Grand Theft Auto IV

 

About     

In Grand Theft Auto 4 you take on the role of Niko Bellic, an immigrant from Eastern Europe with an ominous past. Persuaded by his cousin's promises of a fresh start and a better life, Niko relocates to Liberty City, USA -- the worst place in America. After making the move to Liberty, however, Niko quickly realizes that his hopes of "living the American Dream" may never come to pass... and that things here may not be so different after all.

Although Liberty City may not differ greatly from Niko's homeland, being different and standing out is definitely a major theme with Grand Theft Auto IV. While GTA: Vice City and GTA: San Andreas were considered to be part of the GTA III trilogy (same graphics engine, similar characters, similar mission style, etc.), Grand Theft Auto IV is considered a fresh start for the GTA series, focusing more heavily on realism and storytelling than in previous titles. This is why it's been dubbed GTA4 and not GTA6 (as many had originally anticipated), even though it's the sixth major title in the series.

GTA IV follows the release of the hugely successful GTA: San Andreas (which was released for PlayStation 2 in 2004, and then later for PC and Xbox during 2005) and also marks the 10^th anniversary of the Grand Theft Auto franchise. With Grand Theft Auto 4 being the milestone that it is, Rockstar Games has been working overtime on perfecting the game. According to Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey -- a financial consultant for Take2 Interactive -- approximately 150 developers are currently working on GTA 4.

                                                                                                                            

Trailer Coming soon...

---

Grand Theft Auto IV was announced on May 9, 2006 at Microsoft's E³ press conference. Peter Moore (who was Corporate Vice-President of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business division at the time of the announcement) rolled up the left sleeve of his t-shirt to reveal a GTA4 tattoo on his arm. He announced that GTA 4 would be available on Xbox 360 in 2007, and revealed that Microsoft and Rockstar Games had formed a strategic alliance in order to provide exclusive episodic content for Xbox Live, giving the community ever-expanding gameplay experiences.

                                                   Take2 Interactive then issued a press release which announced that GTA IV would be released simultaneously for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in October 2007. However, the game was delayed on August 2, 2007, because some elements of the development were proving to be more time-intensive than originally expected. On January 24, 2008, a worldwide release date of April 29, 2008 was announced by Rockstar Games.

Main Features

Gameplay

• Niko can use a mobile phone to recieve calls and phone his contacts. He can also use it to call taxis and purchase weapons. The options presented on the phone's LCD are Phonebook, Messages, Organizer, and Camera.
• Pedestrians smoke cigarettes, read books and newspapers, drop litter, talk on mobile phones, walk in and out of buildings, and generally act like any normal pedestrian would.

  

  Mobile phones are a big part of Grand Theft Auto IV's gameplay.

• It is possible to climb and descend telephone poles, and exterior fire escapes.
• There are many different animation sets for breaking into cars. One of these involves Niko smashing the side window with his elbow, climbing into the car, and then hotwiring it.
• Niko is able to manage his funds at ATMs.
• GTA IV features multiplayer, but it's "not a massively multiplayer game," according to Rockstar's creative vice president Dan Houser.
• It is possible to surf the internet in GTA4 via internet cafés. It is available from any computer in the game, and provides a hub for all sorts of interactivity within Liberty City.
• The camera angle behind the car is closer than it has been in previous GTAs. This allows you to see more detail on the cars, and more of the verticality of the city.

  

  You play as Niko Bellic, an immigrant from Eastern Europe.

• In GTA IV, you will gain a police wanted level for any crime that you commit, providing there are witnesses present. The police can only chase you if they know where you are, and they need to see you to know where you are. If you escape the search area marked on the radar without being spotted, your wanted level will disappear.
• In terms of scale, GTA IV is about the same size as GTA: San Andreas, but the map size is considerably smaller. This is mainly due to the fact there is no desert or countryside in Liberty City. Liberty City in GTA4 is the biggest city R* have ever created.
• Every street in Liberty City contains a street sign with a name on it.
• It is possible to do more than one mission at a time. For example, some missions take place over several days and may involve waiting for phonecalls or attending interviews, and you are free to carry out other business during the waiting period.
• The story can be told in a number of different ways. Rockstar are trying to give people greater freedom and sense of control over their destiny. You now have a lot more choice in what you want to do.

Technology

• Grand Theft Auto 4 runs on Rockstar's proprietary next generation game engine, R.A.G.E., allowing for an unprecedented level of realism and interactivity.
  • New sunlight and weather effects which give the city a whole different appearance as the time of day progresses.

    

    New volumetric lighting effects are evident in this screenshot.

  • Volumetric lighting effects allow sunlight to stream realistically into dusty interiors. Police spotlights will likely benefit from this effect as well when helicopters kick up debris.
  • Normal (bump) maps will provide much more detail in models than the underlying polygons, as well as giving materials more texture and depth.
  • Road and building textures are more varied than in previous GTAs. On some roads you will find potholes, metal plates (etc) where the road has been dug up.
  • Modern pixel shaders give water, glass, cars, etc.. more realistic reflections and shininess than the earlier games.
  • In cars, you can see real reflections on the rear and side-view mirrors.
  • There are no load times in GTA4, not even during exterior-interior transitions (and vice versa.)
• GTA4 uses euphoria, a fully procedural animation package created by NaturalMotion. The core technology is the Dynamic Motion Synthesis (DMS) system.
  
  Characters have the ability to hang on to the back of vehicles.
  • Variations in the terrain are met with realistic changes in the walking animation.
  • Unique game moments. Animations are created on the fly, so each player's experience will be unique. Gamers are no longer subjected to pre-recorded animations.
  • Characters will react realisticaly to being hit with gunfire, cars, and melee weapons or fists.
  • Players will be able to push people out of the way, rather than "floating" past them as in older games.
  • Falling/thrown characters will react as in real life- They won't simply be limp, lifeless ragdolls. Nor will they use a canned "super hero" animation like before.
  • Characters (and players?) will be able to hang on to helicopters and trucks, which will swing them around as the vehicle moves.