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Grand Larceny: GTA4

Games // Malc // 7th June 2008

It’s not very often that when your asked “So what did you do last night?” that you can reply “well I carjacked a Ferrari, was befriended by a drugs gang, went to a strip bar and had a lap dance, then shot everyone in the bar before finally getting apprehended by the cops! However I am not talking about real life, but the crazy and very imaginative world inside GTA 4.

GTA is the baby of Rockstar games, created by two English brothers who have made a very successful series of these games, each instalment producing amazing graphics and fascinating game play. The latest version was rumoured to have sold out in the first two hours of general release. Thankfully I reserved a copy, so was able to get my hands on it on the 29 April 2008, the day of release.

Having been playing it for just over a couple of weeks now, I feel like I have done quite a lot, but have only completed about 20% of the game. The maps are much smaller than in ‘San Andreas’ (the previous version) yet they’ve crammed so much more in the individual districts to make it more complex and detailed. I have found it totally addictive though and the attention to detail is unsurpassed. There is no other game like this around and it really has the feel that anything is possible and anything can happen. For example last night when I was playing it, I wondered if I could blow up a petrol station with a hummer, unfortunately not, but shooting the tanks got the desired result, although killing me in the process. I also attempted to driving a car onto the airport runway and into a 747, which by the way is the quickest way to get 5 stars appear and have every cop in the city after you by various methods of transport! I also heard rumours that a inside one of the comedy clubs, you can see Ricky Jervais do a bit of stand up, which I am really looking forward to if that does happen. There are also lots of achievements to unlock in addition to the storyline game which will boost your XBOX gamer score.

The controls were a little harder to get used to compared with the previous game, as there are more moves and guns this time round. I was also a bit disappointed with the radio stations, as I don’t think they have as good tracks on them than the last two games. However there is a handy new function where if you hear a track you like, you can call a number from your mobile and it texts you back with the song and artist. Which is great, even if it is a sly steal off Shazam!

GTA4: Challenging, havoc

There are some fantastic cars around to steal, another new feature is being able to break into and hot wire parked cars, making any vehicle obtainable. The missions are relatively straight forward to begin with and lots of just driving people around until you get to meet more contacts. However it doesn’t take long until you start to meet contacts and open up new missions on a regular basis. You also have to socialise with your contacts to gain respect, which can involve going bowling, playing pool or seeing a show to name a few. You can also get drunk in bars which is very amusing until you try and drive a car!

Another new feature is the introduction of a mobile phone which I particularly like, where people will call and text you about missions or to go out. I also like the fact that you can call your friends from the mobile to engage in online play, something I am yet to try out but am interested to see how that works. It was rumoured to allow up to 16 players online in one game, which would be hilarious to see how that would work. You can even go online in an internet café and check your emails or go on dating websites etc.

In summary, if you’re looking for a game that has fantastic graphics, diverse and challenging missions with some great comedy moments, or just simply want a game where you can go around causing havoc how ever you want to, then GTA is the game for you…