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Usually, everybody is a touch skeptical of the champ. You know him, the top player on the court, or maybe it’s the best side that wins the championship every season. Maybe it’s the New York Yankees and their pinstripes or the Patriots’ perfect season. Whatever! We disliked that kid at school that seemed too perfect: popular, smart, had to be the best at everything. But occasionally, what appears too good to be true is in fact, every bit as good as you hear it is. And that, my friend, is Grand Theft Auto 4.

In case you don’t know what’s going on or just got back from your year-long-trip to the Australian Outback, Grand Theft Auto 4-or GTA 4-is not only the well-liked game out right now, but also the highest ranked, best-reviewed game of all time. GTA 4 holds the record for most sales in the initial day of availability, $310 million, and most sales in the first week, $500 million. Besides the huge sales, the game’s reviews have been out of sight, with perfect, 10 out 10 scores from all the top magazines and reviewers.

So what’s all the Grand Theft Auto 4 fuss about? There’s almost too much to reckon with. You can have several active missions going on at once, and some of them may occur over a couple of days. One new twist is that there are several “morality choices” at specific times during the game. The choice you make ultimately determines which of the two specific endings you get. Technically, the wrecks are more detailed than in previous versions, so you’ll see helmets go flying and characters careening down the pavement.

GTA 4 makes much more use of mobile phones. Not only can players watch text messages and appointments, but they can also take pictures to upload into the police computer, call 911 for assistance from police, paramedics or the fire station. Oh yeah, and if you are interested in any of the 214 songs you hear on the 18 radio stations, make use of the character’s phone to “mark” the songs. If you’re registered at the game’s Social Club website, you’ll get a real email with a link so you can purchase those songs from Amazon.

Yes, there’s much more to Grand Theft Auto 4, and while it sounds to good to be true, the shattered records, the great response, and the countless updates are all very real.

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