VIDEO GAME REVIEW

Characters, city come alive in Grand Theft Auto IV

BY LISETT ARAUJO

laraujo@MiamiHerald.com

AP

You play as Niko Bellic, a European immigrant looking for the American dream.

Grand Theft Auto IV is all about the American Dream. An immigrant comes to this country with dreams of escaping his past and building his fortunes. But instead of finding streets paved in gold, he finds a city where hookers and hustlers work the streets and crime is a way of life and the only way to survive.

In the latest Grand Theft Auto series, you play as Niko Bellic, a European immigrant led to Liberty City by his cousin's promise of fancy houses, buxom beauties and luxurious cars. Instead, Bellic is pulled into Liberty City's underbelly of crime because of his cousin's gambling debts.

Liberty City comes alive in this version. Gone are the hazy graphics of the last GTA game. Every storefront has a detailed facade. The lights at night sparkle and the sounds of the city add to the genuine feel of the game. As you pass pedestrians, you'll hear snippets of conversations -- some G-rated, some not.

This game has achieved the most advanced facial character animation of any in the series, showing detailed emotions. And the voice acting puts it over the top. As usual, the character voices are right on and drive the storyline.

It wouldn't be a GTA game without grand theft auto. Stealing cars is now more difficult because most are locked, which means you'll have to break the window to get in. Some have alarms that need to be disabled. So when you steal a car, you are more likely to end up in a chase. But escaping is easier in GTAIV thanks to the GPS equipped in every car that shows you where the cops are.

You also have a cellphone to help you manage the game's new socializing aspect, so you can develop friendships and love interests. Through hanging out and dating, you'll get to experience the city's comedy clubs, cabaret shows, bars and dining. The phone is the main means of communicating.

The GTA series is known for its humorous take on pop culture. You'll have plenty of radio stations to listen to as well as TV shows to watch like I'm Rich, which profiles vacuous socialites and rappers. The Internet is also accessible and can be used for online dating or for surfing sites you probably would be embarrassed to view at work.

Rockstar Games kept the formula for GTA the same but added levels of detail. This is a must-play for gamers who enjoy a story-driven game. It's also a must for gamers who want to explore the vast sandbox that is Liberty City.

Score: ****

Rating: M for Mature

Platform: Playstation 3, Xbox 360

Publisher: Rockstar Games

Website: www.rockstargames.com/iv