Grand Theft Auto IV
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Grand Theft Auto IV | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Developer(s) | Rockstar North Additional work by: Rockstar Toronto (PC)[1] |
| Publisher(s) | Rockstar Games |
| Distributor(s) | Take-Two Interactive |
| Director(s) | Rod Edge John Zurhellen Aaron Garbut Adam Fowler Alexander Roger |
| Producer(s) | Leslie Benzies |
| Writer(s) | Dan Houser Rupert Humphries |
| Series | Grand Theft Auto |
| Engine | RAGE, Euphoria, Bullet Physics Library |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows |
| Release date(s) | PlayStation 3 & Xbox 360
|
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, online multiplayer |
| Distribution | Optical disc, download |
Two expansion packs have been developed for the game, originally released as downloadable content for the Xbox 360 version throughout 2009. Both The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony feature new plots that are interconnected with the main GTA IV storyline, and follow new protagonists. The two episodes have been released together for all platforms as a stand-alone game called Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City. A bundle that contained both the original GTA IV game and the Episodes was also released, titled Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition. The 2009 handheld game Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars revisited the Liberty City of GTA IV.
As the first game of the critically acclaimed series to appear on seventh generation consoles, Grand Theft Auto IV was widely anticipated. A major commercial and critical success, it broke industry records with sales of around 3.6 million units on its first day of release and grossing more than $500 million in revenue in the first week, selling an estimated 6 million units worldwide.[3] Grand Theft Auto IV won numerous awards from both gaming and mainstream press, including several recognitions as Game of the Year. As of 2012 the game has sold over 25 million copies. Grand Theft Auto IV is widely regarded by critics as the best game of this generation as well as one of the best games of all time. Game Informer editor Andrew Reiner placed Grand Theft Auto IV on rank 1 on their list of Best Games of this Generation.[4] Empire placed Grand Theft Auto IV 16th on their list of 100 Greatest Games of All Time.[5]
Contents
Gameplay
Quite like its predecessors, the core gameplay of GTA IV consists of giving the player a large, open world environment in which to move around freely. On foot, the player character can walk, run, jump, climb over obstacles and swim, as well as use weapons and perform basic hand-to-hand combat. Players can steal and drive a variety of vehicles, including automobiles, boats, helicopters, and motorcycles. Grand Theft Auto IV takes advantage of Natural Motion's Euphoria engine, which combines artificial intelligence, bio-mechanics and physics to make open, non-linear environments that allow players to explore and choose how they wish to play the game. Although completing most of the storyline missions are necessary to progress through the game and unlock certain content and parts of the city, they are not required, as players can complete them at their own leisure. When not attempting a storyline mission, players can free-roam, giving them the ability to do activities. Side missions such as locating and destroying criminals in the police car database or participating in street races can keep the player occupied for hours. The player can also swim just like in the previous entry of the game, this feature was missing from older games.It is possible to have active missions running at one time, as some missions run over the course of several days and require the player to wait for further instructions or events. The player can also attempt a variety of optional side missions. Grand Theft Auto IV also contains morality choices at points throughout the game, which alter the storyline appropriately depending on the player's choice. Which of the game's two different endings occurs is determined by one of these choices.
Combat and police response
If Niko is injured he can recover health by eating, drinking, sleeping, using medical kits, call for paramedics or call a girlfriend for medical advice, amongst others. Body armour can absorb gunshots and explosive damage but is gradually used up in the process.[8] If Niko's health level reaches zero, the action stops, and he re-appears at the nearest hospital having lost some money (but retaining his weapons).
The Wanted Level system has changed from previous Grand Theft Auto games. Although their star levels are retained (which increase with the number or severity of criminal acts by the player, with corresponding increases in law enforcement interference), the law enforcement agencies which may pursue the player have changed, with the focus on making them more realistic. In previous Grand Theft Auto titles, as wanted level rose the player was pursued by increasingly well-armed and violent agencies, culminating with the Army at the highest wanted level. In Grand Theft Auto IV, the police are assisted by NOOSE (National Office of Security Enforcement — a parody of SWAT and DHS[9]) officers at a three-star wanted level, who are joined by either NOOSE's Tactical Response Unit (a parody of the NYPD ESU) or FIB (Federal Investigation Bureau — a parody of the FBI) at even higher wanted levels. In this case the army is not available in the game. Like previous GTA games, a police helicopter pursues the player at a three-star wanted level, but this is replaced by a helicopter gunship at the five-star level, though it utilises sharp-shooters rather than its mounted gatling guns.
When the police are in pursuit of Niko, a circular search area appears on the map in which the police will be lookin
Grand Theft Auto IV
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Grand Theft Auto IV | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Developer(s) | Rockstar North Additional work by: Rockstar Toronto (PC)[1] |
| Publisher(s) | Rockstar Games |
| Distributor(s) | Take-Two Interactive |
| Director(s) | Rod Edge John Zurhellen Aaron Garbut Adam Fowler Alexander Roger |
| Producer(s) | Leslie Benzies |
| Writer(s) | Dan Houser Rupert Humphries |
| Series | Grand Theft Auto |
| Engine | RAGE, Euphoria, Bullet Physics Library |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows |
| Release date(s) | PlayStation 3 & Xbox 360
|
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, online multiplayer |
| Distribution | Optical disc, download |
Two expansion packs have been developed for the game, originally released as downloadable content for the Xbox 360 version throughout 2009. Both The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony feature new plots that are interconnected with the main GTA IV storyline, and follow new protagonists. The two episodes have been released together for all platforms as a stand-alone game called Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City. A bundle that contained both the original GTA IV game and the Episodes was also released, titled Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition. The 2009 handheld game Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars revisited the Liberty City of GTA IV.
As the first game of the critically acclaimed series to appear on seventh generation consoles, Grand Theft Auto IV was widely anticipated. A major commercial and critical success, it broke industry records with sales of around 3.6 million units on its first day of release and grossing more than $500 million in revenue in the first week, selling an estimated 6 million units worldwide.[3] Grand Theft Auto IV won numerous awards from both gaming and mainstream press, including several recognitions as Game of the Year. As of 2012 the game has sold over 25 million copies. Grand Theft Auto IV is widely regarded by critics as the best game of this generation as well as one of the best games of all time. Game Informer editor Andrew Reiner placed Grand Theft Auto IV on rank 1 on their list of Best Games of this Generation.[4] Empire placed Grand Theft Auto IV 16th on their list of 100 Greatest Games of All Time.[5]
Contents
Gameplay
Quite like its predecessors, the core gameplay of GTA IV consists of giving the player a large, open world environment in which to move around freely. On foot, the player character can walk, run, jump, climb over obstacles and swim, as well as use weapons and perform basic hand-to-hand combat. Players can steal and drive a variety of vehicles, including automobiles, boats, helicopters, and motorcycles. Grand Theft Auto IV takes advantage of Natural Motion's Euphoria engine, which combines artificial intelligence, bio-mechanics and physics to make open, non-linear environments that allow players to explore and choose how they wish to play the game. Although completing most of the storyline missions are necessary to progress through the game and unlock certain content and parts of the city, they are not required, as players can complete them at their own leisure. When not attempting a storyline mission, players can free-roam, giving them the ability to do activities. Side missions such as locating and destroying criminals in the police car database or participating in street races can keep the player occupied for hours. The player can also swim just like in the previous entry of the game, this feature was missing from older games.It is possible to have active missions running at one time, as some missions run over the course of several days and require the player to wait for further instructions or events. The player can also attempt a variety of optional side missions. Grand Theft Auto IV also contains morality choices at points throughout the game, which alter the storyline appropriately depending on the player's choice. Which of the game's two different endings occurs is determined by one of these choices.
