Grand Theft Auto 4 Is Still A Masterpiece

I’ll never forgive Rockstar Games for ignoring the 10 year anniversary of this masterpiece.

This game easily taught a generation of young gamers that a life of crime is nothing but a nightmare and I love how gritty the message is

There isn’t a single game out there that has the sheer amount of real world detail this game has.

The story had so much depth that I dont even think GTA 5 rivaled. You cared about Niko and you wanted him to have a good life. You cared about the charecters and the story unfolding. The decisions you made felt impactful and it made up for all the things that were "missing". I obviously missed customizing cars, flying and a big diverse map.....But the story holds so much weight it made up for it big time. Maybe its the nostalgia talking but it was one of the most memorable games Ive ever played. I wish I could go back to being a teen playing it. Mostly because my lifes gone to shit since growing older, but a bit of it is the value and entertainment this game gave me.

My favorite moment in GTA 4 is when Niko puts a coin in a vending machine in Roman's office and it doesn't work and he proceeds to say "Capitalism is a dirty business".

Almost 15 years later and Niko still can’t say no to bowling.

I remember how many of my friends were bummed how GTA IV missed the ridiculous exploration and possibilities of its predecessor San Andreas (Outskirts and Countryside, Monstertrucks, Jets, Jetpack, etc.). I kinda felt alone then because I already could appreciate how atmospheric IV was and the fantastic vibe and story it had. I appreciate it more with each year and I think I'm going to replay it on my steam deck. I think it's overall the best GTA for me.

It's such a wonderful, rich, dark, funny, compelling game. I've still not managed to put it down, even all these years later. I can't leave Niko and his world behind.

This game is like a time capsule of the late 2000s. Everything from the mobile-but-not-quite-smart phones and their ringtones to the fashion is so incredibly nostalgic and instantly transports me back to that time in my life.

People don’t talk enough about all the buildings you could enter in IV.. so many times I was running around exploring then happened to stumble into a fully fleshed out building that you could enter, I’d run up flights of stairs, then parkour from building to building…. very underrated imo.

Man as soon as you brought up the airport in GTA IV Multiplayer my heart dropped. My best friend was murdered last year, and I just had flashbacks of me flying the blackhawk and protecting him while he was on the ground fighting for his life, trying to drive away while others were chasing him. I miss him so much. Think about him and our times together almost every second of my days. We had so much fun together.

I played this game all the way through almost completely blind years after completing gta 5 and I was blown away. This game is a masterpiece. The gritty setting really sold it for me, it's so much darker than most games in the series, and I love that take.

Niko has the best comebacks and meanest sarcasm out of all GTA playable characters. This guy is so cynically witty, makes you wanna watch the game cutscenes with a pen and a pad

this game is filled with that late 2000s vibe and actually has a world worth a damn still amazing.

Awesome review! GTA 4 will always be the best entry of the series for me. Everything from the atmosphere, the characters to the physics and general gameplay are simply top notch. I'm afraid we will never see something like this again in gaming but it's always nice to go back and re-experience this masterpiece.

GTA IV might be the game which had the biggest influence in my life. I remembered when I got my ps3 and when I was able to play games online for the first time ever. It was absolutly wild for me to see other players from all over the world running beside me. In the first week I was running around in free mode at the airport. One guy were trying to shoot me with an RPG but then someone else crashed his helicopter into the rocket to save my life. I picked that guy, who just saved me, up in a car. Now, even 15 years old, we're still best friends and still talk to each other every single day.

Fun fact about seatbelts in cars: If you wait about a second after starting a car, a "seatbelt" will be applied to Niko and he won't fly out the windshield in a crash. There are so many more little details like that in this game too, it's insane. Crowbcat made a great vid on the difference between IV and V in this respect.

fun fact about GTA IV that I realized only recently after playing it for 15 years when you're wanted, if you can change your car without the police seeing you doing it then even if you remain in the wanted zone they won't recognize you because they're looking for the car you just dumped, but if you're close enough that they can see your face in your new car they'll recognize you.

the auro this game brings is so nostolgic! the muted colour pallet, the weight of the characters and cars, the physics, the blur, the music. There is a subtle hazy glow which really is unique but I really love the look they applied to it and not tried to make it too sharp and no filter. Its like a playing a memory! epic game! The moment you look at gta V with vibrant colours and cartoony gameplay...it loses its soul! its hard to get immeresed and it being too big that its hard to really connect to areas and characters.

The part about him saying this game is covered in soul really speaks to me. I’ve recently been replaying it and it’s amazing intoxicating the universe and story is in this game. TBOGB just as much. Feel like a kid again replaying this, and this analysis was spot on