Grand Theft Auto IV
Gameplay
Grand Theft Auto IV is structured similarly to previous games in the series. The core gameplay consists of elements of a third-person shooter and a driving game, affording the player a large, open environment in which to move around. On foot, the player’s character is capable of walking, running, swimming, climbing and jumping, as well as utilising weapons and basic hand-to-hand combat. Players can steal and drive a variety of vehicles, including automobiles, boats, helicopters, and motorcycles.
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 parts of the map and content, they are not required, as players can complete them at their own leisure. When not taking on a storyline mission, players can free-roam. However, creating havoc can attract unwanted and potentially fatal attention from the authorities. The more chaos caused, the stronger the response: police patrols handle minor infractions such as attacking people, using a firearm in public, grand theft auto, homicide, etc. whereas helicopter support teams; the FIB (Federal Investigation Bureau), based on the FBI; and an elite counter-terrorism and law enforcement team, N.O.O.S.E. (National Office Of Security Enforcement), an amalgamation of SWAT and the Department of Homeland Security and replacing the military seen in previous renditions of the series, respond to higher wanted levels.
It is possible to have multiple active missions, due to the fact that some missions will run over the course of several days and will require the player to wait for further instructions, etc. The player can also partake in a variety of optional side missions. For the first time in the series, Grand Theft Auto IV features “morality choices” at several points throughout the game, in which the player is forced to choose between killing a character or sparing their life or killing one of two characters. The game has two different endings, which are determined by decisions made by the player throughout and at the end of the game. Each choice affects the final missions the player can partake, and the fate of some characters.
Combat and police response
The gunfight system has been reworked to a better third-person scheme. The player can slide to cover, blindfire, and free aim. When locked on, the target’s health is indicated by eight coloured segments on the target circle. Players can now target individual body parts using a revamped targeting system. Niko’s health is represented by a green semi-circle on the left side of the minimap, and a blue semi-circle on the right represents armour. If Niko gets injured, he can recover health by using an escort service, eating, drinking soda, sleeping, using medical kits, or by calling for paramedics using his phone. Health is generally reduced by physical injuries such as falling from heights and going through the windscreen of a vehicle when crashing. Body armour is gradually damaged by gunshots and stab wounds. When Niko’s health level reaches zero, he respawns at the nearest hospital, but loses 10% of his total wealth (up to a maximum of $10,000). Unlike previous GTA games, where the ability had to be unlocked, Niko is able to retain his weapons after re-spawning at a hospital; they are still confiscated if he is arrested and taken to a police station.
Police and wanted levels operate differently from previous GTA games. When the police are in search of Niko, a search radius appears on the map in which the police will be looking for him. The size of this radius increases with the player’s wanted level and re-centres itself on Niko’s location if he is spotted by the police. The player can evade the police by escaping the search radius and temporarily keeping a low profile by not committing further offences. The wanted levels can be lost by either driving into a “Pay ‘N’ Spray” as in previous games (however, unlike the previous games, it doesn’t work if the police are watching Niko enter the garage) or by disguising himself by clandestinely changing vehicles in empty areas such as parking garages. The player has the option to attempt escaping arrest before he is handcuffed, at the cost of increasing his wanted level. Additionally, pedestrians with cellphones can report crimes they witness in the surrounding environment.
Vehicles
Stealing a parked car will now show Niko breaking the glass (if it is locked) and hotwiring it to drive it, as opposed to previous games where the player would merely get in the driver’s seat. During a mission with a target, if the player holds the cinematic camera button, the camera will turn towards and zoom closer to the target, but stay behind the player’s vehicle until let go, returning to the normal camera. Every car in the game utilizes the in-game minimap as a GPS device, with voice directions to the destination; by default, the voice directions are only enabled on the most expensive cars, but it can be turned on in the Options menu for any vehicle. The player can hail a cab in order to travel quickly to various notable locations throughout the city, and the journey can be skipped straight to the destination at extra cost. The player is able to pilot helicopters, but not planes.
