GTA IV Multiplayer Impressions
- DEATHMATCH (2-16 Players)
Impressions: GTA IV's meat and potatoes deathmatch mode is probably your best introduction to the online component. It's fairly stock stuff, but the allure of carjacking an SUV, then crumpling some chump in Nebraska with the front end is hard to resist. Having the option to feature select weapons—say rocket launchers only—or limit them to classes adds welcome variety. We'd highly recommend setting your Deathmatch games to have "blips" turned off for a better experience. Also, turn your headset off, as this is the mode that seems to be packed with the most potty-mouthed douchebags.
Best For: Noobs. And those looking to make money out of making corpses out of noobs. Play it first!
- MAFIYA WORK (2-16 Players)
Impressions: Probably the mode that's most "true" to the GTA single player experience, as you'll be competing against the clock and other players to get the job done. This is frantic stuff, as you'll race to checkpoints to deliver contraband or take out roving biker gangs to please the Mafiya. Tense!
Best For: Short attention spans and multitaskers.
- CAR JACK CITY (4-16 Players)
Impressions: A more focused version of Mafiya Work with a twist, as you'll have to strategically plan your car thievery. Is it worth it to hoof it to the "safe" car heist that everyone else is ignoring or take down whomever is going for the car with the drugs? Driving skills help, as you'll score more cash for cars in better condition.
Best For: Fast drivers who know the streets of Liberty City.
- RACE (2-16 Players)
Impressions: Choose from super cars, muscle cars, vans, service, trucks, helicopters and more as you race through a set track on one of Liberty City's islands. We stand by our claim in our GTA IV review, in that the game's racing engine stands on its own. However, we definitely think you'll have more fun playing GTA Race, in which weapons are a factor. Helicopter and boat races add welcome variety, but they're not the main draw here—super cars are!
Best For: Improving your driving skills.
- GTA RACE (2-16 Players)
Impressions: Sexy vehicular combat that's even fun if you're in last place. Why? Just get to a rocket launcher, get out of your car and grief the other players. Muahahaha! Rockstar's take on Mario Kart and WipeOut, the very reason why guns plus cars is such a good idea.
Best For: A quick, get in, get out adrenaline rush. Also good for professional pains in the ass.
- TEAM DEATHMATCH (3-16 Players)
Impressions: Not as frenzied (or fun) as lone wolf Deathmatch. Still, if you're looking for a quick way to cash up and have some trusted Team Deathmatch buddies, you can't really go wrong here.
Best For: Power leveling your pals and perfecting your head shots.
- TEAM MAFIYA WORK (3-16 Players)
Impressions: One of the more strategic online game types and one that requires a solid posse with reliable wheelmen. Having a dedicated driver, a couple sharpshooters and one player working to set up and maintain waypoints, as well as analyzing the Liberty City map, will do wonders for you.
Best For: Experienced players looking for a post-100% game completion thrill. Play it for forever!
- TEAM CAR JACK CITY (4-16 Players)
Impressions: Like Team Mafiya Work, a good crew can make Team Car Jack City, just as a bad one can break it. Strategy is key here, with accomplished car thieves complemented well by a couple buddies hounding your opponents while they're en route to their own pick ups.
Best For: Experienced drivers and folks who don't mind riding in the backseat.
- COPS 'N' CROOKS (4-16 Players)
Impressions: Almost two modes in one, as All For One follows the assassination game type, in which one player is the target and One For All makes it every man for himself. You'll switch sides after the first round is over, so be ready to hunt or be hunted.
Best For: Sharpshooters looking for some rapid fire variety.
- TURF WAR (4-16 Players)
Impressions: Capture point style gameplay meats Team Deathmatch as you fight for control of one of the boroughs. Turf War can bog down if you're on guard dog duty, but when a full complement of Russians come after the Jamaican safehouse you're watching over, you'll know what pain is. Constant communication is key.
Best For: Those looking for a more low-key team based mode.
- DEAL BREAKER (2-4 Players)
Impressions: An oddly set up co-op mission in which you must climb to the top of a multi-story structure, recover some drugs, then beat feet downtown after the leftover scum. Some randomness will probably add to the replay value, but after running through Deal Breaker on hard and not working up much of a sweat, you may never play it again. Still, the money's good.
