Published May 19, 2008
Grand Theft Auto IV™
has fifty unique achievements, and as usual, some of them require a bit
of effort. In this edition of our Liberty City Achievement Guide, we'll
discuss the side mission achievements of GTA IV.
Unlock some Gamerscore!
Manhunt (15 Gamerscore)
Accessible
from any police car, these seek and destroy Most Wanted missions are
relatively straightforward affairs. Like every other achievement
though, there are a few suggestions that can help smooth the way to
quick success.
- There are thirty total Most Wanted
missions, with each major island (Dukes and Bohan counting as one)
featuring ten missions each.
- You can access the Most Wanted
missions any time after you've completed the Crime and Punishment
mission. Tap LB when the police car is at a complete stop to access the
computer. Then, select Most Wanted from the menu and choose any of the
available options.
- Finding and stealing a police cruiser can be
a dangerous business, but you can alleviate the risk just by dialing
9-1-1 and asking for police assistance. When the cops show up, at least
one officer should exit the car peacefully, giving you the chance you
need to swipe it without bloodshed.
Cleaned the Mean Streets (20 Gamerscore)
This
second police car-based achievement is both quicker and easier to power
through than its Most Wanted counterpart. Tap LB when the squad car is
at a complete stop to access the police computer and then select
Current Crimes from the menu.
You can make things a good deal
easier on yourself by singling out the "criminal on foot" crimes rather
than the exciting but much more challenging "vehicle stolen" capers,
which require unpredictable high-speed chases through the streets of
Liberty City where a single mishap can spell failure.
Ten point achievement, coming right up.
Consider
also that Current Crime missions are timed, so if you don't reach the
criminal marked on your map before the timer runs out, you'll fail the
mission. However, once you reach the target you'll have all the time in
the world to finish them off. You'd be wise then not to trust the
in-game GPS system since it doesn't take into account any path that
doesn't involve a road. Instead, open up the in-game map yourself and
pick out the fastest path available.
Order Fulfilled (10 Gamerscore)
This
achievement, which requires you to steal cars for Brucie and deliver
them to his garage, practically plays itself. All that's required is a
visit to the Internet café in order to read and reply to Brucie's
e-mail requesting a specific car. Once you've replied to the e-mail, a
GPS marker will appear on your map. Head to the marker, grab the car,
and deliver the ride. You'll be paid based on the car's condition, so
make sure to drive carefully, and visit a Pay n' Spray to repair the
car if you beat it up along the way.
You Got the Message (20 Gamerscore)
Hunting
down thirty cars for Stevie can prove laborious without a plan of
attack, but luckily the text messages he sends usually offer enough
clues to track down the vehicle in question. Try the following:
- While
the in-game map has its uses, the physical map that comes with the game
is much more useful for these missions. Not only does it call out the
names of each neighborhood, but every street is labeled as well. Keep
this map handy anytime you're hunting for cars.
- Once you have a
rough idea where the car is located, set a waypoint on your map and
take a quick-travel taxi ride to that point. Tap A once the taxi is
underway to skip the ride and go right to the waypoint.
- While
the photograph of the car in Stevie's text messages is useful, it's the
surrounding environment in the photo that really clues you in on their
location. Make a note of the landmarks surrounding the car in the
picture and then scan the horizon to track them down.
- If
Stevie's directions include landmarks rather than street names in their
description, take a helicopter to the neighborhood and scan the area
from the sky. For example, the outdoor pool in Steinway is tough to
notice at ground level, but you'll spot it immediately from the sky.
The bird's eye view sees all.
Assassin's Greed (20 Gamerscore)
Niko's
assassin-for-hire services come into play only after completing the
Truck Hustle mission. Once they're available, you can run through all
nine of them back-to-back if you so desire. While each mission is
different than the last, there are a few general pointers that should
put your targets to bed sooner rather than later.
- Don't
forget your employer will always leave you a bullet-proof vest and a
weapon when starting a mission. You can find them just on the other
side of the fence from the phone you use to trigger the missions.
- Whenever
possible, use your sniper rifle to pick off the targets from afar. If
you get too close to the target, you'll often trigger an attempted
escape, but the sniper rifle's range allows you to reach out and touch
your target without them ever knowing you were there.
- Be
careful to note whether or not your target has access to an escape
vehicle. If they do, take the vehicles out first with grenades or a
rocket launcher. You can always chase down an enemy on foot, but once
they fly off in a vehicle things get much more complicated.
Courier Service (10 Gamerscore)
Little
Jacob's delivery side missions are fairly straightforward affairs, but
no one likes repeating a mission so bear the following in mind:
- While
you must always track down Little Jacob's broken down car to retrieve
the package, you don't have to drive it to the drop off point. You need
only get in the car for Niko to pick up the package. After that, you
can hop back into your car of choice. This is particularly useful
during the timed delivery runs.
- When ambushed by a rival gang,
don't stand and fight but rather sprint past the nearest group of
enemies and find cover immediately. You might take an initial shot or
two, but you won't be surrounded.
- Don't stick around and fight
with Little Jacob's customers if the cops show up. Rather, immediately
run for your car and hightail it out of there before you increase your
wanted rating even more.
Take your own ride to the delivery spot.
No More Strangers (5 Gamerscore)
To
clear up any confusion, this achievement doesn't require that you
encounter every distinct pedestrian and character model in the game.
Rather, scattered across Liberty City are specific "strangers," which
you must approach, talk with, and then play through their unique side
missions.
You can track down these strangers by spotting a small,
blue stick figure icon on the mini-map or the city map in the Start
menu. The icons will only display though if you're within a block or
two of the stranger, so keep a watchful eye on the map throughout your
travels.
The preceding tips should shed some light on the side missions in GTA IV. Now go, and enjoy Liberty City!
Article by Ryan Trei