This Rookie Needs More Seasoning. By Matt Bertz on June 01, 2010 at 11:30 AM. 11,907 Views. Backbreaker is in an unenviable position. Once designed as a downloadable title to showcase developer Natural Motion's impressive real-time physics, the company decided to expand the experience.

• • • Release PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 • WW: 29 April 2008 Microsoft Windows •: 2 December 2008 •: 3 December 2008 Mode(s), Grand Theft Auto IV is an developed by and published. It was released for the and consoles on 29 April 2008, and for on 2 December 2008. It is the eleventh title in the, and the first main entry since 2004's. Set within the fictional (based on ), the story follows a war veteran,, and his attempts to escape his past while under pressure from loan sharks and mob bosses. The design lets players freely roam Liberty City, consisting of three main islands.

The game is played from a and its world is navigated on-foot or by vehicle. Throughout the single-player mode, players play as Niko Bellic. An mode is included with the game, allowing up to 32 players to engage in both co-operative and competitive gameplay in a recreation of the single-player setting. Two were later released for the game, and, which both feature new plots that are interconnected with the main Grand Theft Auto IV storyline, and follow new protagonists. Development began soon after the release of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and was shared between many of Rockstar's studios worldwide.

The game introduced a shift to a more realistic and detailed style and tone for the series. Unlike previous entries, Grand Theft Auto IV had no strong cinematic influence, as the team attempted an original approach to the story.

As part of their research for the open world, the developers conducted field research around New York throughout development and captured footage for the design team. Following its announcement in May 2006, Grand Theft Auto IV was widely anticipated. Upon release, the game received universal critical acclaim, with praise particularly directed at the game's narrative and open world design. However, the game also, with criticism directed at the game's depiction of violence and players' ability to. Grand Theft Auto IV broke industry sales records and became the fastest-selling entertainment product in history at the time, earning US $310 million in its first day and US $500 million in its first week. Considered one of the most significant titles of the of video games, and by many critics as one of the, it won year-end accolades, including awards from several.

A sequel,, was released in September 2013. Contents • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Gameplay [ ] Grand Theft Auto IV is an game played from a. Players complete missions—linear scenarios with set objectives—to progress through the story. It is possible to have several active missions running at one time, as some missions require players to wait for further instructions or events. Outside of missions, players can the game's, and have the ability to complete optional side missions. Composed of the fictional city of, the world of Grand Theft Auto IV is larger in area than most earlier entries in the series. At the beginning of the game, players can only explore the first island–composed of Dukes and Broker–with all other islands unlocking as the story progresses.

Players use attacks, firearms and explosives to fight enemies, and may run, jump, swim or use vehicles to navigate the game's world. There is a option when using vehicles. In combat, and a can be used as assistance against enemies.

Should players take damage, their health meter can be fully regenerated using multiple techniques, such as eating, using medical kits, or calling for paramedics. If players commit crimes while playing, the game's law enforcement agencies may respond as indicated by a ' meter in the (HUD). On the meter, the displayed stars indicate the current wanted level (for example, at the maximum six-star level, efforts by law enforcement to incapacitate players become very aggressive). Law enforcement officers will search for players who leave the wanted vicinity. The wanted meter enters a cool-down mode and eventually recedes when players are hidden from the officers' line of sight. Combat in Grand Theft Auto IV was reworked to include a.

The game's cover system allows players to move between cover, to, aim freely, and target a specific enemy. Individual body parts can also be targeted. Melee attacks include additional moves, such as dodging, blocking, disarming an opponent and counter-attacking. Can be used to absorb gunshots and explosive damage, but is used up in the process. When health is entirely depleted, gameplay stops, and players at the nearest hospital. The game's single-player mode lets players control a war veteran,.

During the story, Niko meets various new characters, many of whom he befriends. These characters can then perform favours for Niko whenever he asks; for example, his cousin, who owns a taxi service, can send one of his to Niko and take him to any destination around the city. Cabs are always available during gameplay, allowing players to quickly travel to a destination. Throughout the course of the game, players are also faced with choices, which alter the storyline appropriately depending on the player's choice.

While free roaming the game world, players may engage in context-specific activities such as. Other available activities include a mini-game, and in-game television programming.

Niko has a for contacting friends and starting activities. The smartphone is also used to access the game's online multiplayer mode, and to enter.

To access the in-game Internet, which allows Niko to send and receive emails and set up prospective with potential girlfriends, Niko can use located around the city. The game also features a, allowing players to quickly traverse through the game's world.

