A DECADE OF GRAND THEFT AUTO
I'm currently balls deep into "Grand Theft Auto IV" and judging on the overall size of the game I know its going to be awhile before I give my official review. So in the meantime let's take a look at how this franchise has changed the video game industry forever over the last decade.
Grand Theft Auto (1997)
The original GTA
OPEN-ENDED GAMEPLAY - David Jones conceived "Race 'n' Chase", which was later renamed "Grand Theft Auto" as an advanced version of "Pac-Man" using cars. Jones' 2-D game featured gang alliances and an offbeat humor, but its "sandbox" gameplay would come to define the series (and many others as well...cough...cough.. "Saints Row", "Crackdown", "True Crime"...etc).
Grand Theft Auto 2 (1999)
GTA in 2-D Overhead view
NON-LINEAR STORYTELLING - Sam and Dan Houser of Rockstar Games took over the franchise in 1999 and their first goal was to make a 3-D action adventure with a rich storyline to boot. But the real kicker here is that up until then story-driven games forced you down specific paths that the gamer had no control over, whereas "Grand Theft Auto III" gave gamers an awesome story and all the freedom to ignore it.
Grand Theft Auto III (2001)
GTA goes 3-D and video games are never the same.
CELEBRITY VOICE ACTING - Gaming's early years saw a lot of B and C-list actors reading dialog. GTA upped the ante and brought in some big guns like Samuel L. Jackson, Ray Liotta, Dennis Hopper, Joe Pantoliano, Robert Loggia, and many others. Games now routinely feature A-list stars.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002)
Freedom: You want to fly a helicopter? Go for it!  Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004)
Damn, it feels good to be a gangster!
THE GAMER AS THE ANTICHRIST - GTA lets gamers do anything from killing cops to having relations with hookers. The GTA games are sometimes blamed for real world tragedies, which we all know is simply ridiculous. But I guess that's one of the prices you have to pay for being one of the most successful franchises in Video Game History!
 Grand Theft Auto IV (2008)
 Perhaps the best GTA game of all-time?
CALL OF DUTY 4 MONTAGE
Here's a montage I cut with Call of Duty 4 footage set to Rage Against The Machine's "Killing In The Name Of".
The Top 109 Video Games of All-Time
Here are the most rewarding video games I've ever played.
1. Online Poker (PC)
2. Grand Theft Auto Series (PC, Playstation, X-Box)
3. Street Fighter II (Arcade, SNES)
4. The Legend of Zelda Series (Nintendo)
5. Super Mario Brothers (NES, 1985)
6. Goldeneye 007 (N64, 1997)
7. Halo 3 (X-Box, 2007)
8. Burnout 3: Takedown (X-Box, 2004)
9. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (X-Box 360, 2007)
10. Halo 2 (X-Box, 2004)
11. Ninja Gaiden (X-Box, 2004)
12. Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness (PC, 1995)
13. X-Men (Arcade, 1992)
14. Metroid Prime (Gamecube, 2002)
15. NHL Hockey '94 (Sega, 1993)
16. BioShock (X-Box 360, 2007)
17. Madden Football Series
18. Metroid (NES, 1986)
19. Tex Murphy Series (PC)
20. Max Payne (PC, 2001)
21. Double Dribble (NES, 1987)
22. Ninja Gaiden (NES, 1989)
23. Tecmo Bowl (NES, 1989)
24. Tetris (NES, 1989)
25. Utopia (Intellivision, 1981)
26. NBA Live Series (SNES, Sega)
27. Final Fantasy II (NES, 1991)
28. Mike Tyson's Punch-Out (NES, 1987)
29. Resident Evil 4 (Gamecube, 2005)
30. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (X-Box, 2005)
31. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Arcade, 1989)
32. Tron Deadly Disks (Intellivision, 1982)
33. Contra (NES, 1988)
34. Viewtiful Joe (Gamecube, 2003)
35. RC Pro-Am (NES, 1988)
36. Perfect Dark (N64, 2000)
37. Double Dragon (NES, 1988)
38. Bases Loaded (NES, 1988)
39. Star Wars (Arcade, 1983)
40. Hogan's Alley (NES, 1984)
41. Duke Nukem (PC)
42. Command & Conquer Series (PC)
43. Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (Intellivision, 1982)
44. Dragon's Lair (Arcade, 1983)
45. Half-Life 2 (X-Box, 2004)
46. Gears of War (X-Box 360, 2006)
47. Turok: Dinosaur Hunter (N64, 1997)
48. Metal Gear Solid (Playstation, 1998)
49. Doom 3 (X-box, 2005)
50. Age of Empires II (PC, 1999)
51. B-17 Bomber (Intellivision-Intellivoice, 1982)
52. Impossible Mission (Commodore 64)
53. Mortal Kombat (Arcade, 1992)
54. Rush 'N' Attack (NES, 1987)
55. Spy Hunter (Arcade, 1983)
56. Bionic Commando (NES, 1988)
57. Call of Duty 2 (X-Box 360, 2005)
58. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (X-Box 360, 2006)
59. Super Castlevania IV (SNES, 1991)
60. Starfox (N64, 1997)
61. X-Men Legends I & II (X-Box)
62. Shark! Shark! (Intellivision, 1982)
63. Pro Wrestling (NES, 1987)
64. Metroid Fusion (Gameboy Advance, 2002)
65. Paperboy (Arcade, 1984)
66. NFL Blitz (Arcade, N64, 1997)
67. NBA Jam (Arcade, 1993)
68. Lock 'N' Chase (Intellivision, 1982)
69. F-Zero (SNES, 1991)
70. Mega Man 2 (NES, 1989)
71. BurgerTime (Intellivision, 1983)
72. Earthworm Jim (SNES, 1994)
73. Blades of Steel (NES, 1990)
74. Rampage (Arcade, 1986)
75. Bomb Squad (Intellivision-Intellivoice, 1982)
76. Pac-Man (Arcade, 1980 )
77. Big Buck Deer Hunter (Arcade, 2001)
79. Rollercoaster Tycoon (PC, 1999)
80. Baseball (NES, 1985)
81. Golf (NES, 1984)
82. Return to Castle Wolfenstein (PC, 2001)
83. ActRaiser (SNES, 1991)
84. Rygar (NES, 1987)
85. Pitfall (Intellivision, 1982)
86. Sonic The Hedgehog (Sega, 1991)
87. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (Gamecube, 2003)
88. Baseball (Intellivision, 1980)
89. Rad Racer (NES, 1987)
90. Snafu (Intellivision, 1981)
91. Zaxxon (Arcade, 1982)
92. Duck Hunt (NES, 1985)
93. Gauntlet (Arcade, 1985)
94. Elevator Action (NES, 1985)
95. Outrun (Arcade, 1986)
96. The Simpsons (Arcade, 1991)
97. Skate or Die! (NES, 1988)
98. Chase HQ (Arcade, 1988)
99. After Burner (Arcade, 1987)
100. Donkey Kong (Arcade, 1981)
101. Smash TV (Arcade, 1990)
102. Pole Position (Arcade, 1982)
103. Solitaire/Minesweeper (PC)
104. Star Strike (Intellivision, 1982)
105. Castlevania (NES, 1987)
106. Doom (PC, 1993)
107. Ice Hockey (NES, 1988)
108. Kung Fu (NES, 1985)
109. Excitebike (NES, 1985)
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