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Grand Theft Auto IV

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Grand Theft Auto IV
File:GTAIV Logo.jpg
Grand Theft Auto IV logo.
Developer(s)Rockstar North
Publisher(s)Rockstar Games
SeriesGrand Theft Auto
EngineRAGE
Platform(s)PlayStation 3
Xbox 360
Release


Genre(s)Action
Mode(s)Single player
Multiplayer
File:Gtaivtrailer.png
An early screenshot of the game's main protagonist, Niko Bellic, in the trailer.

Grand Theft Auto IV (also known as GTA IV or GTA 4) is the upcoming eleventh installment of the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise, announced for release by Rockstar Games in 2007[1] in the United States for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.[2] The game will run on the RAGE game engine, which also powered Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis.[3] The game is being written by Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser. It will include online play, but will not be an MMORPG. GTA IV has been nominated for a 2006 Golden Joystick Award in the One To Watch For 2007 category.[4]

According to Janco Partners analyst Mike Mickey, a financial consultant for Take-Two Interactive Software, around 150 game developers are working on Grand Theft Auto IV. He also remarked that Rockstar Games is "fully capable of ushering in an entertainment experience categorically superior to the prior cycle’s GTA product".

The game will be set in a redesigned Liberty City in the year 2007.

According to the Official Xbox Magazine, sent out to subscribers in early May, GTA IV was 66% complete at the time of writing.[5]

Debut trailer: "Things Will Be Different"

The first trailer for Grand Theft Auto IV was released on March 29, 2007 at 22:00 UTC. At the time the trailer was released, Rockstar's servers for the trailer's official website became almost immediately overloaded.[6]

The trailer is 1:03 in length and features the main protagonist Niko Bellic, who has a brief monologue: "Life is complicated; I killed people, smuggled people, sold people. Perhaps here, things will be different." The trailer ends with the "IV" and fades out to the Rockstar logo.

The trailer features several New York City landmarks, including locations and structures resembling the Coney Island Cyclone, Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building and the MetLife Building (branded as "GetaLife"). The trailer uses a similar cinematic style to Godfrey Reggio's 1982 documentary film Koyaanisqatsi and used Philip Glass's original music from the film (the opening and closing stanzas of the track "Pruitt-Igoe") as well as emulated time-lapsed filming from "The Grid".[7]

Rockstar has stated that all the trailer's footage is in high-definition 720p, generated real-time by the game's RAGE engine, running on an actual game console.[8]

In-game content

Plot

Niko Bellic is an Eastern European immigrant in his mid-thirties, who has come to Liberty City to pursue the "American Dream". Niko was persuaded to move to Liberty City by his cousin Roman, who claimed in multiple e-mails to Niko that he was living a fabulous life, with two women, four hot tubs and fifteen sports cars; but he was in fact telling lies to hide his own failures.

Roman is the only person Niko knows in Liberty City to begin with, and is one of his major connections in the first part of the game. Niko is a tough character, whereas Roman is friendly. Roman is heavily in debt and a lot of people are after him. He desperately needs Niko's support, hence the reason he deceived Niko into traveling to Liberty City. They are constantly bickering. It is later revealed that Niko has also been avoiding other, as yet undisclosed, problems at home.

According to Dan Houser, "virtually none" of the characters from the previous games are returning, as a lot of them are dead anyway.[9]

Locations

File:GTAIV Broker.jpg
Liberty City in Grand Theft Auto IV.

Rockstar has recreated four of the five boroughs in New York City, as well as parts of New Jersey. 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 (after the Channel Island of the same name). The total area of the map is smaller than Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, but the new rendition of Liberty City will be more detailed, and larger than any previous individual cities in the GTA series. Additionally, according to the Official Playstation 2 Magazine UK, "to get from one side of the new and improved Liberty City to the other will take you at least an hour." Furthermore, developers are still deciding whether bridges will be used to cordon off certain areas, by way of blocking access to cross them.[3] However, eventually the player will be able to lead Niko Bellic to explore Roosevelt Island and cross the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Willamsburg bridges.

The GTA IV equivalent of the Statue of Liberty is called the "Statue of Happiness", and DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) is known as "BOABO" (Beneath the Offramp of the Algoquin Bridge Overpass).

