The Cousins Bellic

Niko Bellic arrives on a boat in Liberty City in search of a better life. Niko's cousin, Roman, brought Niko to Liberty City with a bunch of false promises. He claimed to be living there with lots of money, sports cars, women and a mansion. When Roman arrives at the docks to greet his cousin, he's too drunk to drive, so Niko must take the wheel.

   

Once you have control of Niko, drive back to the "mansion" on Mohawk Avenue, Hove Beach, and stop in the yellow marker to trigger the cutscene. Niko is less than impressed with the mansion, to say the very least. Roman has to leave after a quick chat with Niko, but invites him to meet him later at the taxi depot.

   

After the cutscene, various instructions are given on how to save the game and how to store cars at the safehouse. This is your first safehouse, and you can save the game here at any time providing you aren't in the middle of a mission. In the first few missions of the game, pay close attention to the instructions on the screen which tell you how to control Niko and operate basic functions with the cellphone. The cellphone becomes a very important aspect of the gameplay.

   

It's Your Call

Roman introduces Niko to his girlfriend, Mallorie. Vlad Glebov then enters the cab depot and warns Roman to pay his debts. After the cutscene, drive Roman to the hardware store on Dillon Street, where Roman is going to try and win some money. The business shut down a long time ago, but some guys still play cards there.

   

Before going into the store, Roman leaves you with his old cellphone and asks you to call him if any Albanians show up in a beige Willard. These are the people he owes money to. Remain stationary in the car and look out for the Albanians. Approximately a minute later, the Albanians show up and park their car on the pavement opposite the hardware store.

   

Access the menu on the cellphone and call Roman to warn him. Roman escapes through the back door of the hardware store, but the loan sharks soon become aware of his presence. Your task is simple - lose the loan sharks and take Roman back to the cab depot to complete the mission.

   

Roman sends a text message after the mission. He needs help over at the depot.

Three's a Crowd

The Albanians you met in the previous mission have arrived at the cab depot to roughen up Roman. Niko arrives and teaches one of them a lesson. The Albanians flee. Roman receives a phone call from Mallorie, who needs a lift at Hove Beach with her friend. Roman asks Niko to do it as a favour to him.

   

Take Roman's cab and pick up the girls at the Hove Beach subway station. Park in the yellow marker and sound the horn to attract the girls' attention. Mallorie introduces you to Michelle, and recommends that the two of you get together some time.

   

Take the girls back to Michelle's apartment on Rotterdam Hill. Michelle seems interested in Niko, and invites you to give her a call sometime. Afterwards, Niko calls Roman to tell him about his date, and asks for some advice on clothes. Get to the Russian clothes shop on Mohawk and buy some new threads.

   

Bleed Out

The Albanian loan sharks have Roman cornered. You need to go to Garrett Street and rescue him quickly. When you arrive, a short cutscene will take place, and afterwards you need to beat up Bledar and Kalem. Once the two men are down, approach Roman and a second cutscene will begin.

   

During the cutscene, Roman spots Dardan - another loanshark - trying to make a run for it. Get in Roman's car and chase Dardan. Eventually, he will abandon his car at the Twitchins Sugar Factory near the bridge at Charge Island, so you have to follow him up the stairs and into the factory. Follow the on-screen instructions to disarm Dardan and steal his weapon. Kill Dardan, get back in Roman's car, and then take him back to the depot.

   

During the drive to the depot, Niko tells Roman about a similar problem he had when he was in Europe - a man called Bulgarin believed he owed him money when he didn't, and he was always trying to "squeeze it out of him." Niko says Bulgarin is one of the main reasons he moved to Liberty City - he wants revenge.

   

First Date

This is your first date with your new girlfriend Michelle. Before the cutscene begins, a "relationship tutorial" is given, which shows how different friends and girlfriends have different likes and dislikes, and each friend will offer a different reward for maintaining a good relationship.

   

In the cutscene, Niko suggests going to the carnival, but the carnival is currently closed because they're turning it into "some Las Venturas-style theme park." Go bowling instead, and play a 5 frame game with Michelle. This particular game is free, but in future they won't be.

   

Once the game is over, get in Michelle's car and take her back to her apartment on Rotterdam Hill, to complete the mission.

   

Easy Fare

Vlad is at the depot waiting for his money, but Roman isn't present. While Roman is away, Vlad tries to persuade Mallorie to leave Roman and go with him instead. Niko and Roman arrive, and Roman reveals that he still doesn't have the money he owes to Vlad. He tells Vlad what Niko did to the Albanians, and Vlad says that as long as Roman doesn't pay, he will need to do some favours for him. Meanwhile one of Roman's regular customers, Jermaine, needs to be picked up.

   

Get in Roman's car and pickup Jermaine at Rotterdam Hill. Jermaine wants you to take him to Masterson Street. Park in the yellow marker in the alley when you arrive, and some cops will show up. Drive out of the alley and lose your wanted level, paying close attention to the flashing circles on the radar. You need to stay outside of the circles for a few seconds without being seen by the cops in order to evade the wanted level.

   

Once the stars are gone, take Jermaine to Gibson Street, where you'll be shown how to use the Pay 'n' Spray feature.

   

Vlad calls and reveals that he has more work for Niko. Meet him at the Comrades Bar in Hove Beach.

