Last night, our group went and ventured out into the online world of Liberty City in “GTA IV.” It was a ton of fun and for some members of the party, it really changed the way they felt about the game. While I love the single player mode, there are some great things about multiplayer, but there are also some detractors.

There’s a lot to love:

• Wide variety of game modes – My favorite is “Cops n’ Crooks.” There were so many instances that I wish this game had a “Halo 3” theater mode, where you can save replays. We were racing down back streets in multiple police cars, bobbing and weaving through traffic, looking like some police chase out of a Hollywood blockbuster. There’s nothing like seeing the bad guys on your radar and then hitting the siren just as your spring around the corner with your teammates firing away. Playing as a crook is exciting as well, especially when you’re trying to make it to your extraction point while you hear the police sirens blaring down upon you. Good times.
• Apocalypse Now meets the Big Apple – Any game which allows you to have a race through the city in helicopter does deserve a score of ten. Naturally, everyone in the group had selected an attack helo, so the beginning of the race looked like we were about to conquer New York through air superiority. Then the race started and only two of us knew how to fly the beasts. Lots of building windows were broken by propeller blades that night.

There are things to patch:

• The online lobby – When I want to back out of a multiplayer match, I don’t want to be kicked entirely out of the multiplayer mode and sent back to Niko’s apartment. Let me just stay online and look for another match.
• The camera needs work – Whenever you’re in a tight spot driving and have to pull a U-turn, I don’t want to be waiting for the camera to catch up with my front view. I’ve had too many “Austin Powers” moments where I’m repeatedly doing Y-turns to turn around, but I can’t actually see where I’m going. Oddly, this seems to be an issue even when you’re on foot. Don’t make me fight with the camera, I’ve got enough going on in the game.
• Balance the starting points – When playing “Cops n’ Crooks,” both sides should have quick access to vehicles. Typically, the cops are already packed into a car, while the crooks are force to start somewhere in Hoboken, NJ and run into New York to find a getaway car. Of course, by the time you’ve got your team in the car, the cops are already on you.

All minor complaints aside, between the single player mode and multiplayer, “GTA IV” will remain in my 360 for quite awhile.