I was unable to fully reflect on the game last night, because I was just leaving work when I remembered that the trailer had gone up. And - as usual - when I got home I consumed a hastily prepared dinner and went to sleep.

Alright. Grand Theft Auto IV. It looks to be quite impressive. I don’t know why everyone instantly assumed that the main character was a Russian. Keep in mind I was listening to it through headphones, so the accent was difficult to make out. When I first saw the character model, I thought that you were perhaps playing as a young Salvatore Leone on his arrival to Liberty City, before becoming the all-powerful head of the Leone family.

However, a Russian character would certainly be exciting. Presumably - due to his description of all those awful things he has done - this is set shortly after the Fall of the Berlin wall, and this guy is a retiree from the military. Probably fought in Afghanistan or something.

It is interesting though because it seems - from his brief inner monologue - that he does not wish to be involved in criminal activities. I wonder how this will actually factor into the gameplay. Do you have a choice to be a criminal or subvert criminal activity? Or will you the story just force you into the darkest depths of the criminal underworld?

I guess we will have to wait and see. I’m looking forward to it. The graphics are certainly an impressive leap. And I wonder if they are going to have more varied mission styles. Also, I wonder if we’re going to see a larger area (like San Andreas), or if that will be set aside due to the improvement in graphics.

Who is to say.

ASIDE: There is this girl who works here named Simona, and she is smokin’. Although - to be honest - I’m not sure if I’d want to date another girl employed at a retail outlet. The last one got kind of rocky towards the end.