(Disclaimer: This review is long... very long.)

An incredible story along with amazing characters make Grand Theft Auto IV an unforgettable experience.

The search for the American Dream.

What is the American Dream? For everyone intent on realizing it, it represents the maximum expression of freedom and living life to the fullest; it represents everything that their life hasn't been so far. For those who have achieved it though, the picture isn't quite as rosy. With a few exceptions, it usually represents a broken dream, a painful realization that there's no magic formula to achieve instant success in life. And for others the dream becomes a nightmare, pushing their lives into a downward spiral that ends up destroying them. That's the case for Niko Bellic, the main protagonist of Rockstar's magnum opus, Grand Theft Auto IV, for whom the American dream was supposed to bring closure and redemption to a life torn by war and betrayal, but instead brought even more conflict and personal struggle. In Grand Theft Auto IV, Rockstar has crafted an incredibly engrossing and memorable story along with a wonderful cast of characters that ensure this isn't just a "game", but an experience that redefines the frontiers gaming can reach.

The American dream lies ahead.

From the very beginning you will notice the different direction the series has taken regarding the story and its overall feel. A much darker and serious tone prevails as well as a greater emphasis on realism. The story begins with Niko Bellic, a former member of the soviet army who has been making a living via questionable methods, arriving on Liberty City (a caricature of modern New York) as an illegal immigrant, received by his overenthusiastic (and drunk) cousin, Roman Bellic. Niko is fairly excited about the new life that awaits him, one that Roman has portrayed in letters written to Niko as a life full of opportunities, money, mansions, fast cars, etc. The moment they set foot in Roman's apartment though, all those ideas fall apart as Niko discovers Roman not only lives in a crappy apartment but is submerged in debts as well as clashes with some of the local mobs. Roman tries to give the situation a positive spin by claiming that "things will get better eventually" but Niko ain't buying it. For Niko it becomes clear that things won't be different in the land of opportunity and that he will have to make up his own opportunities by any means possible.

However, a better life wasn't Niko's true motivation behind arriving on Liberty City. The search for two men, two old army buddies who fled out of the old country, is of greater importance to Niko. The reason? One of them betrayed Niko and his friends, setting them up for an ambush that cost the lives of virtually all of Niko's childhood friends. Niko was never the same since that day, losing pretty much any virtues he had, choosing instead to follow a life of crime working mostly as a gun for hire. Niko is hellbent on gaining revenge on whoever the traitor was, something that has become an obsession for him. However, despite revenge being his main motivation in life, Niko still shows hints of compassion and humanity, and hopes that gaining closure on the darkest chapter of his life will allow him to find himself as a person once again.

Hellfire rains from the sky in Liberty City.

From here on, revenge, greed, betrayal, and tragedy are the name of the game. There are twists and turns at every corner, some of them so shocking that I for one had to take a break from advancing in the story to soak it all in. I honestly felt Niko's emotions and related with him in ways I had rarely related to any game character in the past. Part of this has to do with the way the game allows you to influence the story directly. At several points in the game you will be presented with the choice of killing certain characters or letting them live, or in different cases, choose who to kill between two characters. While most of these choices don't alter the main picture in meaningful ways (aside from maybe some side missions appearing further in the game), they present a great way to immerse you deeper into the story. Towards the end however, one particular choice does have major significance, effectively deciding which of two endings you will get. It's a truly gut-wrenching moment that had my head spinning for quite some time thinking about the possible ramifications of my decision. It's just another example of how immersive the story is.

We're winners man, f'n winners!

As great as the story can be it'd be nothing if it wasn't supported by a strong cast of characters, and in Grand Theft Auto IV you'll meet the most humane and memorable characters presented in the series so far. Niko and Roman are polar opposites, one a fearless gunman, the other a coward pushover, yet they compliment each other perfectly. Brucie, a steroid junkie who's obsessed with his physique as well as being a "winner", brings plenty of humor to the fold. The McReary brothers are always seconds away from blowing each other to pieces, all while her innocent sister Kate (probably the only honest person in the game) stares in horror. Mob bosses like Ray Boccino and Phil Bell offer a glimpse of what paranoia and a thirst to climb the corporate crime ladder can do to a man. Every single character in the game is captivating in their own way, presenting a tainted life that remains compelling for different reasons.

