The crux is really in letting the player decide how much realism is fun. Many games have crossed the line between realism and fun. The trick with Grand Theft Auto IV is that the game lets you make that choice. So while it's superb that Grand Theft Auto IV brings games to a new level of reality, reality by itself isn't fun. Being able to choose which parts of reality to experience is a LOT of fun. And that's where Grand Theft Auto IV gets my mixed blessing.