Grand Theft Auto IV

It's not merely the fact that Rockstar have taken an already engaging gameworld and rebuilt it from the ground up, it's the fact that they've done that, and shoehorned in realistic weather systems, day to night transitions, realtime lighting, realistic character movement and animation, realistic physics and kinetics, incidental details, solid and well written dialogue, convincing AI and non-player characters and a multiplayer system that puts other games to shame.

Almost everything you do in Liberty City would be good enough to drive its own game, and the best parts would be good enough to outrun the competition, but the reason it works so well is that Rockstar has made a game that requires no patience to play. This, as much as its usual coherency and the best script in the series, is what makes GTA IV the best openworld game yet, and why it will take something miraculous to rob it of game of the year status.

Grand Theft Auto IV is the sex, drugs, and rock and roll of video games. It's a little less brave and intimidating this time around, but it’s also the most refined and polished game in the franchise’s history. This kind of sheen is generally reserved for titles with a much smaller scope.

This is a more refined, smoother game than its predecessors, and is almost certainly the most thoroughly interactive form of entertainment ever created, especially with the fantastic multiplayer options. But it's also more self-consciously constructed than the previous two GTA games, and in my eyes, a little less engaging.

As a game, it is flawed in many aspects, but as an immersing experience, GTA IV is simply unparalleled.