auto 4 exist to be crazier than real-life depictions and can feature a celebrity cameo.
These characters can range from intimidating, to downright funny and crazy. Brucie Kibbutz is eager, loud, and crazy, and at one point repeatedly hits his head against a wall until he bleeds. Other characters like “Little” Jacob Hughes serves as a calm and close ally of the Bellic cousins and deal heavily in Jamaican drugs and arms.
3 Dating
A feature that was introduced in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, returns with more depth for Grand Theft Auto 4. Players can have five girlfriends in GTA 4, two of which are story related and the other three can be found on the in-game online dating websites: “Lovemeet” and “Craplist.”
Each woman has different tastes, and Niko will need to increase favor with his girlfriend for rewards. Favor can be gained by paying attention to what the woman likes. These likes run the gamut from the clothing Niko wears, the vehicle he is driving, and how fancy the date is. The online dating girlfriends can give Niko bonuses, like health boosts, removing wanted levels, or store discounts.
2 Single Player DLCs
Grand Theft Auto 4 features two expansion packs that were released to the game as additional story mode content. This DLC consisted of The Lost and Damned, and The Ballad of Gay Tony. Both featured new plots, characters, and a carefully crafted story that interconnects well with Grand Theft Auto 4’s storyline.
These expansions were also sold as a standalone pack. The Lost and Damned features a new protagonist: Johnny Klebitz. This story follows Johnny and the lifestyle of The Lost Motorcycle Club and is a grittier storyline than the main game. The Ballad of Gay Tony follows Luis Fernando Lopez, the assistant to the legendary nightclub persona, Tony Prince. The story is a downward spiral of loyalty and drug abuse.
1 The Story Of War And Opportunity
Whereas other Grand Theft Auto games deal with satirical depictions of a modern America, which involve greed and crime, Grand Theft Auto 4’s story is a more personal, and critical analysis of American culture itself. There are deeper meanings in GTA 4, and they are experienced through the eyes of an immigrant story, Niko Bellic, a cynical male from Yugoslavia.
Niko fought in the Yugoslav Wars and held a murderous grudge against two men. His story involves traveling to America to seek an honest living, something that quickly turns on its head when Niko realizes that America is no longer the land of opportunity, but the land of the delusional and exploited.
Grand Theft Auto 4 is available now for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.