I picked up my pre-ordered copy of “Grand Theft Auto IV” yesterday and after 90 minutes of gameplay, I have been officially diagnosed with GTA fever. Although I own and have played the previous console titles, I had only finished “GTA III.” With “Vice City,” I had become stuck in some mission and unable to progress, whereas “San Andreas” never really kept my attention.
In “IV” I am reminded of what I love about this series. The conversations are hilarious, the cutscenes are well done and an appropriate length and I really like the little mini-games, like playing darts, pool and bowling (I haven’t tried the videogame “QUB3D”). When the game started off, I was actually impressed with the visuals and as such it changed the way I played the game initially. With the added realism of the game’s art direction, I found myself wanting to fit in more as a normal member of society in Liberty City. Sure I wasn’t stopping at red lights, staying in my lane and I did jack one car, but I was avoiding the usual charges vehicular manslaughter and other random acts of violence upon strangers.
The missions have been fun even as I’ve just been focusing on helping out Niko’s cousin and going on dates. I’m sure that my first hour and a half with this game is exactly what Sen. Hilary Clinton and Sen. Joe Leiberman had feared would infect the youth of America. Early in the game, Niko managed to go on two dates with a girl, with the second date ending with the two of them going up to her apartment for some ‘hot coffee,’ and from there I pick up cousin Roman and headed off to the strip club, wherein I keep pursuing additional private dances without realizing that Niko didn’t have any cash to pay for said ’services,’ so the girl calls the club’s security and I end up punching my way out of the establishment. Wholesome entertainment – and I’m loving it.
A word of caution: be aware of your surroundings while you’re discussing this game at work. When regaling my co-workers, who also have this game, with my aforementioned activities from the previous night, I sure hope others overhearing from nearby cubicles didn’t think that I was talking about something other than a videogame. Come to think of it, I don’t think anything of that nature have ever happened to me…
I haven’t tried multiplayer yet, but that’ll be this Thursday.
