GTA IV was on most people's to buy list being the 1st next gen GTA game after all, and rockstar delivered. Mostly.

First things first. The game looks great, solid graphics and the city has a realistic feel to it, and unlike previous games the pedestrians dont repeat themself so much that it becomes a minus to atmosphere.

But the story is where the game shines most, its bursting with small cut scenes that slowly develop the main character and ofcourse there is alot of humour involved.
There is also alot of side content that feels worth doing allthough finding "hidden packages" is still more of a chore and feels like an arbitrary Achievement/Trophy hunt.
The music is of a wide variety as expected and certainly has a few songs for everyone to listen to, so if you listen to the radio while driving there is bound to be a genre you like.

There's just one thing, replayability.
Its just not as fun as i would have thought, after he story there really is no reason to play anymore, any side content worth doing was only worth it because it had an influence on you're playing options, after that all the side rewards are meaningless and will never be used again.
And i expected something similar to GTA III and its spin offs, just random fun in the way of finding a car and doing whatever you feel like.
But somehow GTA IV just lacks a certain atmosphere. the city quickly becomes bland and boring, i guess thats the downside of good graphics, realism can make a city as boring as they are to drive in real life.
Also the multiplayer feels undone, like it was rushed out and is lacking any entertaining game modes. But thats not why we play gta to begin with right? ;)

So to recap, the game is definitly worth playing for the story alone, but if you are expecting replayabilty like most sandbox city games then you are better of with SR2, of an older GTA game.

On a sidenote, the pc version is lacking a real modding community wich made gta III/spin-offs worth it on pc, so get a console version if you have one!

Grand Theft Auto IV was the most anticipated games of 2007 and 2008. GTA IV is one of the few games that has tons of hype and lives by all of it. You have a new battle system, on foot or on road, new cars, new storyline, new characters, new features, and for the first time ever, without using Mods, you have Multiplayer.

The character that you play as is Niko Belic that comes from Serbia. His cousin, Roman, wanted him to come to America after Roman had lived there for a while. When he comes there, Roman has already caused a lot of trouble and Niko has to be there to help Roman out with his troubles.

The gameplay takes a new step this year. You have a more realistic feel when you walk or run. You are able to use a phone, grab some lunch, go on dates, play games like darts, and your even able to go on the internet. There are also a ton of missions and Easter Eggs to find here.

Graphics are phenomanal. Character Models and city textures are better than expected. Some textures look bad at some points, but it isn't thqat much of a problem.

When you want to talk about Replayability, there is a great amount, but not to start a new game all over, but to just keep causing Rampages across the city once you completed the main storyline.

The multiplayer is a wonderful feature. You can play Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, or just go Free Roaming with a bunch of people. This is a beautiful feature that comes on to this great game.

Overall, Grand Theft Auto IV lived up to all the hype that it has recieved. It comes with a bunch of new feautres and it really revolutionizes the game. Some of the features might get old quickly, but it is a great game. Get it for the PS3, 360, or the PC.