RACE
1-16 Players
Race to the finish through each checkpoint in order: If you take a wrong turn or mess up in some way, you can respawn your vehicle on the last checkpoint you passed. There is a large selection of races for cars, boats, and helicopters - you can choose laps and vehicle class/type. This mode has two sub-modes: Free Race and Cannonball Run.
Free Race are point-to-point races. First one to reach the end point wins.
Cannonball Run are races where you have to traverse several checkpoints any way you can.
GTA RACE
1-16 Players
Similar to the orthodox Race, but with the added element of combat. Race and fight your way through the checkpoints in order and then hit the finish, but this time you can also pick up the weapons spawned en route to help take out your opponents. You can also exit the vehicle during the road races.
Multiplayer - Race Modes
Multiplayer - Competitive Modes
DEATHMATCH
2-16 Players
It's a complete free for all! Anything goes, and you can use any tactics you like to kill off the competition. Confined to specific areas of Liberty City in order to keep the action intense.
MAFIYA WORK
2-8 Players
Working under the direction of Kenny Petrovic via. your cellphone, you will compete against other players in a series of mini-missions. You might have to pick up recruits for the firm or take out a target, or even find and then dispose of a dozen severed heads.
CAR JACK CITY
Number of players unknown
Details coming soon.
DEAL BREAKER
Number of players unknown
Details coming soon.
FREE MODE
1-16 Players
Like single-player, except playing with your friends. Complete free for all. No rules, no objectives, no score. You're free to do whatever you wish.
Multiplayer - Cooperative Modes
HANGMAN's NOOSE
2-4 Players
Single player mission that features co-op play. Mafiya boss Petrovic has illegally flown into Francis International Airport, and someone has tipped off the cops. The objective? Escort Petrovic to safety while being pursued by the Liberty City Police Department's NOOSE (SWAT) division.
BOMB DA BASE
Number of players unknown
Details coming soon.
BOMB DA BASE II
Number of players unknown
Details coming soon.
Multiplayer - Team Modes
TEAM DEATHMATCH
2-8 Teams
Players work as a team to rub out other teams for money - and the crew with the most cash at the end of the round wins. Take the other crew down. Remember to loot the cash dropped by deceased players. That's the way to get ahead.
TEAM MAFIYA WORK
2-8 Teams
You're a member of a crew doing contract work for the mafiya - including such plum gigs as escorting wanted men, picking up MacGuffins and stealing cars. Work as a team to complete contracts before the time period ends and get the rewards. You'll probably want to do your best to scupper the other crew's work as well. Each contract you complete gives your team cash, and the crew with the most cash at the end of the round wins.
TEAM CAR JACK CITY
2-8 Teams
Cars spawn parked around the map and the teams must steal them and take them to a drop off point. The cash teams get for dropping off stolen vehicles depends on their condition - teams get less cash the more damaged they are. The exception to this are special bonus cars, stuffed with drugs, which give a set amount of cash on delivery no matter how damaged they are. Your crew has to get hold of whatever vehicles the boss wants. Whichever crew makes the most money wins. Simple.
COPS N' CROOKS
2 teams only
A team-based mode in which the Crooks must get their Boss to safety, while the Cops have to take him down. The Boss is marked with a cross hair. This mode has two sub-modes: All for One and One for All.
In All for One, one team is made up of Crooks and a Boss, and the other team is made up of Cops. The Cops are trying to hunt down and kill the Boss while the Crooks are trying to protect him. The Cops win by killing the Boss and the Crooks win by getting the Boss safely to the getaway vehicle and escaping.
One for All is similar but there is no Boss. Here, the Cops win by killing all of the Crooks and the Crooks win by filling up a getaway vehicle with members of their team. Only 4 people can escape in the getaway vehicle. Players cannot respawn in this mode.
