Grand Theft Auto IV
- May 30, 2007 12:07 PM PST
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Look out, world-here comes Grand Theft Auto IV. And this time, Rockstar isn't taking any prisoners.
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Highlights
- In GTA IV, Liberty City is a striking visual recreation of NYC. Not a rags-to-riches kingpin story like Vice City or San Andreas
- Quality over quantity; Liberty City is smaller but far more detailed
It's been three years since GTA: San Andreas, and it's Rockstar's turn to take a spin on the wheel. Recent releases have seen up-and-comers like Saints Row and Just Cause stealing thunder in a genre that Grand Theft Auto III pioneered.
A gloomy day in the Apple.
We met with Rockstar reps to see the first build of Grand Theft Auto IV running in real time. The demo started plainly enough in a dimly lit room. We met Niko Bellic, an Eastern European immigrant scrounging for a living in seedy Liberty City (now a practically pixel-perfect recreation of New York City). So far, so good, but nothing particularly earth-shattering...yet.
Street Fightin' Man
Rockstar's designated demonstrator guided Niko out of a nearby doorway and into a bustling city street. The graphics here were startlingly impressive. GTA IV is based on RAGE (Rockstar Advanced Game Engine), the same technology used to build 2005's Table Tennis, and we're happy to report that it's being put to good use here.
Running on a debug Xbox 360 unit in high-def, GTA IV spotlighted Rockstar's reputation for detail: streets looked caked with filth, stacks of boxes and refuse littered the gutters, and bums sat shivering in doorways. Looking beyond the window dressings, we saw car passengers craning their necks to look at buildings or flicking cigarette butts out of windows. At one point, Niko subtly swayed and shifted while propped up on a wall, a demonstration of the new physics effects that will affect everything from running to driving.
The recreation of NYC is stunning.
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