Though this intriguing first look, Rockstar has hammered home a very clear message - this is not the GTA we knew before. It's even more adult (if that's possible), deals with serious issues, has a less 'cartoonified' art direction and a cityscape that looks and feels more naturalistic then we've seen in any next-gen console game to date. Furthermore, central character Niko Bellic's gait is now that of a human, not a caricature. You can see this in the way his head moves when he walks, that he climbs steps rather than gliding up them, that his hands grip objects and weapons. It's a world (and about 2,500 miles) away from GTA's last major outing in San Andreas.
While the demo is simply a short tour of one small area of the fictional Liberty City with no missions or combat, small hints of the revitalised core GTA gameplay are revealed. Niko is shown entering a house in Broker (based on Brooklyn) and there's not a single pause for loading. That's a new and important development only possible with the power PS3 and Xbox 360 offer. In the house he draws a weapon and backs up against a wall before cautiously entering the front room, through a kitchen and out the back into the alley behind the house where a group of hobos are warming their hands around a fire in an oil drum.
Later we see him steal a car. Gone is the repeated animation of him comically yanking the door open of what would most likely be a locked car. Now Niko is seen breaking the window, reaching in and flicking the lock it before driving off. Rockstar mention that Niko may also be required to hotwire the car in some situations. In addition, the driving model has been much improved. You know how in previous GTA's cars always seemed overly exaggerated in handling, making it difficult to keep them in one piece for longer than a few minutes? Now vehicles handle far more authentically allowing for precise control at slow speeds.
While there'll almost certainly a redesigned HUD and the all important map, essential in a city the size of New York (supposedly the same scale as San Andreas), Rockstar still hasn't decided whether all the lurid markers will appear in GTA IV. A possible solution might be, for example, giving doors you can enter a slightly different shade of colour. It's a better option than sticking a big pink arrow over them, which would feel distinctly at odds with the gritty, muted palette. In our view, not compromising player navigation is most important, but it would seem an injustice to sully the striking vision of Liberty City with garish, flashing screen furniture.
The ebb and flow of the world around you is noticeably more advanced than seen in San Andreas or Vice City, where regardless of the time of day, the same amount of cars and pedestrians would loop their way around the streets. In GTA IV it's much more complex - in the harsh dawn sun the streets are quiet before a commuter rush around 9am when you'll see office workers making their way to the daily grind. In the late evening there'll be less people and traffic about. Equally (and we'll be interested to see how in depth this is) workers go about their business depending on their vocation. We're shown this when Niko arrives at a ship yard by the river where a group of employees go about their boat-based business.
While we might appear to be obsessed by game locations (see
here and
here ) it's good to hear that pretty much all the obvious New York locations will be immortalised in Liberty City. However, this is still an interpretation of the Big Apple, and so not every street is in there - this isn't The Getaway for New York. Whether it has an importance to missions is unclear, but each street is now individually named. This suggests that Niko will be required to navigate in a more traditional manner rather than simply relying on a marker point on a map. It's also made clear, that Niko's main method of communication will be a mobile phone and for the first time, the player will be able to call other characters, rather than wait for them to call you.
http://www.gamesradar.com/gb/images/spacer.gifhttp://www.gamesradar.com/gb//images...shot_large.jpghttp://www.gamesradar.com/gb/images/spacer.gifhttp://www.gamesradar.com/gb/images/spacer.gifWhile, it's difficult to tell from the released screenshots, the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center are absent (the game is set in the 'now') and Rockstar has stated that 9/11, or a fictional version of it, will feature in the story line of the game at some level. We were told that, wisely, the story would more likely deal with the way that people have sought to capitalise on the tragedy rather than address it directly. Which leads us on to planes, or lack of them.
Aside from the obvious, tasteless, YouTube videos that flyable planes might give way to, the main reason for their omission is the pointlessness of a jet when the game is based in a single city. Why (and how) would you fly from The Bronx to Coney Island in real-life? Instead, we get helicopters, which is a great compromise, and certain to be a neat way to get round the city - the final section of the demo focuses on the sheer scale of the game world with Niko surveying an expansive cityscape from the riverside at sunrise.
As well as a lack of planes, certain other GTA trademarks have been omitted. The amusing, yet peripheral character customisation elements that allowed you fatten up your CJ or make him strong, are out and Niko's character is more likely to change as a result of certain emotional situations that will arise as the story unfolds. Equally, while the plot still retains a black sense of humour, comedic situations such as driving a Hovercraft through Time Square are not on the cards. Incidentally, boats will still play a big part in transport (what with Manhattan being on an island) as will an underground train network.
http://www.gamesradar.com/gb/images/spacer.gifhttp://www.gamesradar.com/gb//images...shot_large.jpghttp://www.gamesradar.com/gb/images/spacer.gifhttp://www.gamesradar.com/gb/images/spacer.gifIn truth, many other games would never get away with expecting tens of media outlets to produce previews based on the same 15 minute demo. But the GTA series isn't 'many other games'. During this short showcase so much is promised and even more left for later timed reveals. Things like missions, weapons, vehicles, characters, new game mechanics, with which we'll be able to build a bigger picture of what actually playing the game will be like. Until then all we can do is imagine what Rockstar has up its sleeve. Let’s just hope - as it managed with the leap from GTA 2 to GTA 3 - this generational progression succeeds in being even better than we can imagine
