Grand Theft Auto IV // Xbox 360
An American tale

// The skinny: Niko Bellic is fresh off the boat from some Eastern European country. He's trying to make a new life lured to Liberty City by his cousin's outlandish tales of money and women. When he arrives and faces the realities of those exaggerations he and his cousin start working their way up in the world until Niko's past begins to catch up with him.

// Review: GTA is one of the most well known and polarizing games of the modern video game era. On one end it's the go to talking point for politicians, and on the other it's possibly the reason why the PS2 completely dominated the last console cycle. With all of the anticipation and hype, it's amazing that GTA4 was able to fully deliver on all of the expectations and then some.

/ If you are a veteran of the franchise, GTA4 will immediately feel familiar. In fact it feels exactly like the past 3 iterations. I wasn't very wowed; until I started playing more and more. Most AAA games have a production staff of about 50. GTA4 boasts that 1000 people worked on this title and it really shows.

/ This game shatters the previous standards of sandbox gaming and immersive experiences. Things like different hilarious tv shows have been added. There is even a freaking internet. I'm talking about getting email spam with links to full websites rich with content. You can even meet and date girls online. All of the writing is classic GTA sharp witty satire. DJ Lazlo is back and so are the laugh out loud radio commercials. This time around I found the over-arching narrative to be more compelling than earlier games. Niko isn't a hero. He murders and steals, but at the same time there is something oddly sympathetic to his struggles and undying loyalty to his cousin Roman.

/ Even though Liberty City isn't as sprawling as San Andreas it's much more substantial. Every burrough feels distinct, there is just as much to do, and even every pedestrian you meet on the street feels unique. The controls have improved with more realistic driving physics and better but still at times frustrating aiming. The new cab feature where you can instantly be transported to different locations was a god send.

// Wrap up: GTA was the original do-anything game. There have been many clones, but no one does it better, and in this latest installment, it's even better.

Entertainment rating: 4.5