Grand Theft Auto IV Hands-On Preview (Xbox 360)

In most situations, that would have been the end of it, and no one would be all that surprised by a pre-created death animation of the character dropping off the roofline to the water below. However, in this case (and, again, with a somewhat surprised reaction from our Rockstar guide), Dardan suddenly stuck his arm out and grabbed the edge, hanging there for a few seconds in an effort to save himself—before losing the battle with gravity and plummeting into the waves below.

We also heard a story from another editor’s playthrough where Niko and a passenger were in a car, when the editor happened to overturn the vehicle, causing it to skid up onto a sidewalk. In reaction to the crash, a lady bystander started cursing out the two men as they got out of the car, at which point the passenger drew a weapon and gunned the lady down—to the genuine surprise of all those viewing the gameplay. Yes, more of euphoria at work.

Again, these are subtle things, but added elements that really freshen up the gameplay. We all know what it’s like to fail a mission, perhaps a couple of times, and have to go through the same sequence of events over and over, with everything happening exactly the same each time. However, technologies such as euphoria, as well as Rockstar creating multiple “drive to” dialogues, help take some of the boredom away by offering variety to how things will play out. It’s not like watching a movie and hitting rewind to watch the same scene over again, but rather a more organic type of experience, as if the characters were “living their lives” through your Xbox 360. Outside of cutscenes, it seems that you won’t see the same thing happen twice.

As noted, melee action is in full force here, and Niko is apparently a master at Krav Maga, a fighting style used by Israeli Special Forces. (The Rockstar rep stated that a UFC champion served as an advisor to help make the action more authentic.) Locking onto a foe without a weapon in hand launches into an up-close-and-personal battle, and each of the face buttons dishes out a kick, punch or head butt, while mashing multiple buttons brings different combos. With careful timing, throwing a block when an opponent is wielding a weapon will disarm him, enabling you to get full use of the weapon against your helpless foe. I wasn’t able to try the melee system during my hands-on section, but Tom seemed to get it down in just a few seconds.



As for other activities, GTA IV will certainly have plenty for you to do, though we weren’t able to try them out in our small visit to Liberty City. Rockstar claims that there’ll again be a series of jumps for you to discover and complete. Also, certain vehicles will offer activities and ways to make money. An example of this is using a taxi to rack up fares and add to your account. However, instead of jacking any taxi and activating a cabbie mode, Rockstar said that you’ll have to ping your cousin Roman with a request for work, and he’ll loan you a cab to hack it out for a while. We’ll have to see if Roman becomes a source for other side jobs, as well as if cop cars and ambulances will again be outlets for alternate missions.

A lot of the game’s little additions, enhancements and changes—such as the inclusion of destructible cover and environments; being able to easily lock Niko in behind cover; and the realistic glow that rings a dropped weapon—add up to what seems like a solid evolution to the title. Add to this the promise of some multiplayer action (which Rockstar expects to have us try out soon), and the concerns for what this next chapter in the GTA series will bring become less worries and more excited expectations.

We’re looking forward to our next jaunt to Liberty City, with a long stay anticipated for late April. Of course, we expect to bring you a few more travelogues from any new visits we make, so check back with TeamXbox often for new details.

Platform:
Xbox 360
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Publisher:
Take-Two Interactive
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Developer:
Rockstar Games
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Genre:
Action/Adventure
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Release Date:
4/29/2008
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Game Features:
Offline Players: 1
Downloadable Content
EDTV 480p Support
HDTV 720p Support
HDTV 1080i Support
Widescreen 16:9
Dolby 5.1 In-Game
Custom Soundtracks

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