no, no, no...

The silence is not deafening.
Actually, it might be deafening, but for the opposite reason than you might think.
I haven't reviewed the game, because I haven't had time to review the game, because I've been PLAYING the game.
I played it all evening Tuesday, slept, then played it all day on Wednesday.
Most people in this circumstance would say, I LITERALLY played it all day Wednesday. In this case it would almost be accurate, too. However, I took the garbage/dog out. I ate lunch at Wendy's and then in the evening went with Jenn to get a burrito.
So, I did not LITERALLY play all day on Wednesday, but it was close.

There are things wrong with the game.
The driving model is crap and it will take a lot for me to get used to it. You'd think, with a name like Grand Theft Auto, the Auto part would take the lead. The driving feels much more secondary this time around.
Your characters face is dirty looking because he always needs a shave. He is, I believe the word is, grizzled. I've never said this before, but I'm going to say it now. I'd like to shave him.
The music selection is not as good as it usually is in the series. You could file this complaint under "minor" and I would be okay with it.
The shooting, dodging, cover, fist-fighting system is fairly deep and complex and I need more practice. This is only a bad thing because I still kind of suck at it, not because it is inherently faulted.

The big question will be, does the game live up to the hype? The answer is, it depends.
It depends on what you want from a game. If you want an out-of-the-box fun time or a game you could just casually pick up and enjoy, this is not the game for you. For that kind of enjoyment, I would definitely give Burnout Paradise the major edge.
I can totally foresee people picking GTA up for 15 minutes then coming away with the "What the hell was all that fuss about?" attitude. They would not be wrong, either. The beginning part of the game is more of a drag than anything.

Here is the other side, though. I just spent a lunch hour with three other people who have been playing the game. The entire hour was spent with different people recounting different things they have experienced and being excited about all of them. This was from people who have not gotten 20% deep into the game yet.
They talk about what happened like it really happened to them. They have specific emotional responses to the characters, both part of the game and on the fringes.
The game is like living a different life in a similar, though different, world.
Think of all the possibilities that present themselves to you every time you open your front door. Well, this game does not offer you the same level of possibilities as that, come on, it's just a game. Don't be stupid.
There are a hell of a lot of different, interesting things that can happen though. And people who play are excited about them. This is why it is the best game that has ever been created, even with its faults.
I'll put it into perspective.
In the game, you have a cell phone. You end up on the intrawebz fairly early in the game. You find a site that allows you to purchase new ringtones for your cell.
I don't have the level of phone yet that allows me to purchase new ringtones.
I am excited to get ringtones, for a phone I don't have yet, which does not really exist.
Also, I spent 1/2 hour watching a crappy little virtual television on my 42 inch RT screen.