The Grand Theft Auto franchise is undeniably brilliant. You might not necessarily love it as much as others do, especially if sandbox games aren't your thing, but the sheer scope and scale of these games, particularly from Grand Theft Auto III onwards is hard to dismiss.
We're currently waiting - very, very patiently - for the next installment in the series. Grand Theft Auto 5 was announced as long ago as November 2011, along with a teaser trailer, but as of yet we still haven't seen a full trailer, or been told when the game will arrive. Some new screenshots have been revealed, and more are promised soon, but I'm getting impatient Goddammit, and I'm not alone.
Having already detailed the reasons I'll be buying GTA V on day one, I decided to go back and play GTA IV to fill the void. And I'm glad I did, as I had forgotten how brilliant it was. I then headed for YouTube to find and watch GTA IV videos, of which the very best are embedded below for your viewing pleasure.
Godley & Creme
The actual trailer for GTA IV was good, but it wasn't as good as this fan-made trailer set to Cry by Godley and Creme. Don't ask why or how it works so well, just know that it does. If this trailer doesn't make you want to play the game, even four years after its release, then nothing will.
One Man Army
In GTA IV, as in all the previous (and likely future) iterations, your character is on the wrong side of the law. How much on the wrong side of the law is revealed by the number of stars you acquire at any one time. Six stars is the maximum, and surviving when you have the whole of the Liberty City law enforcement breathing down your neck makes you a one man army.
City Carnage
This video comprises nothing more than carnage being created as the whole city is laid to waste with all manner of weapons and tools of destruction. From blowing up taxi cabs to taking out helicopters, from shooting up innocent bystanders to driving over a gaggle of pedestrians, this is all in the day of a life of a Liberty City criminal.
Ways To Die
Life is pretty fair in Liberty City, so while Niko Bellic can kill and maim as he sees fit, he can also be killed off in a number of different ways. None of which are particularly pretty. This video features several entertaining ways to die in GTA IV, though it has to be said an inordinate number of the videos involve riding a motorcycle.
Fail Compilation
Playing a Grand Theft Auto game is about a lot more than just playing the campaign or story mode from beginning to end. You need to explore the sandbox environment, finding new ramps to jump off and new ways to do yourself a mischief. With experimentation comes failure, as not every stunt quite lives up to its billing.
Unlucky People
If you're the main character, or one of the numerous supporting cast of characters, in GTA IV then you expect a certain amount of injuries or the occasional death. But what about the innocent bystanders who are just there, living their lives, going about their daily business? Some of them, the unlucky people, get in the way from time to time.
Funny Moments
Most modern video games contain bugs or glitches. It's become part of the fabric of the industry that a game will ship with these in place, with the inevitable fix being sent out at some point in the future. But before the fixes are installed these glitches can provide hours (or perhaps 7 minutes and 4 seconds) of entertainment.
Grand Theft Mario
This video is very short and very sweet. It shows what would happen if Super Mario were to be thrown in to Liberty City. Niko Bellic gains the power to leap over tall buildings thanks to his new outfit, and the result is rather mesmerizing. That is until his power-up runs out of juice and he ends up falling flat on his face. Literally.
Will It Blend?
As you may have guessed by now from my tenure at MakeUseOf, I watch more videos online than can be considered healthy or natural. And I have been watching the Will It Blend? series of entertaining advertorials for many years. They feature the founder of Blendtec, Tom Dickson, exploring whether certain items can be blended or not. It turns out GTA IV can indeed be blended.
Out Of Commission
This is it, the final mission in the game. Do not watch this if you have yet to finish or even ever play GTA IV. Any description whatsoever would mean spoilers galore, so let's just say that after a lot of ups and downs Niko Bellic and his friends bring this epic game to a close in a satisfying manner.
Conclusions
Has watching those videos helped to ease tension headache building from Rockstar's lack of new information about GTA V? Probably not, but they are at least entertaining. Although Grand Theft Auto 5 won't follow on directly from Grand Theft Auto 4, remembering the previous game in the series should leave you in better stead to tackle the new one immediately upon release.
Are you looking forward to GTA V? Did you enjoy GTA IV or consider it over-hyped and underwhelming? Is Rockstar pulling a masterstroke by releasing information about the new game in dribs and drabs in order to build the hyperbole? As always let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.