Bull in a China Shop

In the cutscene, Vlad states that he isn't a man to be messed with. He is angry because some old man who runs a china shop in Dukes hasn't paid him in months. He wants Niko to go to the shop on Camden Avenue, and scare the old man into paying his debts.

   

Walk into the yellow marker outside the shop, and watch the cutscene which follows. The man refuses to pay the protection money, and tells Niko to go away.

   

Go around the corner and pick up a brick (which is represented by a green blip on the radar) which you can then use to throw through the shop window, to indicate that you mean business. Make sure you are throwing at the window and not at the door, because the door will not break! To finish the mission, take Vlad's money back to him at the Comrades Bar on Hove Beach.

   

After the mission, Vlad sends a text message telling Niko to meet him for more work.

Hung Out to Dry

Vlad is on the phone to Mallorie, and after the call Niko warns him to stay away from her. Vlad says that after the last incident at the china shop, somebody else is refusing to pay protection money. This time it's a guy at a laundromat on Masterson street, so Vlad wants Niko to do the same thing again and scare him into paying the cash.

   

Enter the laundromat and the man will try to escape. Follow him through the back door and hotwire the car that is parked outside. Chase the shop keeper and ram his van until it stops. Eventually he surrenders, and agrees to pay Vlad the money.

   

Niko calls Vlad to confirm that the situation has been dealt with. Vlad tells you to meet him back at the bar for some more work later on.

   

Clean Getaway

During the cutscene, Vlad invites Niko to go for a walk with him. He's unhappy that Roman hasn't paid him his money yet. Vlad snorts some coke (given to him by someone called Mikhail) before going on to describe the details of your mission. Vlad needs you to get a car that is parked in the projects by E.I.C. subway station in Dukes. It's a silver Blista.

   

Get to the subway station and wait for the train to arrive. Steal the silver Blista Compact at the destination, and make a getaway before the two people can stop you. Niko calls Vlad to inform him that the car has been successfully stolen.

   

Since the car is dirty, you need to take it to the car wash on Tutelo Avenue, before taking it to the lockup on Tulsa Street. Drive Jimmy's car into the garage to complete the mission, and then call Vlad to inform him of the situation.

   

Ivan the Not So Terrible

Vlad reveals that someone called "Ivan" is planning to rob Roman at the taxi depot. Vlad set this up so that Niko can kill Ivan (because he has angered Mikhail, Vlad's boss) and say that the death was due to a failed robbery. You need to go to Roman's taxi depot and intercept Ivan.

   

By the time you get to the depot, Ivan is already making an escape. Chase him down and make sure you don't lose him. Eventually he stops the car, and escapes into a construction site on Kid Street. Use the ladders to chase him through the construction site, and then jump across the rooftops until he reaches a dead end.

   

At this point you have a choice - you can either kill Ivan or choose to save him. If you decide to let Ivan live, he'll give you an extra mission later on in the storyline. Killing him does not prevent you from getting 100%. Niko calls Vlad - regardless of what decision you made - to tell him that Ivan was killed.

   

Jamaican Heat

Roman wants Niko to pick up his friend "Little Jacob" on Oneida Avenue in South Slopes. Park beside Jacob, and sound the horn to attract his attention. Jacob wants you to take him to Schottler and act as protection while a deal goes down. He gives you a pistol and asks you to help "if anything bad goes down."

   

Go to the lookout spot and crouch to stay out of site. This will also make your aim more accurate. Select the pistol, and watch over the deal. Three men arrive and begin shooting at Little Jacob. Kill the three enemies (which are represented by red blips on the radar) and then kill the shootist on the roof to your left.

   

If you aren't familiar with how the combat system works, pay close attention to the instructions on-screen during the mission. Once all the enemies are dead, take Little Jacob back to the Homebrew Cafe and stop in the yellow marker to complete the mission.

   

Roman calls to ask Niko if he'd be interested in helping with the family business. Call Roman whenever you want to take a fare - he'll pay you for it.

Little Jacob offers Niko to come and meet him for some work. If you maintain a good relationship with Jacob, eventually he'll offer you discounted guns.

Uncle Vlad

Roman becomes aware that Mallorie has been having an affair with Vlad. Naturally he's upset, and Niko wants to go to the Comrades Bar and deal with him directly. Go with Roman, and look for Vlad at the Comrades Bar in Hove Beach. Roman is reluctant to do anything, because he doesn't want to get himself into any more trouble than he already is.

   

At the bar, Niko warns Vlad once again that he should stay away from Mallorie, but Vlad doesn't care. Kill Vlad's guards (two of them) and then follow him through the back door of the Comrades bar. Get in the car with Roman and begin chasing Vlad. If you let him get away, the mission is failed, so stay close to him and be sure to take the same route that he does.

   

Vlad crashes his car under the Algonquin Bridge, and attempts to escape on foot. Niko tells Roman he's going to "finish it", but once again Roman is reluctant and begs him not to do anything (where would the fun be in that though?). Execute Vlad after the cutscene to complete the mission.

   

After the kill, Niko reveals his motivations for moving to Liberty City. He explains that when he was in the army, they were on a mission to kill a squad that had been killing innocent people, but it was never done because someone betrayed the group. It was a setup, for money. Twelve of the group died, and two (besides Niko) escaped. One of the two survivors lives in Liberty City, and Niko wants to find him.

Roman wants Niko to go and meet him quickly. He's at Tulsa Street, near Perestroika.