Grand Theft Auto IV is a 2008 open world
action-adventure video game published by Rockstar Games, and developed
by games developer Rockstar North in the United Kingdom. It has been
released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 video game consoles, and for
the Windows operating system. The game involves a separate timeline and
world than its predecessors[citation needed], starting the fourth "era"
in the Grand Theft Auto series, and is set in fictional Liberty City,
based heavily on modern day New York City.[a] The game follows Niko
Bellic, a veteran of an unnamed war in Eastern Europe, who comes to the
United States in search of the American Dream, but quickly becomes
entangled in a world of gangs, crime, and corruption. Like other games
in the series, GTA IV is composed of elements from driving games and
third-person shooters, and features open world gameplay, in which
players can interact with the game world at their leisure. Grand Theft
Auto IV also features several online multiplayer modes.
Two expansion packs have been developed for the game,
originally released as downloadable content for the Xbox 360 version
throughout 2009. Both The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony
feature new plots that are interconnected with the main GTA IV
storyline, and follow new protagonists. The two episodes have been
released together for all platforms as a stand-alone game called Grand
Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City. A bundle that contained both the
original GTA IV game and the Episodes was also released, titled Grand
Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition. The 2009 handheld game Grand Theft
Auto: Chinatown Wars revisited the Liberty City of GTA IV.
As the first game of the critically acclaimed series
to appear on seventh generation consoles, Grand Theft Auto IV was widely
anticipated. A major commercial and critical success, it broke industry
records with sales of around 3.6 million units on its first day of
release and grossing more than $500 million in revenue in the first
week, selling an estimated 6 million units worldwide. As of September
2011[update], the game had shipped over 22 million copies. Grand Theft
Auto IV won numerous awards from both gaming and mainstream press,
including several recognitions as Game of the Year, and is in the
highest ranks on several professional game critic review-aggregating
websites. In late 2011, Rockstar Games announced that Grand Theft Auto V
was in full development. On 2 November 2011 after much speculation a
trailer of Grand Theft Auto V was released.
Contents
1 Gameplay- 1.1 Combat and police response
- 1.2 Vehicles
- 1.3 Communication
- 1.4 Multiplayer
Gameplay
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This section needs additional citations for verification. (December 2010) |
Quite like its predecessors, the core gameplay of GTA
IV consists of giving the player a large, open world environment in
which to move around freely. On foot, the player character can walk,
run, jump, climb over obstacles and swim, as well as use weapons and
perform basic hand-to-hand combat. Players can steal and drive a variety
of vehicles, including automobiles, boats, helicopters, and
motorcycles. Grand Theft Auto IV takes advantage of Natural Motion's
Euphoria engine, which combines artificial intelligence, bio-mechanics
and physics to make open, non-linear environments that allow players to
explore and choose how they wish to play the game. Although completing
most of the storyline missions are necessary to progress through the
game and unlock certain content and parts of the city, they are not
required, as players can complete them at their own leisure. When not
attempting a storyline mission, players can free-roam, giving them the
ability to do activities. Side missions such as locating and destroying
criminals in the police car database or participating in street races
can keep the player occupied for hours.
It is possible to have many active missions running
at one time, as some missions run over the course of several days and
require the player to wait for further instructions or events. The
player can also attempt a variety of optional side missions. Grand Theft
Auto IV also contains morality choices at many points throughout the
game, which alter the storyline appropriately depending on the player's
choice. Which of the game's two different endings occurs is determined
by one of these choices.
Combat and police response
Combat in Grand Theft Auto IV has been reworked to include a cover system.
Gunfights in GTA IV are conducted using a
third-person system. The game's cover system allows the player to deftly
move between cover, to fire blindly, aim freely, and target a specific
enemy. Individual body parts can also be targeted. Additionally, Niko
can perform "cinematic executions" at certain points in the story.
Niko's health is shown by a green semicircle on the left side of the
mini-map, while a blue semicircle on the right represents armour. When
locked on a target, their health and (if applicable) armour level
appears in the target circle. There are more hand-to-hand combat moves
than in past games in the series, namely punching, kicking,
"alternative" punching, dodging and blocking, disarming an opponent, and
counter-attacking.
If Niko is injured, he can recover health by eating,
drinking soda, sleeping, using medical kits, using his mobile phone to
call for paramedics, using a "cheat", calling one of his girlfriends for
medical advice, etc. Body armour can absorb gunshots and explosive
damage but is gradually used up in the process. If Niko's health level
reaches zero, the action stops, and he re-appears at the nearest
hospital having lost some money (but retaining his weapons).
The Wanted Level system has changed from previous
Grand Theft Auto games. Although their star levels are retained (which
increase with the number or severity of criminal acts by the player,
with corresponding increases in law enforcement interference), the law
enforcement agencies which may pursue the player have changed, with the
focus on making them more realistic. In previous Grand Theft Auto
titles, as wanted level rose the player was pursued by increasingly
well-armed and violent agencies, culminating with the Army at the
highest wanted level. In Grand Theft Auto IV, the police are assisted by
NOOSE (National Office of Security Enforcement — a parody of SWAT and
DHS) officers at a three-star wanted level, who are joined by either
NOOSE's Tactical Response Unit (a parody of the NYPD ESU) or FIB
(Federal Investigation Bureau — a parody of the FBI) at even higher
wanted levels. Like previous GTA games, a police helicopter pursues the
player at a three-star wanted level, but this is replaced by a
helicopter gunship at the five-star level, though it utilises
sharp-shooters rather than its mounted gatling guns.
When the police are in pursuit of Niko, a circular
search area appears on the map in which the police will be looking for
him. The area grows with increased wanted level, and re-centres itself
on Niko's location if he is spotted by the police. If the player escapes
from the search area without being seen by law enforcement units, and
can stay out of sight of police for a short time without committing any
more crimes, the search is soon aborted. This is different from the
previous methods of evading authorites such as changing clothes and
collecting bribes. Wanted levels can also be lost either by changing the
colour of the current vehicle, or entering a safehouse and going to
sleep. The player has the option of attempting to escape arrest before
being handcuffed, at the cost of increasing the wanted level by one star
(the traditional bold letters that note "Busted" for arrest are
absent), although the police will immediately open fire. However, this
move is only possible with a one star wanted level, as the police will
focus more on killing the player at higher wanted levels, rather than
arresting him.
