41. Off Broadway
What better way to hide some cash and massage the books than ploughing a stash ofdirty money through a Broadway musical? Let's hope we'll be able to put on a show and see our stars in action. Or perhaps escort Robert Downey Jr to the stage? Or even kill Robert Downey Jr. Whatever Rockstar chooses to do, you can bet it'll be cool.
42. PSP connectivity
A unique feature must surely be connectivity between PS3 and PSP. Rockstar has revealed there will be new ways to connect to the GTA IV world, using a cellphone, PDA and email, for example. If we can view the city map on our PSP, using it as a virtual PDA, then the world of GTA IV will be a seamless one. More interestingly, it would be great to receive phone calls and emails direct to your PSP rather than on screen.
Perhaps you could even receive emails via Wi-Fi and keep playing when you're on the train? Also, Rockstar has recently announced the violent-sounding Beaterator for PSP. This music-sequencing game enables you to sample and mix beats, then replay them to friends and even Wi-Fi them to other PSPs. It would be great if we could mix tunes in Beaterator and take them to a Liberty City clubto watch the night-life shake their collective booty.
43. PS3 Vs Xbox 360
The PS3 hard drive and CPU should deliver a smoother GTA IV than on Xbox 360, not least of all because of texture streaming. Less loading, more detail and a vibrant colour palette should make PS3 GTA IV stand head and shoulders above the Xbox 360 version. But what about the Xbox 360's exclusive episodic content? Well, chances are, the PS3 will have similar downloads at some point in the future. If not, we should have PSP connectivity and multiplayer to look forward too. In your face, Microsoft!
44. New physics
The movement of your character Niko will no longer be determined by pre-created animations but by real-time physics instead. When Niko moves over different terrain the RAGE engine will calculate where his feet should fall and how his body weight will be affected - and the result should be the most realistic GTA game yet, with a real sense of weight to every move you make in the game world. This, coupled with destructible environments and cars, will ensure that the shootouts in GTA IV are bound to be incredibly exciting.
45. Times Square Shopping
The past three GTAs on PS2 have all featured shopping malls in some form, but on PS3 we should expect something bigger. The San Andreas customization should return, and this time offer limitless opportunities to dress like a pimp and strut your funky stuff, or whatever floats your fashion boat.
Of course, we should expect the classic brands to return, including Burger Shot and Cluckin' Bell to build up the bulk. And who would begrudge a newcomer to the city a spree through the shelves of Ammu-Nation to pick up an Uzi 9mm? We're off to watch Zoolander on repeatuntil October 16 to snag some fashion tips.
