If Grand Theft Auto IV is anything like the previous iterations, it will offer a robust single-player experience, the kind that can last several hundred hours. That always worked well in the past, but Rockstar decided that wasn't enough this time around and added a sizable multiplayer component. Here's the challenge for Rockstar: create a multiplayer experience good enough to convince players to leave the single-player campaign for a little while. That's a tall task. After spending a day checking out four of the MP modes, we're pretty certain Rockstar's succeeded.

Riding+tandem+on+a+bike+is+a+whole+lot+of+fun.

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Multiplayer is accessed from the single-player game via Niko's cell phone and supports up to 16 players. Oh, and the entire world runs at the same time. That's right -- all the pedestrians, traffic and cops are there. The entire city is open to you and your fifteen friends in apparently every mode.And that's what it feels like to have your mind blown.You won't play the story mode in multiplayer. In fact, no one gets to be Niko online. Instead, you'll create a custom character (dude or babe) from about a half-dozen options. While the options we were shown were fairly limited, new clothes and accessories unlock as you rank up. Ranks run from 0-10, with experience earned by collecting cash in multiplayer. Cash is dropped by opponents and can be nabbed by anyone and is also automatically earned for performing certain tasks in the various modes. We didn't get to experience the leveling system, but it appears fairly simple. It's meant to reward you for playing a lot of multiplayer, but leveling up your character isn't the focus as it tends to be in Call of Duty 4 and Rainbow Six Vegas 2.We weren't given a view of the lobby system, but from Rockstar's hints, it sounds like you will just run around going Bananarama in Liberty City until someone launches a game. The good news is that when a game is set up, the host has a myriad of options depending on the mode. This is everything from turning on cops (yes, you can have a wanted level in multiplayer), adjusting the density of traffic, selecting from several weather options (fog and heavy rain being the coolest), time of day, and even what radio station is playing. We counted sixteen options for one mode and the others had similar amounts.Playing with eight people, we only had one instance of slowdown. And that was when all of us were firing RPGs into a crowd of cops. At that point, the game just sort of threw up it hands and said, "Come on, seriously?" Except for this brief moment of slowdown, our hours enjoying GTA IV Before we break down each of the four modes played (Team Deathmatch, GTA Race, Cops N Crooks and Hangman's NOOSE), there is one significant gameplay change from single-player mode. When playing MP, your names shows above your head along with a colored dot. However, if you crouch, your name disappears, making you tougher to spot. And if you use cover, both your name and dot disappear. It may sound insignificant, but both bring an unexpected pacing to GTA multiplayer by rewarding you for being strategic in your combat.Aside from this, the gameplay is basically the same as in single-player. There is no dumbing down of the game. So you will be able to take cover, jack cars, climb up buildings, swim, run over pedestrians and toss Molotov cocktails out the window of your car, just as you can with Niko in the main campaign. No, you won't have a main story component, but if you've trained in single-player, you should be able to do well in multiplayer. Unless you're playing against people at Rockstar. Damn you to hell, Hove Beachin!