Grand Theft Auto IV

Ever so recently, I wondered why more press hadn't connected Grand Theft Auto IV with Far Cry 2. After playing GTA IV for a couple of hours, I now know why.

The two games share some common game mechanics, but employ very different narrative vehicles. FC2 has the barest frame of a story wrapped around a traditional first-person shooter. Its characters are underdeveloped, its dialogue read too quickly, and its storytelling limited to one basic goal, finding the Jackal. GTA IV tells a compelling story. Missions often begin and end with cut scenes that are rendered in-game, but rival the feel of a Hollywood movie. Character development reigns supreme, not just for Nico, but for all the supporting cast. GTA IV uses elements of shooter, but running and gunning doesn't drive the game like it does in FC2. And for that reason, the games feel and play quite differently.

And that's why hardly anyone drew a comparison between the two.

Incidentally, I heartily appreciate GTA IV Independence FM. I transferred three Interpol CDs within the Rockstar game folder and now drive around Liberty City listening to music I like. It's a bit surreal to drive in this game. Traffic ebbs and flows like that of a major city. Since I drive in that muck daily, it's so satisfying to ram my stolen car through red lights, stop signs, and lallygagging drivers. Since the car is "borrowed," I have no problem smashing it into stationary and mobile targets alike.

It's like chicken soup for the commuter soul.