Grand Theft Auto IV: Stories from Liberty City

Two nights.

It's taken just two nights of playing Grand Theft Auto IV's innovative multiplayer modes, and I already have great stories to tell. And that, in my opinion, is the mark of a great game. When you have vivid tales of your exploits that you not only want to share with your friends, but then those friends are riveted by them, then the game has made its mark.

Though I haven't even yet had the chance to try out all of the game's dozen or so multiplayer modes, my early favorites are Cops 'n Crooks and Hangman's Noose. We had a 7-on-7 match going in the former, and with me on the crooks side during one match, we set off at night to try to get our boss to the destination area. Driving my own car while the boss and a few of my teammates/fellow henchmen followed a different route, I tried to rendezvous with my crew to help protect our leader.

There was just one problem: I don't know the layout of the city very well yet.

This, combined with the nighttime setting, put me across a small inlet of water from them. With the cops converging on both sides of the inlet, I frantically tried to get over to my teammates. Because they also weren't yet familiar with the city, they came to a dead end. In a panic, the boss jumped into the water and began to swim! Two crooks followed as bodyguards, and I started trying to make my way over to help them.

It was too late, however, as I was gunned down in my car just before the swimming boss was shot up like a fish in a barrel. We lost, but we lost in an awesome way.

Another awesome sequence occurred in a four-player Hangman's Noose session. Having already tried a couple of rounds — including one successful run where I managed to get the boss into a helicopter and get him to the baseball diamond safely despite no piloting experience in the game yet (I don't know how I landed that helicopter without killing us all...) — the Liberty City SWAT began arriving in their armored vehicles, armed to the teeth.

I decided to try something a little unconventional. From our starting point on the airport tarmac, I bolted in the opposite direction of the police on-foot. Rounding a bend toward another terminal, I was desperate for a vehicle. Any vehicle...but not the little two-seat luggage mover! Doh! Continuing a little further ahead, I spotted — yes! — two cars parked side by side. Both two-seater sports cars, meaning I'd only be able to take the boss with no armed passengers.

I chose the Corvette look-alike, and peeled out back towards my pals, who were still in a heated firefight with the five-oh. Picking up the boss with the cops distracted, I tore away, looking for any exit to get back to public streets and away towards the ballfield.

Uh-oh, they're already on to us! Fortunately, one of my fellow criminals had procured an armored SWAT van, and darted in front of us. I panicked at first, thinking the police were about to surround us, but once I saw the colored dot above the car and the gamertag of my buddy, I was relieved to have the help of a decoy/battering-ram car.

Unfortunately, our ally slowed us down enough when he pulled out in front of us that the boys in blue got close enough to open fire. As my Vette began to fill with bulletholes, one of the slugs pierced my rear left tire. I sped away, using the supercar's horsepower to blow past our armored protector vehicle and try to get to our destination quicker.

The punctured tire quickly peeled off the car, and I was blitzing down the streets of Liberty City on three wheels, the fourth grinding directly with the pavement as I fought the handling the whole way. Despite my (somewhat restricted) speed advantage, the well-trained po-po were right on our tail as I wrestled the car through each turn. I was trying to minimize the turns and keep the gimped car going straight ahead as much as possible, but once again my lack of familiarity with the city layout would prove to be my downfall.

I finally botched a turn, spinning out and coming to a complete stop while pointed in the opposite direction of what I wanted — and pointed directly at the police. Mercilessly, they tore into the fiberglass vehicle, ripping through its husk like it were paper. I was killed first, but our helpless boss in the passenger seat lasted only a few seconds longer.

Note to self for future reference: Fiberglass-bodied sports cars are no match for gunfire. Even in defeat, however, Grand Theft Auto IV displays its genius. I love this game!

What were YOUR favorite moments while playing GTA IV? To tell us about your own adventures in Liberty City, click here.