welcome to america
It’s a chilly night in Liberty City. Niko Belik comes from an unspecified Eastern European country, here to get drunk with his cousin, Roman, and live the good life. Only to discover that the ‘good life’ is apparently… pretty bad.
Who knows, maybe not as bad as where he came from, but things soon start to unravel once Roman’s ‘mansion’ is revealed to be a run-down apartment on the second floor and his livelihood a greasy business of operating taxis. Bang-smack in the middle of a city full of double-crossing gangsters.
But of course, it’s a rags to riches story, isn’t it? A few dozen or so missions and cold-blooded assassinations later, Nico is staying in one of the best penthouses in town. Just like in any other grand theft auto.
Apple pie
In many ways, it’s the classic American dream—or at least a cold, crazy version of it. But if the American dream is to rise from nowhere and reach the top, then does it really matter how it is achieved? And if so, is this dream really worth it?
Not usually meant to be the most philosophical of gaming experiences, you could say these are the big questions posed by the masterpiece that it is Grand Theft Auto IV.
Is it too dark?
At least, this is the main criticism leveled at him. the next city deputy, San Andreas andTales of the City LieutenantThe players got used to bright textures and sunny streets. Grand Theft Auto IV, so they say, just feels a little too gray and depressing—full of graffiti-covered trains, seedy stairwells, wild vagrants, and, apparently, terror. Because towards the beginning of the story there is an announcement on the radio that one of the bridges was closed because of fear. It’s 2008, people.
But remember, this is the second iteration of that Liberty City M Grand Theft Auto III, and that title wasn’t exactly full of sunshine and unicorns (instead, think fog, gray trucks, and fish). Whereas Grand Theft Auto V Often descending into the over-the-top playfulness of a Saints Row title (ie psychedelic alien dream sequences), the seedy streets of Liberty City maintain the series’ roots.
After all, this is a rainy east coast city we’re talking about. Not the sun-soaked streets of Las Venturas or Vice City. Liberty City is supposed be dark
However, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t leave room for lightness…
Nico, let’s go bowling!
There’s Roman’s dumb jokes, for one thing, not to mention his constant requests to go bowling (which, by the way, actually turned into requests Internet meme). One minute you’re about to shoot a cop car and the next knockRoman hums you in your cell.
Or why not stroll gently through Central Park, or visit the real beating heart that sits inside the Statue of Happiness (based, of course, on the Statue of Liberty).
And who can forget Rockstar’s famous humor? This is evident all over the game, from quest dialogue, to NPC chatter, to the crazy side quests.
It’s freedom and it’s money
Harry said to the ambush in the back of the truck at the beginning Alone at home 2. And just as it is true of the Big Apple, it is also true of Liberty City.
Yes, Grand Theft Auto IV Maybe a little more story-driven than the others, but it still does what every Grand Theft Auto does best: lets you do whatever the hell you want.
Chase a cop car and gain access to the police database? Sure. Do a lap dance in a strip club and then blow the place to pieces? Why not. Explore the abandoned factory on the edge of town? That sounds fun.
Key to the city
Maybe the best thing of all Grand Theft Auto IV Thus it perfectly captures the atmosphere and troubles of life in the metropolis of a big city (minus, of course, the daily rampage of one army and five-star police chases).
It’s a city that feels truly lived in, one that never sleeps. From the garbage trucks that show up in the morning to the random NPC car crashes.
Sure, Grand Theft Auto V There is a larger map, but a lot of it is just empty space. Whereas here, every avenue, every street, seems to have been carefully planned. Every traffic light and every neon store sign. And this is just one of the advantages that this title has over its successor.
In addition to the base game, there are also the expansion packs ‘The Lost and Damned’ and ‘The Ballad of Gay Tony’. Their stories make the city seem even bigger, with more stories from its troubled and diverse residents. DLC that’s actually worth it (*cough* microtransactions *cough*).
It’s Grand Theft Auto par excellence.
Summary
There’s never a bad time to relive its magic, and with rumors of a potential Grand Theft Auto IV Remastered Doing the rounds, why don’t you do it?