Grand Theft Auto IV

Grand Theft Auto IV, commonly shortened to GTA4 or GTA IV, is a sandbox-style action-adventure video game developed by Rockstar North. It is the sixth 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto series.

The game is set in a redesigned rendition of Liberty City, a fictional city based heavily on modern day New York City. It follows Niko Bellic, a war veteran from an unspecified country in Eastern Europe, who comes to the United States in search of the American Dream, but quickly becomes entangled in a seedy underworld of gangs, crime, and corruption. Like other games in the series, GTA IV is composed of elements from driving games and third-person shooters, and features "open-world" gameplay that gives players more control over their playing experience. GTA IV is the first console game in the series to feature an online multiplayer mode, which contains fifteen game types.

Grand Theft Auto IV was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in Oceania, Europe and North America on 29 April 2008,and in Japan on 30 October 2008. A Windows version of the game was released in North America on 2 December 2008 and in Europe on 3 December. Two episodic packs are being developed for the Xbox 360, the first of which is entitled The Lost and Damned and was released on 17 February 2009. The next expansion pack will be called The Ballad of Gay Tony, featuring a character that made several appearances throughout the game by the name of Luis Fernando Lopez.

A major commercial and critical success, Grand Theft Auto IV broke industry records with sales of around 3.6 million units on its first day of release and grossing more than $500 million in revenue in the first week, from an estimated 6 million units sold worldwide.As of 11 March 2009, the game has sold over 13 million copies. Grand Theft Auto IV received overwhelmingly positive reviews, becoming one of the highest-rated games of all-time on aggregated review websites such as Metacritic and GameRankings.

Gameplay
Grand Theft Auto IV is structured similarly to previous games in the series. The core gameplay consists of giving the player a large, open environment in which to move around. On foot, the player's character is capable of walking, running, swimming, climbing and jumping, as well as using weapons and basic hand-to-hand combat. Players can steal and drive a variety of vehicles, including automobiles, boats, helicopters, and motorcycles. Grand Theft Auto IV takes advantage of Natural Motion's Euphoria engine, which combines artificial intelligence, bio-mechanics and physics to make NPC behaviour and movement adaptive and more realistic.

The open, non-linear environment allows players to explore and choose how they wish to play the game. Although storyline missions are necessary to progress through the game and unlock certain parts of the map and content, they are not required, as players can complete them at their own leisure. When not taking on a storyline mission, players can free-roam, giving them the ability to do activities.

It is possible to have multiple active missions, due to the fact that some missions will run over the course of several days and will require the player to wait for further instructions, etc. The player can also partake in a variety of optional side missions. For the first time in the series, Grand Theft Auto IV features "morality choices" at several points throughout the game, The game has two different endings, which are determined by deciding which of the two missions to complete. The player can choose between a revenge mission or a deal mission, each leads to a different ending.

Combat and police response
The gunfight combat system has been reworked to a third-person scheme.The player can slide to cover, lock on, blindfire, and free aim. When locked on, the target's health is indicated by eight segments inside the target circle (which is white), There are green targets and red targets. Additionally, if the target's wearing body armour there will be an additional smaller, blue armour circle inside the health circle, showing the target's armour status. Niko can also perform "cinematic executions", only possible with a pistol to certain characters/situations when the target circle blinks red. Players can target individual body parts using the revamped targeting system.[28] Niko's health is represented by a green semicircle on the left side of the mini-map, while a blue semicircle on the right represents armour. There are more hand to hand combat moves than in past games in the series, namely punching, kicking, "alternative" punching, dodging/blocking, disarming an opponent, and counter-attacking. If Niko is injured, he can recover health by eating, drinking soda, sleeping, using medical kits, using his mobile phone to call for paramedics, or using the services of a prostitute. Health is generally reduced by physical injuries, such as being hit by vehicles when walking, going through the windscreen of a vehicle when crashing, and gunfire or explosions. Body armour is gradually damaged by gunshots, explosions and stab wounds.[29] If Niko's health level reaches zero, the action stops, and he re-appears at the nearest hospital having lost 10% of his total wealth (up to $10,000). Niko is able to retain his weapons after re-spawning at a hospital, an ability that had to be unlocked in some earlier games.

