I enjoy GTA games mainly for the sheer spectacle on display. They are huge games with budgets to match. I don't think any of the GTA games have ever actually been fun to play, at least when it comes to the core shooting and their main mission design. For being a series that has a lot of freedom to do whatever in the open world, the missions are always extremely restrictive and sometimes frustratingly janky. I feel like every GTA has a mission that demands you do a specific jump onto a running train or something that can, and will frequently go wrong, instantly killing you. Other games would make this a scripted thing that's very difficult to fail so you can get the satisfaction of doing a cool looking setpiece, but in GTA if you don't line up your motorcycle just right or whatever you will just repeatedly eat it.

The comedy clubs you can visit in GTA IV are funny simply for how dated they are now. I love the 45 second long Ricky Gervais bit where he's just not particularly funny.