TURF WAR
2 teams only
A timed capture-the-base mode. There are a number of bases around the map that you have to take by standing on them for a short period of time. The more players that are on a base, the faster it can be captured. The more bases that your team owns, the faster your team's cash score increases. If the rival gang is on or near a base, you won't be able to take control of it - so do what you can to try and ... displace them. The team with the most cash at the end of the round wins.
Grand Theft Auto IV Multiplayer
Ever since Grand Theft Auto 3 was released to the world, gamers have been scrambling to jump into Rockstar's virtual reality of violence and corruption. While a handful of modifications have done a superb job of bringing online crime to the masses, there's always been a lacking presence of multiplayer in the official games themselves.
Until now.
With Grand Theft Auto IV, Rockstar has finally delivered a fully fleshed-out multiplayer experience. This is what we know so far:
Total of 15 game modes, each supporting different numbers of teams/players. The maximum number of players is 16.
Configuration of each mode can be adjusted by the host. Vehicles types, volume of traffic, number of pedestrians, police presence, weapons and weather can all be controlled.
Characters are completely customisable. You can essentially create your own unique online character by adjusting their hair, sex, race, clothing etc.
A Living, Breathing, Wretched Metropolis
Liberty City's resemblance to New York, N.Y. isn't limited to geographical locations, however. Many of the landmarks that exist in New York are mirrored in GTA IV's Liberty City. The MetLife building - a major part of the Manhattan skyline - has been recreated as the GetaLife building. The DUMBO neighbourhood (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) exists in Liberty City as BOABO (Beneath the Offramp of the Algonquin Bridge Overpass). The Statue of Liberty - which wasn't present at all in GTA III - finally makes an appearance as the Statue of Happiness. Other notable landmarks of the New York skyline have been duplicated in GTA IV, including the Empire State building, Chrysler building, Flatiron, Roosevelt Island, Brooklyn Bridge, and many more.
In an attempt to fully embrace the culture and atmosphere of New York, Rockstar North has also made sure that the citizens of Liberty City echo those of New York City. The eccentric vagrants of Liberty City coexist with the smarmy executive-types. Foreigners try to find their way as tourists stumble through crowded intersections. Crooked businessmen strike deals with ruthless opportunists. Organized crime thrives as the trafficking of drugs coincides with the smuggling of firearms. All of this is interwoven, giving Liberty City the authenticity of a modern-day New York City.
ALDERNEY - "Industrial wasteland meets suburban hell."
If Algonquin is the privileged child of the Liberty City family, then Alderney is most definitely the retarded younger brother -- an endless sea of run-down homes peppered with phallus-like smokestacks thrusting into the sickly clouds above. Simply put? Nobody wants to live in Alderney, and those that are unfortunate enough to live in the district desperately want to get out.
BOHAN - "Ripe for re-development."
Neglected and disrespected, Bohan is the closest thing to hell that you can find in the city (and that's saying something). This northernmost district of Liberty has been torn apart by decades of destructive violence. If you find yourself wandering into Bohan, don't just lock your doors -- weld them shut!
DUKES - "Like the suburbs, only worse."
The closest thing to sanity that could possibly be found in Liberty City, complete with overpriced condominiums and unavailable parking. You may even be tempted to refer to the district as "comfortable". Diverse and densely populated, Dukes is home to both the Francis International Airport and Steinway Beer Garden.
BROKER - "Churches, hipsters and housing projects."
The region of Broker is rich in American history, and equally rich in Eastern European immigrants. As of late, the district has also taken to "sprucing up" its ragged image through the restoration of older, run-down neighbourhoods. Don't let Carney Island fool you, though; Broker is just as rough-and-tumble as any other Liberty City district.
ALGONQUIN - "Self-proclaimed center of everything."
Cultural center of the world, commercial center of the world, financial center of the world. If Algonquin residents could have it their way, the region would also be considered the epicenter of everything in the known universe. A word of warning to the inquisitive traveler: questioning the integrity of Algonquin's self-righteous and artificially-sweetened natives will likely get you shot.
