I've seen GTA4 listed here and I'm going to stick up for the game and say I liked GTA4 a lot and think it's the best in the series. You don't really have to share the same opinion, but read what I wrote and you'll atleast see I made some pretty good points.

So anyways. Saints Row 2, which I hated, and Saints Row 3 are the next true GTA games to some people, after the release of San Andreas. The reason behind this is that you can parachute, steal planes, purchase places, etc. What makes these so great though? Now I like Saints Row 3 because the overall gameplay is now good, most of the missions are good, and the side missions are pretty fun, but I still don't like it as much as GTA4. One of my friends I play with always wants to jump in a Vtol and fly around, or wants me to parachute off a building with me, or whatever. Wtf. Gay? I really don't see the sense of flying around in a Vtol other than to complete a mission or fly to my next destination. Why do people get off on destroying non mobile cars or retarded AI pedestrians? You hear people like GTA3 and Vice City better than GTA4 and it has none of this. Why are these games so popular? They also have the worst tps in just about any game I've played, making some missions come down to either complete luck or whether you got body armor before starting the mission.

Even if you don't like the driving system, the new wanted system is a lot better than the old one, and the mission structure and shooting system is a lot better, but that's not what turns people off from this game. What people don't like is back what I said how there's less to do. Is it just the fact that there's less to do, which is what people seem to make believe? Where do people get enjoyment from repeatedly jumping off a roof with a parachute only to go back up there and jump off again? What's the enjoyment of flying a plane around in the air when there's literally nothing in the air for you to do? You just jumped off a mountain with a motorcycle and pulled your parachute for the 10th time, so doing it the 11th time is going to be so awesome. I get this stuff may be fun to see or do once, but it quickly loses its appeal.

If you want a game that has a lot to do, play Scarface the World is Yours. Even after you complete everything, you can continue to do drug run missions. It's usually one of the same few missions over again, then you boat the money from the islands back to Florida, then do a cash run to collect your money from all your fronts.

Not everyone has the same opinion, but I just don't get the appeal of doing the same things that don't actually progress anything.