GTA 4 = fail, sadly

I'm sad to say it, but Rockstar Games have failed. GTAIV is just not as good as the previous games in the series. Rockstar Games made such a good job of making GTAIV more realistic than GTA3, Vice City or San Andreas, that it's become too realistic and isn't fun to play.

I thought it was just me, but I'm not alone. This guy says it all: Click for GTA 4 Vs GTA fan - How Rockstar ruined GTA

Games don't have to be realistic to be fun. Games are fun because they're games. They're analogies, fantasies, approximations. The closer they become to reality, the more we start to question them. I questioned GTA4 more than I had fun playing it.

Rockstar should have stuck to their old format and re-used the old (fun) content and gameplay. They should have re-purposed the old games as MMOs. If they'd turned them into MMOs, they would have made a fortune. If they continue this way, the series is going to die.

I've played GTA1&2, finished GTA3 twice, finished Vice City three times (loved it), and finished San Andreas once (the best of the lot). I had high hopes. I was a big fan of the GTA series, but I can't really recommend GTA4 to anyone.