Vehicles
Common to the rest of the series, vehicles are the
predominant means of travel in GTA IV. Every vehicle in the game uses
the in-game minimap as a GPS device. "Way-points" can be placed on the
map, plotting the shortest legal route between Niko and the destination
on the minimap. The player can also hail a taxi or cab, which allows
travel between destinations without having to drive. The journey can
also be skipped, so the player arrives at their destination instantly.
However, if the player decides to skip the journey, it will cost them
more money. During car chases, the player can focus the camera on the
target vehicle by holding the cinematic camera button, and also free-aim
and fire out of the vehicle using one-handed firearms. The player may
also drop grenades or Molotov cocktails. The player cannot pilot
fixed-wing aircraft, which was possible in previous games of the series,
but can still pilot helicopters. The game also lacks parachutes, though
they were later reintroduced in Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay
Tony. The player can also take the Subway system. This allows the player
to travel quickly between stations across the city. The service is very
cheap, as the cost is only $1 per station. There are 26 stations in
total across the map, however a 27th station, called Dukes Blvd is
closed for maintenance.
Communication
Whereas previous games in the series frequently used
public telephones to relay missions to the player, in GTA IV a
"Whiz"-brand mobile phone is used. It has several uses, including
viewing text messages and appointments, arranging to meet friends for
activities, and also for choosing to retry failed missions. The player
can also take photos for certain missions, and call 911 to summon the
emergency services. The police will arrest felons, and paramedics are
able to restore Niko's health. The phone also allows access to the
game's multiplayer mode. The player can also call other characters to
talk to them, or ask for a service that they can provide, such as
transportation or a reduction in wanted level. Also, cheat codes may be
entered by dialling certain numbers on the mobile phone.
The game also features several different in-game
databases that Niko can make use of. An in-game version of the Internet
can be used by accessing the Internet café chain, "TW@", located
throughout the city or by accessing a computer in a safehouse. There are
over 100 fictitious websites that can be accessed within the game, and
Niko can also send and receive email (including junk mail) and set up
prospective dates. Although the Internet café was seen in Grand Theft
Auto III, internet browsing was not possible. In a police vehicle, Niko
can use an in-car computer to access Liberty City's criminal database,
discover information about various criminals in Liberty City and even
track them down for a reward. The game also features in-game television
programming, with several viewable channels featuring programmes and
advertisements. The television shows cover a wide variety of genres,
including a history channel, reality shows, card games, and cartoons.
Multiplayer
Grand Theft Auto IV includes online multiplayer, with
15 modes of play available. It supports up to 16 players (32 players in
the PC version) and allows players to explore the entire city. Hosts of
the games can control many variables, such as police presence, traffic,
and weapons. The console editions of the game do not feature any split
screen or LAN multiplayer modes, but the PC version does have LAN
support. All versions of the game include voice chat.
The online games are split into ranked and unranked
matches. The reward for the ranked gameplay is cash, which determines
players' ranks. Players use a customisable character in the majority of
play modes, and cash earned during play gradually makes more
customisation options available.[citation needed]
Several different game modes are available. Team
based gameplay modes include Team Deathmatch, where 2–8 teams compete to
accumulate the most kills in a traditional deathmatch; Team Mafiya
Work, in which 2–8 teams compete to complete contract work for the
"mafiya", such as escorting/killing targets or stealing cars; Team Car
Jack City where 2–8 teams compete to steal cars and earn money for
keeping them undamaged; Cops n' Crooks, featuring a team of cops who
must compete against a team of crooks (which features the "All for One"
variation – requiring the cops to kill the crooks' "Boss" before he is
escorted to the extraction point – and the "One for All" variation –
requiring the cops to kill all of the crooks before they reach the
extraction point); and Turf War, involving two teams who compete to take
control of designated areas of the map and control them for as long as
possible.
The game also includes a variety of racing and
cooperative modes, which include Race, in which players race through
checkpoints in a traditional automobile race; a GTA race variation,
where players race through checkpoints in an automobile race, with the
ability to combat their opponents; Hangman's N.O.O.S.E., a co-op mode
that requires players to collect a person from the airport and safely
escort him to the extraction point before the cops kill him; Deal
Breaker, a co-op mission that requires players to assault a construction
site captured by enemies, then chase a group of enemies before they
escape; and Bomb da Base II, a co-op mission that requires players to
clear out a ship, then destroy it with explosives, referencing the
mission Bomb Da Base from Grand Theft Auto III which featured a similar
objective of destroying a ship with explosives. The game also features a
Free Mode, in which players have the entire map open to explore, with
no end goal or mission to complete.
Certain features from the single player mode are
disabled in the multiplayer modes, such as the bowling, darts, and pool
mini-games. The cheats, clubs and Internet café and some forms of
transport (i.e. subway trains and taxi ride) are also disabled.
Synopsis
Grand Theft Auto series
fictional chronology
fictional chronology
|
GTA era
1961 – London, 1961
GTA 2 era
1969 – London, 1969 1997 – Grand Theft Auto
1999 – Grand Theft Auto 2
GTA III era
1984 – Vice City Stories
GTA IV era
1986 – Vice City 1992 – San Andreas 1998 – Liberty City Stories 2000 – Advance 2001 – Grand Theft Auto III
2008 – Grand Theft Auto IV
2009 – Chinatown Wars
GTA V era
TBA – Grand Theft Auto V
|
Plot
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This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. (December 2010) |
Grand Theft Auto IV follows the story of Niko Bellic,
a thirty-year-old veteran of an unnamed war in Eastern Europe, who is
haunted by the betrayal of his 15 man army unit. Ten years later, after a
smuggling run goes bad due to a betrayal from a partner, Niko leaves
Eastern Europe to escape the anger of his employer, Ray Bulgarin. After
six months in the merchant navy (serving aboard the cargo ship The
Platypus), and believing the stories of his cousin Roman, Niko comes to
Liberty City to pursue the American Dream as well as searching for
Florian Cravic, the man he believes to be the traitor of his unit. After
his arrival, however, Niko quickly learns that Roman's tales of riches
and luxury were lies concealing struggles with gambling debts and
loansharks, and that Roman lives in a dirty apartment rather than a
mansion.
