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GTA IV

Without a doubt, the majority of games released this year will feature a standard of visuals that will absolutely astound you. Games are growing remarkably close to real life in terms of sound and audio, as developers begin to realize the full potential of our shiny next-gen consoles. But few games feel like real life; few will be as approachable, natural, immersive and intuitive as GTA IV. Rockstar is changing the rules once again, and is creating an experience that looks set to be high definition in every aspect of the game, not just graphically.

The Liberty City of GTA IV is absolutely massive, roughly equivalent to the area of San Andreas but far more densely packed with architecture and sprawling streets. Therefore you probably won't want to drive all of the time. If you want to get from A to B and you're not interested in scenic routes, you can now hail cabs to take you absolutely anywhere in the city. You can then either relax and enjoy the ride, or skip instantly to your destination. Often taxis will be your best bet, given that car-jacking is now punished more fiercely by the local law enforcement - especially if someone's in the car when you jack it.

Speaking of criminal activities, when a crime is committed in GTA IV and it's severe enough to warrant a star, a red and blue 'search radius' appears on the map onscreen (the bigger the crime, the bigger the radius), and the police dispatch will notify all of the officers in the area as to who they're looking for, the last known location, the make and model of the car the player was last seen in, and so on. It's then up to the player to try and escape the search radius as quickly as possible in order to reduce or eliminate their wanted level.

This time the wanted level is also dependent on line of sight. For example, if a police officer spots you changing cars whilst you're on the run, the search will then re-focus based on your last known whereabouts and thus make getaways more challenging and realistic than fans have come to expect. It should also be more fun, as each clash with the cops is set to become a game of cat and mouse, winding through the city's complex grid of streets in-car and scrambling seamlessly in and out of the city's interiors on foot.

We're calling Rockstar everyday in attempt to get our hands on it, and as soon as we do you'll be reading all about it right here. If Rockstar delivers with this one in the early months of 2008, (and it's never let us down before), then true High Definition gaming will finally be here - and it won't just be measured by the resolution of your screen, but by your perception of just exactly what a videogame could and should be.

Read more game news & reviews at Gameplayer.com.au