GTA IV
11th May 2007 | 14:09
The hugely anticipated trailer crashed the internet as fans the world over clamoured to see the next-gen GTA. It may have been a teaser but it was laced with clues that show what an incredible cocktail of gangstas, violence and saucy innuendo Rockstar have in store for us... Read part 1 of this feature here.
26. BROKER (PART 2)
A rundown corner of this district of the city will be your first home, sharing with your brother Roman, while you work your way up the career ladder. Perhaps you could even set up your own bloc party - streaming music direct to the game's revellers via the custom soundtrack and your PS3's hard drive. That would be pretty cool.
27. Trading Places?
Here's some more Wall Street antics to think about. Imagine that midway through the game you enter a mission that strips you of your money and position, leaving you destitute and roaming the streets trying to work out how it all went so wrong. The aim would be to track down your swapee, nab back your riches and be gently moved by the moral of the story - just like in our all-time favourite Wall Street movie, Trading Places.
28. American Psycho
Of course, what would a pastiche of New York's rich be without a slice of American Psycho? We'd imagine GTA IV will borrow some of the new stealth technology developed for Manhunt 2 to introduce a yuppie serial killer to the city. How about a vigilante trawl of the city's rich list - sneaking up on the psycho killer as he lectures his prey on the merits of Phil Collins while poised to sink a gleaming stainless steel axe deep into his skull?
29. Crime and punishment
Rockstar has spent more time researching crime for this sequel. After speaking with many crime experts, it appears being a criminal is harder these days than back in the '80s and '90s. This transfers to GTA IV with a larger, more intelligent police force and it's likely we'll be seeing plenty of NPCs being arrested in streets for petty crime, too - just to give that feeling of being in a real, living world.
30. Build the Dream
Develop your own skyscrapers, and buy, build or customise your own tower blocks so every resident of Liberty City knows who's the new daddy in town. Of course, these landmarks could have more realistic uses, such as running Godfather-style shootouts across the rooftops and down fire escapes. Hopefully, base-jumping should return from San Andreas, and Worms-style rooftop multiplayer battles should make online play essential. Now where did we put that luger?
31. Shoreside Lift Bridge
Some eagle-eyed detail-spotters may have noticed a cable car moving across the bridge featured in the trailer. Originally we believed this to be a PS3 incarnation of the Shoreside Lift Bridge from GTA III's Liberty City; however, it's more likely to be a recreation of the Manhattan Bridge, or the Algonquin Bridge in GTA IV. We can expect this to connect the Manhattan-like bustle of Algonquin to the leafy suburbs of Alderney (Shoreside Vale in GTA III). This would also suggest the return of Francis International Airport; maybe you shouldn't cancel that ticket to Vice City after all. Maybe you can fly abroad.
32. The Population
Part of getting to grips with every new GTA game means learning to live with the freaks and creeps that populate each new episode. The recently released trailer shows Liberty City is packed with life. These new pedestrians carry their groceries and books - this suggests that ploughing through them will result in a mess of squashed fruit and torn pages.
This could be the most visceral game yet seen on a console! Interestingly, these characters will do everything us real people do, including smoking, sitting on benches, and reading books and papers. It's clear from the snippets released by Rockstar that GTA IV will be a more vibrant city, bursting with life.
33. Liberty Tree
The city's premier paper is returning in GTA IV and that may mean a number of things. Firstly, the crime lords of the city are going to take offence at what's being written about them and will, no doubt, plot some form of revenge on the hapless hack responsible - so you'll be firebombing those offices seen in the trailer.
Secondly, perhaps you'll get the chance to work for the rag - ditching your criminal career to prove the pen is mightier than the sword, living out your Clark Kent fantasies knee-deep in the sleaze of GTA's newest metropolis.
Don't forget to visit www.rockstargames.com/libertytree in the coming months either. After the release of GTA III, this site began to publish live news articles on events occurring in the city.