Another building called "Twitchins", the GTA version of Brooklyn's Domino's Sugar Factory, is in the game.

A Staten Island-esque area will not be featured in the game for the reason that Rockstar believes it would not be fun to play there; Dan Houser also states that that there would not be any "dead spots" or "irrelevant space" within Liberty City such as wide open deserts in San Andreas.

Pedestrians are much more intelligent, realistic and diverse, using mobile phones, cash machines, eating snacks, drinking soda, reading newspapers, scratching their nose, coughing and interacting with each other through laughter and threatening remarks. Pedestrians and traffic flow will also be different depending on the time of day.

Dan Houser has also confirmed that an area resembling Central Park will be in the game.

It has been announced that some meetings in the game will take place high in the office buildings of skyscrapers which will subsequently allow Niko to throw people off the buildings. However, Niko won't be able to access all the buildings in the game.

Gameplay

An Xbox 360 demo of Grand Theft Auto IV published in the May 2007 issue of Game Informer reveals that the storyline begins with Bellic standing inside the taxi depot (which Roman operates in the borough of Broker in a converted industrial garage), working at a cluttered desk in a shabby environment. Bellic walks to a brownstone house in Broker, where he pushes open the door and pulls out his 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 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. 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 its 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 receiver to meet him at the docks.

The May 2007 issue of Game Informer reveals that after the initial load sequence, no such occurrences persist when entering/exiting buildings or crossing islands. Additionally, the player will not be able to fly planes[10], unlike previous instalments in the Grand Theft Auto series; helicopters, however, will be flyable, and there is also a confirmed airport. [9]

Details are also revealed that demonstrate how variations in the terrain cause the way the character walks to change. The way the player moves is controlled by a physics engine instead of purely pre-written animations, therefore enabling character movements to be more realistic. The engine used is the Rockstar Advanced Game Engine, or RAGE. Rockstar Games announced that euphoria by NaturalMotion would be used in future Rockstar titles. It is undetermined if this software will be used in collaboration with RAGE in the final version of the game.[11]

The player will also be able to perform a variety of new actions such as climbing telephone poles, fire escapes and pushing people who bump into him, and calling a woman for a date.[12] When selecting the mobile phone, a zoomed-in version of the mobile screen pops up in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen and a list of several commands are made available to the player, such as "meet me here" et cetera.

Bellic’s outfit can be changed throughout the game; however, it will not be possible to customize his physique as in San Andreas [citation needed]

Stealing a car (which has been parked) can no longer be done simply by opening the door and driving off. Now it involves Niko approaching the car sneakily, breaking the glass with his elbow, before hotwiring it - only then can he use it. Also, there will be several animation variations to sneaking up to a car and breaking it. The way Niko enters the car would look different each time depending where and how he is in relation to the car. Because of the NaturalMotion system used in the game, the way the character will approach the car will be completely random. The trunks of cars will also be utilised by the player, though specific details are unknown. Furthermore, players will be able to choose from four different camera views whilst in a car according to their needs. The player will also be able to control vehicles such as boats and helicopters [citation needed].

When Niko pulls out a weapon, the camera positions itself above his shoulder (ala Resident Evil 4), and a view-finder appears at the centre of the screen. It's possible to lock a target and move laterally to avoid incoming shots. Hand to hand combat is also being reworked, and will feel "much more natural" than before [citation needed].

Additionally, Niko will be able to travel around the city in buses and trains. Bus timings can be viewable at bus stops although nothing else has been confirmed [citation needed].

Also it has been revealed that every street in the game will have a name for the reason that some missions will require the player to go to a specific address [citation needed].

Soundtrack

Philip Glass, the composer of the music used in the original trailer, will be involved in the production of GTA IV's soundtrack. The soundtrack was described as "modern and suits the mood perfectly". [13] Glass' "Pruitt-Igoe" theme from Koyaanisqatsi was utilized for the teaser trailer.

Dan Houser has said that Rockstar is "certainly evolving the way the radio works". According to Official Xbox Magazine, one of the radio stations includes an "Eastern European-sounding" dancing theme. As part of GTA IV's new physics, the player will be able to hear and feel the bass of vehicles passing by with their radio turned on.

