Preview: Grand Theft Auto IV: New Details, Screens!

"GTA IV is definitely not getting delayed again," a Rockstar representative boldly states before an hour long demo of Grand Theft Auto IV, the first footage shown to GamePro (and other gaming press) in approximately six months. Since that showing last July, GTA IV missed its scheduled fall release and was pushed back to spring 2008.

Back in July, GTA IV looked impressive, but it was clear that it needed more than a couple months to polish up a potential masterpiece. "This game has to be that much better than everything out there," says Rockstar, keying in on just how much the game is pushing the boundaries of gaming as a form of entertainment.

The big question is: How far has GTA IV come? A very long way. As huge fans of the GTA series, Travis and I are here to explain exactly why it's time to start getting excited for GTA IV.
Grand Expectations

GTA 3 was a mega breakthrough in gaming, and Vice City and San Andreas were great expansions of the same general sandbox formula. Where GTA 3 introduced a style of play that changed action gaming forever, the subsequent games expanded in scope and features.

The jump from the PlayStation 2 trilogy to new hardware is looking like it could be as influential to the series as the 3D jump to GTA 3. Of course, we're not talking about a dimensional upgrade (2-D to 3-D was the biggest, most obvious change from GTA 2 to 3), but more subtle changes such as lifelike facial expressions, targeting, seamless play and a story that is an integral part of the game. And of course, there is the obvious graphical upgrade on the PS3 and Xbox 360 that makes everything come together as a whole. With eyes wide open on this first showing of the game since July, we saw why it's time to start getting excited for Grand Theft Auto IV.

The first thing Rockstar wanted to show us was a quick visit with Brucie, the steroid-pumping shirtless guy from the "Move Up, Ladies" trailer. Brucie works as a mechanic with some shady deals on the side. After an interaction between the two, Brucie asks Niko to kill an informant named Lyle Rivas, before Lyle has a chance to testify against him in court. Niko shrugs off the part about killing if the price is right. We're beginning to see how cold and ruthless Niko Bellic actually is.

Niko first needs to steal a police car. Easy enough, but it issues a wanted level of one star. Inside the police car, Niko has full access to the police database where he can search, via keypad, for Lyle Rivas. The police scanner immediately locates Rivas in the Broker burrow and marks a waypoint on the map that dynamically guides the player to the next objective. Note that some high-end cars will have talking GPS.

Rockets are now fueled by the RAGE physics engine and will skip off the ground like flat stones in a pond if fired at extreme obtuse angles.

When Niko rolls up on Rivas, he is taking a piss surrounded by a handful of cronies. Niko takes out the loose change one by one and Rivas takes off running. He gets in a car and now it's time to chase him down. The Rockstar rep then showcased the new free-aim targeting mode while driving, which allows Niko to fire in any direction around the car (not just right and left drive, as was the old "drive-by" mechanic).

He begins weaving in and out of oncoming traffic and popping out the window to takes shots at Rivas whenever he can. It's a long chase, but thanks to the new B-button camera function, players can orient the camera to stay focused on moving targets (or switch between more cinematic camera angles when not in combat).

As the chase leads onto the Broker Bridge, Niko finally gets close to Rivas and, "Bam!" All of a sudden Niko's ride ignites, and a massive explosion vaults Niko out of his ride...and he lives! (Apparently unlike past GTA games, you can survive a car explosion in GTA IV). After a short foot chase on the bridge, Niko utilizes the new targeting system to make quick work of Rivas.

A new targeting system is just one piece of GTA IV's impressive new combat.

Next we were shown how Niko can keep up relationships with key people in Liberty City. For example, get a high enough friendship rating with Little Jacob the mobile guns dealer and more weapons are just a phone call away. This is one of the key cell-phone features we witnessed in GTA IV. Niko can call friends, and they'll call you too, to go out drinking.

It's called relationship building, and what better person to be friends with than Roman, the yellow-cab man with all the taxi hookups. Niko drives to pick up Roman and the nearest bar is marked on the map. The two friends go into the bar, and after an expedited period of time, Niko and Roman come out hammered. The screen shakes violently as Niko and Roman stumble towards the car.

With procedural reactions to the environment, they trip and fall over each other, Niko gets up and leans against the car in a drunken stupor. It's all very realistic looking, especially if you've ever had the spins from drinking too much. Half the people in the room have to look away from the screen because the spinning is so sickening.

Now it's time to get Roman back home, and guess who's the driver? As if stumbling into the driver's seat wasn't nauseating enough, driving under the influence (even in a virtual world) is vomit-inducing.

The next mission introduced Playbox X, an up-and-coming hustler from the Algonquin district. Playboy wants Niko to take out a few union leaders down at the docks. Again, it's not a problem for Niko if the money's good (no remorse). They drive down to the docks and park the car in a nearby alley where another black SUV is waiting for them, full of loaded guns. Niko pulls the guns out of the trunk, and the two head up a nearby rooftop. From the rooftop, Playboy X uses binoculars to call out the guards and Niko shoots them down. The snipers fall from the guard towers as the camera switches to their lifeless body's moments before they slam into the pavement below.

Run a red light in GTA4 and it's no big deal, but neglect to pay the bridge toll and you've got yourself a wanted level.

With the snipers eliminated, Niko can move in on foot. This is the mission where we get an extensive look at the new and visceral combat system. When in combat, Niko can take cover behind any object in the game. He can blind-fire from behind cover or pop and shoot for increased accuracy. The new targeting system enables players to soft lock-on to a target and then pinpoint specific points of the body, such as head, torso, or legs.

Fire weapons in GTA IV is the best it's ever been and holds up well even compared to big FPS titles. The guns are loud, the environments are packed with explosive debris, and the enemies react realistically to being shot. Players are going to have just as much fun with the gunplay missions, if not more than the car chases.
The Final Mission

Remember Niko hanging from the side of that moving truck from the trailer? Or maybe hanging from the helicopter? The last mission Rockstar demoed showed us exactly how that works. Climbing and hanging on vehicles is a new gameplay mechanic and part of the wide mission variety in GTA IV.

Niko is introduced to Bell, who wants him to steal a drug truck from the Triads. During this mission, the truck takes off but Niko is able to grab hold of the rear bumper. The Rockstar rep shows us that by rapidly pressing the A-button Niko will climb to the top of the truck. Once on top, it becomes a physics mini-game where the player must anticipate acceleration, braking, and turning. The truck makes a sharp turn and Niko goes flying off the edge, but he's still holding on. He climbs back up, shimmies into the truck cab, pops the driver in the head, and kicks him out of the truck.

There's Niko manning one of the many different types of sniper rifles in the game, and that's mission informant Playboy X, the up and coming hustler of the Algonquin area.

Our demo was coming to an end, but we wanted to see more. As we talked with the Rockstar reps they just kept playing, and headed back towards the docks to show off the drivable boats and swimming.

"We want people to play this game for the next three years," one rep said. With how massive the city is, all the activities, mission variety, story, and downloadable content, GTA IV is going to have a very long lifespan.

For all these reasons, it's time to start getting excited for GTA IV because it's going to be one of the biggest games in 2008. And this is just the tip of the iceberg according to Rockstar. There's still tons of content the public and media haven't seen. Hopefully, they're talking about the online multiplayer, which should be revealed sometime in mid February to early March.