Grand Theft Auto IV [PS3]

For demo purposes, the secretary at the law firm calls us back almost immediately to set up that interview (normally, it would have taken several in-game days.) The meeting is automatically added to the phone's organizer -- complete with a reminder ring -- allowing Niko to go about his daily business instead of constantly bouncing from mission to mission. The phone also acts as Niko's camera, contact list and calendar, as well as being his means of accessing GTA IV's multiplayer. We don't know the specifics of that bombshell yet -- other than admitting its existence, Rockstar is keeping the lid on multiplayer details for now.

Niko heads off to meet the crooked cop for a short powwow, but since the spot is across town, he waves down a cab and hops in. That's right -- for the first time in a GTA game, someone else can do the driving for you. If you want to take in the sights of the city, you can sit in the backseat, peer out the windows and get a lay of the land while the cabbie drives you to your destination in real-time. To appease impatient gamers, they've included the ridiculously handy option to "trip skip" and fast-forward the process by warping to your drop-off spot. This works for any location in the game that you've already opened up.

Our chat with Officer McCrery shows off the smooth in-engine cut-scenes. Great animations and highly-detailed faces are a vast improvement over the blockier models from the previous-gen games. It turns out that McCrery is being blackmailed, and we're charged with the task of taking care of the situation. So off we go, this time forgoing the cab in favor of doing what we do best -- borrowing cars without asking.

As mentioned in earlier previews, cars aren't just sitting there with the keys in the ignition and the doors unlocked anymore. To steal a speedy Comet, Niko busts the window with his elbow, reaches in to unlock the door, and tinkers under the steering column to hotwire it. The process takes longer than it used to, much closer to how long it would take an expert thief in the real world. Not that we know for sure, Officer.

Driving itself looks different, as the standard camera has been moved a bit closer and to the left of the car, placing the median smack in the middle of the screen. This increases the horizontal visual range, presumably giving players a better view of the road and what lies ahead, although GTA vets might find it initially awkward. During our ride, more details emerge -- we spot the Statue of Happiness (Liberty, wink wink) in the background thanks to the incredible draw distance; the wheels react to a wide variety of road textures, including tiny, inconsequential bumps and potholes. We even notice a queue of cabs waiting for passengers outside of a big hotel.

Soon enough Niko reaches his destination, a crowded park viewpoint overlooking a river. Since he doesn't know what the blackmailer looks like, he makes a quick call to McCrery and gets a text message with the mark's phone number. Again, the phone becomes a key element as Niko calls the blackmailer while eyeing the scene. We notice several people talking on cell phones, but only one hangs up when we do. A bullet behind the ear later, and all hell breaks loose. Pedestrians scatter as the lifeless body slumps to the ground. The "Wanted" level makes a return, immediately hopping up to two stars and prompting what we all came here for -- some insane GTA action.