GTA IV: What We Know So Far
Jun 26, 2007
For a major publisher, Rockstar has become famously reclusive. The company doesn't hold press events like most other game publishers, and never sends out advance or preview builds of games in the GTA franchise. Instead, they choose to leak details a little bit at a time to various outlets. That makes knowing every possible detail about the game difficult without constantly scanning the web. Therefore, we've compiled the most important and interesting details for your convenience.
The setting, of course, is Liberty City. While the game won't be as geographically massive as San Andreas, this is the biggest and most detailed city map Rockstar has ever created. You'll be able to run through the streets without tiring, unlike previous games, and each step will be reflected in a slight controller vibration, at least on the Xbox 360. The city is modeled to an amazingly realistic degree after New York City. While Staten Island isn't a part of the geography, expect to see GTA versions of classic locations like Coney Island. And since Niko can freely climb trees and telephone poles (and other surfaces) we're hoping for a version of the Cyclone roller coaster to ascend.
Obviously, traveling the city by car or other vehicles will be a massive part of the game's appeal, and one that has been rethought to a certain extent. Stealing a car is no longer simply a matter of jumping in. You'll break the windows of locked autos and hotwire the steering column, which adds both an extra level of realism and the opportunity to be seen by either a cop or another thug. You'll also be able to access the trunk in most cars. Boats will be in the game, but planes will not. Expect to see, and commandeer, a few helicopters, however.
Rockstar claims both a more intricate, important storyline is in place, but also that there's more choice than ever before. The story of Niko, an immigrant recently arrived in Liberty City, will be more naturalistic and slightly more realistic than any previous GTA tale. Niko's brother has lured him to the city with promises of wealth and the American Dream come to life, but his promises turn out to be exaggerated at best. There are also hints that the strict mission sequence of previous games might be more fluidly integrated into the plentiful side missions
You'll see few, if any returning characters from previous chapters in the series, but the new cast will be just as large as before, and the pedestrians and other examples of city life are more communicative, interactive, and lifelike than before. Details on the new AI have been kept tight, but Rockstar has made sweeping promises about a massive upgrade.
Don't expect to be able to customize Niko as before, and you won't have to eat or work out, but his clothes and some other items will be changeable. And while the game's HUD is largely gone, you'll see armor and bulletproof vests actually worn by Niko, and you'll watch them deteriorate when shot during combat. In a similar manner, damage and gore will be represented to a far greater visual degree than before; expect some of the game's more extreme violence to be far more disturbing than ever.
The combat, previously a sticking point in the series, has been rebuilt. Melee entanglements are said to be more natural and fluid, while drawing a gun brings up a simple crosshair targeting system. But that's just a basic detail. Rockstar has created a new system to communicate Niko's physical mass, and expect that to play into the totally overhauled combat systems.
Both sound and vision have been given massive upgrades this time out. Early teasers show a far more detailed high dynamic range lighting model than every before, and the textures and structures of Liberty City are obviously unlike anything we've seen in the series to date. The sound design is also more immersive, with ambient sounds realistically presented as if they were actually bouncing off buildings and traveling from varying distances. Expect to hear the cacophony of a real city replicated in a totally new way for a video game.
Despite the size and realism of this Liberty City, including the ability to enter more buildings than in the past, don't expect load times. Rockstar claims you'll be able to play the game from beginning to end on both the 360 and PS3 without seeing a single load screen. After the long loads of previous entries, that's a thrilling development which could massively affect the game's immersion factor.
One of the new controversies to surround the game is related to downloadable content. At this time, Take-Two seems to be angling to offer episodic content only on the Xbox 360. Recently revealed business details indicate that Microsoft plans to pony up $25 million for each of two content packages. The first package is tentatively planned for March '08, the second for later in 2008. The nature of the content is currently unknown -- likely new missions to expand the Liberty City storyline -- but 50 million bucks means serious business, especially to a company that's had as many problems as Take-Two has in the past two years.
Finally, there's one more way to spend extra money on GTA this year: in addition to the regular $60 version of the game, an $89 Special Edition will be on shelves. What does the extra thirty bucks get you? A soundtrack CD, art book, keychain, duffel bag and lockbox. Furthermore, games analyst Michael Pachter has speculated that GTA IV might be delayed a couple of weeks, both to separate it from Halo 3 (out on September 25) and to push into Take-Two's 2008 fiscal year. Take-Two Chairman Strauss Zelnick, however, said in the company's recent earnings conference call that "we're confirming the release date and we're going to meet the release dates."
Want more GTA details? Check back with Yahoo! Games on June 27 for an exclusive interview with Rockstar VP of creative, Dan Houser.