The Top 7... things Grand Theft Auto IV needs

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The kingpin of crime games comes roaring back in October. Here's what we'd like to see when it does

4. Destructible buildings

If there's anything that decades of playing videogames have taught us, it's that destroying stuff is fun. Strangely, not many action games enable players to take out their rage on the whole environment; a few will maybe let you knock a hole through a wall, or smash through a flimsy barrier, but we can only think of one that enabled you to take out entire buildings on a whim: Mercenaries.


Above: We could raze Pyongyang to the ground in Mercenaries - why not let us smash a few buildings in GTAIV?

Again, this is one place where GTA shouldn't let its competitors get the upper hand. Some might argue that mass destruction on the city-flattening scale of Mercenaries isn't what GTA is about - but why not? There's obviously a demand for it, and if certain buildings - safehouses and the like - are really that vital to the storyline, then there's no harm in placing them off-limits for demolition.

Granted, we've already leveled a building or two in past GTA games, but their destruction was just part of the plot - wedidn't really bring them down ourselves. But imagine being able to take out your rampage-fueling anger on the city itself by going around demolishing office parks with a bazooka. Even if they just regenerated after a few days of game time, it'd still be one of the most cathartic experiences a game could offer.

Mikel Reparaz
Mikel Reparaz
After graduating from college in 2000 with a BA in journalism, I worked for five years as a copy editor, page designer and videogame-review columnist at a couple of mid-sized newspapers you've never heard of. My column eventually got me a freelancing gig with GMR magazine, which folded a few months later. I was hired on full-time by GamesRadar in late 2005, and have since been paid actual money to write silly articles about lovable blobs.