From Friday’s The Oklahoman:

By Matthew Price
Assistant Features Editor 

“Grand Theft Auto IV” already has plenty of tongues wagging for its violent and sexual content — but how does it stack up as a game?

The mature-rated “Grand Theft Auto IV” features Niko Bellic, an eastern European lured to Liberty City by the promises of his cousin. When his cousin’s promises ring hollow, Niko must find his own path to the American dream of success.

Niko must complete various missions for the game to move forward, but there’s plenty of room to veer — Niko can watch in-game television, surf the in-game Internet, and go on dates.

There are a multitude of choices to be made, some which affect the overall course of the game, and some that don’t. The storyline is engaging and may keep some gamers away from endlessly wandering, which was popular in previous “GTA” installments. But for gamers who choose to wander, there’s plenty to see.

The visuals of the game really show the potential of the next-generation systems. Boroughs designed to resemble the actual New York boroughs. Still, the game isn’t afraid to veer from strict adhesion to the real-world Manhattan when a few changes would make for a better game.

Sunlight and shadows accurately move as time progresses in the game, and improved physics that ground the entire enterprise in a realistic world. The nonplayer characters interact with one another regardless of Niko’s presence or influence, adding another layer of verisimilitude.

“Grand Theft Auto IV” adds an online multiplayer option to this edition; while it’s not as interesting as the single-player game, it’s a nice option to add.

Like most “Grand Theft Auto” games, many of Niko’s activities are illicit or at best ill-considered for law-abiding citizens. But for fans of crime dramas like “The Sopranos” and “Scarface,” “Grand Theft Auto IV” is compelling entertainment that appeals to the same sensibilities. The game is intended for mature audiences age 17 and older.

The mature-rated game allows gamers to take the role of Niko Bellic, an eastern European lured to

“Drunk driving is not a game, and it is not a joke,” MADD said in a statement released Tuesday to the Associated Press. “Drunk driving is a choice, a violent crime and it is also 100 percent preventable.”

Meanwhile, critics are praising the graphics and depth of the game.

““I would rather have fewer video games throughout the year, and more games like this,”  G4’s Adam Sessler said in his “Soapbox” segment on the network.

Reuters UK is reporting that “Grand Theft Auto IV” broke single-day sales records in Great Britain, with sales of 609,000 copies.

According to the report:

Two thugs shattered a teenager’s jaw and nose before snatching the year’s must-have computer game – Grand Theft Auto IV.

The 18-year-old and his friend were approached at the junction of Northbrook Road and Golden Hill Lane in Leyland just 30 minutes after buying the £40 video game, which was released at midnight.
The two offenders, white men aged between 18 and 20, overtook the man and his friend as they walked home and emerged from behind a hedge in front of them.

GamePro is still sticking with the idea that it will negatively impact “Iron Man” ticket sales.  I saw “Iron Man” this weekend, and while I can’t provide any kind of review until Friday, I do believe that people will want to see this movie, even if it takes two hours away from their “Grand Theft Auto” quest.

As Libe Goad of Game Daily said in her interview with The Oklahoman, taking two hours out to go see a movie isn’t that much of a hardship:

“I did hear some stories where analysts predicting that it will affect (the movie) ‘Iron Man,’” Goad said. “The funny thing about ‘Iron Man’ is, ‘Grand Theft Auto’ and ‘Iron Man’ appeal to very similar audiences, so maybe they’ll buy ‘Grand Theft Auto,’ play that, take a break to go see ‘Iron Man,’ then go back and play ‘Grand Theft Auto.’”

Either way — Free Comic Book Day, Iron Man, Grand Theft Auto IV — isn’t about the best week ever to be part of the comics/video games culture?

– Matt Price

From the Washington Business Journal:

“There is no question this is a huge product on the Xbox and PlayStation 3,” said Matt Wallace, assistant manager at GameStop in Tysons Corner Center. “We’ve had a lot of buzz and excitement beforehand, and having seen what the first 15 hours were like, I anticipate that it’s going to be very big this week. I’d say this is the biggest title of the year to date and nothing bigger is on the horizon. I’ve had customers saying they’ve reserved their copy since June of last year.”

