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Unless you have been living under a rock for the past two years or so, you will have heard of the newest installment of the Grand Theft Auto series, Grand Theft Auto IV. This is undoubtedly the most hotly anticipated game of 2008, and possibly even of all time. The amount of attention garnered by this title has never been seen before in the world of gaming, and rarely ever in the world of modern entertainment, but does Grand Theft Auto IV truly live up to the hype?

The game follows Niko Bellic, a Serbian seeking refuge in Liberty City, the New York of the GTA world. Straight off the boat he is met by his cousin Roman, who has been telling him amazing stories of money and women. However, soon after Niko arrives it becomes clear that Roman was not being entirely honest, and it is not long before Niko finds himself working for several shady characters in order to pay off debts. Whilst in Liberty City, Niko hopes to find "that special someone" that he has been looking for for the past 10 years.

Niko is a departure for the Rockstar team. The character does not have that caricature-like feel that previous characters have been based around. from the beginning, you can see the struggle that is going on inside him, but at the same time you know that he will do whatever it takes to get to the top. Alongside the trademark Rockstar humor, there are some really unexpectedly touching moments with some of the buddy characters which make you feel far more involved with the story. The main missions have a remarkable fluidity to them, and it feels far less jarring to leave gaps between them to mess around, as your buddy characters will always stay in contact through the mobile phone.

Main story aside, Rockstar have taken it down a notch in terms of the customization options. This may sound like a bad thing, but it wouldn't fit the style of the game if you could give Niko a skull and crossbones tattoo and a Jerry Curl. The game feels far more streamlined, without feeling like it is missing something.

There were worries when the map was initially leaked that it was far smaller than San Andreas, and that Rockstar were taking a step back in terms of the vast, sprawling sandbox environment of that game. However, all of these concerns can be put to rest by simply doing one thing. You just need to look up. The sheer size of the new Liberty City is in its height and its detail, not in its square mileage. Almost every building is scalable in one way or another, and there are dozens of interiors dotted about on every island. Although you cannot go on long drives through the country, you can climb to the top of the tallest building and just take it all in.

It must be said that the game is not without its flaws. The insane glitches of yesteryear are still present, and the game is not without graphical glitches. Also, some of the missions are incredibly long and are greatly in need of a midway checkpoint to avoid endless replaying of the same scripted car chase. If anything though, GTA IV's problems make it that much better, because if it were perfect there would be a lot less chance of those crazy moments that everyone has come to know and love from the series.

There are so many things about GTA IV that have been missed from this review, most notably the multiplayer modes. That is because they deserve a review all to themselves, and to talk about every great feature in the game I would have to write for a very, very long time. The long and short of it is that GTA IV is one of the finest games to be released in the history of gaming. While it is not completely perfect, it does so many things so well that it is hard to even remotely dislike it.

I think the game said it best in its first line:

"Daddy's back"

Learn more about this author, Roisi Proven.
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