We have just entered the glorious month of April, which means that there is less than 30 days until the release of Grand Theft Auto IV. Yes. That’s right. I was surprised too. It seems like only yesterday that Peter Moore - the former Microsoft executive - was unveiling his Grand Theft Auto IV tattoo.
Peter Moore
The Tattoo
Anyway, the game hits retail shelves on April 29, 2008, for the XBox 360 and Playstation 3. Obviously, there is no Wii version. The Wii - sadly - cannot handle GTA levels of awesome. Also, the inevitable computer version will not be arriving until much much later. But still, we will be able to see a lot more choice GTA videos than the ones currently available (although I have scraped together the cream of the crop, links below).
The game looks amazing. The developer promises the same seismic change in advancement between GTA 3 and GTA 4 as we saw between GTA 2 and GTA 3. No, they are not adding an extra perceivable dimension. However, they are ensuring that their open world is more open and more vibrant than ever. The graphics has improved. The gameplay has improved. Subtle variations between vehicles of the same class, more diverse weapons and explosives (ought to please the Binks’ in the audience), and more stuff to do than ever before.
But most importantly: multiplayer. I made a post about the sixteen modes of multiplayer a few weeks ago. The multiplayer looks amazing. If I wasn’t so poor and on such a terrible internet connection, I would run out and purchase this game, an XBox 360 and an XBox Live Subscription just to play this game against other people. For, that is the dream that plagues me. A dream of a Massively Multiplayer Grand Theft Auto experience, where people are cops, criminals, hitmen, or just regular thugs and miscreants, operating within an expansive city filled with car races, explosions, and mayhem. It would be amazing. Rival gangs…law enforcement…stockpiling weapons. Think Second Life meets World of Warcraft meets an AK-47 (and then some). It could be something really special. And this multiplayer is the first step.
But enough of me gushing.
Here is some delicious media to whet your appetite:
As I said above, there aren’t many videos. The best are available on YouTube here and here. The first is of reasonable quality, while the second is typical YouTube fare.