Four-hour lines in San Franscisco, according to Forbes:

Daniel Jongeward … waited in line for over 4 hours to get his hands on GTA IV. He and his friends actually showed up at 5 p.m., but a queue hadn’t formed yet. They went to the movies and returned at 8 p.m. “Everyone expected there to be a line,” he said. Jongeward said he would probably wind up playing all night, since he has Tuesday off. “I planned [my] vacation around ‘Grand Theft Auto.’”

Some moron stabbed a man walking by the “GTA” line in Britain, which will probably provide fuel for all the GTA haters:

LONDON (AFP) — British police were Tuesday hunting the attacker of a man stabbed as he walked by shoppers queuing to buy the latest edition of the notoriously violent computer game “Grand Theft Auto IV.”

Around 100 people waiting for the game to go on sale at midnight Monday saw a hooded man jump out of the queue outside a shop in Croydon, south London, and repeatedly stab the 23-year-old passer-by, police said.

The victim required treatment to several stab wounds but later left hospital, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Published by Rockstar Games, Grand Theft Auto IV is a violent, intelligent, profane, endearing, obnoxious, sly, richly textured and thoroughly compelling work of cultural satire disguised as fun. It calls to mind a rollicking R-rated version of Mad magazine featuring Dave Chappelle and Quentin Tarantino, and sets a new standard for what is possible in interactive arts. It is by far the best game of the series, which made its debut in 1997 and has since sold more than 70 million copies. Grand Theft Auto IV will retail for $60. 

From Friday’s The Oklahoman: 

By Matthew Price
Assistant Features Editor

THE NEXT LEVEL

It’s spurred record sales and congressional inquiries. The bad boy of video games is back on Tuesday, as “Grand Theft Auto IV” is released. It may “launch a million PTA meetings,” says Game Daily editor in chief Libe Goad. But “Grand Theft Auto IV” brings more realistic physics and mature storytelling to next-generation consoles, she said.

This time around, the mature-rated game allows gamers to take the role of Niko Bellic, an eastern European lured to Liberty City by the promises of his cousin.

“He’s coming over to America to live the American dream,” said Goad, whose Web site is found at www.gamedaily.com.

“(Bellic’s) cousin moved over and was apparently having a very Scarface lifestyle — yachts, hot ladies etc.,” Goad said. “(Bellic) came over and discovered that’s not the case — his cousin was actually in trouble and needed some help.”

Goad, who played the game prior to release, said it will be recognizable to fans who have played previous games, but with improvements.

“There’s a lot that’s new in the game,” she said. “When you play the game it’ll be very familiar … but in a lot of ways it’ll be very advanced. There’s amazing graphics; there’s more realistic physics with driving the car. There’s a totally new main character and a new storyline. There’s a new environment.”

That new environment has a familiar name — Liberty City — but it’s been redesigned for “Grand Theft Auto IV.”

“Basically you’re going back to Liberty City again, but it looks a lot more like the real-life Liberty City aka New York City,” she said. The game offers multiplayer for the first time. And, while it still keeps the “sandbox” style of gameplay, “IV” looks to be even more action-packed than the earlier installments.

“If you look at all the series together, it probably won’t be as open-ended as say, ‘San Andreas,’” Goad said. “That had some parts where you could go roam in the desert and things like that. Those kind of elements where you’re just roaming around in areas where there’s not much to do, that’s kind of been taken out of the game. You can definitely roam, but it will be action-packed wherever you go.”

The game has its mature-rated moments, and Goad urges parents not to buy the game for their younger teens.

“(Something) important for all parents is to definitely be aware of the ratings on the boxes of the video games,” Goad said. “The mature rating is for age 17 and older. Familiarize yourself with these ratings, which you can find at ESRB.org.”

Even limiting sales to gamers 17 and over, “Grand Theft Auto IV” is expected to be a financial home run.

“I think people are expecting the ‘Halo’-killer,” Goad said.

Some analysts attributed a decline at the box office to the release of “Halo 3” in September. Is a similar box office slump likely to result from “Grand Theft Auto IV?”

“I did hear some stories where analysts predicting that it will affect (the movie) ‘Iron Man,’” Goad said. “The funny thing about ‘Iron Man’ is, ‘Grand Theft Auto’ and ‘Iron Man’ appeal to very similar audiences, so maybe they’ll buy ‘Grand Theft Auto,’ play that, take a break to go see ‘Iron Man,’ then go back and play ‘Grand Theft Auto.’”