[Music] I killed people smuggled [Music] people sold people and you don't worry about your soul gdf4 will always go down as perhaps one of the most well-founded narrative-driven GTA games of all time a story which borrows itself into the Realms of blind loyalty self-punishment and a sense of purpose over identity and even self-care to be honest all compounded into one single character I'll go as far to say due to all mentioned above Nico Bellic might very well be a better character than all GTA 5 main characters combined and because of how the game focused in developing one single person one set of identity characteristics it turns out to be so realistic to the point of us caring about Niko Bellic which I don't know you just don't feel that in GTA V how [Music] much a thousand you kill my friends for $11,000 how much do you charge to kill someone you ruin with me you [ __ ] the kind of person that you would expect to be molded by the criminal underbelly of a sin infested Metropolis such as Liberty City in 2009 this might sound crazy to you but it can actually beat Red emption 2 in some of the player driven decisions since they fundamentally do change niiko bellic's character development and really most importantly our perspective of who niik Bellic a simple immigrant turn assassin truly is pretty much without a Karma system or anything of the sort you think you know all this because well you play GTA 4 but believe me there are things that I only realize after I painstakingly analyze the full 8 hours of the whole main storyline cinematics are not as refined to show this change in Morality as you typically have in Red emption 2 but decisions really do matter in this game in a way you decide who lives or dies but obviously without really having an idea beforehand what cost your decisions will have you don't get to pick option A kill Michael B kill Trevor C everybody lives you don't know what's going to happen it's unpredictable as life is Family actually means support rather than a silly gimmick pain is a constant factor and Nico's evolution is done through multiple repeated fallbacks as once again real life is really supposed to be about I fell in love with Niko's characters then and I'm even more today no [Music] homo if I decide to turn this whole video into the most boring video in existence I would just simply summarize GTA 4's story to a constant game of catchup yeah all right that's it see you for character that you would describe as a very badass strong man such as Nico it's hard to wrap your mind around the fact he's the reacher no not not that he's the one constantly having to appease people of power it was his reason to escape the Adriatic and his old life then and it will be is reason for survival in Liberty City now despite the fact Nico being lured into Liberty City by his cousin and his endless stream of [ __ ] so so so so you full of craer what what where's luxury condo where's sports car where's Barbara with big titties and Stephany who sucks like a Vic it's true reason as we all may know was a typical quest for Revenge to find and possibly end a man who betray the ones he cared for and even though I'm not trying to follow the story chronologically there is finnally enough a crucial mostly disregarded moment while in the boat so I uh did some dumb things got involved with some idiots ah we all do dumb things that's what makes us human good be this is one of those things that kind of flew over my head Nik spends way too much time of what would be socially normal to reflect what aan just said maybe because he considers there are some mistakes you can't be forgiven for as he travels across the sea with a single one objective to kill the man who betrayed him or perhaps in the attempts of believing it as he himself has done some horrible [ __ ] that would make him a major hypocrite the war came I did bad things but after the war I thought nothing of doing bad things I killed people smuggled people sold people and you don't worry about your soul after you walk into a village and you see 50 Children all sitting neatly in a row against the church wall each with their throats cut and their hands chopped off you realized that the creature that could do this doesn't have a soul Nico has a major character flaw which is good characters are supposed to feel human none of us levitate above the ground throughout the story it tends to disregard his own evils due to the existence of other greater evils but we all know life doesn't work this way for what is worth niiko really does try to come to Liberty City to live a different life but in result of some life hurdles and yes 90% of them being related to Roman and his degenerate gambling addiction Nico finds himself trapped to his whole self almost as if his life that he left across the sea is still chasing him making him so frustrated that he cannot simply be the man that he wants to become what did you do he was going to stab me now he's going to kill you [ __ ] him Liberty City seems to leech any optimism that he has do you understand I do not ask twice for a favor I understand I will get it I thought this country was different but all of the sudden there's a glimmer of hope there's one crucial moment where a decision has to be made a decision of which will allow Nico to follow the correct path towards breaking this Everlasting curse of mindless violence or stray away even further as if he was stuck to the Old Country get [Music] up and once you're dead you can't be all bad stay out of H Beach