The gameplay in GTA IV is generally impressive, but has a few minor flaws. Normally you will spend most of your time on foot – where you can walk, run, jump and climb around the cities’ 4 boroughs. You control Niko’s movement with the left analog stick and control the 360 degree camera with the other. There is a lock-on system used when battling an enemy, whether it’s a fist fight or a gun battle. The aiming reticule shows how much armour and health the enemy has remaining while the battle is going on. A new addition to the GTA franchise is the cover system that is very similar in function to that of Gear of War. Press the button and Niko will slide behind a car or dash in front of a wall in an attempt to dodge bullets. The new cover system itself isn’t hugely convincing but a welcome one. Your weaponry arsenal is somewhat limited but exciting, from knives and pistols to the traditional rocket propelled grenade. There are a handful of automatic weapons such as the AK47 and Uzi, which you will need if you are to fend off the police and eventual SWAT teams when your wanted level rises. There are many objects in Liberty City you can pick up and throw, such as bricks to smash a shop window. Obviously Niko cannot pick up large heavy objects such as skips and cars, as he is not Superman.
The driving aspect of the game is probably the most improved of the lot. Niko can steal cars the usual way by pulling a driver from the wheel or killing them and dragging their corpse from the car. As far as parked cars are concerned, you may be required to smash a window and hot wire the motor for the pleasure of driving it. Depending on where you are standing, Niko will approach the car differently when you tap the Y button and give a quick glance around to check if he has been spotted. There is nothing better than stealing a guy’s luxury saloon and watching him grab onto the door as you proceed to drive off at speed. The cars all handle differently, with the big cruisers having ‘boat like’ handling like their real life counterparts and the high performance sports cars’ superior cornering abilities and speed. The rain also has a bearing on the way different vehicles handle, with high powered rear wheel drive cars being more difficult to prevent spinning out while taking those corners at high speeds to evade the police. Of course it wouldn’t be GTA without alternative transport. There are motorbikes, boats, helicopters and even mopeds to use at your disposal. The first time you grab a chopper and fly all around the city at night is a real treat to any gamer, especially the challenge of trying to land the damn thing on the top of the Empire State building. You can even ride in a taxi to get somewhere else quicker or take the train.
Unfortunately, the game play and controls are not perfect. Climbing a ladder can be one of the most frustrating exercises in the game. If you walk up to one and tap Y, normally you’d expect to climb straight up right? Wrong. It takes a number of times to fine tune both the camera and Niko’s position before the game realises you want to climb the damn thing, unless you were lucky enough to get it right first time. There is a slight lack of precision when controlling Niko even if you take your time and walk slowly. Also, you can practically run/walk on the spot up against any surface in the game including buildings and fences. It’s like you are running on an invisible treadmill. Maybe Rockstar implemented this to keep up the game’s fluency, but it’s still an annoyance nevertheless.
Graphics are a very important feature of any game, especially sandbox style games such as GTA. In most areas, the game shines. No city in any game has ever been so feature-packed and alive. The lighting and weather effects are something of beauty, making the city appear very realistic. There are no repetitive areas present and along with that no dead space either. There is so much going on at any one time during the game that was important to achieve for the budding metropolis Liberty City is meant to be. The draw distance is exceptional albeit blocky. Vehicles are shiny and have a decent amount of detail, with blood splatter on your bonnet and cracked windscreens after mowing down a group of drug dealers or civilians. However, several graphical discrepancies were evident even during the first 10 minutes of game time. There are considerable frame rate drops when the action becomes intense and occasional texture popping. However this has come to be expected of the hardware limitations that hold back on Rockstar’s ambition.
