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Grand Theft Auto IV

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Grand Theft Auto IV
File:GTAIV Logo.jpg
Grand Theft Auto IV box art
Developer(s)Rockstar North
Publisher(s)Rockstar Games
SeriesGrand Theft Auto
EngineRAGE
Euphoria (Motion Engine)[3]
Platform(s)PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Genre(s)Third-person shooter, Action
Mode(s)Single player, Multiplayer

Grand Theft Auto IV (also known as GTA IV and GTA 4) is a sandbox-style action-adventure video game developed by Rockstar North.[11] It is the ninth title in the Grand Theft Auto series and the first in its fourth generation. Grand Theft Auto IV was released worldwide (except Japan) on 29 April 2008 for both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.[12]

The setting is a redesigned Liberty City, based heavily on New York City. The game follows Niko Bellic, a Serbian[13][14][15][16][17] veteran of the Bosnian War[18] who comes to the United States in search of the "American Dream", only to find his cousin has lied about the wealth that was promised to be awaiting him.

Upon release, Grand Theft Auto IV received "universal acclaim" from video game critics.[19][20]

Development

According to Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey, a financial consultant for Take-Two Interactive Software, around 150 game developers worked on Grand Theft Auto IV.[21] The team consists of core members of the Grand Theft Auto III team, albeit larger.[22] The story of Grand Theft Auto IV was written by Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser.[22] The Rockstar North team made two trips to New York for research, one at the start of the project (which is done with every GTA game) and another smaller one further into development.[23] A full-time research team, based in New York, handled further requests for information ranging from the ethnic minority of a neighbourhood to videos of traffic patterns.[22]

Rockstar President Sam Houser mentioned that the Rockstar team took tens of thousands of photos of New York City and went on to say that "the team went bloody bonkers with it quite frankly. Now all the people in the game feel like people you would meet or come across."[24]

The game uses Rockstar's own RAGE game engine, which was previously used in Rockstar Table Tennis, in combination with the Euphoria game animation engine.[3] Instead of pre-written animations, Euphoria controls the way the player moves, enabling character movements to be more realistic.[25] The Euphoria engine also enables NPCs to react in a realistic way to the player's actions. In one preview, a player knocked an NPC out of a window and the character grabbed onto a ledge to stop himself from falling.[26] The game also uses middleware from Image Metrics to facilitate intricate facial expressions and ease the process of incorporating lip-synching.[27]

Rockstar Games initially appeared to be committed to the original 16 October 2007 release date. However, Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter suggested that Take-Two may choose to delay the release of the game in order to boost its financial results for 2008 and to avoid competing with the release of other highly anticipated titles.[28] Rockstar responded by saying that Grand Theft Auto IV was still on track for release in "late October".[29] On 2 August 2007, Take-Two announced that Grand Theft Auto IV would miss its original release date of 16 October 2007 contrary to their previous statements, and would be delayed to their second fiscal quarter (February–April) of 2008. Their stated reason for the date change was "due to additional development time required to complete the title."[30] In a later conference call with investors, Take-Two's Strauss Zelnick attributed the delay to "almost strictly technological problems... not problems, but challenges."[31] It was revealed that technical difficulties with the PlayStation 3 version of the game contributed to the delay.[32] On 24 January 2008, Take-Two announced that Grand Theft Auto IV would be released on 29 April 2008.[12] At a Take-Two shareholder meeting on 18 April 2008, Take-Two CEO Ben Feder announced that GTA IV had already "gone gold" and was "in production and in trucks en route to retailers"[33]

Synopsis

Plot

File:Taxibepot.jpg
Niko outside Roman's taxi depot in Broker.[34]

Niko Bellic is a Serbian[35][36][37][38][39] immigrant who is thirty years of age and a veteran of the Bosnian War. He has come to Liberty City to pursue the "American Dream". Niko was persuaded to move to Liberty City by his cousin Roman, who had claimed in multiple e-mails to Niko that he was living a fabulous life, with a mansion, women, hot tubs and sports cars. Roman's claims turn out to be lies to hide his own failures. In reality, Roman only owns a small taxi business and is in serious debt with local gang bosses, which he manages to resolve by enlisting Niko's help in killing them.

