Grand Theft Auto IV: Kikizo Preview 3

Our third GTA IV preview spectacular reveals exclusive new details for the first time anywhere, and takes a much broader look around Liberty City in a fantastic build of the game that's nearing completion.

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The product is quite heavily protected by the Triads, and they're using a 'Sum Yung Gai' truck as cover, but not for long, as we're armed with a rocket launcher (which like all weapons collected is magically hidden on Niko's person in good old convenient video game style). Shhhhwoaboom! We get the excellent noises of heavy artillery gunfire to the backdrop of some good old-fashioned classical New York jazz music. The physics of people flying around as a grenade owns them and all their surroundings is great to watch. We could do this shootout all day. Niko rules, it's as simple as that.

Eventually the getaway driver gets into a big truck and is trying to drive the product out of here and away from danger. Before it's too late, we climb up onto the top of the truck, in a two-or three-stage movement process that, like everything Niko does, is really nicely and organically animated. Once on top the vehicle is speeding ahead, and we have to roll about to counteract the turning momentum of the vehicle and avoid flying off the edge by rolling left and right as it drives around corners, all the while gradually edging forward, so that we can eventually go in through the passenger side window and kick the driver out, Bauer style. Bingo: we have the gear. Time to make a call, and the brown is going to make a nice wedding present for Bell's nephew Frankie, who lives at the northern tip of Albannay.

And that's the end of our third mission, and basically the demo, which showed us parts of the game near the beginning, middle, and right near the end. It also got us to thinking about the length of time the game spans, and whether there's some sort of game calendar, perhaps with distinct seasons in the game. Since Rockstar is basically answering anything we have to ask about GTA IV at this stage, we found out that there won't be 'seasons' per se, just full weather spectrums. You have days and hours, but there's no reference to seasons; the weather is random and never the same twice.

You actually need to be aware of days, because for example in our last demo when we booked an appointment at the law firm we needed to know to be there at the right time. You don't really have awareness of what time of year it is like in Bully for example, as it doesn't need to play into the storyline or the gameplay in any useful way. Consistent with this, there's no snow in the game, according to one Rockstar staffer we asked who has "almost finished" playing through the near-final game.

Being immersed in a world with infectious characters and personalities around you, such as Brucie, Playboy X, Ray, Dwayne and McGreary, is engrossing like a top quality movie, and worth the price of admission into 2008 Liberty City all by itself. Rockstar is shooting for the most sophisticated and believable Grand Theft Auto world yet, while at the same time retaining all the hallmarks of what makes the series. "We don't see Grand Theft Auto IV's strength as any one particular feature or aspect," explains Rockstar. "It's about the sum of its parts working together harmoniously, to make an immersive experience with bucket loads of fun."

There's not long to go. Tune in again in about a month for our eagerly awaited hands-on impressions of the game, before our final review close to the game's release world-wide on April 29th.

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