Grand Theft Auto IV
- July 03, 2007 17:56 PM PST
- Email this!
The notoriety stemming from this controversial series probably won't be the only thing that will make Grand Theft Auto IV a smashing success, although it certainly won't hurt.
Everybody knew that a true sequel was coming. Sure, there were a few side stories in Vice City and San Andreas that acted like sequels, but the whole of the gaming media knew in its heart that the perennially popular Grand Theft Auto series would return for a game that would be definitively titled "IV". We also knew that news of its impending release would cause a media frenzy seen in only the cream of the gaming elite, but what we don't know is whether the final product will actually live up to the hype. Hopefully, by examining what we know about the game so far, we'll have a better idea of determining whether that's even possible.
Is this an in-game screen cap or is this really the west side of Canal Street?
A time and a place for everything
What we know so far is that GTA IV will be set in Liberty City, but a Liberty City much more blatantly modeled after the city of New York than ever before. The majority of the greater NYC area is represented in this game with th exception of Staten Island, but as anybody from the city will tell you, Staten Island isn't really a part of the city anyway. Unless, of course, you happen to come from Staten Island.
However, the big difference is that everything, in true GTA style, has been renamed to something similar, but not quite the same as the original article. For instance, Brooklyn is now Broker, Queens is now Dukes, the Bronx is Bohan, Manhattan is Algonquin, and the metro Jersey area is now known as Alderney. Of course, it's not just place names that have been given the GTA-treatment either, as a number of New York's most famous landmarks have been given similarly altered names. For instance, Brooklyn's Cyclone roller coaster has been renamed to the "Screamer", and the world-famous Statue of Liberty is now known as the "Statue of Happiness".
Not many other games will offer this realistic a depiction of the Brooklyn Bridge
Of course, creating a city based so closely on reality does have its drawbacks. After all, due to the geographical similarity to the real city of New York, Liberty City gives gamers far less space to play with in comparison to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. However, recent unconfirmed internet reports claim that Liberty City's total landmass in this game exceeds that of the three major cities from the San Andreas area.
The last two major GTA titles took place during historic settings, such as Florida's cocaine boom in the mid to late-80's (Vice City) and the rise of California gang violence in the 90's (San Andreas). Of course, those were considered side stories rather than direct sequels. Given that Grand Theft Auto IV is the true successor to the series, it will take place in the present day and have a soundtrack to match.
- Previous Page Prev
- Next Page Next
- 1
- 2