To the Five Boroughs
Things will be different. Rockstar North has wiped the slate clean, shutting the book on the Grand Theft Auto III trilogy and choosing to start anew. Gone are the days of zombie-like pedestrians, robotic law enforcement and stale surroundings. Liberty City has returned as the setting for Grand Theft Auto IV, but this isn't the Liberty City that we have embraced for over half a decade.
Bigger, grittier, and more brutal than ever, Liberty City is back with a vengeance in Grand Theft Auto IV. Four of the five boroughs of New York -- plus a portion of New Jersey -- have been recreated from the bottom up in an attempt to finally nail the atmosphere of New York City. Brooklyn has become Broker. Queens has become Dukes. Manhattan has become Algonquin. The Bronx has become Bohan. And New Jersey has become Alderney. (Although Staten Island has no counterpart in GTA IV, the reasoning from Rockstar is justifiable - it just wouldn't be any fun to play.)
Give Me Liberty
New York, New York! Economic powerhouse, beacon of hope to optimistic immigrants, home to tens of millions of citizens, rife with crime and seedy underworld riffraff; New York City is the epitome of everything that is American. It's really no wonder that Liberty City, Rockstar's exaggerated and cynical portrayal of New York, has called itself home to more than half of the Grand Theft Auto titles in existence.
Times Square, New York City. 'Star Junction' is the GTA IV equivalent.Liberty City first appeared alongside Vice City and San Andreas as one of three major levels (cities) in the original Grand Theft Auto. Due to the game being produced by a British development team, much of Liberty City - along with Vice City and San Andreas - was based on stereotypes and twisted to suit British humour. Since then, it has resurfaced as the city of choice for Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto Advance, and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. In every incarnation, Rockstar North consistently embraced the sensationalist, cynical sense of humour that was put forth in the first game.
Even when Liberty was not openly accessible to gamers in other titles, it played a prominent role in establishing the necessary storylines. In Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, the protagonist (Tommy Vercetti) and the mafia family in which he indebted to both hailed from Liberty City. In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the protagonist (Carl Johnson) returned to San Andreas after residing in Liberty City for an extended period of time.
Past incarnations of Liberty City, however, have failed to truly resemble New York. Whereas Vice City was hailed as an achievement in Rockstar's ability to duplicate the overall feel of Miami, the winding streets and communities of Liberty City seemed cold and lifeless by comparison.
Grand Theft Auto IV Setting
When it comes to establishing a solid atmosphere for a Grand Theft Auto title, location is everything. It's not enough to simply throw players into a splotchy suburb of some anonymous metropolis - the city needs to be alive, teaming with civilians and traffic. It needs to have an identity, a social structure, some evidence of reality buried beneath the layers of cynicism and dry humour. Through the years, Rockstar has excelled at maintaining this illusion. The missions and storylines that play out through the duration of the game tie into the cities themselves, along with the characters (and innocent bystanders) that populate it. Although the concept of "free roam" gameplay is nothing new, the Grand Theft Auto franchise, through its use of vast cityscapes that mirror and mock major American locations, push the envelope on exactly what gamers consider to be true immersion.
Main Features - TECHNOLOGY
Grand Theft Auto 4 runs on Rockstar's proprietary next generation game engine, R.A.G.E., allowing for an unprecedented level of realism and interactivity.
New sunlight and weather effects which give the city a whole different appearance as the time of day progresses.
New volumetric lighting effects are evident in this screenshot. Volumetric lighting effects allow sunlight to stream realistically into dusty interiors. Police spotlights will likely benefit from this effect as well when helicopters kick up debris.
Normal (bump) maps will provide much more detail in models than the underlying polygons, as well as giving materials more texture and depth.
Road and building textures are more varied than in previous GTAs. On some roads you will find potholes, metal plates (etc) where the road has been dug up.
Modern pixel shaders give water, glass, cars, etc.. more realistic reflections and shininess than the earlier games.
In cars, you can see real reflections on the rear and side-view mirrors.