Multiplayer

Multiplayer in the game has been confirmed. However, it will not be an MMO, as Houser had previously suggested when citing Everquest as a source of inspiration. There will be numerous multiplayer modes, including co-op, although playing the single player game through co-operative mode is not possible. [citation needed]

Episodic content

During Microsoft's 2006 E3 press conference on May 9, it was announced that Grand Theft Auto IV would be available for the Xbox 360 and that Rockstar Games will offer exclusive episodic content via Xbox Live for the Xbox 360 version. This had been confirmed by Rockstar, announcing two extra, exclusive episodes.[14] After the press conference, Rockstar Games' parent company, Take-Two Interactive, posted a press release announcing Grand Theft Auto IV will be released simultaneously for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms. On February 28 2007 it was announced that exclusive episodic content will be introduced starting in 2008.[15]

Peter Moore, head of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business division announced that Rockstar Games is working on two downloadable packs for GTA IV exclusively on the 360, which will probably be available within months of the game's release date. Moore described downloadable content as "epic episode packs", and not just extra cars or characters. A press release during the conference said that the packs would add "hours of entirely new gameplay" to the game.[16] The official Xbox website states that these episodes will last a minimum of 10 hours.[17] Details on the pricing of these downloads have not yet been revealed, though it would almost certainly not be released for free, as Take-Two Interactive's former CEO, Paul Eibeler, have said numerous times that these downloads would provide "additional revenue streams" to the company.

GTA IV: Special Edition

"GTA IV: Special Edition" was announced [18] on May 21 2007 for both PS3 and Xbox 360 versions. It features a customised metal safe deposit box that will contain the following:

  • A Rockstar keychain for the safe deposit box keys.
  • A limited edition Rockstar duffel bag.
  • Production artwork from GTA IV in the "Grand Theft Auto IV Art Book".
  • Selected soundtrack CD from Grand Theft Auto IV, featuring new material from top artists, only available on this release.
  • A specially packaged version of the game for either PS3 or Xbox 360.

Limited pre-orders for the special edition of GTA IV were available from May 21 and will retail for the price of USD $89.99 in North America and AUS $149.95 in Australia.[19]

Controversy

Jack Thompson

American anti-video game activist and Florida lawyer Jack Thompson stated he would take various measures to prevent the sale of the game by Rockstar to minors.[20] On March 16, 2007, Rockstar's parent company, Take Two Interactive, filed a lawsuit against Thompson in Florida in attempt to block him from trying to declare its games (or any game) a public nuisance. It would be a crime to sell games declared to be a public nuisance, effectively banning such games, a violation of First Amendment rights.[21] (Take Two Interactive's lawsuit can be read here.) Thompson responded by filing a counter suit, accusing Take Two Interactive of violating federal RICO statutes (the charge was later dropped), committing perjury, obstruction of justice, and conspiring against him with third parties to deprive him of his civil rights.[22][23] (Thompson's countersuit can be read here.)

On April 20, 2007, both parties reached a settlement and agreed to drop their respective lawsuits. Under the terms of the settlement Thompson is barred from suing to block the sale or distribution of any future games published by Take Two Interactive or any of its subsidiaries. He will no longer be able to bring his accusations regarding Take Two Interactive's games directly to the publisher or any of its business associates. He will be restricted to communicating through Take Two's attorneys on any future matters. Thompson will still be able to maintain his outspoken stance against the publisher's titles, as well as still being allowed to act as counsel in lawsuits brought against Take Two Interactive by other parties.

For their part, Take Two Interactive agreed to drop its contempt of court lawsuit against Thompson regarding alleged improper conduct during the Bully court hearings in Florida[24][25], which, if found to be in contempt, would have resulted in Thompson seeing jail time.[26][27][28] (The settlement can be read here.)

