Grand Theft Auto IV
Tags: violence, comedy

Plot synopsis:
=== Setting ===
Grand Theft Auto IV takes place in 2008, in a redesigned version of Liberty City consisting of four boroughs, based on four of the boroughs of New York City: Broker (based on Brooklyn), Dukes (Queens), Bohan (The Bronx), and Algonquin (Manhattan). Adjacent to the city is the independent state of Alderney (Northern New Jersey). There are three minor islands present in the game: Charge Island (Randall's Island), Colony Island (Roosevelt Island), and Happiness Island (Liberty Island). Initially, bridges are locked down due to a terrorist threat, and players are constantly pursued by police if the bridges are crossed, but the blockades are lifted as the story progresses, allowing the player to traverse between islands. Grand Theft Auto IV takes place in a different storyline and timeline from the previous games in the series. However, the game takes place in the same canon as its expansion packs, The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony, and its successor, Grand Theft Auto V.
=== Plot ===
Niko Bellic, an Eastern European, arrives in Liberty City to meet his cousin Roman, pursue the American Dream, and to search for the man who betrayed his unit in a war fifteen years prior. Upon arrival, however, Niko discovers that Roman's tales of riches and luxury were lies concealing struggles with gambling debts and loan sharks, and that Roman lives in a dirty apartment rather than a mansion.
Niko defends Roman from his loan sharks several times, but is forced to work for Vlad Glebov, Roman's Russian loan shark. Niko kills Vlad after finding out he slept with Roman's girlfriend, Mallorie. After Vlad's murder, Niko and Roman are kidnapped by members of the Liberty City Bratva on order of Mikhail Faustin and his associate, Dimitri Rascalov. Faustin, not bothered by the murder of Vlad, hires Niko. Niko quickly learns that Faustin is a psychopath after being ordered to kill the son of Kenny Petrović, the most powerful man in the Bratva. After the Petrović family threatens retaliation, Dimitri convinces Niko to assassinate Faustin in order to prevent a gang war. When Niko meets with Dimitri to collect on the assassination, Dimitri brings Niko's former employer Ray Bulgarin instead, who accuses Niko of stealing from him a few years earlier. When Niko truthfully denies the allegation, a firefight ensues, allowing Dimitri and Bulgarin to escape.
Niko and Roman are immediately forced to flee to Bohan after their apartment and taxi company are destroyed by Dimitri's men in arson attacks. However, things go poorly as well in Bohan: Dimitri's men kidnap Roman in a failed bid to lure out Niko, who rescues Roman. Furthermore, Niko's girlfriend Michelle reveals she is a government agent and entraps Niko into working for her company, known only by its cover: United Liberty Paper. Niko kills several known or suspected terrorists for the agency in exchange for the file of the numerous crimes the police have on him and the promise of assistance in finding the traitor of his unit.
The Paper tracks down the man responsible for Niko's unit's betrayal, Darko Brevic, and brings him into Liberty City for Niko to decide his fate. Having dealt with his past, Niko is summoned by one of his employers, Jimmy Pegorino, who demands one final favour: to help with an extremely lucrative deal on heroin in collusion with Dimitri. Niko must either strike a deal with Dimitri, or exact revenge on him.
Should Niko go through with the deal, Dimitri again betrays him and takes the heroin for himself. At Roman's wedding, an assassin sent by Dimitri kills Roman with a stray bullet. After Dimitri kills Pegorino, he is in turn killed by a devastated and vengeful Niko. Should Niko choose to exact revenge, he ambushes and executes Dimitri. At Roman's wedding, Pegorino, furious after Niko's betrayal, targets Niko in a drive-by shooting, but ends up killing Niko's new girlfriend, Kate. With Pegorino targeted by the entire Liberty City underworld, Niko tracks him down and executes him.

Review: Fantastic acting, worthy of film awards, breathtaking graphics, beyond realistic physics, and just enthralling game-play make this the first truly next-gen game that goes beyond just better graphics, pushing the limits of what I thought was possible.
Something you might find difficult especially if you have it on the PS3 is that the controls are completely different to GTA3/vice city/san andreas but after a few hours youl find your feet and get endless pleasure doing amazing handbrake turns into things.
The screen has had a lot of the clutter moved away creating for a more movie like experience and the new mobile phone option adds something truly fun/helpful/original to an already groundbreaking series.
