Grand Theft Auto III

"Believe the hype, disregard the warnings, this game totally owns!"

Grand Theft Auto 3 is simply the most awesome gaming experience ever concieved. It takes a number of extremely original ideas, things attempted at before, and some plain wacky/fun things to do, and combines everything in one hell of a spiffy package, which not only achieves earlier greatness but outdoes it!

Gameplay: 10/10

Never before have I been so addicted to a computer game. GTA3 is such a surreal experience after having been used to the limited worlds of other games. At times you can forget yourself and find the world of GTA3 invading your mind and trying to take control. I swear rockstar have put hypnosis in this game or something. Think back to other similar games, such as Carmageddon, or Driver. Sure, they allowed you to kill and maim, but never to this degree, and never has it been so much fun! It's hard to describe the visceral joy derived from clubbing to death an old granny, mowing down legions of Cops, and plain being a public nuisance. Do you feel like some extra cash? Go drive a taxi round taking people where they want to go, or hunt down some worthless criminal scum as a cop. Not your cup of tea? Then try driving injured people to the hospital as an ambulance, or prevent pollution problems by
putting out fires as a fireman in a firetruck. Its hard to describe here how much there is to do in this game. There is literally months or years worth of playability here, depending on how fast you choose to advance. There are missions to follow, that tell a story, and advance you up the criminal ranks. But if you feel like taking it slow, there are umpteen side missions to choose from, as well as small bonuses and wild thrills to be discovered, that would be missed by a cursory glance.
In other words, imagine you went out on the street right now, and decided you wanted to be a crook, what could happen is very much what this story/game is. It is hell fun.

Story: 10/10

This story is entirely believable. You start as a lowlife crook who was betrayed by your own girfriend, and decide you want to work your way up the dangerous ladder of crime. Lucky you, you manage to escape the cops, and you are free to do as you wish, to a large extent. You are introduced to a connected crim (Luigi) who decides that you may have potential and gives you a chance. Now your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to become a crime lord, of mammoth proportions any which way you want. OK, maybe not quite of epic proportions, but its a fresh breeze compared to the stale stench of many other titles that aspire only to be thought of as OK. GTA3 aspires to be better than great, and a healthy, believable story goes
a long way.

Audio: 10/10

Simply, GTA3 offers just TOO much audio wise. I dont think I could tire of hearing the sound of my car crunching a pedestrian into a pulp, or the ''Ahhhh!'' THUMP of ramming them into a wall. The comments made by the drivers and pedestrians are totally what you would expect to hear from a community of weirdos like those that live in Liberty City. ''My mothers my sister!'' is a personal favourite of mine, and the construction workers singing Village People songs just cracks me up. Granted, the sounds can get a bit repetitive at times, but that isnt annoying, since the sounds themselves arent annoying in the first place. The radio stations offer plenty of audible entertainment, and the added extra of the 'MP3' radio station is most welcome, giving you the ability to listen to your very own mix.

Video: 10/10

To look at the game you may ask why I give it 10 for video/graphics quality. Well, that score comes from many things, visually, this is nothing spectacular (not that it's ugly either), at first. Once you realise just how damn big this city is, with the amount of detail all over the place, you start to get an appreciation for the visual design and finish. After the initial loading screen, the only other ones to expect are when saving/loading and when going between areas/sub-cities. And the wait on these instances is usually only a max of a couple of seconds. Ever wondered what a real city is like when its raining and foggy, you're being chased by the cops, and you've got 10 seconds to complete a mission? Well, here's your chance. The sun rises and sets, it rains, it fogs, the moon comes out, and the city keeps ticking over. This is definitely a city that never sleeps. Watch the sky for a bit, see those planes, they actually land at an airport in the third major area, and if you are
especially tricky you can learn to fly a small single engine plane yourself (warning: flying the Dodo is EXTREMELY hard, and you will most likely end up killing yourself 100's of times before mastering it. I haven't mastered yet, and I've been trying for weeks now). So despite its original fairly lack-luster appearance, there is plenty of unconventional eye-candy to be appreciated.

Replayability: 10/10

If this hasn't already been gathered, this is a game to be played, and played, and played... I have completed 45% of the game, and I have done 49/73 missions. That includes nearly every major mission, as well as some side ones. There are others to be completed yet! Need I stress that I have been playing the game for nearly 2 months now, and I'm nowhere near finished it! There is simply no other game with as much replayability. If you manage to 100% finish the game, then there is plenty of other stuff to amuse you. Fly the Dodo, cause mayhem with Tanks etc. Lead the cops on wild goose-chases. The choices are endless. Hell, some missions are so hard (and fun mind you) that it might take several days to complete just one. GTA3 has bucketloads of replayability, and if you find yourself getting bored, just try something different, chances are you'll be able to do it.

Should You Buy It Though?

Well, is this question really necessary? If I haven't made myself clear to you by now, then you are indeed a lost cause. How plainly can I put it...
GO AND BUY GRAND THEFT AUTO 3 NOW!!!!!!
There, and if you're still unsure there's something wrong with you.

Overall 10/10

Is this indeed the elusive perfect game? Not quite. There are a few things I would have changed, or added, such as actual boat traffic, and a bit better traffic/pedestrian AI, but these are minor problems. If you cannot glean any pleasure from this game, check your pulse immediately, because there is definitely something wrong. But why did I give it 10/10? Well, it was just too close in my mind to 10 to justify giving it a 9. Call it rounding up if you
want, but as far as I'm concerned, there is no better game on the market. Until GTA4 is made and released by Rockstar, GTA3 will dominate with an iron fist, a swagful of weapons and a fleet of deadly killing machines loosely referred to as vehicles. No better game exists, or has existed. It doesn't rely on sexy visuals to suck us in, rather it rams a gritty environment and storyline that we can relate to down our throats, and afterwards you're left
breathless, exhilerated and in a state of euphoria that cannot be equaled till the next time you hit that play button and launch yourself into the world known as Grand Theft Auto 3.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/11/02, Updated 07/11/02