This is the first, and one of the seven missions in the game to offer a morality choice; where the player chooses whether to take one action or another (in this case it is sparing or killing Ivan), and is the first to use ladders and jumping.
The mission starts with Vlad telling Niko Bellic that Ivan Bytchkov has upset Mikhail Faustin, his boss, and wants Niko to kill him. Vlad explains to Niko that he persuaded Ivan to rob Roman Bellic's cab depot and wants him to kill Ivan in an act of "self-defense".
Mission Objectives[]
In order to complete the mission the player must:
Go to Roman's garage.
Ivan is already making an escape. Chase him.
Ivan is escaping into the construction site. Chase him.
Choose Ivan's fate.
Walkthrough[]
The player can use Vlad's Blista Compact (the same one the player has stolen in the mission Clean Getaway) and drive to Roman's cab depot. Upon arriving, the player must chase an Ivan Bytchkov swinging out of the depot in his car. If arriving from Cisco Street, the route he'll take will be a lot shorter.
The chase will terminate at the Hove Beach Construction Site. Ivan will crash near a ladder and run up it. The player must get out of his/her car and run up the same ladder, following in-game instructions until a cut-scene appears, showing Ivan using the crane to jump over to a nearby apartment building. The player must keep on chasing him as he leaps from one building to the next, until he trips at the edge of the last building and falls, grasping onto the cornice. The player now has the choice of sparing him by helping him up and letting him escape, or killing him by either shooting him or stamping on Ivan's fingers, sending him crashing onto the road.
If the player spares him, Ivan will reappear in Alderney as a random character. If the player kills him, Niko will closely follow Vlad's instructions. Either way after that, Niko refuses to do any more work for Vlad.
Transcript[]
This section/page depicts all cutscenes and dialogues in the mission "Ivan the Not So Terrible" in Grand Theft Auto IV.
Comrades Bar
Niko enters the bar, walking over to Vlad's table.
Vlad leads Niko over to his table and they sit down.
Vlad:
Come over here. Sit down. You remember Ivan?
Niko:
No.
Vlad:
Guy you saw me talking to. This guy. Er... this guy?
He shows Niko a picture of Ivan on his phone.
Niko:
Oh, yes. You guys had a little kiss.
Vlad:
Very funny... what would you say if I told you he was going to rob your cousin?
Niko:
I'd say... what problem has he got with my cousin?
Vlad's phone rings.
Vlad:
Hold on. (to caller) Hey, hey, hey gorgeous... no, I can't talk right now... what are you wearing? No, I mean underneath it... great... listen, I'll call you back, eh? (to Niko) Sorry.
Niko:
Who was that?
Vlad:
Never you mind.
Niko:
Was it Ivan?
Vlad:
Ooh, very funny. You know, for a dumb yokel, you're a very funny guy.
Niko:
Yes, and for an annoying dick, you're really an annoying dick.
Vlad:
Well, it's a real shame, then, that I'm the guy with the powerful friends, and you're the little punk whose only friend is some fat weasel who drives a fucking cab...
Niko:
So... why is Ivan going to rob my cousin?
Vlad looks around.
Vlad:
Because I want you to kill him.
Niko:
What?
Vlad:
He's angered Mikhail... Mr. Faustin. Offended him. He think he's stealing some paperwork from Roman. You catch him, and kill him... then we say it was just a robbery that failed.
Niko:
And what if I say I don't want to be your hitman?
Vlad:
Then Mr. Faustin will be very angry with you... and your cousin.
Niko:
Hmm, okay.
Vlad:
I knew we would understand each other, once I put it in this simple way. Now, go wait for him by the cab depot!
Vlad's phone rings again as Niko leaves.
Vlad:
Hey gorgeous, yeah where were we? Okay now listen, let's talk about tonight...
Chasing Ivan
Niko drives to the cab depot and chases Ivan Bytchkov. [These lines will play at random]
Niko:
Alright, Ivan, let's do this.
Niko:
So you're the guy I'm meant to kill?
Niko:
That prick Vlad making me kill this guy. Man!
Niko:
Where you going to?
Niko:
Slippery bastard.
