2008 Woodie Awards
New Grand Theft Auto IV Is a Blast to Play
Brent Wallace
Issue date: 5/14/08 Section: Entertainment
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The GTA series has always been famous for its sandbox game play that allows you to explore large cities and do just about whatever you want. GTA 4 takes this sandbox game play to a whole new level with the living and breathing city that is Liberty City, along with various game play improvements from previous installations in the series.
The game is not without its minor frustrations, but GTA 4 is unquestionably a grand experience that is a blast to play.
In GTA 4, you play as Niko Bellic, an illegal immigrant who arrives in America hoping to start a new life. Unfortunately, Bellic does not find what he expects and has no choice but to live a life of crime in Liberty City. The main storyline follows Bellic and his life in Liberty City, along with his interactions with the various criminal factions and contacts you meet in the city.
GTA 4 follows the same formula that was used by GTA 3 back in 2001. You get to explore Liberty City and do just about anything you want to. Along with the main storyline's missions and side missions, you can steal cars, start a brawl in the bar with a friend, get drunk, and much more.
One of the main reasons that just exploring Liberty City is so satisfying is that the city itself is truly alive in GTA 4. The roads of the city are always bustling with activity as pedestrians and drivers alike go about their business. Just exploring Liberty City and causing some havoc proves to be a very nice diversion from GTA 4's missions, which can get a bit repetitive after a while.
Along with a vastly improved city, GTA 4 makes a number of notable improvements to the basic game play. The combat is much easier and more satisfying thanks to a new targeting system, which is quite intuitive and makes it easy to shoot enemies and their different body parts.
The combat system also benefits from a cover system, which allows you to take cover behind walls, cars, trees, and more. These new elements added to GTA 4's combat are not entirely original, but GTA 4 makes great use of these improvements.
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