While the dialog and voice acting are at the high end of what we've seen in video games, there's still a clear difference between this and a B-level Hollywood production. In large part this is attributable to the current limitations of video games as a medium. Computer-rendered characters lack the subtle non-verbal cues you'd get from real-life actors, so in even the biggest-budget games, every story note must be delivered by flat, to-the-point dialog. Hence, we get characters over-explaining their feelings and opinions, leading to some awkward exchanges.

There's more pedestrian activities in GTA IV, but the bulk of the action is still built around driving.

Obviously the biggest area of improvement over past GTA entries is the on-foot game. It no longer feels tacked-on, and while the camera still has a little trouble with tight indoor spaces, the game stands on its own as a competent third-person action/adventure. The auto targeting during shootouts is a dream compared to older GTA games, and the ability to take cover behind objects is also a huge plus. The cover system isn't as advanced as, say, Gears of War, but it helps make the game's extended gun-fests fun instead of frustrating.

Despite the new emphasis on character development and the pedestrian sections of the game, Grand Theft Auto IV is still built around driving. The basic mechanics of jacking cars and racing them through crowded city streets get a few tweaks. Getting into a car now usually involves breaking the window to get in, and then spending a few valuable seconds hotwiring the ignition, rapidly pressing the trigger buttons on the controller to speed up the process.

Even more so than in past versions, the kind of car Nico drives has a major impact on the game. GTA games have always had cars than handled better than others, but some cars in GTA4 are especially loose and hard to control when executing the kind of high-speed maneuvers required by the game. Using the handbrake to execute hairpin turns and drifts is, in general, more difficult than before, and you'll have to actually have to think about slowing down a bit before taking a tight corner.

The majority of vehicles, however, are easy enough to drive, and all have a satisfyingly realistic sense of weight and heft. Another plus -- the cars themselves seem much sturdier. In previous GTA games, so much as looking at a car in a funny way could make its hood and front bumper fly off, and it was nearly impossible to get through even a simple mission without sustaining serious body damage.

The cop-to-civilian ratio seems to have doubled in the game, so car-jacking now comes at a greater risk. Once you're spotted, the cops will give chase and you have to escape their radar (demarcated by a red circle on your onscreen radar) before they call off the hunt. If another cop spots you on your escape, the radar will re-center on you and you'll have to work extra hard to shake them. It's most challenging to escape the cops, but not unmanageable. One time we walked up to some cops at a roadblock who were guarding a bridge from a terrorism threat, and our wanted level went from zero to five stars instantly. When that happens, you need to be some kind of four-wheeled Houdini in order to escape.