Grand Theft Auto IV (commonly abbreviated as GTA 4 or GTA IV ) is a sandbox-style action-adventure video game developed by Rockstar North, and released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in Oceania, Europe, North America on 29 April 2008, and in Japan on 30 October 2008. A Windows version of the game was released in North America on 2 December 2008 and in Europe on 3 December. It is the sixth 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto series.
Two episodic packs have since been released for the Xbox 360, the first entitled The Lost and Damned and was released on 17 February 2009. The second is entitled The Ballad of Gay Tony and was released on 29 October 2009.
The game is set in a redesigned rendition of Liberty City, a fictional city based heavily on modern day New York City. It follows Niko Bellic, a war veteran from an unspecified country in Eastern Europe. He comes to the United States in search of the American Dream, but quickly becomes entangled in a world of gangs, crime, and corruption. Like other games in the series, GTA IV is composed of elements from driving games and third-person shooters, and features "open-world" gameplay that gives players more control over their playing experience. It is the first console game in the series to feature an online multiplayer mode.
As the first game of the critically acclaimed series to appear on seventh generation consoles, Grand Theft Auto IV was widely anticipated. A major commercial and critical success, it broke industry records with sales of around 3.7 million units on its first day of release and grossing more than $500 million in revenue in the first week, selling an estimated 6 million units worldwide. As of 11 March 2009, the game has sold over 13 million copies. Grand Theft Auto IV also received overwhelmingly positive reviews, becoming one of the highest-rated games of all time on aggregated review websites such as Metacritic and GameRankings.
Gameplay
Much like its predecessors, the core gameplay of Grand Theft Auto IV consists of giving the player a large, open world environment in which to move around. On foot, the player character can walk, run, jump, climb over obstacles and swim, as well as use weapons and perform basic hand-to-hand combat. Players can steal and drive a variety of vehicles, including automobiles, boats, helicopters, and motorcycles. Grand Theft Auto IV takes advantage of Natural Motion's Euphoria engine, which combines artificial intelligence, bio-mechanics and physics to make NPC behaviour and movement adaptive and more realistic.
The open, non-linear environment allows players to explore and choose how they wish to play the game. Although storyline missions are necessary to progress through the game and unlock certain content and parts of the city, they are not required, as players can complete them at their own leisure. When not attempting a storyline mission, players can free-roam, giving them the ability to do activities.
It is possible to have multiple active missions, as some missions run over the course of several days and require the player to wait for further instructions or events. The player can also attempt a variety of optional side missions. Grand Theft Auto IV also contains so-called "morality choices" at several points throughout the game, which alter the storyline appropriately depending on the player's choice. Which of the game's two different endings occurs is determined by one of these choices.
Combat and police response
Gunfights in GTA IV are conducted using a third-person system. The player can slide to cover, target a specific person, blindfire, and free aim. Individual body parts can also be targeted. Additionally, Niko can perform "cinematic executions", only possible with a pistol to certain characters/situations when the target circle blinks red. Niko's health is shown by a green semicircle on the left side of the mini-map, while a blue semicircle on the right represents armour. When locked on a target, their health and (if applicable) armour level appears in the target circle.
There are more hand-to-hand combat moves than in past games in the series, namely punching, kicking, "alternative" punching, dodging and blocking, disarming an opponent, and counter-attacking.
If Niko is injured, he can recover health by eating, drinking soda, sleeping, using medical kits, using his mobile phone to call for paramedics, calling one of his girlfriends for medical advice, or using the services of a prostitute. Health is generally reduced by physical injuries, such as being hit by vehicles when walking, being thrown through the windscreen of a vehicle when crashing, and gunfire or explosions and stab wounds. Body armour is gradually damaged by gunshots and explosions. If Niko's health level reaches zero, the action stops, and he re-appears at the nearest hospital having lost 10% of his total wealth (up to $10,000). Niko retains his weapons after re-spawning at a hospital, which previously only occurred in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories and in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
The Wanted level system has changed from previous GTA games. Although their star levels are retained (which increase with the number or severity of criminal acts by the player, with corresponding increases in law enforcement interference), the law enforcement agencies which may pursue the player have changed, with the focus on making them more realistic. In previous GTA titles, as wanted level rose the player was pursued by increasingly well-armed and violent agencies, culminating with the Army at the highest wanted level. In GTA 4, the Police are assisted by NOOSE (National Office of Security Enforcement - a parody of DHS) officers at a three-star wanted level, who in turn are again assisted randomly by either NOOSE's Tactical Response Unit (a parody of the NYPD ESU) or FIB (Federal Investigation Bureau - a parody of the FBI) at a five-star wanted level and beyond. Like previous GTA games, a police helicopter pursues the player at a three-star wanted level, but this is replaced by a helicopter gunship at the five-star wanted level, though it utilises sharp-shooters rather than its mounted gatling guns.
When the police are in pursuit of Niko, a circular search area appears on the map in which the police will be looking for him. The area grows with increased wanted level, and re-centres itself on Niko's location if he is spotted by the police. If the player escapes from the search area without being seen by law enforcement units the search is aborted. Wanted levels can also be lost either by driving into a "Pay 'N' Spray" (unless seen entering by police) or clandestinely changing vehicles in empty areas such as parking garages. The player has the option of attempting to escape arrest before being handcuffed, at the cost of increasing the wanted level by one star. Additionally, pedestrians with cellphones can report crimes they witness in the surrounding environment.
Vehicles
Common to the rest of the series, vehicles are the predominant means of travel in GTA IV . Every vehicle in the game uses the in-game minimap as a GPS device. "Waypoints" can be placed on the map, plotting the fastest legal route between Niko and the destination on the minimap. The player can also hail a taxi cab, which allows travel between destinations without having to drive. The journey can also be skipped, so the player arrives at their destination instantly. During car chases, the player can focus the camera on the target vehicle by holding the cinematic camera button, and also free-aim and fire out of the vehicle using one-handed firearms. The player may also drop grenades or Molotov cocktails. The player cannot pilot fixed-wing aircraft, which was possible in previous games of the series, but can still pilot helicopters.
The Bullet physics engine along with the Euphoria animation system causes Niko to react differently to every bike crash, instead of using a predefined animation. Unlike previous games, vehicles will not explode if they are flipped over, however they may catch fire and eventually explode if the engine is sufficiently damaged by collisions or firearms. Car engines can also break down, rendering them unable to start, and vehicles can be physically deformed by impacts, sometimes rendering them undrivable.
In certain areas of Liberty City, Niko can also hire the services of a prostitute by stopping his car alongside them and honking the horn.
Communication
Whereas previous games in the series frequently used public telephones to relay missions to the player, in GTA IV a mobile phone is used. It has several uses, including viewing text messages and appointments, arranging to meet friends for activities, and also for choosing to retry failed missions. The player can also take photos for certain missions, and call 911 to summon the emergency services. The police will arrest felons, and paramedics are able to restore Niko's health. The phone also allows access to the game's multiplayer mode, online in a free mode. The player can also call other characters to talk to them, or ask for a service that they can provide, such as transportation or a reduction in wanted level.
The game also features several different in-game databases that Niko can make use of. An in-game version of the Internet can be used by accessing the Internet café chain, "TW@", lo
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