I would recommend to anyone playing the game to not seek out spoilers; the story is compelling and full of surprises, to the point where a plot turn will have you sitting in your easy chair, holding your controller, dropping your jaw saying "wow", with a little bit of drool rolling down your face.Yes. It's that good.Players of previous iterations of the GTA franchise will be happy to know that Niko is not some dopey guy who does whatever anyone tells him without reason.
And while the half-press-for-free-aim-full-press-for-auto-aim is initially a little annoying, by the time I had completed the fifth or sixth gunfight in the game, I hardly noticed it.The story is great, of course, and the voice acting is superb.
The setting, music, situations, and even graphics really make you a part of the whole experience.You get to explore the sandbox world of the game while getting into dangerous missions that include mobsters, criminal missions, and you even have time for your personal life.This is a great experience that demonstrates that new millennium systems capacity to recreate a parallel universe that will transport you in a parallel life to say something...Maybe I'm over praising this video game but believe me, until you play it, you will understand the whole experience....
Since some time now I have bought GTA 4 for my XBox 360 and its is far better then I expected, but before I begin my review lets look back on the previous GTA-games and what I personally think about them.I really enjoyed GTA 1 and 2, and even though many people have mostly forgotten about those 2D-classics, in my opinion they were still the best incarnation of GTA.
The graphics were still practically the same, the characters still looked like cartoon-characters and the overall story and gameplay wasn't good enough to keep me playing.Since San Andreas I never really thought about GTA anymore, until GTA 4 came out.
Speaking of realism; the game also features ragdoll-physics for the very first time which is very cool.The story is in my opinion the best in GTA, along with the various places you can visit to hang out with NPC's to play some darts, pool, or bowling.
You play as a Russian immigrant named Niko Bellic who comes to America with dreams of hope.There is a lot of driving and shoot-outs but that's what you expect from this kind of game.
Brucie's got to be the best character ever in the series.The missions are great, the taxi service is brilliant, finally the tedium of driving cross-city is over, and there's nothing better than running into a guy, making him retaliate and having HIM arrested.
This game has the best story line that truly makes feel for the main character Niko.
This game is extraordinary, the storyline, characters, game play.EVERYTHING IN THIS GAME IS SO AMAZING You are Niko Bellic coming from Europe to wash his past, and live the American dream alongside his cousin Roman Bellic, together they will conquer liberty city.Characters are so amazing in this game, and funny too!
the gameplay is very nice and the targeting from previous GTA's has improved.The game features a great cover system similar to that from Uncharted and Gears of War.The graphics are very realistic and detailed sometimes it looks just like real life.The online mode is really fun.
Pretty soon, Rockstar improved on their franchise greatly with Vice city in 2002, and then San Andreas in 2004, proving that they could push the capabilities of their game twice as far as they'd done before.And then 2008 arrived on the calendar.
You can just hotwire a 69 Charger (known in the game as a dukes) or steal a late-80's, Early 90's era Camaro (known as a Ruiner) and just go bombing through the city running people over, getting in trouble with the law, and hiring Sleazy women for their dirty services (you get to pick which one you want, and the game actually shows it happening this time!
When I first played this game I was amazed by the sheer realism just when the credits started and the main protagonist Niko landed in Liberty City.
I had played Grand Theft Auto III on Playstation 2 and the following sequels but when you begin to journey into the new and improved version of the game series, you begin to wonder how much effort Rockstar Games must have put into making this entire city come to life.The protagonist Niko Bellic is a very interesting character, not much is known about him except for the fact that he wants to live the American dream but also wants to put his very disturbed past behind him.With a variety of interesting characters, some top-notch dialogue and some excellent cutscenes, you begin to praise the game as not just a part of a terrific series but as one of the best games ever made.The storyline of this game is something that can only be seen in a movie with well-crafted dialogue, hilarious characters and character who is just as bad as he is good.
Even though some missions do become repetitive at times, side missions can rid the stress if you are having a hard time passing a certain mission or quest but once you're done with that you still feel like beating the game all the way to 100%.The graphics and gameplay in this game is also another achievement even if it borrows some of its duck and cover mechanics of numerous games the ragdoll physics and realistic environments take the game just that bit further.