There are no load times in GTA4, not even during exterior-interior transitions (and vice versa.)
GTA4 uses euphoria, a fully procedural animation package created by NaturalMotion. The core technology is the Dynamic Motion Synthesis (DMS) system.
Characters have the ability to hang on to the back of vehicles. Variations in the terrain are met with realistic changes in the walking animation.
Unique game moments. Animations are created on the fly, so each player's experience will be unique. Gamers are no longer subjected to pre-recorded animations.
Characters will react realisticaly to being hit with gunfire, cars, and melee weapons or fists.
Players will be able to push people out of the way, rather than "floating" past them as in older games.
Falling/thrown characters will react as in real life- They won't simply be limp, lifeless ragdolls. Nor will they use a canned "super hero" animation like before.
Characters (and players?) will be able to hang on to helicopters and trucks, which will swing them around as the vehicle moves.
Main Features - GAMEPLAY
Niko can use a mobile phone to recieve calls and phone his contacts in order to arrange missions. He can also use it to call taxis and purchase weapons. The options presented on the phone's LCD are Phonebook, Messages, Organizer, and Camera. The phone can also be used to access multiplayer.
Pedestrians perform realistic actions. They smoke cigarettes, read books and newspapers, drop litter, talk on mobile phones, walk in and out of buildings, and generally act like any normal pedestrian in a real city would.
Mobile phones are a big part of Grand Theft Auto IV's gameplay. GTA IV features fifteen multiplayer modes, which can be accessed through the mobile phone. Multiplayer supports up to sixteen players, and the game modes include Deathmatch, Mafiya Work, Cops n' Crooks and Free Mode.
It is possible to surf the internet in GTA4 via internet cafés. It is available from any computer in the game, and provides a hub for all sorts of interactivity within Liberty City. There are over 100 in-game internet websites.
In GTA IV, you will gain a police wanted level for any crime that you commit, providing there are witnesses present. The police can only chase you if they know where you are, and they need to see you to know where you are. If you escape the search area marked on the radar without being spotted, your wanted level will disappear.
In terms of scale, GTA IV is about the same size as GTA: San Andreas, but the map size is considerably smaller. This is mainly due to the fact there is no desert or countryside in Liberty City. Liberty City in GTA4 is the biggest single city that R* have ever created.
GTA4 contains fifteen multiplayer modes, supporting up to 16 players. In GTA IV, the line between on- and off-mission has been blurred, and the story is less linear. It is also possible to do more than one mission at a time. For example, some missions take place over several days and may involve waiting for phonecalls or attending interviews, and you are free to carry out other business during the waiting period.
The story can be told in a number of different ways. Rockstar are trying to give people greater freedom and sense of control over their destiny. You now have a lot more choice in what you want to do.
Niko has the ability to climb and descend telephone poles, and exterior fire escapes.
Every street in Liberty City contains a street sign with a name on it.
Cars feature GPS navigation systems, which identify the best routes to take during missions, and highlight them on the radar.
Developing relationships with characters is an important aspect of the gameplay. Maintaining good relationships will provide different rewards to Niko. Niko can socialise with other characters in order to maintain a good relationship, for example they can go bowling together, they can go to the cabaret, go to comedy clubs, and go drinking together.
The Unveiling of GTA IV
Grand Theft Auto IV was announced on May 9, 2006 at Microsoft's E3 press conference. Peter Moore (who was Corporate Vice-President of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business division at the time of the announcement) rolled up the left sleeve of his t-shirt to reveal a GTA4 tattoo on his arm. He announced that GTA 4 would be available on Xbox 360 in 2007, and revealed that Microsoft and Rockstar Games had formed a strategic alliance in order to provide exclusive episodic content for Xbox Live, giving the community ever-expanding gameplay experiences.