The online multiplayer mode for Grand Theft Auto IV allows up to 32 players to freely roam across a recreation of the single-player world. Players decide which game mode that they wish to play, including and street races. Both and competitive game modes are available. These game modes are split into ranked and unranked matches. For players to level up through ranks, in-game money must be earned. The game also features a Free Mode, in which players have the entire map open to explore, with no end goal or mission to complete.

Hosts of the game can control many variables, such as police presence, traffic, and weapons. Support is available in the Windows version of the game. Synopsis [ ] Setting [ ] Grand Theft Auto IV takes place in 2008, in a redesigned version of consisting of four boroughs, based on four of the boroughs of New York City: Broker (based on ), Dukes (), Bohan (), and Algonquin (). Adjacent to the city is the independent state of Alderney (Northern ). There are three minor islands present in the game: Charge Island (), Colony Island (), and Happiness Island (). Initially, bridges are locked down due to a terrorist threat, and players are constantly pursued by police if the bridges are crossed, but the blockades are lifted as the story progresses, allowing the player to traverse between islands.

Grand Theft Auto IV takes place in a different storyline and timeline from the previous games in the. However, the game takes place in the same as its expansion packs, and, and its successor,. Ad for the game on a wall in New York City, July 2007.

Work on Grand Theft Auto IV began in November 2004, almost immediately after the release of (2004). Around 150 game developers worked on Grand Theft Auto IV, led by core members of the team that previously worked on (2001). For the game, Rockstar used their proprietary (RAGE), which was previously used in (2006), in combination with the game animation engine. Instead of pre-written animations, Euphoria uses to control the way the player moves, enabling character movements to be more realistic.

The Euphoria engine also enables to react in a realistic way to the player's actions. In one preview, a player knocked an NPC out of a window and the character grabbed onto a ledge to stop himself from falling. The game also uses middleware from to facilitate intricate facial expressions and ease the process of incorporating lip-synching. Foliage in the game is produced through.

Grand Theft Auto IV sees a shift in the series to a more realistic and detailed style and tone, partly a result of the transition to consoles which offered graphics and the new and improved capabilities of such consoles. Rockstar co-founder said 'what we're taking as our watchword on [ Grand Theft Auto IV] is the idea of what high definition actually means. Not just in terms of graphics, which obviously we are achieving, but in terms of all aspects of the design.

[.] You know, trying to make something more realistic, more held together, but still retaining the overall coherence that the other games had.' Art director Aaron Garbut said one of the reasons they decided to set the game in New York because 'we all knew what an amazing, diverse, vibrant, cinematic city it is,' and since they were hoping the push the 'detail, variety and life' to a high level, it seemed that 'basing the game in a city so synonymous with these things was a great fit.' Dan Houser added 'because we were working in high definition and we knew we'd need a shitload of research, we wanted to be somewhere where we had a foothold.' The developers consciously avoided creating a block for block recreation of New York City; Dan Houser said 'what we've always tried to do is make a thing that looks real and has the qualities of a real environment, but is also fun from a game design perspective.' The Grand Theft Auto IV rendition of Liberty City is far more detailed and larger in size than most earlier entries in the series.

Although smaller than San Andreas, the main setting for Grand Theft Auto IV's predecessor, Liberty City is comparable to it in terms of scope when 'the level of verticality of the city, the number of buildings you can go into, and the level of detail in those buildings' are taken into account. The goal for Liberty City was to have no dead spots or irrelevant spaces, such as the wide open deserts in San Andreas. To achieve a realistic environment, the Rockstar North team, based in, Scotland, made two trips to New York for research, one at the start of the project (which was done with every previous Grand Theft Auto game) and another smaller one further into development. A full-time research team, based in New York, handled further requests for information ranging from the ethnic minority of a neighbourhood to videos of traffic patterns.

The story of Grand Theft Auto IV was written by Dan Houser and Rupert Humphries. Unlike previous Grand Theft Auto games which have a strong cultural or cinematic influence, '[ Grand Theft Auto IV doesn't] really have any cinematic influences', as explained by Houser. 'We were consciously trying to go, well, if video games are going to develop into the next stage, then the thing isn't to try and do a loving tribute or reference other stuff. It's to reference the actual place itself'. Houser also said, 'In terms of the character, we wanted something that felt fresh and new and not something that was obviously derived from [a] movie.

[.] Maybe [we] could do something ourselves that would live alongside that stuff'. Music supervisor Ivan Pavlovich said '[we had] to pick the songs that make New York today what it is, but make sure they won't feel dated by the time the game comes out.'

