GTA 4 celebrated as 'legendary' on its 15th anniversary

Grand Theft Auto IV recently celebrated its 15th anniversary, with fans of the game taking the time to show their admiration for Rockstar’s ‘black-sheep’ of the Grand Theft Auto series.

Following the critically-acclaimed Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, GTA IV brought players back to a familiar location, Liberty City - which first appeared in Grand Theft Auto III, the first 3D game in the GTA series. The story involved a new protagonist called Niko Bellic, an Eastern European veteran trying to escape his trauma-filled past and start a new life in America. This plan obviously falls apart as he’s dragged into Liberty City’s criminal underworld, taking on mobsters, making new allies, and generally causing mayhem in the city’s streets.

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While the game scored highly amongst critics, many fans felt like it was a regression from the previous games, especially GTA: San Andreas and GTA: Vice City. This was mainly due to too much focus on the dark and gritty storyline, and less on blowing stuff up and having fun. That’s not to say it didn’t have its moments as Liberty City was an incredible area to explore, boasting impressive details, plenty of easter eggs to find, and who could forget the infamous bowling minigame?

Despite being quickly overshadowed by GTA V, it was never truly forgotten by fans, who recently came together on Twitter to celebrate the game’s anniversary and share their new and old memories of the title. One user said: “I think IV was my favorite. You had to make your own fun and I really liked that I had so many tools to do it. GTA V is like a really colorful water slide but that's it. GTA IV is like one of those adventure playgrounds where they give you lumber and some tools and no supervision.”

Another added: “Cannot believe GTA IV is 15, where does the time go? Remember the midnight launch well, excellent game!” Several fans called for a remake, with one saying: “I’d love to see a remake or remaster of this one! Maybe a remake - since the trilogy remasters had some issues.” It’s believed a remaster/remake was in the works at Rockstar, before all focus shifted to the development of Grand Theft Auto VI.