Niko and Roman feud constantly. It is later revealed that one of the reasons Niko, as an ex-soldier, went to Liberty City, is to track down the man who betrayed his old army unit: Darko. Niko soon creates ties with the Liberty City Bratva through Vladimir Glebov and later encounters a major figure of the Bratva, Mikhail Faustin and his associate, Dimitri Rascalov. Niko completes jobs for Faustin before joining Dimitri's plot to betray Faustin and take over the organisation. Niko assassinates Faustin on Dimitri's orders. Niko later meets with him to collect his reward for the killing, however Dimitri reveals his new associate Rodislav Bulgarin and betrays Niko, ordering his men to kill him. Little Jacob arrives on the scene and rescues Niko, however Dimitri escapes and Jacob suggests dealing with him later.

Niko receives a phone call from Roman, who is hiding in a remote location after having received several silent calls. The two meet up and they drive back to Roman's apartment to find it in flames. They drive around the corner to the taxi depot to find it also on fire. The two escape to Bohan, after receiving death threats from Dimitri, and Roman reveals his plans to propose to his girlfriend Mallorie.

Towards the conclusion of the storyline, the Liberty City mafia locate Darko and bring him to Niko, who discovers that Darko has become a drug-fuelled, guilt-ridden wreck. The player has the option of executing Darko or sparing his life. Afterwards, Niko relaxes at a bar when Jimmy Pegorino shows up and asks him to get some heroin for him that he can sell to a buyer: Dimitri Rascalov.

Finale

The story features two possible endings, all of which feature different mission depending on choices made by the player at this point in the game. The player can choose to exact Revenge on Dimitri or make a Deal with him.

If the player chooses to exact Revenge, Niko ambushes Dimitri on his tanker while he is supervising a shipment. A gunfight ensues within the hull of the tanker and Niko kills Dimitri in cold blood. In the aftermath Roman and Mallorie's wedding takes place and Jimmy Pegorino, furious after the betrayal, kills Kate McReary. Niko, Roman and Little Jacob visit the abandoned casino in Alderney to take down Pegorino, but he escapes to Happiness Island. Niko chases after Pegorino and a final confrontation takes place at the base of the Statue of Happiness, where Niko executes Pegorino.

If the player chooses to strike a Deal, Niko with the assistance of Phil Bell meet at the docks to make the exchange, however the deal is ambushed and Niko and Phil eventually retrieve the drugs money. Phil later calls Niko, saying that he must cut all ties with him due to a recent furor in the Pegorino family. Kate, who was against making the deal, is furious with Niko and vows never to see or speak to him again. Roman and Mallorie's wedding takes place and Dimitri's henchmen arrive to assassinate Niko but end up killing Roman instead. A devastated and vengeful Niko meets with Little Jacob to take out Dimitri and Pegorino, who escape to Happiness Island. Dimitri executes Pegorino and a final battle ensues between Niko and Dimitri, who meets his fate in an alternate, darker ending to the storyline.

Setting

Main article: Liberty City (Grand Theft Auto) § Grand Theft Auto IV rendition
File:Liberty City GTAIV.jpg
GTA IV's rendition of Liberty City is more heavily based on New York City than in previous GTA games.

Grand Theft Auto IV takes place in a redesigned Liberty City consisting of four boroughs, based on four of the boroughs of New York City. Broker is the equivalent of Brooklyn, Queens is Dukes, the Bronx is Bohan and Manhattan is Algonquin. Adjacent to the city is the independent state of Alderney based on New Jersey and named after the Channel Island of the same name. A Staten Island-esque area is not featured in the game as Rockstar Games believes that game play in such an area would not be amusing.[citation needed] Initially the city's bridges are locked down due to a terrorist threat, but eventually the armed police blockades are lifted and the player is able to lead Niko across the Broker, Algonquin, and Northwood Heights bridges and explore the rest of the city.

