So, yeah, I finally beat this game, precisely one year, six months and five days after its release. Way too long, I know, but it's still quite significant, as this is the first GTA game I've finished, despite having played GTA3, Vice City and San Andreas to a minimum of 75% story completion. For someone with an attention span like mine, finishing a game as long as this one takes a heck of a lot of will, and this particular instalment somehow kept me motivated (albeit with some month-long pauses in between).
What has always made GTA games really stand out for me is atmosphere. In San Andreas, it was cruising along the highway on a motorcycle with some 90s music and a cool, foggy California coast alongside, or trying to scrap together a living in a garage in downtown San Francisco, or riding along the strip in a convertible with lights flashing everywhere. The environments have always been incredibly alive, and essentially the closest games have ever gotten to real life for me. The similarities are such that somehow my memories of moments in the game have the same nostalgia attached to them as memories from my own life. It's really quite unique.
And of course, the current-gen production values of GTA IV brought this to a new level. At one point, I discovered cab rides that allowed you to watch out of the window as you headed for your destination, and from that point on I started taking them almost every time without skipping. The city was just that beautiful to look at, and I'd always see new, interesting and funny things. Factor in the absolutely masterful writing, voice acting, animation, cinematography and design of the story, and I really got attached to the characters, which made the tough choices about revenge, money and family later on in the game essentially the most morally troubling situations I've ever faced in a game.
Now, of course, there are some flaws. First of all, characters call you up every now and then to hang out and go to a bar, or play some pool, and so on, which gets really annoying as it serves no real purpose other than getting an achievement for keeping everyone happy until the end of the game. Eventually, I just started ignoring everyone, which went against the point of the system (making it feel like you have a social network instead of just mission-giving waypoints). Also, the controls felt really smooshy and imprecise, and although I got used to it, it never quite stopped being a hindrance.
The main negative aspect of this game, though, would have to be lack of originality. GTA games have been pretty much the same thing since GTA3, although progressively better and more complete. San Andreas tried a lot of new things, and although not all of it worked, it was still fresh and fun. With GTA IV, it seems like Rockstar has basically perfected the formula without taking too many chances. The result is an AAA game, but I'm now really looking forward to seeing what new things they can bring to the table next time around.
In a sentence:
The definitive GTA experience; perfect in nearly every way, but it stops short of revolutionizing the genre.