Where to go after San Andreas? To make matters even worse for Rockstar Games, it’s the next-gen debut of GTA; to say expectations are virtually insurmountable would be a monumental understatement. Still, it seems Rockstar North is supremely confident of re-inventing the open-world experience they established on the last generation of consoles, arguably the most noteworthy genre of that era.
Having recently attended a demonstration at Rockstar’s London office, TVG had a chance to sit down and check out the return of GTA, the first time it’s been out and about since last year’s delay.
Perhaps realising the daunting prospect of delivering the goods after San Andreas, the decision to base GTA4 squarely in one location with a return to Liberty City met with a few puzzled looks upon the game’s unveiling. Certainly at TVG we were left pining for long-distance haulage trips across the county whilst listening to ‘Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man’, or taking a trip in the skies above and parachuting from San Andreas’ depiction of Library Tower.
So with this weight of potential disappointment, Rockstar’s finest set to work on easing our doubts, and if the latest build is anything to go by, we’re pretty sure we’ll be celebrating the re-invention of GTA in April. Faced with a barrage of GTA wannabes and the forthcoming release of Saints Row 2, Rockstar North decided from the start of the project to pull apart and scrutinise each of the pieces that shape the GTA mould, so that no one particular feature defines what GTA4 is all about. The plan is that each of these components will come together to create a cohesive, compelling experience, that’s most of all fun to play. Embracing the RAGE engine and NaturalMotion’s Euphoria physics-based animation technology, GTA4 is certainly looking up to the job, undoubtedly the best open-world videogame we’ve seen on the next-gen.
This approach has also meant the complete removal of irrelevant details such as expanding waistlines, stamina levels, and other such cosmetic touches that were featured in San Andreas. Although we quite enjoyed such elements it seems the general consensus was that such options diluted the experience needlessly.
Beginning in the Broker Docks - Rockstar’s interpretation of Brooklyn - our demonstration commenced with a mission titled ‘Search & Delete’. The simple premise being that Niko has to whack a police informer; the challenge involving the hijack of a LCPD cop-car to access the police database and track the target down. Travelling through Liberty City in search of a cop car gave us an opportunity to once again appreciate the microscopic level of detail Rockstar North has poured into this re-worked game world. Focussing on a smaller scale from San Andreas has afforded the studio the opportunity to increase the density immensely, whether it’s civilians, traffic, skyscrapers, or rubbish, bringing the most realistic interpretation of a city we’ve seen in a videogame to date. No longer do civilians shuffle through the same old animation sequences, instead taking time to eat, shop, and generally do what people do in the real world.
Eventually coming across a police car, Niko’s attempts to loose the pursuing chase once again reminded of us of the vast changes Rockstar North has implemented to the Wanted system. There’s probably no need to recap over this feature, suffice to say the setup provides a significantly different experience to any GTA (or GTA clone) that’s come before, bringing real world application to the getaway. Worth mentioning is the dynamic chatter we heard over the police CBs, describing the pursuit and Niko’s direction according to police cars that were in close proximity - it’s the little details that mean so much!
The police database is activated by searching for a surname or by uploading a photo from Niko’s phone. Niko’s phone also doubles up as an MP3 player, carrying the contemporary soundtrack to the streets whenever you step outside of a vehicle (and yes, Rockstar North have borrowed Saint’s Row’s positional sound system). We also noticed the phone’s signal dropping throughout the demonstration, suggesting Niko may miss out on phone calls when he’s travelling on the subway. Liberty City’s chain of TW@T internet cafes promises to work in much the same way, bringing e-mail and the web to Niko’s vast repertoire of communication. This demonstration highlighted how Rockstar North are moving the mission structure away from linear dots on a map to drive between, instead offering something far more dynamic, when things happen almost on the spur of the moment. GTA4 also features an auto-save system, which takes place between missions and during the game. Marking an end to one of the most frustrating elements of previous games in the series, we just hope it doesn’t make it all a bit too easy.
Accessing the target’s record and putting a handy indicator on the mini-map, Niko’s attempts to gun down his target revealed the considerable improvements that Rockstar North is adding to combat and action. The introduction of a covering system may not be entirely revolutionary given the likes of Gears of War and Rainbow Six Vegas, but its implementation in GTA is nevertheless most welcome. Rolling and diving for cover fits naturally within the context of the game, it’s one of those changes that will make you question why they never had it in previous titles and make it almost entirely impossible to go back. Another contentious issue for GTA surrounds the auto-targeting system; despite the various tweaks throughout the GTA3 trilogy, it seems Rockstar North has never been entirely happy with the results. This time around the setup seems tighter than ever before, a simple flick of the thumbstick specifically targeting the opponent’s head for a quick and simple death. The precise details behind this mechanic remain slightly fuzzy, and whether it works will have to wait until we actually get our hands on the game, though again we have some slight concerns as to whether it’s going to make things a tad too simple.
NaturalMotion’s Euphoria is also bringing a lot to the action in GTA4. Chucking a grenade amongst a group of goons demonstrates precisely what physics based animations bring to the experience, flying away with almost comic effect and creating a look and feel befitting a next-gen GTA.
