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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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".

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.

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.

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.

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

See you later JackThompsonLives, it's been mildly amusing.

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 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.

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.

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

Love your reviews mate, and your pop culture references are always on point. It is like finding a long lost member of your high school gaming crew, played and loved all the same stuff, and ended up using that wisdom for constructive creative means in the form of this channel. Nice work

Being a New Yorker, how much Rockstar nailed NYC was surreal. It felt like living in a virtual world of your home. That is why the game felt so immersive and real, they nailed a lot of aspects of things only you would notice if you lived here. You may not be able to visit your actual home location like in Flight Simulator, but at the time it was damn close. For example, at the beginning of the game Niko and his cousin lived in a Russian area in Brooklyn that actually exists (Brighton Beach). Driving along the Brooklyn Bridge to Brooklyn you would be greeted with a building labeled the Watchtower (Clocktower in game). Its details like that that just blow me away and get me sucked into the game world.

"War is where the young and stupid are tricked by the old and bitter into killing each other." - Niko Belic

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.

Imagine being the moral police on twitter for good boy points only to then have a review of the game that you were morally policing others about. Hypocrisy knows no bounds.

I personally love the injured/limping animation, and the fact that sometimes paramedics DO occasionally save/revive people. There's just tonnes of little things that gta5 removed that made the world feel real.

One of the finest games ever. I loved the plot, the city, the grittiness and tragedy. It's easily one of the best mobster games ever imo.

Dude, you brought back so many good memories. Great video.

Bro has a WHOLE ass review of GTA 4 and yet gets offended you can kill civilians 😂

The mission where you have to go to that abandoned building to get Elizabeta’s bag of money back from those gangsters was WAYYY harder to me than the bank heist mission. Getting the bag is okay but once N.O.O.S.E. shows up, if you don’t have a photographic memory of the exit to that building, that shit is insanely hard.

Niko is such a great character,he got depth and you can really feel his pain when he talks about the war, the things he has done, his family; that random dialogue that he has with Kate about how Roman's mother died and that Niko never actually told the truth to Roman about his mother's death hits hard everytime. And then you got the other side of the coin, the fact that Niko is genuinely funny, he is not forcing anything when he has his moments; very relatable character

It had actually been around 10 years since I last did a full playthrough of GTA4, and man, playing through the game again, it felt like I never left. I remember the feeling of coming from school and just playing GTA, and if I was done with the story, I'd just start it up again from the beginning and play through it again. It didn't matter how many times I had already played, I was gonna do it again. Now I'm gonna go play episodes from liberty city.

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.

One of the best gaming intros ever and the most scathing and accurate take on American culture. Its just as authentic as the Sopranos or the Wire with just enough over the top to keep you playing, and the DLCs coming together to weave a larger narrative was just as impressive.

GTA IV is one of the few games you can call Art. The details, the story, the cultural impact and the ambition were amazing.

the car physics were so good in this game. they were challenging and fun.

This hasn't aged well after he cried about it

I always loved the somewhat 'realism" they added to this game. Felt more gritty/serious than other game in the series.

I always LOVED seeing the stories for GTA IV, TLAD, and TBOGT connect to eachother, with the Diamond Deal being where Niko, Luis, and Johnny's stories interconnect being the best example.

I remember one of my most recent playthroughs I downed a helicopter at the abandoned sprunk factory, without blowing it up, and the helicopter knocked down an empty silo/container/ water tower looking thing.

This is one of my favorite channels on KZfaq & one of the best overall,thank you GMan😊👍👍

As a New Yorker I look back to this game even more fondly because it captures the last point in New York's life before gentrification. So it's a snapshot of a New York long gone. But one I grew up in and loved so much. Even the side content such as hanging out, bowling, bars playing pool, going to comedy clubs is very much in line with the lifestyle. I get an even BIGGER connection since i'm Albanian. Pretty funny to kick their asses in this game.

