Seriously, Rockstar has really outdone themselves this time around. THis is by and far one of the best games I've played in a very long time. The concept is phenomenal and actually pulled off very well. The graphics are fantastic and the way they utilized HD mo-cap for the facial expressions is top notch, if you pay attention you can actually tell who the actors are that are portraying the characters. The sound track is top notch, I love the WWII era music, the vehicles and sounds are great and as far as I've seen with the exception of a couple of the characters, the script and acting is the same that you would find in a big budget TV show or classic movie. Even the street crimes that are considered to be extra's have their own story and cut scenes that go with them. Seriously, if you have a PS3 or a 360 go get this game, you will not be disappointed as there's literally something for everyone, The gun play is fun, the physical fights are not a series of choreographed button mashes. The only down fall I've found so far as that the driving is a little squirrly, but it's essentially the same mechanics found in GTA and Midnight Club. In fact if you have the entire map of MC:LA or are a local of the LA area you'll do well as it's literally the entire city in a game, granted it's circa 1947 so a lot of the highways aren't built yet.

I saw you on XBL last night playing and was going to ask you about it but didn't want to interrupt your game and take you out of the atmosphere. Nice to hear that it's a good, it's one of those that I looked forward to for a long time...especially since it came out on my birthday.

I didn't end up pre-ordering at GameStop though since I was on out on vacation this week and couldn't have picked it up. I hope the pre-order bonus chapter eventually becomes available as DLC.

I didn't pre-order it either, the bonus case comes in the box on a card, you just have to enter the code. After putting in several hours and getting to disc 2 (the 360 version has 3 discs) I have to say it's still just as good after all this time invested as it was the first 30-45 minutes. I would definitely suggest getting the strategy guide, not so much for the first play through but for the second so you can find all the clues, as well as all the hidden extras in the game. I'm chugging through the story with out really exploring the city to much because it/s really that interesting and i want to find out what happens next. I am doing the street crimes as they come along because for one they help you earn points to rank up and get new unlocks and for two they have their own little cut scenes and stories that go with the,.

Also in the case are film strip negatives that you use to find the hidden badges. As you progress through you earn new outfits that give you special abilities (one helps you get further when questioning movie stars, another helps your accuracy with the BAR, Thompson and Shotgun etc...) you also earn intuition points that you can use to find clues and evidence as well as help you when your doing interrogations. Ranking up also unlocks new hidden vehicles.

Finally they use real case files in the game so for instance you spend a large chunk of the Homicide detective portion trying to solve the Black Dahlia murders which is actually really cool, This is not a good game for kids or even to have kids watch you play becayse their is some pretty rough language, a lot of nudity, and some of the content isn't child appropriate because since it does take place in the 40's their is quite a bit of blatant sexism, violence against women, and in some cases you will see some racial slurs, b/c it was all acceptable back then. I've also come across at least 2 cases where you deal with pedophiles and 1 case with rape and I haven't even gotten to the Vice section which is where the most sex and drugs will come into play.

Overall Rockstar did a fabulous job, I'll be surprised if it doesn't get at least a 8/10 from most of the reviews and I haven't had any major glitches or game freezing issues and really I've only had maybe a single hands worth of minor glitches (clipping, sound, etc...) Again if you are even slightly interested this is a must have game.