The total area of the map is smaller than San Andreas, but the new rendition of Liberty City is far more detailed and is the largest individual city in the Grand Theft Auto series.[34] According to the Official PlayStation 2 Magazine (UK edition), "to get from one side of the new and improved Liberty City to the other will take you at least an hour." Rockstar Games has stated that it is the biggest single city in a Grand Theft Auto game yet, and although smaller than San Andreas, it is comparable to it in terms of scope when "the level of verticality of the city, the number of buildings you can go into, and the level of detail in those buildings" are taken into account.[40] Dan Houser states that there are no "dead spots" or "irrelevant space" within Liberty City, such as the wide open deserts in San Andreas.

Several real-life districts and landmarks exist within Liberty City including "Hove Beach", based on Brighton Beach and named from Brighton and Hove, the English city from which the area gets its name; "Firefly Island" based on Coney Island, featuring the "Screamer" rollercoaster modeled from the Coney Island Cyclone; Central Park is known as "Middle Park". The "Statue of Happiness" is the in-game equivalent of the Statue of Liberty, featuring a styrofoam coffee cup in place of a torch; "Star Junction" is Times Square; "BOABO" (Beneath the Offramp of the Algonquin Bridge Overpass) is DUMBO; the "Thornton Building" is the Flatiron Building; and "Twitchins" is Brooklyn's Domino Sugar Factory; the "GetaLife" building is the MetLife Building; the "Booth Tunnel" is the Lincoln Tunnel (named after Abraham Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth) and the "Rotterdam Tower" is the game's replica of the Empire State Building. A replica of the Chrysler Building is also featured within the game.

Characters

Main articles: List of characters in Grand Theft Auto IV and List of gangs in Grand Theft Auto series

A number of recurring characters appear in Grand Theft Auto IV, though, according to Dan Houser, "virtually none of the characters from the previous games are returning, as a lot of them are dead anyway."[41]

The characters that appear in Grand Theft Auto IV are relatively diverse and relative to the respective boroughs of Liberty City they are based in, belonging to various gangs and ethnic groups. The player controls Niko Bellic, a Serbian[42][43][44][45][46] veteran of the Bosnian War.

Unlike previous games in the series, the voice actors of Grand Theft Auto IV do not include notable and high-profile celebrities, instead opting for lesser known actors such as Michael Hollick, Jason Zumwalt, Moti Margolin, Thomas Lyons, Timothy Adams and Coolie Ranx. However, several high-profile DJs host the various radio stations within the game such as Karl Lagerfeld and Lazlow Jones.

For the first time in the series, Grand Theft Auto IV features "morality choices" at several points throughout the game, in which the player is forced to choose between killing a character or sparing their life or killing one of two characters. The game also has multiple endings, which is determined by a decision the player makes with the main antagonist towards the conclusion of the storyline: Take Revenge or strike a Deal. Each choice affects the final missions the player can partake and the fate of some characters.

Gameplay

Overview

GTA IV is structured similarly to previous games in the series. The core gameplay consists of elements of a third-person shooter and a driving game, affording the player a large, open environment in which to move around. On foot, the player's character is capable of walking, running, swimming, climbing and jumping, as well as utilising weapons and basic hand to hand combat. Players can steal and drive a variety of vehicles, including automobiles, boats, helicopters, and motorcycles.

The open, non-linear environment allows players to explore and choose how they wish to play the game. Although storyline missions are necessary to progress through the game and unlock certain parts of the map and content, they are not required, as players can complete them at their own leisure. When not taking on a storyline mission, players can free-roam. However, creating havoc can attract unwanted and potentially fatal attention from the authorities. The more chaos caused, the stronger the response: police will handle "minor" infractions (attacking people, pointing guns at people, stealing cars, killing a few people, etc.), whereas SWAT teams, the FBI, and the military respond to higher wanted levels.

While previous titles in the GTA series have traditionally been heavily mission-based, the freedom to explore and play outside of the set missions in GTA IV will now be more relevant to progress through the game, according to comments by a Rockstar spokesperson: "We're really trying to blur the line between on-[mission] and off-mission. So storyline, and what you do outside [it], and how those two things influence each other."[40] It is possible to have multiple active missions, due to the fact that some missions will run over the course of several days and will require the player to wait for further instructions, etc.[47] The player can also partake in a variety of optional side missions, as well as make a variety of decisions over the fate of certain characters, with the player's choices affecting the game's plot.

