The first part was always the water. The bridges were locked down, a post-9/11 fever dream of "terrorist threats" that kept a man trapped in Broker and Dukes. Niko spent those early days in a depressing apartment with his cousin Roman, a man whose ambition was as oversized as his gambling debts. They ran small errands for small men. They drove taxis. They beat up loan sharks. In this part of the story, the world was small, gray, and smelled of stale piroshki.
The final part was Alderney. The industrial wasteland. The air was thick with the scent of oil and failure. This was where the threads unraveled. The choice between "Deal" and "Revenge" wasn't about money; it was about what Niko had left to lose. By the time the dust settled on Happiness Island, the city hadn't changed. The lights were still bright, the taxis were still honking, and the water was still cold. GTA 4 In Parts
I can based on your favorite parts of the game. The first part was always the water