Grand Theft Auto IV Review

Another major improvement is the addition of cover mechanics during shootouts, making GTA IV rather enjoyable as a shooter. Granted, taking cover may not always work the way you want it to - hiding behind pillars as such can sometimes be difficult, as Niko doesn't always turn in the direction you wish. These occurrences were sporadic and hardly enough to overshadow the overall quality of the game. Otherwise, combat sequences work very well. Niko can duck, crouch, jump from cover to cover, fire while behind cover without looking and so on.

The AI puts up one helluva fight. Multiple opponents take advantage of their numbers. Enemies on the run will do their best to outrace Niko, as they jump from rooftop to rooftop, drive away in vehicles, fire back accurately (not too accurately, of course), etc. Cops are also very persistent and you'll have to be a skillful driver to elude pursuit, especially when you have a police chopper on your trail. Believe me, you're gonna want to avoid being captured, because the police confiscates your entire arsenal and requires a certain amount of bribe money.

As a shooter, GTA IV has more to provide than the newly fitted cover system. The freedom to use tactics and approach each situation differently is also a huge plus. One time I had to take out three main baddies in a strip club. First time around, I stormed the place like Rambo and my targets got away very quickly. Second time around, I parked two cars on opposite sides of the joint. I entered the club, took out two opponents and quickly made towards the exit. I jumped into my vehicle and drove it swiftly to the other side of the club, where I ran over my last enemy before he managed to open the door of his get-away car.

We've barely scratched the surface here, because there's so much more to the game, believe me. It's not just about exploring vast outdoor areas of Liberty City, but visiting an impressive assortment of indoor sections too. Whenever you're bored, just return to your "crib" and watch TV (with a variety of channels on offer) or if you're in the mood for cabaret, stop by the local low-budget shows, and so on. Unlike before, there's a wider choice of cool stuff to do this time around, such as accessing your phone, calling friends, sending messages to unlock missions or even going to an Internet Café, surfing the game's fictional World Wide Web, checking your e-mail, reading blogs and other web pages - again, potentially unlocking more missions. (Granted, this is all right, but if THAT is your idea of fun in a video game, then, you have ... problems. - Ed)

Those who are keen on stunt driving, there's the cool cinematic camera, which may be activated by pressing down the 'B' button. There's also a slow-motion camera effect that can be turned on by clicking the left thumbstick. The slow-motion effect delivers a more cinematic experience, especially when activated during massive explosions or collisions.

The audio is once again first-rate, featuring excellent voice acting and a mixture of realistic sound effects throughout the game. Our only gripe is with Niko's Serbian, which is God-awful. (Not that any non-Serbian will notice. Which is most if not all of you. - Ed)

Continuing the tradition of radio stations, GTA IV includes a huge choice of tracks and radio shows players may listen to while driving. Although you cannot import your own tracks, there's something in the game for everyone. Adding further credibility to the setting, completed missions have an impact on the game world, as the player gets to hear news reports on radio shows about some of his handiwork (people killed, things blown up, etc.).

Multiplayer fans should have fun as well. The game works quite well and was rather stable during online matches, which can accommodate up to 16 players. We've also heard that additional servers are now available on Xbox Live to support the increasing amount of players online. There's a decent choice of modes on offer such as the usual Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch, in addition to modes like GTA Race, Cops 'n Crooks, all of which are enjoyable in their own way.

On a quick side-note, we've heard that the PlayStation 3 edition has a slight advantage in terms of visuals, but then it doesn't include Achievements and the expected downloadable episodes, both of which are exclusive to the 360 version.

Overall, Grand Theft Auto IV is one of the best games ever made, with a single-player campaign that can take you around 25 hours to complete (depending on how you play it, of course). Improvements, particularly those made to combat and vehicle physics, make the game more accessible, more enjoyable and far more realistic than before. There's enough here to lure even the most demanding gamer. The standard choice of weapons is present during the single-player game, along with a huge number of vehicle models, and, of course, a chopper. You cannot fly a plane though. But with the amount of stuff you can actually do in this game, mentioning something like that would be like complaining about the frame color on a Picasso painting.