GTA IV First Impressions

I picked up my copy of GTA IV when it released last Tuesday morning. I've sat down with it for about 9 hours now and I'll give you my first impressions, with a full review to follow.

It feels a bit odd, but in a good way. The first thing that I noticed was the characters. They are actually dynamic. Niko himself is fantastic. His history and his personality shape the way you will view Niko. Mission after mission you will learn more about him. This has even impacted the way I play the game. Unlike other GTA's I did not go running into the street with Niko killing everyone I saw. I cared about Niko's character.

Other memorable characters include Niko's cousin Roman, the stoner Little Jon, and Niko's "comrade" Dimitri. All of them are interesting and all of them will surprise you. I even found myself feeling bad about a throwaway character that I was forced to kill. There aren't bad guys in this game. Only people.

The other striking feature of GTA IV is the story. The cutscenes provided at the start of missions and sometimes in missions are longer than in previous games but they provide a more in depth story. Story is also given to you by characters who are riding in your car.

The graphics themselves are beautiful and I expected nothing less. Although I was surprised how good the weather effects were.

The last thing I will say before I go back to playing this game for review is that make no mistake, this is GTA. It's just GTA evolved to the next level, and maybe then some. It feels good to be back in Liberty City.