It's not a good day for Rockstar, as details of another of its games have found their way on to the Internet. First we found out the plot to Manhunt 2 via a careless retailer, now the first GTA IV in depth information has been revealed.
What We Had
As per Rockstar MO, minimal to little information about GTA IV was revealed through its first trailer. What the developer gave fans to work with was the setting; Liberty City (New York) unveiled through subtle scenery views and the markings on a merchant vessel. Through the wonderful medium of stereotyping we were also informed that the main character will be of Eastern European descent.
What We Got
This meager information gleaned from the trailer, at the expenditure of vast number of brain cells I assure you, can now be enhanced by further details.
Your character in the game will be Niko Bellic, an immigrant looking for a better tomorrow in LC. Your guide into this new world will be your cousin, Roman, the person who convinced you to make the move in search of a life of luxury. It turns out that Roman has not been very honest with you but his dishonesty makes for a great cinematic intro. Eventually Niko will be called to search within for the answers that will bring his dreams to life. In that light Niko will be able to initiate missions rather than having to passively wait for phone calls from others.
The game world will not have the same geographical ambition as San Andreas but will carry exquisite detail and will include equivalents to the New York Boroughs. Brooklyn will be Broker, Manhattan will be Algonquin, Queens renamed to Dukes, the Bronx to Brohan and New Jersey will be known as Alderney.
Rockstar also claims to have utilized the extra next-gen processing power in order to vastly improve AI. NPCs in the game will have a much wider, and more convincing, array of actions while their interaction with your character should also be more realistic.
Technically the game will also feature major improvements as the transition to next-generation completes. The game, it is claimed, will feature minimal to non-existent loading times during gameplay while the visual effects, mainly shading, showcased by the trailer will make the in-game world very realistic.
GTA IV will be the first game in the franchise to include official multiplayer support although rumors that the online element will be MMORPG based have now been denied. Rockstar is treating the MP details as a state secret.
The biggest question mark surrounding GTA IV has been that of the differences, or similarities of the PS3 and XBox 360 versions. The latest information suggests that while Microsoft may have the advantage of offering exclusive downloadable content through XBox Live, Sony's PS3 version may include additional content from day one.
GTA IV is expected Fall 2007.
