GTA IV tips

There are many little Grand Theft Auto IV tips & tricks that you can learn. Here are a few, feel free to add your own!

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• BRAKE when you turn! Because of the new physics system, vehicles handle more realistically. As a result, don't just hammer on the accelerator. You need to find the right balance between using the handbrake and the normal brake when you take your turns. This becomes an invaluable skill (both online and off) to have when chasing someone or evading an enemy. Go slower than you think you should and take wide turns finding the apex, just like Gran Turismo or another simulator racing game.

• Shoot the legs! If you can't bring down an enemy by shooting them in the head, shoot 'em in the knees. They'll crumple to the ground and you can get more shots in them. This is also a great tactic for fleeing enemies.

• To move up/down stairs more quickly, jump up/down them, you go much faster. Just be careful not to jump in the direction of the stair's edge, as you might vault over the side and fall.

• Use the "Sleep Mode" on your Mobile Phone. If you just want to cruise around Liberty City without being nagged by mission-givers, go to the Options in your phone and choose to turn Sleep Mode ON. This will halt the story's progress so you can call up your friends to hang out with them or just do whatever.

• Un-bloodify your clothes. Did you just get your new suit all bloody and you have an interview in 30 minutes? You can go eat any type of food or go to a safe house and either sleep or change your clothes & back again. Good as new. However, by saving (and therefore sleeping), time advances 6 hours, so you miss that interview in 30 minutes anyway. But i prefer eating.

• Many of the Assassin's missions can be simplified if you can get hold of a helicopter. Just land on a high position overlooking the target and take them out using your sniper rifle.

• If you are trying to get the achievement where you must destroy 10 vehicles in 10 seconds, follow this method. Get a large vehicle like a Bus and go to the large, main bridge. Park the bus so it is blocking all vehicles and when you see 10 vehicles, simply fire an RPG at one of them and wait for the Achievement to pop up.

• NEVER attempt to drive-by a car that's traveling behind you. You will end up crashing and quickly owned by police/team 2. The best idea is to either let a passenger do the shooting or brake and wait for them to fly ahead of your car and then shoot.

• If you are ever in need of a Police Car, a Firetruck or an Ambulance, but are careful to take one in the middle of town, just call 911 and request one. You can do this somewhere in a dark side-alley, making it much easier to grab the car without too much attention. This can even save you a long trip, as getting into an Ambulance gives you a good amount of health back.

• How to deal with blind firing enemies. If an enemy is blind firing like his life depended on it, aim for his arm/hand, as it is exposed when blind firing. If you hit it, he'll likely stumble out into the open, where you can hopefully kill him.

• We've all been there. You look around, think that everything is clear and as you smash the window of a car the alarm comes on and a Squad Car comes around the corner. No worries. As long as they see you neither sitting in the car nor smashing the window, the alarm doesn't seem to bother them. Just interrupt your action, wait until the Police are gone and then get into the car.

• Buy armor! If you know a firefight is coming up, buy yourself some armor. If the mission's begun, don't worry. The second destination listed in the taxi's besides the "objective" is the weapons store.

• Keep the meter running, cabbie! If you just need to buy some ammo or food real quickly, when the cabbie drops you off, wait a second or two and whistle for the cab again. Then run and buy your stuff. Come back out and he'll be waiting for you right where he left you, if not, then he's around the corner.

• If you leave a crime-scene in a helicopter, it is incredibly easy to lose any wanted level. They also work very nicely for any kind of chase-mission, as they are much faster than cars and you can keep better track of your target. Just be careful not to fly too high, as that counts into the maximum allowed distance to your target. That can make following targets in Algonquin a little tricky.

• Niko Bellic will get injured if you crash on a motorbike or with a car hitting something like a barricade head on. You can avoid this by letting go of the gas and don't drive too fast, even with fast vehicles

• If you have a 1 or 2 star wanted level, then you can easily get away from the police by jumping into water and swimming away. The police in GTA 4 doesn't follow you into the water and the police cruisers keep to the roads only. And the police will only use boats if you have 3 or more stars. Be careful though, if you swim too far away from land and end up in a restricted/unlocked area, you will instantly get a 6 star level; so stick to the coast.

• Another great spot to steal a Police Car is always the local Police Station. The one in Algonquin, which also features Francis McReary's missions, has a Squad Car parked behind it. No one will see you take it.

• Looking for a helicopter with a little more style? You can find an Annihilator parked atop the Police Station in Northern Holland (and also at the Francis Airport police station). Good luck stealing it though, the Cops there are armed to the teeth.

• If you're ever caught in a chase with the police, try to avoid driving too fast and instead constantly make turns around corners (watch out for cars that you may crash into). Also, keep track of where the cops are on your minimap.

• If you are in a police car and you turn on your sirens and then you hold down the horn button it will signal some alternate police sirens until you release the horn button.

• When doing races for Brucie, there are two things which are important: Always choose a car that you can control i.e. has good brakes and steering. A good example is the Comet. Also, shooting the tires off the other cars while racing will give you an excellent advantage.

• Tired of waiting for your favorite cinematic view to show up? You can change the camera by pushing the right analog stick left or right. Now you will never miss your best view.

• If Niko Bellic has lost a lot of health, you can call the Paramedics from your phone and they will restore his heath for a fee. It can be expensive, though (anywhere from $600 - $1000). To get some, if not all, of your money back, simply kill/knock out the paramedic that fixed you up. Evil, but necessary.