In the three-and-a-half year absence of a bespoke home console Grand Theft Auto, there has been a steady succession of pretenders to the free-roaming throne, but you sense they have just been merely warming the seat in anticipation of the king's return. There's a cocksure swagger to GTA IV, and it's hard not to swoon over the self-assured return of the sandbox king. From the litter on the streets to the planes that dot the sky, this is as well realised a game world as has been witnessed to date, and it's a marked progression in the world of sandbox play. Taking as its centerpiece the character that has always distinguished the series from its peers, Rockstar has distilled the humour and reined in the excesses of the last generation of GTA to deliver a punchier and more cohesive world.
In our extended hands-on we attempted five separate missions, whose completion was understandably somewhat hampered by our desire to create as much mischief on the streets of Liberty City as possible. Generally the missions on display didn't venture too far from the GTA formula, though of course what we saw was only the slightest of glimpses into what's sure to be a vast adventure, and most of what Rockstar showed was from the earlier stages of the game.
Jamaican Heat is the first mission laid out before us, an early tutorial a short way into the full GTA IV experience. Initiated in a cab rank with Niko's cousin Roman, who looks to loom large in the main thrust of the narrative, it's a gentle introduction to some of the newer features, as well as to the character of Little Jacob, who we are tasked with escorting to a drug deal.
Integration of menus and a tightened map system all help contribute to a more streamlined GTA experience. One of the first things to note when taking to the streets is the new radar, now complete with a more readily understandable key. Blue markers denote an item to be picked up, yellow markers a destination, and a red dot lets you know there's someone waiting to be slaughtered. A welcome addition is the GPS navigation system, which looks to become an invaluable tool when hot-footing it around Liberty City. Waypoints are shown as a green mark and we were told that the GPS system is completely law abiding – meaning that it won't send you careering headfirst into traffic down one-way streets. It's a nice fallibility to the feature, ensuring that while it will prove indisposable in location-scouting, it won't nanny players through the game, and that in some situations duty will dictate veering off the designated route in order to get to the destination quicker.
Having successfully navigated to Little Jacob's pad, it soon becomes clear that through a heavy intake of certain weeds and his reliance on treacle thick patois, he is near incomprehensible – to the point where we were helpfully advised to turn on the subtitles, which are a huge help in deciphering the man. Having taken his seat by our side, the car soon fills with smoke from Little Jacob's ever-present joint, which proceeds to billow out the windows as we career to our destination.
This being GTA, the deal doesn't quite go to plan and soon enough we are tasked with taking out the trio of wrong-doers, giving us a chance to see the highly-touted new combat system in full effect. Locking on with the left trigger, the reticule can be targeted more accurately using the right stick to facilitate complete control over where the shot lands. It's therefore possible to kneecap or lovingly maim victims, though given the requirements of the mission we opted for the traditional headshot before leaping behind the wheel and seeing to the rest of the gang with the blunt end of our vehicle. The scenario was instantly recognisable from GTA's past, this familiarity helping to shine a light on some of the newer features. Combat is a world away from the amputated firefights of earlier titles, and still a step-up again from the rectified targeting system of San Andreas. Upon the successful completion of the mission, an icon appeared informing us that Little Jacob had been added to our contacts, meaning if ever we wanted to indulge in another mind-fogging conversation with the unintelligible dealer he would only be a phone call away.
The previously touted phone looks to be the go-to item when it comes to deciphering the demands of the world. Controlled via the d-pad, it's a relatively unobtrusive way to access all the information required to negotiate missions. Of its many features there is an organiser that contains one touch access to the many contacts Niko acquires throughout the game. It's also customisable to a degree, with different ring-tones available, and as previously noted it has a built-in radio, meaning on-foot sections can now be accompanied by what looks to be a typically sterling soundtrack.
