Grand Theft Auto IV Discussion

[Guest Kanenite]

The Trailer looks amazing. Seriously cannot wait for the game, i'm really looking forward to seeing how it all unravels. The character looks good, I thought Tommy Vercetti was the best and at the moment he doesn't compare at all but he'll probably end up growing on me. I'm wondering now if there will be some kind of countryside and different countries. God i'm pumped up now, bring on GTA IV.

[Guest TNA TNA TNA]

am i the only person who still thinks hes iranian or something?

[Guest Slim Jim]

Yes.

[Guest Anime Otaku]

Yes.

 

Nope.

 

I personally don't think he's Iranian, I think he's more likely Russian or from a former Soviet country but on GameFAQs a lot of people have said that he looks Middle Eastern. Others have also put forward the theory that he's actually not the main character but perhaps a low level thug from one of the gangs or even a lower end boss though I doubt it personally.

[Guest Clarkey]

I disagree with that fast building theory too, Rockstar have form for unveiling their lead character in their trailers. I think they did miss the boat though, GTA with Borat as the lead would have been inspired. Well the GTA universe's Borat equivalent.

[Guest Proudy]

Oh my god, the graphics look amazing! I cant wait for this now. I really hope its the Russian Mafia, that you use.

 

Anyway, someone earlier mentioned the possibilty of going "upstate", Well in Liberty City (GTA 3) isnt Carcer City (Man Hunt) upstate? The blocked tunnel at the top of Shoreside Vale suppossedly leads to Carcer.

[Guest Conan]

This is the film Rockstar North borrowed the idea from for GTA IV (for the trailer),

Another clip

 

Is it me or does Koyaanisqatsi seem really cool? I'm renting it at the moment. thanks Clarkey. :xyx

[Guest DarkMatchJobber]

Graphics are impressive but it'd be better having a brand new city to explore in my opinion.

 

I'm just glad the OG Loc as the main character rumour is not true.

[Guest Clarkey]

Some more concrete details, credit to Eurogamer, Kotaku, and gta4.net (sorry for the long post, alot of stuff):

 

New details for Grand Theft Auto IV have spilled their way onto the Internet, expanding on what we can expect when the game launches on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this October.

 

The game will be as significantly different as GTA III was to the previous top-down crime capers, Rockstar founder Dan Houser told Game Informer, and will offer much wider choice and freedom to the player.

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As we already know from the trailer, GTA IV will take place in Liberty City (New York) in 2007, and will revolve around an Eastern European fellow. This chap, the main character, is Niko Bellic - an immigrant in search of the "American Dream".

 

His cousin Roman persuaded him to make the move by boasting a life of luxury, but it eventually turns out he was using this as a cover to hide his own failures. He'll be your only contact until you can find your feet, and ultimately carve out your own destiny.

 

One of the biggest differences in the new game will be the way you interact with other people. In previous iterations you've been at the beck and call of others, picking up your phone to receive orders. But this time around you'll be able to dial out, calling people to arrange rendezvouses and correlate your own plans. There will still be an element of following someone else's game plan, but the freedom of choice is something Rockstar is proudly standing by.

 

In GTA IV, four of the five boroughs of New York have been recreated for you to explore, as well as parts of New Jersey. Broker is the equivalent of Brooklyn, Manhattan is now Algonquin, Queens becomes Dukes, the Bronx is Brohan, and New Jersey transforms into Alderney.

 

While that doesn't give the fourth game the largest geographical playing field in the series, the level of detail and freedom should apparently more than make up for it.

 

We've already seen the impressive lighting effects, sumptuous skyline, and next-gen sheen from the trailer. What is less evident is the vastly enhanced AI, where NPCs will walk and talk much more convincingly, going about their daily routines around you. And apparently the game will only look better as we get closer to launch.

 

As with other games you can expect voice acting and an impressive array of radio stations to choose from while you're joyriding in Liberty City. However, it's unlikely we'll see Hollywood actors in the lead roles in this game, as Rockstar is making an effort to choose less well-known talent, both for voices and for the track listing.

 

Multiplayer is also going to be included this time around, but it isn't going to be an MMORPG. It's going to be something separate to the single-player experience that will be fun, interesting, and progressive.

 

Technically the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions will look and feel the same, and loading screens should be non existent after your initial entry into the world.

 

However, Microsoft's console will offer that exclusive downloadable content its boasted about at every opportunity, though there's still speculation as to whether the Blu-ray disc will include more to begin with.

 

The protagonist's name is Niko Bellic - an Eastern European immigrant who has come to Liberty City to live the "American Dream." The game is set in Liberty City in 2007, but it is bigger than the Liberty City we saw in GTA III.

 

The GTA 4 equivalent of the Statue of Liberty is called the Statue of Happiness... Broker is the GTA IV equivalent of Brooklyn, Manhattan is now called Algonquin, Queens is now Dukes, the Bronx is Bohan, and New Jersey is Alderney. The map is smaller than San Andreas, but considerably more detailed. No countryside or desert, we are led to believe.

 

Rockstar is giving its players more freedom, more choice, and more sense of control over their destiny — the structure of GTA4's storyline is quite different to it's predecessors as it can be told in a number of different ways. You can talk to people in person, by cell phones, and there are a bunch of other ways of giving the player information... In previous GTA games you were like a slave because you had to constantly take orders from people when doing missions. There is still an element of that in Grand Theft Auto 4, but you can also choose how you want to spend your time...