The developers contacted over 2,000 people in order to obtain recording and publishing rights. They even hired a private investigator to locate the relatives of late Skatt Bros. Member to license the band's song 'Walk the Night'. Citing sources close to the deals, reported that Rockstar paid as much as $5,000 per composition and another $5,000 per master recording per track. Developers originally considered letting players purchase music by going to an in-game and for Niko to have an, but both ideas were cut.

Produced tracks exclusively for the game's hip-hop radio station The Beat 102.7. Record label owner and record producer Bobby Konders, who hosts the in-game radio station Massive B Soundsystem 96.9, went through the extra effort of flying to to get artists to re-record tracks to make references to the boroughs of Liberty City. The Corporate Vice-President of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business division,, announced at E3 2006 that the game would appear on, by rolling up his sleeve to reveal a Grand Theft Auto IV temporary tattoo. Rockstar Games initially appeared to be committed to the original 16 October 2007 release date; however, Wedbush Morgan analyst suggested that Take-Two may choose to delay the release of the game in order to boost its financial results for 2008 and to avoid competing with the release of other highly anticipated titles, such as.

Rockstar responded by saying that Grand Theft Auto IV was still on track for release in 'late October'. On 2 August 2007, Take-Two announced that Grand Theft Auto IV would miss its original release date of 16 October 2007 contrary to their previous statements, and would be delayed to their second fiscal quarter (February–April) of 2008. In a later conference call with investors, Take-Two's Strauss Zelnick attributed the delay to 'almost strictly technological problems. Not problems, but challenges.' It was later revealed that technical difficulties with the version of the game contributed to the delay, along with storage problems on the Xbox 360.

On 24 January 2008, Take-Two announced that Grand Theft Auto IV would be released on 29 April 2008. As the release date approached, Rockstar Games and Take-Two heavily through various forms, including television ads, Internet video, billboards, viral marketing, and a redesigned website. A special edition of the game was also released for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

At a Take-Two shareholder meeting on 18 April 2008, Take-Two CEO Ben Feder announced that Grand Theft Auto IV had already ' and was 'in production and in trucks en route to retailers'. The game was eventually released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 video game consoles in Europe, North America, and Oceania on 29 April 2008, and in Japan on 30 October 2008. Overall, Grand Theft Auto IV took over 1000 people and more than three and a half years to complete, with a total cost estimated at approximately $100 million, making it, at the time, the most expensive video game ever developed. The Windows version of Grand Theft Auto IV includes a replay editor. The Clips interface is used to capture game footage. On 6 August 2008, Rockstar announced that a version of Grand Theft Auto IV was in development by and. The game was originally announced for release in North America on 18 November 2008 and in Europe on 21 November 2008 but was later pushed back to 2 and 3 December 2008, respectively.

It contains expanded features, including traffic density control, configurations and a replay editor. The replay editor allows players to record and edit game clips, videos can then be uploaded to Rockstar's Social Club website. It utilised for online play and supports 32 players for multiplayer. Protection is utilised and a one time online activation is required in order to play the game. The game was made available on on 4 January 2009. On 9 February 2017, the Xbox 360 version of Grand Theft Auto IV was made available for with the.

Episodic content [ ] Two for Grand Theft Auto IV have been released. These two episodes were first released separately, exclusively on, as (DLC), requiring the original game to play. They were later released together as part of a standalone game, titled Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City, which does not require the original game to play. Dan Houser stated the episodes shows 'a different side of Liberty City'. The first expansion, titled, was originally released on 17 February 2009. The protagonist of The Lost and Damned is, a member of Liberty City's biker gang The Lost. The second expansion, titled, was released on 29 October 2009.

The protagonist of The Ballad of Gay Tony is, an assistant to nightclub owner Tony 'Gay Tony' Prince, and follows him as he resolves the conflicts of his friends, family, and boss. Jeronimo Barrera, Vice President of Product Development for Rockstar Games, said that the episodes were experiments because the team were not sure that there was enough users with access to online content on the Xbox 360. Take-Two Interactive's, Lainie Goldstein revealed that Microsoft was paying a total of $50 million for the first two episodes. In January 2010, Rockstar announced that the DLC as well as Episodes From Liberty City would be made available for the PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Windows on 13 April 2010 in North America and 16 April 2010 in Europe.