A Rockstar spokesperson claimed, "you can basically play the game from beginning to end without a single load screen."[40] However, load times are present in the final product. There is also an autosave that activates after completing a mission.[48]

Vehicles

Stealing a parked car can no longer be done simply by opening the door and driving off. Now, it involves Niko approaching the car, breaking the glass, and hotwiring it; only then can he use it. Because of the Euphoria engine, the way Niko enters the car looks different each time depending on where and how he is in relation to the car. There are several animation variations to sneaking up to a car and breaking its window. The new chase camera angle follows the player but focuses the camera direction on a target vehicle.[49] More luxurious cars sometimes have built-in GPS devices with voice directions. In a police vehicle, Niko can use an in-car computer to access the criminal database and discover information about various criminals in Liberty City.[50] The player can hail a cab in order to travel quickly to various notable locations in the city. In GTA IV, the player is not able to fly any fixed-wing aircraft.[51] However, helicopters are flyable.

Car damage physics have been greatly improved.[citation needed] When major collisions on motorbikes occur, the player's helmet is likely to fall off. Niko can lose health if he crashes and can smash through the windscreen of cars. Vehicles will not explode if they are flipped over, or shot in any place other than the engine block. When driving or riding in a car the player will be able to smash the window, free-aim, and fire out of the vehicle with several weapons.[52]

Combat

File:GTAIV in-game screenshot.png
Combat in Grand Theft Auto IV has been reworked to include a cover system.

The gunfight system has been reworked to feel natural by using a cover system similar to that of Gears of War and Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, as the combat system in previous games was awkward and cumbersome.[53] The player can slide to cover, blindfire, and free aim. When locked on, the target's health is indicated by eight purple segments on the target circle. Players can now target individual body parts using a revamped targeting system.[54] Niko's health is represented by a green semi-circle on the left side of the radar, and a right semi-circle represents armour. If Niko gets injured, he can recover health by using a hookers' service, eating, sleeping or using medical kits. Body armour and actual health will play different roles. Health is more likely to be reduced by falls and going through the windscreen of a car when crashing, body armour will be damaged more by gunshots and stab wounds.[55]

Communication

The use of the mobile phone has been expanded to perform multiple actions. When selecting the mobile phone, a zoomed-in version of the phone 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," etc. Retrying a failed mission can be performed by accessing the menu. The player can take photos with the mobile phone and upload them to the police computer. Niko can dial 911 to call the police for them to arrest an enemy/pedestrian that is fighting/shooting at him, or just to trick them into wasting resources on a false alarm. He can also contact the paramedics and the fire station.[56]

Niko can also make use of the Internet as a means of communication. Niko can access the internet from various cyber cafés, one of which is called "TW@" (twat) in order to upload a resume for prospective employers.[57] There are over 100 accessible, fictitious websites within the game. Although TW@ was seen early in Grand Theft Auto III, it did not give the player the option to "surf the internet".[58]

Police

Police and wanted levels operate differently. When the police are in search of Niko, the player has to avoid a certain radius marked on the map in which the police will be looking for him. The size of this radius increases with the player's wanted level (the more stars, the bigger the radius) and re-centres itself on Niko's location if he is spotted by the police (similar to Scarface: The World Is Yours). Instead of utilizing the "Pay 'N' Spray" as in previous games, Niko has to realistically disguise himself by clandestinely changing vehicles in empty areas such as parking garages, a feature seen in the video game Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven. When on foot, police do not shoot at Niko unless he has committed a serious offense. If they catch up to Niko, he puts his hands up and the player has the option to attempt to escape before he is handcuffed.[54] Additionally, pedestrians with cellphones can report crimes.[57][59]

Community and online features

Multiplayer

GTA IV is the first game in the series since GTA 2 to officially include online multiplayer, with 15 modes of play available.[60] The multiplayer supports up to 16 players and allows players to explore the entire city.[61] Players will use a customisable character in a majority of the modes, with cash earned during play able to be used to purchase clothing for their character. Hosts of the games can control many variables, such as time of day, police presence, pedestrian presence, traffic, location of game, and weapons. The online games are split into ranked and unranked matches. The reward for the ranked gameplay will be cash, which will determine their rank.[62] The game does not feature any split-screen or LAN multiplayer modes[63].

