The key to Niko’s survival depends on how well you can avoid gunfire and make use of Niko’s mobility to escape sticky situations.  Niko has several skills that allow him to quickly overcome obstacles that block his path.

Vaulting: Niko can quickly jump over low-lying obstacles such as railings or walls.  Simply press the square button as you press up against the object you want Niko to jump over.  You can also use this to jump over overpasses to escape the police (making sure it’s not too far of a fall or Niko does a vaultSPLAT.)

Jumping: Niko can jump perform a jump by pressing square.  In a standing position he will jump up and down.  Use this if you wish to grab onto a ledge, fence etc.  Niko can also perform a running leap by pressing square while jogging or running.

Climbing: Niko can climb objects within reach if you press square beside while standing beside them.  Examples include cars, fences, boats, rooftops, and ledges, plus many, many more.  If you are hanging from a ledge, you can press the triangle button to let go and drop down.

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You may have noticed while driving around Liberty City green person-like icons on the radar.  These icons signify a person Niko can interact with for a side mission.  These people can be someone Niko has met or spared in the past – for example Dwayne’s former girlfriend (if you let her live during a previous mission.)

Generally these missions are short, and revolve around a problem that that particular person is facing.  Niko will either be asked to help or will take the matter into his own hands.  These side missions offer cash rewards upon completion, and help to flesh out the characters a bit more within Liberty City.

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Using burst fire is a must when dealing with enemies at long range.  Two things effect your aim in GTA IV, crouching and how long you hold down the trigger.  Firing 4-6 shots at a time is necessary to pick off enemies who are far away from Niko, or else you end up wasting a clip to kill one enemy.  If you aim up as you begin firing you should be able to kill enemies with one burst – getting a headshot.  Not only is this an effective way to kill targets but it saves ammo, and in turn money in the long run.

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Being arrested in GTA IV is not the end of the game.  Like dieing, you will be transported to the nearest Police Station upon arrest, stripped of all your weapons and ammo as well as losing some cash to bribe the police.  With a one star wanted level police will approach you with guns drawn, and if they get too close Niko will put his hands up and be unable to move.  You can fight the arrest by repeatedly pressing the X button.  However, as soon as you break free from the arrest position the police will immediately begin firing on you and you will recieve a warrant level of 2.

If the police are able to open the door of your vehicle, you will automatically be arrested, with no chance of resisting.  Don’t let them open the door or it’s game over man, game over!

Later on in the game it is generally a better idea to end a chase by dieing rather than by being arrested, mainly because buying new guns and new ammo for them is way more expensive then simply paying the 8-10k death fee.

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Empty clips are no good.  If you need to reload out in the open and in a fire fight, roll while you’re doing it.  This has two advantages. One – rolling makes Niko a harder target to hit, and you cannot fire while reloading anways.  Two, rolling while reloading automatically refills your empty clip which functions about the same speed as the reload animation.

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Driving in GTA IV is something you will be doing a lot of throughout the entire game.  Mastering the driving controls comes quickly, and the driving system isn’t too terribly complex at all.  To hijack a vehicle, simply press the triangle button nearby a vehicle and Niko will automatically steal it by ”vacating” the driver, or if it was parked – by smashing the window and hotwiring it.

Now that you have a car you can press the accelerator by holding R2 to get moving.  Control the vehicle with the left analog stick, and control the camera by using the right analog.  Braking comes in two forms,  you can use the hand brake or the standard brake.  The handbrake can be used by pressing/holding R1, and will cause the car to turn sharply either left or right.  It is useful for quick turning, and turning completely around in one maneuver.  The regular brake is done by holding/pressing L2 and will slow down the vehicle.  Useful for quick stops, or slow turns going left or right.

Niko can honk the horn by pressing the left analog stick down.  This can scare people who are blocking your path by crossing the road.  If you hold circle while inside a vehicle, you will enter cinematic mode which is sort of like a “movie” scene showing different camera angles.  Use this is you want to add an even more epic feeling to your 6 star police chase (keeping in mind it is difficult to drive for extended periods using this view.)

You can change the camera position while in a vehicle by pressing select to get to the view you like the most.

Last but not least, Niko can look behind himself by pressing down the R3 (right analog stick.)  Use this to check behind you, and acertain just how many cops are tailing you.

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If you manage to drive your car into deep water, the car will begin to sink.  You will have roughly 3-4 seconds to exit the car before Niko drowns.  Heres a tip if you are having a water stand off with the police.  normally, you cannot fire weapons while swiming – which leaves Niko a sitting duck for enemy fire.  If you have driven a car into the water, you can climb on top of it using the square button and then use the roof of the car as a platform to fire off of.

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Niko can throw both the Molotov and the grenade out of any vehicle while he is driving.  While in a vehicle, cycle to your grenades by pressing square.  Once you have the grenades/Molotovs selected hold L1 to prime the grenade, and release L1 to throw the grenade out of driver side window.

Once again, if you hold the grenade too long – it explodes and Niko dies.

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GTA IV’s realism adds several interesting advantages for Niko as he attempts to etch out a living for himself in Liberty City.  Take for instance that you are able to shoot out car windows, and aim at targets who are still in their cars.  Free-look aiming for targets that are still within their vehicles gives Niko a huge tactical advantage, as enemies such as police will not fire on you until they have exited their car.

This can also become handy in missions that require Niko to assassinate an enemy within a set amount of time.  Simply run them off the road, and shoot them while they sit in their car.

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While running, Niko can quickly turn around and continue at the same speed in the opposite direction by holding down on the left analog stick.  Useful if you notice a large amount of police pulling up infront of you and you need to run for it.

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