Slow-Mo Driving- You can drive slowly in GTA, even while driving fast. Yes, indeed, the laws of time and space need not apply as the game will borrow a little from Max Payne or Burnout and let you drive in slow-motion. I learned this near the end of my demo as I drove a Hummer-like truck through part of GTA IVs Manhattan stand-in, Algonquin. The Rockstar rep suggested that I hold down the B button on my 360 controller. This changed the camera view to an elevated, cinematic perspective. I could still drive in this camera view.
While driving from a cinematic perspective I was then encouraged to click the 360 controllers left thumbstick. This slowed things down. I was thinking of Burnouts after-touch system and stopped directing my truck. But the Rockstar rep told me I could keep driving. It was a little awkward to steer with the left stick while keeping it clicked in, but it seemed manageable.
Im not sure why this feature was added. It seems to go against the vibe that I reported in my piece today of Rockstar making GTA IV feel less like a game than the GTA predecessors. But it will allow the game to be viewed in a more stylish, cinematic context.
I did not have a chance to test the limits of the slow-mo driving, to see if it would help during a high-speed chase or make me more capable of landing a stunt jump. But those seem like safe bets.