34. sixaxis control
We've been able to fly in GTA since Vice City and San Andreas introduced jet planes, so what can GTA IV offer? Well, us PS3 owners should have the unique opportunity to fly our Learjets using the Sixaxis controller. Tilting our way through the skyscrapers of Liberty City should be a huge leap forward for the series. Problem is, Rockstar has stated there won't be any jet planes in GTA IV. This doesn't mean we shouldn't dismiss the idea of flight altogether; helicopters will surely make it into the new game.
35. Rail network
One of the most stunning sequences in the GTA IV trailer was the railway station montage. Clearly modelled on New York's art deco classic, Grand Central Station, these scenes demonstrate the RAGE engine's ability to diffuse light and deliver a smoky atmosphere, as sunlight streamed through the stained-glass dome and steam and smoke floated over the platforms. As regards gameplay, this clearly means that the railway system in place for GTA III will be ramped up, creating a broader network between districts and, who knows, perhaps out into the forests beyond the city.
36. Going Underground
There were underground stations in GTA III, but these were largely cosmetic as tracks and trains didn't connect in a real way, but rather formed portals to move between zones. On PS3 we should expect a fully operational underground system, complete with stations, trains that never run on time and communities of tramps living below the city, feasting on rats.
37. Taxi
Danny DeVito reprises his role as the repugnant taxi firm boss Louis from TV's Taxi - and all is well in the world of GTA. Seriously, the new-look Liberty City is the perfect setting to develop the taxi missions of past episodes. The trailer shows a bustling, vibrant city with most of its inhabitants all busy going somewhere. This city could be the best we've seen in a videogame, and in this way, taxi missions may form a fundamental part of getting around. It all fits too, when you take into account Niko's brother Roman owns a taxi firm.
38. Moonlighting
Walk the thin blue line between cop and robber as a Private Eye in the big city. Set up an office with a slutty secretary, then wait for the jobs to roll in. Rockstar's GTA world could have lots of fun with a series of PI side stories. Let's not forget either that Rockstar has just such a game in development at Team Bondi - LA Noir would gift Rockstar North with plenty of tech advice on how to develop spying moves for a GTA detective character.
39. GTA Connections
Rockstar has a real knack for re-using technology developed in other games.
MANHUNT 2: This sequel to 2003's stealth game should offer plenty of new ways to behave in Liberty City. We'll have greater freedom to interact with the game in more realistic ways - like smashing lights to darken rooms. Can we expect cat burglar missions too?
THE WARRIORS: This game has features that would work well in GTA IV. Not only are the combat controls an improvement over those in the GTA series, but the gang command system would perfectly suit the world of Liberty City.
40. Seinfeld Signs Up
The biggest show to come out of New York since Chicago would sit wonderfully in a GTA take on the Big Apple. Perhaps GTA IV will feature a bunch of misfits that continuously pop in and out of your story, screwing up your missions. What has Jerry Seinfeld done since 1998?
41. Off Broadway
What better way to hide some cash and massage the books than ploughing a stash of dodgy money through a Broadway musical? Let's hope we'll be able to put on a show and see our stars in action. Or perhaps escort Robert Downey Jr to the stage? Or even kill Robert Downey Jr. Whatever Rockstar chooses to do, you can bet it'll be cool.
42. PSP connectivity
A unique feature must surely be connectivity between PS3 and PSP. Rockstar has revealed there will be new ways to connect to the GTA IV world, using a cellphone, PDA and email, for example. If we can view the city map on our PSP, using it as a virtual PDA, then the world of GTA IV will be a seamless one. More interestingly, it would be great to receive phone calls and emails direct to your PSP rather than on screen.
Perhaps you could even receive emails via Wi-Fi and keep playing when you're on the train? Also, Rockstar recently announced the violent-sounding Beaterator for PSP. This music-sequencing game enables you to sample and mix beats, then replay them to friends and even Wi-Fi them to other PSPs. It would be great if we could mix tunes in Beaterator and take them to a Liberty City club to party the punters.
