I've been watching Layer Cake today, and this movie really hit the nail the head for why I'm really not hooked by the GTA games. You're always at the bottom of the Layer Cake. You never really work your way up the ladder.
    Now, The Godfather: The Game, because of the game's story, as well as the respect mechanic, as well as a few other things, handles this better then the GTA games, IMHO. You start off at the bottom, but later on in the game you become a better earner, and you move further and further up the ladder. I haven't played all the way through "Scarface: The Game", I really got the feel that you were moving up the ladder there as well.
    The Gangsters series of games also almost did this for me too. The game's premise had you trying to basically work your gang up the ladder and run the city. However, from various elements of the controls (especially combat and watching the "work week") made the game really frustrating for me.
    Does anybody have any recommendations for Gangster games which, instead of you being basically at the bottom of the proverbial layer cake for the whole game, instead has you working your way up the ladder to the top so, presumably, at the end of the game, you're the top boss and running the city?