Does the modern gaming industry need a re-release of GTA 4?

Recently, information appeared on the Internet that Rockstar is going to release the fourth part of the GTA series this year on the current generation of consoles and PC. According to insiders, we will be offered an almost exact copy of the 2008 game without serious graphic improvements. Something similar happened with the first Red Dead Redemption. We decided to remember what the original Grand Theft Auto 4 is and discuss whether it is relevant today.

There were 4 years between the release dates of GTA: San Andreas and the fourth part. Nowadays, the next game in the series, which is developed for such a long time, often receives a minimum of innovations and is perceived as a set of additional levels. This was approximately the case with God of War: Ragnarok.

However, Grand Theft Auto switched to new technologies in 2008, so it was noticeably different from what was in San Andreas. Moreover, modern graphics and the physics model of Euphoria are only the tip of the iceberg. Rockstar added high-quality mechanics of shooting with cover in the spirit of Gears of War, and the cars became much more realistic — their control resembled the Driver series.

Individually, these innovations do not pull on a revolution. But it was precisely due to the fact that they were collected within the framework of one game that the wow effect occurred. GTA 4 turned out to be a qualitative step forward both for the series and for the gaming industry as a whole. Now its imitators were forced to take a qualitative step forward as well. For example, Saints Row 2, which came out six months later, seemed like a guest from the past compared to Rockstar's game.

Although the main character of GTA 4 is a Serb, Niko Bellic, the game pays a lot of attention to Russian emigrants who live in America. When you first visit Hove Beach (an analogue of Brighton Beach from real New York), you get the feeling that you are in a Russian provincial town. People in down jackets and sweatpants are everywhere, you can hear Russian swearing, and SpLin, Ranetki and Viktor Tsoi are playing from cars. And the main character's employers at first are descendants of refugees from Russia and the USSR in the spirit of Mikhail Faustin. And the main antagonist of the game is his accomplice Dmitry Raskalov. Despite some caricatures that are found in all parts of GTA, the theme of Russians in the USA is revealed perfectly.

But Niko Bellic has his own drama — he participated in the Yugoslav wars, where his unit died due to the betrayal of a fellow soldier. To find him, he went overseas to Liberty City. The game allows you to find out all the details of what happened and take revenge.

At first, the passage of the fourth GTA is exciting, because it is interesting to shoot, drive and follow the plot. But after a couple of hours, the usual routine for the series begins, when the main story sags. And at this point, it is easy to become disappointed in the game.

The fact is that Grand Theft Auto 4 is too monotonous. There are practically no interesting tasks with non-trivial conditions here. We only remember the kidnapped girl who was jerking the steering wheel of the car at full speed. Controlling unusual vehicles in the spirit of a helicopter from Vice City, hijacking a flying plane right in the air from San Andreas, luring enemies into an ambush from GTA 3 — there is nothing like this in the 2008 game.

The proper level of diversity returned in the fifth part. Unique robberies that can be completed in different ways, cars with built-in weapons like James Bond, your own tasks for Michael, Franklin and Trevor — all this distinguishes GTA 5 from the background of the "four".

As a result, today the fourth Grand Theft Auto is perceived precisely as a demonstration of new technologies relevant for 2008. There are many videos online that demonstrate the incredible realism of the game, such as realistically breaking glass and deforming cars from gunfire. However, all of this is just a nice addition to the basic gameplay, which is clearly lacking.

GTA 4 received two DLCs, in which we are offered to play for other characters. The Lost and Damned is dedicated to the fate of bikers who are trying to survive in the conditions of a big city and competition with other gangs. And The Ballad of *** Tony tells about the problems of rich people associated with the world of the mafia. The actions of both add-ons unfold in parallel with the events of the main game and better reveal the events taking place. They turned out to be short, but intense.

Perhaps the DLC will be included with the game or will be available only to owners of the Deluxe version, as was the case with The Elder Scrolls 4 Remastered.

We think that Rockstar should stillrelease a port of GTA 4 on modern consoles and PC. It will evoke a sense of nostalgia for experienced players, and those who missed the original project will have a reason to get acquainted with it today. At the same time, you can while away the time until the release of Grand Theft Auto 6. In our opinion, games that are important for the industry should not become a thing of the past with the release of new hardware and software — people should be able to launch classics on current devices at any time.

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Will you play the re-release of GTA 4 if it does come out? Share your opinions in the comments!