thank you you won't regret this man I am out of here wanted to live anyway get away from all these people from back home get into the real America you're never going to see me around here again I owe you my life man you're good man you're good man thank you now I'm not here to tell you what is canonically correct but I think I'll speak for the majority that we want a nickel that evolves and for those who might not remember Ivan this poor for sucker here was set up by Vlad and the Russian mob simply because it pissed off Mikel Fon so a cover up story was made a robbery gone wrong he angry at Mel Mr FY offended him he think he's stealing some paperwork from her mom you catch him and kill him then we say it was just a robbery that fell and what if I say I don't want to be your hit man that Mr Fon will be very angry with you and your cousin using Nico and Roman as pawns you're trying to rob my cousin BL B set me up now as I said this is the chance that the player has to develop Nico's character to revindicate his new self this is far from Nico being selfless at the very least so early on into the story but rather claiming his own independence to not be a Mindless Hitman as much as he can possibly avoid especially when Ivan went through some of the same betrayal as Nico did Vlad setting up Ivan the same way as the man in the Old Country set up all of Nico's friends however saving Ivan shows itself to be an unfortunate painful future reminder to Nico that no matter how much he does for people of power he ends up below the lowest cast kind of as if his life was in a sort of loop still serving man of power while Ivan takes his second chance and builds a peaceful life in alery don't worry about it no man this means something I'm the big shot money lender who crues hot apple pie American fiance three times a week and you still ain't made it yet but you're the one saving my life hang in there man and you still hadn't made it yet mind you this is said in the later stage of the game and this is a pattern that you pick up throughout the whole storyline his blind loyalty for man of power will be his biggest hurdle throughout the game a battle that he seems to win now it's fair to say that Niko Bellic initially has no [ __ ] clue how America Works see those boxes on the back of the boat they must be bringing clone meds meds yeah stuff that'll stop housewives cutting their wrists and make their husbands get wood meds Molly sedatives anti-depressants meds so in a face of adversity in unknown territory he retains the only values he ever acquired from the old country loyalty and family loyalty that he had for his country for his comrades and for his family niiko is a soldier through and through and despite the start of a new chapter in his life his constant state of alertness is pretty evident throughout the game I'll get you the money I know and Roman tell this [ __ ] Yule here if he doesn't stop staring at me I'll have his head ched off and put a film of it on the internet how NCO is almost seen as stoic emotionless barely having any interest in indulging in distractions and typical Joys that many of us choose to partake in what do you have glass of water glass of water VOD on the Rocks a man of focus commitment and sheer will if I may say but there's one thing that gets him riled up beyond the usual violence that he's accustomed to uh uh no I think she's messing around with vad I saw his car parked outside the place the other day yeah you knew I had suspicions you [ __ ] knew what was I going to say get an [ __ ] Nic a disloyal user sit down no I'm not going to stand here and have you called me disloyal Nico finds it absolutely unbearable to be called disloyal and in this particular situation let me just add it is absolute [ __ ] for Roman to be calling ni disloyal when he had all these lone sharks on his ass way before Nico arrived in fact putting his own Revenge plan on hold to help his cousin it reminds me too much of sweet and GTS s Andreas just a pair of ungrateful [ __ ] and maybe with someone like Roman who is family you would understand this discontent right this unfairness in being called disloyal most of us would be upset but this strange obsession goes beyond just family responsibility he feels this weird necessity to be called Loyal even by those he considers to be scums and [ __ ] you prove your loyal Go and Kill the guy don't question my loyalty then don't question my orders sick ass reply from Mikel Felson by the way but why is it so important for Nico to be considered loyal by this man in fact Demitri Vlad Playboy X bulgarin I don't know what happened I nearly drowned my heart is bleeding I did my best I didn't [ __ ] up I mean why Bend himself backwards to please these men that will shoot their own employees I AG we that set up their own people well here's where the death of Vlad turns a little switch in nik's mind aanda would pose power over him clearly as Nico was forced to work with blood to clear Roman's deaths getting so easily dispatched by an immigrant nobody that hasn't even left whole Beach yet Roman freaked out there many would because oh my God Nik just killed a Russian mobster we're dead no he's dead we're fine he has powerful friends serious people but even mikale Fon his own boss just disregarded as death as a minor inconvenience you're very lucky what was an idiot the only reason I give him around is because I [ __ ] his sister this wasn't a definite moment when Nico realized that loyalty to these dumb asses is inappropriate