By David Torres

By David Torres

The greatest crime epic of all time is oddly not a movie anymore, but a video game.

“Grand Theft Auto 4” is the eagerly anticipated roleplaying game from developer Rock Star North.

After three years of development, and a whopping $100 million budget, Rockstar has created a free-for-all game that truly immerses players.

Similar to the previous installments, this game’s entire premise relies upon the notion that to achieve the American dream, one has to be willing to do what ever it takes to get it.

The protagonist of the game, Niko Bellic, is an eastern European immigrant from an undisclosed origin that comes to America looking to join his cousin Roman in the land of opportunity.

Nicko is one of the most mature, engaging characters in the history of video games.

It’s because of him and the story that unfolds, that this game is an unforgettable experience.

Joining Niko are some of the most well developed characters ever in a video game.

The situations that supporting characters entangle Niko in are some of the funniest moments that one will ever play.

Standout supporting characters such as Roman give this world a sense of life that truly has never been seen before.

This game is all about the relationships that you maintain throughout the main story.

You’re given a cell phone, and it’s up to you to choose which relationship you want to engage in.

Depending on the status of the relationship, it can be truly beneficial in moments throughout the game.

The next great character in the game is Liberty City itself.

Modeled after New York City, Liberty City is a living, breathing city that is divided into five boroughs: Algonquin, Dukes, Broker, Bohan, and Alderney.

While the city itself is a work of art, the beauty is in the details.

From people just hanging out on the step of their buildings, to the way they pick up their cell phones, the city seems real.

This game looks absolutely amazing.

This also marks the first time any game in the series is in high definition

This choice is a far cry from previous versions of the game.

No matter which version you decide to pick up, Playstation 3 or Xbox 360, Rockstar has assured concerns that both versions are identical in the visuals department.

But the Xbox 360 version does have one major advantage.

Microsoft has paid Rockstar $50 million to have exclusive rights to upcoming downloadable content that is currently in the works.

It still hasn’t been made clear what will be in the downloadable content, or if the exclusivity that Microsoft paid for was just for a six month timed exclusive of sorts.

What is known though is that the Xbox 360 version of the game will get whatever is coming down the pipeline first.

An exciting addition to the series has to be the inclusion of online multiplayer.

The multiplayer breaks down like this: 16 players in the midst of 15 modes of possibilities.

Of course, there are the generic modes that are in every game that incorporate multiplayer these days (death-match and team deathmatch modes).

But where it gets awesome and addictive is in free mode.

In free mode it’s just you and 15 other players

The entire city is at your feet.

The possibilities of this mode are only limited by the player’s imagination.

Every so often a game comes along that sets the bar so high that it challenges the gaming industry to achieve what was once thought to be impossible.

This game brings players closer to a truly engrossing, interactive world more than any game before it has.

“Grand Theft Auto 4” should be heralded as one of the crowning achievements in gaming industry.