Combat and police response
If Niko is injured he can recover health by eating, drinking, sleeping, using medical kits, call for paramedics or call a girlfriend for medical advice, amongst others. Body armour can absorb gunshots and explosive damage but is gradually used up in the process.[8] If Niko's health level reaches zero, the action stops, and he re-appears at the nearest hospital having lost some money (but retaining his weapons).
The Wanted Level system has changed from previous Grand Theft Auto games. Although their star levels are retained (which increase with the number or severity of criminal acts by the player, with corresponding increases in law enforcement interference), the law enforcement agencies which may pursue the player have changed, with the focus on making them more realistic. In previous Grand Theft Auto titles, as wanted level rose the player was pursued by increasingly well-armed and violent agencies, culminating with the Army at the highest wanted level. In Grand Theft Auto IV, the police are assisted by NOOSE (National Office of Security Enforcement — a parody of SWAT and DHS[9]) officers at a three-star wanted level, who are joined by either NOOSE's Tactical Response Unit (a parody of the NYPD ESU) or FIB (Federal Investigation Bureau — a parody of the FBI) at even higher wanted levels. In this case the army is not available in the game. Like previous GTA games, a police helicopter pursues the player at a three-star wanted level, but this is replaced by a helicopter gunship at the five-star level, though it utilises sharp-shooters rather than its mounted gatling guns.
When the police are in pursuit of Niko, a circular search area appears on the map in which the police will be looking for him. The area grows with increased wanted level, and re-centres itself on Niko's location if he is spotted by the police. If the player escapes from the search area without being seen by law enforcement units, and can stay out of sight of police for a short time without committing any more crimes, the search is soon aborted. This is different from the previous methods of evading authorities such as changing clothes and collecting bribes. Wanted levels can also be lost either by changing the colour of the current vehicle, or entering a safehouse and going to sleep. The player has the option of attempting to escape arrest before being handcuffed, at the cost of increasing the wanted level by one star (the traditional bold letters that note "Busted" for arrest are absent), although the police will immediately open fire. However, this move is only possible with a one star wanted level, as the police will focus more on killing the player at higher wanted levels, rather than arresting him, and is only possible when the player is on foot, as like previous games, the player is immediately arrested when pulled out of a vehicle.[7][10][11]
Vehicles
Common to the rest of the series, vehicles are the predominant means of travel in GTA IV, with cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats and even city buses available for use. Every vehicle in the game uses the in-game minimap as a GPS device. "Way points" can be placed on the map, plotting the shortest legal route between Niko and the destination on the minimap. The player can also hail a taxi or cab, which allows travel between destinations without having to drive. The journey can also be skipped, so the player arrives at their destination instantly. However, if the player decides to skip the journey, it will cost them more money. During car chases, the player can focus the camera on the target vehicle by holding the cinematic camera button, and also free-aim and fire out of the vehicle using one-handed firearms. The player may also drop grenades.[12] The player cannot pilot fixed-wing aircraft, which was possible in previous games of the series, but can still pilot helicopters. The main game also lacks parachutes, though they were later reintroduced in The Ballad of Gay Tony. Liberty City also has an extensive, multiple-line subway system available for use. This allows the player to travel quickly between stations across the city. The service is very cheap, as the cost is only $1 per station. There are 26 stations in total across the map with a 27th station, called Dukes Blvd, closed for maintenance. The subway tunnels can be optionally explored on foot or in some vehicles, too.Communication
Whereas previous games in the series frequently used public telephones to relay missions to the player, in Grand Theft Auto IV a 'Whiz Wireless' mobile phone is used.[13] It has several uses, including viewing text messages and appointments, arranging to meet friends for activities, and also for choosing to retry failed missions.[14] The player can also take photos for certain missions, and call 911 to summon the emergency services.[15] The police will arrest felons, and paramedics are able to restore Niko's health.[16] The phone also allows access to the game's multiplayer mode.[17] The player can also call other characters to talk to them, or ask for a service that they can provide, such as transportation or a reduction in wanted level.[18] The player can also enter cheat codes that may be entered by dialling certain numbers on the mobile phone.[19]The game also features several different in-game databases that Niko can make use of. An in-game version of the Internet can be used by accessing the Internet café chain, "TW@", located throughout the city or by accessing a computer in a safehouse. There are over 100 fictitious websites that can be accessed within the game, and Niko can also send and receive email (including junk mail) and set up prospective dates.[20] Although the Internet café was seen in Grand Theft Auto III, internet browsing was not possible.[21] In a police vehicle, Niko can use an in-car computer to access Liberty City's criminal database, discover information about various criminals in Liberty City and even track them down for a reward.[22] The game also features in-game television programming, with several viewable channels featuring programmes and advertisements. The television shows cover a wide variety of genres, including a history channel, reality shows, card games, and cartoons.[23]
Multiplayer
Grand Theft Auto IV includes online multiplayer, with 15 modes of play available.[24] It supports up to 16 players (32 players in the PC version[25]) and allows players to explore the entire city.[26] Hosts of the games can control many variables, such as police presence, traffic, and weapons. The console editions of the game do not feature any split screen or LAN multiplayer modes,[27] but the PC version does have LAN support. All versions of the game include voice chat.The online games are split into ranked and unranked matches. The reward for the ranked gameplay is cash, which determines players' ranks.[28]
Several different game modes are available. Team based gameplay modes include[29] Team Deathmatch, where 2–8 teams compete to accumulate the most kills in a traditional deathmatch; Team Mafiya Work, in which 2–8 teams compete to complete contract work for the "mafiya", such as escorting/killing targets or stealing cars; Team Car Jack City where 2–8 teams compete to steal cars and earn money for keeping them undamaged; Cops n' Crooks, featuring a team of cops who must compete against a team of crooks (which features the "All for One" variation – requiring the cops to kill the crooks' "Boss" before he is escorted to the extraction point – and the "One for All" variation – requiring the cops to kill all of the crooks before they reach the extraction point); and Turf War, involving two teams who compete to take control of designated areas of the map and control them for as long as possible.