The contents of the Grand Theft Auto IV special edition. Take2 Interactive then issued a press release which announced that GTA IV would be released simultaneously for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in October 2007. However, the game was delayed on August 2, 2007, because some elements of the development were proving to be more time-intensive than originally expected. On January 24, 2008, a worldwide release date of April 29, 2008 was announced by Rockstar Games.
It was announced on May 21, 2007, that GTA 4 would be available as a special edition on the same day as the regular edition. It is presented in a customised Grand Theft Auto metal safety deposit box, and includes the game, a limited edition duffel bag, an exclusive keychain, a selected soundtrack CD, and a Grand Theft Auto IV Art Book, featuring never-before-seen production artwork from GTA4.
Grand Theft Auto IV General Information
Title:
Grand Theft Auto IV
Developer:
Rockstar North
Publisher:
Rockstar Games (Parent Company: Take2 Interactive)
Multiplayer:
Up to 16 players (15 game modes)
Platforms:
PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Website:
www.rockstargames.com/IV
Release Date:
April 29, 2008 (Worldwide)
Rating:
Titles rated M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language.
About GTA IV...
In Grand Theft Auto 4 you take on the role of Niko Bellic, an immigrant from Eastern Europe with an ominous past. Persuaded by his cousin's promises of a fresh start and a better life, Niko relocates to Liberty City, USA -- the worst place in America. After making the move to Liberty, however, Niko quickly realizes that his hopes of "living the American Dream" may never come to pass... and that things here may not be so different after all.
Although Liberty City may not differ greatly from Niko's homeland, being different and standing out is definitely a major theme with Grand Theft Auto IV. While GTA: Vice City and GTA: San Andreas were considered to be part of the GTA III trilogy (same graphics engine, similar characters, similar mission style, etc.), Grand Theft Auto IV is considered a fresh start for the GTA series, focusing more heavily on realism and storytelling than in previous titles. This is why it's been dubbed GTA4 and not GTA6 (as many had originally anticipated), even though it's the sixth major title in the series.
GTA IV follows the release of the hugely successful GTA: San Andreas (which was released for PlayStation 2 in 2004, and then later for PC and Xbox during 2005) and also marks the 10th anniversary of the Grand Theft Auto franchise. With Grand Theft Auto 4 being the milestone that it is, Rockstar Games has been working overtime on perfecting the game. According to Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey -- a financial consultant for Take2 Interactive -- approximately 150 developers are currently working on GTA 4.
More Reviews
Kotaku, EuroGamer, TeamXbox, CVG and 1UP have all posted reviews of Grand Theft Auto IV. Each review was extremely positive, with very few bad things to say about the game.
There's also a bunch of new screenshots and videos over at IGN for you to check out, which appear to have been captured by themselves rather than R*.
UPDATE: Game Informer's verdict has just come in: another perfect score for Grand Theft Auto IV.
GTA IV Cheats
If you have the game already and want some fun (or if you are simply crap at it) then you might want to check out this list of confirmed cheat codes. All cheats have been tested successfully on the Xbox 360 version of the game.
All cheats should be entered during normal gameplay using Niko's cellphone. Enjoy.
In other news, the GTA forums have been expanded to include several new forums, so the chaos has spread a bit and is now a little easier for us to manage. Remember that registering is free.
GTA IV - Now Available!
Grand Theft Auto IV. GTA IV. GTA4. Whatever you want to call it, the facts remain the same: Rockstar's latest entry into the Grand Theft Auto family is a total success, walking away with perfect (and slightly-below-perfect) scores across the board. And if you don't believe the scores, guess what? You can now play the game! Folks in the UK, Europe and Australia can now rush out and pick up Grand Theft Auto IV from their local retailers, and North American residents will be able to do the same in a few hours from now. (This means, of course, that you can finally stop picking through all of the little preview details and enjoy the Grand Theft Auto IV experience for yourself.)
While everyone else is taking a break from the daily grind to prep themselves for GTA IV, we here at the GTA Network are going into overdrive. We're going to jump right into post-launch mode as soon as we get our own grubby little fingers on the game, ensuring that we continue to deliver the best quality of Grand Theft Auto IV content that you can find. (We're also hard at work on wrapping up our GTA4.NET redesign, so you have that to look forward to as well.)
