GTAIV Preview Highlights and Summary

By: Illusion | Posted On: Wednesday 23 January 2008

Last Edited: 1/24/08, 12:01p.m. CST

We have compiled a list of some of the key features from the preview that was posted today. These features that we are listing are from the update over at CVG. This page will be changing as we add more info to it, so stay tuned!




Rockstar notes that if you can't find a police car to nick for this particular mission, you can simply use Niko's phone to report a crime and then hijack the bamboozled police wagon when it arrives. Awesome.

Safe from his pursuers, Niko pulls up to the curb and activates the police car's on-board computer. This is one of the more interesting areas of GTA IV, because you're given what is essentially a fully working QWERTY keyboard to type out the name of suspects and search for their known hangout. The number of secrets and Easter eggs potentially hidden here is almost unlimited.



The headlights on Niko's motor stretch across the road, casting real time shadows on any object in his path. After a short drive we're at Rivas' apartment.

Gun in hand, Niko strolls inside (with no loading, which is still bloody impressive) and plants a knock on the door.



There's also a lot more dialogue and one-liners being thrown about than before; Niko yells at traffic and taunts his opponent and he smashes down the street.

A completely new vehicle combat system is at work too. Niko smashes the window with his elbow and cracks off a few shots at Rivas' car in front. Instead of the old straight left or right aiming of old, IV lets you aim weapons using the right stick. There's even a cursor making things infinitely better, which when all put together should mean we'll be able to have far more hectic vehicle battles in GTA IV. Could the rigid and now dated drive-by mechanics of GTA III finally be behind us?



Autosaves execute after every mission, says Rockstar, though safe houses are still littered around the city to help you end your game when you need to go outside, eat, sleep or something else equally unimportant.

It's apparent from even our short slice of GTA IV that the new friendship system is an important part of the game. And that Niko's mobile phone is key to that. At any point in the story you can call a contact. The interface looks and acts just like you'd expect a real mobile to. It even looks better than our Sony Walkman phones.



To demonstrate this Niko pulls up his phone and browses through his phonebook. Highlighting Roman (his cousin) another mobile phone-esque list appears asking what activity he'd like to invite Cousin Roman to partake in. Bowling? Darts? Pool? Eating? Nah, Niko invites Roman out for the old-fashioned pastime of getting drunk.

There's a reward system in place for all this tom-foolery; the more you call out your mates the more friendly they'll get. And the more they call you the more perks you'll get from the friendship. Roman will eventually reward you with a free taxi service for example. Different friends offer different rewards; Little Jacob, the gun dealer, will come and bring you guns anywhere in town for instance.

Brucie, who we met earlier in the demo, offers a free helicopter service. It's a cool little role-playing feature and at the very least looks like it'll help flesh out the world and characters in Liberty City, while providing plenty of side quest material.



The scale of the city as we cross Broker Bridge is phenomenal. While the framerate has been well ironed since the last time we saw the game it still jumps from super smooth to slightly jittery when you cross into the busy city centre. Fog and smooth pop-up also lingers in the distance, but it's absolutely acceptable in a game of this scale.

"In my work, people change. Money changes people," notes the Playboy, again showing off the RAGE engine's impressive facial animation system - it really is a world apart from the previous games. "I'm still the hustler of these streets and I heard good things about you."



Niko rides the elevator to the top of the building, which slowly (in real time) carries him to the rooftop. Once at the top Niko sets up his sniper rifle and the screen switches to the classic scope view before he picks them off. Each shot rewards him with a cinematic view of the impact, and the baddy's subsequent tumble down to the ground. This section alone proves that even though there might not be any pilotable aircraft in the game, GTA IV certainly doesn't lack anything in terms of vertical gameplay.



The next mission takes us to more familiar territory for Liberty City; Niko's in an office room with a pair of wonderfully voiced Italian Americans. The office is impressively detailed for a free-roamer, fully decked out with desk, cabinets, calendars, binders and coffee cups. Looking at this, it's hard to remember San Andreas' blurry textures.

GTA IV's waypoint system, which marks out the quickest route to the destination on radar, is already good enough. The lovely new motor however has a high-end system, and the familiar, eerie Sat Nav women is on hand to tell Niko to "turn left in 100 yards". A nice touch.

The talkative machine eventually leads Niko to the docks - and it's running visibly smoother here than the busy roads of Liberty City centre. There's lots going on in the streets here; we spot a cop chasing down a runaway crook and a stupid AI crashes his car into a wall. It looks more alive than any part of San Andreas.



