Not too long after the changing of the guard and the release of the Grand Theft Auto IV trailer comes another new, yet unsurprising news tidbit for Take-Two Interactive. Its media and political backlash for the trailer of the game which, for all intents and purposes, looks to be a caricature of New York City.

According to Game Politics, there's a rather bleak reception towards the inclusion of a fictional "New York" within the game. Of these though, perhaps the most expressive was the one from the NY Daily News' own declaration, which reads:

The latest version of an ultraviolent video game will unleash its murderous mayhem on the streets of New York. And outraged political leaders say the rampant brutality of the game, Grand Theft Auto IV, has little in common with reality. …(GTA4) is set in a mythical city that bears a striking resemblance to New York… the trailer shows well-known landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Cyclone in Coney Island…

Of the comments from the politicians, however, the analogy by City Councilman Peter Vallone also put the political perspective behind it best: "Setting Grand Theft Auto in the safest big city in America would be like setting Halo in Disneyland."

As the protagonist says in the trailer, "Life is complicated; I killed people, smuggled people, sold people. Perhaps here, things will be different." Perhaps, dear reader, there's hope that GTA IV won't be as one-sided as people make it out to be. We definitely hope so.

Lucas Arts and Frontier Development have worked hard on making a fun, casual experience. You have to applaud them for that, and for the cuteness that is Thrillville.

While it's more like a fun set of minigames placed inside a theme park environment, you can't deny that making your own little slice of Walt Disney is something many kids would dream of doing. It's even more true with those who've just entered Disneyland for the first time.

Of course, there's no need for us to tell you that you can basically do everything in this game from shooting things in first person to racing cars, especially since the game just came out.

What we can offer gamers is one last hurrah in celebration of the game's release. This is Frontier's final trailer right before the release, and it shows you the many things the game offers. While it's satisfying enough as single-player game, finding some way to share the Thrillville experience, even on your PSP can make this game feel more like a party. Enjoy!

Download: [Thrillville: Party Games Trailer]