Grand Theft Auto IV is a choice.

You choose to play a game in which you take on the role of a violent protagonist in a crime-ridden city. You decide whether the protagonist has no remorse or is haunted by his past and his actions. You choose to follow the story that was created by the developers, or to explore an open virtual world. (And make no mistake, the game was created and intended for an adult audience; its Mature rating means it should not be played by anyone under the age of 17.)

The latest title in the franchise created by Rockstar Games, this installment is also the greatest of the series.

Developed for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, in many ways GTA IV is much like its predecessors. It has the same style of animation, satirical bent, and gangster-film aesthetic. With each GTA game, the Rockstar developers have refined the sandbox genre they popularized, and the changes they’ve introduced in the new game elevate it beyond its siblings.

The last GTA game, 2004’s San Andreas, sprawled over an entire unnamed state that was based on California. GTA IV has scaled back, limiting players to a city inspired by New York City. A wise decision, because while big can be better, San Andreas was too big for most players to explore fully. Gone—thankfully—are the role-playing elements that were introduced in the San Andreas edition. The driving and weapons controls have been tightened up in GTA IV too, and there is more chaos in the system, exemplified by the number of people and vehicles on the streets.

The story, written by Rockstar Games cofounder Dan Houser and writer Rupert Humphries, is similar to that of the other GTA games. It’s a dark, violent tale set in a seedy underworld populated by criminals and the morally questionable. You take on the persona of Niko Bellic, a Serb who has just arrived in Liberty City, presumably to start a new life. Niko may be escaping or searching, or maybe he’s doing both; you uncover his past as you play. Like the best gangster films—which is what this game is at its heart—GTA IV is an immigrant tale, a pointed comment on the myth of the American Dream. Niko finds work where he can get it, and due to his military experience becomes useful to a variety of criminal organizations, all of which keep in touch with him through phone calls and text messages during the game.

Along the way are the expected spoofs of American consumer culture, presented through radio and television stations you can listen to and watch, and even through the Internet, accessed by visiting the cybercafé Tw@.(Think on that for a second.) The background denizens of the city are spoofs of character clichés, from the strung-out junkie to the coke-addled banker, the sidewalk preacher to the vacuous member of the upper class.

The environment, inspired by the New York City of the ’70s and ’80s, re-creates four of the boroughs—Brooklyn (Broker), the Bronx (Bohan), Queens (Dukes), and Manhattan (Algonquin)—plus New Jersey (Alderney). It’s a dirty, sordid place that is made beautiful by the lighting and shading of the scenery artists.

The multiplayer capacity of the game can support up to 16 players and includes the entire game map, not simply a section of it. You can dive into a variety of combative and cooperative multiplayer game modes or step into Free Mode, which lets you and your friends explore the entire map together without worrying about goals or missions.

GTA IV is not, however, flawless. There are a few minor rendering and frame-rate glitches, and as for reports of the game crashing and freezing PS3s and Xbox 360s, I can attest that there is some truth to them. Despite repeated attempts to get the game running on my 60-gigabyte PS3, it kept freezing. I’ve had no problems with the Xbox 360 edition, however.

While it is true that the decisions you make as Niko have consequences, the story branching is limited to two possible endings, both of which hinge on a final, momentous choice. What you choose to do will stem from who your Niko has become. The cold realities of America, it seems, can either harden or ease a tortured soul.