I had my first crack at the latest in the Grand Theft Auto range today on the XBOX 360 and the one thing that struck me was the adult nature of the game. We all have a pretty good idea of what to expect from this francise by now, sex, violence and crime but this game takes a step further. Don’t get me wrong, I am not one of these people that believe that violence in games is to blame for the worlds troubles, in fact I thoroughly enjoy violent games and have done since I started gaming. But at one point, after I mowed down a bunch of people sitting on park benches and walking along the street as I tried to escape the police in my stolen car, I did feel a tad uncomfortable. Then when I got out of the car and noticed the blood splattered on my dinted bumper, I felt a bit guilty. It all seemed a bit too realistic. Add to that non-stop references to “titties” and threesomes and you have got a game you certainly wouldn’t want your kids playing.

That being said, it does look like a lot of fun, the city looks fantastic and really seems to be alive. The first car I stole was a pimped out Range Rover (I hope it wasn’t Wayne Rooney’s!) and was great fun to drive. After beating a guy to the ground, stomping on him and then driving over him, I eventually tried to hijack a cop car but got shot from point blank range. Its a great way to take out my Mario Kart Wii frustrations