Niko defends Roman from his loansharks several times,
eventually killing Vlad Glebov, Roman's Russian loanshark, for having
sex with Roman's girlfriend Mallorie. Niko also begins dating a friend
of Mallorie's named Michelle and befriends Jamaican drug and arms dealer
"Little" Jacob Hughes. Niko also befriends steroid junkie and chop shop
owner Bruce "Brucie" Kibbutz.
After Vlad's murder, Niko and Roman are kidnapped by
members of the Liberty City Bratva, on order of Mikhail Faustin and his
associate, Dimitri Rascalov. However Faustin is not angry with Niko for
killing Vlad, and instead hires him. Niko quickly learns that Faustin is
a psychopath when Faustin orders him to kill the son of Kenny Petrović,
the most powerful man in the Liberty City Bratva. Dimitri tries to
negotiate an agreement, but Petrović demands revenge. Dimitri presents
Niko with two options: either Niko assassinates Faustin, or he dies.
However, when Niko meets with Dimitri to collect on the assassination,
Dimitri betrays Niko to his angry former employer Ray Bulgarin. Niko
manages to fight his way through the ambush but Dimitri and Bulgarin
escape.
Immediately afterwards Niko and Roman are forced to
escape to Bohan when their apartment and taxi company are destroyed in
arson attacks by Dimitri's men. To make ends meet Niko takes jobs for
former gangbanger Manny Escuela, prominent drug dealer Elizabeta Torres,
Irish mobster Packie McReary, and Algonquin drug dealer Playboy X. Niko
also becomes an errand boy for both Mafia Capo Ray Boccino and crooked
Deputy Police Commissioner Francis McReary.
However, things go poorly in Bohan: one of the drug
deals that Niko is working for Elizabeta turns out to be a sting and
another is busted. After the latter incident, Niko's current girlfriend
Michelle then reveals that she works for a government agency and entraps
Niko into working for Michelle's agency, known only by its cover:
United Liberty Paper. Niko kills several known or suspected terrorists
for the agency in exchange for the promise of assistance in finding the
man who betrayed Niko's unit. The Liberty City Police Department begins
to close in on Elizabeta, who kills Manny Escuela when he attempts a
citizens arrest. Soon afterwards Elizabeta is arrested. According to the
ingame news channel, Weazel News, she is sentenced to 300 years
imprisonment (that is, 30 counts of drug posession with a sentence of 10
years each).
Niko assists Ray Boccino in a conflict diamond deal
with Jewish Mafia Capo and diamond dealer Isaac Roth, which goes badly
and leads to the diamonds being stolen by Luis Lopez and the money being
stolen by Johnny Klebitz. In retaliation Boccino sends Niko to kill
Roth and Johnny's friend Jim Fitzgerald.
In exchange for Niko's help, Boccino locates Florian
Cravic, the man that Niko has been searching for. But when Niko
confronts Cravic he discovers that Florian has changed his name to
Bernie Crane and has become an effeminate homosexual. Niko immediately
determines that Bernie is not the person responsible for his unit's
betrayal, leaving him one remaining suspect: Darko Brevic.
Niko also works for both Playboy X and Playboy's
mentor Dwayne Forge. After Niko kills Playboy's business partners as a
favour for Forge, the relationship between Playboy and Forge becomes so
poisonous that each asks Niko to kill the other, leaving Niko a choice
between the two.
While in Algonquin Niko develops a strong connection
with the McReary family, including Packie's older brothers Gerald and
Derrick, and their sister Kate, with whom he begins a non-sexual
relationship. Together Niko, Packie, and Derrick, along with "Saint"
Michael Keane, heist the Bank of Liberty in Algonquin. However, the
robbery does not go smoothly; Michael is killed and the others are
forced to shoot their way out past the police to escape. After the
robbery Niko works with Gerry McReary to destroy the relationship
between the Ancelotti Crime Family and their Albanian muscle-men.
Meanwhile Derrick spends most of his share on drugs
and alcohol, and sends Niko to eliminate former partners he believes are
informing on him. Soon Francis McReary becomes concerned that Derrick's
drug behaviour could ruin his plans to become police commissioner, and
tells Niko to kill Derrick. Soon after Derrick asks Niko to kill Francis
first giving Niko a choice between the two. In either case Niko is
invited to the McReary funeral and informed that Gerry has been
arrested.
After his incarceration, Gerry contacts Niko and asks
him to help in the kidnapping of Gracie, the daughter of the Don of the
Ancelloti Family, in exchange for a ransom of the "cursed" conflict
diamonds stolen by Luis Lopez. However after exchanging Grace to Gay
Tony for the diamonds, Niko and Packie are surprised by Ray Bulgarin,
who claims the diamonds are his. In the ensuing gunfight the diamonds
are thrown into a passing dumptruck and lost.
Niko also does work for the Pegorino family in
Alderney, mainly with Associate Phil Bell, stealing heroin, and later
for Don Jimmy Pegorino. This leads to a war between the Pegorinos,
Pavanos, and Ancellottis. Eventually, after working for Pegorino several
times, Niko is sent to kill Ray Boccino because Pegorino is convinced
Boccino is an informant.
Toward the end of the story, United Liberty Paper
locates Darko Brevic and brings him to Liberty City as a final reward.
Niko confronts Darko, who is now a drug-addicted wreck, and learns that
Darko betrayed the group for $1,000. The player is then left with the
option of either executing or sparing Darko. Having dealt with his past
Niko is summoned by Pegorino, who demands one final favour: to help with
an extremely lucrative deal on the heroin in collusion with Dimitri
Rascalov.
Finale
The story features two possible endings depending on
the choice made by the player at this point in the game: to strike a
Deal with Dimitri or exact Revenge on him. In both endings Niko sees
Pegorino as an enemy for allying so closely with Dimitri, and both
antagonists are killed. The major difference in each ending is that
either Roman Bellic in Deal or Kate McReary in Revenge dies.
