Imagine a game of just pure freedom, a game that was not simply a game, but a virtual way of life! Everything depends on what choices you make. Want to drive a cab, fight fire, be a vigilante, be a paramedic? Or simply want to jack cars, gun down innocent civilians, get into intense chases & shoot outs with the police, be a high time gangster doing the most insane of jobs or drive around town listening to the radio and doing crazy stunts? It's all that AND a bag of chips, but is it worth sacrificing a side of fries? Read on!
Why it sucks: I haven't had missions this tough since... I dunno. There are some just ridiculous missions in this game that I couldn't do without cutting corners (yes, I DID in fact cheat :P) and using a bazooka as opposed to a handgun or a tank instead of a car. But never mind the cheap missions, just running around the city gave me a complex! I came to the point that couldn't not drive in this game without my REAL radio on because I got so accustomed to listening to the game's radio! Possibly, my biggest beef was that there were never enough places to accept missions at one time! Sure, there were telephone jobs, and you could always take up a part time job of ambulance driving or some such thing. There were simply never enough alternatives (well... cool missions with cinemas anyway) from one job at any time.
Why it rules: Even if you're a long time hardcore fan of the series back from its PSX days the game is almost unrecognizable! From its flat beginnings as simply a teny overhead gorefest to the cinematic masterpiece. COntaining the familiar principles of the prior games in a more spectacular light, the things you'll see and hear in the mission cinemas will shock and amuse you as you're drawn into the most expansive crime syndicate war you'll see this side of a hollywood blockbuster! Mulitple cameras angles during gameplay serve to enhance your experience of mugging people, having some "quality time" with the ladies of the night to boost your health, and being a pain in the rear to the police, SWAT, FBI and US Army. For anyone looking to kill time, get over a hard day's work or just plain have some good wholesome, senseless violence this game is for YOU! Mind you, this game is not for the faint of heart, nor should it fall into the hands of impressionsable youth. But it's for everyone else ^_^
Overall: I briefly described this game to my Dad over the phone and he was quiet for a moment and said "That's not a game! It's a way of life!" as he excalimed and... he was right! Bascially, if you go aorund doing what there is to do in the game... you're a sleazy thug and a despicable excuse for a human being! :) Which is bizarre because the flipside is that the game is just a lot of fun >_< I would highly recommend this bad boy to anyone looking for something fresh and innovative as well as disturbing. Definately an awesome game aimed at the older crowd and I say: IT'S ABOUT TIME! Because being the bad guy has never been this much fun ^_^