Sadly, you can't just run up and glom onto passing traffic - it has to be part of the mission. And here, it began with Niko hanging on for dear life to the truck's rear bumper as his groin was dragged across asphalt at high speeds. He quickly pulled himself up, however, and from there it was all a matter of balance. Without any clear handholds, Niko needed to move up slowly and try to flatten himself across the top of the truck when things like sharp turns or low-hanging traffic lights came along.

Eventually, though, Niko inched his way up to the cab and fluidly crashed in through the passenger-side window before turning the driver's own gun against him. You know, "Red Army shit." Once it's over, Niko kicks the corpse out onto the street and drives the truck to meet up with Bell's son-in-law at a secluded spot, nearly smashing a motorcyclist on the way.

The meeting spot had a familiar vibe to it, with a tree-lined driveway that led up to a boarded-up old mansion. The Rockstar reps were quick to point out why it felt so familiar: it was an updated version of mob boss Salvatore Leone's house from GTA III. Sadly, they also said that doesn't mean there's any connection between GTA IV and the earlier games, apart from subtle references - like the mansion - that fans might pick up on.

MR: What'd you guys think of the truck-climbing sequence?
MC: Raiders of the Lost Ark.
CB: Again, I can't believe how much time they poured into such a bizarre game mechanism. You're climbing across the truck while it's in motion, holding various buttons to roll and hold on for dear life when the truck turns corners.
MR: Especially one that they confirmed we'll only encounter in certain missions - you can't just grab onto any random truck on the street. The sequence at the end was a nice payoff, though, with Niko popping right through the passenger window.
CB: I question putting so much effort into a mechanism that's only going to appear in 3-4-5 missions tops. But if they put that much effort into EVERY different kind of mission, then that'll be incredible.
MC: I thought it looked great and - again - another way of making a recycled 'steal the truck' mission feel like something new.
MR: All I know is that I'm itching to play this thing now - and that when I do, it had damn well better be amazing.
MC: that's exactly how I felt when the demo ended - all I want to do is play it.
CB: I just can't wait to climb across a helicopter in midair, with the danger of losing your grip and plummeting hundreds of feet to the ground below. So many things going on in the background that hinted at other forms of gameplay... I wanted to rip the controller out of the Rockstar rep's hands.
MR: So Matt - did you recognize the mansion at the end? I didn't at first, but the grounds around it did look awfully familiar.
MC: Where he takes the truck? Nope.
MR: Charlie picked up on it right away, although I probably wouldn't have gotten it if it hadn't been pointed out.
MC: Nice spot.
CB: The house looked totally different, but the wooded frontage road was spot-on.