When cars are being blown up, someone being run over or other various acts of crime happen you actually believe that its really happening right there at that very moment that makes it the best.The driving and combat mechanics has also been thoroughly improved, when Niko steals a vehicle its not as simple as getting into the vehicle and starting it, it takes time as Niko will break into the vehicle and then have to hotwire it to get it started which can cause suspicion for surrounding police officers, but the control of the cars is just as realistic and damage to certain vehicles is also amazing.Fighting or shooting is one of the things that make it a excellent game as well like ducking for cover, sliding on the ground, blocking a big punch or finishing them off is something that can only be seen to be believed as the ragdoll physics once again comes into play.Artificial intelligence in this game has been upgraded to its absolute maximum with bystanders moving out of your way as you walk pass or runaway when a weapon is pointed at their head they have become more clever and more realistic as they react to what is around them.Interactions with certain characters is also a well-praised experience, going out with friends or on dates makes this game just as interesting throughout as gaining friendship or companionship leads its rewards but at times when you're doing missions with them you do feel like you're the only one there especially when you're trying not to get hit by bullets or getting blown up by massive amounts of explosives.Police in this game can be very frustrating at times but can be very easy to get away from e.g. just driving a couples of kilometres down a straight road will pretty much fix your problems but when the heat gets too much you'll have more trouble trying to escape in one piece.Customisation is brought back as well, maybe not as much as San Andreas but it gets very close even though you can't customise Niko physically you can always make look more accessible to the outside world or just trying make him look like the biggest bad-ass that ever lived.There are many upon many of things I could add into this review but I don't think I can handle the mere strain of it all.
Like I said, awesome characters, excellent settings, funny dialogue and a story like no other, Grand Theft Auto IV is one of the best games ever made.Perfect 10 as it has everything you need in a game trust me whether it be on Playstation 3 or XBox 360 nothing can stop this amazing game..
Unlike GTA V, the characters in the game (like Niko) have a intriguing personality and has more sympathy.
where to begin the graphics alone are outstanding and the gameplay surpasses any other video game known to man, and the story well its better than the crap they make in Hollywood today its could go down as being as good as the godfather stories or scarface.
The stress and relationships of characters in the cut scenes really make you believe that they are actually real people.I never thought I'd come to a point where I called a game "perfect", however, I am stating that right now: GRAND THEFT AUTO 4 IS COMPLETELY PERFECT AND FLAWLESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
Grand Theft Auto IV is many things- open world (or "Sandbox"), violent, strategic and expensive.However, it lacks something else entirely: GTA IV IS NOT FUN.The gameplay is difficult, the load times are frustratingly awful and there's just a few elements in the overall procedure that serve as an absolute deterrent.For example, at almost any time during a firefight you'll probably get a phone call- forcing you to stand up and immediately expose yourself to incoming bullets.Second, the social networking system between characters is AWFUL.
don't get me wrong, i love cheat codes as much as the next player, but for gta 4, the cheat codes make the game so very boring, yet you find yourself in situations where you have no choice but to use them, which is disappointing (takes out all the fun).
Grand Theft Auto IV marks the beginning of Rockstar's HD era, where a vastly different approach was taken when compared to most previous titles.The GTA series has mostly been about entertainment value, absurdness & well constructed missions, but GTA IV is a lot more complex and morally ambiguous.
The cars are hard to control and do not turn as inhumanly quick as they would in other GTA's, which results in a game that is not very easy for the casual gamer to get a hold of, but all the more rewarding for the seasoned among us.Cutscenes often times feature many complex variaties in momentum, meaning that mood changes are very frequent.
Near the end of the game there is an event where his past will come back to haunt him, and a choice is given that is probably as morally difficult for the player as it is for Niko himself, and this changes his character significantly.
Without spoiling anything, the ending ( Primarily where the ending takes place ) is really symbolic for the satirical look that Rockstar wants to convey about the 'American dream'.Grand Theft Auto IV is loaded with superb voice acting, intelligent writing, a fantastic plot and storytelling, a lot of characterization, excellent cinematics & physics, great gameplay while also creating a fantastic study on moral ambiguity and what makes an innocent child into a murderous killing machine..
