View All (2)

It's a shame there are only three co-op missions included with GTA IV, because they are some of the best fun to be had in Liberty City. Though Microsoft and Rockstar are tight-lipped about the planned Xbox 360 exclusive content expansions, we're hoping to see more of these added to the roster. They're that good. They're also quite short, so once you've beaten them a few times on various difficulties you'll be left wanting more.

Lastly, Free Mode lets players cohabit the same city to do with it as they please. Whether you tear the place apart block-by-block or fight crime vigilante style is up to you and your friends. And it all takes place in the same clockwork metropolis as the single-player game, which is even more amazing. The online streets are littered with cars and pedestrians that can get in your way—or thwart your opponents.

Taking advantage of unexpected opportunities is GTA IV's spin on emergent gameplay. For example, while we raced our boss to the extraction point in a heated match of Cops 'n' Crooks, we attracted a carload of police. As they gained ground, we weaved in and out of heavy traffic, only slowing down to blow out the tires of hapless travelers on their way to grandma's. With two flats they spun wildly out of control, smashing head first into our pursuers' squad car.

It's moments like this which makes players forget about the small, nagging issues with GTA IV's multiplayer. If you fail to connect to a game, you'll be tossed back into the single-player component. Each attempt means more loading, so you'll be staring at that black screen quite often. The lobby UI is difficult to navigate.

Players will sometimes inexplicably drop from a party. And while we didn't experience much lag during our heated online crime sprees, the framerate takes a serious nosedive when the action heats up. But you know what? None of those things seriously detract from the experience (and could conceivably be fixed with a future update). Most of us at GWN haven't had this much fun online since Call of Duty 4. Our hats go off to you, Rockstar North. You've made an instant classic.

Every fault I could find with the game was so minor in contrast to the entire package that I didn't feel it necessary to deduct any points from a perfect 100% score. Fee free to rant about the ethical considerations of perfect game scores in our forums. Personally, I think we should do away with numerical scoring. But for me to rate GTA IV as anything but the best would have been silly. I like it that much.

There is no question: Grand Theft Auto IV is so far, the best game we've played this year. In our opinion, it's the best game we've played in a long, long time. There's just so much to enjoy and appreciate that the downsides never really take away from gameplay. This artistic expression of life, through the eyes of Niko Bellic, is a tremendous story that cannot be ignored, that beckons everyone to take a trip and enjoy Liberty city.