Gaming Websites Preview GTA IV, New Screenshots Released
Tired of waiting for magazine articles to leak to the web, only to find that the pages are filled with little more than a rehashing of already known information? Us too. Nothing says "I stayed up late for THIS?" like coming face-to-face with GTA IV content that was first released weeks ago. Thank Mork for gaming websites. If it wasn't for these delightful portals of distraction and whimsy, we'd all be uttering profanities as we toss the latest issue of our favourite gaming magazine into the abysmal nethers of the to-be-read-while-on-the-porcelain-throne pile.
Over the past few weeks, some of the big boys in online gaming news were exposed to the same GTA IV demo as the gaming magazines. But despite being given access to the same source material, Kikizo, IGN, GameSpot, GamesRadar, and ComputerAndVideoGames have all still managed to come forth bearing new GTA IV goodies of the highest calibre.
Now, in our opinion, Kikizo stands out above the rest like a Megazord in Central Park. The amount of in-depth coverage (in addition to the sheer size of the article itself) makes theirs a beast of a GTA IV preview. As usual, Kikizo went through the painstaking effort to include as many details as possible - from mission and cellphone dialogue to street names and billboards. Zordon approves. So be sure to give them some much-deserved love by checking it out.
The best part of online previews, of course, is that you don't need to leave your seat to bask in the glory of newly-released information. Heck, you don't even need to leave this site for the succulent media bits. Like a fat kid on chocolate, we lunged at the content as soon as we had a chance, and added some juicy new additions to our screenshot and artwork collections (3 new screenshots, 3 updated (high-res) screenshots and 1 new piece of artwork, to be precise.)
As for the preview content itself, here's a general summary of what the new GTA IV previews tell us:
- The demo which was shown is from the Xbox 360 version of the game. The PlayStation 3 version is still "a week or two behind," according to Rockstar. The build shown is 5 weeks old, and the framerate has improved considerably since the last demo.
- At Star Junction (the GTA IV equivalent of Times Square) there is a theatre show on called T.S Pirate at the Thespian Theatre, and a camera store called Liberty Cameras. On the way to Rotterdam (where Little Jacob is situated) they passed a cocktail bar called "Bahama Mamas."
- Little Jacob is a Jamaican gun dealer from Dukes (the GTA IV equivalent of Queens.) The weapons on offer were $100 a piece.
- The name of each street is displayed at the bottom right of the screen as you enter it. During the demo, Niko passed through the following areas: Presidents City, Chinatown, Lancet, Hatton Gardens, Middle Park East, Lancaster, Ruby Street, Cod Row, Denver Avenue, Exeter Avenue, Northwood, East Holland, Silicon Street, Quartz Street, The Triangle, Easton, Diamond Street and Calcium Street.
- After hailing a taxi, you need to press Y to get in one, although the controls haven't been finalised. You have the option of sitting back and enjoying the ride, using the "trip-skip" option, or paying double the fare to make the driver go twice as fast. Inside the taxi, you can see and talk through to the driver in the front. The camera view changes every 5 seconds - read descriptions of the different camera views here.
- The TW@ Café is located in Algonquin, north of Middle Park (Central Park.) Niko submits a fake résumé/cv to the Goldberg, Ligner & Shyster website, at McReary's request. For the interview he must to goto 44 Emerty Street, The Exchange, Algonquin (visit Kikizo to see dialogue from this mission.)
- There is a yellow light cone representing an objective, which triggers a cutscene when you walk into it.
- Francis McReary wears a black suit and tie, has a moustache and slicked blonde hair with a strong side parting. (dialogue of the conversation with McReary can be found here.) The person who blackmails McReary is at Union Drive East. McReary texts Niko the phone number of the blackmailer, so that he can phone it and identify who is the target. The name of the cell network is "Whiz." A black comet is used for this mission.
- The default camera angle is slightly over to the drivers' side. Different angles are available however. You can move the camera aswell, but if you're not touching it, it will remain at the more central position leaning towards the drivers' side.
- Currently, the total number of wanted stars is 6 - the same as it was in previous Grand Theft Auto games.
- There is a GPS system in the car, and the recommended route shows up in yellow on the radar at the bottom left of the screen.
- You can auto-target as well as manual aim. Niko can take cover behind just about anything, and so can the cops.
- It also revealed that Goldberg's (the shady lawyer) first name is Tom.
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