Game modes are as follows[64]:

  • Team Deathmatch: 2-8 teams will compete to accumulate the most kills in a traditional deathmatch.
  • Team Mafiya Work: 2-8 teams will compete to complete contract work for the "mafiya", such as escorting/killing targets or stealing cars.
  • Team Car Jack City: 2-8 teams will compete to steal cars and earn money for keeping them undamaged.
  • Cop n' Crooks: a team of cops must compete against a team of crooks. The "All for One" variation requires the cops to kill the crooks' "Boss" before he is escorted to the extraction point. The "One for All" variation requires the cops to kill all of the crooks before they reach the extraction point.
  • Turf War: Two teams will compete to take control of designated areas of the map and control them for as long as possible.
  • Race: players will race through checkpoints in a traditional automobile race.
  • GTA Race: players will race through checkpoints in an automobile race, with the ability to combat their opponents.
  • Hangman's Noose: a co-op mode that requires players to collect a person from the airport and safely escort him to the extraction point before the cops kill him.
  • Free Mode: players have the entire map open to explore, with no end goal or mission to complete.

Downloadable content

Xbox 360

During Microsoft's 2006 E3 press conference on 9 May 2006, it was announced that Rockstar Games will offer exclusive episodic content via Xbox Live for the Xbox 360 version of the game.[65] Peter Moore, the then head of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business division announced that Rockstar Games is working on two GTA IV downloadable packs exclusively for the Xbox 360, which will be released after the full game.

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.[66] The official Xbox website states that these episodes will last a minimum of 10 hours.[67]

Jeronimo Barrera, Vice President of Product Development for Rockstar Games, has said that the episodes are an experiment because they are not sure that there are enough users with access to online content on the Xbox 360.[68] 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, has said numerous times that these downloads would provide "additional revenue streams" to the company[citation needed], but Microsoft has said that it will be up to Rockstar on whether or not they will charge for it.[69] Take-Two Interactive's Chief Financial Officer, Lainie Goldstein revealed that Microsoft was paying a total of US $50 million for the two episodes.[70] On 20 February 2008, it was announced that the extra content will be introduced starting August 2008.[71]

PlayStation 3

Downloadable content for the PlayStation 3 was reportedly said to be "likely" by Jeronimo Barrera, in the May edition of PlayStation World Magazine.[72]

Social Club

Main article: Rockstar Games Social Club

Rockstar Games Social Club is a web site that displays the gameplay statistics of registered users and feature competitions and awards based on player activity within the game.[73] The Social Club web site was announced on 27 March 2008 and launched on 17 April 2008.

The main features of the social club launched on the same date of the game itself 29 April 2008. The Social club will also link with Rockstar's latest Midnight Club game, Midnight Club: Los Angeles.

The Social club consists of multiple parts, initially it included the LCPD Police Blotter, The Story Gang, The 100% Club, The Hall Of Fame, The Liberty City Marathon and The Zit.

Music downloads

Following a partnership between Rockstar Games and Amazon.com, players will be able to purchase real world MP3s through GTA IV's in-game mobile phone[74]. Players will be able to 'mark' radio songs that they like by dialing ZIT-555-0100 on Niko's phone. They will then receive a text message providing the name of the song and the artist. If a player is registered on Rockstar's 'Social Club' website he or she will also receive a real world e-mail with a link to an Amazon.com playlist where all of the player's marked songs will be listed and available to purchase.

Initially, this service is only available in the US.

PlayStation Home

In an interview with Playstation World Magazine, Rockstar mentioned that they will "heavily support" Sony's Playstation Home, a community-based service for the PlayStation Network. Rockstar also mentioned that visitors to their Playstation Home apartment would receive 'goodies' such as clothing for their avatar and items and decorations for their own Playstation Home apartment. In addition to this, users can earn PlayStation Home trophies for their home space (similar to the achievements that Xbox 360 users enjoy).[75]

Soundtrack

Main articles: Grand Theft Auto IV soundtrack and The Music of Grand Theft Auto IV