If the player chooses to go through with the Deal,
Niko meets Phil Bell to retrieve the money once Dimitri delivers the
heroin to another location. However Dimitri takes the heroin for himself
instead. Niko and Phil are forced to fight to escape, but retrieve the
drug money regardless. Kate McReary, who was against making the deal, is
disappointed with Niko and refuses to attend Roman and Mallorie's
wedding. At the wedding, an assassin sent by Dimitri kills Roman with a
stray bullet as Niko disarms and kills him. A devastated and vengeful
Niko follows some henchmen to where Dimitri and Pegorino are hiding.
There he witnesses Dimitri betray and kill Pegorino out of greed before
escaping in a chopper. Niko chases Dimitri to Happiness Island, where
Niko kills Dimitri in the shadow of the Statue of Happiness. The story
ends with Niko concerned for the well-being of his soul. After the end
credits, Mallorie reveals to Niko in a phone call that she is pregnant
with Roman's child, later Kate calls Niko saying that she will be there
for him.
If the player chooses to exact Revenge, Niko ambushes
Dimitri on the cargo ship Platypus and executes him. In the aftermath,
Roman and Mallorie's wedding takes place and Jimmy Pegorino, furious
after Niko's betrayal, commits a drive-by shooting outside the church
killing Kate McReary. However, now that Pegorino has lost his ally
Dimitri and angered both Niko (and thereby his many friends) and the
five mafia families, the entire underworld of Liberty City wants him
dead and he goes into hiding. Niko follows some henchmen to Pegorino's
location where Niko attempts to kill him, but Pegorino escapes. Niko
chases and executes Pegorino in the shadow of the Statue of Happiness.
After the end credits, Roman reveals to Niko in a phone call that he and
Mallorie are expecting a child and if it is a girl, they will name her
Kate in memory of Niko's girlfriend. Packie later calls him and states
that he will stay in Liberty City to take care of his mother, after
mourning for the loss of his sister .
Setting
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This section does not cite any references or sources. (September 2012) |
GTA IV's rendition of Liberty City closely resembles modern New York City
Grand Theft Auto IV takes place in a redesigned
version of Liberty City consisting of four boroughs, based on four of
the boroughs of New York City. Broker is the equivalent of Brooklyn;
Queens is Dukes; Bronx is Bohan and Manhattan is Algonquin. Adjacent to
the city is the independent state of Alderney, based on Northern New
Jersey and named after the Channel Island of the same name. The
developers omitted a Staten Island-esque area, believing that gameplay
based in such an area would not be fun. There are three minor islands
present: Charge Island (based loosely on Randall's Island), Colony
Island (based on Roosevelt Island), and Happiness Island (based on
Liberty Island and complete with a parody of the Statue of Liberty
called the Statue of Happiness). Initially, the city's bridges are
locked down due to a terrorist threat, and the player is constantly
pursued by police if they are crossed, but eventually the blockades are
lifted and the player is able to cross the Broker, Algonquin and
Northwood Heights bridges and explore the rest of the city. The "Francis
International Airport" is based on several New York City-area airports,
most notably LaGuardia and JFK.
Main characters
The protagonist Niko Bellic with the main antagonist Dimitri Rascalov at a seaside amusement park.
The characters that appear in Grand Theft Auto IV are
diverse and relative to the respective boroughs of Liberty City they
are based in; belonging to various gangs and ethnic groups. The player
controls Niko Bellic, a veteran of the Yugoslav Wars. According to Dan
Houser, virtually none of the characters from the previous games would
return, as "most of the characters we liked were dead," further
evidenced by in-game graffiti bidding farewell to these characters.
Unlike previous games in the series, the voice actors
of Grand Theft Auto IV do not include notable and high-profile
celebrities, instead opting for lesser known actors, except for such as
Michael Hollick, Jason Zumwalt, Timothy Adams and Coolie Ranx. Katt
Williams and Ricky Gervais, one of the more famous cameos that appear,
have their likenesses and comedy depicted in an in-game comedy club.
Actress/singer Juliette Lewis, meanwhile, provides a radio DJ voiceover
as herself.
Soundtrack
Like previous games in the Grand Theft Auto series,
Grand Theft Auto IV features a soundtrack that can be heard through
radio stations while the player is in a vehicle. Liberty City is
serviced by 19 radio stations, three of which are talk radio stations.
The other stations feature music from a large range of genres. There are
notable inclusions to the game's soundtrack, such as tracks from Jean
Michel Jarre, Genesis, David Bowie, Smashing Pumpkins, The Sisters of
Mercy, Seryoga, Bob Marley, Don Omar, The Who, Electric Light Orchestra,
Queen, Black Sabbath, Philip Glass, Simian Mobile Disco, Bathory, Nas,
Ne-Yo, Kanye West, R. Kelly, Lloyd, Miles Davis, Loose Ends, Elton John,
ZZ Top, R.E.M., MC Lyte and Barry White.
The theme song of Grand Theft Auto IV is "Soviet
Connection" composed by Michael Hunter, who also composed the theme for
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. People who provide voices for the radio
DJs include fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, musicians Iggy Pop, Femi
Kuti, Jimmy Gestapo and Ruslana, and real-life radio talk show host
Lazlow Jones. Saturday Night Live actors Bill Hader and Jason Sudeikis
appear on the liberal and conservative radio talk shows respectively,
with Fred Armisen playing several guests on Lazlow's "Integrity 2.0".
Numerous other comedians, including Jim Norton, Patrice O'Neal, Rick
Shapiro, and Robert Kelly, as well as radio hosts Opie & Anthony
appeared on the radio and/or as characters in-game.
The game uses a similar music system to that of Grand
Theft Auto: San Andreas. In other games in the series, each radio
station was essentially a single looped sound file, playing the same
songs, announcements and advertisements in the same order each time.
With the radio stations in Grand Theft Auto IV, each sound file is held
separately, and sequenced randomly, allowing songs to be played in
different orders, announcements to songs to be different each time, and
plot events to be mentioned on the stations.[citation needed] Certain
songs are also edited to incorporate references to the fictional Liberty
City.
