To be specific, from GTA III on.

    What is it that makes Grand Theft Auto so damn addicting? Is it the fact that you can cause nearly unlimited destruction with a few well-placed pistol shots? Is it the fact that nearly everything is already open from the beginning? Is it's amusing tongue-in-cheek storytelling?

No. I think the classic underdog story that is the base for all of the Grand Theft Auto games. Take a look at Grand Theft Auto III. Betrayed by your girlfriend after knocking over a bank and being sent to prison, only to escape through sheer happenstance and end up killing your girlfriend. Likewise, bieng ruthlessly hunted by Sonny Ferelli for money in Vice City is the same base. CJ from San Andreas? The victim of escalating gang warfare and circumstances beyond his control, like Pulaski and Tenpenny.

What do Carl Johnson and Tommy Vercetti have in common? They're underdogs. They feel human. Look human. Sound human. And react like a human. The classic struggle of coping with things as best as they can. They have the same story, but with different underpinnings. Tommy can't seem to get a break, whether it's him getting hunted by a drug dealing mobster or getting shot in the face by the girlfriend bitch from Hell. Carl is subject to the will of corrupted Los Santos police and betrayals by close friends.

What does the newest GTA bring to the table? An Eastern European immigrant, Niko Bellic. An underdog. Looking for the American dream from a assumedly ex-Soviet bloc.

I'm having a new wave of fatigue sweep over me (it's 2:25 AM) so I'm going to have to cut this short, but I know I'm not the only one who wants to see Niko's story unfold. Good night, everyone.