Dbbum's Full Review: Grand Theft Auto (GTA) 3 for PlayStation 2
Grand Theft Auto has always been in the spotlight ever since the original pc version some ten years ago. It wasn't until now, with the release of GTA 3 that the series really picked up steam and defined a generation of free choice gameplay in a massive real world environment. Although the technology in 2001 wasn't exactly the best around, it was good enough to provide a realistic game that was enjoyed around the world. Despite the usual controversy and negative reception and even being banned in Australia, the game packs a punch that is still relevant even today, although clearly outdated and outdone by the now smash hit, San Andreas.
Gameplay
The game starts off with you and a girl robbing a bank. The girl turns on you and now you're on your way to jail but suddenly the police convoy is ambushed and you're set free. From here on you find yourself immersed in a giant city full of options.
The basics of the game are quite simple. You control a character in a real world environment and you must complete missions as noted by icons on the mini map in the lower left corner of the screen. You go to a marked location, watch a cut scene which further expands the plot and explains your next mission. You then steal cars, shoot people and do whatever is necessary to complete your mission. Afterwards, you return to the previous marked location or gain access to new characters, bosses, and even new cities. Along the way you'll gain access to new weapons, new cars, new areas, hidden locations, bulletproof vehicles, learn about side jobs and missions, gain access to the rhino tank and eventually bring down the entire cartel.
Some old aspects of GTA are also present in this game as well. There are hidden packages which you can find throughout the city. As you find packages, you will unlock weapon respawns at the hideout (save point). There are also rampages in which you must kill gang members with a certain weapon in a specific amount of time. You may also find unique jumps, where you must steal a fast car and drive onto a ramp and clear a set of obstacles. Some of the emergency vehicles also have side missions accessed with the R3 button. Police cars active vigilante missions, where you must kill criminals to unlock police bribes. Fire trucks active the firefighter missions, where you must put out car fires to unlock a flamethrower respawn. Ambulances active paramedic missions, where you must drive injured peds to the hospital to unlock a health and adrenaline respawn. There is also a taxi mission where you drop off passengers at their destination and are awarded with a super charged cabbie car. In addition to all these normal side missions and there are odd missions as well. There are import/export garages where you must steal and bring back certain types of cars. There's also an emergency vehicles crane where you must steal and bring back emergency cars such as police, fire truck and ambulance. And if that wasn't enough there are several checkpoint style missions where you must maneuver a patriot hummer along the mountain side, which tests your driving skills, patients and nerves.
This game promotes free choice gameplay because you are not limited to just going from mission to mission. However in a sense you are not given that much free choice simply because there's not much else do to. Sure you can steal cars and run over people all day but that does get boring after awhile. Thus, you are forced to fall right back into the role of your character and move onto the next available mission. Missions are also delivered in a particular way, so you cannot prematurely unlock the next city or gain access to a hidden area until the time is right otherwise it would screw up the overall storyline. Other games like San Andreas unlock that free choice feature of the game but as far as GTA 3 goes, you'll find yourself sticking to the script. Oh and I forget to mention there's no freaking map!
Graphics
The previous GTA games used a 2d top down camera angle that worked quite well but obviously didn't provide much realism. GTA 3 was then the first game in the series to finally use a 3d game engine. This major upgrade brought on a whole new level of gameplay, multiple camera angles and a realism factor not seen in other games. While the graphics are not totally realistic and believable, they do justice for the game considering the size of the environment. In the game you'll find pedestrians all over the place, other cars driving around, buildings on every corner and a fair amount of manipulateable items and objects such as lamp poles and fire hydrants. Shoot and kill someone on the street and blood will splatter. Run over a pedestrian in the cross walk and they'll hit the pavement hard, not to mention all the panicking peds running away. Commit too many crimes and you'll have the police on your tail with full lights and sirens. Smash into enough cars and buildings and your car will fall apart. Flip your car and it will catch fire and eventually explode, scattering burned debris all over the street. And if you're lucky a fire truck will come by which you can then steal and continue on your murderous rampage. Everything you can think of is dealt with from shooting a gun, to running over peds, to the video clips between each mission. There's alot of smaller details that are not possible but are available in the newer games like San Andreas.
One of the negative aspects is lack of lighting effects. The textures on cars and buildings are rather static and it doesn't matter if it's day or night because the colors are always the same. It's kind of odd that there are no shadows despite the fact that the sun is coming up over the horizon. There are localized shadow effects but they are not directly related to ambient lighting. This is most noticeable while flying the dodo since you can see all three islands and all the buildings inbetween. Because there is no darkness, realistic shadows, or altered states of lighting, you basically see every building even from the other end of town.
Sounds
There isn't much to say about sound. Everything is accounted for but then again nothing really stands out either. Peds yell out the same lines, emergency vehicle sirens are very similar, tire screeches are basically the same, in car radio stations get boring really fast, and there is almost no dialogue in the game. Granted there is plenty of dialogue from the cut scenes between missions, there isn't much within the actual game itself. In fact your character never talks which is quite odd, but he follows direction from everyone else quite well. There's just something so ever funny about car jacking a taxi cab and hearing the driver say 'hey my cab' followed by a person on the street saying 'whaddya doing giving birth'.
Controls & Replay Value
The controls are very simple, easy to learn and easy to remember. A button for run/accelerate, a button for jump/brake, a button for enter/exit vehicle and a button for shoot/attack. In addition to these regular buttons you can also use R1 to access the targeting system and then L2 and R2 to switch between targets. Many people complain about the targeting system and I agree because it does become annoying in certain situations where the camera angle is funky or the lighting is bad and you can't see your target. The targeting system doesn't come into play for all the missions so this annoyance isn't a big deal.
Unfortunately, there's not much to do in the game once you've completed the regular missions. There are a number of side missions, hidden packages, rampages and unique jumps but once you complete those as well, you'll have nothing to do again. Basically you'll find yourself driving around town, stealing cars, running over peds, shooting people, smashing into stuff for no reason and attempting to outrun police for as long as possible. That may sound exciting and it is but will become boring and repetitive after awhile. I usually put this game away for several months and then pull it out one weekend and try to beat all the regular missions. It's still fun even though everything is rather mundane and outdated.
Conclusion
Grand Theft Auto 3 is just one of those defining moments in gaming history. It brought an existing series to the masses by introducing 3d graphics, more missions, more freedom and enough side jobs and hidden goodies to keep you entertained for several months. While this game is now outdone by GTA San Andreas, the entertainment and historic nostalgia are still relevant even today. I'd definitely recommend this as a first purchase into the world of GTA. By doing so, you'll gain a better appreciation for GTA San Andreas after seeing where the series all began. I realize there is a GTA 1 & 2 but they are so far gone at this point it's not worth mentioning anymore. Pick up a used copy of GTA 3 for under $5 and you'll be mowing down grandma with a big fat grin on your face. Yay cheap violence!
LIBERTY CITY, USA. WELCOME TO AMERICA S WORST CITY.Crime does pay. The hugely successful, highly controversial Grand Theft Auto franchise moves into 3...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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