GTA IV is rather good.

As part of my revision schedule, I decided to buy Grand Theft Auto 4. It's been hailed as the best game of the decade, and I'm not going to disagree...it's pretty awesome.

It's matured from the grannie-whacking, hooker-killing sandbox game it used to be (Vice City, San Andreas), and now it's a harrowing adventure through the tough lives of Liberty City (New York) immigrants who, thanks to poverty and tough circumstances, have to resort to brutal crime.

The game is still brutal. It deserves its 18 rating, but it's different; every time Nico kills someone you can tell he feels a little further from home; his mind is tormented by the war he fought back in his home country, and he tries his best to redeem himself - but the Liberty City crime community won't let him, forcing him to carry out their random killings by threatening the lives of he and his cousin, Roman.

The story's brilliant. It's clearly been given a lot of thought, and despite only giving the player a few moral choices, you're able to witness Nico's descent into crime, and ascent into notoriety.

Anyone who dismisses this game as a mere "killing simulator" is an idiot. It's an amazing piece of work. I feel sad every time Nico is forced into violence; I respect him as a character, and every time my flatmate goes on a rampage (on my game) I sit there with a look of disgust and sympathy on my face. For me, GTA IV isn't a rampage game. Maybe I'll dabble later, but at the moment I'm so immersed in the story and the progression of Nico's personality, that randomly mowing down pedestrians isn't really on my list of things to do.

Oh, and the graphics are incredible.
The only complaint I have, is that my Xbox makes my room too hot... that's it.