While the licensed tunes are yet to be finalised, the stations are in place. A flitter through the airwaves revealed an expected mix of urban and contemporary channels, alongside a few unexpected surprises. An ambient station provides a strangely dreamy backdrop to the onscreen channel, with the moaning synthesizers sitting jarringly alongside the action, but nevertheless creating an interesting counterpoint. A classics station, pumping out period tunes and timeless croons, worked wonderfully with the New York-inspired locale, and looks set to be our station of choice come the end of April.
Next up was Concrete Jungle, again featuring our drug-peddling friend, and again the mission focused on kindly disposing of some of Jacob's opposition. The mission is intended as an introduction to the new cover system, with close quarters combat at its crux.
Making our way to an urban den of ill repute – whose squalor is quite beautifully realised, located in a more serene leafy borough of Liberty City – we make our way up the stoop and are instructed by Jacob to push ourselves against the wall. Most objects can be utilised as cover throughout GTA IV and though at first we found its implementation a little clumsier than that of titles such as Gears of War – you have to press a button to enter cover rather than it happening automatically - it works to make gunplay a more rewarding experience than previous games.
With Jacob covering the door, we make our way to the window for a little duck and cover, occasionally rearing up to unleash a clip into the room. Making our way inside, we notice the destructible interior environments, with plasterboard crumbling under heavy fire. Indeed, it's possible to shoot through walls formed of less durable materials, and the more detailed interiors are one of the biggest progressions we saw in the game. Ammunition for guns can also be picked up from felled enemies.
Being our first attempt at combat, we clumsily took more than a few hits and our health, represented by a circle around the on-screen map, was quite substantially depleted. Fortunately a health kit was present in the kitchen, illuminated by a dim glow. It's interesting to see that there has been no transfer to a regenerative health system, as GTA IV firmly prescribes to the traditional medi-kit and body armour philosophy. The health system is slightly more nuanced than before, with body armour soaking up bullet hits while the general health will be affected by physical injury, such as heavy falls or being thrown through a car windscreen.
That's not to say that projecting yourself out of a windscreen isn't a grin-worthy pleasure – the new ragdoll physics make flinging Niko about quite a joy, and a new death-cam that follows the flailing corpse's arc through the air heightens the giddy thrill. Indeed, during your first jaunts around Liberty City it's likely you'll be seeing a fair amount of the new ragdoll physics, as handling in cars in GTA IV is a very different beast to its forebears. There's now a genuine and more pronounced distinction between different car models, and it's instantly obvious whether you're in charge of a front- or rear-wheel car, with each having a predilection for understeer and oversteer respectively. It ensures that attacking the streets at full pelt can't be done with as much abandon as before and little more care must be taken when negotiating corners lest you set off the impressive death cam again. The handbrake is now a lot more vicious, spilling the car into a 180-degree spin when applied, and will surely be providing a valuable tool when being chased across town. All of which goes to show off a more nuanced damage system, with each car having distinct crumple zones and responding to more specific hit points. Driving head-on into a lamp-post will leave an unmistakably lamp-post-shaped dent in the bonnet.
We also found ourselves using the in-car view with much more confidence than previous GTAs – whether it was the more realistic setting that inspired us to turn to this is debatable, but for the first time in the series it seemed a viable viewpoint. Likewise, the cinematic camera, now accessed with a single button press, added flavour to the action and was being utilised throughout our play-through.
Next up we were introduced to Dmitri, a resilient and hard-nosed underworld king lording over a nightclub, demanding the scalp of an underling. There's a certain amount of moral ambiguity to the hit, as it appears that Niko has links to his target and suffers the protestations of the victim's relatives. It's a little disappointing, then, that there seemed to be no choice into whether or not Niko carries out the kill. Though we're not expecting BioShock in terms of the choice afforded, by blindly following orders the action runs the risk of being over-prescribed.
Morals aside, we seize a Banshee, disposing of the driver before getting behind the wheel of what is traditionally one of the more powerful rides in the GTA canon. It really is a beast, a low slung and dangerously powerful car spitting out flames from the exhaust and proving a little unforgiving if pushed too far. Approaching a subway station we find our mark, and a small game of cat and mouse ensues as he clambers over the tracks before we chase him down a set of stairs and deposit a couple of rounds into the back of his skull.