We thought Liberty City was impressive on land, but water just takes things to whole other level. Water physics are very impressive, comparable to the dynamic bouncy waves of Halo, and Niko froths and splashes the hell out of them with his massive speedboat. Niko's going on a small tour of Liberty City, round the dock area and all the way to the busy waterways of the city. It looks like the Motorstorm of water and Niko tears up the sea, creating loud thuds as the underside of the boat collides with every wave.

From here we can see just how accurately Rockstar has copied New York City. Past the "Statue of Happiness" and the Poop Deck restaurant we can see every skyscraper reflecting on the water and creating a glorious display for screenshot fans everywhere. It makes us wonder why Rockstar didn't just go with New York in the first place, because they've done a bloody good job creating a copy cat.



Cruising under broker bridge, into the busy estuary and lodging up on the rocky coast, Rockstar answers one of our final concerns over GTA IV. Going from interior, to land, to water and back again, it's clear that GTA IV is still as sandbox and open-ended as ever before, not limited at all by the bloody impressive detail put upon the environment. By the looks of it, Rockstar could've made the most epic sandbox yet.



Summary:

* It was confirmed that the previously speculated game map is an accurate representation of the new Liberty City.
* Kikizo expanded on this map by providing a more complete representation from memory.
* It takes five minutes to get half way around Algonquin island on a boat.
* The Statue of Happiness, Poop Deck Restaurant and a bar called Perestroika were all seen in the demonstration.
* Long Road, Oneida Avenue, South Parkway and Lorimar Street were all names of streets that made an appearance.
* A representation of New York’s Koreatown is also in the game.
* Francis International Airport re-appeares in the game.
* Time advances in the game slower than in previous titles - 2 minutes of real time now represents one hour of game time.
* A usable subway system is known to cover at least Algonquin and Broker.
* The Statue of Happiness appears on its own island beneath the Broker Bridge
* Snow, apparently will not be in the game
* NaturalMotion’s Euphoria Engine is said to give “lean and weight” to Niko’s footsteps.
* The game is now automatically saved on mission completion. Safehouses are still available.
* Some missions are scripted multiple times; dialogue between characters can vary if you reattempt a mission.
* An indicator made up of eight purple segments will appear when locked on to a target to represent their health.
* Locking on will target the torso of a character. A headshot is possible by manipulating the crosshair while locked on.
* Niko can get drunk - his movement, driving and actions will be impaired. Drunk Driving will be realistically difficult.
* After grabbing on to a truck and climbing to the roof, a mini game is started where you have to maintain your balance atop the vehicle.
* The cover system in the game allows you to either pull out from behind the object or stay covered and fire blindly.
* Some objects which you can use for cover are destructible, like in STALKER or Crysis.
* Better “wanted” system - the radar shows your crime’s location and your last known whereabouts
* Dynamic relationships - the way you treat other characters will affect their behavior towards you.
* Relationships can be built by engaging in activities like billiards, darts and bowling with your associates.
* Characters are seen wearing different clothes during different appearances.
* Playboy X is one of Liberty’s more wealthy residents and lives in a mansion.
* A character named Bell is introduced who has a nephew called Frankie
* Different cars have different navigation systems.
* More expensive cars include GPS which talks the player through the streets.
* You are now required to break the window of a vehicle to perform shootings while driving.
* The shooting while driving mechanic has improved and you can now shoot in any direction around the vehicle using both analog sticks.
* Police vehicles now include an extensive GPS and database system
* Enter the name of a criminal in the Police database system to find out their whereabouts and the game will guide you to them.
* An in-car view has been added, meaning that vehicle models now have detailed interiors.
* A new mission complete jingle is included.
* A new radio station called IF99 will be broadcasting in Liberty City.
* You can now listen to the radio outside of the car via your cellphone, although audio quality will be realistically reduced.
* If you’re in a car listening to the radio when your cell phone rings, the radio will be interrupted by the infamous “clicking” of interference.
* The voice actor list is shrouded in secrecy, with some members of the game team even being in the dark as to its contents.
* Also, a couple of famous actors will lend their voices to characters.

Also, Grand Theft Auto IV still has no release date confirmed yet but the media will again receive one further preview in around a month’s time. GamePro claims that the game’s online multiplayer mode will be revealed in “mid February to early March”. The game is still expected to be released sometime between March and April. Stay tuned for more!
















The full details can be read off IGN UK, IGN USA, Computer and Video Games, GamesRadar, Kikizo, Team Xbox, GamePro, Gamespot and VideoGamer.com.