6. Tri-State?
Size is important in GTA. Though it's highly unlikely we'll be jumping on a plane to Vice City to open a club and lay on a yacht, we can expect to stretch our legs outside of Liberty City. San Andreas was one city within a whole State, so why not the same for Liberty City? Unfortunately the greenery of Connecticut and the Tri-State won't be in GTA IV, with Rockstar preferring to offer a more detailed, realistic single city as opposed to a sprawling state.
7. Freedom
So we won't be able to venture out of the city, but that doesn't mean GTA IV will lack freedom. Far from it. In fact, this will be the most freeform game yet. You won't have to accept missions on a set story path but instead be able to choose your missions and even just "hang out" with characters. A new cellphone system is in place too, to enable you to call and email characters for chats or to arrange meets and missions. The idea is you will be living in a real world, with real people.
8. Cochrane Dam
Moving beyond the city doesn't mean a lack of variety. Old landmarks from GTA II could be developed into grand settings proper. For example, the old Cochrane Dam would look stunning rendered in the RAGE engine. The greater freedom this technology should offer will also affect the kinds of missions set around the dam, if indeed it does return. Perhaps you'll have to save the city, or destroy it?
9. Reinvention
The idea of treating GTA IV as a new beginning for the franchise would also sit well with this being the fifth time that the series has used Liberty City as a setting - including handheld releases - plus GTA IV will mark the 10th anniversary of the GTA franchise. It's the ideal time to take advantage of the latest technology to reinvent the series and populate it with new weird and wonderful characters.
10. Coney Island
The trailer clearly shows a new never-before-seen Coney Island-style fairground. So what can we expect from a fairground attraction? Well, we could ride the Chunder Wheel in Vice City Stories, so it's fair to say you'll be able to take a ride on the Screamer in GTA IV. How about enabling us to design and build our own rollercoasters? Or a mission where you have to sabotage a ride? What a great way to assassinate an unwanted Mayor and leave the road to City Hall wide open.
