Combat tidbits

Your health and armor status are both reflected in semi-circles that span the outside of the famed GTA radar. Health’s on the left, armor (if you have any) on the right. Pick-ups randomly scattered around Liberty City will top you up... if you can find them.

Cover plays a vital part in multiplayer, and GTA as a whole. Not only is the AI a darn good shot, but their aiming is based on line-of-sight schematics - meaning if they can’t see you, they can’t hit you. Intriguingly, being in cover also removes you from the radar. Very handy for multiplayer.

It’s easy to keep an eye on an enemy’s health status since it’s reflected via eight blocks around the edges of your aiming reticule. Holding the trigger down halfway also allows you to ‘free aim’, as in you’re not automatically locked-on. The free aim’s definitely for the hardcore players, mind.

Final words

So, there we have it. Multiple modes, all standout experiences. To say we were surprised by the GTA IV multiplayer would be a massive understatement. We expected there to be some sort of online component, but never imagined such sweeping changes to the formula. Luckily, cutting their teeth on Liberty and Vice City Stories (and the online success of otherwise pale imitator Saints Row) obviously convinced Rockstar that they had the means to push the boat out a little further with their debut next gen offering - resulting in significant steps into brand new areas for the series.

Some modes work better than others, with the point-to-point race feeling like a nice extra rather than something you’ll be spending hours in, while some other areas just need a tiny tweak here and there: a few of the re-spawning points, for example, need some tinkering, so you don’t end up miles away from the action. But, here’s the really good news: most of the time, GTA IV’s multiplayer is fantastic. All the modes work, are infinitely customizable, and (bar a few stutters in framerate when things got particularly hectic) demonstrate impressive technical guts. This game looks and feels like the real thing. It moves like the real thing. Let’s face it, it is the real thing. It’s full of the kind of standout, watercooler moments that the likes of Halo 3, Call of Duty 4 and Gears of War are built on. The daddy of sandbox games just pushed the benchmark a lot higher - and 29 April can’t come soon enough...

Be sure to check out part 2 (single-player) and part 3 (Easter eggs) of Xbox World 360 UK's in-depth preview.

Apr 17, 2008