The game also includes a variety of racing and cooperative modes, which include Race, in which players race through checkpoints in a traditional automobile race; a GTA race variation, where players race through checkpoints in an automobile race, with the ability to combat their opponents; Hangman's N.O.O.S.E., a co-op mode that requires players to collect a person from the airport and safely escort him to the extraction point before the cops kill him; Deal Breaker, a co-op mission that requires players to assault a construction site captured by enemies, then chase a group of enemies before they escape; and Bomb da Base II, a co-op mission that requires players to clear out a ship, then destroy it with explosives, referencing the mission Bomb Da Base from Grand Theft Auto III which featured a similar objective of destroying a ship with explosives. The game also features a Free Mode, in which players have the entire map open to explore, with no end goal or mission to complete.
Certain features from the single player mode are disabled in the multiplayer modes, such as the bowling, darts, and pool mini-games. The cheats, clubs and Internet café and some forms of transport (i.e. subway trains and taxi ride) are also disabled.[30]
Synopsis
|
Grand Theft Auto series fictional chronology |
|---|
|
1969 – London, 1969 1997 – Grand Theft Auto 1999 – Grand Theft Auto 2 1986 – Vice City 1992 – San Andreas 1998 – Liberty City Stories 2000 – Advance 2001 – Grand Theft Auto III – The Lost and Damned – The Ballad of Gay Tony 2009 – Chinatown Wars 2013 – Grand Theft Auto V |
Plot
Grand Theft Auto IV follows the story of Niko Bellic, a veteran of an unnamed war in Eastern Europe, who is haunted by the betrayal of his 15 man army unit. Ten years later, after a smuggling run goes bad due to a betrayal from a partner, Niko leaves Eastern Europe[31] to escape the anger of his employer, Ray Bulgarin. After six months in the merchant navy (serving aboard the cargo ship the Platypus), and believing the stories of his cousin Roman, Niko comes to Liberty City to pursue the American Dream as well as searching for the traitor of his unit. After his arrival, however, Niko quickly learns that Roman's tales of riches and luxury were lies concealing struggles with gambling debts and loansharks, and that Roman lives in a dirty apartment rather than a mansion.Niko defends Roman from his loansharks several times, eventually killing Vlad Glebov, Roman's Russian loanshark. Niko also begins dating a friend of Mallorie's named Michelle and befriends Jamaican drug and arms dealer "Little" Jacob Hughes. Niko also befriends steroid junkie and chop shop owner Bruce "Brucie" Kibbutz.
After Vlad's murder, Niko and Roman are kidnapped by members of the Liberty City Bratva, on order of Mikhail Faustin and his associate, Dimitri Rascalov. Faustin, not bothered by the murder of Vlad, hires Niko, who quickly learns that he's a psychopath when he orders Niko to kill the son of Kenny Petrović, the most powerful man in the Liberty City Bratva. Dimitri then orders Niko to assassinate Faustin, and when Niko meets with Dimitri to collect on the assassination, Dimitri betrays Niko to his angry former employer Ray Bulgarin.
Immediately afterwards, Niko and Roman are forced to escape to Bohan when their apartment and taxi company are destroyed in arson attacks by Dimitri's men. To make ends meet Niko takes jobs for former gangbanger Manny Escuela, Bohan drug dealer Elizabeta Torres, Irish mobster Patrick "Packie" McReary, and Algonquin drug dealer Playboy X. Niko also becomes an errand boy for both Mafia Capo Ray Boccino and crooked Deputy Police Commissioner Francis McReary.
However, things go poorly in Bohan: one of the drug deals that Niko is working for Elizabeta turns out to be a sting and another is busted. After the latter incident, Niko's current girlfriend Michelle then reveals that she works for a government agency and entraps Niko into working for Michelle's agency, known only by its cover: United Liberty Paper. Niko kills several known or suspected terrorists for the agency in exchange for the promise of assistance in finding the man who betrayed Niko's unit. The Liberty City Police Department begins to close in on Elizabeta, who kills Manny when he attempts a citizens arrest. Soon afterwards Elizabeta is arrested, and sentenced to 300 years imprisonment.
Niko assists Boccino in a conflict diamond deal with diamond dealer Isaac Roth, which goes badly and leads to the diamonds and the money being stolen by Luis Lopez and Johnny Klebitz, respectively. In exchange for Niko's help, Boccino locates Florian Cravic, the man that Niko has been searching for. However, when Niko confronts Cravic he discovers that he's changed his name to Bernie Crane and has become an effeminate homosexual, and he determines that Bernie is not responsible for his unit's betrayal, leaving one remaining suspect: Darko Brevic. Niko also works for both Playboy X and Playboy's mentor Dwayne Forge. After Niko kills Playboy's business partners as a favour for Forge, the relationship between Playboy and Forge becomes so poisonous that each asks Niko to kill the other, leaving Niko a choice between the two.
While in Algonquin, Niko develops a strong connection with the McReary family, including Packie's older brothers Gerald and Derrick, and their sister Kate, with whom he begins a non-sexual relationship. Together Niko, Packie, Derrick, and "Saint" Michael Keane, heist the Bank of Liberty in Algonquin. However, the robbery does not go smoothly; Michael is killed and the others are forced to shoot their way out past the police to escape. After the robbery, Niko works with Gerry McReary to destroy the relationship between the Ancelotti Crime Family and their Albanian muscle-men.
Meanwhile, Derrick spends most of his share on drugs and alcohol, and sends Niko to eliminate former partners he believes are informing on him. Francis soon becomes concerned that Derrick's drug behaviour could ruin his plans to become police commissioner, and tells Niko to kill Derrick. Soon after, Derrick asks Niko to kill Francis, which gives Niko a choice between the two. In either case Niko, is invited to the funeral and informed that Gerry has been arrested.
After his incarceration, Gerry contacts Niko and asks him to help in the kidnapping of Gracie, the daughter of the Don of the Ancelloti Family, in exchange for a ransom of the stolen diamonds. However after exchanging Gracie to "Gay" Tony Prince for the diamonds, Niko and Packie are surprised by Ray Bulgarin, who claims the diamonds are his. In the ensuing gunfight the diamonds are thrown into a passing dumptruck and lost.
Niko also does work for the Pegorino family in Alderney, mainly with Associate Phil Bell, stealing heroin, and later for Don Jimmy Pegorino. This leads to a war between the Pegorinos, Pavanos, and Ancellottis. Eventually, Niko is sent to kill Ray Boccino because Pegorino is convinced that he is an informant.
United Liberty Paper eventually locates Darko Brevic and brings him to Liberty City as a final reward. Niko confronts Darko, who is now a drug-addicted wreck, and learns that Darko betrayed the group for $1,000. Niko then has to choose to either execute or spare Darko. Having dealt with his past, Niko is summoned by Pegorino, who demands one final favour: to help with an extremely lucrative deal on the heroin in collusion with Dimitri Rascalov.[29]
The story then features two possible endings depending on the choice made by the player at this point in the game: to strike a Deal with Dimitri or exact Revenge on him.
