Until then, you'll need to get used to driving, fighting, managing your connections via cell phone and using the in-game internet. Let's put it this way: it's not until several missions into the storyline that you'll even get your first gun.
It'll give you time to readjust to the gameplay (which despite a lot of reinvention and fine-tuning, will be instantly familiar to anyone who's ever played GTA) and to adjust to exactly how deep and complex the game is. In a way, then, being confined to the unsexy boroughs of Broker (Brooklyn) and Dukes (Queens) while you get your bearings is a blessing. You might miss a lot along the way, but at least you won't get stuck in traffic or be chased by police after accidentally running over some hobo. Sometimes, though, you may find that stealing a car just isn't as fun as hailing a cab and just teleporting to your destination instantly. (Don't start cheering all at once, now.) You can toggle motion controls as an option for each vehicle type, but the only feature we ended up using for more than a few minutes was the one that let us reload Niko's guns by just jerking the pad upward.
PS3 owners get something 360 players don't, though: Sixaxis motion controls. Once you do, they'll give you a lot of fine control over your speed, but somehow, they just don't feel quite as natural as the 360's triggers - or, for that matter, either controller's face buttons. On the PS3, using the Sixaxis/Dual Shock 3's R2/L2 triggers to accelerate and brake might take a bit of getting used to. Your handbrake doesn't seem to work the way it used to, either instead, you'll rely heavily on your "main" brakes to slide around effectively, while the handbrake is a modifier that enables sharper stops and turnarounds. Driving feels a lot different this time around in many ways it's smoother, but more realistic handling (especially on the crappier, clunkier cars) also means it's a lot harder to brake or turn corners at high speeds, even if you're good enough to slide between lanes of traffic without scratching your doors. Of course, this is a Grand Theft Auto game, so you'll spend a lot of time behind the wheel of a car (or motorbike, or boat, or helicopter). You won't have any magical parkour abilities, but you will be able to climb ledges, ladders and fire escapes, so it's all a matter of knowing where to look. This version of Liberty City is filled with vertical spaces and seamless building interiors to explore, and a lot of the cool stuff is hidden up on rooftops - if you can find a way to get up there. It's also absolutely huge, and not just in terms of raw acreage. More importantly, it's all crammed with cool secrets to discover, ranging from weapons, cars and pigeons (GTA IV's version of Hidden Packages) to random people on the street who'll approach you and ask for your help. Everything, from the crowded, borough-specific traffic and self-absorbed passersby to the imposingly tall buildings, comes together to make the town convincingly like the real thing. Nearly as large as the state of San Andreas and easily a hundred times more detailed, Grand Theft Auto IV's game world looks and feels like New York City. Probably the biggest reason to delve into GTA IV is Liberty City itself.