and is not going to do him a lot of good but alongside with other moments he slowly but steadily realizes Loyalty means nothing if the people that you're loyal to Aren't Loyal themselves Roman for The Lovable idiot that he is Ramen are you sleeping you fat [ __ ] come on he is loyal to Nico at the end when it was time for him to be there for his cousin despite the risks and fear Roman stepped up thank you both of you but I do not think this is the place for you Roman this is too dangerous you are my cousin Nico and Kate died at my wedding I'm helping you and I guess deep down from the beginning Nico realized this little Jacob was a character that was used as a for of antithesis to represent what Nico used to be in contrast to his new outlook don't mention it was a pleasure I look out for badman like how you look out for ran he's my cousin BL be the thest B there is you know L is not always an easy thing in St B tell me say yo Jacob kill him Jacob show that etc etc always logical but I I follow s orders are sometimes hard you must be sure you agree before you follow I have made that mistake myself a long time ago for real I know you're right to brother but Batman is my bro I F him wherever Little Jacob did have a blind loyalty for Batman and despite Batman not being as ironically as bad as Mikel Fon or Vlad he still commanded Little Jacob as if he was an Aaron boy making him risk jail time and time again over his dirty work and by the amount of betrayal that Nik Endor throughout his Liberty City doover you would expect him to turn into a cold linear killing machine where nothing stands between him and revenge but not really that's not what happened here you have yet another decision to make to be paid by a self- deluded gangster who preaches a higher self and generous attitude despite plugging the streets with poison telling you to kill his best long-term friend because he started hurting business so what you going to do kill him hey I didn't say that man you cold I was joking but what else is there I mean Cas been talking what you can't kill him nope but you can but I don't want to Playboy a is yet another character that that Rockstar uses to test Nico's integrity and I guess our own and yes of course you can take the wrong approach that we all agree is the wrong one to choose Playboy for some blood money and some backstabbing guilt trip I put Dwayne out of his misery you did what you had to do Nico you got yourself that money good for you you want me to come around you took down the Wayne Nico I see your face I see the cat that killed my mentor Dwayne was like a father to me I can't be around you no more it's over between us I don't want no beef but now you and me got some or you can make the absolutely illogical decision from a monetary perspective at least to kill Playboy X and spare a man who hasn't had a single dollar to offer you a man with no powerful friends or any friends to speak of to be honest a man with no perception of how things work anymore a man stuck in the past how you doing [ __ ] [ __ ] great what you think yeah it's hard leaving with the past huh yeah especially when the presence turned into an [ __ ] a man betrayed by those he loved as well again for the objective of making as much money as Nico wanted to make all this to fund his revenge it is absolutely logical for him to not accept the money yet to me it is canonic for Nico to let Dwayne survive because Dwayne is Nico uh look man don't bother no I'll bother I'm getting paid besides you remind me of me I think most GTA 4 players love Dwayne because he can be one of the most grounded characters despite still obviously being a gangster who inflicts damage and hurt in exchange of money but it doesn't really care much other than respect and the ability to Sur survive he is in essence an extremely humble and relatable man to Nico and as the relationship flourishes you can understand Dwayne really has no reason to look at Nico with dollar signs which is an extremely and I mean an extremely rare occurrence in this game as everyone sees Nico as a monetary asset but Dwayne Dwayne only cares about Nico's friendship man you the real deal I owe you big time but we'll talk about that later now you the truth I can't give you no money for helping me son but I got to D the Playboy fancy silk sheep love you can have it hey man I seen where you're living you should take it nah it'll make me remember the kid too much maybe you'll stop by my place sometime though hang out with me I don't have many friends left you know I'll give you a call sometime soon Dwayne even in the allegorical story of Kanan able in GTA 4 with Francis and Derek mcquery you have the option to spare an end of life loser who despite all his flaws is at the very least honest with himself Derek doesn't portray himself to be this criminal who doesn't deserve the hate that he gets just because he does some good in exchange while Francis actually sees Life as a game of tallies you know where Good Deeds clean out the bad ones so Nico when Francis and jail was growing up Frankie becomes an alter boy he swears to this day that he wanted to serve the Lord Jerry knows the truth though he only put on that cassic so he could pocket the change in the collection plate fact that's Francis down to a [ __ ] te I don't even know if he realizes what a crookie is that sounds like the Francis MCG I bet I bet model Community leader my ass most of Derek's sins are in the category of the typical criminal narcissist but considering how we had