Massive Grand Theft Auto IV Blowout!
- February 28, 2008 17:18 PM PST
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GamePro's the first to play the biggest game of 2008.
Playing a Grand Theft Auto game before release is almost unheard of-Rockstar protects it babies closely. So you can imagine how it felt to dive into Grand Theft Auto IV a full three months before it hits the public. It's like Christmas morning all over again!
Grand Theft Auto IV's goals are quite ambitious. It seeks to redefine open-world gaming and present Grand Theft Auto in the way we've always wanted. We tolerated the flaws of the GTA series-the gritty graphics, the low-res textures, the clunky character models- for so long simply because the core gameplay was that good.
But with GTA IV, it's a whole different ball game. This is the game that GTA fans have been waiting for, not just in terms of densely detailed graphics, but as a complete video-game package. For an hour and a half, we romped through the high-def streets of Liberty City, plowing through police barricades and mowing down scores of lowlifes. Here's how it all went down.
Realistic driving mechanics means that manning the wheel in GTA IV is always a cinematic experience.
Let Me Drive!
With controller in hand, I took a moment to take in the sights and sounds of Liberty City. Passing cars, an occasional horn honk, and some rundown New York-style apartments flesh out the decaying atmosphere as I rotate the camera 360 degrees around Niko. OK, enough of that. Time to see what this baby can do.
It's time for my first carjack. With a quick tap of the Y button, Niko yanks an unsuspecting driver out of his sedan and hops in. While driving, the car handles differently-noticeably heavier and more realistic than past games. It's a satisfying feeling. When I turn around the first corner, the suspension swings subtly to the left, much like a car in real life. What's more, GTA IV seems to be custom-made for stunt drivers. By holding the B button, you can flip between slick cinematic camera angles, from wheel-cams to long zoom shots. Clicking the left thumbstick triggers a slow-motion camera effect, perfect for reveling in hairpin 90 degree turns and devastating collisions. In-vehicle shooting is vastly better, too: you can aim in any direction, making drive-by shootings far more accurate and effective.
After five minutes of knocking down street lamps amidst a spray of sparks, it was time to accept a mission. The handy in-car GPS led me to a nearby meet-up. In this instance, I was watching over a deal that quickly heads south. Pulling out a standard 9mm pistol, I tried out the new combat and targeting system for the first time. I crouched (boosting my accuracy) and pulled the left trigger, which locked onto a nearby enemy. A few yanks of the right trigger and the baddie went down for good.
With two remaining foes, I played around with the precision-aiming control via the right analog stick. Once locked on, a slight vertical movement with the stick keys you in for a head shot, and one pull of the trigger dropped him to the ground. The third enemy collapsed after I fired a shot to his leg, and then I finished him off as he tried to crawl for safety. Three scum bags down, none to go.
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