Grand Theft Auto

That funeral scene, along with a touching moment when a grieving son walks into his now empty childhood home and looks at his dead mother's photograph, are surprisingly emotional moments, moments that had me checking the disc to make sure that I'd loaded up the right game. Has GTA gone all Dr. Phil on me?

According to ESRB, this game contains: Strong Language, Severe Violence, Blood and Gore

Gene is right—Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is all about Thanatos. It's all about death, and the destruction and violence that surround it. But this is nothing new to games, and this is nothing new for game reviewers. As Chi brought up in his Dynasty Warriors 3 review, at some point you have to stand back and ask yourself why you receive such enjoyment from this gruesome spectacle.

Vice City, the sequel to last years seminal Grand Theft Auto III (GTA3), gives players rational, legal means to act out their bloodlust. All that stuff about being your own character in these games is bull. The game is specifically designed to enact violence.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Violence

Game Description: It's the mid-1980s and Tommy Vercetti has just gotten out of jail. He's gone to Vice City for a new job but he's been set up. Now every player in the city wants a piece of him -- mobsters, bikers, crooked politicians, everyone. Tommy's only hope is to take them all out and run the city himself.

To say that GTA3 has been critically well received is an understatement of gargantuan proportions. Since the short time of its release, the game is already being heralded not only as the game-of-the-year, but also a groundbreaking artistic masterpiece that qualifies for the ever-diminishing title of "greatest game of all-time."

As the years go by, video games constantly strive for higher levels of realism. The line between the real world and the video game world is starting to blur with the current level of technology in today's gaming hardware. The advancements in AI, heightened graphics, the ultimate switch to 3D, and the medium on which the data is carried are just some of the things that allow the video game industry to not just create games, but simulations.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Blood, Strong Language, Violence

Game Description: You've been betrayed and left for dead. Now you're taking revenge, unless the city gets you first. Mob bosses need a favor, crooked cops need help, and street gangs want you dead. You'll have to rob, steal, and kill just to stay out of serious trouble. Anything can happen out here. Grand Theft Auto III features a fully 3D living city, a combination of narrative-driven and nonlinear gameplay, and a completely open environment.