Just like the previous games in the Grand Theft Auto series, Grand Theft Auto IV has an extensive amount and variety of tracks spanning different decades and also taken from modern day music. With over 200 songs, notable inclusions to the game's soundtrack include Seryoga, Blink 182, Bob Marley, The Who, Queen, Black Sabbath, Fela Kuti, Femi Kuti, Phillip Glass, Kanye West, Busta Rhymes, R. Kelly, Liquid Liquid, John Coltrane, Aphex Twin, The Boggs, Elton John, ZZ Top, R.E.M., Ne-Yo, Grace Jones and Barry White. The game's soundtrack can be listened to through radio stations while the player is in a vehicle.[27] People who provide voices for the radio DJs include fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, musicians Iggy Pop, DJ Green Lantern,[76] Femi Kuti,[77] Jimmy Gestapo[78] and Ruslana,[79] and real-life radio talk show host Lazlow Jones.[80] Ricky Gervais also appears in an interview and has an act at the comedy club.

Liberty City is serviced by eighteen radio stations; The Beat 102.7 (hip hop), The Classics 104.1 (old school hip hop), Electrochoc (electro house/dance), Fusion FM (jazz fusion), JNR Jazz Nation Radio (jazz), The Journey (ambient/chill out), IF99 International Funk (funk and Afrobeat), K 109: The Studio (disco), L.C.H.C (hardcore punk), LRR 97.8 Liberty Rock Radio (classic rock), Massive B Soundsystem (dancehall), Radio Broker (indie rock), San Juan Sounds (reggaeton), Tuff Gong (dub and reggae), The Vibe 98.8 (R&B), Vladivostok FM (Eastern European music) and three talk radio stations, WKTT, Public Liberty Radio and Integrity 2.0.

The game uses a similar music system to that of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. In earlier games in the series, each radio station was essentially a single looped sound file, playing the same songs, announcements and advertisements in the same order each time. With the radio stations in Grand Theft Auto IV, each section is held separately, and "mixed" randomly, allowing songs to be played in different orders, announcements to songs to be different each time, and plot events to be mentioned on the stations.

Marketing

Main article: Marketing for Grand Theft Auto IV

As the release date approached, Rockstar had marketed the game heavily. Rockstar's marketing came in many forms, including television ads, Internet video, viral marketing, and a redesigned website.

Grand Theft Auto IV: Special Edition

File:GTAIVSEPS3.jpg
GTA IV: Special Edition contents (PlayStation 3 version).

Grand Theft Auto IV: Special Edition was announced[81] on 21 May 2007 for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions. It contains the following:

  • A customized metal safe deposit box.
  • A Rockstar keychain for the safe deposit box keys.
  • A limited edition Rockstar duffel bag.
  • Production artwork in the Grand Theft Auto IV Art Book.
  • Selected soundtrack CD from Grand Theft Auto IV.
  • A platform-specific box containing the above:
    • The PlayStation 3 version has Lola with a lolipop on the cardboard box sleeve.
    • The Xbox 360 version has the main character, Niko Bellic, on the cardboard sleeve with fingerless gloves on.

Reception

Grand Theft Auto IV has received "universal acclaim" from video game critics.[19][20] Ahead of its worldwide release, most publications were not sent copies of the game. Instead, reviewers had to play the game at Rockstar premises or in booked hotel rooms.[94] The May 2008 issue of Official Xbox Magazine (UK) published the first Grand Theft Auto IV review, giving the game the maximum score of 10/10. The magazine also stated that the game has an "amazingly realistic world; stunning action set pieces; genuinely engrossing storyline; hugely entertaining multiplayer;" and that it is "vast in every respect."[95]

Hilary Goldstein of IGN gave the game a 10/10 score, with the game earning 10/10 in each individual category. It was the first console game to receive such a score from the publication since 1999. Goldstein called the game "just as big a leap forward" as Grand Theft Auto III, albeit "in subtler ways", and said it "sets a new benchmark for open-world games", with "no one major weak aspect." Goldstein's only serious criticism was for "the occasional flaw in the cover system", but the review concluded with the statement that "We don't give 10s often—just to games that merit the score."[96]

GameSpot gave both versions of the game a perfect 10/10,[89] making it the first game in 7 years (since Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3) that GameSpot has rated perfect. The review called the game "compelling," with a "plethora of online multiplayer features" and stated that GTA IV is "undoubtedly the best Grand Theft Auto yet."[89] Calvert did mention there are occasional problems with friendly AI and avoiding the police is "a little too easy."