Both episodes were released for PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Windows on 13 April 2010 in North America and on 16 April 2010 in Europe. Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition, including the original Grand Theft Auto IV and its two episodic expansions, was listed on online stores, before being confirmed by Rockstar. The compilation was released on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Windows on 26 October 2010 in North America, and 29 October in Europe.

The Xbox 360 versions of both episodes were made backwards compatible with the Xbox One on 9 February 2017. Soundtrack [ ] Like previous games in the Grand Theft Auto series, Grand Theft Auto IV features a soundtrack that can be heard through radio stations while the player is in a vehicle. Is serviced by 19 radio stations, three of which are stations. The other stations feature music from a large range of genres, including tracks from,,,,, and. Grand Theft Auto IV uses a similar music system to that of (2004).

In other games in the series, each radio station was essentially a single looped sound file, playing the same songs, announcements and advertisements in the same order each time. With the radio stations in Grand Theft Auto IV, each sound file is held separately, and sequenced randomly, allowing songs to be played in different orders, announcements to songs to be different each time, and plot events to be mentioned on the stations. Certain songs are also edited to incorporate references to the fictional Liberty City. A variety of real celebrities provide voices for the radio DJs in the game, including fashion designer, musicians,, and, and real-life radio talk show host. Actors and appear on the liberal and conservative radio talk shows respectively, with playing several guests on Lazlow's 'Integrity 2.0'. Numerous other comedians, including,,, and, as well as radio hosts appeared on the radio and/or as characters in-game.

The Music of Grand Theft Auto IV is a 2008 soundtrack packaged with the special edition of Grand Theft Auto IV. The disc contains several soundtrack selections. The soundtrack features several genres, from to and. Several artists re-recorded their songs to make references to in-game locations. Two songs, 'Liberty City: The Invasion' and ', were composed specifically for the game and the soundtrack. The theme song of Grand Theft Auto IV, 'Soviet Connection', was composed by, who previously composed the theme for. Reception [ ] Initial release [ ] Console versions reception Aggregate score Aggregator Score 98/100 Review scores Publication Score A+ 9.5/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 Grand Theft Auto IV was released to critical acclaim., which assigns a rating in the 0–100 range, calculated an average score of 98, indicating 'universal acclaim'.

It is the second-highest rated game on the site, only behind. Reviewers liked the game's narrative, open world design and combat system. Hilary Goldstein of felt that the game 'sets a new benchmark for open-world games', and Andrew Reiner of wrote that the game 'completely changes the landscape of gaming'. Reviewers lauded the open world design, some further complimenting the freedom that it allows the player.

Seth Schiesel of named the city the 'real star' of the game. Official Xbox Magazine 's Hicks was impressed by the city, attributing this to the game's.

Robinson of Computer and Video Games considered the environment believable, and felt that the world was 'utterly unmatched'. Goldstein of IGN felt that, although Liberty City is inspired by New York, it is not beholden to it. He wrote that the city 'exists in its own universe and rightfully so'. Crispin Boyer of directed praise at the city's 'breathtaking vistas, incredibly varied scenery, and lived-in look.' Conversely, Jesse Costantino of felt that the game lacked important features common in other open world games. Reviewers praised the game's narrative.

IGN's Goldstein accepted that the darker tones to the story, a break from series tradition. Of felt surprised by the amount of depth to the story. Reiner of Game Informer wrote that the level of freedom in the game contributed to his enjoyment of the story. The choices faced by players throughout the narrative were also welcomed. 1UP.com's Boyer felt that they gave the game an element of 'replayability'. 's Tom Bramwell considered the morality choices a fair substitute over 'bosses with large health bars'. The game's main protagonist with main antagonist.

Reviewers praised the game's story and characters, commending the choices faced by players. The game's characters—particularly Niko—received positive reactions from critics.

Hicks of Official Xbox Magazine and Andy Robinson of both called Niko 'charismatic' and 'likeable', stating that they prefer him over previous protagonists of the series. George Walter of praised the depth of the character, and IGN's Goldstein felt that the character of Niko feels relatable when faced with difficult decisions. Of felt that Niko was a 'the only thing that mattered to [him]' as he progressed through the story, with the character becoming one of his favourite features of the game. Schiesel of The New York Times named Niko one of the most realised video game characters attributing this to the game's script, while 1UP.com's Boyer commended the use of character bonding during the game's missions.

Many reviewers found the combat system was more responsive than in previous games, particularly praising the addition of the cover system. Justin Calvert of wrote that the cover system makes the game's combat a 'huge improvement' over previous games.

