Grand Theft Auto IV  - GTA 4 - The Story: What does the American dream mean today? For Niko Bellic fresh off the boat from Europe, it is the hope he can escape his past. For his cousin, Roman, it is the vision that together they find fortune in Liberty City, gateway to the land of opportunity. As they slip into debt and get dragged into a criminal underworld by a series of shysters, thieves and sociopaths, they discover that the reality is very different from the dream in a city that worships money and status, and is heaven for those who have them and a living nightmare for those who don't.

Main Character

• His name is Niko Bellic.
• He is Eastern European
• He is in his mid-thirties.
• He wants to live the American Dream.
• Can use a cellphone to call contacts.
• Character movements are more realistic.
• Changing clothes is possible
• Can climb ladders
• You can use the internet by using a computer found in LC.
• You can see the damage that is done to you. If you get shot, you will see it on Niko.
• Eating and sleeping helps you recharge.
• It is possible to drink liquour and be drunk. The radar will tell you that you are drunk, and your vision will be blurred.
• Health is represented by a green semi circle by the radar. Armor is a red semi circle. Resting, eating, and medi kits help you restore health.
• You cannot enter every building. However, you can interact with most of them; fire escapes, stairways, rooftops etc.
• You cannot manage property, own gangs or trade.

Gameplay

• After the first loading sequence finishes when you turn on the game, there will be no more loading screens. This includes going in and out of buildings.
• All the camera views from the previous GTA games can still be used. There is a dashboard view also.
• The game is automatically saved after you complete a mission.
• In the previous games, the clock was 1 real minute = 1 in game hour. It is now 2 real minutes = 1 in game hour.
• It is the same as previous GTA games when you die, WASTED!, nearest hospital, weapons taken away.

Missions

• More realistic missions.
• Will have multiple possible outcomes.
• Developing relationships with different characters is important. There will be different relationships for each character, allowing you to have different outcomes. Differenet relationships provide different rewards.
• Characters will look different every time you meet them, instead of wearing the same clothes all the time.
• Maintaining your relationship with other characters. For example if you have a good relationship with the gun dealer, he can come to you instead of you going to him.
• Pool, eating, darts, drinking and bowling are just some of the activities you can do in the game with other story characters.

Combat/Weapons

• Hand to hand combat is being worked on
• Shooting different parts of the body has different outcomes.
• If you walk around the streets with a gun in your hand, pedestrians may call the cops on you. 
• Ammunation is gone. Now you have your own personel weapons dealer that you will have to meet up with in order to get your weapons. 
• More powerful weapons are able to shoot through walls. 

Police

• The police are more vigilant in GTA IV. It is harder to exscape.
• You get a Wanted Level Star for every crime you commit. But only if someone sees you commit the crime.
• When you get the star, a circle on the map appears, which is the search area. That is where cops will be searching.
• You can get out of the search area and lose the wanted level stars if noone sees you. If you are seen however, the search area circle moves to where you were spotted.
• This means that the cops will not always know where you are like in previous GTA games.
• The circle differs in size depending on your wanted level.
• Pay N' Spray will not help you get away anymore.
• Every police car has a computer in it, which can be accessed to view files and anybody who has a criminal record.