The biggest gaming day in 2008 (and, perhaps, of all-time) is nearly upon us, with Grand Theft Auto IV releasing in a matter of days. Everyone here at GameSpy is getting psyched to check the game out, particularly those of us that have yet to see the game in action. There's a lot to be excited about, as the game will feature a bunch of new mechanics (many of which we detailed in yesterday's "We Heart Liberty City" feature), as well as the same wide-open GTA formula that we all know and love. With that in mind, we decided to let our editors chime in on what they were most looking forward to in Grand Theft Auto IV! Also, don't forget to check out our review on Sunday morning at 9AM PT! Fargo: Way back in "the day" we had a group of guys in the engineering department at GameSpy who were totally obsessed with GTA II Multiplayer. Yeah, you heard me -- GTA II, back when the title was a top-down game and the PC was the platform of choice. It was anything goes, no-holds-barred vehicular homicide, but I just never got into it with the top down perspective. Guess what? It's ten years later and we're finally getting some Grand Theft Auto multiplayer again, and this time ... oh yes.

Unlike a couple of our other editors here, I haven't had a chance to try out the multiplayer yet [throws jealous glances at Sterling and Will.] If you read our multiplayer hands-on preview, you know that Sterling is jazzed up about the GTA Race mode -- a kind of no-holds-barred racing game where every weapon and tactic is on the table. But myself, I can't wait to try a hand at the more team-oriented or co-op game modes. Cops and Crooks sounds like a hoot, but the pure co-op missions in the Hangman's NOOSE mode sound right up my alley. I mean, one person alone can cause so much havoc in Liberty City; imagine how much damage my and my fellow GameSpy peeps can cause as a team?

Bryn: Just like Fargo, I'm most excited to see what's up with the multiplayer modes in GTA IV. I've always admired the series from afar rather than being one of the millions devotees out there in gamedom, but my hunger for online multiplayer carnage looks like it'll be satiated when Niko hits the streets. As for the bulk of the single-player game, I'm reserving judgment. I really enjoyed GTA III, but the subsequent releases never really managed to engross me as they did with others.

Still, the very fact that GTA IV looks truly next-gen this time around has more than piqued my interest levels. I think another factor that appeals is that GTA IV seems like it'll be a shorter game to finish; San Andreas dragged on far too long for my miniscule attention span. If I can beat the game in around 30-35 hours, then I'll be a happy camper.

Gabe: While my compatriots are all pumped up on that multiplayer juice, I'm looking forward to digging in and exploring the majestic hugeness of Liberty City itself. Don't get me wrong, I'm as excited as the next guy to take my thuggish skills online, but I'm really titillated by the idea of a next-gen-sized open world created by the guys that know how to do it up right. And don't forget, this is GTA we are talking about, so running at a close second to exploring the world is blowing everything in it up.

After listening to the game play in the background as Sterling and Will flaunt their early copies (jerks!), I'm also pretty keen on listening to the new radio offerings. Some of my favorite GTA experiences have included random radio commentary as a sort of punctuation to the demolition. Somehow, the juxtaposition of unbelievably ruthless criminal activity combined with a soundtrack featuring a radio commercial for a fictional game about a rampaging lab monkey made for some seriously memorable moments. I expect GTA IV to deliver a similarly awesome experience.

