14 Hours Into GTAIV

Here I am at over 14 hours into this game and I cannot stop playing. It is a huge credit to the folks at Rockstar that they have crafted a world and a story so captivating that it equals some of the best novles I've read in terms of keeping my interest from one "chapter" to the next. The world of Niko Bellic and his cousin Roman is one of violence, humor, and life-changing moral dilemmas that you as a player must navigate. Who would have ever thought that a GTA game would cause you to form such an emotional attachment to its characters? I can't wait to keep playing to see what is next for Niko and his friends.

Just as well drawn as the characters are the various locales around Liberty City. I sat in awe I went to a comedy club in the game and witnessed a fully animated rendition of a famous comedian's stand-up. It was more or less just like being at a real show and it was hilarious and completely mind-blowing at the same time. It's truly amazing how much content Rockstar has squeezed into this title and I keep wondering what I'll discover next in Liberty City.

The core mechanics are now more or less second nature to me and I've seen their strengths and their weaknesses. For the gunplay, this is a clear big step forward for the GTA series. The aim and the ability to take cover strategically have made firefights a much more fluid and enjoyable experience for the player. The only real problem with the shooting mechanic is that if you manage to get a thug behind your player it can be a painful proposition to turn Niko around in time to dispatch them before you're full of lead. Minor nit-picks aside, I would say that the shooting is the biggest area of improvement in GTA's skillset. I noted that the driving controls were much different than previous GTAs in my 6 hours in post. Further playtime has fleshed these differences out further and several missions have sorely tested my driving skills. Usually when I fail a mission repeatedly it's due to losing a target because of inability to keep up with my driving. When it happens it's very frustrating but if I'm honest with myself its more often than not directly related to my choice of car and my sloppy driving.

I did get a very brief opportunity to play some multi-player last night. I only played about 3 games or so but it was enough to see that there was much potential there. The teamwork based multiplayer in a lot of the modes really appeals to me as I can see straight up deathmatch getting old fast. The ability to just drop you and your friends into the city and start causing random mayhem is also very appealing. I can see myself losing many hours with friends just exploring random "I wonder if we can do this..." scenarios.

If you're on the fence about GTAIV, do yourself a favor and GO BUY THIS GAME IMMEDIATELY! Unless something major happens to completely derail my experience with the game then I can completely reaffirm the general sentiment of the gaming press in general with the feeling that this game is truly something special.