This game is just insanely important for me. This was the first game I tried to run on my first laptop ever that didn't run properly (like 2 fps lmao). I was about 12 at the time, and I didn't know anything about computers, but this game running so poorly made me look for ways to make it run better, which led me to research what the hell a GPU even was, which led me to develop a liking and love for computers... Today I am about to graduate from college as an IT engineer and I honestly love the things a learned, the job I have, the things I have managed to create as projects from either school or work... And it all started with this game running like crap.

Back in 2008 I remember being at my cousins who had a 8080GT which was one of the top cards at the time and he launched GTA IV running maxed out. I was completely blown away by what I got to experience for the next hour until I had to go home. I got a new PC 3 years later and GTA IV was the first game I installed and played through all of it. Truly a technical marvel of it's time, and an unforgettable experience.

10:25 one detail I thought was cool in the game is that you can use the subway system to evade police as long as they don't spot you hopping on the train. Something I though was neat when I use to play GTA IV.

The late 2000s energy of this game... man, the nostalgia. not only for the game but for the world back then. The internet wasn't so fkd up just yet

The night club management in TBoGT actually triggers a few mini-missions where you have to do errands for celebrities etc. I found these quite fun because of the dialogue.

Dude at 19:09 youre driving through a part of Forest Hills I used to hang out at a lot when I lived in Queens. Lots of good memories, I didnt expect to feel nostalgic from a GTA 4 video.

3:23 that caught me so off guard 😂

That little end of mission jingle that plays when you complete a mission has been stuck in my head, to this day. Even when I'm playing other open world games, whenever I finish a mission, I hum that jingle to myself. Every single time. It'll never leave.

I absolutely loved how if you got on a motorcycle and waited a sec Niko would put a helmet on but would forego it if you pressed the gas immediately as you got on

I 100% feel you on "felt like i played it yesterday." Its been like a decade since I played, the last time being on my Xbox 360. I remember googling cheats on my mom's phone. I just bought it on the PC and got extreme whiplash nostalgia with how recent it felt.

5:00 I love that the cop doesn't turn on his turn signal to indicate his random lane change but you still get a wanted level for hitting him even though he caused the collision

If you don't speed away right away, Niko puts his seat belt on.

GTA IV is one of the best ageing games of the 21st century so far. Where most 3D games end up ageing quite badly due to visuals and mechanics becoming outdated (I think this is true for the older GTA titles), GTA IV has art style, colour palette and music that still feels so unique. The gameplay and physics still feel very nice too

There will never be another GTA like this. It’s a timeless masterpiece that was made the way Rockstar wanted to make it. GTA 5 feels like they wanted to appeal to a mass audience. GTA 4 will always hold a special place in my heart.

GTA IV is my fav of all the GTA games, maybe I am being nostalgic but the characters and story is just amazing.... And while listening to the radio if you liked a song, there is a number you can call while that song is on and they will text you the name of that song... It was pretty cool!

I remember being like 14, playing this game and accidentally backing up into a person. The way the physics work in this game makes everything so vividly realistic, haunts me to this day haha

The story and the atmosphere of this game is incredible. First, I’ve never seen a character as deep as Niko in video games, and the atmosphere, the organization and the morality of the story are a masterpiece. But also all the storyline of the diamonds completed with Johnny and Luis - who are very interesting characters and bring totally different atmosphere to the game and the city with bikers and nightlifes - is really as good as a great Hollywood movie.

I love that Niko even smiles a little at the end after laying a sick burn on Packie at 20:03

I'm actually just now playing this for the first time. I picked up this and V a couple days ago. I gotta say, it's got a really slow start but looking forward to discovering all these things people love about it.

Love the driving in this game. The way they handle is like those classic action movies from the 60s and 70s like Bullit, Dirty Harry, the Getaway, French Connection. I found it so much more interesting and engaging than the arcade go-carts of GTA5 and some of the older games

GTA 4 and Mafia are two open world games I regularly revisit. I like that they are both kinda hard and unforgiving games, unlike most similar games and the music is so memorable in both games. They both have similar vibes in general.

