Analyst: GTA IV 'is going to be game of the year'

As gamers around the world gear up for the release of Grand Theft Auto IV, which hits store shelves Tuesday, the highly anticipated title is not only expected to race into record books as the fastest-selling video game ever, but be awarded distinctions along the way.

“This is going to be the game of the year,” said Edward Woo, video game industry analyst at Wedbush Morgan Securities.

According to Woo, GTA IV’s appeal is fueled by its captivating storyline and open-world format.

“Instead of just watching a movie and being fed the story you can go another way and the movie goes in that direction,” Woo told AFP.

“That is what people want; more interactive entertainment rather than watching a TV show.”

While controversy surrounds the title, as critics remain concerned that games like GTA IV breed criminals, U.S. statistics show that violent crimes by children have been on the decline for years.

“If there is this big causal trend you would expect to see a large leap in violent crime among kids, but there is not,” said Mia Consalvo, an assistant professor specializing in video game research at Ohio University.

Grand Theft Auto IV’s blend of controversy, innovative play, compelling story, and its momentum from previous games of the series has created a “perfect storm” around the franchise, Consalvo said.