The Serbian ex-soldier Niko Bellic had witnessed the horrors of war, which
turned him bitter and cynical. Disappointed by life, he immigrates to the
United States, which his cousin Roman enthusiastically describes as a country
of wealth and pleasure. However, the reality is quite different: Roman is
poor, has no stable job, and owes money to some dubious individuals. As Niko
attempts to help his hapless cousin and pave a more secure future for both of
them, he becomes more and more involved in the life of crime. A burning desire
to find a man who had betrayed him in Serbia forces Niko to make deals with
his conscience, and once he crosses the line, there is no way back…

Grand Theft Auto IV is the ninth title and the fourth main game in the
Grand Theft Auto series, and also the first for the seventh generation of
consoles. Following the tradition of the 3D installments of the series, the
game is entirely located in one of the three cities of the original GTA,
Liberty City, but now in present time, and with an environment reminiscent of
GTA III, though bigger and more detailed. Liberty City is heavily based on New
York, where the protagonist has to gain respect, welfare and power throughout
the game.

Like in most GTA games, the city map is gradually uncovered during the
course of the game. The player starts in Broker (based on Brooklyn), and, in
order to access the other three districts of the city (based on the other
major boroughs of New York City), has to make progress in the storyline. The
game has the usual structure based on missions. The player can sometimes
engage in various missions at the same time, and has free access to the non-
mission features of the game while being on one.

Most of the usual elements of exploration and interaction with the city are
included in GTA IV. Niko can cause mayhem in the city, hijack cars, listen
to radio stations, observe the behavior of the citizens, enter thematic
buildings, work as vigilante, taxi driver, or ambulance driver, hire a
prostitute, go to a strip club, and so on. Among the new features is the
possibility to watch television (with several channels broadcasting various
fictional programs) and connect to a fictional Internet, with functional
websites (mostly of a humorous nature) created specifically for the game, and
an e-mail program. Other additions include looking for criminals in the police
department database from a police car, hiring taxi cabs to safely travel to
selected destinations, extensive usage of the mobile phone, improved A.I. of
the pedestrians, and others.

Some features from the previous games are missing, such as drivable airplanes
and a few other vehicle types. Niko retains the ability to swim and engage in
romantic relationships with female characters, features first introduced in
San Andreas. However, the light role-playing elements (training to increase
stamina, eating, etc.) from the previous entry have been removed.

GTA IV focuses on third-person shooter gameplay more than the previous
installments; most of the missions have larger portions dedicated to on-foot
navigation and shooting. Crouching, leaning, and taking cover play a more
important role in combat. Hand-to-hand combat has also been re-designed, Niko
being able to execute more precise moves.

The game uses the euphoria motion engine, an alternate middleware solution
much like ragdoll physics, which makes all people in the game world move
realistically depending on the situation around them. For example, every time
Niko enters a car, a different animation will be generated depending on his
position relative to the car.

A new feature compared to the predecessors is the multiplayer. The same free-
roaming environment is offered for up to 16 players (32 in the Windows
version) in 15 modes. Certain modes narrow down the environment to make sure
players remain somewhat in each other’s vicinity. Compared to the console
releases, the Windows release features high resolution graphics, a video
editor to capture and edit in-game footage, and the possibility to customize
the radio station Independence FM with own songs.

Grand Theft Auto VI