On the 29th April 2018, Grand Theft Auto IV, arguably one of the best games ever published by Rockstar Games, will turn 10 years old.
Developed by Rockstar North and released on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, then later released on PC, Grand Theft Auto V was the 11th game in the series to release. This game was a huge step for Rockstar Games and a huge step for the entire gaming scene as well. It was the first game from Rockstar which was in the High Definition Universe. It won multiple awards, including Game of the Year, Best action video game, but like any Rockstar title, Grand Theft Auto IV was not without its controversy.
Let’s take a look back at what made Grand Theft Auto IV the game people loved and have so many memories with, and as many people within the community have said, is possibly better than Grand Theft Auto V.
The Characters and setting
The Grand Theft Auto IV story will always be remembered as one of the best ever created. Set in dark and gloomy Liberty City, Rockstar Games’ version of New York City. The story was nothing short of incredible, playing as Niko Bellic, he comes to Liberty City on a boat as he’s promised to have this ‘American Dream’ by his Cousin Roman Bellic. Which turns out not to be true. Niko is constantly getting his cousin out of trouble with Loan Sharks. The one thing Rockstar did amazingly was the connection you could feel between these two characters.
‘Hey Niko its Roman let’s go bowling
Niko and Roman might have been two amazing characters, but there is always something that makes a character annoying. Roman always ringing you to see if you wanted to go bowling.
Swing Set Glitch
One of the greatest glitches in video games, the Swingset glitch allowed players to fly across the map in their vehicles. It was a harmless glitch so Rockstar kept it in the game. This was brilliant with friends in Multiplayer.
The Statue of Happiness
The Statue of Happiness, GTA IV’s version of the Statue of Liberty, is an in-game landmark people will always remember. Inside of the statue, there was a beating heart, one of the game’s easter eggs. The Statue holds a coffee cup instead of a torch, a reference to the ‘Hot Coffee‘ mod from GTA San Andreas. The face of the Statue is of US 2016 Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who launched an investigation against Rockstar Games due to the Hot Coffee Mod.
Multiplayer
This was the first multiplayer that Rockstar Games had properly focused on. You could do literally anything you wanted, no paywalls to unlock anything, no harmless glitches being patched. It was all fun. A lot of people prefer GTA IV’s multiplayer over GTA Online. Everything was available for you in Freemode, you didn’t have to grind to unlock vehicles, you could just find them on the street, lots of amazing game modes, such as Cops n’ Crooks, Turf War, Deathmatch and more. Invite only free modes were also very highly customizable in the settings, selectable vehicles, no police, friendly fire option and much more.
Story DLC
Something Grand Theft Auto V doesn’t have. (Blame sharkcards) Possibly one of the best story mode updates ever released for any video game. Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City. Two different story modes. One playing as Luis Lopez, you play as the Bodyguard of Gay Tony. The second story mode is playing as Johnny Klebitz, who is the Vice President of the Lost and Damned motorcycle club. Both versions are set the same time as the main GTA4 story. You will see the story from a different perspective.
Three Leaf Clover
There is always that one mission that people remember from a Rockstar title because of how fascinating it was. ‘Three Leaf Clover’ a bank Heist you take part in for Patrick ‘Packie’ McReary. Stealing $1 Million from The Bank Of Liberty. This was the first major HEIST Rockstar had done within the HD universe. And personally my favorite HEIST.