43. PS3 Vs Xbox 360
The PS3 hard drive and CPU should deliver a smoother GTA IV than on Xbox 360, not least because of texture streaming. Less loading, more detail and a vibrant colour palette should make PS3 GTA IV stand head and shoulders above the Xbox 360 version. But what about the Xbox 360's exclusive episodic content? Well, chances are, the PS3 will have similar downloads at some point in the future. If not, we should have PSP connectivity and multiplayer to look forward too. In your face, Microsoft!
44. New physics
The movement of your character Niko will no longer be determined by pre-created animations but by real-time physics instead. When Niko moves over different terrain the RAGE engine will calculate where his feet should fall and how his body weight will be affected - and the result should be the most realistic GTA game yet, with a real sense of weight to every move you make in the game world. This, coupled with destructible environments and cars, will ensure that the shootouts in GTA IV are bound to be incredibly exciting.
45. Times Square Shopping
The past three GTAs on PS2 have all featured shopping malls in some form, but on PS3 we should expect something bigger. The San Andreas customisation should return, and this time offer limitless opportunities to dress like a pimp and strut your funky stuff, or whatever floats your fashion boat.
Of course, we should expect the classic brands to return, including Burger Shot and Cluckin' Bell to build up the bulk. And who would begrudge a newcomer to the city a spree through the shelves of Ammu-Nation to pick up an Uzi 9mm? We're off to watch Zoolander on loop until October 16 to snatch some fashion tips.
46. Team Play
San Andreas packed in a simple basketball sim, so why shouldn't GTA IV manage a series of sports? How about finally seeing what the Liberty City Cocks and Beavers soccer teams play like? Can we take our Cock and Beaver skills online? We hope so. What's clear is that Rockstar is committed to a massively multiplayer online experience.
47. Love Fist
Will our favourite scuzz-rockers and
all-round neo-reprobates Love Fist be making a triumphant comeback after years in the studio putting the finishing touches to their third killer album? Or will they have split to go solo? Has Jezz actually kept off the smack, avoided an overdose and escaped the clutches of the Epsilon Program cult?
48. Radio Days
The role of the radio was absolutely crucial to the whole GTA III experience, so we fully expect some old stations to make a return to the airwaves, including Head Radio, Rise FM and Lips 106 FM. Top of the list must go to Flashback 95.6 and DJ Toni, who's choice of music aptly included the soundtrack to Scarface.
49. Soundtrack
A GTA soundtrack is as important to the game as how it looks. What would Vice City be without A Flock of Seagulls? The music made the missions timeless and addictive. So what can we expect in GTA IV? The trailer uses the track Pruitt-Igoe by Philip Glass, who has worked with Bowie and Eno. Glass is a modern-day Morricone as celebrated for his film scores as he is for influencing Coldplay. Add in some modern tunes from the likes of The Strokes plus a custom soundtrack option, and we could be rocking this party.
50. The cast
GTA III's killer talent included Michael Madsen, Michael Rapaport, Joe Pantoliano and Kyle MacLachlan. So who should be in GTA IV? We want to see...
Jerry Seinfeld: What's more 'New York' than the millionaire behind America's most popular show?
Danny DeVito: A chance to revive his seedy, morally corrupt Taxi persona would be perfect.
John Travolta: He's still got all the moves and enough baggage to bring weight to any GTA mobster.
Jean Reno: Reno would give a French take on Rockstar's pastiche of American life.
Konstantin Khabensky: The Russian star of Night Watch would make a great Mafia boss.
Carl (CJ) Johnson: Young Maylay, the star of San Andreas which was set before GTA III, may return.
Kyle MacLachlan: He played rich kid Donald Love, a key character from GTA III and a powerful businessman. Love's an ideal candidate for Mayor and a killer trader on Wall Street.