- Deal
- Revenge
Setting
Main article: Liberty City (Grand Theft Auto IV era)
Main characters
Main article: List of Grand Theft Auto IV characters
The characters that appear in Grand Theft Auto IV are diverse
and relative to the respective boroughs of Liberty City they are based
in; belonging to various gangs and ethnic groups. The player controls Niko Bellic, an eastern European veteran of an unknown war. According to Dan Houser, virtually none of the characters from the previous games would return, as "most of the characters we liked were dead,"[33] further evidenced by in-game graffiti bidding farewell to these characters.[29]Unlike previous games in the series, the voice actors of Grand Theft Auto IV do not include notable and high-profile celebrities, instead opting for lesser known actors, such as Michael Hollick, Jason Zumwalt, Timothy Adams and Coolie Ranx. Katt Williams and Ricky Gervais have their likenesses and comedy depicted in an in-game comedy club.[29] Actress/singer Juliette Lewis and actor/comedian Jason Sudeikis, meanwhile, both provide radio DJ voiceovers that the player can listen to.
The storyline and the timeline of the game is not consistent with the rest of the series' canon, and its plot is not related to that of the other games, but the storyline will be inter-connected with that of Grand Theft Auto V, and several minor characters will have small appearances in the next game.
Soundtrack
Main articles: Grand Theft Auto IV soundtrack and The Music of Grand Theft Auto IV
Like previous games in the GTA series, Grand Theft Auto IV
features a soundtrack that can be heard through radio stations while
the player is in a vehicle. Liberty City is serviced by 19 radio
stations, three of which are talk radio
stations. The other stations feature music from a large range of
genres. There are notable inclusions to the game's soundtrack, such as
tracks from Jean Michel Jarre, Genesis, David Bowie, Smashing Pumpkins, The Sisters of Mercy, Seryoga, Bob Marley, Don Omar, The Who, Electric Light Orchestra, Queen, Black Sabbath, Philip Glass, Simian Mobile Disco, Nas, Ne-Yo, Kanye West, R. Kelly, Lloyd, Miles Davis, Loose Ends, Elton John, ZZ Top, R.E.M., MC Lyte and Barry White.The theme song of Grand Theft Auto IV is "Soviet Connection" composed by Michael Hunter, who also composed the theme for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.[34] People who provide voices for the radio DJs include fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, musicians Iggy Pop,[35] Femi Kuti,[36] Jimmy Gestapo[37] and Ruslana,[38] and real-life radio talk show host Lazlow Jones.[39] Saturday Night Live actors Bill Hader and Jason Sudeikis appear on the liberal and conservative radio talk shows respectively, with Fred Armisen playing several guests on Lazlow's "Integrity 2.0". Numerous other comedians, including Jim Norton, Patrice O'Neal, Rick Shapiro, and Robert Kelly, as well as radio hosts Opie & Anthony appeared on the radio and/or as characters in-game.
The game uses a similar music system to that of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. In other games in the series, each radio station was essentially a single looped sound file, playing the same songs, announcements and advertisements in the same order each time. With the radio stations in Grand Theft Auto IV, each sound file is held separately, and sequenced randomly, allowing songs to be played in different orders, announcements to songs to be different each time, and plot events to be mentioned on the stations. Certain songs are also edited to incorporate references to the fictional Liberty City.[34]
Following a partnership between Rockstar Games and Amazon.com, players are able to purchase real world MP3s through GTA IV's in-game mobile phone.[40] Players are able to mark radio songs that they like by dialling ZIT-555-0100 on Niko's phone. They will then receive a text message providing the name of the song and the artist. If registered on Rockstar's 'Social Club' website, a player will also receive a real world e-mail with a link to an Amazon.com playlist where all of the player's marked songs will be listed and available to purchase.[41]
Development
See also: Marketing for Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto IV sees a shift in the series to a more realistic and detailed style and tone,[33] partly a result of the transition to consoles which offered high-definition graphics and the new and improved capabilities of such consoles.[43] Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser said "what we're taking as our watchword on [GTA IV] is the idea of what high definition actually means. Not just in terms of graphics, which obviously we are achieving, but in terms of all aspects of the design. [...] You know, trying to make something more realistic, more held together, but still retaining the overall coherence that the other games had."[33] Art director Aaron Garbut said one of the reasons they decided to set the game in New York because "we all knew what an amazing, diverse, vibrant, cinematic city it is. [...] And since we were hoping to push the detail, variety and life, for lack of a better word, to such a degree it seemed that basing the game in a city so synonymous with these things was a great fit."[49] Dan Houser added "because we were working in high definition and we knew we'd need a shitload of research, we wanted to be somewhere where we had a foothold."[43] The developers consciously avoided creating a block for block recreation of New York City, Dan Houser said "what we've always tried to do is make a thing that looks real and has the qualities of a real environment, but is also fun from a game design perspective."[33] The Grand Theft Auto IV rendition of Liberty City is far more detailed and is the largest individual city in the Grand Theft Auto series.[50] Although smaller than San Andreas, Liberty City is comparable to it in terms of scope when "the level of verticality of the city, the number of buildings you can go into, and the level of detail in those buildings" are taken into account.[50] The goal for Liberty City was to have no dead spots or irrelevant spaces, such as the wide open deserts in San Andreas.[33] To achieve a realistic environment, the Rockstar North team, based in Edinburgh, Scotland, made two trips to New York for research, one at the start of the project (which is done with every GTA game) and another smaller one further into development.[49] A full-time research team, based in New York, handled further requests for information ranging from the ethnic minority of a neighbourhood to videos of traffic patterns.[43]
The story of Grand Theft Auto IV was written by Dan Houser and Rupert Humphries.[29] Unlike previous Grand Theft Auto games which have a strong cultural or cinematic influence, "[GTA IV doesn't] really have any cinematic influences",[33] said Dan Houser, "we were consciously trying to go, well, if videogames are going to develop into the next stage, then the thing isn't to try and do a loving tribute or reference other stuff. It's to reference the actual place itself".[43] Houser also said, "In terms of the character, we wanted something that felt fresh and new and not something that was obviously derived from [a] movie. [...] Maybe [we] could do something ourselves that would live alongside that stuff".[43]
Music supervisor Ivan Pavlovich said "[we had] to pick the songs that make New York today what it is, but make sure they won't feel dated by the time the game comes out."[51] The developers contacted over 2,000 people in order to obtain recording and publishing rights.[34] They even hired a private investigator to locate the relatives of late Skatt Bros. member Sean Delaney to license the band's song, "Walk the Night".[52] Citing sources close to the deals, Billboard reported that Rockstar paid as much as $5,000 per composition and another $5,000 per master recording per track.[53] Developers originally considered letting players purchase music by going to an in-game record shop and for Niko to have an MP3 player, but both ideas were cut.[34] DJ Green Lantern produced tracks exclusively for the game's hip-hop radio station The Beat 102.7.[53] Record label owner and record producer Bobby Konders, who hosts the in-game radio station Massive B Soundsystem 96.9, went through the extra effort of flying to Jamaica to get dancehall artists to re-record tracks to make references to the boroughs of Liberty City.[53]
