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GTA IV is my 2008 Game Of The Year. You absolutely must play this game. It is far and away the biggest world offering the most immersive experience.
The cinematics lay out a very good story with you as Niko Bellic, taking center stage in an ever-widening web of deception and crime. Ranging from stealing cars to drug pushing to murder, this is GTA in top form. The only complaint I have is about some of the vehicle physics and enemies. The player vehicle will cut loose and spin out quite easily, whereas the AI rarely spins out unless you make a specific point of trying to force them.
The missions may boil down to the same formula after a while, but I still find every one of them interesting and engaging. I always have sufficient motivation to be doing what I'm doing. Some of the side missions are less interesting, but still provide the core fun mechanics, which offer a great diversion from the story sometimes when you just want to mess around. I occassionally steal a police car just to go down the crime lists and do a few busts.
My favorite statistic, the only one I really pay attention to, is the number of people I run down.
Keeping up with Niko's friends provides some more depth to character development and relationships. Unfortunately, this does begin to feel more like a chore later in the game. I enjoy the conversations, but not so much the missions.
The simulation was fantastic until I read a sign somewhere in the city about a new TV show that would be on and went home only to find the same old shows playing.
The game is not without some frustrating moments and encounters. I have inadvertently vaulted over a cover point which also happened to be a low wall on top of a multi-storey building, thereby plumetting to my death. I have accidentally exited my helicopter in mid-air, apparently with no parachute, thereby plummeting to my death. I have failed too many missions due to spinning out easily in cars. I have failed missions because of the targetting system and weapon selection. I have died by crashing into well-placed exploding barrels, thanks to some malicious level designers (this feels like an incredibly cheap tactic, Rockstar).
Despite its few flaws, GTA IV is a highly polished masterpiece that should be in any gamer's permanent collection.
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