"One of the meanest lines I've ever written about a game was in reference to Grand Theft Auto IV's story, which I described as "the kind of Godfather/Soprano's fan-fiction that a couple of over-zealous masochists might grind out in a coffee house." I read the column again after I finished The Ballad of Gay Tony, the last apparent, installment in the GTA IV cannon. I remember writing the line, trying to pack all of the different feelings I had about the game and its characters into a single sentence. The game was nearly perfect, and yet it was frustratingly incomplete. Metacritic has the aggregate critical response at a near-pristine 98, while user reviews hover uneasily at 79. So what is the truth about Grand Theft Auto IV? Almost two years after its release and with both downloadable episodes out, the GTA IV cycle is finished; Rockstar is ready to move into new territory. Before the gaming world moves on, it's worth looking back to appreciate GTA IV's achievements, remember all the things it missed on, and imagine what could possibly come next."