a mission with Fran where we are test to delete some incriminating images from a flash drive it is fair to say that what he had in that flash drive was at the very least illegal and an extreme abuse of power as police commissioner Derek knows he's bad he knows that he deserves no help that's why he dwells himself into isolation alcoholism and drug addiction yet Nico feels 100 times more comfortable helping those that at the very least don't [ __ ] themselves into thinking they're a better person than what they truly are I'm a good guy I he's got it all wrong he's got but one stain on my character and I'm finished I want to make a difference what even if you choose Francis over Derek niik will not treat Francis with respect at all in fact he will use Frances the same way Francis used Nico through the use of Leverage well it's done you and me are over at least Jerry and py are honest about what they do you're a crook hiding behind his badge at the reputation you know what Frankie boy I'm going to use that I ever feel the heat on me I'll call you and you're going to make [ __ ] go away that cool sounds like I don't have a choice this is a character trait that you can analyze throughout the whole game pledging an allegiance to what he considers truly important and more and more especially in the later parts of the game you can see a nio that at the stay age does not give a single [ __ ] about money osan's shipmate was out here selling fake Gucci bags and yet still helped them yeah the immigrants is the slave class in this country working for nothing but the whole place would be shut down without them I've been screwed over by a few employers as well Nico you're amazing a [ __ ] savior he starts getting joy in helping people people that don't have any power over him that matter AB absolutely nothing have some cash Mary look after yourself I'll try Nico thanks I was right you are in the one moment you might have seen Nico in a main cut scene actually smiling laughing even it's at his cousin's wedding thanks for coming and even when his mind is in a constant drive to kill and avenge he has an amazing supportive Foundation that grounds him to the true beauty of life I'm working for the Mafia the police and the government agency are both on my case I kill and steal to scrape together a living so that my cousin can fither It Away online and pay off debts and all the while people are trying to kill us what is fun honey you are are stressed Florian which becomes Bernie Roman Brucey Little Jacob Packy despite their explosive personalities they are able to in a way re-educate an overly aggressive Nico I worried for you and be sometimes you just got to let the hate go [ __ ] even if Nico views someone as part of his tribe of his family he at some point will start holding some moral ground what about these guys you need killed sometimes the juice it just takes control okay red M descends and I need [ __ ] to happen to people are you talking about [ __ ] loid rage is that why I killed those men oh they were bad cats Nikki I can't let people get away with [ __ ] I need to be firm look Brucey I like you and I think we should hang out but I don't want to work with you no more I can't go around [ __ ] people up because you've overdone it on the juice even loyalty to family stops being blind and starts being more considerate but Nico's most interesting and fundamental character Paradigm that really sets Nico apart from all GTA characters it's his purpose to serve and nothing more there's a moment between Nico and Playboy X that really struck me that made me realize what kind of man niik Bellic truly is but uh what about you what motivates you H well I need money this pays I can do it I don't care if I live or die I don't care if I live or die this seems like one of those pompous things that tough guys say but this is actually evidenced by a lot of characters when regarding Nico they truly see Nico as this one Mission man where it seems like joy and progress take a backseat in his life so why use me we always use people like you Karen Michelle she was the same someone with something to lose but not much to live for the UL paper agent might be the first and only one to admit this to Nico directly but certainly everyone uses Nico as this killing machine that will do what needs to be done just because he was told that he had to be done it doesn't seem to bother him either almost as if Nico never came to Liberty City Nico just died in the old country and his body just kept on going to avenge the one thing that he truly cared for because his own soul was already lost once I have not been the same man since the day that Darko betrayed us since I saw those things you lost a lot of friends that day n we both did in some way our friends from the village were lucky I lost myself that day too everything that was good and innocent and me died along with them if I could live those hours again I think I would have preferred to be buried in the pit along with everyone else to this Nico has a very specific set of skills that it felds doesn't carry over to any other possible purpose other than kill hurt dispose why go through all this why stick your neck on why do all this work because I need the money and because I can't do anything else and because I'm good at it sure but you can see this Bleak way to live it's starting to weigh him down at some point no matter how stoic he is he has to admit this what am I good at Roman what is my trade I deal in that because that is all that