GTA IV Preview from 1UP

If you’re anxiously awaiting for the wondrous images of GTA IV to invade your hi-def television like me, then you’ll be interested in this from 1Up.com.  It’s a brief preview by Andrew Pfister after having played the entire game.  Moneyquote:

Niko Bellic has done some bad things. He’s a drifting merchant marine lured to America by the promise of false dreams, which are inflated by his cousin Roman — a man who is best described as “sketchy.” It’s a setup that’s typical of the previous GTA games (ne’er-do-well arrives on the scene with grand plans, and crime ensues), but as Niko’s story unfolds, it does so in a manner that’s considerably more focused and restrained than what we saw with Tommy Vercetti in Vice City or CJ from San Andreas. The script is penned by Rupert Humphries and Dan Houser, and rarely do they stray from their goals: believable and likable characters, a solid, traditional crime story, and the usual splash of irreverent social satire. It’s the opposite of San Andreas’ massive sprawl, in terms of both geographical landscape and plot ambitions. (para 6)

The “restraint” portion seems an interesting point to me.  Over-the-top zaniness sometimes seemed to save the last two games from taking themselves too seriously.  I really enjoyed some of the satirizing of pop culture conspiracy theories with CJ’s interactions with The Truth.  Hopefully, the game retains at least some of this approach.