PlayStation Official Magazine (UK) also gave the game 10/10 in their May 2008 issue, describing the game as "a masterpiece that improves on all GTA's best bits."[80]

The British newspaper Daily Star gave it a positive review, praising: "This could be a console defining title, one that in years to come people will remember as the stand-out of the era."[97] The New York Times wrote a favourable review as well, calling it a "violent, intelligent, profane, endearing, obnoxious, sly, richly textured and thoroughly compelling work of cultural satire disguised as fun."[76] The film magazine Empire gave the game a perfect 5/5 in its game reviews section, calling it "damn-near perfect".[82]

Xbox World 360 gave the game a 98% rating, the highest it has ever given to any game, mentioning the game was "everything we were entitled to expect, and yet somehow impossibly more."[98]

The Xbox 360 version of GTA IV has received an average critic review score of 99% from review aggregators Game Rankings[93] and Metacritic,[19] while the PS3 version has received average scores of 100% from Game Rankings[92] and Metacritic.[20]

Sales and impact

Shares of Take-Two Interactive gained as much as 3.4% amid positive reviews before the game's launch.[99] Scott Hillis of Reuters said first week sales of the game were expected to reach $400 million.[99] Some have suggested that GTA IV's success could dampen the box office for the May 2 release of Iron Man, setting a precedent where movie studios will begin browsing video-game release dates to check for conflicts.[100] Matt Richtel of The New York Times said the game's release "is expected to be one of the biggest video game debuts ever" and said five million copies of the game were expected to be sold in the first two weeks.[101]

Various analysts predicted that Grand Theft Auto IV would sell 4 to 9.5 million units its first week. Sales were predicted to be $400 to $550 million for the first week.[102] Analyst Mike Hickey predicted that the game could sell 9.5 million units worldwide its first week, generating $466 million in sales.[102] Take-Two Interactive measured the global pre-order demand at 6 million units or $400 million.[102] Analyst Michael Pachter predicted the game would sell 11 to 13 million units by the end of 2008. Pachter also expects Grand Theft Auto IV to represent 3.2% of all US and European software sales for 2008 and for lifetime sales of the game to reach 16 to 19 million.[102] Analyst Evan Wilson predicts that Grand Theft Auto IV will have opening week sales of $550 million.[102]

Grand Theft Auto IV sold 609,000 copies in the United Kingdom on its first day of release, making it the fastest selling game in a 24 hour period within that region.[103] The previous record holder in the UK, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, sold 501,000 copies within 24 hours.[104]

In North America, Grand Theft Auto IV sold about 2.5 million copies on it's first day of release. [105]

There have been reports in the United Kingdom and the United States of illegal acts perpetrated against people purchasing Grand Theft Auto IV, as well as employees of stores selling the game. [106] [107] [108] [109]

Controversy

Jack Thompson

In 2007, Jack Thompson, a Florida lawyer who had previously campaigned against other Grand Theft Auto games, stated he would take various measures to prevent the sale of the game by Rockstar to minors.[110] On 14 March 2007, Rockstar's parent company, Take-Two Interactive, filed a lawsuit[111] against Thompson in Florida in an attempt to pre-emptively block him from trying to declare its games a public nuisance. It would be a crime to sell games declared to be a public nuisance, effectively banning such games, which they believe would be a violation of First Amendment rights.[112] Thompson responded by filing a countersuit,[113] accusing Take-Two 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.[114][115]

Both parties reached a settlement on 20 April, 2007,[116] 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 or any of its subsidiaries. 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 by other parties. For their part, Take-Two agreed to drop its contempt of court lawsuit against Thompson regarding alleged improper conduct during the Bully court hearings in Florida,[117][118] which, if found to be in contempt, would have resulted in Thompson seeing jail time.[119][120][121]

