GOTY 2008? Probably

Best Game in History? Not even close.

No chance?  Come on, it's pretty high up there, even though it's a fighting game.  The flaws with the Subspace mode will keep it from winning, but I'm not the only one who loves the game.

I think hindsight will be a big big factor in deciding if it will win GOTY. Reviewers don't live in a vacuum, and as such aren't objective. GTAIV has gotten an absurd amount of hype, and pumped up as the greatest thing since sliced bread. I'm sure it's an excellent game, but it no doubt benefits from the hype surrounding it.

Hindsight cures us of that. Will GTAIV still be a phenomenon and considered one of the greatest games of all time by January of next year? Or will that belong to the upcoming FFXIII/Killzone 2/Gears Of War 2, ect ect ect. As gamers we are a marketers dream, we buy into any amount of hype, build anticipation among ourselves, and fight fiercely to whatever game/system we are loyal too. And as soon as the product comes out we claim it's a masterpiece, play it for 40 hours and then repeat the process with whatever is the next thing they want to sell to us.

So will GTAIV be GOTY? Only if nothing gets hyped up for christmas time.

Well it's between GTA IV, MGS4, LBP, and some possible other ones that'll surprise us.

 I was referring to "artsy" as distinguished from "realistic." Artists haven't aimed for realism, for the most part, for the last century or so, mostly because the invention of cameras enabled completely photorealistic art. One can therefore compare "artsy" games to modern or post-modern art, and realistic games to photographs. In other words, "artsy" games have a certain degree of abstraction or artistic interpretation to them, while realistic games aim to emulate the real world as closely as possible.

Therefore, when I compare GTA4 to an "artsy" game, consider this example: A contemporary artist and a photographer each attempt to capture a model in their chosen medium. GTA4 is like the high-resolution photograph that the photographer will produce: extremely detailed and realistic, but it's just representing what's there. An "artsy" game is like the painting the contemporary artist will produce: imperfect, highly abstracted, but showing the artist's unique vision of what he or she sees.

 Now, put the painting and the photograph side by side. I guarantee you that the painting will be much more interesting to look at.

You will understand, therefore, when I say that artsy games are far more interesting than realistic games, because they show something beyond simply what's there.

No and No. Spore will be so awesome that it will win game of the year. It will not be the best game ever because I don't think that R* will do anything different that it would need to be one of the greatest games, let alone the greatest. To be in that list you got to build on what was done before you, and do something different and do it greatly to distinguish yourself, I don't see a GTA game doing that until the people at TT quit screwing around and build a business that doesn't lose money.

Best Game ever...? I'd more than likely stop playing video games if that's true.

Well i for one am glad that GTA4 was delayed from its previous christmas launch. I would be pissed if they had rushed it and done a crap job. I'd rather have a 10/10 (IGN) game in April, than a 7 or 8/10 game in December.

I just got my 360 gtaiv and i can safely say that is runs very smoothly!!!!

Then your stoping soon my friend.