Good times lie just around the corner.

Yet the biggest character is Liberty City itself. The city feels alive and is brimming with detail. Every borough tells a different story, be it stories of crime or rampant corruption. You can tell that this is a place that has been alive long before you arrived. Pedestrian behavior has never been done better. You will see people going on about their lives, taking a smoke outside while complaining about the laws that force them to do so, having conversations on their cell phones, buying from the different street vendors, visiting the local restaurants or entertainment venues, etc. At other times you will see random crime take place on the streets only for the cops to give chase to any misfits and call for a patrol car once they catch the criminal. Bumping into pedestrians will likely spark some crazy comments or maybe a more violent reaction. Even the weather changes will affect their behavior (a newspaper can be used as an improvised umbrella). And should anyone witness you commit a crime, there's always a chance they'll pull out their phones and call for the police. Plain and simple, Liberty City is the closest thing we've seen to a living breathing world.

It's all too real...

But what about the game itself? Well, just like the story it has taken a different direction from previous games. The gameplay is much more realistic this time around, with virtually every gameplay element somewhat tied to the story itself. What this means is that some of the more wacky stuff characteristic of the series so far has been either toned down or removed altogether. Side activities like the Vigilante missions are now accessed via a computer installed on police cars, where you can select from any recently reported crime or give chase to any of the criminals listed in the most wanted list. Taxi missions are available only through Roman's taxi company and you have to give him a call to set them up first. The ambulance and firetruck missions are a thing of the past. The same goes for the off-road vehicle missions or the flight and racing schools. Street races are still available, but they have to be set up by your buddy Brucie. The hidden packages have been revamped into a search for diseased pigeons, (something that I wasn't sold on first due to my love for animals, but eventually liked since it allowed me to explore places I'd never had visited otherwise). Basically, any element that couldn't be smoothly blended into the main story has been eliminated and those that remained find a logical explanation within the gameworld.

The new cover system is a very welcome addition.

There's still plenty to do in Liberty City. Aside from races and pigeon hunting, there are unique stunt jumps scattered through the city. Brucie, and later another contact named Stevie, will require that you collect several exotic cars for them. If you're bored you can always stop by your apartment and enjoy the TV shows or better yet, stop by a cybercafe and navigate the in-game Internet (two of the game's most unique and entertaining additions). The Internet will allow you to gain additional insight into Liberty City as well as provide you with hours of humor through random blogs or news sites that will constantly be updated as you advance through the story. There's also a dating website that allows you to hook up with some of the women of Liberty City.

Niko, it's your cousin!

Socializing is an optional but very fulfilling feature the game offers. Aside from the women you can meet online, some of the characters in the main story will become personal friends of Niko. There are plenty of activities you can do whether you're on a date with the girls or just hanging out with the boys. You can visit the bowling alley, play pool at the Jamaican bar, or play some darts at the Irish pub. There are two clubs dedicated to comedy/entertainment shows, one featuring real life comedians Kat Williams and Ricky Gervais, the other a Russian cabaret club that features magicians, singers, and jugglers. There's a wide selection of restaurants through the city but whether your date/friend enjoys it depends on their personality. And if none of that's up your alley you can just hit a bar and get drunk, something that sets up a funny drive back home.

While you're driving with your date/friend to the selected destination you'll get to experience several conversations that take place between Niko and whoever he's with. Here you will get even more insight into the life and tribulations of these characters. It's not uncommon for a tough guy like Packie to let go off his guard and reveal how he's not happy with life. Packie's sister Kate will tell you about how hard it has been to remain sane while living with a bunch of criminals. Niko and Roman's exchanges see them discuss their childhood or talk about how much they care for each other. Who'd ever thought a GTA game would have two guys talking openly about their feelings?

In situations like this, you'd wish parachutes were still available.

There's an added benefit to the socializing aspect. Once your friends like you enough (after a few successful dates), they will give you certain benefits that you can cash in on at any time. For example, Roman will offer a free taxi while Little Jacob (a Jamaican underground guns dealer who can't go two seconds without smoking some weed) will sell you weapons at a discount price through his mobile gun shop (aka, his crappy car). As for the benefits you get from your girlfriends, they can literally turn into lifesavers.

