Grand Theft Auto IV - Playstation 3 (PS3), Xbox 360 (360) Previews


	Platform Playstation 3, Xbox 360 Genre Action Adventure Publisher Take 2 Developer Rockstar North ETA April 29, 2008
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Grand Theft Auto IV

Last year, it was Halo 3. In 2008, it will be Grand Theft Auto IV. At the end of April, the long-delayed and eagerly anticipated new GTA title will easily be the biggest selling game of the year will make its way onto millions of Xbox 360s and PS3s.

The franchise that revolutionized sandbox gaming and turned developer Rockstar into a moneymaking juggernaut finally goes full-blown next-generation, taking complete advantage of the power of the PS3 and Xbox 360 to deliver the biggest, most impressive GTA adventure yet.

First, about the story: GTA IV takes place in the present, in a fictional New York known as Liberty City . Niko Bellic, another classic Rockstar anitihero, is the game’s

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main character. He’s just landed on U.S. soil in Liberty City after a boat trip from Europe . Joining his cousin, Roman, Niko has illusions of making a lot of money in the land of opportunity, as he drags through Liberty City ’s underbelly of crime, shylocks and psychos.

That’s GTA IV’s backstory. From there, it’s up to the gamer on how to move Niko from

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new immigrant to living the American Dream (or nightmare, depending on who Niko crosses paths with). Based on Rockstar’s grand past with GTA’s excellent sandbox gameplay, GTA IV is sure to please the franchise’s legion of fans, which should expect the same and then some exceptional gunplay mayhem that the franchise has made popular.

Amazing visuals are at the core of the “new” GTA experience, which takes full advantage of the next-gen systems to create the largest GTA world ever. This is one large sandbox that gamers will be able to traverse, with similar gameplay elements (missions, side quests) that have structured all previous GTA titles. Graphically, GTA IV is simply spectacular to lay one’s eyes on. This easily is the most impressive GTA ever visually, and gamers will be overwhelmed with the sense of largeness of GTA IV’s Liberty City .

The many multiplayer options with a variety of fun-sounding games are what may excite and titillate more than a few GTA gamers. There are 15 multiplayer games, including racing: Cops N Crooks; Car Jack City ; Team Mafia Work; Bomb Da Base; Deal Breaker; and Turf War are just a sampling of GTA IV’s multiplayer modes that should keep the gangsta gaming going for months on end.

It won’t be much longer until Niko and GTA IV’s arrival, as aficionados have been awaiting and awaiting the delayed release of what will be an epic game. Heck, it single-handedly might be able to kick-start the sagging U.S. economy. And that would be the ultimate irony for Rockstar: providing an infusion of cash flow that will benefit the very government that has had many of its politicians vehemently opposed to the GTA franchise. That includes presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and now-former New York governor Eliot Spitzer, who resigned after a scandalous dalliance with a prostitute, this after ripping and criticizing GTA for its use of –wait for it, wait for it – prostitution in games!

- Lee Cieniawa

lcieniawa@armchairempire.com

(March 17, 2008)