Carjacking and then Bedtime Stories

It’s more than a bit jarring to swing from carjacking innocent Liberty City citizens to reading Hallie Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. One minute I’m pulling some slack-jawed yokel out of his sports car, the next I’m narrating Hermione chewing out Harry and Ron. My girls yell and scream and wrestle as much as a citizen being robbed of their automobile, so some similarities prevail.

It rings hallow to read me gush about Grand Theft Auto IV, especially after recently heaping praise after praise upon Fallout 3. My only defense is that 2008 saw an especially exceptional string of PC titles. That, and GTA IV exemplifies the pinnacle of art and design in gaming today. I can’t say I like the console saving system that prohibits hedging your bets immediately after starting a mission. But the gameplay more than makes up for any gamebox design flaws.

What I like most about GTA IV is the feel of the game, even more so between missions. I can’t describe the immersion of barreling down the streets of Liberty City, Independence Radio FM blasting some of my favorite bands like Interpol, Vast, and The Killers. It might seem a chore to drive halfway across town to pick up Roman for darts or to see Brucie about assassinating a drug dealer. But I haven’t gotten tired of it yet, and going in, I thought car driving was going to be the game’s Achilles’ heel. There’s just something liberating about driving like a total maniac without consequence; LCPD will squawk their lights at your traffic violations, but they only pursue you when you jack someone’s car, shoot someone (including a cop), or blow through a toll lane. Other than that, I drive with a reckless abandon I can only dream about in real life.

Not to mention GTA IV has the finest acting and voice acting of any game I’ve played. That’s saying quite a lot, since I’ve dated quite a few games. Brucie tops my list for funniest, most interesting character not just of GTA IV, but of any game. I go out of my way to do Brucie missions because the cutscenes entertain like nothing else. And Brucie excels at his stereotype.

But Nico is nearest and dearest to my heart. He’s a cold-blooded killer, mostly remorseless for his past acts, and more than willing to engage in a variety of nefarious acts. Sometimes for the money, other times for revenge. Even so, Nico comes across as a real person in the game’s myriad cutscenes. He’s not as funny as Brucie, but he often brings a smile to my face with his rash bluntness and thick Eastern European accent.

I know X-Play awarded Fable 2 as their game of the year choice. Gamespot picked Metal Gear Solid IV. As much fun as I had playing Fallout 3 these last few months, I have to admit that GTA IV narrowly wins my personal game of the year selection. It’s just that good.