I like the Grand Theft Auto series, and I think even thought I've only played it for a week that this is the best in series so far and hope that this time of gaming continues.The basic plot of the game is your character Niko Bellic is an Eastern European immigrant who is invited to America by his cousin Roman who told him that he is rich, successful, lives in a mansion and having lots of sex with different American woman.
It is up to Niko to help his cousin out and rise up the criminal ladder.The graphics are amazing and very detailed, the games designers took get care to make the city and people as realistic as possible and make everyone different.
The Beat seems to play whatever R 'n' B crap is currently airing on real radio which is very disappointing as Vice City and San Andreas introduced me to a lot of great music that I never would have thought about listening to.
I can't help but be reminded of the state of the world when I listen to the talk shows in GTA IV, and I usually play video games to escape reality!
When i first played Vice City, i was Like OMG what a lovely game, you had bikes, cars, tones of guns and rewards after every 10 packages you find.
Your buddy actually has the audacity to say "take me home" before the game saves and progresses.This is not Grand Theft Auto, this is Taxi: The Liberty City Experience.Have you ever wanted to feel the bore and monotony of just driving, and driving, and driving, and driving, and driving, and driving, etc, etc, etc, etc?
Better than GTA V even, at least in regards to storyline and characters and the smaller details like radio and mission names.
I've played GTA: Vice City Stories (pretty good), San Andreas (Excellent) and then this (bad).
Absolutely blown away by the amazing graphics and the great gameplay, I thought this would finally be the perfect game, but to my disappointment I do have a few nitpicks about it.The story is about a European man named Niko Bellic who has had a tough life and was just looking to settle down and live with his brother Roman in Liberty City.
Doing what ever is necessary to get the money to pay back, Niko and Roman get mixed up with the wrong type of people which chains a whole series of violent and tragic events.Although Grand Theft Auto 4 is a very enjoyable game which is still in my top 15 favourite games, I have 2 tiny problems with it that have made me knock it down a few stars.Firstly, what is with the story?
Grand Theft Auto IV is one of the best GTA games ever in the whole series.
This game is truly a work of art but it is not for kids.Overall 10Graphics 10 Best Looking On HDTVSound 10Acting 10Story 10 A first for the GTA series.
If you've read about the game, it's pretty much as you'd expect: in it's favour, it takes place in a virtual city of unsurpassed detail; against this, game play does basically revolve around driving around and killing people, although I found enough specific challenges in the numerous missions to keep me hooked, even though I generally find mass slaughter rather tedious.
GTA IV is one of the best games i have ever played.
in the other grand theft auto games u can have cheats like: chrome cars, flying boats, drive on water and my favorite .
GTA IV has a great storyline, with a Russian named Niko coming over from Russia to live and work in Liberty City with his cousin Roman.
Some little things could be tweaked to make the game better such as, ability to buy properties(like you could on previous GTA games) currently you get given properties from missions etc.
The game may have had a major make over from its previous titles as far as not being so cartoony looking and going for a more realistic looking form.The thing i was worried about with GTA 4 is that i thought they were going for a more serious approach with it, with the graphics looking top notch compared to the originals i was wondering if there was going to be that GTA humor in it (pedestrians blurting out funny quote, funny characters, etc) thankfully its still there and it is pretty funny.The characters in the game are well played out and have some outstanding voice work, your character, Niko Bellic, can have some serious intense moments when fighting with a enemy in a gun fight that will get you pumped up when he shouts out these sentences, only because the voice work he does is to good." I gave this game an 8 out of 10 only because, they left out some things that i loved about GTA (planes, tanks, etc) and sometimes the controls can be unresponsive at times but over all this game is well worth buying for and i think everyone 360/PS3 owner should have one ( not for you young kids!) well if you decide to get it, Enjoy!.
The overall mechanics of the plot and the expansiveness of it all is cinematic and deeper than any other GTA game.The physics are far better than previous games which has caused some people to complain because they can't flip their cars a hundred times and keep driving, but I liked it.
I can't wait to see what a GTA game will look like in ten years' time.Too much has already been said about this game for me to add anything new or insightful, really, but I will end this by saying I disagree that it's "by far" the best game of the series.
Grand Theft Autos have always been excellent, but GTA IV, set in Liberty City, is the best one yet!
The story is strong while technically it is not only impressive in the grand scale but also right down to the detail, the little things that you discover that don't affects the missions but just make you feel like this is one really well put together game  which of course it is.