Ridiculously good reviews are pouring in for Grand Theft Auto IV.

NYTimes says:

It all adds up to a new level of depth for an interactive entertainment experience

One reason I’ll probably check the game out is the fact that it’s set in a virtual New York City:

The game does not try to represent anything close to every street in the city, but the overall proportions, textures, geography, sights and sounds are spot-on. The major landmarks are present, often rendered in surprising detail, from the Cyclone at Coney Island to the Domino Sugar factory and Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn and on up through the detritus of the 1964-65 World’s Fair in Queens. Central Park, the Empire State Building, various museums, the Statue of Liberty and Times Square are all present and accounted for.

Perhaps even more impressive, IGN gives it a perfect 10:

I could go on and on about why Grand Theft Auto IV is one of the best games we’ve ever seen and why even folks who are easily offended should play it, but that would be pointless. The only thing you need to know is that you have to play this game. Period.

Here’s the IGN video review:

Lastly, a lot of coverage will inevitably focus on the violence and sexual content of the video game. I honestly think this is fair and I think the sex is a bit more shocking than the violence as far as video game content goes. To illustrate how far they’ve taken it, check out this video titled ‘Ladies of Liberty City’ (warning: even those these are video game girls, this video is sort of not safe for work, oh…definitely put in headphones).