Last of the missions that were new to us was Harbouring a Grudge, which again serves as an introduction to some of the newer elements of the game, this time with the focus on some of the new-found agility of GTA IV. It's also a mission we have numerous attempts at, our unfamiliarity with the cover system forcing us into some sticky deaths but allowing us to see some of the concessions the game makes for repeating tasks. Upon dying, a text will appear in the phone's inbox giving you instant access to the start of the mission, doing away with some of the infuriating back-tracking of older GTAs. Another welcome feature was what seemed to be an expanded script – our companion on the car offered different conversations upon each play-through, helping to ease some of the pain that re-trying the same mission can often foster.
Taking place in the dockland area of Liberty City, Niko is required to climb atop a roof of a warehouse before sniping hoodlums and making off with the truck in their care. While the platforming elements remain basic, there are a few more options in Niko's repertoire, with the ability to shimmy across surfaces. How much of the game world will be scaleable is unsure, but it adds another facet to the exploration aspect that is more than welcome. Thanks to the extended arsenal afforded to us – Rockstar kindly gifted us with every weapon in the game - the mission was simply a case of pointing our rocket launcher in the right direction and pulling the trigger, leaving us to step over the corpses and make off with the van. With that mission under our belt we then took our trusty RPG out into the world in a quest to gather stars – Wanted stars that is, not those you see in Super Mario Galaxy.
It soon descended into a helicopter hunt as we picked off the lesser law enforcers and hid giggling in a park bush, waiting for the airborne cavalry. After successfully introducing a couple of rockets to the underside of a chopper, we took the fight to the Times Square-inspired area, whose narrow enclosures ensured any aerial support would have a hard time keeping track of our movements. Within minutes the square was littered with burnt-out husks of cars, providing a satisfying conclusion to our first hands-on experience of GTA IV.
It's the level of detail that first hits home when cruising around Liberty City, the freewheeling outside of mission constraints allowing GTA IV to fully stretch its legs and prove that this will be a sandbox without compare. We see a man raking a motorway embankment, while driving through more suburban areas someone tends to their lawn - little flourishes that engender the world with life beyond that seen in other similar titles. Police eye Niko suspiciously when he runs across the road, despite the Wanted status being at zero, their heads following his path down the street as they peer from inside their stationary car.
At one point, while taking a midnight stroll through Liberty City's quite breathtaking spin on Times Square, we spot a man hunched over the open bonnet of his car, quizzically looking at the broken motor. Being the helpful citizens that we are, we push him to one side and try to hotfoot it with his automobile, but naturally his concerns weren't just a superfluous animation as the car fails to start and we climb out with rose-blushed cheeks.
These touches, however peripheral they may be to the thrust of the game, lend GTA IV a level of believability that other similar titles have only grasped at. Scaling the side of one of the cities many skyscrapers, there's a sense that there is a real world carrying on below, populated by living, breathing inhabitants. Certain characters will be more readily witnessed in certain districts, the financial area teeming with suited city workers while on the outskirts of Liberty City a more lackadaisical approach to living is evident. Likewise, expect their activity to be tied to the day cycles, with certain areas deserted in the small hours while others will attract their own form of nightlife.
Overall impressions of our first hands-on were very favourable and from what we saw this is a refinement of the series, placing the emphasis firmly on Rockstar's trademark humour and character. Shearing away some of the role-playing trappings of San Andreas will delight some while disappointing others, but it undoubtedly means that with the focus now on one solitary city more detail can be crammed in. Of course, what we saw was but a sliver of the total game, and we're sure that Rockstar is yet to do the full reveal. The multiplayer elements still remain shrouded in secrecy, though from the heightened tones in which they are being spoken of, be sure that it'll be something fairly spectacular. One thing, however, is certain - the king of sandbox has returned, and will be looking to once again take the throne come April 29.
