Back when I was a news editor over at PlanetPS2, I floated an idea for an article comparing and contrasting the differences between Eastern (read: Japanese) RPG’s and Western RPG’s. The senior editor never picked up on it, but I still think it’s a contrast well-worth considering, especially with the volume of Western-crafted console and computer Role Playing Games.

One game franchise I never hear mentioned in the same sentence as RPG, however, is Grand Theft Auto. And…I wonder why? I’m sure the implied geekiness of the term is partially responsible (after all, GTA unrepentantly appeals to the lowest common denomimator of the gaming crowd, even as it satirizes it).For all of it’s other virtues (and they are many), the Grand Theft Auto series, especially after the move to its’ current open-world model, is in many ways more of a pure role-playing experience than many other well-known RPG’s. And Grand Theft Auto IV, released yesterday, reinforces this notion.

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