Grand Theft Auto IV: Eyes-On

By Tristan Clark

It’s hard to know where to start when discussing a game as anticipated, and simply as huge, as Grand Theft Auto IV. There's so much to this game that articulating what we saw in a recent eyes-on is hardly the easiest of tasks. But for the benefit of you, the esteemed reader, we'll do our best to give a succint account of what was shown to us.

The first thing most people are bound to notice is the graphical overhaul the series has received. Gone is the engine of the last generation, making way for the internally developed RAGE engine, which takes full advantage of the power inherent in the current gen consoles. The results are obvious - GTA IV sports graphics totally up to par with the majority of 360 and PS3 games around. Not every graphical element in the game is right up there - there are a few areas that look a bit patchy compared to others - but the overall effect, especially when considering the sheer amount of stuff on the screen at any one time, is pretty awe inspiring.

The word 'immersion' was tossed around a lot in the presentation, and with good cause - it seems like Rockstar have focused extremely heavily on the overall 'effect' this game will have on players, which sounds like a damn good idea - and looks like it's paying off. While it might be easy to nit pick about a low res texture, or the lack of planes, these complaints simply melt away in the face of what this game will actually offer players - namely, a comprehensive and completely involving sandbox game that will set a new bar for everyone who follows after.

Well, that's the theory, anyway - but from what we were shown, Rockstar looks like they're well on track to deliver a highly satisfying experience to both old fans and newcomers to the series. Without a doubt, this game is Grand Theft Auto – nearly everything has a familiar feel to it. The world is still an open-ended playground, intermingled with major and minor missions of all kinds, advancing the story of the main character. Radio stations, car jacking, police chases – it’s all in here. If you’ve played any of the other 3D GTA games, you’ll feel right at home.

Well, maybe if your home had recently been featured on one of those reality TV shows that completely redecorates and refurbishes every room in the house. While it always sounds a bit tired, GTA IV looks like it’ll pull off the old cliché of feeling simultaneously familiar and brand new. If the general structure and make up of the game is recognizable, practically everything within that has been drastically improved on or replaced altogether.

One of the first things shown to us was the cell phone. It'll perform many key functions in the game, such as letting you keep track of contacts, jobs, friends, and missions. Essentially, it looks like a fun way of putting a lot of essential game information actually 'into' the game, instead of simply having a lot of text pop up on screen. With the phone, you can at any point accept missions, take calls from people, or ring your friends to go drinking.

Not too far into the demo, we were taken through a tour of the new and improved combat system. The combat in previous GTA games always felt adequate but not particularly brilliant - but it looks like GTA IV might change that. Using much more dynamic camera shots and gameplay techniques, the gun fights looked a lot more visceral and tactical, something that was helped by the Gears of War-esque cover system. While it's hard to determine whether it actually plays well just by looking at it, it certainly looks like a giant step in the right direction.

This visceral feel actually carries over into every aspect of the game, and is thanks to a combination of graphical effects, cinematic cameras, and more lucid, free-flowing gameplay. So while it's still a GTA game, everything felt more than fresh enough to draw in even the most burnt out GTA fan.

It's hard to talk about many more particulars, because for every one thing metioned, a dozen more things get left out. This is, as fans of the series will know, the kind of game that can only really be truly experienced when you explore it for yourself. There were dozens of small yet significant elements that looked particularly awesome, like getting drunk with friends, leaping onto the roof of a moving car, using taxis to get around town, or escaping from the new police wanted system. But these are all things that you can discover for yourself - the point of this preview should simply be to tell you whether or not it's on track to live up to your (no doubt high) expectations. While the gameplay and control mechanics couldn't be tested, from what we saw, this game is going to justify its hype at the end of April. But you won't have to take our word for it - Kiwi gamers will be the first to get the game when it comes out worldwide on the 29th. Keep it locked to NZGamer for a comprehensive review around then.

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