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This time around, there are lots of indications that GTA IV will look impressive. Better lighting and more realistic character models are just the tip of the iceberg on what we can expect visually. And while painting a beautiful portrait for gamers is needed and very important, it wouldn't really have an impact unless game play elements that were a deficiency in past installments were addressed. Thankfully, it appears that GTA IV will employ a revamped control scheme.

Perhaps the most deficient element of this series has always been the targeting system. Over the course of this series, many missions required you to dispatch several enemies at one time. The clunky targeting system of the past made it difficult to lock on to the person or item that you needed and would often result in mission failure. This time around, GTA IV utilizes a system that is reminiscent of today's console first person shooters. By pulling in the left trigger of your control pad and flicking the right analog stick you can cycle through multiple targets very quickly.

And even better, there are options to target specific limbs so that you can more easily execute that satisfying head shot or punish your enemy by shooting them in the leg. It doesn't stop there though. Maybe just as equal a game play improvement is that the player now has camera control via the right analog stick. How many mission failures have resulted in the past due to a bad camera angle? It's likely that due to the nature of this series, gamers will always experience some level of camera frustration. Hopefully though, this new addition will alleviate many of those past problems.

Other new additions include the ability for Niko to climb certain ledges of buildings, similar to what we saw in Crackdown, although don't expect Niko to display superhuman abilities. Thus far, we've also learned that alcohol consumption will play a role in GTA IV and getting drunk will have adverse affects on your ability to control the on-screen action. Quite frankly, there are still plenty of secrets to be uncovered as we move closer to the release date. Fans of the series can rest easy though, knowing that apart from much needed game play improvements it appears that GTA IV will provide the same level of enjoyment as past installments.