The joys of GTA IV #1: Liberty City is a breathtaking sight

Clearly, Niko Bellic is not the star of Grand Theft Auto IV. He may be the lead character in Rockstar’s latest murder simulator epic crime drama, but the pièce de résistance is sprawling Liberty City, which is modeled after The Big Apple, New York City.

According to Wikipedia, Rockstar sent full-time researchers to NYC twice during the game’s development. They studied traffic patterns and makeup of every neighborhood, among other details. However, Liberty City is not an exact recreation of NYC. Rather, it feels more like a caricature. Liberty City attempts to depict the real-life city’s sights and sounds, and twists it into something comical that, while grotesque at times, takes on a life of its own.

Bellic, the game’s protagonist, starts out in Broker, the “industrial” side of town. He eventually gets a chance to walk the streets of Algonquin (or Manhattan) and witness the sights of Star Junction, Liberty City’s equivalent of Times Square.

The dissimilarity in each road and borough are remarkable. The textures are different, the people are diverse, their clothing is varied, architecture is distinct, and so are the vehicles that whiz by. Detail is king in Liberty City, and it never seems to get old. For the record, I don’t think I’ve seen every detail that this virtual metropolis has to offer.

Of all the games I’ve played (and I’ve played quite a lot), there’s nothing quite like GTA IV. I may not have finished this latest installment yet, but Liberty City is just oozing with so much charm that I can’t help but get lost in its streets with a sense of wonder. And rage if I’m chasing down a runaway target that won’t keep still as I try to get a shot off.

Image of Grand Theft Auto IV is courtesy of Rockstar Games.