Man, I don't even know where to start. You could sustain the argument that GTA 3 is the most important game of modern times. I'm not sure how it holds up without nostalgia, but it's freaking vital. Vice City is either utterly sublime or merely brilliant, depending on to what extent you consider the 80s the greatest decade.

GTA IV was actually a bit of a step back. It did a lot that was impressive but in the end, it abandoned quite a few things that made the series genius. It's still brilliant, and only more so with The Lost and Damned and Gay Tony DLC, but it's no San Andreas.

Because holy smurf. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. We are talking about an all-time classic of the medium here. We are talking about something which shows why videogames are special and can do things movies and books and can't do. It isn't genre-defining. It's medium-defining. Beg, steal, borrow, get San Andreas and enjoy one of the truly brilliant experiences of the 2000s.