Welcome to Grand Theft Auto IV

Before we go and jump into a nearby car, Niko has a short jog to get over to it. While running, we notice Niko now has a centre of gravity, he leans left and right as he changes direction; it's another subtle, natural development that Rockstar says adds more connectivity with the player. It got us thinking about controls: are there going to be any new controls, or are they just refined? "The combat system and the targeting system have been completely overhauled, but we don't want to talk about it before we can put the controller in your hands."

The animation, in general, has been massively improved from the previous games. Niko's analogue-driven walking animation is fluid and real at different paces, and the standing still "waiting" animation that every game character has had since forever is in there. When he (or other pedestrians) get hit by a car, the crumpling of the body is convincing and quite alarming. "He's actually got a skeleton now," Brown points out. Approaching a car, Niko first attempts to get the door open with a couple of tugs. Finding it locked, he repositions himself to smash the window and open the door to get in - it's all really nicely animated. There'll be plenty of new car-jacking and hot-wiring animations, according to Rockstar.

GTA has always had the best cruise and chase driving mechanics around, and Rockstar says it's now further enhanced by utilising a brand new "vehicle physics package" - the idea is that it subtly improves the handling by adding a little bit more control and weight, while vehicles will also respond perfectly to the undulations in the road - indeed, we can see every tiny bump and shake of the car as it passes over this city back street we're slowly cruising down.

Don't take this as hyperbole - I'm telling you right now, the overall visual impression when we're in this meticulous, convincingly lit vehicle from a two-thirds view - cruising down the snaking streets and alleys, past buildings and an overpass - looks better than any specialised next-gen city-based racing game we've seen to date. It's that hot. When our vehicle collides with an incoming truck there are mild sparks, and steam emanating from underneath its imposing, braking tyres. And in general, the variety in traffic on the road - vehicle type and style - is such that you can see a whole lot more than just the basic make and colour of each car, like you put up with from a last-gen GTA. Traffic looks pretty much like it does in a real city.

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Video Coverage (Latest Videos & Video FAQ)
PLEASE DO NOT DIRECT LINK TO ANY MEDIA FILE ON KIKIZO
Description	Dur.	Size	Details
Grand Theft Auto IV Trailer 1 HD 720p (High quality version - Download WMV)	1:02	42MB	HD, 16:9 1280x720/30p 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 640x480 2.5Mbps