The Wanted level system operates differently from previous GTA games. The game retains the six star levels of previous iterations of the series, with increasing resistance on each level. When the police are in pursuit of Niko, a search radius appears on the map in which the police will be looking for him. The size of this radius increases with the player's wanted level and re-centres itself on Niko's location if he is spotted by the police. The player can evade the police by both escaping the search radius and temporarily keeping a low profile by not committing further offences. The wanted levels can also be lost either by driving into a "Pay 'N' Spray" (unless seen entering by police) or clandestinely changing vehicles in empty areas such as parking garages. The player has the option of attempting to escape arrest before being handcuffed, at the cost of increasing the wanted level by one star.[28] Additionally, pedestrians with cellphones can report crimes they witness in the surrounding environment.

Vehicles
During car chases, the player can focus the camera on the target vehicle by holding the cinematic camera button. Every vehicle in the game uses the in-game minimap as a GPS device, and additional voice directions are provided in luxury cars (but can also be activated in all cars or disabled in the options menu). "Waypoints" can be placed on destinations on the map, outlining the fastest legal route between Niko and the destination on the minimap. The ability to hail a taxi cab allows the player to travel to destinations without having to drive, and the entire journey may be skipped, allowing them to arrive at their destination instantly. The player cannot pilot fixed-wing aircraft, as was possible in previous games, but can still pilot helicopters.

The Euphoria physics engine causes Niko to react differently to every bike crash, instead of using a predefined animation. Niko can lose health or die if he crashes or smashes through the windscreen of cars during high speed collisions. Unlike previous games, vehicles will not explode if they are flipped over, however they may catch fire and eventually explode if the engine is repeatedly damaged via collisions, or if the vehicle is damaged via firearms. Explosions can sometimes render nearby vehicles unusable, or cause them to catch fire. Car engines can also break down, rendering them unable to start. When driving or riding in a car, Niko is able to smash the window, free-aim, and fire out of the vehicle with several different one-handed weapons. The player may also drop grenades or Molotov cocktails. In certain areas of Liberty City, Niko can stop his car along side a prostitute, honk his car horn and let her in. He can then engage in three different sexual activities with the prostitute at different costs.

Communication
The use of the mobile phone has been expanded to perform multiple actions. When selecting the mobile phone, a zoomed-in version of the phone interface pops up in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. The phone allows the player to view text messages and appointments, as well as arrange to meet friends for activities. Retrying a failed mission can be done by accessing the menu and responding positively to a certain text message. The player can take photos with the mobile phone and upload them to the police computer during certain missions. Niko can dial 911 to call emergency services, who promptly arrive to his location and will respond to a situation, or lack thereof, occurring there. The police will arrest felons, and paramedics are able to restore Niko's health. The phone also allows access to the game's multiplayer mode, online in a free mode you can also call other players to talk to them.

The game also features several different in-game databases that Niko can make use of. An in-game version of the Internet can be used by accessing the Internet café chain, "TW@", located throughout the city or by accessing a computer in a safehouse. There are over 100 accessible fictitious websites within the game, and Niko can also send and receive email (including junk mail) and set up prospective dates. Although the Internet café was seen in Grand Theft Auto III, it did not give the player the option to browse. In a police vehicle, Niko can use an in-car computer to access Liberty City's criminal database, discover information about various criminals in Liberty City and even track them down for a reward. The game also features in-game television programming, with several viewable channels featuring programmes and advertisements. The television shows cover a wide variety of genres, including a history channel, reality shows, card games, and cartoons.

Multiplayer
Grand Theft Auto IV includes online multiplayer, with 15 modes of play available. The multiplayer supports up to 16 players (32 players in the PC version[38]) and allows players to explore the entire city.[39] Players use a customisable character in a majority of the modes, and cash earned during play translates to a level at which more clothing is available for their character, depending on the level. Hosts of the games can control many variables, such as police presence, traffic, and weapons. The online games are split into ranked and unranked matches. The reward for the ranked gameplay is cash, which determines players' ranks. The game does not feature any split screen or LAN multiplayer modes on console, but the PC version does have LAN support.

There are several different game modes available. Team based gameplay modes include Team Deathmatch, where 2-8 teams compete to accumulate the most kills in a traditional deathmatch; Team Mafiya Work, in which 2–8 teams compete to complete contract work for the "mafiya", such as escorting/killing targets or stealing cars; Team Car Jack City where 2–8 teams compete to steal cars and earn money for keeping them undamaged; Cops n' Crooks, featuring a team of cops who must compete against a team of crooks (which features the "All for One" variation - requiring the cops to kill the crooks' "Boss" before he is escorted to the extraction point - and the "One for All" variation - requiring the cops to kill all of the crooks before they reach the extraction point); and Turf War, involving two teams who compete to take control of designated areas of the map and control them for as long as possible.