The Corporate Vice-President of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business division, Peter Moore, announced at E3 2006 that the game would appear on Xbox 360, by rolling up his sleeve to reveal a GTA IV temporary tattoo.[54] Rockstar Games initially appeared to be committed to the original 16 October 2007 release date; however, Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter suggested that Take-Two may choose to delay the release of the game in order to boost its financial results for 2008 and to avoid competing with the release of other highly anticipated titles, such as Halo 3.[55] Rockstar responded by saying that Grand Theft Auto IV was still on track for release in "late October".[56] On 2 August 2007, Take-Two announced that Grand Theft Auto IV would miss its original release date of 16 October 2007 contrary to their previous statements, and would be delayed to their second fiscal quarter (February–April) of 2008.[57] In a later conference call with investors, Take-Two's Strauss Zelnick attributed the delay to "almost strictly technological problems ... not problems, but challenges."[58] It was revealed that technical difficulties with the PlayStation 3 version of the game contributed to the delay, along with storage problems on the Xbox 360.[59] On 24 January 2008, Take-Two announced that Grand Theft Auto IV would be released on 29 April 2008.[60] As the release date approached, Rockstar Games and Take-Two marketed the game heavily through various forms, including television ads, Internet video, billboards, viral marketing, and a redesigned website. A special edition of the game was also released for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.[61] At a Take-Two shareholder meeting on 18 April 2008, Take-Two CEO Ben Feder announced that GTA IV had already "gone gold" and was "in production and in trucks en route to retailers".[62] The game was eventually released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 video game consoles in Europe, North America, and Oceania on 29 April 2008,[60] and in Japan on 30 October 2008.[63] A Microsoft Windows version of the game was released in North America on 2 December 2008 and in Europe on 3 December 2008.[2][64][65] It was made available on Steam on 4 January 2009.[66] Overall, Grand Theft Auto IV took over 1000 people and more than three and a half years to complete, with a total cost estimated at approximately $100 million, making it one of the most expensive games ever developed[67] (as of 2012 only Star Wars: The Old Republic has been reported to have a higher development cost than that of Grand Theft Auto IV).[68][69]
Episodic content
Main article: Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City
The Lost and Damned features a new central character, Johnny Klebitz, a member of Liberty City's biker gang The Lost, which was featured in several GTA IV missions. Dan Houser stated the episode shows "a different side of Liberty City".[74] The Ballad of Gay Tony also features a new central character, Luis Fernando Lopez, an assistant to nightclub owner Tony "Gay Tony" Prince, and follows him as he resolves the conflicts of his friends, family, and boss.[70]
Jeronimo Barrera, Vice President of Product Development for Rockstar Games, has said that the episodes are experiments because they are not sure that there are enough users with access to online content on the Xbox 360.[77] Take-Two Interactive's Chief Financial Officer, Lainie Goldstein revealed that Microsoft was paying a total of $50 million for the first two episodes.[78]
In January 2010 Rockstar announced that the DLC as well as Episodes From Liberty City would be made available for the PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Windows on 13 April 2010 in North America[75][79] and 16 April 2010 in Europe.[75]
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition, including the original Grand Theft Auto IV and its two episodic expansions, was listed on online stores[80] before being confirmed by Rockstar. The compilation was released on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Windows on 26 October 2010 in North America, and 29 October in Europe.[81]
Community features
The Rockstar Games Social Club is a web site that displays the gameplay statistics of registered users and feature competitions and awards based on player activity within the game.[82] The website was announced on 27 March 2008 and launched on 17 April 2008. The main features of Social Club launched on the same date of the game itself 29 April 2008. Social Club provides online features for Rockstar's latest Midnight Club game, Midnight Club: Los Angeles. Social Club consists of multiple parts. It initially included the LCPD Police Blotter, The Story Gang, The 100% Club, The Hall Of Fame, The Liberty City Marathon and The Zit.In an interview with PlayStation World magazine, Rockstar mentioned that they will "heavily support" Sony's PlayStation Home, a community-based service for the PlayStation Network. Rockstar also mentioned that visitors to their PlayStation Home apartment would receive 'goodies' such as clothing for their avatar and items and decorations for their own PlayStation Home apartment.[83] Rockstar also announced that Xbox Live users will gain exclusives in the form of downloadable content and a multiplayer modding tool.[84]
Windows version
It contains expanded features,[64] including traffic density control, draw distance configurations and a replay editor.[85][86][87][88] The replay editor allows players to record and edit game clips, videos can then be uploaded to Rockstar's Social Club website.[88] It utilises Games for Windows - Live for online play and supports 32 players for multiplayer.[25][89] SecuROM protection is utilised and a one time online activation is required in order to play the game.[90]
g for him. The area grows with increased wanted level, and re-centres itself on Niko's location if he is spotted by the police. If the player escapes from the search area without being seen by law enforcement units, and can stay out of sight of police for a short time without committing any more crimes, the search is soon aborted. This is different from the previous methods of evading authorities such as changing clothes and collecting bribes. Wanted levels can also be lost either by changing the colour of the current vehicle, or entering a safehouse and going to sleep. The player has the option of attempting to escape arrest before being handcuffed, at the cost of increasing the wanted level by one star (the traditional bold letters that note "Busted" for arrest are absent), although the police will immediately open fire. However, this move is only possible with a one star wanted level, as the police will focus more on killing the player at higher wanted levels, rather than arresting him, and is only possible when the player is on foot, as like previous games, the player is immediately arrested when pulled out of a vehicle.[7][10][11]
Vehicles
Common to the rest of the series, vehicles are the predominant means of travel in GTA IV, with cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats and even city buses available for use. Every vehicle in the game uses the in-game minimap as a GPS device. "Way points" can be placed on the map, plotting the shortest legal route between Niko and the destination on the minimap. The player can also hail a taxi or cab, which allows travel between destinations without having to drive. The journey can also be skipped, so the player arrives at their destination instantly. However, if the player decides to skip the journey, it will cost them more money. During car chases, the player can focus the camera on the target vehicle by holding the cinematic camera button, and also free-aim and fire out of the vehicle using one-handed firearms. The player may also drop grenades.[12] The player cannot pilot fixed-wing aircraft, which was possible in previous games of the series, but can still pilot helicopters. The main game also lacks parachutes, though they were later reintroduced in The Ballad of Gay Tony. Liberty City also has an extensive, multiple-line subway system available for use. This allows the player to travel quickly between stations across the city. The service is very cheap, as the cost is only $1 per station. There are 26 stations in total across the map with a 27th station, called Dukes Blvd, closed for maintenance. The subway tunnels can be optionally explored on foot or in some vehicles, too.Communication
