People don't have to convince me of anything.  I'm just asking for insight because I don't have any of my own.  It's the very fact that the game has sold so well that lead me to make the post in the first place.  I agree that there must be something to them -- what is it?  That's what I'm asking. 

As far as the hooker comment goes, I guess I'm finding out that there's not a lot of room to joke around lest you be called a time-waster. 

Thank you for the reply.  This and other replies on the thread have helped. 

Grand Theft Auto is a wonderful sandbox series. The premise behind a sandbox is that the fun is derived from the players own creativity. The series is also beloved, because the sandbox has a strong linear game laid over top of it. Yet you still retain the freedom alloted by a sandbox game design.

For instance in Grand Theft Auto III one mission requires you to kill a mafia boss. Most games would give you a set of requirements to achieve this noble goal. The sandbox lets you play it as you see fit. You have a myriad of options as to how to dispatch the target. You can play it safe and take up a sniper position on top of a building across the street. You could hide in a car two blocks down, and run him over as he leaves the building. You could lob grenades from a place of concealment into the entourage. The most entertaining by far is to let the boss get into his car and run him off the road preferably once he is close to his compound. Hit the car right and he goes flying over a cliff to his certain death.

The freedom the player has to do as he or she will is what the series is all about. The game has infinite replay, because you can always play it differently. You have a million things you can decide to do or decide not to do. There are dozens of mechanics to play with from racing and stunt driving to being a mad spree killer. Players are even free to create their own scenarios, and with the new multiplayer component you going to see players doing exactly that.

Some players need to have their play regulated to have fun. They need the linear experience. So the question is how high is freedom on your list of importance. Many players derive great satisfaction by testing their wit rather then matching a preselected scripted scenario. So which kind of player are you personally. What kind of games do you specifically enjoy. That might help us divine what kind of player you are.

I bought every GTA as I really wanted to like them and gave them all away to one of my mate who loves the series as I just didn't feel it.

Got a Wii and played Godfather though and gotta say I love that game, maybe it's the controls, maybe it's cos it's still kinda on rails whilst free roaming - who knows. I do think you gotta play it for yourself - if you got the 60GB version then get a cheap version of San Andreas and give it a whirl.

played GTA San Andreas, never really got into it.
played Godfather on Wii, never really got into that either

I think I'm just not into sandbox games...

however, back when I was a little kid I played the original GTA for ages.

I think I like sanbox type games.  I've played and loved Oblivion which allows you to go enywhere and do things in any order you like and in whatever ways you can think of.  I guess Assassin's Creed was supposed to be like that but at the end of the day all of the assassinations wound up being more or less the same. 

I also really like Warhawk.  That game throws you in there with no explanations or tutorial, but once I got past the initial pounding I took from the vererans, I found that people can be very creative in their tactics and in the way they use the weapons and vehicles. 

Looks like I'll have to try one of the older games and see for myself.  I'm doing that already with the MGS games as I have never played any of those either.