The game also includes a variety of racing and cooperative modes, which include Race, in which players race through checkpoints in a traditional automobile race; a GTA Race variation, where players race through checkpoints in an automobile race, with the ability to combat their opponents; Hangman's N.O.O.S.E., a co-op mode that requires players to collect a person from the airport and safely escort him to the extraction point before the cops kill him; Deal Breaker, a co-op mission that requires players to assault a construction site captured by enemies, then chase a group of enemies before they escape; and Bomb da Base II, a co-op mission that requires players to clear out a ship, then destroy it with explosives, referencing the mission title Bomb Da Base: act II from Grand Theft Auto 3 which featured a similar objective of destroying a ship with explosives. The game also features a Free Mode, in which players have the entire map open to explore, with no end goal or mission to complete.

There are, however, limitations when playing Free Mode. Certain features from the single player story mode are disabled. The disabled features include the mini-games such as bowling, darts, and pool. Also disabled is other content found in the game, including cheats, clubs and the Internet café. These limitations also apply for all other game-types.

Grand Theft Auto IV Synopsis

Plot
Grand Theft Auto IV follows the story of Niko Bellic, an illegal immigrant and veteran of the Bosnian War. After persuasion from his cousin Roman who immigrated to America years prior to the game's opening, Niko leaves Eastern Europe to come to Liberty City, where he hopes to forget his criminal past and pursue the American Dream. After his arrival, however, Niko quickly learns that Roman's tales of riches and luxury were lies concealing Roman's struggles with debt and gangsters. Niko aids Roman in his troubles while hoping to carve out a new life for himself in the city.

It is later revealed that one of the reasons Niko came to Liberty City was to search for the person he blames for the betrayal of his old army unit: Florian Cravic. Niko creates ties with the Liberty City Bratva through Roman's loan shark Vladimir Glebov and later makes acquaintance with a major figure of the Bratva, Mikhail Faustin and his associate, Dimitri Rascalov. Niko completes jobs for Faustin before joining Dimitri's plot to betray Faustin and take over the organization. Niko assassinates Faustin on Dimitri's orders, but is then betrayed by Dimitri himself. It is revealed that Dimitri is actually in collusion with Rodislav Bulgarin, a former employer of Niko who orders his men to kill him. Niko fights his way through the ambush with the help of Little Jacob, a Jamaican arms dealer whom Niko befriended earlier. Dimitri and Bulgarin escape, however, and Jacob suggests dealing with them later.

Immediately afterwards Niko and Roman are forced to escape to Bohan when their Hove Beach apartment and taxi company are destroyed in an arson attack. At this time Roman reveals his plans to propose to his girlfriend, Mallorie. Desperate for money, Niko slowly obtains new allies and finds work in the various criminal organisations around the city, including the Pegorino Crime Family (Don Jimmy Pegorino, caporegime Ray Boccino and associate Phil Bell), along with their hired muscle, the McReary Irish Mob (mobsters Gerry and Packie, drug dealer Derrick and police deputy-commissioner Francis), Playboy X's gang, Dwayne Forge, Elizabeta Torres's drug ring, and others. After moving to a new apartment in Algonquin, Niko finally locates Florian, but discovers that he has changed his name to Bernie Crane, and Niko soon determines that Bernie is not the person responsible for his unit's betrayal, leaving him one remaining suspect: Darko Brevic.

Towards the conclusion of the storyline, a shadowy government agency (under the name of "U.L. Paper") that had forced Niko to help them in collusion with an aging mobster, Jon Gravelli, locates Darko in Bucharest and arrange to have him brought to Liberty City as a final reward. Niko confronts Darko, who has become a drug-addicted, guilt-ridden wreck. The player is then left with the option of either executing Darko or sparing his life. Afterwards, having dealt with his past, Niko is called to a bar where mob boss Jimmy Pegorino asks him one final favour; to obtain a shipment of heroin for him that he can sell to a buyer: Dimitri Rascalov.

Finale
The story features two possible endings depending on the choice made by the player at this point in the game. The player can choose to have Niko exact revenge on Dimitri or make a deal with him.

