Recommended Games
Evolution of a legend
It all began just over ten years ago, when Grand Theft Auto was loaded up onto PlayStations across the world, and everyone discovered the unalloyed joy of stealing a car and causing death and destruction.
With a top-down view that now seems strangely nostalgic (whilst at the same time looking instantly appealing to any gamer), Grand Theft Auto 2 came along in 1999, capitalising on the insane popularity of its forerunner.
By the time GTA III came along, everything went 3D and took a turn for the naughty, as players immersed themselves in a stylised world of gangster violence and open-ended sand box gameplay with more hours entertainment than should be legal for a game to supply.
Roll on Vice City in 2002, and by now things are getting interesting – a mid 80’s setting, drug deals galore, and truly global success greeted a title that by now had become a phenomenon. In October 2004, skinny white boys across the world fulfilled their fantasies, becoming gang bangers in a world styled on the way everyone imagined early 90’s California to be, as Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas cemented GTA’s place in the pantheon of truly great series.
| Release Date | April 29 2008 |
| Format | 360, PS3 |
| Publisher | Rockstar |
| Developer | Rockstar North |
| Price | £49.99 |
| Distribution | Gem |
| Contact | 01279 822822 |
Grand Theft Auto IV
There are few releases that can get away with keeping details under wraps until the last possible minute. Perhaps the best parallel for the top-secret shenanigans surrounding the latest instalment of Grand Theft Auto is with George Lucas. Be it a prequel trilogy or another Indiana Jones film, Lucas likes to keep everything under wraps until the last possible minute, so as not to ruin surprises for the punters when they finally flock into the cinemas.He gets away with it because, by and large, the ends justify the means. Rockstar has taken the same tactic with GTA IV, keeping everything well under wraps until recently, and it looks like the hungry public won’t have been kept in the dark for nothing.
For a start, GTA IV looks incredible and genuinely is a treat for the eyes. Rockstar has really gone to town on this one, creating a believable, multi-layered, minutely detailed sandbox for us all to dive into with all the gusto of an alcoholic at a free bar.
Liberty City is a fully rounded place, feeling full of normal, everyday folk going about their daily lives whilst you career round acting like a maniac, with policemen who gaze shiftily at you as you go about your tasks and every inch of space made relevant to the game – with no huge areas of pointless space, and no wasted time.
The protagonist this time around is a shifty looking Eastern European chap called Niko Bello. Having made his way to the good ol’ US of A to follow the American dream thanks to some dodgy bluffing by his cab rank-owning cousin, he becomes a taxi driver. The missions essentially involve Niko politely chauffeuring his cousin’s customers round town, as the two gradually build up a successful cab company.
Obviously, that’s not true. Niko’s cousin Roman is up to his eyeballs in debt and in trouble with nefarious types, so he lures Niko over to the city to help him take care of his problems. Which is the signal for the sort of GTA delights we are used to – drug deals going awry, contract killings, all that sort of thing.
Plot aside, there are plenty of great new features and interesting tweaks in this latest GTA outing. A new and improved combat system will make taking down foes (or innocent passers by) a much smoother proposition, whilst a different menu and map layout makes navigating missions and keeping on top of what’s what more intuitive. Niko even has his own mobile phone, where he can tap up any of the contacts he picks up as the game progresses with ease. Nice.
Brilliantly, this is the first time that GTA fans can go online, with many multiplayer options on offer in the form of co-operative goals or open-ended play. Xbox 360 owners can access downloadable content, whilst the Rockstar Social Club will feature players statistics, a Hall of Fame and more.
It goes without saying that GTA IV will be one of, if not the single biggest release of the year. With assured huge footfall on release day, and special editions of the game including merchandise all wrapped up in a fetching Rockstar bag, demand is going to be through the roof.
