Published: Wednesday, 30th April, 2008 12:00
Grand Theft Auto IV
By Narin Bahar
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THERE is really only one game to be reviewed this week. You've read the hype, you've seen the deals on the High Street, you might have joined the midnight openings yourself to get your hands on a copy, but after all that the big question has to be - is Grand Theft Auto IV actually any good?
The answer is a resounding yes.
Now I should probably clarify this a little as, let's face it, every review of GTA out there is heralding it as a triumph of next gen gaming and the only game you're going to need for the rest of this year. But bear with me. I can honestly say I didn't like the first games in the series and I didn't expect to like this game at all. I'm not a hysterical fanboy and while I can see the fun of a free roaming environment and the immersive worlds of the previous GTA games it just wasn't my bag at all. If I had a choice of a game to play for an hour then this would not be the game I chose at all. Ever.
But GTA4 is simply, amazing.
For me a big part of the success of this new version is our protagonist is, finally, someone who you can feel some sympathy for. Yes, he still ends up in the requisite police chases, gunfights and with ladies of the night (this is definitely an adults' only title) but he's not a caricature of a trigger happy thug.
Focusing on the idea of the American Dream, you play Niko Bellic, a charismatic immigrant fresh in from war-torn Eastern Europe tempted to the US by your cousin Roman's messages home about his amazing life in the new world. Except he's fibbed a bit, and suffice to say his stories of high living and convertibles is a way from the reality of the living he's scrabbling to survive in the shades of grey, and soon you're sucked into the criminal underworld too. And what a world it is.
The attention to detail in GTA games has always been one of the best things about it - from the radio stations and the little nods and references throughout the world you inhabit. With this release Rockstar have taken that to the nth degree and the whole world lives and breathes like it's always been there - the people are going about their day and you're just taking your place with them. It's breathtaking and completely immersive. Plus, a lot of the niggles of previous releases have been tweaked - the faffing of saving games being the most notable.
This is Fable with grit. You build relationships and choose your missions as you want them, all of which dictate how the story will flow and the ultimate outcome for your Niko. The voice acting is amazing, the rendering is brilliant and even if this isn't the kind of game you'd normally pick up off the shelf it's definitely worth giving a try.
It's one of those games where you'll find yourself thinking about it while you're in the bath, at work, on the train, and it will utterly consume your life for a little while. If it was a film this would be The Godfather.
Five stars - and a likely contender for game of the year.
* Grand Theft Auto IV is out now on the XBox 360 and PS3
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