In 2010, I bought a dedicated gpu card for the first time along with this game: I will never forget how I felt when play GTA IV for the first time, a first metaverse experience if you will for me, feeling nostalgia and curiosity about this new city.

Oh god the GPS commentary brought me back to the days of printing out Mapquest directions and then trying to decipher them in the car on my way to a new area. Two years ago I got my first car with an actual GPS in it and they're basically obsolete now - I can find the way faster on my phone and it will tell me step-by-step instructions as I go, where traffic/construction is, what lane to be in, arrival times... it's absolutely nuts how far phones have come.

Ahh the memories. Got it when it came out, stayed the night at my buddies house and we played it like 18 hours straight. No joke. Absolutely one of my best gaming memories.

So cathartic to hear a big KZfaqr finally appreciate IV's driving. I can't believe that some people still hate on it or think that it damages the overall game, I think it might be one the finest simulations of driving a real car at high speed in any video game period. I love V's driving to, but for different reasons. V's driving is super tight and 'gamey' but IV's felt like you actually had to try when attempting to outrun the cops or mantaining high speeds.

Just about to re play for the second time this is getting me hyped to get home and play

36:50 dude this clip of you falling off the bike and getting hit by the cop sums up gta 4 so gd well

When someone mentions games being "cinematic" GTA IV is the first thing that pops in my head. The way the story is presented is like a feature film, very immersive and gritty. It never tries to be a movie though, ultimately it knows is a game and plays like one. The way each mission can be completed is almost entirely up to you, one of the most interactive experiences of that generation for sure.

Back in 2008 when I was 13 in a small town, the atmosphere and energy of Liberty City made me want to move to NYC so bad. Which is absolutely insane given the dark and murderous light it's painted in 😂 but it's just done so well. Anyways lived here 4 years now haha. And honestly my appreciation for how spot on Rockstar got it just grows more and more the longer I live here

Recently replayed this and was taken aback by the detail. Never noticed the pretend 2G interference comings in over the radio before your phone rang or when coming out of tunnels while phone reconnected to towers. Haven't heard that noise in years.

I love how we think exactly the same about GTA Series in particular about our favourite games, GTA Maps etc.

Best gta ever. I enjoy satire from gta 5 but 4 was so down to earth and relatable I remember coming back from school, booting up the game, riding a sports car through the rain to the next mission with the Kanye's flashing lights playing on the radio. Reminds me of a simpler time, a better time

Fun fact, Niko's character was based on the track suit wearing sniper from the film 'Behind Enemy Lines' The actor was apparently approached to voice him but declined.

Only during my 4th playthrough did I discover the perks of spending time with your friends in the game, it literally felt like I was playing the game for the first time all over again. Truly spectacular game building and without a doubt my favorite gta of all time.

26:03 this hit me so personally😂 i still have the quick revive jingle from cod zombies as my ring tone. Also, on the topic of the cafe in gta 4 my fave addition was the pageant kids website instantly giving you a four star rating as is rational for those blooming disgraceful "shows"

Funny thing is, the melee combat in 4 is still the best in the series, requering proper timing and being less just mashing the punch/kick buttons, plus the animations for counters were pretty cool.

Hard to think this was released in 08. I remember as a kid being so extremely excited solely because of the game's physics. I wanted to play it so bad just from the trailer.

The theme music alone 🔥🔥

10000% correct. Also i cant be the only one who thought the interface of GTA 4 was hands down the best. I love the little chime that plays whenever you get a black box message, it just feels smooth, i'm not sure how to describe it. Also i love the GPS system, it feels like one of those old Garmin GPSs, ping and ding when turning, the GPS Voice saying to turn. I have GTA 4 for console and PC. Highly recommend downloading first person mod, taking taxis through liberty city looks incredible. Passing by the skyscrapers in Algonquin(manhattan), then through some sketchy parts in Alderney (Atlantic city), or passing through the more residential/suburban vibes in broker (brooklyn) and dukes (Queens). Im actually going to replay this game now, after im done with red dead 2 again. If i were to make one of those ranking list for rockstar games, GTA 4 and Red dead 2 are the only ones i can easily place in S rank. While the likes of Read dead 1, GTA 5, and Midnight Club LA are 'A' Rank,

This game is definitely for the more mature audience appreciating keen details and realism. Also a gritty story and vibe. I recently jumped back on this game just to play around and notice things I've never seen before playing 15 years ago.