Whereas previous games in the series frequently used public telephones to relay missions to the player, in Grand Theft Auto IV a 'Whiz Wireless' mobile phone is used.[13] It has several uses, including viewing text messages and appointments, arranging to meet friends for activities, and also for choosing to retry failed missions.[14] The player can also take photos for certain missions, and call 911 to summon the emergency services.[15] The police will arrest felons, and paramedics are able to restore Niko's health.[16] The phone also allows access to the game's multiplayer mode.[17] The player can also call other characters to talk to them, or ask for a service that they can provide, such as transportation or a reduction in wanted level.[18] The player can also enter cheat codes that may be entered by dialling certain numbers on the mobile phone.[19]The game also features several different in-game databases that Niko can make use of. An in-game version of the Internet can be used by accessing the Internet café chain, "TW@", located throughout the city or by accessing a computer in a safehouse. There are over 100 fictitious websites that can be accessed within the game, and Niko can also send and receive email (including junk mail) and set up prospective dates.[20] Although the Internet café was seen in Grand Theft Auto III, internet browsing was not possible.[21] In a police vehicle, Niko can use an in-car computer to access Liberty City's criminal database, discover information about various criminals in Liberty City and even track them down for a reward.[22] The game also features in-game television programming, with several viewable channels featuring programmes and advertisements. The television shows cover a wide variety of genres, including a history channel, reality shows, card games, and cartoons.[23]
Multiplayer
Grand Theft Auto IV includes online multiplayer, with 15 modes of play available.[24] It supports up to 16 players (32 players in the PC version[25]) and allows players to explore the entire city.[26] Hosts of the games can control many variables, such as police presence, traffic, and weapons. The console editions of the game do not feature any split screen or LAN multiplayer modes,[27] but the PC version does have LAN support. All versions of the game include voice chat.The online games are split into ranked and unranked matches. The reward for the ranked gameplay is cash, which determines players' ranks.[28]
Several different game modes are available. Team based gameplay modes include[29] Team Deathmatch, where 2–8 teams compete to accumulate the most kills in a traditional deathmatch; Team Mafiya Work, in which 2–8 teams compete to complete contract work for the "mafiya", such as escorting/killing targets or stealing cars; Team Car Jack City where 2–8 teams compete to steal cars and earn money for keeping them undamaged; Cops n' Crooks, featuring a team of cops who must compete against a team of crooks (which features the "All for One" variation – requiring the cops to kill the crooks' "Boss" before he is escorted to the extraction point – and the "One for All" variation – requiring the cops to kill all of the crooks before they reach the extraction point); and Turf War, involving two teams who compete to take control of designated areas of the map and control them for as long as possible.
The game also includes a variety of racing and cooperative modes, which include Race, in which players race through checkpoints in a traditional automobile race; a GTA race variation, where players race through checkpoints in an automobile race, with the ability to combat their opponents; Hangman's N.O.O.S.E., a co-op mode that requires players to collect a person from the airport and safely escort him to the extraction point before the cops kill him; Deal Breaker, a co-op mission that requires players to assault a construction site captured by enemies, then chase a group of enemies before they escape; and Bomb da Base II, a co-op mission that requires players to clear out a ship, then destroy it with explosives, referencing the mission Bomb Da Base from Grand Theft Auto III which featured a similar objective of destroying a ship with explosives. The game also features a Free Mode, in which players have the entire map open to explore, with no end goal or mission to complete.
Certain features from the single player mode are disabled in the multiplayer modes, such as the bowling, darts, and pool mini-games. The cheats, clubs and Internet café and some forms of transport (i.e. subway trains and taxi ride) are also disabled.[30]
Synopsis
|
Grand Theft Auto series fictional chronology |
|---|
|
1969 – London, 1969 1997 – Grand Theft Auto 1999 – Grand Theft Auto 2 1986 – Vice City 1992 – San Andreas 1998 – Liberty City Stories 2000 – Advance 2001 – Grand Theft Auto III – The Lost and Damned – The Ballad of Gay Tony 2009 – Chinatown Wars 2013 – Grand Theft Auto V |
Plot
Grand Theft Auto IV follows the story of Niko Bellic, a veteran of an unnamed war in Eastern Europe, who is haunted by the betrayal of his 15 man army unit. Ten years later, after a smuggling run goes bad due to a betrayal from a partner, Niko leaves Eastern Europe[31] to escape the anger of his employer, Ray Bulgarin. After six months in the merchant navy (serving aboard the cargo ship the Platypus), and believing the stories of his cousin Roman, Niko comes to Liberty City to pursue the American Dream as well as searching for the traitor of his unit. After his arrival, however, Niko quickly learns that Roman's tales of riches and luxury were lies concealing struggles with gambling debts and loansharks, and that Roman lives in a dirty apartment rather than a mansion.Niko defends Roman from his loansharks several times, eventually killing Vlad Glebov, Roman's Russian loanshark. Niko also begins dating a friend of Mallorie's named Michelle and befriends Jamaican drug and arms dealer "Little" Jacob Hughes. Niko also befriends steroid junkie and chop shop owner Bruce "Brucie" Kibbutz.
After Vlad's murder, Niko and Roman are kidnapped by members of the Liberty City Bratva, on order of Mikhail Faustin and his associate, Dimitri Rascalov. Faustin, not bothered by the murder of Vlad, hires Niko, who quickly learns that he's a psychopath when he orders Niko to kill the son of Kenny Petrović, the most powerful man in the Liberty City Bratva. Dimitri then orders Niko to assassinate Faustin, and when Niko meets with Dimitri to collect on the assassination, Dimitri betrays Niko to his angry former employer Ray Bulgarin.
Immediately afterwards, Niko and Roman are forced to escape to Bohan when their apartment and taxi company are destroyed in arson attacks by Dimitri's men. To make ends meet Niko takes jobs for former gangbanger Manny Escuela, Bohan drug dealer Elizabeta Torres, Irish mobster Patrick "Packie" McReary, and Algonquin drug dealer Playboy X. Niko also becomes an errand boy for both Mafia Capo Ray Boccino and crooked Deputy Police Commissioner Francis McReary.
However, things go poorly in Bohan: one of the drug deals that Niko is working for Elizabeta turns out to be a sting and another is busted. After the latter incident, Niko's current girlfriend Michelle then reveals that she works for a government agency and entraps Niko into working for Michelle's agency, known only by its cover: United Liberty Paper. Niko kills several known or suspected terrorists for the agency in exchange for the promise of assistance in finding the man who betrayed Niko's unit. The Liberty City Police Department begins to close in on Elizabeta, who kills Manny when he attempts a citizens arrest. Soon afterwards Elizabeta is arrested, and sentenced to 300 years imprisonment.
Niko assists Boccino in a conflict diamond deal with diamond dealer Isaac Roth, which goes badly and leads to the diamonds and the money being stolen by Luis Lopez and Johnny Klebitz, respectively. In exchange for Niko's help, Boccino locates Florian Cravic, the man that Niko has been searching for. However, when Niko confronts Cravic he discovers that he's changed his name to Bernie Crane and has become an effeminate homosexual, and he determines that Bernie is not responsible for his unit's betrayal, leaving one remaining suspect: Darko Brevic. Niko also works for both Playboy X and Playboy's mentor Dwayne Forge. After Niko kills Playboy's business partners as a favour for Forge, the relationship between Playboy and Forge becomes so poisonous that each asks Niko to kill the other, leaving Niko a choice between the two.
