In Grand Theft Auto 4 you take on the role of Niko Bellic, an
immigrant from Eastern Europe with an ominous past. Persuaded by his
cousin's promises of a fresh start and a better life, Niko relocates to
Liberty City, USA -- the worst place in America. After making the move
to Liberty, however, Niko quickly realizes that his hopes of "living
the American Dream" may never come to pass... and that things here may
not be so different after all.
Although Liberty City may not differ greatly from Niko's homeland,
being different and standing out is definitely a major theme with Grand
Theft Auto IV. While GTA: Vice City and GTA: San Andreas were considered to be part of the GTA III
trilogy (same graphics engine, similar characters, similar mission
style, etc.), Grand Theft Auto IV is considered a fresh start for the
GTA series, focusing more heavily on realism and storytelling than in
previous titles. This is why it's been dubbed GTA4 and not GTA6 (as many had originally anticipated), even though it's the sixth major title in the series.
GTA IV follows the release of the hugely successful GTA: San Andreas
(which was released for PlayStation 2 in 2004, and then later for PC
and Xbox during 2005) and also marks the 10th
anniversary of the Grand Theft Auto franchise. With Grand Theft Auto 4
being the milestone that it is, Rockstar Games has been working
overtime on perfecting the game. According to Janco Partners analyst
Mike Hickey -- a financial consultant for Take2 Interactive --
approximately 150 developers are currently working on GTA 4.
