The fourth installment of the popular series by Rockstar features improved graphics, new features, and new gameplay. Players take on the role of Niko Bellic, a rough-around-the-edge chap from Eastern Europe. Niko has arrived in America, in Liberty City -- a land full of promise and opportunity. His cousin convinced him to emigrate, to join him in his mansion and life of luxury, but as soon as he steps off the boat, Niko discovers the truth about the American way. Still, the wealth, the comfort, the bliss of the good life, it all really is here ... And it's all for the taking.

GTA IV reinvents the series with a renewed version of Liberty City detailed to the last pothole and rooftop vent. There are now four boroughs to explore plus extra area outside of Liberty City proper. With the ability to climb obstacles, drive cars, steer boats and pilot helicopters, the world of GTA is more accessible than ever before.

Niko Bellic came over to Liberty City from Russia in the hope that he would get a new start when he receives a call from his cousin who tells him that he is living a dream over there, but instead he arrives to find that this was all a complete lie, and Niko must take to the streets of a modern day Liberty City and do whatever he must to pull his life together.

Gameplay

By using Euphoria, Endorphin and RAGE together, Grand Theft Auto IV is set to put a whole new meaning on next-gen.

The game uses a ragdoll physics engine Endorphin to create dynamic new cutscenes and in game action by allowing characters and objects to move as they would in real life as opposed to the simple animations seen in previous GTA games.

We also see the use of an engine called Euphoria, which puts a life-like intelligence into characters, including normal pedestrians. This will allow people in the game to detect danger and to do what they can to get themselves out of it, for example if they were falling from a cliff they would try to grab onto an object to stop them from falling rather than simply letting themselves plunge.

RAGE is the Rockstar Advanced Game Engine which allows them to add skins to the world of GTA and this is what we see make the graphics what they are. RAGE is set to give GTA IV a similar quality graphics-wise as we saw in Rockstar's Table Tennis game.

These three working together creates a combination which we can see in action on the two trailers and which we will see on the final game, putting a highly life-like edge on the game.

Features

The usual mission structure will return, expanded, allowing the player to start and take care of missions at any time within the allowed time, meaning the game's time system should be more structured than before.

Grab a car and wreak havoc like all GTA fans love to. Take to the skies of Liberty in a chopper and utilise the new over-the-shoulder aiming feature to accurately take out your opponents.

Preview by NeoSeeker.com