Girlfriends in GTA IV

The ability to date girlfriends, introduced in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, returns in Grand Theft Auto IV. Like in GTA San Andreas, two of the girlfriends are introduced during the storyline. The other three girlfriends are met online from the dating websites, as www.lovemeet.net and www.craplist.net

Aside from the amusing interactions between Niko Bellic and the women he dates, there can be several in-game benefits to starting a relationship with any of the datable characters. Putting in a little bit of time to raise the fondness of the girlfriends can unlock their "special abilities": these can help in particularly difficult missions late in the game.

Like the other relationships that Niko has with his friends in GTA IV, favor can be gained with girlfriends by taking them to different venues around the city. Unlike the male friends, however, dating is more than just worrying about the venue. To have a successful date Niko must cater to the women's tastes in three areas; clothing, vehicle, and how fancy the date is. Each woman has different tastes and will respond accordingly.

Reaching 100% fondness with all five girlfriends is not required to achieve 100% completion of the game.

Michelle
Michelle is introduced by Mallorie Bardas during the mission Three's a Crowd. After completing this mission, Niko is told to purchase some clothes from the Russian clothing store (to impress Michelle), after which he can call her to set up a date. While on a date with Michelle, try not to rear end another car or hit something for if you crash too much, Michelle will not allow you to go inside her place after the date.

Preferences Special Ability
 * Clothing Preference: Michelle prefers Russian clothes.
 * Vehicle Preference: Michelle likes almost any vehicle, excluding police cars, trucks, and beaters. She seems to have a preference for "mainstream" cars.
 * Venue Preference: Michelle likes any venue, though her favorites are bowling, darts, pool, the Burger Shot restaurant, diners, and the Cluckin' Bell restaurant.

Karen/Michelle Allows Niko to use her unique silver merit.

Notes
 * To achieve 100% fondness with Michelle, be sure to achieve that goal before the mission The Snow Storm, after that, you will not be able to date her anymore.
 * If Michelle lets Niko in she will say: "Oh Niko Bellic, you're great! Oh Niko, I really like you! Please more, tell me more!"
 * After Niko has "coffee" with Michelle, he can say: "I think she understands me"
 * After the mission Wrong is Right, Niko can no longer date Michelle, as it is implied that they have broken up.

Kate McReary
Kate McReary is introduced in the mission Harboring a Grudge. After completing the mission Waste Not Want Knots, Patrick McReary will call to suggest to Niko Bellic to take his sister on a date.

Preferences
 * Clothing Preference: Kate likes Modo clothing and nice shoes.
 * Vehicle Preference: Kate likes a nice moderate car; not too fancy but not too cheap.
 * Venue Preference: Kate likes Darts, Pool and Steinway Beer Garden.

Notes
 * It is not possible to be invited into Kate's house for "coffee" after any date.
 * If you want 100% fondness with Kate, you have to do it before the mission One Last Thing, because you will not be able to date her after that.

Internet Girlfriends
After the mission Out of the Closet for Brucie Kibbutz, dates can be set up online through www.love-meet.net or www.craplist.net. 12-24 in-game hours after contacting the girl, she sends Niko an email. The date and time of the first date will be added to the organizer in Niko's phone. The first date is very important as it will determine whether or not the girlfriend will give Niko her phone number so he can continue dating her. If an Internet girlfriend's fondness is raised to a high enough level, her "special ability" is unlocked.

If Niko Bellic has a bad date or does not ask to come inside, the girl dumps Niko. However, wait a few in-game days and they reappear on the site so Niko can try again. When Niko meets a girlfriend again after being dumped or dumping her they will act as if they had never met him.

Carmen Ortiz (SoBoHoe)
Carmen Ortiz can be met on www.love-meet.net. Her profile name is SoBoHoe. The first date is always at 00:00 (midnight).

Preferences Special Ability
 * Clothing Preference: Carmen likes expensive clothing; Modo or Perseus; Change clothes for future dates.
 * Vehicle Preference: Carmen likes expensive vehicles; luxury or sports cars and coupes
 * Venue Preference: Carmen likes bars and strip clubs for early dates; and restaurants for later dates (except SuperStar Cafe).
 * Health Boost: Allows Niko to call Carmen for medical advice and a quick health boost; this feature has a bug that makes it not work during some missions.