Reiner of Game Informer agreed, writing that the targeting system makes players feel responsible for all deaths. IGN's Goldstein praised the fluidity of the cover system, and felt that the auto aim mechanic is a 'great help in larger battles'. GamesRadar's Walter wrote that the cover system has 'paved the way to a new style of mission'. David McComb of called the combat 'sharp and instinctive', and Hicks of Official Xbox Magazine felt that the cover system allows players to execute an attack plan. In addition to the combat system, most reviewers noted the vehicle handling was more realistic than in previous games. Robinson of Computer and Video Games felt that the vehicle handling echoed realism, while Hicks of Official Xbox Magazine called the vehicle selection 'excellent'. Costantino of Game Revolution praised the improvement of the game's mechanics, particularly the physics engine's advanced vehicle and character animations.

Reviewers praised the sound design. Goldstein of IGN praised the actors' performances and the use of licensed music.

GameSpot's Calvert and GamesRadar's Walter also commended the licensed music, the latter admiring the humour of the radio's talk stations. Michael Pinson of The Pro Audio Files praised the separate features of the game's sound design—including the city's ambiance, licensed music, character dialogue, and vehicle and weapon sound effects—applauding the developer's use of uniting the features together. Carolyn Gudmundson of GamesRadar also retroactively praised the game's soundtrack, commending its suitability to the game's setting. The game's online multiplayer mode received positive reactions from critics.

Reiner of Game Informer praised the character customisation available in the multiplayer mode, and noted that it runs 'just as smoothly' as the single-player game. 1UP.com's Boyer called the multiplayer modes 'excellent', and IGN's Goldstein named it one of the best. Official Xbox Magazine 's Hicks dubbed the multiplayer as 'hugely entertaining', while Walter of GamesRadar praised the 'seamless' process of entering a multiplayer match. Giant Bomb's Gerstmann and Game Revolution's Costantino felt divided about the multiplayer, the latter naming it a 'fantastic idea', but feeling as though connectivity problems resulted in a 'broken' experience.

Microsoft Windows version [ ] Windows version reception Aggregate score Aggregator Score 90/100 Review scores Publication Score B 9.4/10 9/10 9/10 9.2/10 10/10 When Grand Theft Auto IV was released to Microsoft Windows in December 2008, it received generally positive reviews. Metacritic calculated an average score of 90 out of 100, indicating 'universal acclaim', based on 40 reviews. Reviewers liked the enhanced visuals and the additional features, but criticised the port for its inferiority over the console versions. The in-game features added in the port were well received.

The addition of the Video Editor was met with positive reactions; GameSpot's Calvert called it 'a great way to get creative', while Kieron Gillen of Eurogamer criticised the unpredictability in its timing. Critics also praised the addition of the customisable radio station, which allows players to listen to their own choice of music; Tom Chick of 1UP.com named it the best feature of the port, and Steven Hopper of called it a 'great touch'. The port's upgrade to 32 concurrent players in the online multiplayer mode, as opposed to the console version's 16 players, was also met with positive feedback; Eurogamer's Gillen said that the 'possibility for mayhem. Increases', while Will Tuttle of felt that the player increase 'changes the action significantly'. The port's enhanced visuals were commended by many reviewers. GameZone's Hopper considered the visuals an improvement over the original versions. Andy Robinson of called the visuals 'impressive', while Tom Orry of called them 'superb'.

Conversely, the port's system requirements, considered difficult to run with advanced settings, received criticism. Eurogamer's Gillen said that, though the Windows version is 'the most attractive version', it's 'annoyingly fiddly to get there'.

GameSpy's Tuttle was able to overlook the demanding system requirements in exchange for the game's other features. Commercial performance [ ] Sales [ ] Within twenty-four hours of its release, Grand Theft Auto IV sold over 3.6 million copies, equating to approximately $310 million in revenue. Within a week, it generated more than $500 million in worldwide revenue, equating to approximately 6 million copies sold for Take Two. The numbers surpassed analysts' expectations for the title. After one month of availability, the game had sold over 8.5 million copies. It broke three on 13 May 2008: highest grossing video game in 24 hours, highest revenue generated by an entertainment product in 24 hours, and fastest-selling video game in 24 hours. On 11 March 2011, Take-Two announced that the game had sold over 20 million copies, with the Grand Theft Auto series surpassing a collective total of 100 million copies.

As of July 2013, the game has sold over 25 million copies. All sales records broken by Grand Theft Auto IV were beaten by its successor,, upon release.

