The satirical radio stations remain, but the satire is sharper, more genuinely critical rather than exaggerated for comedic value. Gone are the days of stealing a jet-pack from Area 69 (insert immature joke of choice here) or getting put under voodoo curses, now you’re deciding whether getting revenge on those who wronged you is worth the cost to both yourself and those few you consider friends. While none of the external trappings have changed much, GTA IV drops the satirical and campy aspects of San Andreas and Vice City. Compared to its predecessors, which could become almost cartoon-like in their settings, GTA IV presents a considerably more depressive and cynical world compared to the almost campy settings of previous games. While not necessarily a more complex character, Niko is undeniably one of the most sympathetic and even tragic GTA protagonists to date, the very premise of the game representing his failure to escape the past.Īnother thing that marks GTA IV as separate from previous installments in the franchise is its overall tone. To continue this contrast, instead of climbing the ranks of the underworld like C.J or Tommy, Niko jumps from mob boss to mob boss, working for whoever’s currently footing his bill, but always at the bottom, never really advancing further than particularly effective hired goon.
Instead of a glamorized, successful vision of career criminals, Niko is a darkly realistic take on the lifestyle, only pursuing it because he feels he can do nothing else, and circumstances beyond his control have forced him down it. Right away, this sets a notably different tone for the game. True, characters such as C.J had sympathetic qualities, such as loyalty to their fellow gangsters and family, but nevertheless had no qualms about engaging in theft and murder for the sole purpose of achieving wealth and a position of respect in the criminal underworld.īy contrast, Niko comes to Liberty City in an attempt to put his previous criminal past behind him, and only steps back into the role out of necessity, needing to work off his cousin’s debt to a mob boss. Right away, Niko is presented as a very different protagonist compared to his predecessors in the series, who tended to be a rather unrepentant lot, accepting if not outright embracing the more violent aspects of criminal life, often in the name of profit. in search of a new life and who, in most players’ games, is randomly struck by psychotic episodes which cause him to kill everything in sight. Grand Theft Auto IV stars Niko Bellic, a Serbian illegal immigrant to the U.S.
#GTA GANGSTER GAMES SERIES#
And what better way to celebrate the anniversary of a game than to look its impact on its franchise both in the past and now? GTA IV is noteworthy in the series for representing something of a turning point, dialing down the more glamorous aspects of crime previously depicted and taking an almost deconstructive approach to the premise of previous games.
This brings us onto the topic of GTA IV, which is currently celebrating its tenth anniversary. Traumatised war criminals don’t look at explosions. Various controversies and potential warping of young minds aside, the GTA franchise stands out as one of the original champions of the sandbox game, giving the players a massive map in which they could act out the fantasies of the successful and high-rolling crime boss, doing what you want, when you want, with the police only serving as annoyances or more meat for the grinder. Oh, most people? Er, forget I said anything. Who hasn’t gone over to that one friend’s house – whose parents were apathetic or unobservant enough to give their child one of the most controversial games of all time – and spent hours murderously rampaging their way across virtual America?
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