Take a wild guess what video game you're watching. It's become so famous and infamous that even someone who's never played a single second of a video game could probably tell you this is a Grant Theft Auto title and they'd, of course, be right. It's the just released number IV: Liberty City. And with lines outside video game stores nationwide, analysts predict GTA4 will overtake last year's Halo3 launch as the biggest video game launch of all time.
The draw? It has a little bit of everything -- a little racing and little shooting, a little sailing, a little flying and you can pick up ladies of the night on the street. It gives you a chance to do crime without paying the time. So you like the adult themes? Yes, I'm an adult so yes.
But those same features that entice gamers are the exact ones that enrage parents and lawmakers who place this series at the epicenter of their arguments insisting violence in video games promotes violence in kids. But developers, who aren't doing interviews, have always insisted the title is just like R-rated movies -- made for adults, not kids.
“It's like watching an episode of the Sopranos. It's actually not much worse than that, but since it's a video game, people think it's a lot worse for kids or a lot easier for kids to get their hands on,” said Dan Ackerman with CNET.com.
Take a wild guess what video game you're watching. It's become so famous and infamous that even someone who's never played a single second of a video game could probably tell you this is a Grant Theft Auto title and they'd, of course, be right. It's the just released number IV: Liberty City. And with lines outside video game stores nationwide, analysts predict GTA4 will overtake last year's Halo3 launch as the biggest video game launch of all time.
So what exactly is it about this game that makes it so popular? Well, there is that forbidden fruit thing of getting to do things in the game that hopefully none of us would ever dream of doing in the real world. But there are plenty of games that are arguably more violent and arguably more risqué, so there has to be something else.
That something else is the games are always, technically, groundbreaking. For instance, this version is so good that not only can you explore virtually everything you see in this virtual Big Apple, the ultimate in gaming couch potato-ness, you can sit your character down and watch him watch TV. Even flip the channels. There are real, fake shows on there.
The next generation gaming consoles, the Xbox 360 and ps3, let you do a lot more. You get a much better sense that you're a guy on the street with the skyscrapers towering above you.Yyou really have a sense of scale we haven't felt before.
The other cutting edge feature here, if you like the music you're listening to on the radio, in the car you've liberated, you'll be able to tag those songs in the game and buy them for real on Amazon's music site. Liberty City is available on the XBox360 and Playstation3 for $60 plus cab fare, or not.