Grand Theft Auto IV UK Hands-on

So the dust has settled on Rockstar North's opus, and doubtless you've either pinned it as game of the year or a misstep for the series – we've already made it pretty clear which side of the fence we're on. Now, some six months later, Grand Theft Auto IV is coming to the PC. Why should you care? Well, it's something of a homecoming for GTA and it's easy to forget that before the games went all polygonal on us they were PC games first and foremost. Understandably, the PC port is being given some extra care, with Rockstar Toronto – previously responsible for The Warriors and the oh-so controversial Manhunt 2 for Wii – being charged with adding all the requisite bells and whistles to the game.

That's most immediately evident in the visual overhaul the game has received. No slouch when it came out on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in May, the team have made good use of the extra grunt available on PC rigs. It's possible to pump out GTA IV in an astounding resolution of 2560 x 1600, though we're witness to a mere 1920 x 1200. Nevertheless, it looks absolutely fantastic and it's true to say that Liberty City has never looked better. While the higher definition boosts the visuals, they've thankfully retained some of the grittiness that helped imbue the console versions with so much character. Lighting has been the subject of much care and a drive through Star Junction attests this, with more defined billboards and neon lights adding to the spectacle. The whole affair travels at a fair clip too, with the frame rate sticking to 30 fps indoors and being boosted to 60 fps for indoor sections.


This visual upgrade is most evident in the extended draw distance of the PC version – driving across Algonquin Bridge, we can see Liberty City extend out to the horizon, with a remarkable amount of detail present. It's a feature that's best appreciated when taking to the air and a daytime flight in an Annihilator shows the city in its full glory. Whereas on the console version traffic would fade away as the player gained altitude, here it stays even as the highest heights are reached and all of Liberty City is laid out. Traffic levels can also be increased and those with more powerful rigs can up the frequency to have up to two thirds more cars onscreen. With the roads more bustling when the feature is applied to the max, it's sure to have a significant effect on the game's fundamental conceit of gadding about the city.

Under the extra gloss, the single-player game remains untouched. There's of course added support for mouse and keyboard, and a brief foray through 'Three Leaf Clover', the epic bank heist that forms one of the game's centrepieces, proves that it's a perfectly capable alternative. With the added accuracy and sensitivity that comes with using a mouse, it's at first a little strange to be controlling Niko with all the precision of a first-person shooter and likewise controlling vehicles with the keyboard feels a little compromised, but overall it does little to effect the experience. There's full controller support and cleverly the game automatically detects which one's being used and switches over accordingly, meaning it's feasible to use both if you so desire.