GTA IV - Multiplayer PC Hands On Preview

"Hey, Niko? You're PC".  Nope, Niko hasn't joined Microsoft's latest Vista marketing campaign, neither has he gone all politically correct on us.  We're talking about the fact that GTA IV is heading back to its original platform with the impending release on PC.

Promising a vast array of tweaks, enhanced visuals, and the inclusion of a new Video Editor for machinima nuts, it's perhaps the increase to 32 players that's getting us excited about the thought of a return to Liberty City.  TVG recently took the opportunity to put the multiplayer mode to the test, competing against other journalists across Europe along with Rockstar's finest at their New York office.  Although the issue of lag occasionally reared its ugly head, we've got to say that generally the action passed smoothly despite the disparate locations, which is particularly impressive once you've witnessed the action that 32 players brings first hand.

Presumably fed up with online players whining both for and against the virtues of Auto-Aim, Rockstar has wisely decided to include the contentious feature as a filter when searching for a match.  Hopefully this will signal an end to the "Hey, newb? Switch off the auto-aim" debates that ruined the console versions for many of us.  For the record, Rockstar's a big fan of Auto-Aim.

Beginning with a few bouts of Team Deathmatch to wear off the rust, GTA IV's increased player count is immediately noticeable.  With twice the number of players featured on both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation3, there's little doubt in our minds that this easily means twice the fun.  Carnage would be a gross understatement, particularly when the setup is geared towards 'Rockets Only'!  Armed with a 360 controller the gameplay is unsurprisingly identical to its console predecessors.  Although we never found the inclination to switch to a keyboard/mouse combo, indications from the event suggest that it will provide more than an adequate job for PC connoisseurs and those that haven't forked out for Microsoft's universal joypad.

The second round of battles commenced with a series of Turf War matches.  Allowing teams of up to 16 players should provide the scope for plenty of tactics as you attempt to gain control over designated areas, but with a distinct lack of communication and tactics on our behalf it just provided another opportunity to enjoy the action on such a large scale.  Providing you've got the rig to handle this, this is the way that GTA IV should be played.

For a final round of the iconic GTA Race, Rockstar demonstrated the sole new inclusion in terms of content heading to the PC with the addition of a new circuit - Riverside Drive - to choose over the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions.  We're a little surprised to notice that the eight months since the console versions hasn't allowed Rockstar the time to create one or two additional circuits, but it's a pretty feeble complaint in what's shaping up to be the definitive take on GTA IV.

Of course it's the multiplayer that will also be the feeding ground for the vast majority of user created masterpieces that's expected to appear on the Rockstar Social Club from the Video Editor.  It's as simple as hitting the F2 button to jump into the editor and away you go.  TVG suspects plenty of online matches won't be revolving around kills and scores this Christmas but lights, camera, and, somewhat naturally, action. 

We'll be putting our directorial skills to the test shortly with a Rockstar challenge to find the best machinima short from the media - so keep your eyes peeled and ready to vote on the Rockstar Social Club!

With the recent announcement of the first episodic content heading to the Xbox 360 version, TVG ponders whether the exclusive agreement would also exclude 'The Lost and Damned' appearing on the PC at some point.  Understandably Rockstar remained quiet on the subject, but you have to ask what disadvantage it would pose to Microsoft (who reportedly paid $50m for it) to offer it to PC gamers - the type of gamer who would have invested heavily in a rig to play games like GTA IV, and unlikely just to turn to the Xbox 360 as a cheaper option.

That in turn brings us to our only concern surrounding GTA IV.  We've seen high-spec PC titles fail to set the charts alight in the past (Crysis), and as a result GTA IV will only appeal to a PC audience equipped for the task.  Will it really convince PC gamers to upgrade graphics cards when the Xbox 360 provides a cheaper, easier alternative?