While we understand that you may want to keep yourself away from the sites and forums for a while -- spoilers are no fun, after all -- don't forget to check back in with us for in-depth Grand Theft Auto IV coverage in the weeks, and months, to come. The game may be out, but we're just getting started!
So, on behalf of all of the staff of the GTA Network, I'd like to offer our sincerest thanks to all of you for checking in with us on a (very) regular basis. Thanks to Rockstar Games, as well, for raising the bar (yet again!) when it comes to the complete gaming experience.
With all of that said and done -- we'll see you in Liberty City. Cheers!
UPDATE: Residents of North America are starting to swarm to their nearest gaming retailer to pick up their copies of Grand Theft Auto IV. I hit up the local Future Shop here in Kingston, Ontario at approximately 10:00pm -- a solid two hours before the midnight release -- to ensure that I had a spot in line. To my great surprise, not only was I the first one in line, but I was joined by some friends from college as well as a few individuals who had discovered GTA4.NET earlier in the day. A big shout to Hammy, as per his request, for recognizing the Rockstar satchel and actually knowing who I was. (Yes, Hammy, I am from Kingston!)
Cheers to everyone, and I hope you enjoy the game. As for me? I'll be preoccupied for the next few hours... or days. See you in game!
Jack Thompson, IGN, and the ladies of Liberty City
Guess who's back? Back again? Jack is back; tell a friend. As expected, Jack Thompson has emerged from the underside of whatever rock he's been hiding under for the past few years, just in time to go after Grand Theft Auto IV for -- guess what? -- excessive sexual content in Grand Theft Auto IV.
As noted in a recent Ars Technica article, Wacky Jacky has an "unlikely" bit of ammo for his case against GTA IV: a video, produced by IGN, highlighting the strip clubs and prostitutes that exist in Grand Theft Auto IV. For some ungodly reason, though, IGN seems to have thought it was a good idea to make a four minute video out of it, showing Niko and his "encouters" followed by him hunting down the ladies shortly thereafter.
From the Ars Technica article:
The embattled Florida attorney has written a letter to the US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, R. Alexander Acosta, demanding that legal action be taken against Take Two and retailers for selling the game...
Thompson sent a copy of the letter to Ars Technica, and his demands are far-reaching. "Indictments should be returned against Take Two corporately and its Chairman, Strauss Zelnick, along with other Take Two officers. Indictment should also be against Sony and Microsoft which are making this pornographic game available to minors, and openly so, on their PS3 and Xbox systems," Thompson wrote. "Further, indictments should be handed down against Wal-Mart, Best Buy, GameStop, and all other retailers distributing this game to minors at their retail stores, openly, to kids who are only seventeen."
He then compares the game to, of all things, polio. "Grand Theft Auto IV is the gravest assault upon children in this country since polio. We now have vaccines for that virus... The 'vaccine' that must be administered by the United States government to deal with this virtual virus of violence and sexual depravity is criminal prosecutions of those who have conspired to do this. If you doubt me, look at the aforementioned streaming audio/video. It will make you sick."
While I'm certainly no fan of Jack Thompson or his ridiculous antics (and I'd love to argue the point that "innocent 17 year olds" are only a year away from being legally able to engage in such lude acts on camera for money... or in some cases, poorly-made t-shirts), it's hard to blame the man when IGN practically hands him a gift-wrapped video of inevitable controversy. Really... what the hell is IGN thinking by producing a video like this, removing all contextual elements of the game, and having Niko engage prostitutes and then hunt them down?
While it's unlikely that those in a position of authority will do much of anything in response to Jack's complaint, there's no doubt that the controversy will continue as we get further into the summer months. As usual, you can expect us to keep you updated on whatever whimsical nonsense spews forth from the great gooey geyser that is mainstream media.