New York City officials

After the release of the first trailer, New York City officials were appalled with the choice of their city as the inspiration for the setting of Grand Theft Auto IV, and said that a game like GTA does not represent the city's crime levels accurately.[29] A spokesman for Mayor Michael Bloomberg said "The mayor does not support any video game where you earn points for injuring or killing police officers".[30] However, Jason Della Rocca, executive director of the International Game Developers Association, accused New York City officials of hypocrisy, for criticizing video games but not other forms of entertainment, such as books, films and television shows, which use New York City as the setting.[31]

References

  1. ^ http://www.gamespot.com/news/show_blog_entry.php?topic_id=25671962&sid=6171896&action=convert&om_clk=latestnews&tag=latestnews;title;0
  2. ^ "Rockstar Games announces Grand Theft Auto IV for the Xbox 360™ and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system". Take-Two Interactive. 2006-05-09. Retrieved 2007-04-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ Totilo, Stephen (2006-05-04). "The First Rule Of Ping-Pong Club: Talk About Rockstar's Table Tennis Game". MTV. Retrieved 2007-04-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ Jenkins, David (2006-02-08). "2006 Golden Joystick Award Finalists Revealed". CMP Media. Retrieved 2007-04-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ [1], OXM Magazine Preview, 09 May 2007
  6. ^ Berardini, César (2007-03-29). "GTA IV Crashed the Internet". IGN. Retrieved 2007-04-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ Leone, Matt (2007-03-29). "Previews: GTA IV Everything we know -- and the trailer in HD!". Ziff Davis. Retrieved 2007-04-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ "And Grand Theft Auto IV Takes Place In... * UPDATE *". IGN. 2007-03-29. Retrieved 2007-04-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ a b Official Playstation Magazine (May 2007), GTA 4 UK Exclusive, Future Publishing
  10. ^ Game Informer Magazine (May 2007), GTA 4 US Exclusive, GameStop {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ NaturalMotion and Rockstar Games, Inc. Announce Development Partnership, NaturalMotion Press Release, 27 February 2007
  12. ^ Rob Burman, IGN UK (24 April, 2007). "First GTA IV Gameplay details" (HTML). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ "A generous slab of fresh info inside". 2007-04-27. Retrieved 2007-05-20. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ "Xbox 360 Gets Two Exclusive Grand Theft Auto 4 Episodes". Portalit.net. 2006-12-16. Retrieved 2007-04-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ "Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Announces Fiscal 2006 Financial Results". Take-Two Interactive. 2007-05-28. Retrieved 2007-04-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ Surette, Tim (2006-09-27). "X06: Duo of XBL GTA4 packs confirmed for 360". CNET. Retrieved 2007-04-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ "Grand Theft Auto IV gets a little respect". Microsoft. 2006-09-27. Retrieved 2007-04-27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ "Take Two Games - Investor Relations General Information". 2007-05-21. Retrieved 2007-05-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ Luke Van Leuveren (2007-05-30). "GTA IV Special Edition RRP" (html). Retrieved 2007-06-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ Graft, Kris (2007-01-03). "Thompson Rallies Against GTA IV". Future US. Retrieved 2007-04-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ Game Politics Staff (April 1, 2007) BREAKING: Take Two Sues Jack Thompson over Manhunt 2, GTA4, gamepolitics.com
  22. ^ Game Politics Staff (March 22, 2007) In Countersuit, Thompson Claims Take Two at Center of Vast RICO Conspiracy, gamepolitics.com
  23. ^ Sinclair, Brendan (March 21, 2007) Thompson Countersues Take-Two, gamespot.com
  24. ^ Game Politics Staff (October 23, 2007) Could Jack Thompson Be Jailed Over “Bully” Case?, gamepolitics.com
  25. ^ Dodson, Jason (October 23, 2006) Report: Jack Thompson May Face Contempt Charge, gamasutra.com
  26. ^ Game Politics Staff (April 20, 2007) GTA Publisher, Jack Thompson Settle Lawsuit, gamepolitics.com
  27. ^ Seff, Micah (April 20, 2007) Jack Thompson and Take-Two Bury the Hatchet, ign.com
  28. ^ Xbox Users Group (April 20, 2007) GTA Publisher, Jack Thompson Settle Lawsuit, xboxusersgroup.com
  29. ^ "New York appalled with GTA IV setting". Future Publishing. Retrieved 2007-04-01.
  30. ^ Gendar, Alison (2007-03-31). "Pols rage as vid game takes shot at city". NYDailyNews.com. Retrieved 2007-04-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  31. ^ Millard, Elizabeth (April 2, 2007) [2], newsfactor.com
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