It’s not long before I’ve bust it up pretty bad – showing off the real-time vehicle damage in all its glory. This baby needs care, clearly, and no small amount of skill. Turning feels like trying to move a metal mountain. I need to break absolutely ages before I take a corner. I press B (I’m playing the Xbox 360 version of the game) to check out the Banshee from cool cinematic angles. So now, with some lovely, clear, wide open road in front of me, I put my foot down. I jacked it from some loser back in Dukes (Queen’s) as soon as Mr Rockstar spied it. I’m in the Banshee – GTA 4’s coolest, baddest, shiniest, fastest car. But up North the population starts to thin, the roads start to empty and my finger starts to twitch. Algonquin is densely packed, with spiralling skyscrapers, imposing government offices, heavy traffic and plenty of people enjoying the beautiful, sunny weather. The barrier comes up, I travel through, and I’m there. Niko reaches out and pops a couple of dollars into the machine.
I pass through the toll station, slowing down by the barrier like a good citizen. I don’t want to so much as nick this baby, it’s just too damn sexy to ruin. And so I slowly work my way towards the Three Boroughs Bridge, trying desperately to avoid attention. Algonquin, Liberty City’s version of Manhattan, it is then. “Where’s the best place for putting my foot down?” I ask my Rockstar guide, a smirk creeping across my face.
