Yeah, I have to admit that I'm kind of being lead by the hype as well in regards of GTA IV.
I don't know, everytime a new GTA comes out it's something special. It's just one of those games you fall in love with.
Even though GTA SA was slightly disappointing to me as well, it was just something I immensly enjoyed regardless.

It has that something special that I can't put my finger on that other games lack that makes me want this game more than any other game out there...

Because, instead of simply linking missions with a linear narrative, Assassin’s Creed treads a less prescribed route. It isn’t completely free-roaming though, as instead of a dynamic day/night cycle, your missions take place at a set point within the plot, but you are still free to wander outside it. And with the fort at Masyaf serving as your base, Altair rides out across the Holy Land through the lush forests, blank deserts and arid mountains of modern day Israel and Lebanon. At its edges three magnificent towns form a triangle of civilization, complete with their own distinct districts, city walls, denizens and civic style. They are: the besieged and heavily westernized town of Acre, Damascus, Saladin’s Arabic stronghold in Syria, and Jerusalem, the game’s major city and your final objective. And since the road from Jerusalem to Damascus alone is over 130 miles long and the lawless sand between the towns is vast, the horse-riding section that wobbled when it was first shown at X06 is to play a major role.

The best way to avoid their prying eyes is to be an anti-social climber. That means finding a quiet corner and using the game’s much-talked about ability to clamber onto any ledge or surface. And while this freedom can feel daunting to gamers raised on set routes and corridors of certainty, the pad’s rumble guides your hands. You see, not only will the jiggling of the controller help you pick out something to hang on to, the vibrations also become more intense as your grasp on that ridge weakens and your grip gives way, with lethal consequences.

Oh szaromir on that 100 miles

Awesome use of rumble.

I feel sorry for PS3 gamers.

The devs just have a total understanding of what makes a game fun and are masters at drawing people into and getting people interested in what the game has to offer which is why the games are so successful :)