I decided to pick up Grand Theft Auto IV today. One of my local Shopkos had a couple Special Editions left and after thinking about how well its being received, huge future add-ons rumored, and a large chunk of my friend's list playing it... I thought it'd be a good idea to go with the flow.

Though, upon picking it up this afternoon, I noticed that all other copies of GTA IV were sold out. Sooo.. I guess it wasn't just a shot in the dark that Shopko had some special editions left. They weren't purchased because it's ridiculously expensive. The Special Edition is $30 more expensive than the already expensive price of next-gen games.

Here's what $30 buys you:

There's the lock-box with two keys, a Rockstar keychain, an artbook for GTAIV, an OST sampler, a Rockstar dufflebag, and the game. The lock-box is pretty cool and it's somewhat sturdy, but if it were locked, I could easily rip the thing open. It's not that sturdy, unfortunately. The artbook doesn't provide a whole lot of insight. The dufflebag is kinda cheap, but it's not bad. It'll work great as a travel laundry bag or a gym bag. Also, the keychain is pretty slick.

The special edition may be expensive but comes with a bunch of things. If that CD isn't too bad, with the keychain and dufflebag, I'd say the $30 isn't that wasteful.

I've only played about 3 or 4 hours so far, but I needed to take a break. The controls make me feel like it's work to do anything in the game. I don't want to drive anywhere because I feel like I'm driving through sand the entire time, which hinders everything I do in the game. I can't chase people because they get away too fast and can't evade cops fast enough. I feel like I'm dragging my feet the entire time.

That's the only thing problem I have with the game, thus far. Unfortunately, it keeps me from having tons of fun, but I'm still having fun.