I recently played through "Grand Theft Auto IV" again and it is still one of my all time favorite games. The story, the physics, and the expansions. I absolutely love this game, it made my top 5 favorite game list of all time.
The game follows Niko Bellic, an immigrant from Eastern Europe coming to America to seek a better life and visit his cousin. From there, he becomes one of the F.I.B (F.B.I) most wanted yet trusted operatives (It's complicated). Niko goes through hell, he angers the Russian mob, the Italian mob and many other people throughout. The games expansions follow Johnny Klebitz(The Lost and Damned), a member of a biker gang who is trying to keep his chapter together while also getting tangled in with the events of the main story. The next expansion follows Luis Lopez (The Ballad of Gay Tony), a nightclub co-owner/security who also gets tangled up in the events of the main story. That is for another article
The graphics in this game are a little dated, but still get the job done considering at the time this was one of the best looking games on the market. The dents on cars still look insanely realistic, possibly better than 2013's "Grand Theft Auto V". Some characters tend to look a little funny compared to how they look now, but none the less it is still impressive for being 10 years old this past April. The city looks fantastic, especially when the sun is setting and it is reflecting off the buildings, it's beautiful.
The Physics in this game are great, the car handling feels real and the accidents you can get in are insane. I was playing a few weeks ago and I sped around a corner really fast and my car did about 10 flips and doors were flying off, it was insane. That is something that you can't see in "Grand Theft Auto V" where when you get into a crash you can just flip the joystick a certain way be on your wheels again.
Finally, the story, the story is insanely dark and realistic. It feels like a drama, the issues, the relationships, it all feels so real. You actually get attached to characters. And how the story weaves in and out of the expansions is phenomenal. Niko is such a tragic character, he is a great person but he is forced to do these messed up things for his bosses and the Federal Investigation Bureau. Sometimes, he would even have to kill people that treated him great, all because a higher power was demanding it. He was essentially a hitman. The game could also be a commentary on how this country treats immigrants since throughout the game some characters mock Niko for being an immigrant and tend to say offensive things.
Overall, This game is phenomenal and it is a must play, even though it is old.