Following a partnership between Rockstar Games and
Amazon.com, players are able to purchase real world MP3s through GTA
IV's in-game mobile phone. Players are able to mark radio songs that
they like by dialling ZIT-555-0100 on Niko's phone. They will then
receive a text message providing the name of the song and the artist. If
registered on Rockstar's 'Social Club' website, a player will also
receive a real world e-mail with a link to an Amazon.com playlist where
all of the player's marked songs will be listed and available to
purchase.
Development
Mural ad for the game on a wall in New York City, July 2007.
Work on Grand Theft Auto IV began in November 2004,
almost immediately after the release of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
Around 150 game developers worked on Grand Theft Auto IV, led by core
members of the Grand Theft Auto III team. The game uses Rockstar's own
RAGE game engine, which was previously used in Rockstar Table Tennis, in
combination with the Euphoria game animation engine. Instead of
pre-written animations, Euphoria uses procedural animation to control
the way the player moves, enabling character movements to be more
realistic. The Euphoria engine also enables NPCs to react in a realistic
way to the player's actions. In one preview, a player knocked an NPC
out of a window and the character grabbed onto a ledge to stop himself
from falling. The game also uses middleware from Image Metrics to
facilitate intricate facial expressions and ease the process of
incorporating lip-synching. Foliage in the game is produced through
SpeedTree.
Grand Theft Auto IV sees a shift in the series to a
more realistic and detailed style and tone, partly a result of the
transition to consoles which offered high-definition graphics and the
new and improved capabilities of such consoles. Rockstar co-founder Dan
Houser said "what we're taking as our watchword on [GTA IV] is the idea
of what high definition actually means. Not just in terms of graphics,
which obviously we are achieving, but in terms of all aspects of the
design. [...] You know, trying to make something more realistic, more
held together, but still retaining the overall coherence that the other
games had." Art director Aaron Garbut said one of the reasons they
decided to set the game in New York because "we all knew what an
amazing, diverse, vibrant, cinematic city it is. [...] And since we were
hoping to push the detail, variety and life, for lack of a better word,
to such a degree it seemed that basing the game in a city so synonymous
with these things was a great fit." Dan Houser added "because we were
working in high definition and we knew we'd need a shitload of research,
we wanted to be somewhere where we had a foothold." The developers
consciously avoided creating a block for block recreation of New York
City, Dan Houser said "what we've always tried to do is make a thing
that looks real and has the qualities of a real environment, but is also
fun from a game design perspective." The Grand Theft Auto IV rendition
of Liberty City is far more detailed and is the largest individual city
in the Grand Theft Auto series. Although smaller than San Andreas,
Liberty City is comparable to it in terms of scope when "the level of
verticality of the city, the number of buildings you can go into, and
the level of detail in those buildings" are taken into account. The goal
for Liberty City was to have no dead spots or irrelevant spaces, such
as the wide open deserts in San Andreas. To achieve a realistic
environment, the Rockstar North team, based in Edinburgh, Scotland, made
two trips to New York for research, one at the start of the project
(which is done with every GTA game) and another smaller one further into
development. A full-time research team, based in New York, handled
further requests for information ranging from the ethnic minority of a
neighbourhood to videos of traffic patterns.
The story of Grand Theft Auto IV was written by Dan
Houser and Rupert Humphries. Unlike previous Grand Theft Auto games
which have a strong cultural or cinematic influence, "[GTA IV doesn't]
really have any cinematic influences", said Dan Houser, "we were
consciously trying to go, well, if videogames are going to develop into
the next stage, then the thing isn't to try and do a loving tribute or
reference other stuff. It's to reference the actual place itself."
Houser also said, "In terms of the character, we wanted something that
felt fresh and new and not something that was obviously derived from [a]
movie. [...] Maybe [we] could do something ourselves that would live
alongside that stuff."
Music supervisor Ivan Pavlovich said "[we had] to
pick the songs that make New York today what it is, but make sure they
won't feel dated by the time the game comes out." The developers
contacted over 2,000 people in order to obtain recording and publishing
rights. They even hired a private investigator to locate the relatives
of late Skatt Bros. member Sean Delaney to license the band's song,
"Walk the Night". Citing sources close to the deals, Billboard reported
that Rockstar paid as much as $5,000 per composition and another $5,000
per master recording per track. Developers originally considered letting
players purchase music by going to an in-game record shop and for Niko
to have an MP3 player, but both ideas were cut. DJ Green Lantern
produced tracks exclusively for the game's hip-hop radio station The
Beat 102.7. Record label owner and record producer Bobby Konders, who
hosts the in-game radio station Massive B Soundsystem 96.9, went through
the extra effort of flying to Jamaica to get dancehall artists to
re-record tracks to make references to the boroughs of Liberty City.
The Corporate Vice-President of Microsoft's
Interactive Entertainment Business division, Peter Moore, announced at
E3 2006 that the game would appear on Xbox 360, by rolling up his sleeve
to reveal a GTA IV temporary tattoo. Rockstar Games initially appeared
to be committed to the original 16 October 2007 release date; however,
Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter suggested that Take-Two may
choose to delay the release of the game in order to boost its financial
results for 2008 and to avoid competing with the release of other highly
anticipated titles, such as Halo 3. Rockstar responded by saying that
Grand Theft Auto IV was still on track for release in "late October". On
2 August 2007, Take-Two announced that Grand Theft Auto IV would miss
its original release date of 16 October 2007 contrary to their previous
statements, and would be delayed to their second fiscal quarter
(February–April) of 2008. In a later conference call with investors,
Take-Two's Strauss Zelnick attributed the delay to "almost strictly
technological problems ... not problems, but challenges." It was
revealed that technical difficulties with the PlayStation 3 version of
the game contributed to the delay, along with storage problems on the
Xbox 360. On 24 January 2008, Take-Two announced that Grand Theft Auto
IV would be released on 29 April 2008. As the release date approached,
Rockstar Games and Take-Two marketed the game heavily through various
forms, including television ads, Internet video, billboards, viral
marketing, and a redesigned website. A special edition of the game was
also released for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. At a Take-Two
shareholder meeting on 18 April 2008, Take-Two CEO Ben Feder announced
that GTA IV had already "gone gold" and was "in production and in trucks
en route to retailers". The game was eventually released for the
PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 video game consoles in Europe, North America,
and Oceania on 29 April 2008, and in Japan on 30 October 2008. A
Microsoft Windows version of the game was released in North America on 2
December 2008 and in Europe on 3 December 2008. It was made available
on Steam on 4 January 2009. Overall, Grand Theft Auto IV took over 1000
people and more than three and a half years to complete, with a total
cost estimated at approximately $100 million, making it one of the most
expensive games ever developed (as of 2012 only Star Wars: The Old
Republic has been reported to have a higher development cost than that
of Grand Theft Auto IV).