In the United Kingdom, the game became the fastest-selling game of all time, selling over 631,000 copies in twenty-four hours. This broke the record set by at 501,000 copies over the same period. During the first five days of availability, the game sold over 927,000 copies in the United Kingdom.

The game's Xbox 360 version ultimately received a 'Diamond' sales award from the (ELSPA), indicating sales of at least 1 million copies in the United Kingdom. ELSPA awarded the game's PlayStation 3 version their 'Double Platinum' certification, to mark sales of at least 600,000 copies in the country. In the United States, Grand Theft Auto IV sold 2.85 million units in its first five days. By the end of 2008, the game had sold over 5.18 million copies in the US. In its first four days of availability in Japan, it sold 133,000 copies on the PlayStation 3 and 34,000 on the Xbox 360, according to.

In the first week of availability, the Windows version of Grand Theft Auto IV debuted at seventh place on the weekly charts; by the second week, it had left the top-ten. Based on counts, the game was the most played game in 2009 and 2012, and the second-most played in 2011. Voice of Niko Bellic, won a Spike TV award for 'Best Performance by a Human Male'. Following the critical acclaim it received on its release, Grand Theft Auto IV has received various awards from various critics and publications. It received several awards, from gaming media outlets such as,,, and, as well as mainstream publications, like, the, and magazine. Grand Theft Auto IV also received seven nominations at the (), and three nominations at the 9th Annual, but did not win any of them. Controversies [ ].

Main article: Prior to and since the release of Grand Theft Auto IV, the game had been subject to a great deal of controversy, as was the case with previous titles. Figures including, and have criticised the game, as have organisations including New York City officials and (MADD). MADD asked ESRB to change the rating of the game from 'M' (for ages seventeen and up) to 'AO' (for adults only) due to the player's ability to of alcohol. The initial version of Grand Theft Auto IV released in Australia and New Zealand was pre-censored by Rockstar to allow the game to meet the perceived requirements of.

However, the game was resubmitted to the New Zealand by Stan Calif, a 21-year-old student who was unhappy that New Zealand received an edited version of the game as a result of Australian censorship laws. The unedited version was subsequently given an R18 rating and cleared for sale in New Zealand. For the PC release, the uncensored version of the game was awarded MA15+ in Australia. Following the release of The Lost and Damned, Rockstar distributed a which uncensored the Australian console version. There have been reports in the United Kingdom and the United States of crimes perpetrated against people purchasing Grand Theft Auto IV, as well as employees of stores selling the game. One of these incidents, an attack near a store in, was later reported to be an unrelated argument between two groups of people leaving a pub and the story has been referred to as a '.'

Six teenagers were later arrested in June 2008 after engaging in a crime spree in, New York, assaulting and robbing several people, and attempting a. According to police, the teens claimed that they were 'inspired' by Grand Theft Auto IV. References [ ] Notes. • Ported to Microsoft Windows by and. • ^ The mode for the Windows version of the game allows up to 32 players, while the console versions only allow up to 16 players.

• Games in the Grand Theft Auto series are grouped into distinct, which share interconnected plots and characters. The previous '3D universe' consists of (2001), (2002), (2004), (2004), (2005), and (2006).

The Liberty City in Grand Theft Auto IV is different from its previous renditions. • Grand Theft Auto IV shares its status as second-highest rated game on Metacritic with and. • The game's first-week sales record beat the previous record of $320 million set. • The three that Grand Theft Auto IV broke are now held by its successor. • At the, Grand Theft Auto IV was beaten by: for the Action and Adventure award; for excellence in Gameplay, Story and Character, as well as the GAME Award of 2008; for the Technical Achievement award; for the Use of Audio award; and for the award.

At the 9th, Grand Theft Auto IV was beaten by for Game of the Year and the Writing award, and for the Technology award. • ^ Calvert, Justin (8 December 2008).... From the original on 14 September 2014.

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'Sweet Land of Liberty'. Electronic Gaming Monthly: 44–56.: 'He's from that gray part of broken-down Eastern Europe, a war-torn area.' • (29 April 2008). Grand Theft Auto IV. Level/area: 'Uncle Vlad'.

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Level/area: 'Hostile Negotiation'. • (29 April 2008). Grand Theft Auto IV. Level/area: 'The Snow Storm'.

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• (29 April 2008). Grand Theft Auto IV. Level/area: 'Paper Trail'. • (29 April 2008). Grand Theft Auto IV. Level/area: 'That Special Someone'.

