Into this world steps Niko Bellic, a man running from a checkered past in Eastern Europe. Having been lured to Liberty City by his cousin Roman, who promises easy money, fast cars, and loose women, Niko finds instead a hardscrabble life as bleak as the one he thought he was leaving behind. Roman, a good-hearted lowlife who owes money all across town, lives in a roach-infested studio in a neighborhood that resembles Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach. Because Niko needs money, and because his cousin has made some dangerous enemies, he quickly finds himself on the wrong side of the law.
Niko is a more sympathetic and layered protagonist than has yet appeared in the Grand Theft Auto series. His crimes seem born of necessity, not ambition or greed. He is polite to ordinary citizens, even occasionally apologizing when requisitioning someone’s car. Much of his depth comes from the relationships he forges — that is, the ones you choose. Niko befriends several characters who are willing to help him out if he treats them well. In practice, that means calling up chums on an in-game cellphone to go bowling or visit a comedy club. Each non-player character has his or her own proclivities, and the situations play out accordingly.
Even when the game prompts you to advance the story line, player preference is a key component. Several missions give you the choice of having Niko kill someone or show mercy. In one story thread, Niko must choose between two acquaintances; killing neither is not an option. It’s a difficult decision for you as well as for him. You get the impression that Niko would be happy never picking up a weapon again — which is the one choice the world will not grant him.
Still, he is capable of extraordinary violence, and much of the gameplay hinges upon it. The gunplay makes use of a cover system, a mechanic very much in vogue these days. It’s a big step forward from past Grand Theft Auto games, though it doesn’t compare as favorably to more-orthodox contemporary shooters like Gears of War and Rainbow Six Vegas. Pressing the appropriate button will cause Niko to drop into concealment, and yet it’s not always obvious which environmental objects will afford cover. At times, Niko will seem to go to great lengths to hide somewhere you didn’t intend. Aiming isn’t necessary, thanks to a lock-on targeting system, but this is wonky in its own right. In theory, flicking the right thumbstick helps you cycle from one target to the next; in practice, it’s fickle. Still, the system is functional, if not revelatory.
The missions are at their best when you complete them in a way the designers probably didn’t intend. Say you’re supposed to engage in an up-close shoot-out — it might be easier to keep your distance and use a sniper rifle. Or plow into your quarry with a car. Other volatile elements come into play as well. You might well strike somebody down on the street and manage to walk away unnoticed. Next time, you might seem to be making a clean getaway only to clip a police cruiser and have it turn on its siren and come after you. Even when you fail and restart a mission, it won’t play out the same way.
