Mechanically, GTA has never been a very good game. In fact the mechanics have arguably been down right awful since the start of the franchise. Anyone remember the horrid top down bird's eye view of GTAI and II? How 'bout the horrible shooting systems in all the PS2 games?
And now for the punch-line: The GTA games are some of my all time favorites and are easily some of the best and most influential games on the planet. If you don't understand why, stop looking for media bias and go actually spend 5 hours with one of the games with an open mind. You still may not like, but I have a hard time believing you won't see why so many love it so much.
GTA has never been about perfecting every nuance of gameplay. For this game, the saying "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts" truly applies. GTA is an experience. Like few other games, it manages to suck you into its world such that you never want to leave it. That's why the game is getting such high ratings. Stop nitpicking, and remember what gaming is all about.
My Top 5:
Shadow of the Colossus, Metal Gear Solid 3, Shenmue, Skies of Arcadia, Chrono Trigger
My 2 nex-gen systems: PS3 
and Wii 
Prediction Aug '08: We see the PSP2 released fall '09. Graphically, it's basically the same as the current system. UMD drive ditched and replaced by 4-8gb on board flash memory. Other upgrades: 2nd analog nub, touchscreen, blutooth, motion sensor. Design: Flip-style or slider. Size: Think Iphone. Cost: $199. Will be profitable on day 1.