Thompson filed a document with a federal court in Florida on 18 September, 2007,[122] that claims that the assassination target of a mission in GTA IV is a lawyer character based upon himself. When the main protagonist enters his office and pulls a gun on him, the lawyer yells "Guns don't kill people! Video games do!" Thompson has threatened that unless the similarities to himself are removed from the game he will "take necessary and proper means to stop release of the game".[123]

On 25 April 2008, it was reported in Metro that Jack Thompson had written a letter to the mother of Strauss Zelnick, Director of Take-Two Interactive. In the letter, which strongly criticised the game, Zelnick, and his mother, Thompson called Grand Theft Auto a "murder simulator". He went on to say that "The pornography and violence that your son traffics in is the kind of stuff that most mothers would be ashamed to see their son putting into the hands of other mothers' children". Thompson then questions Strauss Zelnick's upbringing and says that his mother should be ashamed of herself, and that she "spared the rod and spoiled the child. That would explain why he has brought you, by the way he presently acts, to shame." He finishes by saying "Happy Mothers' Day, Mrs Zelnick, which this year is May 11, two weeks after your son unleashes porn and violence upon other mothers' boys. I'm sure you're very proud." Neither Take-Two interactive nor Rockstar Games have made any comment regarding the matter.[124] However, Thompson himself has since claimed that he sent the letter to Zelnick's lawyer, not his mother, and that letter is structured as a sort of parody intended to induce feelings of "shame" in Zelnick.[125]

Mural ad for the game on a wall in New York City, July 2007.

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.[126] A spokesperson for Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, "The mayor does not support any video game where you earn points for injuring or killing police officers".[127] As a response, Jason Della Rocca, executive director of the International Game Developers Association, accused New York City officials of double standards, for criticising video games but not other forms of entertainment, such as books, films and television shows, which use New York City as the setting.[128]

Edited version for Australia and New Zealand

Despite confirmation in February 2008 that the Australian version of Grand Theft Auto IV would not be edited in any way,[129] Rockstar has now told The Sydney Morning Herald journalist Jason Hill that the Australian version will be edited.[130]

Grand Theft Auto IV was awarded an MA15+ rating on 11 December 2007. In a post on his blog, Jason Hill stated that a Rockstar spokesperson confirmed to The Sydney Morning Herald's video game section, Screenplay, that the company had produced a special version of Grand Theft Auto IV to comply with the Australian classification system. The spokesperson would not comment on what has been cut from the game.[130]

The exact nature of the censored material has been accurately speculated through a combination of past experience, rumor,[131] and process of deduction.[132] It is believed to involve a particular mission where retribution is sought for the rape of a friend in prison. The nature of the retribution involves using a weapon to sodomize the offending participant, which may be viewed as an act of sexual assault. Sexual assault or violence in a sexual context are automatic grounds for a mandatory R18+ classification under OFLC Guidelines, effectively ensuring any possible links between the two would result in the game being refused classification, seeing that the R18+ classification does not exist for video games.

It was announced on 15 April 2008, and subsequently reported across the Internet, that the New Zealand release will be the edited Australian version.[133]

Technical issues

Just hours after the game's release, a blog entry on Kotaku reported that several PS3 and Xbox 360 owners had complained of the game freezing during the initial cut-scene, rendering it unplayable[134]. While Rockstar has not commented, Kotaku stated Rockstar is aware of the problem but have yet to determine its cause.[135] It has also been reported on Kotaku that the online multiplayer is down for some PS3 users, with various players tipping Kotaku off that they are unable to connect to the Gamespy-hosted servers.[136]


Mothers Against Drunk Driving

The organization Mothers Against Drunk Driving has spoken out against the game allowing players to drive while intoxicated. "Drunk driving is not a game and it is not a joke," MADD said. "Drunk driving is a choice, a violent crime, and it is also 100 percent preventable." MADD is asking the Entertainment Software Rating Board to bump Grand Theft Auto IV's rating up to AO for Adults Only from M for Mature and calling for Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games to consider stopping distribution out of a sense of social responsibility, or out of respect for those who've been hurt or killed by drunk drivers. [137] Rockstar issued a statement to the Associated Press. "We have a great deal of respect for MADD's mission, but we believe the mature audience for 'Grand Theft Auto IV' is more than sophisticated enough to understand the game's content."[138]

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