Grand Theft Auto IV is finally available around the world, and we are now able to offer you the First 10 minutes of this already legendary game. No mission in the video, only the long introduction cutscene which begins with Niko Bellic arriving in Liberty City by boat, and meeting with quite an energetic cousin. The video has been captured from the Xbox 360 version of the game.
"Grand Theft Auto IV is a violent, intelligent, profane, endearing, obnoxious, sly, richly textured and thoroughly compelling work of cultural satire disguised as fun. It calls to mind a rollicking R-rated version of Mad magazine featuring Dave Chappelle and Quentin Tarantino, and sets a new standard for what is possible in interactive arts. It is by far the best game of the series..."
Very long interview with information you won't see anywhere else. Excerpts:
“He hasn't a clue how much GTA IV has cost to make but hazards a guess at $100 Million. About 1,000 people have had a hand in developing it. The perfectionism Houser and Benzies demand of their teams is astonishing."
"time-lapse cameras were set on rooftops in NY to capture the correct intensity of the rain. Over 100,000 photographs were taken on location."
As an experience, especially a cinematic one, GTA IV is incredible. Story-wise, Rockstar's usual mix of crime, betrayal and truckloads of piss-taking is at full force in an event-filled plotline. It's easily our favourite narrative since Vice City.
This is mostly down to the charismatic and infinitely likeable protagonist. Unlike the silent anti-hero of III, or CJ's custom canvas, Niko Bellic has tons to say and a shady past to uncover.
"Although its got plenty of excellent features, it's ultimately the storytelling that makes it an instant classic, a game unlike any we've played before. As is the case with many great books and movies, you'll want to know what happens to the characters after the game ends, and one can't help hoping that all of their American Dreams comes true."
The PS3 version's review can be found at: http://uk.ps3.gamespy.com/playstation-3/grand-theft-auto-iv/869750p1.html
The best motherf@*&ing game we've ever played. 10/10 It’s amazing that a sequel that keeps the core gameplay concepts of its prior incarnations can do so much to change itself into something new. Cabs are awesome, as are the cell-phone capabilities. But perhaps the biggest innovation is the notion that you can create a game that’s as valid a piece of art as any book or movie. Is this our Citizen Kane moment?
"Niko Bellic, Grand Theft Auto IV's bruiser from the former Eastern Bloc, is a stone-cold couch potato, a desperate online dater with dead-on aim, and a chronic websurfer who could kill you in a hand-to-hand Krav Maga brawl. Fresh off the boat, he's an illegal immigrant pursuing the dual American dreams of quick money and mass multimedia consumption in the most vibrant, dynamic, and entertainment-packed playground in console videogame history: Liberty City."
A research team asked 1,250 kids to name some video games they'd played in the past six months. GTA was at the top of the list for boys, way ahead of the Madden football games and Microsoft's sci-fi blockbuster, Halo. Among girls the same age, the game was No. 2, behind the Sims.
16