Packed with details, multiplayer modes and a solid story, but it feels like it's still missing some thing(s).
Lets talk about the good parts of the game first. The driving in the game is fun to me, and it's pretty easy to get used to. I instantly felt like a skilled getaway driver in many situations. The only problem I had in the driving is the camera angles, there are many humps and hills on the road and the camera angles are located at areas where you can't see much ahead of you, there is a lack of a higher viewpoint in 3rd person, so I constantly found myself using the right analog stick to adjust the camera more often than I'd like. Other than that, I enjoyed testing each of the vehicles differences and the details are incredible. Each vehicle has a certain weight, handling, speed etc, and you will notice the difference in horsepower as you climb hills. I also noticed a difference in weight and handling on mopeds and bikes once you have another person riding with you. Damage is awesome, the handling and speed will become more difficult in areas depending on where the vehicle has taken damage, tires pop even when you constantly burn-out, it's great.
I also really enjoy the melee fighting in the game, it's more difficult this time around and requires more skill, which also means that it's more rewarding when you win a fight. It's just a real shame that the game never puts this excellent formula to more use. You will find yourself using guns on most of the missions, because everyone spots you once one of them sees you and will constantly lay fire on you making it incredibly difficult to go hand-to-hand. A few side missions that require melee combat would have been great. Maybe a daily UFC/MMA-style tournament could have been hosted in an arena.
The shooting portion of the game is pretty bad in my opinion. It's on par with those basic and cheap 3rd person shooters such as; 50cent bulletproof. Enemy A.I. isn't that smart, what makes it challenging is that there are so many of them found at various locations. The fact that enemies stay behind cover just made it more frustrating to kill people, because some of the enemies will stay behind cover forever until you get near them. The cover system isn't great either, sure it may seem useful, but I found crouching behind objects more effective than hitting the cover button. The reason is because when you are behind cover, your reticle will be placed on an enemy, however when you begin firing, the reticle moves from the desired position. I found popping in and out of cover with the left stick button much easier. Plus you don't have to stick your head out to keep your gun zoomed in. The camera doesn't help much either, especially when there are enemies near you. There were many times when I'm running or walking around and an enemy was right behind a wall, I then find myself attempting to fight with the camera to see him. This is also true when climbing stairs, the camera is not your friend. It makes me wish that there is a 1st person mode. I had to score the gameplay lower, because most of the time, you will be shooting. And it's not very fun.
Graphics - 9/10
Details galore! While the graphics aren't jaw-dropping, it makes up for it in details. You will notice little things such as cars getting dirty, certain type of people located in certain locations, more detailed interiors, and also people doing various tasks, other than walking around. Rockstar managed to capture a great depiction of New York that feels more like a living city more than any other game to date. The water in the game and also the city view from above is incredibly beautiful, however.
Animations - 9/10
The cut-scenes appear to be motion captured, so it obviously looks realistic when they move. Lip animations are really good and help make the characters believable. It's also great to see pedestrian animations, especially when they fly after you run into them.
Sound - 9/10
Excellent voice acting, except for the majority of the prostitutes, is it me or do they sound gross? The only complaint I have is the sound of the weapons firing, they don't have that exciting sound to them, everything else sounds pretty solid.
Story - 10/10
Great story of an immigrant attempting to obtain the "American Dream" Many of the characters tell a believable and compelling story, filled with twists and turns that will make you want to see what happens.
Replay value - 9/10
The main story of the game contains a few areas when you have to choose what to do and it will have a permanent effect on the rest of the game. Some may want to replay the game to see the other side of the decision. There are also various things to find in liberty city, and things to accomplish which may take a while for someone to get a 100% completion. The multiplayer is where most of the replay value lies (obviously), there are various game types to play, such as; death match, cops n crooks or you can just go into free mode and roam around with your friends.
Disappointments? There are quite a few things missing that previous GTA's had. You can no longer purchase places to live, modify your cars, fly airplanes, ride bicycles. There also seems to be a bit of a limitation in clothing and areas to visit. I would have traded two whole islands for a much more detailed area, where every house and building can be entered and robbed. Niko will constantly talk about gaining money and how important it is, but you will hardly find yourself using much of it. There is really nothing much to buy with it and making money seems pretty useless after you have completed a 3rd of your missions.