With GTA IV, for the first time to my mind, R* really started playing with some weighty themes. It was the first game to really scrutinize the American Dream through the eyes of an outsider (undoubtedly another reason why it turned certain people off immediately); although for me, GTA has always had scrutinizing the American Dream, scrutinizing capitalism on the whole, near the top of its agenda. But sometimes, it takes a little outside perspective. Now dont get me wrong for a second American readers, I have no qualms with America whatsoever. In fact, Im immigrating to California early next year and if anything, Id consider myself an avid student of the countrys cultural output. But GTA IV asks what does the American Dream mean today? An interesting question, and an extremely complicated one to answer. My hats off to Rockstar for having the stones to take the series in that direction. To my mind, no previous GTA game has tackled its subject matter in such a weighty and controversial manner, and with their fourth title, R* really began to push the series down more serious, more adult and more cinematic avenues. It might not be the most outwardly appealing to the younger or less interested fan, Ill admit, but the maturity of its themes and its sheer respect for its audience, makes GTA IV, for me, one of the finest entries into the series.