if you like GTA3 you will like GTA4 plain and simple. the controls and style of play are similar throughout.

I wouldn't say that the game itself is particularly innovative, rather it is a next generation of GTA with better graphics, and better physics. I haven't gotten to do much with multiplayer but its been fun from what i've tried.

As far as the special edition goes...if you are a video game collector then it is worth it...if your just a player, prolly not.

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it fun to play and can go all as u like beat them and stole stuff it cool (dont think it to follow real thing or u mmight bust to jail)it great game

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GTA 4 is the best game this year and I am having so much fun everything in the game is perfect from the graphics to the AI. Its hot.

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Here Is An Excerpt from My Blog:

"I thought it would be like any other mediocre, open world game, dry and limited,and a Russian version of Saints Row. I'm not saying Saints Row was terrible, but it was fair, but not a blockbuster hit, or a game worth keeping in my library, I wasn't very optimistic about GTA IV. I figured I'd pick up the Collector's Edition of GTA IV, frolic around for a while with my rocket launcher, and later pawn it off for a more meaningful game (keeping the safety deposit box and all that great swag). Boy was I wrong! Grand Theft Auto IV is everything and more that the press said it would be! It has knocked out all the annoying features of the previous game, making game play more seamless and easy to maneuver as well as minimal the distractions (we all know how hard it is to keep on track with the missions and not just run around on rampages and theft crazes) but GTA IV makes it much easier to not only follow the storyline, but actually relate to it."

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God so many hours of fun wasted on this game. I still use the awesome Rockstar duffel bag that came with the special edition.

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I got this special edition for my son. The look on his face was enough reward.

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you're missing out. If you have ever been a fan of the GTA series, this is a must buy for you. The story arch alone is worth the purchase. I've been playing for 40 hours and I still haven't beaten the game.

GO GET IT!

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This game is well worth the money. The game is huge and Liberty City is alive with many places to go and things to do. You won't be disappointed with this game.

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Depending on how GOW2 and the new Guitar Hero do I am putting my vote in for GTA4 as Game of The Year!

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This is the latest installment in the Grand Theft Auto franchise and it blows away all games of the genre. It has a great story that makes the game interesting as well as many detailed side missions that can be done at any point in the game. The graphics are incredible! I highly recommend this game for anyone over 18 that enjoys the free roaming do whatever you want type of game. Nonstop FUN!!!

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This is the best of the previous versions plus great graphics and an interesting plot. The only way this is not an improvement over the other GTAs is the radio stations are not as good as GTA3's. Ive been playing 3hrs a day for a month and I'm only a quarter of the way through the game, which gives you an idea how big GTA4 is. If you like GTA you need this game.

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this was a blast, longest i've ever taken to beat a game outside of rpg. the extras are nice, bravo. enjoy

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Grand Theft Auto IV is one of the few games not completely put to shame by Zelda: Ocarina of Time which was released over ten years ago. There are so many aspects to this game that are so well done. The game in itself is very funny but in the sense that it makes fun of minorities a lot. There are many fun missions in this game, but a few that are just filler. In this game you can: rob a bank, kill strip club managers, fly helicopters through the city, gun down everyone, snipe people from the rooftops, kill many drug dealers, become a drug messenger, drive drunk, give a homeless man some money, play pool, did I say kill people?, blow up cars with car bombs, get private dances in a Gentleman's club, pick up a prostitute and do what you do with prostitutes, kill her, take your money back, get into street races, meet a very funny and creepy serial killer, and SO much more. Yes, this game should be rated "M" in every sense possible and it doesn't make you violent as much as it gives you ideas. I mean that in the best sense possible.

The Special Edition is worth getting as it includes:

-A CD of some of the music in the game (probably the biggest reason to get it)

-A lock case that isn't enormous but may come in handy

-An art book that is sort of interesting

-A very small duffel bag which can fit inside the lock case to give you an idea

-A free month of Xbox Live Gold Subscription, though those trials would not be valid anymore as of 2/2/09

-The game in no different cover or anything different about it (same as the store bought version)

-2 Rockstar key chains that open the lock case

That's pretty much it, I highly recommend getting this game if your over about 11. It's very violent, is relentless on the cursing, has extremely strong sexual content, and strong drug/alcohol content. This may seem terrible but your kids are going to learn this at a public school anyway. As I said before, this game is really offensive against minorities, the radio talk programs are very funny but are part of the reason that this game is so notorious.

