Niko Bellic is the protagonist in the next installment of the video game Grand Theft Auto, currently named Grand Theft Auto 4 (GTA 4 or GTA IV).

Who is Niko Bellic?

Niko Bellic is an Eastern European mercenary, who comes to Liberty City, America after his cousin Roman lures him with grandeur images of the American dream (a reference to the movie Scarface appears: "First you get the money, then you get the women, then you get the power").

However all that glitters is not gold,and Niko soon realizes that his cousin Roman is involved in some dirty dealings with the Liberty City Mafia, which quickly turns sour for Roman. Roman ends up on the mafia hitlist and is soon being chased by every gangster in the city, which is why he lures Niko to his unsuccessful taxi cab company. Niko unknowingly becomes involved, and within minutes of arriving in his new home is soon forced to defend his cousin as local mobsters try to take him out. Niko Bellic is forced to leave behind his life of sin and forget about his past dealings in murder and human trafficing and start building an empire in America.


 Welcome to Liberty City

It's been more then 7 years since we last saw Liberty City and a lot has changed since then. Donald Love, the eccentric real estate tycoon that was last seen in Grand Theft Auto 3 and Liberty City Stories, no longer has a stranglehold over the city and many new faces have emerged - each carving themselves a portion of Liberty City to rule over. The new Liberty City has flourished with commercial skyscrapers towering over the city and greater activity occuring within the busy streets of Liberty City.

Liberty City, which is modeled after New York City, is split in to five distinct areas:

  1. Algonquin (Manhattan) - which is the ritzy downtown area of Liberty City, which will feature massive sky scrapers that can be parachuted off of among other things. Algonquin is teeming with life, as civillians walk around and carry out NPC routines including entering buildings, reading magazines and communicating with each other in real-time.

  2. Broker (Brooklyn) - which is aptly the business disctrict of Liberty City and contains residential areas. In addition, Broker will feature several sub-gangs that each have their own optional missions. The sub-gangs are at war with each other, and Niko will at various points have interaction with these gangs. Corny Island is also located in this borough, which is a reference to Brooklyn's Coney Island, which features an amusement park and a giant ferris-wheel.

  3. Bohan (Bronx) - which is allegedly the poor residential area will feature dirtier and grimier looking textures and is where Roman (Niko's cousin) resides. This is where the initial save-point will be located, which is in Roman's Taxi Cab Company and will later on become Niko's first safehouse.

  4. Dukes (Queens) - which is where the airport is located within Liberty City, stands to be the largest borough within Liberty City. The Triads, the Russians, the Yardies and the Mafia are all located here, along with a currently unnamed Latin American Gang (presumably El Burros). There is also a stadium here, which will most likely be used for racing competitions such as Dirt Ring racing.

  5. Alderney (New Jersey) - which is considered part of Liberty City and not a seperate city, and will be the host to heavy Mafia business activities.

Game Features

Grand Theft Auto IV is the next game in the GTA Franchise and Rockstar have on many occasions stated that the flow of GTA 4 would be much different then any of the past games. With GTA 4, Rockstar has been actively seeking to include as much detail as possible, and unlike previous attempts they have put main emphasis on realism. The game will feature a host of new features, including the following:

  • ATM Machines - Niko will no longer just carry his money around, he will need to reguarly deposit it in to the bank or else risk losing it. Rockstar hesitated on this intially, but they argued that having Niko Bellic carry $100,000 on him without so much as a backpack or briefcase would seem rather odd. So new to the franchise is the addition of banking. You will need to regularly deposit money in order to protect it. If you die, you will risk losing whatever money is on you. Hence you'll need to ensure that you make a few trips to the bank to deposit your money, which can of course always be widthdrawn from any of the handy ATM machines within Liberty City.

  • Cell Phone - Not so new to the series is the addition of a cell phone. However the cell phone will serve as Niko's lifeline as he actively obtains information about missions and the world around him through his trusty cell phone. What's new is that the cell phone can be used to interact with others, including phoning characters to get missions, as opposed to driving to them each time. Also Niko Bellic will recieve text messages to update him of new missions, new job opportunities, new cars to steal and even allow him to choose what missions he takes on. The cell phone is also equipped with a camera feature that replaces the traditional camera found in San Andreas. The camera will allow Mr. Bellic to take pictures/screenshots around Liberty City, and will also be used in a few missions to collect evidence. An organizer option is also on the phone, which will automatically serve as a reminder of objectives and mission tasks that need to be completed. Essentially the organizer will replace the standard game menus, as Rockstar attemtpts to increase the game's ambience by making all information based menus appear within the context of the game.

  • Pedestrian Interaction - A greater level of autonomy and intelligence has been given to the pedestrians that walk the streets. They will not only behave more realistically, including carrying out actual tasks like shopping and then going home, or going to work, etc. Pedestrians will also smoke cigarrettes, hold conversations with each other, interact based on what you're doing at the time, and even report you to cops if they catch you carrying out a crime.

  • Putting Theft Back in to GTA - The earlier games in the GTA franchise made it seem like breaking in to a sports car was just a matter of opening the door, throwing out the driver and speeding off. But this has changed with GTA 4 - Niko will now have to carry out particular moves in order to steal and jack cars. Various animation sequences have been created for this and Rockstar promises that you will not always be able to get in to a car, sometimes you'll end up breaking in and the alarm will go off, while other times the driver may be more reluctant to give up their car.

  • Climb, Stalk and Sneak - Niko Bellic will be able to carry out some stealthy moves, including the ability to climb up telephone polls, flee down fire esapes and stalk and hug against walls to get by security, police or whomever else.

  • Multiplayer - While the game is not built entirely for multiplayer, it will have basic linear support for multiplayer deathmatches.

  • Realism - As mentioned, realism will be brought towards everything - from the way Niko moves about, to the damage on vehicles. Glass will crack before it shatters, doors will have bulletholes (permanently?), and tires will explode.

  • Crime Doesn't Always Pay - Not all missions will lead down the right path, and ROckstar assures that there will be multiple ways to carry out and choose missions. Also the AI on police will be a lot more realistic and stricter, and will follow certain protocols that will make it harder for you to flee. Also you will need to ensure that no one sees you while you're fleeing from the cops in order to lose your wanted level.

  • Taxis, Buses, Trains - Get to your next mission or anywhere through the city with Taxis, buses or subway trains. The choice is yours, you can drive and save the money or you can let a professional take you there. Of course there's a wide variety of vehicles, unofortunately planes will not be available due to the small size of Liberty City - but helicopters will still be available. Motorcycles and more variety in trucks will help fill up the leftover spots from airplanes.

  • Missions - More assortment among the missions, and missions that overlap are a new addition. Additionally, missions can span several days meaning that just because you got away doesn't mean the mission is over. A mission may involve waiting for a call, or to get hired for a job or even for a delivery to come in, and during tha time you can take on other missions.

  • Street Signs - Every street has a name, and I'm sure there will be enough crude, lude and hilarious references amongst these street names. The most important thing is that you can finally refer to areas, rather then "that street near the other street with the parking lot".

  • New Graphics Engine - The new grand theft auto marks the end of the Renderware engine, and the introduction of the Euphoria engine which promises ragdoll effects, as well as pixel shading and greater realism for every drop of water, blood, glass and texture in the game.

Grand Theft Auto Videos

Things Will Be Different:

That Special Someone: