4.5/5 ★ – methylbenzene's review of Grand Theft Auto IV.

The greatest and most ingenious Grand Theft Auto bar none. Reinvents the wheel in unprecedented ways and stands the test of time as Rockstar's most (unfortunately) underappreciated masterpiece. Set in a fictionalized rendition of turn-of-the-century NYC, it perfectly captures the cynical and hysterical nature of society at the time. This is not the vibrant crime sandbox formula most GTA games have but something that takes itself much more seriously. In a way it has more in common with the Red Dead Redemption games than any GTA game tbh. Can I just say how big an improvement this is over San Andreas. Superior in every way - gameplay, story, technical quality, presentation, characters - except maybe the mission variety. Considering this and San Andreas had only 4 years between them, this is a huge achievement. The greatest story ever told in the GTA series which is only underscored by the excellent choice system which reaffirms the morally grey nature of the narrative. None of the decisions you are faced with have an inherently "good" or "bad" choice. And I love that; it adds so many layers to your decision and emphasizes the morally complex nature of the entire story. These actions have consequences too so you can't get away with not paying any attention to the paths you choose. Niko Bellic is by far the best GTA protagonist and the excellent mix of side characters all come together to form these very meaningful connections that convey a different side of Niko. Under the mask of a hardened criminal, Niko is just a broken man wanting to run from his past and confront it at the same time. The irony of this contradiction is ultimately the greatest device this story uses to have such an emotionally profound impact. My only complaints are: There's a certain section of the story which is about the 3rd quarter of the game that gets really tedious and bloated. There are too many characters and all of them want to extract a gun-for-hire service from Niko and so you kind of have to put your brain on autopilot for much of that section. Sure, there are meaningful interactions in that section too but the laborious nature of it far outweighs any meaning it may have. The other 2 are by-products of the game's age - clunky 3rd person controls and the lack of a checkpoint system. As the missions get harder after the halfway point, the clunky character handling and aiming coupled with the absence of checkpoints makes it very punishing when you have to redo a whole mission. To address the elephant in the room, I do not take issue with the heavier, more realistic driving. Yes, it feels awful in the start but spend some time and you'll grow to like the driving. The harder controls help differentiate good and bad cars and also make well executed maneuvers all the more satisfying. A must play if you don't mind the realistic nature and can hang on through the more laborious story sections. Rockstar's greatest GTA game. I hope GTA VI borrows from the best aspects of GTA IV.