Grand Theft Auto IV Gameplay Video Roundup

Race day

Steroid-sozzled car whore Brucie is one of the game's more wonderful creations. He's f***** SPECTACULAR, man. WOO. After earning his trust by stealing a bunch of cars for him, Brucie becomes your access point to the street racing side-missions in the game. Here, then, we bring you a clip of your very first taste of sports car action - indeed, at full velocity GTA puts many dedicated driving games to shame. And best of all, if you win you get to keep the supercharged motor. As Brucie likes to say, "stay alpha".

Suicide mission

Liberty City may not be the full state-wide experience that San Andreas was, but the scale and the detail really are quite remarkable. And there is no better way to appreciate this magnificent city than from atop its tallest skyscraper - GTA's own Empire State Building.

A marker outside the entrance gives you instant access to the top balcony, and binoculars dotted around the perimeter allow you to indulge in the virtual tourism on offer. Then, of course, there's really nothing else quite like leaping off to your death. Hard to believe Crackdown's only just over a year old.

Comedy club

Much has been made of celebrity involvement in the latest Grand Theft Auto - a series that has never struggled to attract A-listers in search of credibility by association. Tune in to the various radio stations and you'll hear Iggy Pop, Juliette Lewis and Karl Lagerfeld all trying their hand at that DJing lark.

Elsewhere, stars are also given the freedom to do what comes naturally. Having glimpsed Katt Williams and Ricky Gervais in TV ads and heard them trailer on the radio, the Comedy Club hosts stand-up routines from both of them, and here are some of the highlights. Apparently when he reviewed it, Tom put these on while he ate lunch, for "continuous all-day reviewing". He's genetically different.

Who needs GPS?

We're rounding off our first batch of GTA IV video coverage with a journey that takes Niko on a rather scenic route through Liberty City. Starting off on an airport runway and pursued by angry cops, Niko races clear, flying across a bridge into the heart of the metropolis, before heading down to the water and ditching the wheels.

From here it's a short front-crawl over to Happiness Island, home to the Statue of Liberty, for more tourist indulgence, before hopping on a boat back to the mainline. Well, that was the plan anyway...