Half an hour since “Grand Theft Auto IV” went on sale at midnight, and you can bet hundreds of gamers and fans across the state are already playing the much-anticipated video game that has drawn criticism for its violent nature and criminal subject matter.

I caught a friend on the phone just minutes after he walked out of GameStop in Kailua clutching the $60 game in his hands. He arrived at about 11:30 p.m. and was 40th in line. By the time the clock struck midnight, there was a queue of about 70 on the sidewalk — “a weird mix of people,” about half of them high school students with some college and military types thrown into the mix. The crowd, he said, was about 90 percent male.

Why the big buzz over a video game?

“Never before have people had such enthusiasm for a video game,” he said. “(It’s) a revolutionary medium … an open world where you can go anywhere and do anything.”

“What was the general mood in line?” I asked.

He replied: “Dork.”

Then he apologized, and said he had to go. I probably won’t hear from him for at least a month.

The fourth installment of the popular video game, which again sees a hero-type character rising through the ranks of the criminal underworld, is one of the most anticipated and controversial entertainment releases this year.

A New York Times review called the game “a violent, intelligent, profane, endearing, obnoxious, sly, richly textured and thoroughly compelling work of cultural satire disguised as fun.” Players are cast as a former soldier/human trafficker from Eastern Europe who takes on assignments from the mob to save a relative in “Liberty City,” which according to reviewers is a spot-on take on New York City.

Previous versions of “Grand Theft Auto” feature various kinds of role-playing, driving, racing, shooting at cops and even a sex minigame that was cut from the game. As “Niko” in GTA-IV, players can go on dates, buy clothing and weapons, fly helicopters, take out drug dealers and cops, and — of course as the title suggests — steal cars.

Parents and even police have criticized the game for its violent nature, sexual themes and partial nudity, and its emphasis on committing crimes to get ahead. But, if anything, the controversy has only added to the hype: The game’s first-week sales forecast is expected to be upwards of $360 million, surpassing the $300 million by Microsoft Corp.’s “Halo 3″ in September, according to Bloomberg.

Ladies, the next few weeks (or months) might be a good time to schedule that girls’ night out…

photo: AP, via www.CNN.com