Notes
 * A first date at a bar and the second and third at a strip club should raise Carmen's fondness quickly.
 * According to the Police Database, Carmen may be the second young woman to appear in the game's artwork; she was seen leaning down to a car with a guy in it.
 * In the opening cutscene of Blow Your Cover for Elizabeta Torres, Carmen is seen dancing with Elizabeta at a house party.
 * It is revealed in The Ballad of Gay Tony that she also dated Luis's friends, Henrique and Armando.
 * If Carmen lets Niko in, she will say: "Ooh Niko, enjoy Carmen when you have her." or "You like this, don't you? Carmen likes this. You lucky, lucky man. Aren't you?" or "Me gusta, papi! Me gusta!"
 * After Niko has "coffee" with Carmen, he can say "That's the kind of health professional she is"

Kiki Jenkins (LawChick)
Kiki Jenkins can be met on www.love-meet.net. Her profile name is LawChick.

Preferences
 * Clothing Preference: Kiki prefers clothes from the Russian Shop; she doesn't like hats or glasses.
 * Vehicle Preference: Kiki likes mid-range luxury cars and SUV's such as the Oracle, Cognoscenti, Cavalcade (and FXT) and Contender
 * Venue Preference: Kiki likes bowling, darts, pool, Perestroika, Split Sides and Drinking at Steinway Beer Garden (you will argue after but still get laid!).
 * Special Ability
 * Remove Wanted Level: Allows Niko to call Kiki to remove up to three stars of wanted level. This ability even works on some missions, however can only be done once in a game day and is more likely to work if Niko was recently on a date with Kiki.

Notes
 * Subsequent dates after the first can be set up by calling her between 6:00AM and 2:00AM.
 * Since Kiki likes clothes from the Russian store, she is a good choice for an early girlfriend.
 * A first and second date at Split Sides and a third at a sports venue should raise Kiki's fondness quickly.
 * Sometimes Kiki sends Niko text messages with a picture of her, sometimes of her butt as well as her cleavage and vagina.
 * The player should be careful when dating Kiki while dating other girlfriends because after a while, she starts stalking Niko.
 * If Kiki lets Niko in, she will say: "Oh Niko, I love you. Darling! You can prosecute me anytime!"

Alex Chilton (LiberatedWoman)
Alex Chilton can be met on www.craplist.net by responding to the "Party girl seeks man for NSA fun and blog material - 29" ad, under "Women seeking men".

Preferences
 * Clothing Preference: Alex likes clothing from Perseus and Claude's outfit from Playboy X's Penthouse.
 * Vehicle Preference: Alex likes expensive sports cars; Turismo, Infernus, Stretch, Washington, and Huntley Sport.
 * Venue Preference: Alex likes Perestroika, Split Sides and the SuperStar Cafe
 * Special Ability
 * Store Discount: Allows Niko to call Alex to get a 50% discount from all clothing stores for the next 24 in game hours.

Notes
 * A few dates at Split Sides should raise Alex's fondness quickly.
 * Niko can check her blog titled 'Liberated Woman' at www.blogsnobs.org. She often talks about her relationship and sex life with Niko, so the blog serves as a report on the outcomes of their dates.
 * Alex's name is a reference to the musician of the same name, as well as a song by The Replacements.
 * If you do not follow at least one of the preferences stated above, your first date with her will probably be the last, so be prepared.
 * If Alex lets Niko in: she will say: "Ooh I love being naughty! Do your worst to me Niko! You've caught me in the right mood!"
 * After Niko has "coffee" with Alex, he can say: "Shit, where did she learn to do that?" or "I hope she doesn't put that in her blog"
 * Unlike Carmen and Kiki you do not have to complete the mission Out of the Closet to date her. Instead you must unlock Algonquin in order to date her.

Ballad of Gay Tony
There are ten "girlfriends" that Luis Lopez can have in The Ballad of Gay Tony. Luis is able to dance with them in the clubs and if he does well they'll bring Luis to the restrooms for an encounter, after which they may give Luis their number. Afterwards, they can be contacted, or may contact Luis, for a "booty call." There are ten Luis "girlfriends" including:
 * - Domino
 * - Cindy
 * - Jojo
 * - Tania
 * - Vikky
 * - Lily
 * - Taylor
 * - Ana
 * - Tami
 * - Dana

Damageproofing Vehicles
A glitch in the game can make any vehicle damage proof by scaring Niko's date right when she gets in the car (however these properties can randomly disappear at any time). To do the trick, fire a weapon when Niko's date gets in the car (wait for both door-opening and seating animations to pass). With a helicopter, snap off the blades at a height where Niko's girlfriend can get hurt but won't die.