An epic mafia tale.

The first of the 'next-generation' Grand Theft Auto games (in my opinion). This game will always be my favourite in the series. A return to the Liberty City from Grand Theft Auto 3, you take the role of immigrant Niko Bellic who makes the trip to the crime-infested city by boat on the urging of his Cousin Roman (bowling enthusiast).

The Bellic's quickly find themselves entangled in a web of mafia intrigue and violence.
The story of this game is by far (again, in my opinion) the best that Rockstar has ever made. The writing is sublime, the characters vivid and alive. When progressing through the game the city feels like a breathing and sometimes bleeding beast.

The cast of characters tallies up to approximately 50 (48 I think), most of them are voiced and play a role in the story. While not all of the people have a deep back-story or intriguing facets to their character some of them truly shine through (for example: Cousin Roman, Little Jacob, and Mikhail Faustin).

Graphically the game looks great - the colours and textures are understated and somber but they serve the scenery well. The game's graphics have stood the test of time fairy well, it would unfair to compare the graphics to those of newer games. With some modding the game's graphics can easily scale-up to the standard of the contemporary games of today.

The music of course must be mentioned. The radio station feature is a staple in the franchise and it's well designed in this game. The game contains 23 different radio stations that can be heard when in a vehicle. The content of the stations vary greatly, some focus on different music styles and some are focused on talk-back radio content. The talking segments on the stations are very well written and are hilarious.

The cars and the guns. The game sees the character drive (many, and varied) cars through Liberty City, achieving mission objectives. Some of these are need-for-speed esque chase sequences and others are more die-hard shoot outs. Often these two elements go hand-in-hand. Different cars have different control stats, making it difficult to drive some cars while others are smooth and glide easily. This learning curve can be aggravating but it isn't punishing. The gun controls can be wonky at times as the camera can be prone to derping.

Summary:

Overall, the game is a masterpiece. It's my personal favourite (mainly because of the mind-blowing story) and it's likely it will remain so for a long time. The city Rockstar have crafted (or revived) is stunning at times, and gritty at others. The players can partake in an epic mafia drama, wielding guns and various weapons to punish "bad-guys", as well as drive an array of cars that won't leave you bored with driving. If you do get bored, just call Roman for a cab (maybe for bowling, also)!

An epic mafia tale. The first of the 'next-generation' Grand Theft Auto games (in my opinion). This game will always be my favourite in the series. A return to the Liberty City from Grand Theft Auto 3, you take the role of immigrant Niko Bellic who makes the trip to the crime-infested city by boat on the urging of his Cousin Roman (bowling enthusiast). The Bellic's quickly find themselves entangled in a web of mafia intrigue and violence. The story of this game is by far (again, in my opinion) the best that Rockstar has ever made. The writing is sublime, the characters vivid and alive. When progressing through the game the city feels like a breathing and sometimes bleeding beast. The cast of characters tallies up to approximately 50 (48 I think), most of them are voiced and play a role in the story. While not all of the people have a deep back-story or intriguing facets to their character some of them truly shine through (for example: Cousin Roman, Little Jacob, and Mikhail Faustin). Graphically the game looks great - the colours and textures are understated and somber but they serve the scenery well. The game's graphics have stood the test of time fairy well, it would unfair to compare the graphics to those of newer games. With some modding the game's graphics can easily scale-up to the standard of the contemporary games of today. The music of course must be mentioned. The radio station feature is a staple in the franchise and it's well designed in this game. The game contains 23 different radio stations that can be heard when in a vehicle. The content of the stations vary greatly, some focus on different music styles and some are focused on talk-back radio content. The talking segments on the stations are very well written and are hilarious. The cars and the guns. The game sees the character drive (many, and varied) cars through Liberty City, achieving mission objectives. Some of these are need-for-speed esque chase sequences and others are more die-hard shoot outs. Often these two elements go hand-in-hand. Different cars have different control stats, making it difficult to drive some cars while others are smooth and glide easily. This learning curve can be aggravating but it isn't punishing. The gun controls can be wonky at times as the camera can be prone to derping. Summary: Overall, the game is a masterpiece. It's my personal favourite (mainly because of the mind-blowing story) and it's likely it will remain so for a long time. The city Rockstar have crafted (or revived) is stunning at times, and gritty at others. The players can partake in an epic mafia drama, wielding guns and various weapons to punish "bad-guys", as well as drive an array of cars that won't leave you bored with driving. If you do get bored, just call Roman for a cab (maybe for bowling, also)!