If the player chooses to exact Revenge, Niko ambushes Dimitri on his tanker while he is supervising a shipment of heroin. A gunfight ensues within the hull of the tanker and Niko kills Dimitri. In the aftermath, Roman and Mallorie's wedding takes place and Jimmy Pegorino, who is furious after the betrayal, commits a drive-by outside the church and Niko's love interest, Kate McReary, is killed. Niko, Roman and Little Jacob follow some of Pegorino's men, who lead them to an abandoned casino in Alderney. Niko attempts to kill Pegorino, but he escapes via boat to Happiness Island. Niko pursues in a helicopter, and eventually kills, Pegorino, before lamenting on the supposed "American Dream" to Roman and Jacob.

If the player chooses to strike a Deal, Niko meets Phil Bell at the docks to make the exchange. Dimitri sabotages his side of the deal but Niko and Phil eventually retrieve the drug money regardless. Niko receives a congratulatory call from Pegorino who has now allied himself with Dimitri. Kate, however, who was against making the deal, is disappointed with Niko and refuses to attend Roman and Mallorie's wedding. The wedding takes place and an assassin sent by Dimitri to kill Niko inadvertently shoots and kills Roman during a struggle. A devastated and vengeful Niko teams up with Little Jacob and they go to an abandoned casino in Alderney to kill both Dimitri and Pegorino. In the casino, Dimitri betrays and kills Pegorino before escaping to Happiness Island. Niko and Little Jacob pursue, and then kill, Dimitri. The story ends with a parting shot of the Statue of Happiness, with Niko concerned for the well-being of his soul.

Setting
Grand Theft Auto IV takes place in a redesigned version of Liberty City consisting of four boroughs, based on four of the boroughs of New York City. Broker is the equivalent of Brooklyn; Queens is Dukes; The Bronx is Bohan and Manhattan is Algonquin. Adjacent to the city is the independent state of Alderney based on Northern New Jersey and is named after a Channel Island. A Staten Island-esque area is not featured in the game as the developers believed that gameplay in such an area would not be fun.[44] Initially, the city's bridges are locked down due to a terrorist threat, but eventually the armed police blockades are lifted and the player is able to lead Niko across the Broker, Algonquin and Northwood Heights bridges and explore the rest of the city. The Francis international Airport is based on several New York City-area airports, most notably LaGuardia and JFK.

Several New York City districts and landmarks exist within Liberty City, including "Hove Beach", from real-life Brighton Beach, and both are named from Brighton and Hove in England; "Firefly Island" is based on Coney Island and features the "Screamer" roller coaster, modeled off the Coney Island Cyclone; "Middle Park", a replica of Central Park; The "Statue of Happiness" modeled on Statue of Liberty, featuring a Styrofoam coffee cup in place of a torch; "Star Junction", a replica of Times Square; "BOABO" (Beneath the Offramp of the Algonquin Bridge Overpass) a parody of DUMBO; the "Triangle Building", a replica of the Flatiron Building; the "GetaLife Building", a replica of MetLife Building; the "Booth Tunnel", modelled on the Lincoln Tunnel and named after Abraham Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth; "BAWSAQ", a parody of NASDAQ (But is actually a Rockstar North injoke - BAWSAQ is pronounced similarly to "Ball Sack" which is Glasweigian Slang for both Scrotum and Idiot); the "Rotterdam Tower", the in-game equivalent of the Empire State Building and the "Zirconium Building", Liberty City's equivalent of the Chrysler Building.

Characters
The characters that appear in Grand Theft Auto IV are diverse and relative to the respective boroughs of Liberty City they are based in; belonging to various gangs and ethnic groups. The player controls Niko Bellic, a veteran of an Eastern European war. According to Dan Houser, virtually none of the characters from the previous games would return, as "most of the characters we liked were dead," further evidenced by in-game graffiti bidding farewell to these characters.

Unlike previous games in the series, the voice actors of Grand Theft Auto IV do not include notable and high-profile celebrities, instead opting for lesser known actors such as Michael Hollick, Jason Zumwalt, Timothy Adams and Coolie Ranx. However, several high-profile DJs host the various radio stations within the game such as Iggy Pop, Juliette Lewis, Karl Lagerfeld, DJ Premier, Fez Whatley and Lazlow Jones. Saturday Night Live actors Bill Hader and Jason Sudeikis appear on the liberal and conservative radio talk shows respectively, with Fred Armisen playing several guests on Lazlow's "Integrity 2.0". Katt Williams and Ricky Gervais also have their likenesses and comedy depicted in an in-game comedy club. Numerous other comedians, including Jim Norton, Patrice Oneal, Rick Shapiro, and Robert Kelly, appeared on the radio and/or as characters in-game.