Grand Theft Auto IV: Kikizo Preview 2

Since Niko has a dark criminal past, he's familiar with just about every weapon you can throw at him - there's no need to train him like a nancy. "We're about making a game that's accessible by everyone," Rockstar promises. The targeting system works accordingly; you've got your auto targeting as well as manual aim, for people who are happier to do that. Rockstar also has a brand new cover system for the game - Niko can basically take cover behind anything (in this office environment, a cleaner's maintenance trolley does the job), and you will see the cops taking cover as well. The gunfight and chaotic rhythm of hiding, taking cover, shooting and reloading is classic gameplay that is great fun to see action, particularly with the ragdoll deaths of everybody in sight - against walls, down stairwells. We rush downstairs to the central area of lobby, and we're still up at three wanted stars (six is the current total), so the cops keep coming into the building to try and bust us. We make an exit using various emergency stairs - it's a tactical exit in which, once again, the player has a choice and things could go either way depending on your actions.

On the PS2, the overriding theme in GTA was to exploit the technology through freedom, but what Rockstar says it's adding now is "immediacy and intimacy" with that freedom; it's not simply about making things bigger and broader, it's adding a significant level of depth, diversity, and detail. "The game is now about the experience as a whole, it's not just a features list anymore, and everything in GTA IV is done to a very thoughtful design, for a specific purpose." The experience when you play, Rockstar told us, is all about choice and consequence, and the fact that everything you do has weight to it - "so whatever choice you make will have a consequence to that particular action - that is something we're trying to highlight with the game."

We actually went through the demo twice at Rockstar this time. On the second play through, after we take out Goldberg, instead of pursuing the missions from the first play, we instead opt to get our hands dirty in a massive outside shootout, in an area full of opportunities for cover. Cops, pedestrians, traffic and choppers all get in on the action, and we even blow up a gas station for the hell of it with some carefully aimed shots at the refill terminal when we switch our weapon to the Micro SMG. Awesome, as it explodes out in different directions out of the pump and the screen shakes with a bassy boom. This place is full of highly destructible environments - this particular shootout looks like a bombsite once we're done with it, with street lights fallen all over the place and trash spilling everywhere. Paper dispensers nudge around as bullets ricochet off them, and bullet shells line the sidewalk. Even the Walk / Don't Walk sign box is unceremoniously deposited on the floor.

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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 2 HD 720p (High quality version - Download WMV)	1:06	46MB	HD, 16:9 1280x720/30p 8Mbps
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