 

There are no planes in GTA IV because there is only one city, and Rockstar want the game to seem realistic. That means there will be no rollerblades, no unicycles, probably no jetpacks and indeed no planes. Rockstar are giving choice and variety which feels right for the character. However there will be motorbikes.

 

After an initial load sequence, the game will never load again. Not even during exterior-interior transitions (and vice versa).

 

Both versions of the game (Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3) will likely be identical, but the Xbox 360 version will have exclusive downloadable episodic [sizeable] content. Rockstar have now spent over 3 years developing the game, and Dan Houser compares the leap from GTA III to GTA IV, to the leap from GTA to GTA III.

 

 

GTA IV will have multiplayer, but it's not going to be a massively multiplayer online game, says Dan Houser. They are trying to make something that is interesting, fun, progressive and which goes along nicely with the single-player game.

 

 

The demo (which was played on Xbox 360) begins with Bellic standing inside of the taxi depot' date=' which Roman operates in the borough of Broker in a converted industrial garage. Roman works at a cluttered desk in a shabby environment, and at this point the graphical improvements are extremely evident. Bellic walks to a brownstone house in Broker, where he pushes open the door and pulls out a pistol. The living room however, is not occupied. He then moves onto the kitchen, which he also finds to be empty. He pushes his way through the back door and smashes the window of a red four-door car using his elbow. The broken glass falls onto the street and onto the seat of the car, as Bellic unlocks it from the inside. He hotwires the car and sets off to his next destination. The camera angle behind the car is closer to the vehicle than in previous GTA titles, which enables more detail on the car to be seen. After selecting a radio station, Bellic navigates to a section of the BOABO arriving at a dockside with a terrific view of the city skyline. Pigeons can be heard in the sky, and waves can be heard rustling in the water. Bellic then pulls out his cellphone which has options for Phonebook, Messages, Organizer and Camera on it's LCD screen. He selects Phonebook, and he is then presented with another set of options: City Contact, Docks Friend, and Cab Contact. After a brief conversation he informs the reciever to meet him at the docks.[/quote']

 

Everything just gets more and more interesting. I'm quite happy with the direction Rockstar seem to be taking, particularly the interaction with people. I said it before, but it is scarily making me think Shenmue but in a GTA form (though you could say Yakuza already had that covered). If the interaction with people is spot on though, the bold claim about this matching the impact made with the jump from GTA2 to 3 will definately hold some truth.

[Guest Clarkey]

Really didn't warrant a new thread, so I dragged this one back up; but a little tidbit of GTA IV news:

 

New York, NY - May 21, 2007 - Rockstar Games is proud to announce that Grand Theft Auto IV will be available as a special edition on October 16 in North America and October 19 in Europe, the same day as the regular edition of Grand Theft Auto IV.

 

The Grand Theft Auto IV Special Edition will be presented in a customized Grand Theft Auto metal safety deposit box. The box will contain:

 

--Grand Theft Auto IV on the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system or the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, both with special packaging

 

--The Grand Theft Auto IV Art Book, featuring never-before-seen production artwork from Grand Theft Auto IV

 

--Selected soundtrack CD from Grand Theft Auto IV, featuring new material from top artists, only available on this release

 

--An exclusive Rockstar keychain for the safety deposit box keys

 

--Completing the collection is a limited edition Rockstar duffel bag

 

All of the items have been created with the utmost attention to detail to create a unique Grand Theft Auto IV experience for any fan of the series. The Grand Theft Auto IV Special Edition is available for pre-orders today and will retail for $89.99 in North America.

 

No news on the UK pricing.

[Red05 343]

I think the only decent extra there is the Soundtrack CD, I mean, you'd only look at the artwork a couple of times surely. If I was going to buy GTA-IV, I'd just get the normal game.

[Guest MojoPogo]

I think the only decent extra there is the Soundtrack CD, I mean, you'd only look at the artwork a couple of times surely. If I was going to buy GTA-IV, I'd just get the normal game.

 

But...but....you're not 18!!!!:P Shocking!

[Guest Anime Otaku]

I think I'll be getting the SE version, it looks really good/

[Guest MojoPogo]

Im keeping an eye on the "no planes" rumour. However if there is increased level of detail on the building interiors, and for example you could start a big fire fight in say, GTAs version of Wall Street, that might certainly make up for the loss.....

[Guest Al Stevens]

Clarky I would say that speical will cost between £50 to £60 uk. Also i think this is the first GTA game which i have got proper excited for since Vice City

[Guest Clarkey]

See I would usually agree that it would be around £50/£60, but with it's popularity and the Halo 3 Legendary pack out around that time, I can see Rockstar/Take 2 being sly and jumping the price up a bit to nearer £70.

 

On the 'no planes' aspect, it has been revealed that helicopters are in the game according to quite a few sources now, but no planes still because of the emphasis on realism this time around. No real need to fly a plane just to get around New York of course.

[DC 536]

I think the only decent extra there is the Soundtrack CD, I mean, you'd only look at the artwork a couple of times surely. If I was going to buy GTA-IV, I'd just get the normal game.

Jack Thompson will be at your door within an hour of buying it, lol.

[Guest Anime Otaku]

Something I read, I think in GM, was that unlike the previous games you're not trying to take over LC like you were in VC and SA. Instead you're a small fish in a big pond just trying to get out of trouble.

[Red05 343]

Jack Thompson will be at your door within an hour of buying it, lol.

 

Sorry, but I don't get the joke?

[Guest Al Stevens]

Jack Thompson will be at your door within an hour of buying it, lol.

 

Actually Ray Buy it and let me come over, so i can greet Mr Thompson with a flame thrower :lol :devil :brows