While in Algonquin, Niko develops a strong connection with the McReary family, including Packie's older brothers Gerald and Derrick, and their sister Kate, with whom he begins a non-sexual relationship. Together Niko, Packie, Derrick, and "Saint" Michael Keane, heist the Bank of Liberty in Algonquin. However, the robbery does not go smoothly; Michael is killed and the others are forced to shoot their way out past the police to escape. After the robbery, Niko works with Gerry McReary to destroy the relationship between the Ancelotti Crime Family and their Albanian muscle-men.
Meanwhile, Derrick spends most of his share on drugs and alcohol, and sends Niko to eliminate former partners he believes are informing on him. Francis soon becomes concerned that Derrick's drug behaviour could ruin his plans to become police commissioner, and tells Niko to kill Derrick. Soon after, Derrick asks Niko to kill Francis, which gives Niko a choice between the two. In either case Niko, is invited to the funeral and informed that Gerry has been arrested.
After his incarceration, Gerry contacts Niko and asks him to help in the kidnapping of Gracie, the daughter of the Don of the Ancelloti Family, in exchange for a ransom of the stolen diamonds. However after exchanging Gracie to "Gay" Tony Prince for the diamonds, Niko and Packie are surprised by Ray Bulgarin, who claims the diamonds are his. In the ensuing gunfight the diamonds are thrown into a passing dumptruck and lost.
Niko also does work for the Pegorino family in Alderney, mainly with Associate Phil Bell, stealing heroin, and later for Don Jimmy Pegorino. This leads to a war between the Pegorinos, Pavanos, and Ancellottis. Eventually, Niko is sent to kill Ray Boccino because Pegorino is convinced that he is an informant.
United Liberty Paper eventually locates Darko Brevic and brings him to Liberty City as a final reward. Niko confronts Darko, who is now a drug-addicted wreck, and learns that Darko betrayed the group for $1,000. Niko then has to choose to either execute or spare Darko. Having dealt with his past, Niko is summoned by Pegorino, who demands one final favour: to help with an extremely lucrative deal on the heroin in collusion with Dimitri Rascalov.[29]
The story then features two possible endings depending on the choice made by the player at this point in the game: to strike a Deal with Dimitri or exact Revenge on him.
- Deal
- Revenge
Setting
Main article: Liberty City (Grand Theft Auto IV era)
Main characters
Main article: List of Grand Theft Auto IV characters
The characters that appear in Grand Theft Auto IV are diverse
and relative to the respective boroughs of Liberty City they are based
in; belonging to various gangs and ethnic groups. The player controls Niko Bellic, an eastern European veteran of an unknown war. According to Dan Houser, virtually none of the characters from the previous games would return, as "most of the characters we liked were dead,"[33] further evidenced by in-game graffiti bidding farewell to these characters.[29]Unlike previous games in the series, the voice actors of Grand Theft Auto IV do not include notable and high-profile celebrities, instead opting for lesser known actors, such as Michael Hollick, Jason Zumwalt, Timothy Adams and Coolie Ranx. Katt Williams and Ricky Gervais have their likenesses and comedy depicted in an in-game comedy club.[29] Actress/singer Juliette Lewis and actor/comedian Jason Sudeikis, meanwhile, both provide radio DJ voiceovers that the player can listen to.
The storyline and the timeline of the game is not consistent with the rest of the series' canon, and its plot is not related to that of the other games, but the storyline will be inter-connected with that of Grand Theft Auto V, and several minor characters will have small appearances in the next game.
Soundtrack
Main articles: Grand Theft Auto IV soundtrack and The Music of Grand Theft Auto IV
Like previous games in the GTA series, Grand Theft Auto IV
features a soundtrack that can be heard through radio stations while
the player is in a vehicle. Liberty City is serviced by 19 radio
stations, three of which are talk radio
stations. The other stations feature music from a large range of
genres. There are notable inclusions to the game's soundtrack, such as
tracks from Jean Michel Jarre, Genesis, David Bowie, Smashing Pumpkins, The Sisters of Mercy, Seryoga, Bob Marley, Don Omar, The Who, Electric Light Orchestra, Queen, Black Sabbath, Philip Glass, Simian Mobile Disco, Nas, Ne-Yo, Kanye West, R. Kelly, Lloyd, Miles Davis, Loose Ends, Elton John, ZZ Top, R.E.M., MC Lyte and Barry White.The theme song of Grand Theft Auto IV is "Soviet Connection" composed by Michael Hunter, who also composed the theme for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.[34] People who provide voices for the radio DJs include fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, musicians Iggy Pop,[35] Femi Kuti,[36] Jimmy Gestapo[37] and Ruslana,[38] and real-life radio talk show host Lazlow Jones.[39] Saturday Night Live actors Bill Hader and Jason Sudeikis appear on the liberal and conservative radio talk shows respectively, with Fred Armisen playing several guests on Lazlow's "Integrity 2.0". Numerous other comedians, including Jim Norton, Patrice O'Neal, Rick Shapiro, and Robert Kelly, as well as radio hosts Opie & Anthony appeared on the radio and/or as characters in-game.
