Grand Theft Auto IV screenshots compared with actual New York City landmarks

Posted Apr 01, 2007 at 06:50AM by Karl B. Listed in: Grand Theft Auto 4, Games, Opinions & Analysis Tags: London, New York

It has only been a few days since the Grand Theft Auto IV trailer finally hit the Internet and there's already a sizable backlash against the game coming from New York's political camps. This backlash may have been fueled (additionally - we mean, somebody's already made enough of a stink about Take-Two, Rockstar and this series that almost everybody and their mother's waiting to see what all the fuss is about) by the mention of a "mythical city that bears a striking resemblance to New York" in the NY Daily News.

So, just how striking a resemblance does the city in Grand Theft Auto IV bear compared to the actual New York City? By way of a few screenshots and images of New York's recognizable landmarks, GamesRadar decided to try out a little side by side comparison. You can check 'em out below this hunk of text.

A quick perusal of the comparisons shows that, indeed, fictional Liberty City is as close to new York as you can possibly get without having the whole city take you to court for plagiarism or some such. As GamesRadar reports, Grand Theft Auto IV is "approaching the whole city thing in the same manner as The Getaway did for London."

All of this realism could also mean a less-cartoony style of gameplay, but somehow, we just couldn't see this title losing the flamethrowers.

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39 Comments

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by BObby (Unregistered) - 2007-04-01

» New York New York

Thats my New York Baby, Brooklyn all day. All you people who keep saying its liberty city from GTA 3, you are retarted and please kill yourself..i mean now...go!. But anyway its New York trust me stop being a ***** since its not wack London or Nebraska so STFU..NYC FTW!!

Re: JoRaPi (Unregistered) - 2007-04-01

» This IS Liberty City

If you look at the posters in the trailer (specifically the signs that say "Welcome to Liberty City", and "I Love Liberty City", it IS Liberty City. Just a newly designed Liberty City that looks almost exactly like NYC.

Re: bobbystupid (Unregistered) - 2007-04-01

» yup u are

shut up u dumb ***** before i kill you, your wrong its a re-vamped liberty city u kno-it-all F@ck, go kill yourself as well as you family so that we can rid the world of such stupidity

Re: xche78x - 2007-04-02

» which is the ps3 shot?

anyways im just joking.
it looks like the city of liberty, so whats to be frantic about it. these politicians are really annoying. there are a lot of sex and violent movies shot at places and used real name places but still shown to people.
ok so to stop these politicians or fame riders, rockstar should just make the next gta's location on ANOTHER PLANET. politicians will pissed when they dont have fame to ride on.

Re: sogay (Unregistered) - 2007-04-02

» sdfs

im so special i live in a city there making a video game about, that must make me almost as special as the 8 million other people who live in nyc. go jump in front of one of those great subways nyc is so famous for.

by acrre (Unregistered) - 2007-04-01

» _

Dude calm down, I live in New York also but you dont see me going crazy. Looks like a kick ass game.

Re: xche78x - 2007-04-02

» yeah

we know! new york citizens are perfectly sane, its the leading fame hunters who is the problem and are crazy all the wal.

by Constantine (Unregistered) - 2007-04-01

» Idiot

Was that post really necessary? It has done nothing to add to the article in which it was posted. Please, get a job and a life.

Re: Advertising -

Re: acrre (Unregistered) - 2007-04-01

» _

Really, but when this game comes out I am going to get it. I liked how is GTA SA you could skydive so i hope you can to that in this one.

by hurricane (Unregistered) - 2007-04-01

» GTA

def going to be a great game no matter what anybody says rockstar is great at making controversial games ands this will be no different. i live by nyc and hell there is going to be millions of things you can go in the city and also elsewhere i am sure meaning other citites or even another country with the extra content

by Johny North (Unregistered) - 2007-04-01

» Wow wow wee wa

Dang this is going to be sick. Agree with the sky dive comment, I want to jump off the empire state building.
Hope this game will have a demo like Saints Row.

by CHUCKINGROCKSATSPACESHIPS - 2007-04-01

» This Game

Every time I see info on this it makes me want to play it even more.

by chris (Unregistered) - 2007-04-01

» wow

Some of you idiots still believe that GTA4 is just a revamped version of Liberty City. Well then explain the Coney Island Cyclone image comparison? That's not in NYC, proving that GTA4 takes place in the entire STATE of NY. Those bridges shown in the trailer, in real life, go to brooklyn and queens.

Re: fd (Unregistered) - 2007-04-01

» NO SH*T

Please point out to me where someone said the game takes place ONLY in NYC. The idiots above were arguing whether or not this is a direct copy of NYC or a revamped Liberty City (which it is), no one ever said the games takes place ONLY in Liberty City.

Re: Greek Assassin (Unregistered) - 2007-04-01

» Your an idot

Coney Island is in NYC retard. Its in Brooklyn. Brooklyn and Queens are in NYC, along with Manhattan, Staten Island and The Bronx I know, I live here.