Sterling: GTA has always been one of my favorite series, spanning back, like Fargo, to GTA2 on PC. I remember spending a lot of Fall 1999 switching off between GTA2 and Unreal Tournament on my first PC rig. Like many, I caught the bug hard when the series transitioned from bird's eye view to 3D and the series went from niche enjoyment to a cornerstone of mainstream gaming. My feelings on the game have ranged from apathy ("I'll get excited when I finally see it") to excitement ("hands-on was awesome!") to enthusiasm ("GTA Race is your father"). I'm just glad April 29 is right around the corner. I've put in my fair share on multiplayer in the last few weeks, and although Fargo is has mentioned his excitement at teamwork, I say "f' 'em all, let God sort 'em out." GTA Race is going to ruin my life and your lives for at least a few evenings after you've wrapped up the single-player storyline. If there were a potentially greater wedge between you and your friends in a game, it's here. Out of the available modes at my demo at Rockstar, it was this one that proved most compelling. Sure, team deathmatch is fun, and the co-op missions are pretty cool, but there's something about creating a four-bus roadblock in the middle of Star Junction (Liberty City's Times Square), climbing atop one, and picking off every single person who tries to get first place. I'd say that I'll definitely be taking a break from single-player next week to hop on Live before the hordes start getting too good at the game. Miguel: When called upon to hype myself up for GTA 4, I find myself dwelling most on the following question: how can a next-generation Grand Theft Auto most meaningfully iterate on the sandbox scheme that Rockstar introduced to the masses. The obvious answer, of course, is to make everything bigger, better, and more badass (sorry, Epic Games). What I would categorize as "most meaningful," though, is to make the world richer with interaction. The old games, despite the character and personality that was painstakingly built into their worlds, basically turned into anarchic combinations of obstacle courses and shooting galleries once players veered off the critical path. Not that there's anything wrong with that; in fact, it's a testament to how well GTA's designers grasp the notion of "play" that we repeatedly find ourselves so eager to forsake the directed content, and get our clothes dirty with the toys strewn around their sandbox.

I have higher hopes for GTA 4, though. If I had to get specific, I guess I would want a world that's more "intelligent." I want NPCs that react dynamically (not to mentioning convincingly) when I bump into them, and generally, more persistent consequence in regards to how the world perceives Niko depending on my actions in the game. I've purposefully tried to keet myself out of the loop so as to be able to come into the experience as a blank slate some Tuesday, but there's only so much I can squelch given how liberally the love juices are flowing for this here at GameSpy, courtesy of the suckers who've already played it. But I've got a good feeling about how it will all come together, in spite of the tall order I've placed.

I'm looking forward to Tuesday.

Delsyn: For myself, my console colleagues will no doubt scream as I break out the dreaded MMO word to describe why I like the GTA games – they are, in many ways what an MMO tries to be. It's a vast, open world with a definite linear path to follow to the end of a storyline. The real fun of GTA, though, has always been going off the beaten track, though and seeing what kinds of goodies the developers have left for us to discover or trying to figure out ways to "break the world" in ways the developers hadn't anticipated. I remember how much fun it was to leap the Vice City Canal and see how many pedestrians I could land on on the other side. There were so many different ways to have fun in Grand theft Auto III and Vice City that it's possible to play for a year and still find ways to amuse yourself.

As for the prospect of doing so in Multiplayer, how can this not sound like fun? No lines, no queues, no monthly fees, just a vast open world for you and your buddies to team up and cause as much mayhem as you want. Sure there are multiplayer "modes" included by RockStar that we've previously mentioned, but I'd lay dollars to doughnuts that once the GTA community gets a hold of it, someone will come up with some sort of multiplayer challenge within the game that nobody's ever thought of and it'll rapidly become a meme within the community.

Will: Given that I've already finished playing the game (check out my review on Sunday morning at 9AM PT!), the thing I'm most looking forward to is...playing it again! In all seriousness, while the multiplayer certainly had me intrigued, I've always been about the franchise's single-player storyline. I was a huge fan of the story in San Andreas, but GTA IV promises something new and different. I'm intrigued by the thought of the protagonist being an immigrant who's experiencing American culture for the first time, rather than just seeing another Tony Montana/Soprano wannabe making his way up the criminal ladder.

Outside of that, I'm always excited to listen to the hilarious dialogue in the game, be it in a commercial or on talk radio or simply on the street. The writers at Rockstar have a great ear for that sort of stuff. Honestly, I could go on and on about what I'm most looking forward to, but I've got to go write my review!