With the official release of GTA IV just hours away, the reviews and previews have started pouring in and, judging by what we’ve seen so far, the Rockstar’s release already is a media darling.

For example, GameRankings.com, the game reviews aggregator, has compiled a score of 99,2% for the Xbox 360 version and 99,7% for the PS3 version.

The gaming site 1Up.com has rated the GTA IV PS3 version with an A+, while GameSpy had nothing more to say about the game than “Outstanding!”

“Suffice it to say that Grand Theft Auto IV is a game that could keep anyone busy for a long, long time. Although its got plenty of excellent features, it's ultimately the storytelling that makes it an instant classic, a game unlike any we've played before. As is the case with many great books and movies, you'll want to know what happens to the characters after the game ends, and one can't help hoping that all of their American Dreams comes true,” wrote Will Tuttle in his review for GameSpy.

On Metacritic.com, GTA IV also has incredible scores, with the PS3 version also ranking a slightly higher than the Xbox 360 version. (A score of 100 based on 12 reviews for PS3 and 99 based on 15 reviews for Xbox 360)

In fact, Microsoft and Sony are already engaged in a tight marketing battle over GTA IV and the analysts predicted that the game would boost the sales of both gaming platforms, maybe with an advantage for Xbox 360. Microsoft has an exclusive deal with Rockstar and the makers of GTA IV will release some episodic content created especially for Xbox.

Leaving aside the everlasting battle of the gaming console, the gaming critics seem to have run out of adjectives, trying to describe the game.

“Expectations were so high for Grand Theft Auto IV that one of the biggest surprises is that it’s managed to meet them. That it’s also gone on to confound these is truly a marvel, and the game’s Liberty City is nothing less than one of the greatest videogame worlds yet conceived,” Martin Robinson from IGN UK wrote in his review.

In the US, GTA IV will hit the store shelves at midnight and GameStop announced that it will host events at over 3,500 of its U.S. GameStop stores for the launch of the game. These events include trivia contests, Grand Theft Auto character look-a-like contests and giveaways leading up to the 12:01 a.m. Tuesday release.

GTA IV, which reportedly had a budget of $45 million to make and a team of close to 1,000 people, is expected to earn somewhere between $360 and $400 million in sales, which means close to 5.8 million copies sold, during its first week of availability.

Besides the standard version, which costs $59.99, GTA IV will be also offered a Special Edition. The game is presented in a customized Grand Theft Auto metal safety deposit box.

The box will contain: Grand Theft Auto IV with special packaging, the Grand Theft Auto IV Art Book, featuring never-before-seen production artwork from Grand Theft Auto IV, selected soundtrack CD from Grand Theft Auto IV, featuring new material from top artists, an exclusive Rockstar keychain for the safety deposit box keys. Those gamers who eagerly await the Special Edition will have to spend $89.99 in North America or 89.99 euros in Europe.

GTA IV depicts the story of an Eastern Europe immigrant, Niko Bellic, a former soldier, who is coming in the US, invited by his brother, Roman.

"Life is complicated; I killed people, smuggled people, sold people. Perhaps here, things will be different,” Bellic says about himself in a trailer.

But soon he will find himself caught in a struggle to survive, caught in a web of conspiracies, in a city, Liberty City, in which each gang tries to impose itself on the other ones.

Last week, the Australian gaming site Kotaku said that an illegal copy of the game has leaked on the Internet, but analysts said the incident would not affect the sales of the game.

On the other hand, although the game is rated M in the US, it is very probable that the release of GTA IV will reignite the debate about the violence in games.

The Parents Television Council has already issued a statement, urging the retailers to not stock the game and to keep it out of the hands of children.

The National Institute on Media and the Family has also advised the parents to not buy this game for their children.

Meanwhile, the media analysts are interested to see how the release of GTA IV will impact the movie openings.

According to Next-Gen.biz, analyst Mike Hickey with Janco Parters predicted the release of the game could affect the ticket sales of the Iron Man, the movie that is set to be released on May 2.

While it remains to be seen if the game will match all the predictions and forecasts, one thing is sure: GTA madness has already started and, in a few hours, we may witness the biggest event in the entertainment industry.