Grand Theft Auto IV for Xbox 360

Although I despise criminals with reckless abandon, and think that they are a humanistic version of cockroaches, it is fun to be one in a video game. In this virtual reality setting, no one gets hurt, robbed, cheated, or killed, so there's no suffering. The Grand Theft Auto Series from Rockstar has been enormously successful, even with all of its controversy surrounding the violence ,and brutalization emphasized by each edition. For many that is a selling point, and the amount of blood and gore is the reason for the well deserved M for Mature rating. This game is for adults only, and should not be allowed anywhere children could have access to it.

As a new convert to Xbox 360, after many years of Sony Playstation 2, I was used to versions such as GTA Vice City and San Andreas. These were major upgrades over previous editions, and its amazing to think how far this series has come with regards to gameplay and graphics since the original release. If you've ever played GTA London you'll know what I'm talking about, with the cars that looked like squares, and characters that look like gummy bears. Grand Theft Auto IV is a gigantic improvement even over the later ones in the series, which actually had decent graphics.

It seems that Rockstar spared no expense on graphics with IV. This is one of the most visually appealing crime based games I've spent considerable time with, and I'm amazed by the attention to detail. There are shadows next to cars and buildings, and when you break a window, you actually see shards flying in the air. When you start using the weaponry, its amazing to see the bazooka shot actually turn before hitting the target. Flames look realistic, unlike the orange blasts of previous GTA's, and the characters are well developed. Its scary how Liberty City, where this game takes place, looks exactly like New York City. It was supposed to be loosely based on NYC, but it might as be a carbon copy, with a Coney Island Area that features rides,Manhattan Looking Bldgs, and the Statue of Liberty. Heck, even the hotdog vendors look and sound like they are straight off the streets of Brooklyn!

In this game you play the character of Niko Bellic. You are of Eastern European descent, and have just landed in the United States. Thankfully, your Uncle Roman is here to take care of you, and to help you get established in this new country. However, Uncle Roman seems to only get you in trouble, as he has a slight gambling problem and is involved in criminal enterprises. The missions of the game start out with him, and then you have to take care of the Albanians who kidnap him. There are the usual missions where you deliver items to houses, and engage in other criminal activities, but there are some new things as well.

You get to help Niko get a decent girlfriend, and you also help him to shop for clothes. This GTA is a bit more of a soap opera in many ways, and some might scoff at this, but its actually a lot of fun. The missions and storylines are much more complex, and instead of just responding somewhere to eliminate another criminal, you actually get to do a lot of different activities instead of just shooting and killing. You go on dates, visits restaurants, and take trips around the town. Its a lot more realistic in this regard than previous installments were, and the replay value is excellent. After getting through enough levels, you get larger areas to travel, which guarantees you'll be playing this game for at least several weeks.

While the game is a vast improvement in most aspects, there are some annoyances, and my main one is the police. There are just way too many of them around, and they are impossible to avoid. It takes nothing to get your wanted level up in this edition, which can be frustrating, but at least you can outrun them. Your white stars will turn grey, and then disappear, as the police lose sight of you. However, if you go on a major crime spree or rampage, I wish you the best of luck, because even with the armor cheats and weaponry they will take you down. Their helicopters are much faster responding than in previous GTA's, and the SWAT Teams in this one are deadlier than ever.

I also don't like the mobile phone. You can get calls from people just like a real phone, and use it to find out what is playing on a car radio. Its also your lifeline to removing a wanted level, raising it if you desire excitement, or getting a stash of weaponry. There are two codes you can use for weapons, and they are available all over the internet. All you have to do is enter a ten digit phone number on your phone, and you have a cache of machine guns, bazookas, grenades, pistols, shotguns, etc. While some have thought the phone is awesome, I miss the old days of hitting the buttons in a certain order, to get cheats. Maybe I'm a bit old fashioned, but it seemed easier, and there aren't as many vehicles as you used to be able to get.

The vehicles in this game are a general improvement as well, since handling is much better. I love the Comet, which you can get with the mobile phone cheats, because it is just so fast that it is a joy to drive through the city streets and highways. The NRJ-600 motorcycle is a blast, and unlike the old motorcyles of previous games, you can steer this quick enough to avoid most accidents. The Buffalo is cool because it is a undercover police car, so you can hit the lights and sirens, and also look up information on the law enforcement computer. You can also call for backup, which is kind of funny, because usually one of the Liberty City officers responding makes an arrest of some citizen close to you.

One disappointment that I didn't like, was the lack of aviation opportunities. In San Andreas, you could fly a variety of aircraft, but here all you can get into is an Annihilator Helicopter. Its a bad machine, with machine guns attached to it, and its handling is much better than choppers from previous GTA's. However, I'd like to be able to fly at least some prop planes, and a few small size corporate jets at least. Francis Airport has huge 747 looking planes on its tarmac, but you can't get in them, and take them for a spin. While this isn't a major detriment to the game, I really liked being able to take a plane for a flight, and then parachute out of them.

Even with the aviation opportunities lacking, this game is a load of fun, and I fully recommend it. Its the best looking game of the series, and the missions and storylines have been greatly improved. Rockstar has delivered again on this niche, as it has not run out of steam at all, and there are quite a few laughs to be had when not engaging in criminal and violent activities. I have been playing it for a lot of hours, and I'm not even close to being bored with it. In fact, I'm still dazzled by how beautiful the graphics are, and how wonderful this game has been improved through the storyline and gameplay. Its available at most electronics stores, or you can find it used for a discount at some retailers. Whether you pay full price or less, it is well worth it, because it is a lot of fun.