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During a time when most special editions are just crappy DVDs from the B side of the development team's production diaries, Rockstar comes through with some high-class swag. In all, a duffel bag, a lockbox with keys and keychain, an artbook, and a 16-track audio CD.

The duffel bag is surprisingly large; to give you an idea you can probably carry two large bowling balls in it. It has a really nice bright yellow/orange lining with a repeating R* logo pattern. It's perfect to take to a gym or to lug around a cache of semi-automatic weapons and ammunition ala Falling Down.

The safety deposit box is well-made and functions as a nice but less than secure storage unit, it is about the size of a flip-flop shoe box. It comes with two keys, a ¼" thick R* logo keychain. This product shows the Rockstar team's pragmatism, they probably debated between giving us an action figure of some sort (which would have been cool) or something people can actually use, like the lockbox.

The art book is OK, the production notes, while somewhat interesting are less than impressive, it is hardbound with semi-glossy pages but in my opinion too small (it is about 1/3 of the size of a US Letter sheet of paper). A larger booklet (US Letter Size) with more pictures would have definitely made this collector's pack worth another easy 10 bucks. But publishers have to make hard decisions and maybe the focus groups were telling them that a 99.99 price point was too high. It does seem that this was the only item in the bundle that really wasn't thought about in detail. I hope that Rockstar will release a full-size art book for this game in the future.

The soundtrack features a great selection of songs from the game. Vagabond by the Greenskeepers is without a doubt one of the catchiest tracks in the game, and the one used for the television ads. Other songs of note are Nickname by Qadir and Liberty City The Invasion by Seryoga. Overall the 16 tracks on the CD are well chosen and represent some of the best music from the game by lesser known but definitely not lesser talented artists. I wish the packaging for the CD was better, it comes in what is basically a cardboard sleeve, but that is merely nitpicking. Rockstar would be well advised to give GTA IV the San Andreas/Vice City treatment and release a full collection of soundtracks from the game's radio stations.

The whole kit and caboodle comes packaged in large box adorned with art from the game featuring the game's anti-hero (the PS3 version features the lollipop girl instead). Also for those of you that care about such things, the game case does not have that hideous gray box reading "Special Edition" as shown in the product photo on Amazon. It is in fact the very same game case that you get when you buy the regular edition game.

Inside are an owner's manual and a large foldout map with points of interest on one side and subway map on the other. The subway map won't make Massimo Vignelli proud but it will let you know which train to take to your destination within the game. It also comes with a 1 month trial for Xbox Live Gold, which augments your subscription by a month if you already have an active Xbox Live Gold account.

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Best game of the series so far. Hard, gritty, violent, brutal and unforgiving. Play by the rules and be docile like lambs being led to the slaughter, or play it like you stole it, beat it, stab it, pummel it, shoot it, run down peds on your way to fame and glory. This game is NOT for the faint of heart or for the young or for those who walk the thin line between war and peace, it is all out war if that is what you prefer and peace?, peace is dead, who's next?. You will find gone all the little kiddy elements from games past, jet packs, parachutes, planes in every drive way, tanks, all that crap. Yes you still have have the occasional chopper, thankfully Nikko was in "A" war thus he knows the art of war mongering, and at best they are bland missions, or your only hopes of survival compared to previous releases. I can't say enough about the game yet at the same time i cannot say to much in respect to those who have not played it yet. Take it from me, a 50 year old gamer since the days of Pong, this is the one to own, to play, if you like more true to life games with realism such as explosions, water, cars, motorcycles, boats, damage modeling and atmosphere then you do not want to miss this game. Its fantastic on the Xbox 360 and its alright on the PS3, but anyway you slice it and which ever system you own quit holding out and JUST DO IT!, buy the dang thing you'll be glad you did. Also if you can afford it and can find it and you like these kind of things go for the Limited edition set, art book with concept drawings, audio c.d. with music from the game, a lock box, all metal (tin) by the way, to store it in and a Rock Star key chain with two keys to lock it up, it comes with a duffle to haul around your stash around in, and if you lucky a full sized Liberty City license plate, pretty cool. Outa sight, outa mind. Enjoy.

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