KEY POINTS:
Grand Theft Auto IV
(Rockstar, Xbox 360, PS3, 18)
"Tell that idiot if he doesn't stop staring at me, I'll get his head chopped off and put the film on the internet."
Ahh, welcome back the humour of GTA. Somewhat satisfying, no?
And as I work through hours of the latest instalment, Grand Theft Auto IV, I realise half the world gets that humour and the other half doesn't.
In these PC times, too many critics always take this brilliant game so literally and talk endlessly about the violence, the prostitutes, the antisocial behaviour, and language.
They must be reading only the storyline and are deaf to the audio. This is relentless humour. I have never played a game where there is non-stop laughter from every angle.
A radio station broadcasting authentic-sounding Weazel News takes the mickey out of the media, politics, popular culture and political correctness.
"Do you imagine the chaos if we had socialised medicine and it meant if everyone could see a doctor. It would be like Cuba or Russia. I don't want that. I want choice and buzzwords," says Weazel radio as you tear around Liberty City with Soprano-lookalikes and girlfriend in the front seat.
GTA became a PS2 sensation because an older 20-something and beyond audience tuned in to the chance to chill out after hours and not have to act so polite and correct as they are forced to in the workplace. More than ever we need this outlet.
Now the latest version is even funnier, sharper, graphically next-gen (I'm playing the 360 version), improved game controls and in fact better in every respect.
A remarkable achievement for a game that pushed the boundaries for years, that attracted look-alike wannabes and remains king of the pile.
For Xbox 360 fans, comes the added bonus of more downloadable episodes on the way soon and the ease of playing on Xbox Live .
Early reviews have deservedly been positive but some critics, like the St Louis Post-Dispatch, seemed to have foolishly expected Rockstar would do a total overhaul.
That's just weird.
Why mess with a major success story? Sure most of the missions are, as always, about killing people and delivering things or people.
But this time around these are more fun and easier with excellent vehicle handling (in-car GPS navigation fitted!).
This is a great single player story mode with well-crafted storytelling, rich characters and a multiplayer online mode for up to 16 players (which I have yet to explore).
This adds up to make this the best yet. And one of the best game releases ever.
You play as Niko, an Eastern European immigrant to Liberty City trying to put behind him the horror of the Bosnian war. Coming to experience the American Dream, he is disillusioned to find the picture painted by his cousin Roman isn't all it's cracked up to be and Niko becomes a killer and enforcer.
And that next-gen highly detailed Liberty City just feels so real, like its breathing.
"I ride my hybrid to the organic market to buy mushrooms that have been flown in from Europe and had their pollutants killed..." continues the radio in the middle of a panel discussion called Intelligent Agenda, which warns that the internet is a series of tubes that pipes into your child's bedroom. No cows are sacred in this game, even greenies and out-of-touch politicians.
And on Weazel TV ('more exciting than chatting to a girl online') British comedian Ricky Gervais is doing standup comedy about the world's best wars awarding the Vietnam war for 'best soundtrack' and WWII for 'best ending'.
The cartoon Republican Space Rangers, which invade planets, shoot and ask questions later, is busy wiping out peace-loving space aliens in the interests of "dumb-ocracy", there's a show "you can't miss" on how to survive when there's a suitcase nuke on a train, and a Fox news channel-lookalike has a nonstop terror marathon that has programmes that "will blame liberals for everything."
Just in from the Weazel TV 4 chopper cam "Sir - you there on fire, could you face the camera please1" delivering the best media all day round.
I saw some high school students hanging around a shop display saying they wish they were old enough to buy it. They're no doubt immune to the language and violence in the movie.
It's the biting social commentary and the underlying social satire that may pass them by and deserves the rating. It's certainly passed by the critics. Too bad.
This is such a blast, I must get back to playing it. Some of the early major reviews have given it a maximum score. Hard as I tried, I too can't fault this. It gets the 'game of the year' from me - so far, anyway.
Even if you have to pound the streets looking for a copy (stores I went to yesterday had already sold out of the Xbox 360 version), don't miss out on the fun.
MadGamer rating 10/10
