"October 16, 2007!" At its pre-E3 press conference last year, Microsoft showed off a Grand Theft Auto IV tattoo on Peter Moore's arm and gave a happy audience the magic release date for the long-awaited sequel. Following that, Rockstar's game built momentum. The promise of downloadable chapters, the revealing of a photo-realistic city resembling New York City and the slowly evolving story focusing on Russian immigrant turned opportunist Niko Bellic were all revealed, showing a much more evolved GTA experience – one even bigger than Grand Theft Auto III or its sequels, and then the inevitable happened. Rockstar delayed it to spring 2008, giving Rockstar North more time to polish it.

Niko Bellic is the anti-hero, taking the place of Grand Theft Auto III's nameless thug and Vice City's Tommy Vercetti. He's a Russian immigrant with a life of crime and several problems at home. Out of nowhere, his cousin Roman gives him a call, talking about how he lives the "American Dream" in Liberty City; He won't stop yapping about his lavish car collection or his multiple wives. Tempted to renew his life and find "that special someone" (as indicated in the game's latest trailer), Niko hops on a boat and makes his way over to the New York City-themed locale. Upon arrival, he finds the bitter truth – Roman's just a bum driving around in a taxicab, knee-deep in trouble. Upset by his cousin's deception and still hoping to find this mystery person, Niko starts down a dangerous path, one with shady characters providing opportunities galore, with rewards and consequences.

Much like its predecessors, GTA IV lets you do whatever you want. You'll engage in a number of criminal acts, from stealing cars and driving rampant throughout the city to beating up pedestrians in an attempt to make a few quick bucks. There is a storyline, however, and you'll complete a series of missions that'll reveal more about Niko.

What is different this time around, though, is the city you inhabit. First revealed in a trailer back in March, Liberty City went from being a "Nowhere USA" town to a New York City clone. Instead of running through the busy streets of Manhattan, you'll travel through Algonquin. Queens has become Dukes, Brooklyn is now the Broker, the Bronx has been done away with in favor of the Bohan and New Jersey has become Alderney. You'll drive Niko around each of these boroughs, eventually earning more assets and gaining your own sense of the "American dream", rather than the version Roman attempts to sell you.

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