In GTA IV, enemies will often announce their intentions to other enemies nearby.  If you pay attention, you can use this to your advantage to avoid being flanked or “jumped” by enemies rushing right up to you.  Enemies may state something like “I’m going in” or “I’ve got a shot” when they are about to rush you or have you in their sights.  React accordingly, and you can escape from some pretty tight situations.

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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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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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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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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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You may have noticed how slowly Niko switches weapons, and that it takes a long time to cycle through the weapons by only using left and right on the D-pad.  To avoid this, use the fast weapon switch by  holding down L1 and pressing either, up, down, left or right on the D-pad.

Pressing up on the D-pad will cycle between your rifle weapon, and your machinegun weapon.  Pressing left will switch to your pistol, and pressing left while holding L1 will switch to your grenade weapon.  Finally, if you press down on the D-pad, you will switch to your shotgun.

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To disarm an enemy, you must first dodge their attack with the weapon.  Simply by pressing X right as the enemy swings and Niko dodge the attack. Niko can also perform counter attacks after a successful dodge.  Pressing square or triangle after a dodge will make Niko perform a unique counter attack, which does heavy damage.

Be warned, jabs are extremely difficult – if not impossible to dodge.  Also be aware that Niko isn’t the only one who can block, as enemies are able to block Niko’s attacks as well.

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Niko never uses his seat belt while cruising around Liberty City, creating chaos and general mayhem. This unfortunately results in Niko going airborne through the windshield if he hits any solid object like a cement block or a house, which is also followed by a rather horrifying scream. This can be extremely damaging to Niko’s health and may also result in Niko becoming an involuntary speed bump for other vehicles on the road.

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