Re: he he (Unregistered) - 2007-04-02

» who whoooo

get a map you twit.

by help me plz (Unregistered) - 2007-04-01

» free xbox 360

Check out this site
They're giving away Xbox 360's!
Click here: http://freexbox360.com/index.php?referral=662477
Im working on my 3rd one now!

Re: Advertising -

Re: CHUCKINGROCKSATSPACESHIPS - 2007-04-01

» Give Me One Then

Or piss off!

by chris (Unregistered) - 2007-04-01

» yo greekassasin

Coney Island is NOT in NYC. Brooklyn is NOT in NYC. Queens is NOT in NYC. NYC is another name for Manhattan, which is a totally different borough, jackass. And yes I lived in Brooklyn for 10 years, I have family in Queens and in NYC, and I visit Coney Island.

Re: farelli (Unregistered) - 2007-04-01

» no

That's a common misconception. NYC encompasses the five boroughs.

Re: loller (Unregistered) - 2007-04-01

» Nope

I guess you either never knew much about the place you lived in for a decade and still don't or it was different then. A quick Google search of "map of new york city" and you will find this

http://www.nycvisit.com/content/index.cfm?pagePkey+15

I live on the other side of the country and have never left it and even I know those are boroughs of New York City.

Re: stupid (Unregistered) - 2007-04-02

» asfdaf

You have to wait before you can post comments again in this article.
with all this stupidity goin around i barely have enough time to keep you twits in check. how can people be so confident when there so wrong, ignorance i guess. NYC Encompases all five boroughs that includes the boroughs that your geographically retarded relatives live in.

by nights (Unregistered) - 2007-04-01

» Um why?

Do the screenshots of IV look better than actual new york? lol

by killa_kali (Unregistered) - 2007-04-02

» ***** nyc

why they ***** did rockstar take us back to city of pussies . they should went back to cali with compton and who map . really this sucks . im not going buy this , uma go by 2days to vegas exclusive;y on ps3 . ***** xbox360 and gta4 sold out after *****ing with microsoft.

Re: SlamSlayer (Unregistered) - 2007-04-02

» Fkin moron

Fanboys are so retarded. Oh looks at me exclusive to ps3 (which by the way prob wont be for long at the rate sony is going). Im a gamer not a fanboy. Uma go by? Learn some fking grammar retard

Re: xsc (Unregistered) - 2007-04-02

» NYC FTW

I actually wouldn't have bought it if it was set in Cali again, NYC is so much more fun to play. SA is my least favorite game of the series, organized crime is much more interesting that the pathetic gangs of CA

by Paka (Unregistered) - 2007-04-02

» Liberty

Wheres the statue of liberty?

Re: Advertising -

Re: doritos (Unregistered) - 2007-04-18

» ya douche

i think it's called the statue of happiness

by cody (Unregistered) - 2007-04-02

» stop being dumb

its not liberty city

liberty city has been in almost 4 gta games

they won't use it again

its a slightly differbt version of new york

BRONX ALL DAY

by smarty (Unregistered) - 2007-04-02

» lol, who cares which

*Based on NYC, but knowing Rockstar, they will give it another name.

by Rayn389 (Unregistered) - 2007-04-02

» haha

libery city was a replicated newyork...the new GTA IS NEW YORK

by Chris (Unregistered) - 2007-04-02

» Liberty for all

LIBERTY CITY, not New York, pay attention to the video. LC is based on NYC, but it is different.

Re: farelli (Unregistered) - 2007-04-02

» no

Liberty City is just one of the boroughs; GTA4 takes place in New York. Did you see the cyclone rollercoaster in the trailer buddy? That rollercoaster is in coney island...that means that GTA4 has other NYC boroughs.

by nine eleven (Unregistered) - 2007-04-02

» new york

Where are the twin towers? Can we get a comparison shot of those?

Re: fsd (Unregistered) - 2007-04-02

» Not cool

Don't even go there bud, it's not funny.

by 5wizz (Unregistered) - 2007-04-02

» libery city/new york city

ok so obviously the gta city bares a huge resemblance to New York City but i doubt it will be called GTA New York so it is most likely that the city will be called liberty city!.........bananas!

so stop arguing you douchbags!

p.s. why the flidduk do you keep having to go on about coming from new york....no one gives a $hit!

Re: sa (Unregistered) - 2007-04-02

» I'm not sure

I think people are arguing whether or not the whole city (all five boroughs of NYC) will just be called "Liberty City" or if the digital recreation of Manhattan will be called Liberty City and the other boroughs will have their own names.

by 5wizz (Unregistered) - 2007-04-03

» NYC?

so does NYC encompass all 5 boroughs?

excuse my ignorance but I'm english

and yes i fliddukin love scones and tea and i have rotten teeth.......Pow!

by Wow. (Unregistered) - 2007-04-07

» Wow.

Does it matter?

And as a matter of fact I'll say that I am from NY just to make people mad.

Anyway, this GTA is in New York. "The Cyclone" in CONEY ISLAND and the BROOKLYN BRIDGE. --__--

Hello. Need I say more. That's much more than Liberty City could offer.

Do you know why? Because Liberty City has none of these because the game's setting is in NEW YORK!