First Steps

The baying masses of GTA hardcore fans have been playing GTA IV since the early hours of Tuesday morning. Some lucky people got to play it even earlier than that. I'm sure some of the gamers that queued up before midnight have already completed the game's main story line.

Meanwhile, back in the real world of life, families, and jobs, I only got to know Nico Belic last night.

The first thing Nico and I did was go for a drive. His cousin, Roman, had met Nico off the boat at the Liberty City Docks and we were heading to his home. Driving through Liberty City was a great feeling and it took me right back to my first experience of playing GTAIII. I don’t think any other GTA has wowed me as much as III did and in a world where concrete wellies might be more appropriate I felt as though I was putting on a familiar and comfortable pair of moccasins. It was great to be back in the world of GTA.

We got to the safe house and after the cousins had caught up on all the news Roman announced that he had to go to work and he left Nico to his own devices in this new city. Rather than go out and steal a car or mug someone Nico stayed in and watched some of the great TV channels that Rockstar have laid on for the residents of Liberty City. Clearly an attempt to keep them out of trouble!

Stepping out onto the street for the first time Nico wandered over to a hot dog stand accidentally bumping into it, as he was about to order. The stand owner lost the plot and told Nico, in no uncertain terms, that he was causing trouble and to get lost. The first opportunity for Nico to flatten some random person had presented itself and he’d only just gone outside. Poor Nico's first taste of Liberty City was a sour slap in the face and not juicy Chihuahua.

I'd been playing for about half an hour when some of the animation began to slightly irk me. People's limbs appeared a bit too bendy and joints moved in inhuman ways. This is also the first 3D game that I've played that has made me feel slightly disorientated from the camera angles and from the slightly odd leaning that happens when Nico is walking. Perhaps it’s just me getting old. Nico does walk with a bit of a cool swagger, as you might expect, but it could be argued that it’s nothing to do with being cool and more to do with touching cloth. When Nico runs down stairs it looks like he has a full turtles head.

Nico did a few basic orientation missions using Roman's taxi. All pretty straight forward. The game eases you into Liberty City. Nico met a girl called Michelle and the two of them managed two dates, one bowling and one at the cabaret, during the first three and a half hours in Liberty City. Not bad going but he didn't "try his luck" as the game offered. Instead Nico opted to be a gentleman and decided he wanted to get to know Michelle a little better first.

Before the dates with Michelle, but after his clothes had been ridiculed by her and her friend, Nico went shopping at the Russian Clothes Emporium. The height of fashion was waiting and Nico and he bought himself new boots, a pair of jeans, a new top and jacket and a pair of glasses to make him look intelligent. All for less than $50. Bargain!

So what else did Nico do? Erm, well he went for a game of pool with Roman. And lost. He met Vlad a small time Russian gangster, whom Roman owes some money to. He took on a job collecting some dodgy debt. Nothing to taxing though.

So where's all the car jacking? The mugging? The shooting and the fighting? Three and a half hours and there’s none? Well no, not really. Nico and I have tried to be as good as we possibly can be in a bad, bad world. So no mowing down pedestrians unless it's accidental. No car jacking unless it's unavoidable. And absolutely no shooting people unless they are bad guys. Because that makes it all ok.

Doesn't it?

You don't need me to tell you that GTA IV is a game that every gamer has to play. You do need me to tell you that the Gameov3r FORUM is great place to come and talk about GTA IV. Or Sunflowers, or beer, or Heroes, even some other games!