Welcome to Grand Theft Auto IV

The next-generation doesn't start until Rockstar says it does, it would seem, based on our first-hand introduction to GTA IV. Find out more in our series of stupidly detailed previews, complete with all-new screens!

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"It hasn't in any way lost its sense of humour, or the satirical elements."

Rockstar insists it's not the case, viewing things as a "blank canvas" this time. Whereas before it was a homage to the eighties, early nineties, hip-hop culture and so on, this time it's current day, and there's no real correlation with the previous games. "Those satirical elements and a lot of the things that were at the core of GTA have been carried over, but just in a new kind of setting. It's darker and grittier, both aesthetically, and from a storyline perspective as well, but it hasn't lost its sense of humour - it's still GTA." In fairness of course, we've only experienced one tiny, grimy part of Liberty City's Broker area so far; we have yet to experience Times Square or the beauty of Central Park. "It looks better and more realistic but it's not photorealistic, and I think there's a big difference there... our version of New York has been built to maximise the player's fun," explains Brown.

The game's main protagonist, Niko Bellic, is an Eastern European that arrives in Liberty City on a boat. He's led a pretty dark, difficult and shady life and gets lured to Liberty City by his cousin Roman who says he'll have a chance to live the American Dream. Roman tempts him with promises of extreme wealth and houses with women and Jacuzzis - but it turns out to be a pack of lies. The truth is, Roman's got a fairly humble taxi depot business, he's got mounting debts, and he's attracting a lot of hostile attention from some unsavoury characters. He's not walking into the life of riches and glamour he was promised - and pretty soon, players will start to learn that his past is going to catch up with him.

So, is this new GTA storyline still going to be one main story thread? After all, for some GTA critics, it was always something of a stumbling block in previous games that things were presented as being all about freedom, yet, if you want to actually play through the game, you pretty much have to follow one storyline that then funnels you down one path - there aren't multiple endings or anything like that.

"What I can say is that, for the first time, we're really trying to blur the line between on-[mission] and off-mission."

We didn't expect any clear answer this early but Brown reveals: "What I can tell you - I can't be too precise - but what I can say is that, for the first time, we're really trying to blur the line between on-[mission] and off-mission. So storyline, and what you do outside, and how those two things influence each other. Obviously the storyline is more complex than before; you're going to be able to engage and embark on relationships with other people to an extent that you haven't been able to do before, to a point that hopefully it will evoke emotion within the person playing the game as well. It's something we think is untrodden ground really, especially in videogames, and it's something we're very keen to explore. So you'll be seeing a lot more about that. But in terms of threads and multiple endings I can't really give specifics or say whether that's going to happen." But the storyline in this one is different; it's a lot more about survival than battling.

P L E A S E   V I S I T   O U R   S P O N S O R :

Rockstar warned us that the AI, physics, character models, textures, pedestrian dialogue ("Do you know in Italy they get three hours for lunch?!"), music and so forth are all still in development and placeholder to some extent - but aside from some expected, mild early-build issues it all looked pretty damn smart to us.

It's 8AM in Liberty City. We start the demo with Niko, standing in Roman's taxi depot in Broker - the game's version of Brooklyn. It's early morning and the sun is streaming through the industrial windows of the converted warehouse garage. Outside the windows we can see the life of this cosy corner of Liberty City going on. Already, in the first scene we witness of the new GTA, we see a more convincing use of high dynamic range (HDR) lighting than has been achieved in most other console games to date; it's not just a case of "look up, look down" contrast adjustment, or basic light flooding we've become used to over the past two years, but a proper scene full of subtle shadows and believable detail that's immediately striking. Not being a graphics engineer, it's tough to explain exactly what it is in this first scene that makes this humble room feel so natural - but it hits you right away.

"It's arguably the sound in GTA IV that impresses the most; cars really sound - and feel - like they're going past you."

But it's arguably the sound in GTA IV that impresses the most. We go outside for a stroll in the part of Broker we're in, and the atmospheric sounds of traffic, trains, pedestrians gossiping and arguing, and muffled music coming from different vehicles and buildings, is really something else in this game. Car horns and traffic noise doesn't just sound like it's coming from the right direction and distance but also seems to echo through the street as it should and is convincingly varied. Simply put, it doesn't sound like a game, it sounds like an actual city. It sounds incredible - kind of spookily real. A proper, real-time sound engine that is fitting for GTA's next-gen debut and, basically, the most stunning sound engine we've heard in a game to date. Just two weeks ago I was praising Halo 3's sound but in GTA IV, the audio effect really blew me away on a new level. Forget photo-realism and incrementally better graphics - what's so refreshing to experience here is kickass sound-realism.

Cars driving past really sound - and feel - like they're going past you, as the engine rumbles and the car's blaring music fades in and out. If a car suddenly brakes nearby, you don't need to see it to know it happened. The varying volume and intensity of car horns and the constant hum of traffic noise is transfixing to listen to, and the frequent deafening rattle of trains hurtling through the subway honestly make this city sound as real as the ones we live and breathe in - it's something we don't think has been emphasised enough in any previous coverage of this new title. Evangelists of game audio, and its importance in games, are going to be heard on an entirely new level when they bounce around the streets in this game. Even the surfaces you walk on - regular sidewalk or a pebbly area - sound different and real.

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Video Coverage
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DescriptionDur.SizeDetails
Grand Theft Auto IV
Trailer 1 HD 720p
(High quality version - Download WMV)		 1:02 42MB HD, 16:9
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8Mbps
Grand Theft Auto IV
Trailer 1 SD (Stream)		 1:02 8MB SD, 16:9
640x360/30p
2Mbps
Sam Houser on GTA IV
Developer comments on PS3 including Rockstar president Sam Houser, who is clearly discussing GTA IV.		 4.22m 72MB DF, SD, 30
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2.5Mbps