• ^ (29 April 2008). Grand Theft Auto IV. Level/area: 'One Last Thing'. • (29 April 2008). Grand Theft Auto IV. Level/area: 'If the Price is Right'. • ^ (29 April 2008).

Grand Theft Auto IV. Level/area: 'Mr and Mrs Bellic'.

• (29 April 2008). Grand Theft Auto IV. Level/area: 'A Revenger's Tragedy'. • (29 April 2008). Grand Theft Auto IV. Level/area: 'A Dish Served Cold'.

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Editor's note: This article originally appeared on IGN sister-site. There’s a lot that goes into making a good wrestling match, but among the most important of these elements is the one that brings things to a close, that places a capstone on the entire match: the finisher. Even if the recipient kicks out, the referee’s count is interrupted or a wrestler doesn’t even get to properly deliver it, the mere existence of a finisher gives necessary form and structure to a wrestling match, setting up expectations that are either delivered upon, subverted or denied. Below, presented in no particular order, are the 11 absolute best wrestling finishers in existence. If you think we missed something, you’re almost certainly wrong, but you should still feel free to tell us about it in the comments!

Whether you call it the RKO, the Ace Crusher, the Diamond Cutter, or the Gun Stun, the Cutter is, quite possibly, the perfect finishing maneuver. Seeing as it doesn’t require anyone to actually be picked up, the move can be hit on pretty much anyone. And seeing as the person delivering it just needs to jump up, grab someone and fall down, it can also be delivered by pretty much anyone. Throw in the fact that it’s one of the best “out of nowhere” moves — a valuable thing when building out exciting match finishing sequences — and it’s pretty difficult to beat the RKO.

The Figure Four is almost the complete opposite of the RKO. While the RKO is quick, the Figure Four requires a set of deliberate motions. While the RKO is more of a striking maneuver that must be followed up by a pin, the Figure Four is a submission. But both of those things, which could, at first, appear to be weaknesses, actually become strengths when discussing the Figure Four. With such an instantly recognizable set-up, the audience knows what to expect, making it easier for wrestlers to play around with those expectations.

Additionally, once applied, the Figure Four gives wrestlers numerous opportunities to continue telling the story of their match, as both talents have their faces visible (the better to emote to the audience) and their hands free (the better to scramble for leverage and/or a rope break). And on top of all of that? The Figure Four features one of my favorite absurd bits of wrestling logic: the idea that you can roll the move over to reverse the pressure. The Road Warriors weren’t the first tag team to have a joint, double team finishing move, but they were arguably the first to have one that mattered. The Doomsday Device was great because it took both powerhouse wrestlers’ strengths and amplified them, with Animal using his massive power to hoist an opponent up on his shoulders and Hawk using his explosive strength to nearly take their head off with a leaping, top rope clothesline. The versatility and effectiveness of the move is underscored by how many tag teams still use the Doomsday Device, or variations of it, to finish their matches today. I’m sure to lose internet wrestling fan credibility points in certain quarters for this, but that’s totally fine, because anyone with eyes to see already knows that Nikki Bella is a far better wrestling heel than anyone wants to give her credit for (which is, in and of itself, an example of how great she is), and that her Rack Attack move is amazing.

While her slimmer sister Brie tends to wrestle more like her husband Daniel Bryan (missile dropkicks, even busting out the Yes Lock on occasion), Nikki has leaned into her more muscular physique and begun wrestling like a power-based competitor. When she lifts a woman up on her shoulders, then dramatically drops to her knees as part of a backbreaker rack drop, it looks like she legit cripples them.

WWE is the world’s largest wrestling promotion, so it’s no surprise that many of the most notable finishing maneuvers take place in their rings. But that doesn’t mean there’s not awesome, fascinating stuff going on in other promotions. To wit: Ring of Honor’s Roderick Strong and his End of Heartache. The move, which has also been called the Strong Breaker, sees Strong live up to his old nickname, “The Messiah of the Backbreaker,” by lifting and flinging an opponent with a vertical suplex, only to fall down underneath of them, hitting them with a brutal double-knee backbreaker in the process. The American independent scene is full of people who can and do hit stunning acrobatic moves, but the End of Heartache succeeds and stands out because of its crushing brutality. Complicated finishers can be awesome, but oftentimes, something that’s quick, simple, and well-delivered can be just as effective — maybe even more so. Perhaps the best example of this is the DDT.