is open to me there is a recurrent theme that makes me love this game so much of how an immigrant is supposed to make a living when immigrants like Nico are limited to live outside the law listen Mr pegorino I already told you I got history no you listen you dumb immigrant fu I ain't asking you why I'm telling you do this for the most part Nico allows this to be a sort of moral crutch I mean what else is there for him settling down with a nice girl and a family business with his cousin it seems so Out Of Reach I was thinking about getting out of the C Business last night I had a dream really yes you and I had a place of our own place where people come to eat and relax I can't see myself settling down now but in the dream you've met the right woman she's beautiful I can personally understand Nico's perspective I mean why stop doing what you're good at and I understand a lot of people have this perception about GTA 4 that the game has an incredibly repetitive boring Mission structure as it typically is about like just go here kill that guy rinse and repeat but to achieve what Rockstar Games intended to portray in Nico Bellic there is a need to make his activities seem the same every time just a constant loop of death it's almost easily dismissible but Nico truly is the central piece in Liberty City's organized crime and I mean all of it every major mob hit every deal has the signature of this Eastern European badass he makes everything move with Liberty City in GTA 4 you play as a whole mob when you play as Nico the whole Pino family was dependent on him to supervise a deal in order to survive and a one time where you can follow the advice of someone who Nico loves like Kate and chooses not to betray his values and pledge a loyalty to what matters to seek a purpose Beyond Revenge it's when ironically he loses another great part of him what's your choice Nico there is a man who betrayed me in the past I am being asked to work with him it could be very profitable but it would mean going back on an oath I swore to myself you shouldn't work with him Nico you don't need money what is it going to change about your life I don't know it'll make things easier for me and for Roman I'm not going to respect you if you compromise what you believe in for money Nico goodbye call the [ __ ] ambulance she's dead oh [ __ ] [ __ ] [ __ ] told me to leave it I thought I had I thought it was over and I love to insert a character that many I guess ignore or even give a [ __ ] about but I love to insert Brian meech as this seemingly crackhead had a realization that would later affect Nico too you have to have the serenity to accept the things you cannot change the courage to change the things you can and the wisdom to know the difference right dude I mean that makes sense I just can't always live it this hit Nico's case on the dot all Nico needed to learn was to stop trying to control what he can't he can't control the past can only change the present he can have the wisdom to decide what's important and that's why I canonically decided to spare Darko the man whose whole purpose for Nico was to see him dead after all this time after all these people dead because he was chasing a lead for this man to spare Darko would be insult to all those who did way less than him but died either way yet either that decision relying on the influence of his family such as Roman or realization that nothing will bring his friends back he spares the monster who essentially killed his friends for a th000 bucks let's have a [ __ ] party break out the champagne I let the diseased traitorous junky live after hunting him for over a decade [ __ ] someone hand me the keys to the [ __ ] City there's no need to take that tone cousin I'm sorry if my tone offends you Roman but this has been a very difficult moment for me it took every fiber of my being pulling in the same direction not to kill Darko to not get revenge for all those lives he took away what made you spare him ni I don't know I wanted it for so long he would just be there like everyone else from our village I was the one that survived the first attack living is not easy no I would live to kill IND Darko as well but then when I looked at him I realized that nothing would change if I killed him the Revenge would not somehow shut the book from what I have seen only those who die get closer living do not as niik himself says killing him would be Mercy with this scene we can understand why Nico says he has no reason to live to him death would just be a preferable outcome other than keeping on living the embodiment of a dead man walking he would be giving Darko what he wish was given to him Blissful ignorance and death everything that was good and innocent and me died along with them if I could live those hours again I think I would have preferred to be buried in the P along with everyone else he doesn't deserve relief he deserves pain it doesn't look like he enjoys life too much and even if Nico isn't perfect as he ends his story with Revenge we can see differences from the man that we've seen fresh off that boat with a man now we can see a man that gives peace a chance and has hope that realizes life isn't about death it's quite the opposite even if that recovery is tougher than dying and for a GTA game Nico's character it was absolutely mind blowingly detailed and I just wish that GTA 6 can even get to the ankles of a character like Niko Bellic so this is what the dream feels like this is the victory we longed for [Applause] [Music] oh