Car damage physics are more detailed in GTA IV than in its predecessors. When major collisions on motorbikes occur, the player’s helmet will most likely fall off. The physics engine will turn the player into a rag doll after a crash, instead of using a predefined animation, resulting in more realistic collisions. Niko can lose health (or die) if he crashes or smashes through the windscreen of cars when colliding with objects at high speed. Vehicles will not explode if they are flipped over, or shot in any place other than the engine block or fuel tank, however they may catch fire and explode if they are repeatedly damaged via collisions. Explosions can sometimes render nearby vehicles unusable. Car engines can also die, rendering them unable to start.
When driving or riding in a car, the player is able to smash the window, free-aim, and fire out of the vehicle with several different one-handed weapons as well dropping grenades or molotov cocktails. In certain areas of Liberty City, Niko can stop along side a prostitute, honk his car horn and let her in. This then enables him to engage in different sexual activities with the prostitute at different costs.
Communication
The use of the mobile phone has been expanded to perform multiple actions. When selecting the mobile phone, a zoomed-in version of the phone pops up in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. The phone allows the player to view text messages and appointments, as well as arrange to meet friends for a variety of activities. Retrying a failed mission can be performed by accessing the menu. The player can take photos with the mobile phone and upload them to the police computer during certain missions. Niko can dial 911 to call the police for them to arrest an enemy/pedestrian that is fighting/shooting at him, or just to trick them into wasting resources on a false alarm. He can also contact the paramedics and the fire station.
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 cyber café chain, “TW@”, located throughout the city. There are over 100 accessible, fictitious websites within the game, and Niko can also send and receive email (complete with random spam mail) and set up prospective dates. Although the “TW@” cyber café was seen in Grand Theft Auto III, it did not give the player the option to browse the internet. In a police vehicle, Niko can use an in-car computer to access Liberty City’s criminal database, discover information about various criminals in Liberty City and even track them down for a reward. The game also features in-game television programming, with several viewable channels featuring programs and advertisements. The television shows cover a wide variety of genres, including news, comedy, talk shows, and sports. There is also a mock of Ric Burns’ New York: A Documentary Film running continuously on one of the game’s television stations, detailing the history of Liberty City in the same grandiose style as Burns’ 8-part documentary.
Multiplayer
Grand Theft Auto IV is the first console game in the series to include online multiplayer, with 15 modes of play available. The multiplayer supports up to 16 players and allows players to explore the entire city. Players use a customisable character in a majority of the modes, with cash earned during play able to be used to purchase clothing for their character. Hosts of the games can control many variables, such as time of day, police presence, pedestrian presence, traffic, location of game, and weapons. The online games are split into ranked and unranked matches. The reward for the ranked gameplay is cash, which determines players’ ranks. The game does not feature any split screen or LAN multiplayer modes.
There are several different game modes available. Team based gameplay modes include Team Deathmatch, where 2-8 teams compete to accumulate the most kills in a traditional deathmatch; Team Mafiya Work, in which 2–8 teams compete to complete contract work for the “mafiya”, such as escorting/killing targets or stealing cars; Team Car Jack City where 2–8 teams compete to steal cars and earn money for keeping them undamaged; Cops n’ Crooks, featuring a team of cops who must compete against a team of crooks (which features the “All for One” variation - requiring the cops to kill the crooks’ “Boss” before he is escorted to the extraction point - and the “One for All” variation - requiring the cops to kill all of the crooks before they reach the extraction point); and Turf War, involving two teams who compete to take control of designated areas of the map and control them for as long as possible.
The game also includes a variety of racing and co-operative modes, which include Race, in which players race through checkpoints in a traditional automobile race; a GTA Race variation, where players race through checkpoints in an automobile race, with the ability to combat their opponents; Hangman’s N.O.O.S.E., a co-op mode that requires players to collect a person from the airport and safely escort him to the extraction point before the cops kill him; Deal Breaker, a co-op mission that requires players to assault a construction site captured by enemies, then chase a group of enemies before they escape; and Bomb da Base II, a co-op mission that requires players to clear out a ship, then destroy it with explosives. The game also features a Free Mode, in which players have the entire map open to explore, with no end goal or mission to complete.
From Wikipedia.org