Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

40 to 100 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Almost, but not quite"

San Andreas had:
Bicycles
Gang Wars
Aeroplanes
You owned a hanger!
Gambling
Car modification
Driving, moto, flight, and boating school
A HARRIER JET W/ MISSILES!!!
Driveable cars (the driving physics in GTA IV are terrible)
Driveable motorcycles (find myself crashing these things constantly in GTA IV)
Street Racing
Arena Vehicle Challenges
ATVs
GREAT music!
Samuel L Jackson
Peter Fonda
A rural area
Did I mention planes?

GTA IV has none of these things, and is less fun to play than San Andreas. How could Gamespot call this a perfect game?

This being said, GTA IV is a fun and engrossing game. The graphics are spot on. Explosions look absolutely real. But as far as gameplay, this feels very confined compared to San Andreas. Having less to do and a smaller map does not a better game make.

Things GTA IV does better than GTA San Andreas:
Graphics: They are truly amazing, this is what keeps me playing.
Storyline: although, SA had a great story too
Shooting from a car: You are now able to shoot in any direction while drivng/riding in a car.
Weapons: There are just more of them, as there should be
World Physics: Running someone over in this game is an intense experience

Five years between these games, and they took out a lot of the content, and only expanded in a predictable way, (increased graphics, more weapons, etc.)
so needless to say I was a little disappointed in this game. But, if you have never played SA, then you wont know what you are missing.

8.5/10