Episodic content
The cover art for Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City.
Two episodic packs for Grand Theft Auto IV have been
released. These two episodes were first released separately on Xbox Live
as downloadable content (DLC), requiring the original game to play.
Following that in October 2009 they were released together as part of a
standalone game called Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City for
the Xbox 360 that does not require the original Grand Theft Auto IV
media to be playable. The first expansion is entitled The Lost and
Damned, originally released on 17 February 2009. The second is entitled
The Ballad of Gay Tony, released on 29 October 2009. Both episodes were
released for PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Windows on 13 April 2010 in
North America and on 16 April 2010 in Europe.
Jeronimo Barrera, Vice President of Product
Development for Rockstar Games, has said that the episodes are
experiments because they are not sure that there are enough users with
access to online content on the Xbox 360. Take-Two Interactive's Chief
Financial Officer, Lainie Goldstein revealed that Microsoft was paying a
total of $50 million for the first two episodes.
In January 2010 Rockstar announced that the DLC as
well as Episodes From Liberty City would be made available for the
PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Windows on 13 April 2010 in North America
and 16 April 2010 in Europe.
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition, including
the original Grand Theft Auto IV and its two episodic expansions, was
listed on online stores before being confirmed by Rockstar. The
compilation was released on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Windows on 26
October 2010 in North America, and 29 October in Europe.
The Lost and Damned
The first episode, titled The Lost and Damned, was
released on Xbox Live on 17 February 2009. The episode features a new
central character, Johnny Klebitz, a member of Liberty City's biker gang
The Lost, which was featured in several GTA IV missions. Dan Houser
stated the episode shows "a different side of Liberty City".
The Ballad of Gay Tony
The second episode, Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of
Gay Tony, was released on 29 October 2009. The episode features a new
central character, Luis Fernando Lopez, an assistant to nightclub owner
Tony "Gay Tony" Prince, and follows him as he resolves the conflicts of
his friends, family, and boss.
Updates
Upon the game's release, Kotaku reported that several
PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 owners had complained of the game freezing
during the initial cut-scene, rendering it unplayable. It was also
reported on Kotaku that the online multiplayer was down on release day
for most PlayStation 3 users. On 7 May 2008, Rockstar released a patch
for the PlayStation 3 version of the game to improve the multiplayer
experience. According to Rockstar, the update prevents GameSpy's servers
from being overloaded and therefore reduces the impact on those servers
that were causing the game to stutter and lock up. Further multiplayer
fixes were made available on 23 June 2008.
On 27 October 2008, Rockstar released an update which
added Trophy support to the PlayStation 3 version. Like Achievements on
the Xbox 360, Trophies may be unlocked by completing certain unique
tasks.
On 15 November 2008, another patch (1.04) was released for the PlayStation 3 version of the game.
On 12 December 2008, a patch (1.0.1.0) was released
for the Microsoft Windows version of the game. This patch added
DirectInput support, enabling non-Microsoft controllers to be used.
On 24 January 2009, another patch (1.0.2.0) was
released for the Microsoft Windows version of the game. It fixed many
performance and graphical issues as well as correcting issues created by
the first patch.
On 20 February 2009, a patch was released for the
European and Australian releases of the game, fixing an error caused by a
previous update to The Lost And Damned, which had reversed regional
censorship rules for the European and Australian editions of the game.
On 21 March 2009, a third patch (1.0.3.0) was
released for the Microsoft Windows version of the game. This fixed many
major graphic flaws such as headlights on the player's car consuming too
much GPU power.
On 19 June 2009, a fourth patch (1.0.4.0) was
released for the Microsoft Windows version of the game. Rockstar Toronto
called it a 'Maintenance Update' and said that it is in preparation for
a future patch. Rockstar says this patch "ensures all copies of the
game are properly aligned for the next gold master build pressing".
On 4 September 2009, another patch was released for
the Xbox 360 version of the game. It was released to patch cheat
exploits in Xbox Live multiplayer.
On 10 November 2009, a fifth patch (1.0.0.4) was
released for the Microsoft Windows version of the game. It fixed some
minor bugs, improved keyboard mapping and added some cheating
deterrents.
On 23 March 2010, a patch (1.06) was released for the
PlayStation 3 version of the game. The intro music was slightly
modified to begin after the opening logos. In preparation for the
downloadable content, trophies for The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of
Gay Tony were added. The options for online multiplayer matches were
completely re-ordered ("Auto-Aim" placed at the top, rather than
"Location") to better fit players' priorities. The multiplayer invite
problem which occurs when having more than 50 people on a friends list,
has been fixed. The glitch that occurs in Bomb Da Base II, which kicks
all players back to single player mode has also been fixed. Also any NPC
in single player mode that gets injured will get in the back of the
ambulance when they recover. Also new dialogue was integrated. An
explosion in the sky in "Out Of Commission" is enhanced, and it is
implied that it is the explosion of Bulgarin's jet (both missions take
place at the same time).
Community features
The Rockstar Games Social Club is a web site that
displays the gameplay statistics of registered users and feature
competitions and awards based on player activity within the game. The
Social Club web site was announced on 27 March 2008 and launched on 17
April 2008. The main features of Social Club launched on the same date
of the game itself 29 April 2008. Social Club will also provide online
features for Rockstar's latest Midnight Club game, Midnight Club: Los
Angeles. Social Club consists of multiple parts. It initially included
the LCPD Police Blotter, The Story Gang, The 100% Club, The Hall Of
Fame, The Liberty City Marathon and The Zit.