Niko:
I wasn't sure about killing you when Vlad asked. Now I'm coming around to the idea.
Niko:
I'm going to catch you, asshole.
Niko:
Slow the fuck up, asshole.
Niko:
Shit, you're starting to annoy me.
Niko chases Ivan through a construction site. [These lines will play at random]
Shit. I thought everyone in this country was fat and slow.
Niko:
Vlad don't like you no more, man.
Niko:
You're a fast one, aren't you?
If the chase proceeds the intended way, Ivan and Niko go to the top of the building, to the boom of a crane, to the roof of a building across the street, and across the roofs of several adjacent buildings. Eventually, he gets to a ledge. [One of these lines plays at random.]
Niko:
You've ran out of roof, dickhead.
Niko:
There ain't nowhere left for you to run.
Ivan falls off the ledge but manages to hold on.
Ivan:
Please. Vlad told you to kill me, right? I wasn't stealing nothing from your cousin's place! No one's going to know that I'm alive. Not even my mother. I'll stay out of Hove Beach. I'll be a ghost. I promise. Please! Vlad told me to go there. Let me go and I'll lay low.
Get up. If Vlad wants you dead, you can't be all bad. Stay out of Hove Beach.
Ivan Bytchkov:
Thank you. You won't regret this, man. I am outta here! Wanted to leave anyway, get away from all these people from back home. Get into the real America. You never gonna see me around here again. I owe you my life, man. You're a good man, you're a good man, thank you.
Ivan leaves. After a moment, Niko calls Vlad.
Niko:
You won't be seeing your boyfriend Ivan no more. You going to miss him?
Vlad:
No I'm not. I'm getting enough pussy at the moment. I tell you, is so much better if woman already have a man. Because you don't have to deal with all their shit all day. Take Mallorie, for example...
Niko:
Fuck you. You say this to my face and I will break you.
Hey, Vlad. I lost your boyfriend. He got away from me.
Vlad:
I should have known you would screw this up. You are born loser, just like you cousin. Come see me sometime.
Video Walkthrough[]
GTA 4 - Mission 11 - Ivan the Not So Terrible (1080p)
Oversights[]
There is a glitch with Ivan's car where if the player destroys the vehicle, thus killing Ivan, the mission will still be to 'chase' Ivan. The only way to get out of this is by failing the mission either by leaving the area or dying.
Trivia[]
General[]
The mission's title is an obvious reference to Ivan the Terrible, a former ruler (Tsar) of Russia.
In the opening cutscene, Vlad is seen talking to someone on the phone and saying "gorgeous". He was most likely talking to Mallorie, because at the end of the cutscene, he says "Let's talk about tonight", meaning that he most likely had an affair with her. This subject is further alluded to in the post-mission phone call and in the upcoming mission Uncle Vlad.
The whole traffic during the chase is scripted, like in many other missions in the game involving chases.
If the player arrives before Ivan at the construction site (coming over Masterson Street) and he parks his car blocking his way to the construction site, Ivan will walk down and go into the next entrance. It is possible for Niko to go ahead of him (funnily saying "You're a fast one, aren't you?"). If Niko reaches the crane, however, the cutscene of Ivan jumping out the crane will play and he'll be teleported in the other building already.
It is possible to obtain Ivan's uniquely colored Ruiner.
During the end credits for The Lost and Damned, one of the scenes shown is the rooftop chase in this mission. However, the scene is cut away before Niko kills or saves Ivan. Also during the scene, the mission Bleed Out is somehow happening at the same time (Roman's Taxi and Dardan Petrela's car are parked on the sidewalk, Bledar Morina and Kalem are beating up Roman in the basketball courts under the El Train), despite already being completed.
It is possible to kill Ivan before he reaches the ledge; if the player shoots him enough while he is running away (he has an incredible amount of health, being able to sustain several headshots from the sniper rifle or three explosions caused by grenades or a rocket launcher), after which he will become wounded). The player can then finish him off.
If the player wounds Ivan before he reaches the ledge, he'll walk in an injured animation and sometimes, he'll fall from the building; however, he'll respawn immediately over the roof. This also happens if the player pushes him off the building.