"Watching your gameplay is just like watching a great movie..." -My wife back in the day when I played through the GTA IV storyline and watched all the cutscenes. Masterpiece, just simply a masterpiece.

When you mentioned the fast cars to drive, I was really hoping you would mention a semi truck with popped wheels.

One of my best moments in gta 4 was after the bank heist I was driving around trying to get tf away from the 6 stars. I was literally on my feet trying to get away but goddamn NOOSE. Then I see on my map I was almost at the edge of the wanted circle but the catch was the way in front of me was Central Park. I said f it I went as fast as my comet would take me and I hit the wall that was around Central Park and I literally flew out my car. Hoping I didn’t die and having to start over I miraculously survived and I started running away central until finally I lost the stars. Man it was exhilarating. I love this game and it’s a damn shame we have no remastered version

Thank you for unlocking a HUGE Part of my Childhood, Gman.

The Ballad of The Gay Tony is got to be one of the best DLCS in gaming history. The story and characters were absolutely enjoyable from Luis friends being dumbass and sharing story’s from their younger days to Bruice’s brother being dickhead but lovable especially the final mission for them was a chief’s kiss. The gunplay was really good although sometimes enemies were on the higher ground it didn’t bother me much. The LMG in the mission you did for Russian or whatever they were was fun but sometimes rageful. The Buzzard you pointed that one at first is hard but eventually when you replay the game it would feel easy to do.

One of my favourite GTA of all time, definitely the most underrated. The attention to detail in phenomenal!

yooooo this game is one of the most underrated/underappreciated gta game if not the most, it has one of the most dark and deep narratives in all the franchise, and tbh niko bellic is my favorite protagonist all time alongside cj

GTA IV was a gamechanger. I remember reading about it in magazines, seeing the screenshots and being so hyped for release. It was a massive step up from San Andreas in my opinion, not that SA didn't have its own charm, it is a masterpiece of its time, but IV included so many details which really make the worth breathe.

17:06 is like, the pinnacle of dialogue from Rockstar Games, to me. The way Packie takes a moment to process the joke before hunching forwards a little and laughing. Literally feels like the time you told your best friends a good burn. It feels like a real life convo and that's hard to achieve.

Just the jump in fidelity was enough to lend far more impact to just about every moment in any session - the humour and social commentary (....that I hope is alive and well in the house that Houser(s) built 😰...)were still woven into the experience, but playing it in it's next gen form was simply so much more visceral and immediate, for me at least.

While I was underwhelmed at first that GTA 4 lacked any planes, tanks, military response, skydiving, underwater and wilderness sections that was present in San Andreas, the huge leap in technical fidelity and more serious story made me look past it

Niko was legitimately the most likable and relatable protagonist of any main GTA title, and he got the saddest ending. Total injustice. I've been bummed about it for 14 damn years.

As a kid, this game was the most immersive thing I had ever played. Actually made me feel weirded out when I killed NPCs.

IV will always be my favorite. My brother surprised me and went and picked it up at midnight when it came out cause he knew how much I played the previous ones at the time. It was awesome. Such a great game and the story has that heaviness that rdr2 has.

Fun fact about the whole "why doesnt niko wear a seatbelt?" If you get in a car and wait a few seconds instead of driving off immediately niko will actually put it on and you won't ever fly out the car window!

Hey Nico it’s Roman, let’s go bowling

Packie and Little Jacob are definitely 2 of my favorite supporting characters in all of literature. I think they're both shining examples of the loyal friend and guide archetypes

I'll never forget laughing my ass off at the tv shows/commercials with my friend one day when we were young. The men's room with Bas Rutten had us both rolling on the floor.

Good job man 👍