Whilst the concept of Liberty City sounds like a significant downscale compared to San Andreas, Rockstar North have expanded upon the setting considerably. To give us some sense of the scale and scope on display, Rockstar flipped the map on-screen to give an indication of the little amount our demonstration had scratched upon - suffice to say, helicopter rides around town are a wise option if you’re in a hurry. For those who want an idea of how the new Liberty City map pans out, one avid GTA fan has discovered a split-second glimpse of it from the third trailer - kudos to whoever that is, you can find it on YouTube.
Focussing upon the ‘family’ with San Andreas, it seems as though ‘friendship’ is the theme behind GTA4. Arriving as an unknown, Niko’s entrance draws interesting parallels with the player, both lacking any knowledge of their new surroundings and about to forge a new life in Liberty City.
Establishing new alliances the friendship system is entirely dynamic. As Niko makes friends, they’ll phone him, ask him to do things, and generally like to hang out. Ignoring a phone call or cutting them off half way through will naturally irritate them, leading to further pestering phone calls and the risk of breaking the friendship and the benefits they bring. Of the characters seen so far, we know Niko’s cousin Roman and his taxi firm provides lifts around Liberty City; Little Jacob pulls up and delivers weapons on demand to Niko; whilst, Brucie - a new character revealed - provides additional trips around the town in his helicopter.
Throughout the game you’ll have the opportunity to call friends out on activities, such as a drink in the local bar or a trip to the ten-pin alley. We saw the former in action as Niko and Roman staggered out of a bar with the most convincing drunk effect this side of a Saturday night. Stumbling around and falling all over the place, attempting to drive whilst in this state captures the dangers of drink-driving perfectly (who says Rockstar isn’t responsible?) with a style that’s likely to leave you feeling slightly queasy. Rockstar assures us they’re looking at this to make sure it’s not too dramatic, and also the current day/night cycle that currently puts one Liberty City hour to two real world minutes. Although the drinking occurred instantaneously, we’re hoping there’s some enjoyable mini-games behind them in the final build.
Perhaps one of the most visually impressive touches is the enhancement made to the cinematic camera option. Prevalent in previous GTA titles, the ability to quickly switch to the cinematic camera without flicking through the various different shots means that what was essentially a useless feature now has a genuine purpose. From the able demonstrations of Rockstar’s driving skills it also appears that Rockstar North has tightened up the cinematic camera angles on offer, removing those that were completely unplayable, to ensure playing with funky camera positions is actually quite viable this time around. Highlighting a thankful end to the fixed 90 degree targeting that has typified GTA titles in the past when shooting from a vehicle, GTA4’s redesigned setup now finds Niko smashing out a window, whilst holding a gun outside that’s reminiscent of the golden oldie, Chase HQ. Using the right thumbstick to aim, whilst driving with the left, the new setup provides complete freedom and suggests a vast improvement to one of GTA’s weaker elements.
The second mission of the day, ‘Deconstruction for Beginners’, tasked Niko with wiping out the Mafia goons that are stopping the workers at a construction site owned by an influential Arab. Teaming up with a character known enigmatically as Playboy X, Niko’s mission begins from the roof of a nearby building. With a headset and weapons locked and loaded, Niko has to work his way through the construction site, whilst receiving dynamic instructions from Playboy X on the goons locations. It’s classic GTA action but the use of a headset, like many other things we saw, suggests a further level of distinctiveness and immersion that promises to characterise the game from start-to-finish.
The final demonstration of the day involved Niko hijacking a particular truck and delivering it back to the Mafia’s mansion in a mission entitled ‘Truck Hassle’. After working his way to the truck, Niko finds the vehicle jump into action and has to chase after it, on foot! Grasping upon the rear bumper, the action plays out as a mini-game of such, with rapid presses of the A button providing the impetus to lift his way onto the truck’s roof, then having to roll in the opposite direction to counter the driver’s attempts to swing him off. Arriving at the Mafia’s mansion revealed that Rockstar North hasn’t forgotten the old Liberty City entirely; a derelict mansion pays a very distinctive homage to the GTA3 design right down to the garages and tree-lined drive - hopefully we’ll find out more about its poor state of disrepair soon.
The demonstration concluded with a boat ride along the waterways of Liberty City. Words can’t describe the majesty of Liberty City’s cityscape at night, the sheer density, the reflection on the waters below glistening under the light of the moon. The deluge of little details on display in GTA4 promises to make the game a very special occasion; it truly is the little touches that help to define a next-gen experience. Beyond the elements we’ve already touched upon there’s aspects such as luxury cars fitted with GPS devices that instruct you where to go and toll booths that can either be paid or smashed through.
Towards the end of the demonstration a character known as Phil Bell was introduced, with the knowledge that he’s going to help Niko find that ’special someone’ - who could it be?
Despite seeing a lot, Rockstar are deliberately holding back on a lot of GTA4, fearing that they gave too much away in the lead-up to San Andreas release. Hinted at towards the end of the demonstration, Rockstar’s representatives teased towards the multiplayer options and claimed we’ll know more with the next build when it’s finally time for us to go Hands On with the behemoth that is GTA4 - hopefully we’ll also see the PS3 version in action.
On a final note, we also noticed a considerable number of planes dotting the Liberty City skyline, where’s Niko heading next?
The latest demonstration of GTA4 in action was more than enough to ease any fears we had, Rockstar North will re-invent the genre and finally push open world games to the next level. It's difficult to continue hyping the GTA series after so many successes, but we genuinely feel that Rockstar North will burst past the boundaries and set a new benchmark for all the others to follow.
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