In an interview with PlayStation World magazine,
Rockstar mentioned that they will "heavily support" Sony's PlayStation
Home, a community-based service for the PlayStation Network. Rockstar
also mentioned that visitors to their PlayStation Home apartment would
receive 'goodies' such as clothing for their avatar and items and
decorations for their own PlayStation Home apartment.
Windows version
The Windows version of GTA IV includes a replay editor. This screenshot shows the Clips interface which is used to capture game footage. System requirements
Minimum
Recommended
Windows
Operating system
CPU
Memory
Hard drive space
Graphics hardware
Sound hardware
Network
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On 6 August 2008, Rockstar announced that a Microsoft
Windows version was in development by Rockstar North and Rockstar
Toronto. The game was originally announced for release in North America
on 18 November 2008 and in Europe on 21 November 2008 but was later
pushed back to 2 and 3 December 2008, respectively.
It contains expanded features, including traffic
density control, draw distance configurations and a replay editor. The
replay editor allows players to record and edit game clips, videos can
then be uploaded to Rockstar's Social Club website. It utilises Games
for Windows - Live for online play and supports 32 players for
multiplayer. SecuROM protection is utilised and a one time online
activation is required in order to play the game.
Reception
Critical reception
Reception Aggregate scores Aggregator Score Review scores Publication Score| GameRankings | PS3: 97.05% X360: 96.22% PC: 88.48% |
| Metacritic | PS3: 98/100 X360: 98/100 PC: 90/100 |
| GameStats | PS3: 9.8/10 X360: 9.6/10 PC: 8.5/10 |
| 1UP.com | A+ (PS3/X360) B (PC) |
| Computer and Video Games | 9.4/10 |
| Edge | 10/10 |
| Eurogamer | 10/10 (PS3/X360) 9/10 (PC) |
| Game Informer | 10/10 |
| GamePro | 4.5/5 |
| Game Revolution | A- |
| GamesMaster | 93% |
| GameSpot | 10/10 (PS3/X360) 9/10 (PC) |
| GamesRadar | 9/10 |
| GameTrailers | 9.8/10 |
| GameZone | 9/10 |
| IGN | 10/10 (PS3/X360) 9.2/10 (PC) |
| Official Xbox Magazine (UK) | 10/10 |
| PC Gamer UK | 92% |
| PC Gamer US | 92% |
| PC Zone | 91% |
| Play Magazine | 8/10 |
Grand Theft Auto IV has received universal acclaim
from video game critics. The review aggregators Metacritic rate it as
the second best game of all time behind The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of
Time. Grand Theft Auto IV is the fourth highest rated game on
Gamerankings and the fifth highest on GameRatio. Ahead of its worldwide
release, most publications were not sent copies of the game. Instead,
reviewers had to play the game on Rockstar premises or in booked hotel
rooms.
The May 2008 issue of Official Xbox Magazine (UK)
published the first Grand Theft Auto IV review, giving the game the
maximum score of 10/10. The magazine also stated that the game has an
"amazingly realistic world; stunning action set pieces; genuinely
engrossing storyline; hugely entertaining multiplayer;" and that it is
"vast in every respect." PlayStation Official Magazine (UK) also gave
the game 10/10 in their May 2008 issue, describing the game as "a
masterpiece that improves on all GTA's best bits." Xbox World 360 gave
the game a 98% rating, the highest it has ever given to any game,
mentioning the game was "everything we were entitled to expect, and yet
somehow impossibly more." GameSpot gave the game a perfect 10, making it
the first game since 2001 that GameSpot had rated perfect. The review
called the game "compelling", with a "plethora of online multiplayer
features" and stated that GTA IV is "undoubtedly the best Grand Theft
Auto yet."
Hilary Goldstein of IGN gave the game a 10/10 score,
with the game earning 10/10 in each individual category: presentation,
sound, graphics, gameplay, and lasting appeal. It is the first game in
the publication's history to receive straight-10 subscores across the
board. Goldstein called the game "just as big a leap forward as Grand
Theft Auto III, albeit in subtler ways", and said it "sets a new
benchmark for open-world games", with "no one major weak aspect".
Goldstein's only serious criticism was for "the occasional flaw in the
cover system", but the review concluded with the statement that "We
don't give 10s often—just to games that merit the score."
The British newspaper Daily Star gave it a positive
review, saying: "This could be a console defining title, one that in
years to come people will remember as the stand-out of the era." The New
York Times wrote a favourable review as well, calling it a "violent,
intelligent, profane, endearing, obnoxious, sly, richly textured and
thoroughly compelling work of cultural satire disguised as fun." The
film magazine Empire gave the game a perfect 5/5 in its game reviews
section, calling it "damn-near perfect".
Despite the almost unanimous praise given to GTA IV,
the game has received some criticism, particularly its Windows port. A
review in Ars Technica states that the game "...[is] not perfect. It
does not deserve unquestioned, unadulterated praise. In many ways, the
slight regression of the series from San Andreas is surprising: there
are fewer vehicles, weapons, and story missions, less character
customisation, and even the size of the city itself is smaller."
GameSpot noted that there are occasional problems with friendly AI and
avoiding the police being "a little too easy." There were some minor
complaints with the game's cover system, which reviewers noted, stumbled
in box-filled environments and the stickiness of cover points being an
issue. The occasional presence of noticeable pop-in was also criticised.
In 2010, the game was included as one of the titles in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die.
Commercial success
Shares of Take-Two Interactive gained 3.4% amid
positive reviews before the game's launch. Scott Hillis of Reuters said
first week sales of the game were expected to reach $400 million. Some
observers suggested that GTA IV's success could dampen the box office
for the 2 May 2008 release of Iron Man, setting a precedent where movie
studios will begin browsing video game release dates to check for
conflicts. Matt Richtel of The New York Times said the game's release
was "expected to be one of the biggest video game debuts ever" and said 5
million copies of the game were expected to be sold in the first two
weeks. Analyst Michael Pachter predicted the game would sell 11 to 13
million units by the end of 2008. Pachter also expected Grand Theft Auto
IV to represent 3.2% of all U.S. and European software sales for 2008
and for lifetime sales of the game to reach 16 to 19 million. Analyst
Evan Wilson predicted that Grand Theft Auto IV would have opening week
sales of $550 million.
