All-new GTA 4 multiplayer info revealed

GameTap has posted some hands-on impressions of GTA 4’s multiplayer game modes, four of which they got to play. The final game will include 15 multiplayer modes.

16 players are supported on both Xbox 360 and PS3, either online or over a LAN, and each game mode promises a wealth of customisation options. These range from team balancing and weapon types to police presence, pedestrians and enemy location markers.

The modes GameTap was able to play were Team Deathmatch, GTA Race, Cops ‘n Crooks and Hangman’s Noose. Much like EA’s Burnout Paradise the switch from offline single-player to online multiplayer in GTA 4 is seamless, with players simply having to access their in-game mobile phone to get online. The mobile also comes in handy during multiplayer game modes, with players able to call up the opposition and deliver some trash talk.

The preview states that online is split into ranked and unranked matches, with the ranked variety where players will want to spend most their time once they’ve picked up the basics. Here players will earn cash for winning, which in turn can be used to open up more character customisation options. Accumulated cash will also be used by Rockstar to determine a player’s skill level.

The most interesting of the multiplayer game modes GameTap got to play is Cops ‘n Crooks, a cooperative game type in which players work together to get their boss character from point A to point B. One team plays as the criminals who must escort their boss, with the other team in hot pursuit as the cops.

Another interesting mode is Hangman’s Noose, which presents cooperative, objective-based missions with four human-controlled characters going up against a vast AI opposing force. Each of the missions begins with a cutscene and it’s then up to the four-man team to complete the set goals using teamwork.

More familiar to GTA players will be GTA Race, in which up to 16 players can race to the finish. Cars will be destructible and players will also be able to arm themselves with weapons to gain the upper hand. The game will also feature a straight-up GT race mode in which no weapons are allowed.

Perhaps most exciting is that the entire GTA 4 Liberty City map will be open to explore in multiplayer modes, giving players the freedom to approach each game type and situation how they wish.

Grand Theft Auto IV is scheduled for release on April 29 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.