These days, the move is, admittedly, terribly overused, especially once you factor in the eight million different variations that now exist. But back in the late 80s, when Jake “The Snake” Roberts was at his best in WWE, the move was monstrous. The way he built up to it during a match — it was practically the only thing he did in the ring — the way people sold it (like they were dead) and the fact that no one ever kicked out all led to the DDT being one of the most devastating finishers in wrestling history. The piledriver has always been a great finishing move.

One wrestler drives another into the mat brain-first — what’s not to like about that? But the move gets bonus points on account of WWE having banned it, rather understandably, over safety concerns. That means when you do end up seeing it, either when someone in WWE breaks the rules, or in a different promotion altogether, it looks all the more brutal and effective.

Plus, there’s also the Tombstone variation of the move, which manages to be much, much safer, while still maintaining most of the menace that comes with planting someone’s head into the ground. Like the Piledriver, you’re going to have a hard time finding any variety of Powerbomb that I don’t like. When delivered properly, the move is quick, fluid, and totally nasty looking, with one wrestler driving another down onto the mat, oftentimes from a great height. The only trick with the powerbomb is that the person delivering it has to be strong enough to hoist up their opponent and slam them down in a way that looks vicious and believable. Given the wide disparity of body types and sizes in wrestling, that isn’t always possible, which is what makes Kevin Owens’ Pop-Up Powerbomb so brilliant. Owens is a big dude, but he’s far from the biggest or strongest guy on the WWE roster, which would make it hard for him to hit big, brutal, and believable traditional powerbombs in the way that, say, Batista did.

The Pop-Up Powerbomb deftly sidesteps that problem by having Owens lift a running opponent (who also leaps to help with the process), before slamming them back down. Since he’s only doing part of the work, it means Owens can hit the move on a much wider variety of wrestlers, while also making the move seemingly even more sudden. The Figure Four is a great submission finisher because of all the possibilities it opens up for both the wrestler administering it, as well as the one receiving it. Pinfall, ropebreak, agonized tap out, or even a reversal — they’re all possible with the Figure Four.

Chris Jericho’s Liontamer, however, is great because there aren’t a lot of places to go once it’s locked in. In fact, there’s really only one. The Boston Crab — which Jericho will also use, as the Walls of Jericho — is somewhat like the Figure Four, in that it allows wrestlers to scramble and pull for the ropes, breaking up the pin.

The Liontamer variation, however, sees Jericho put his knee on his opponent’s back, neck or head, which plants them into the ground, preventing them from going anywhere. While it doesn’t open up as many storytelling possibilities, the Liontamer is fascinating because it is a match-ender. Also: it looks crazy awesome. Like the DDT, the Lariat is another maneuver that is relatively simple, showing up frequently as a transitional move. But when used properly, the Lariat is a stunningly effective finisher. It call comes down to a couple things, the most important of which is menace.

A wrestler needs to be able to hit the Lariat in a way that it looks less like they’re just running into someone, and more like they’re trying to detach someone’s head from their body. Watch a JBL, Stan Hansen, or Satoshi Kojima lariat to see what I mean. Beyond just needing to look brutal though, a truly excellent Lariat finisher would ideally have some kind of set-up that lets people know it’s coming.

One of the best ones going today is Kazuchika Okada’s Rainmaker, as it opens up a bunch of opportunities for reversals. The fact that, unlike the DDT, the Lariat can continue to be used as a devastating finisher while also performing like a weaker transitional move (sometimes in the same match!), would indicate that it’s perhaps an even better finisher than Jake the Snake’s finest. Many of the entries on this list are ubiquitous, largely because of how excellent and versatile they are. This final entry, however, is a different ball of wax altogether. Kenta Kobashi didn’t invent the move (shout-out to Kyoko Inoue!), but he’s the most closely associated with it, not in spite of only hitting it seven times, but because he’s only hit it seven times. The Burning Hammer was, for lack of a better term, Kobashi’s “super finisher.” When he’d tried everything else, and nothing could keep his opponent down, he’d go to this, his last resort, a brutal and dangerous-looking inverted Death Valley driver. And seeing as it was such a rare occurrence, it was always well-protected, and no one he ever gave it to was able to kick out, making it a game-ender much in the same way that the DDT was for a time.

Who am I kidding? I could have made this list 100 entries long and I’d still feel like I left things out. That’s because so much of a finisher comes down to its execution. Just like you can have someone hit a terrible looking Lariat, another wrestler could come in and turn something rather pedestrian — like an Iron Claw — into something terrifying. Tell us your favorite finishers down in the comments below!