Grand Theft Auto 4 has easily exceeded all of my expectations.
Lets start out by examining one of the biggest things about this game. The visuals. Needless to say Grand Theft Auto 4 is beautiful. Every little thing is so richly detailed and I can guarantee it will probably overwhelm you at first. Lighting and shadows have all been greatly improved. And one of my favorite things is that during the night, it is actually dark and difficult to see what's going on around you. I hated that in past Grand Theft Auto games it was still very easy to see even after the sun went down. Admittedly there are some graphical glitches here and there but they are barely noticeable and don't detract for the visuals at all.
Now lets look at, or rather listen to the sounds. (I know it's a bad joke) This is exactly what I would expect a big city to sound like. You can constantly here the wail of police sirens and the blasts of angry motorist's horns in the distance. And everything from the trains to cars gradually get louder as it moves closer to you. The soundtrack for the game is excellent. Rockstar made sure that put something for everyone on the radio. Though I admit custom soundtracks would have been a great addition but perhaps Rockstar will add that later on through an update.
Gameplay is the same as it has always been for Grand Theft Auto so veterans of the series will have no trouble getting used to it. Basically you're let loose in Liberty City to do whatever you want. Jack a car and go on a joyride, get in shootout with the cops, or do missions to advance the storyline. The city is your playground. There have been some alterations that change the gameplay somewhat. For instance the car handling has been reworked so cars are more likely to spin out and crash if you try to take a turn too fast. So don't be surprised if you find yourself moving a bit slower through the city the keep your car under control. The HUD has been changed as well. Things like your weapons and money are only present when they need to be so the only things that are constantly present are your map and health. Some will find this annoying because it can be hard to tell which weapon you have equipped at times but others may like not having all that clutter on the screen.
One thing I really wanted to talk about are the ragdoll physics in this game. That's right. Ragdolls in a GTA game! No longer do people have prewritten death animations. Now when you hit someone at 50 or 60 mph they go flying over your car with their arms and legs flailing through the air. And when you gun people down they don't fall flat on their back every time. They can fall face forward or slump over on their side. It really adds to the realism of the game.
As always Rockstar has provided a very colorful cast of characters for the game. Niko, the main character is probably the best GTA protagonist yet. He seems like he would be a really likable guy. Someone you could actually have a pretty friendly conversation with. But he knows when to get tough and will not put up with anyone messing with him or his family. No matter how dangerous or powerful that person may be. Niko's cousin Roman could best be described as fat, lazy, and a total coward. Always trying to get Niko to do the dirty work for him. But since Roman is family Niko is always willing to help him out. I could go on for much longer about the characters but I don't really want to spoil it for people. And I also still haven't met all the characters yet.
The storyline is excellent. It is probably the best storyline a GTA game has ever had. Again I don't want to go into depth about it because I don't want to spoil it for people who haven't played the game yet. Lets just sat Niko has come to Liberty City searching for someone from his past. Someone who did a terrible thing to him.
Grand Theft Auto 4 is a superb gaming masterpiece. It is everything we were promised and so much more. If you don't own it yet (shame on you!) then get out there and but it right now. I guarantee it will be the best $60.00 you have ever spent on a game.