Sales of Grand Theft Auto IV
Date
Volume
Ref
| 29 April 2008 | 3,600,000 | |
| 7 May 2008 | 6,000,000 | |
| 31 May 2008 | 8,500,000 | |
| 16 August 2008 | 10,000,000 | |
| 31 January 2009 | 13,000,000 | |
| 3 March 2010 | 15,000,000 | |
| 8 June 2010 | 17,000,000 | |
| 19 February 2011 | 20,000,000 | |
| 14 September 2011 | 22,000,000 |
Upon release, Grand Theft Auto IV claimed two
entertainment industry sales records, posting the best single-day and
seven-day sales totals for a video game. The game sold more than 3.6
million copies on its first day of availability, while also selling 6
million copies in the first week of availability (garnering $500 million
in sales). In the United Kingdom, the game sold 631,000 copies on its
first day of release, making it the fastest-selling game in a 24 hour
period within that region, according to Chart-Track. The previous record
holder in the UK, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, sold 501,000 copies
within 24 hours. During the first five days of availability, the title
sold 1.85 million units on the Xbox 360 and 1 million on the PlayStation
3 in the United States, according to the NPD Group; in the United
Kingdom the Xbox 360 version sold 514,000 copies and the PlayStation 3
version sold 413,000, according to Chart-Track. The Xbox 360 and
PlayStation 3 versions of Grand Theft Auto IV are the fifth and eighth
best-selling games of 2008 in the United States respectively. The Xbox
360 version sold in excess of 3.29 million, while the PlayStation 3
version sold in excess of 1.89 million for a combined 5.18 million
copies in 2008 in the region. GameStop and EB Games reported that the
game led in sales the first week after its release, noting that its
stores in Puerto Rico led all districts in pre-release reservations and
sales 48 hours after its release.
On 13 May 2008, Grand Theft Auto IV broke the
Guinness World Records for "Highest grossing video game in 24 hours" and
"Highest Revenue Generated by an Entertainment Product in 24 Hours". It
sold 3.6 million copies on day one, which equalled roughly $310 million
in revenue. For first day sales it also broke the record of
"Fastest-selling video game in 24 hours", previously held by Halo 3 at
$170 million, however, its record was broken in November 2009 by Call of
Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
As of 31 May 2008, the title has sold over 11 million
copies to retailers and 8.5 million have been sold through to
consumers, according to Take-Two Interactive. According to the NPD Group
and GfK Chart-Track, the game has sold 4.711 million units in the US
and 1.582 million in the UK, for a total of 6.293 million units as of 1
August 2008. As of 16 August 2008, the title has sold over 10 million
copies through to consumers, according to Take-Two Interactive. In its
first four days of availability in Japan, the title sold 133,000 copies
on the PlayStation 3 and 34,000 on the Xbox 360, according to Media
Create.
Sales for the Windows version of the game were
considerably less successful. According to NPD Group the game debuted at
#7 of their weekly top ten. One week later, the game disappeared
completely from the top ten published by NPD Group.
On 3 March 2010, Take-Two Games announced that Grand
Theft Auto IV has sold 15 million units globally. On 9 June 2010,
Take-Two announced that Grand Theft Auto IV had sold over 17 million
copies. On 10 March 2011, Take-Two announced that Grand Theft Auto IV
had sold over 20 million copies and Grand Theft Auto series has now sold
over 100 million copies. As of September 2011[update], the game had
sold over 22 million copies.
Awards
List of awards for Grand Theft Auto IV
Year
Awards
Category
Ref
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Michael Hollick, voice of Niko Bellic, won a Spike TV award for "Best Performance by a Human Male"
Following the critical acclaim it received on its
release, Grand Theft Auto IV has received numerous awards from various
critics and publications. It received several Game of the Year awards,
from gaming media outlets such as Spike TV, Giant Bomb, Kotaku, and
GameTrailers, as well as mainstream publications, like The New York
Times, the Los Angeles Times, and Time magazine. The game has garnered
over 40 Game of the Year recognitions from major publications, more than
any other game that year. GTA IV also received seven nominations at the
5th British Academy Video Games Awards (BAFTA Games Awards), and three
nominations at the 9th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards, but did not
win any of them.
Controversies
Prior to and since the release of Grand Theft Auto
IV, the game had been subject to a great deal of controversy, as was the
case with previous Grand Theft Auto titles. Figures including George
Galloway, Jack Thompson and Hillary Clinton have criticised the game, as
have organisations including New York City officials and Mothers
Against Drunk Driving (MADD). MADD requested ESRB to change the rating
of the game from "M" for ages seventeen and up to "AO", for adults due
to the player's ability to drive under the influence of alcohol.
The version of GTA IV released in Australia and New
Zealand was edited to remove content to allow the game to meet the
requirements of the Australian classification system. However, the game
was resubmitted to the New Zealand OFLC by Stan Calif, a 21-year-old
student who was unhappy that New Zealand received an edited version of
the game as a result of Australian censorship laws. The unedited version
was subsequently given an R18 rating and cleared for sale in New
Zealand. The PC version of Grand Theft Auto IV released in Australia is
reported to be unedited, identical to that of other international
releases, under the MA15+ rating. The PS3 and the Xbox 360 versions of
the game have since been updated to be completely uncensored while the
complete edition has the console version uncut for the first time at
retail.
There have been reports in the United Kingdom and the
United States of crimes perpetrated against people purchasing Grand
Theft Auto IV, as well as employees of stores selling the game. One of
these incidents, an attack near a Gamestation store in Croydon, London
was later reported to be an unrelated argument between two groups of
people leaving a pub and the story has been referred to as a "media
panic."
Six teenagers were arrested in June 2008 after
engaging in a crime spree in New Hyde Park, New York, assaulting and
robbing several people, and attempting a carjacking. According to
police, the teens claimed that they were "inspired" by Grand Theft Auto
IV.
The first downloadable episode The Lost and Damned
has a brief scene containing full-frontal male nudity, uncommon in video
games.