You'll stay in contact with your friends via your brand new cell phone. While Vice City and San Andreas had cell phones, they could only be used passively. In GTA IV the cell phone is a vital component, allowing you to call any character in your phone book at any given time as well as receive their calls or text messages (there are other uses for it that I will discuss later). A great deal of the story will advance through phone conversations and most of the missions will be either delivered through the phone or at least an initial meeting will be setup through a phone call.

The dirty work of a hitman

Speaking of the main story missions, they have been greatly affected by the emphasis on realism. Missions never reach the ridiculously crazy heights they did in San Andreas (like breaking into a military base to steal a Hydra or stealing a jet pack from an Area 51-esque secret base), instead focusing on the conventional jobs a hitman would be asked to perform. Save for a few exceptions, most missions involve ambushing someone and taking them out, or chasing them around the city to take them out. The game is smart though, slowly introducing new elements in each mission to always give them a different feel and keep them from getting stale. But what really makes every mission memorable is the fact that they are bookended by more interaction with the game's great characters, via excellent cutscenes or additional phone conversations.

Niko's gotta make a living somehow.

However, several missions do cross into epic territory. Most of them involve heavy shootouts against overwhelming opposition, such as one where you must rescue a kidnapped friend or an assault on a museum that's host to an illegal diamond exchange. One of the most memorable for me (particularly due to the setting) was an ambush on a 5 star hotel that started out sneaking in quietly only to finish guns a'blazing at the penthouse's rooftop. Towards the middle of the game, Niko will help the McReary brothers perform a bank heist and needless to say, a smooth quick exit from the crime scene isn't an option. What follows instead is a shootout of epic proportions that sees Niko and the McReary's fight dozens and dozens of cops across the streets of Liberty City, then through the subway, and finally try to lose the heat on your way home with the cops on your tail. The final two missions of the game are also full of memorable moments, though I'll spare you the details for those since that would give away too many spoilers.

It's the little things that count

As you go through the missions you'll start noticing several subtle changes to the gameplay mechanics. Car handling is much more realistic and it can be tricky to get accustomed to it at first (especially when driving station wagons), but once you get the hang of it, it's non-issue. From the moment you get on a vehicle you can tell how different it feels from others and how appropriate the handling feels. Exotic cars convey a great sense of speed (which makes them preferable for missions that involve too much chasing), while cheap sedans feel as such. Driving around the city in a garbage truck is an experience of its own, but you'd never want to try and outrun the cops in one (though that's quite an amusing sight). Bike handling is probably the hardest one to accustom not to mention that bikes are the most dangerous form of transportation in Liberty City since a big wipe out from your bike can hurt you severely (it might even kill you depending on how low on health you are).

A fancy hotel is a suitable location for bloodshed to take place.

Crashes and vehicle damage have also been enhanced. Cars no longer follow a generic damage path where they will explode after a certain amount of bumps. Each bump the car takes will damage it where it's supposed to (windshields will break during heavy crashes, bumpers will fall if they are badly beaten, headlights will stop working if you hit them too hard) and the car's performance will only be affected if vital parts such as the engine or tires are damaged. Also, cars will no longer explode if you simply flip them over; a car will only explode if it's subjected to heavy fire or it takes part in an extreme collision (provided the car was already damaged enough).

Armed combat has also been greatly improved. The available arsenal hasn't changed much from previous games. An array of pistols, SMGs, shotguns, rifles, explosives, and rocket launchers are available at the gun shops (though some weapons won't be for sale right from the start) or scattered in hidden places through the city. There are no useless weapons in the game (save for melee weapons maybe) and you'll find that every weapon can fit certain situations better than others. What radically changes the gunplay is the new cover system. Virtually every object in the city can be used for cover at the simple press of a button. Once in cover you can either fire blindly in full cover or carefully creep out a little to aim your shots. Taking proper cover is vital in some of the latter missions where you will face overwhelming opposition. It may be possible to go through the game without ever taking cover, but you'd be making things harder on yourself, not to mention missing out on a great new feature.

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