The guide has been bed-time reading for me since it landed through the letterbox, but whilst playing GTA IV I’ve also had it sitting right next to me and used it for reference, tips, land-mark hunting, and to track down those difficult to find, flying rats..
First and foremost the guide is a complete 100% walkthrough of the game, told via screenshots, maps and reams of text explaining ‘who’, ‘when’, ‘why’ you’re taking part in these missions. It details every objective in the game and every procedural mission, offering advice on how to tackle situations as well as teaching you things that you may not be able to find out from other sources. Did you know you can date up to five women, of which two of them you can find by surfing the web at the internet café? You do now.
It goes into meticulous detail on how to increase your friend’s rating with your girlfriends and associates, giving breakdowns on their preferred choice of entertainment, cars and clothes and even showing you in percentages how they’ll react to your decisions. (Whatever you do, do not take Michelle lap-dancing!).
The main story walk-through takes up a big chunk of the guide, approximate 250 pages in total and the final 40 pages are taken up mainly by detailed maps of the four boroughs. You get a map guide when you buy the game anyway, but these maps clearly and concisely show you where every weapon, every health spot, every piece of armour, every flying rat and every stunt jump is across the huge game world. It even goes into further detail by showing a screenshot of each individual location where you can find the flying rats.
Finally the guide ends with a comprehensive look at the multi-player modes, with details of each mode, such as Turf War, Deal Breaker and Hangman’s Noose and it offers tips and tactics to give you an edge over the opposition.
Like most other people I love playing Rockstar’s crime epic. Take a look at my GTA IV review to read my thoughts on it. The guide has been a perfect companion to the adventure and, if you want to complete the game 100% or want to ensure you don’t miss anything, I’d thoroughly recommend it
The game guide features an exclusive double-sided foldout map and poster, and goes on sale with an RRP of £12.99.
HEXUS Awards
BradyGames Official GTA IV Guide