Best For: Grabbin' loot.
- BOMB DA BASE II (2-4 Players)
Impressions: Like Deal Breaker, it's GTA IV doing four-player co-op. You'll play on a level that you might not see in the single-player campaign, depending on your ending, so be warned that it's potentially spoiler-esque. You may only feel the need to play through it twice, despite its thrilling carjacking, helicopter piloting and heavy gun play.
Best For: Showing off your 'copter and sniper rifle skills. Play it last!
- HANGMAN'S NOOSE (2-4 Players)
Impressions: Fight your way through a sea of SWAT... err, NOOSE officers. You only have a handful of lives and the NOOSE won't stop, so you better have a handle on gunplay and you better find cover. Think Cops 'n' Crooks but with much higher stakes.
Best For: Four damn good cop-killers.
- FREE MODE (2-16 Players)
Impressions: If you just want to mess around, make your own rules—Make a six-star wanted level a group effort! Group stunt jumps!—this is the mode for you. If you're really in the mood for some GTA improv, Free Mode (and maxed out private slots) can keep you busy for hours. Makes you pray for a saved film feature.
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GTA IV : Life, Liberty City And The Pursuit Of Happiness
Grand Theft Auto needs no introduction to anyone remotely familiar with video games. But for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 entry in the series, Rockstar has upped the ante, creating a startlingly realistic reinterpretation of New York City as backdrop to a violent crime epic. In it, damaged goods Serbian war vet Niko Bellic ventures to Liberty City in search of closure, all the while coming to terms with the harsh realities of The American Dream. People die, others find happiness, the dream fails to deliver on its promise, and players join Niko on a journey through a world where everyone is flawed, where it seems everyone is consumed by their own obsessions.
It's a brutal ride for almost everyone in Niko's journey from off the boat yokel to mass murderer, but what is the Grand Theft Auto IV experience like for the player?
- Loved
game that the team came close to perfecting. Outside of a handful of either slightly annoying or forgettable cast members, GTA IV's supporting players are as much of a draw as firing RPGs at a car filled with Russian gangsters then fleeing from the LCPD at high speeds in a Turismo.
- You Belong To The City:
- Shooting The Shit:
- Friends With Benefits:
- Driving Mr. Bellic:
Multiplayer:
GTA IV's fifteen multiplayer modes, each with a host of options, could have easily comprised a standalone release. Simple Deathmatch is fun, but playing it on Happiness Island with nothing but rocket launchers and knives makes it shine. Team-based modes, like Cops 'n' Crooks and Team Mafiya, elevate multiplayer from simple fragfest to strategic, frenetic car-jacking fun.
- The Extras:
Radio, Radio: So many guilty pleasures: Q Lazarus, Genesis, Godley & Creme. Some new favorites: The Boggs, Justice, Boys Noize. Talk radio is genuinely funny and ad spots provide hilarious social commentary.
- Hated
Some Missions Are Maddening:
Of the 155 missions I attempted, 64 ended in failure. That's fine, but some seem impossible on the first attempt and others come close to resulting in thrown controllers. Missions are quick to restart, but by your third or fourth attempt of The Snow Storm, you may be looking for a Rockstar dev online to kill. There's not much in the way of mission filler, but some jobs are definitely more memorable than others.
Grand Theft Auto IV is a powerful game. After blazing through the core story line, having made certain decisions that affected how the narrative played out, I longed to return to the world to experience what I had missed. I recall watching every one of the game's trailers after completing it, reminiscing about GTA IV's tragic, colorful yarn. It's a hell of an accomplishment on many levels. Graphically, it's not as pretty as some other PS3 or 360 offerings—to which it will be unfairly compared—but what it may lack in pixel pushing performance, it makes up for in visual design. Using the cell phone as an interface for maintaining relationships, seemingly a minor thing, is brilliant.
Sandbox-style, ultra-violent games like Grand Theft Auto aren't typically my thing, but GTA IV has made me a fan. A fanboy. Rockstar North has addressed virtually every single one of my personal hang ups about the series, crafting one of the most memorable experiences in gaming. We hate to gush, but it's just that good. Flawless? No. But it's about as close to a game can come to being perfect.
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