GTA4 - Is it really as good as everyone says?
The latest installment of the controversial series is full of surprises. But is it any good?
The latest title in the series has been showered with praise, with even the famously picky Edge magazine awarding the game a perfect ten. It is a game that seems to provoke extreme reactions. There are those (like Edge) who love the game, and there are those who find it morally reprehensible.
Both positions are too simplistic. The first thing to point out is that as piece of software, GTA IV is a very impressive achievement. With a brilliantly designed city, GTA IV is built to be as immersive as possible. Niko, the sympathetic-yet-violent hero of the game, finds himself a small man in the big city, slowly (and inevitably) sucked into a life of crime. Liberty City is a world that he can explore and, ultimately, exploit. The famed selection of radio channels provide atmosphere and fairly amusing elements of satire; the television and internet cafés provide relief from the main ‘story’ missions that Niko can purse.
It is Liberty City that is the real star of the show. It is vibrant and beautifully detailed, and each neighbourhood has an organic, lived-in feel. The city is big enough to weigh in on you, but it is also there to explore which, given its size, is quite daunting. In fact there is enough freedom of movement to allow each player to experience the city differently. But there are limitations which I will come back to later.
Apart from the free roaming elements that the GTA series is famous for, there are also some interesting nods to other, famous video games including FB favourites Chase HQ and Crazy Taxi. In fact, one of the better aspects of the game is how you can develop relationships with the characters that you encounter. This is rather like The Sims, but because of the city and the freedom that you’re permitted, it seems to have more point seeing that the ‘friendships’ not only help you complete well defined objectives but also provide a sort of morality which can sometimes seem to be at odds with the other, brash elements of GTA IV.
But there are some deep seated problems – some of the missions for Niko tend to be rather samey and occasionally extremely frustrating. There are some missions that are actually quite poorly designed and fail to properly harness the better qualities of the game.
Meanwhile, the cut scenes, although quite well written, seem to mask the formulaic nature of the missions, and there are a few occasions where you find yourself completing a mission in the way the game wants, and not how YOU want.
But the main disappointment, for me, is the fact that most of the buildings cannot be entered. It is even considered by some gamers as an exciting bonus to find ‘open’ buildings. Yes, yes, this sounds petty, but it really damages the sense of freedom so carefully fostered elsewhere. For example, the cities in Shenmue seemed to be more open, and although (for example) there wasn’t much point to the products you can buy in the shops (for example), it was pleasing to be able to buy stuff and it helped seal the illusion of a living, breathing city.
These might sound like minor quibbles, but I write them in response to the hype of the game and the generally help opinion that GTA IV is the best game ever. It successfully combines many gameplay elements and glues them together with a lovingly constructed game environment.
Is the game as brilliant as everyone says? I’m not sure that it is. It is a game made with real skill and pride. But is it a classic of our times? I would suggest not. It is more like a waypoint that shows what games might be like in the future. And, if you’re sensible, this game will either be an addictive, yet maddening experience or, if you’re slightly hysterical, it will fill you with sanctimonious anger.
