1. The Depth of Immersion
When I play GTA IV, I feel like Im taking a character through his existence in an almost physical place. Not just taking him from mission to mission, causing as much havoc as possible on the way (although I
do do that), but guiding through a world that has rules, laws, limitations. For example, if you taking a call in the car, you cant handbrake turn, because the hand is occupied with the phone. If you drink, walking become difficult and police will target you should you drive, so you better get a taxi if you dont want to run the risk. If you neglect your friends, they start to like you less. These may seem like little things in the grand scheme of things, but they all add up to create a feeling of deep immersion, a feeling that GTA IV, that Niko Bellic and his cast of friends and family, exist for real somewhere, even if only in the realms of imagination. And any fiction, of any kind or in any medium, asks you to suspend your disbelief, to forget for a moment that the events youre witnessing never actually happened. And its so much easier when attention is paid to detail. Now, again, I love the entire GTA franchise, and Im not arguing that the previous titles
werent immersive, but as technology and as R*s understanding of story-telling, has improved over the years, each new game has been that little bit more immersive than the last. With GTA IV, I believe R* have created their most deeply immersive experience, and I honestly cant wait to see how far I fall into the world of their next release. So, there are ten reasons why I think GTA IV might just be the best game in the entire franchise. No doubt Ill have my share of critics for this piece; anything youd like to add or disagree with? Dont be shy now!