You can only play an open-world game for the first time once. GTA III was a revelation in its day, handing players the keys to an entire city which, at the time, seemed realistically structured, and the lack of loading times within each island was incredible. Sure, the shooting mechanics were a horrible mess until GTA IV came along, but exploring the cities in the three PS2 installments was nothing short of a dream. Missions aside, who didn't love hopping into a car, hauling ass down the road, and careening straight into a wall. GTA IV tried to up the story ante, and despite how ridiculous Nico's tale was, it set a new bar that most story-driven games since have succeeded in raising. GTA IV also happens to be on a very short list of games I've played through to completion more than once.