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Grand Theft Auto IV


GTA IV - Xbox World 360 UK's take on single-player

How Grand Theft Auto IV works, what it feels like, why it's utterly brilliant...

Once on the roof we spy the target: the drugs have been shifted into a parked van that’s surrounded by guards. “I’ll cover you,” Packie tells us, and so we leap into the nearby water and climb out by the vehicle, safe in the knowledge that Packie’s got our back. Big mistake. No sooner are we out of the water than a hail of gunfire tears us to pieces and we find ourselves at a nearby hospital. Slightly annoyed, we answer our ringing mobile and take up the new option to restart the mission from scratch. We make our way back to the rooftops and decide that a slower approach is needed. After clambering down to the yard we tap the right shoulder button to lock onto a dumpster. Packie’s shots rarely hit their mark, so we hurl a couple of grenades and take out the remaining guards with our pistol. Job done.

Or so we thought... leaping into the van we find out that backup’s on the way, but when we try and outrun them the police decide to join in. A box of grenades prove invaluable when we discover that we can destroy our tail by hurling them out of the window, but it was nearly impossible to aim when in first-person mode. Why were we in first-person mode you ask? Because - and this is our only major gripe - with any other camera angle the van was so big that it took up most of the screen. Despite the camera problems we managed to shake the cops (by ducking into a nearby Pay 'n Spray) and slowly drove to the mission end. Phew.

The second mission - Search and Delete - was even better, and showcased a couple of incredible features. The mission began with us fighting Brucie; a street thug that talks big and downs steroids for breakfast. The scuffle is good-humored though, and once we’ve proven our manhood Brucie tells us about a snitch that needs bumping off. All we’re given is a name: Lyle Rivas.

The only way to find his address is to use the police database, and the only way we’re hacking into that is to use a police car. Trouble is, there isn’t one around. We could have caused some trouble and waited for the fuzz to show up, but why make things difficult? Instead we dialed 911 and, sure enough, a cruiser pulled up with two policemen inside. It was the perfect opportunity to practice the new aiming system.


 
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The Knowledge

Grand Theft Auto IV

Genre: Action
Release date: 29 Apr 2008
Published by: Rockstar San Diego
Developed by: Rockstar
Franchise: Grand Theft Auto
Multiplayer Modes:
Online
4 player CO-OP
16 player VS
10 INCREDIBLE
Read the review
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