

Multiplayer is not as an integral part of the game as it was to Halo 3 or Call of Duty 4, but the ability to play various multiplayer modes online over the entire city map is great.The dialog and voice acting are about as good as you'll find in a video game, and long, talky scenes give the characters a chance to develop.A decent targeting system and the ability to take cover behind objects is a huge plus and makes shootouts fun instead of frustrating.

The on-foot segments of the game no longer feel tacked on.The game starts out slowly, giving you a chance to get comfortable with the environment and controls, and giving the story and characters a chance to breathe.The game's random characters occasionally get involved in amusing bits of action-we saw a pedestrian get hit by a car, and a minute later, an ambulance pulled up and a paramedic got out (he just stood around after that, but it was still impressive).


The main attraction is the city itself, and it's beautifully rendered and full of activity.We previously tried the game out a couple of times while it was still in development, and now that we've had a chance to give the final shipping version a serious run-through over this past weekend, here are our initial thoughts on the final game's pluses and minuses. If you're reading this, there's a good chance you're very interested in a video game being released Tuesday, April 29, called Grand Theft Auto IV (actually something like the eighth game in the series, depending on how you count).
