Grand Theft Auto IV

GTA III on the 6th generation of consoles was a breakthrough in Gaming in 2001. back then 3-D free-roaming had not been accomplished like Rockstar and take-two interactive had done it. 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. Rockstar finished working on what is now a classic, Grand Theft Auto IV. Remember what I wrote before how Rockstar could push their franchise twice as hard as before? Well, GTA IV goes beyond twice. There is just So much to do. as Always, you don't even need to follow the story to have fun. 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! Yay!) Sure, you could do that before. but you can also play darts, pool, and go bowling with your girlfriend.

Another addition is online multiplayer, A first for the GTA series. You can gather up to 16 friends (or enemies) and go bombing around liberty city looking to kill each other. I just experienced it for the first time today, and man is it ever fun.

Now to the story. It's modern day, 2008. Niko Bellic is an immigrant from Europe (it's not clear where he's from, he could be from Bosnia, Serbia, or Russia, but the most reliable sources say he's from Serbia) and he's come to Liberty City, U.S.A. The initial Idea is that he's coming in search of the American Dream, but really, there are 2 reasons; 1, To escape the horrors of home, which include witnessing slaughtered children during a war 10 years before, and evading bad men to which he owes money. 2, During the war, He was on a mission with 14 other men. someone in his group betrayed the whole team for money. 12 men died. Niko is not guilty of betrayal, but he knows the other 2 are. and he knows one of them lives in Liberty City.

If you're over 17, and you have 20$ to spare, this game needs (that's right, Needs) to be in your game library. I'm serious. if you aren't playing GTA IV, You're not doing yourself any good.

Rated M for mature.

10/10