The game uses a similar music system to that of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. In other games in the series, each radio station was essentially a single looped sound file, playing the same songs, announcements and advertisements in the same order each time. With the radio stations in Grand Theft Auto IV, each sound file is held separately, and sequenced randomly, allowing songs to be played in different orders, announcements to songs to be different each time, and plot events to be mentioned on the stations. Certain songs are also edited to incorporate references to the fictional Liberty City.[34]
Following a partnership between Rockstar Games and Amazon.com, players are able to purchase real world MP3s through GTA IV's in-game mobile phone.[40] Players are able to mark radio songs that they like by dialling ZIT-555-0100 on Niko's phone. They will then receive a text message providing the name of the song and the artist. If registered on Rockstar's 'Social Club' website, a player will also receive a real world e-mail with a link to an Amazon.com playlist where all of the player's marked songs will be listed and available to purchase.[41]
Development
See also: Marketing for Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto IV sees a shift in the series to a more realistic and detailed style and tone,[33] partly a result of the transition to consoles which offered high-definition graphics and the new and improved capabilities of such consoles.[43] Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser said "what we're taking as our watchword on [GTA IV] is the idea of what high definition actually means. Not just in terms of graphics, which obviously we are achieving, but in terms of all aspects of the design. [...] You know, trying to make something more realistic, more held together, but still retaining the overall coherence that the other games had."[33] Art director Aaron Garbut said one of the reasons they decided to set the game in New York because "we all knew what an amazing, diverse, vibrant, cinematic city it is. [...] And since we were hoping to push the detail, variety and life, for lack of a better word, to such a degree it seemed that basing the game in a city so synonymous with these things was a great fit."[49] Dan Houser added "because we were working in high definition and we knew we'd need a shitload of research, we wanted to be somewhere where we had a foothold."[43] The developers consciously avoided creating a block for block recreation of New York City, Dan Houser said "what we've always tried to do is make a thing that looks real and has the qualities of a real environment, but is also fun from a game design perspective."[33] The Grand Theft Auto IV rendition of Liberty City is far more detailed and is the largest individual city in the Grand Theft Auto series.[50] Although smaller than San Andreas, Liberty City is comparable to it in terms of scope when "the level of verticality of the city, the number of buildings you can go into, and the level of detail in those buildings" are taken into account.[50] The goal for Liberty City was to have no dead spots or irrelevant spaces, such as the wide open deserts in San Andreas.[33] To achieve a realistic environment, the Rockstar North team, based in Edinburgh, Scotland, made two trips to New York for research, one at the start of the project (which is done with every GTA game) and another smaller one further into development.[49] A full-time research team, based in New York, handled further requests for information ranging from the ethnic minority of a neighbourhood to videos of traffic patterns.[43]
The story of Grand Theft Auto IV was written by Dan Houser and Rupert Humphries.[29] Unlike previous Grand Theft Auto games which have a strong cultural or cinematic influence, "[GTA IV doesn't] really have any cinematic influences",[33] said Dan Houser, "we were consciously trying to go, well, if videogames are going to develop into the next stage, then the thing isn't to try and do a loving tribute or reference other stuff. It's to reference the actual place itself".[43] Houser also said, "In terms of the character, we wanted something that felt fresh and new and not something that was obviously derived from [a] movie. [...] Maybe [we] could do something ourselves that would live alongside that stuff".[43]
Music supervisor Ivan Pavlovich said "[we had] to pick the songs that make New York today what it is, but make sure they won't feel dated by the time the game comes out."[51] The developers contacted over 2,000 people in order to obtain recording and publishing rights.[34] They even hired a private investigator to locate the relatives of late Skatt Bros. member Sean Delaney to license the band's song, "Walk the Night".[52] Citing sources close to the deals, Billboard reported that Rockstar paid as much as $5,000 per composition and another $5,000 per master recording per track.[53] Developers originally considered letting players purchase music by going to an in-game record shop and for Niko to have an MP3 player, but both ideas were cut.[34] DJ Green Lantern produced tracks exclusively for the game's hip-hop radio station The Beat 102.7.[53] Record label owner and record producer Bobby Konders, who hosts the in-game radio station Massive B Soundsystem 96.9, went through the extra effort of flying to Jamaica to get dancehall artists to re-record tracks to make references to the boroughs of Liberty City.[53]
The Corporate Vice-President of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business division, Peter Moore, announced at E3 2006 that the game would appear on Xbox 360, by rolling up his sleeve to reveal a GTA IV temporary tattoo.[54] Rockstar Games initially appeared to be committed to the original 16 October 2007 release date; however, Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter suggested that Take-Two may choose to delay the release of the game in order to boost its financial results for 2008 and to avoid competing with the release of other highly anticipated titles, such as Halo 3.[55] Rockstar responded by saying that Grand Theft Auto IV was still on track for release in "late October".[56] On 2 August 2007, Take-Two announced that Grand Theft Auto IV would miss its original release date of 16 October 2007 contrary to their previous statements, and would be delayed to their second fiscal quarter (February–April) of 2008.[57] In a later conference call with investors, Take-Two's Strauss Zelnick attributed the delay to "almost strictly technological problems ... not problems, but challenges."[58] It was revealed that technical difficulties with the PlayStation 3 version of the game contributed to the delay, along with storage problems on the Xbox 360.[59] On 24 January 2008, Take-Two announced that Grand Theft Auto IV would be released on 29 April 2008.[60] As the release date approached, Rockstar Games and Take-Two marketed the game heavily through various forms, including television ads, Internet video, billboards, viral marketing, and a redesigned website. A special edition of the game was also released for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.[61] At a Take-Two shareholder meeting on 18 April 2008, Take-Two CEO Ben Feder announced that GTA IV had already "gone gold" and was "in production and in trucks en route to retailers".[62] The game was eventually released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 video game consoles in Europe, North America, and Oceania on 29 April 2008,[60] and in Japan on 30 October 2008.[63] A Microsoft Windows version of the game was released in North America on 2 December 2008 and in Europe on 3 December 2008.[2][64][65] It was made available on Steam on 4 January 2009.[66] Overall, Grand Theft Auto IV took over 1000 people and more than three and a half years to complete, with a total cost estimated at approximately $100 million, making it one of the most expensive games ever developed[67] (as of 2012 only Star Wars: The Old Republic has been reported to have a higher development cost than that of Grand Theft Auto IV).[68][69]
Episodic content
Main article: Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City
The Lost and Damned features a new central character, Johnny Klebitz, a member of Liberty City's biker gang The Lost, which was featured in several GTA IV missions. Dan Houser stated the episode shows "a different side of Liberty City".[74] The Ballad of Gay Tony also features a new central character, Luis Fernando Lopez, an assistant to nightclub owner Tony "Gay Tony" Prince, and follows him as he resolves the conflicts of his friends, family, and boss.[70]
Jeronimo Barrera, Vice President of Product Development for Rockstar Games, has said that the episodes are experiments because they are not sure that there are enough users with access to online content on the Xbox 360.[77] Take-Two Interactive's Chief Financial Officer, Lainie Goldstein revealed that Microsoft was paying a total of $50 million for the first two episodes.[78]
In January 2010 Rockstar announced that the DLC as well as Episodes From Liberty City would be made available for the PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Windows on 13 April 2010 in North America[75][79] and 16 April 2010 in Europe.[75]
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition, including the original Grand Theft Auto IV and its two episodic expansions, was listed on online stores[80] before being confirmed by Rockstar. The compilation was released on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Windows on 26 October 2010 in North America, and 29 October in Europe.[81]
Community features
The Rockstar Games Social Club is a web site that displays the gameplay statistics of registered users and feature competitions and awards based on player activity within the game.[82] The website was announced on 27 March 2008 and launched on 17 April 2008. The main features of Social Club launched on the same date of the game itself 29 April 2008. Social Club provides online features for Rockstar's latest Midnight Club game, Midnight Club: Los Angeles. Social Club consists of multiple parts. It initially included the LCPD Police Blotter, The Story Gang, The 100% Club, The Hall Of Fame, The Liberty City Marathon and The Zit.In an interview with PlayStation World magazine, Rockstar mentioned that they will "heavily support" Sony's PlayStation Home, a community-based service for the PlayStation Network. Rockstar also mentioned that visitors to their PlayStation Home apartment would receive 'goodies' such as clothing for their avatar and items and decorations for their own PlayStation Home apartment.[83] Rockstar also announced that Xbox Live users will gain exclusives in the form of downloadable content and a multiplayer modding tool.[84]
Windows version
It contains expanded features,[64] including traffic density control, draw distance configurations and a replay editor.[85][86][87][88] The replay editor allows players to record and edit game clips, videos can then be uploaded to Rockstar's Social Club website.[88] It utilises Games for Windows - Live for online play and supports 32 players for multiplayer.[25][89] SecuROM protection is utilised and a one time online activation is required in order to play the game.[90]
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