Grand Theft Auto III

"Game of the Century? You bet!"

Rockstar allows their masterpiece Grand Theft Auto 3 to make the giant leap to 3D, and they do so with great perfection. To be able to run around the city and hijack cars in a First-Person perspective is such a brilliant experience. Trust me, you wouldn't want to rush through this game because you would want to cherish every single moment of it.

Graphics - 8/10
It's not great, but it's not terrible either - just decent. It does outshine its PlayStation2 cousin in this area, though. The game will perform at its maximum with a powerful 3D accelerator. From car models to the terrain and weather effects - all these make up a more-then-worthy gaming experience.

Gameplay - 10/10
Superb. Every single mission in the game is enjoyable and the excellent gameplay will give your the urge to repeat certain missions. You are only allowed to save between missions, but that shouldn't be a problem.

Control - 9/10
Controlling in this game will be a bit sensitive at times, but having tried the game on both PC and console, I am more at ease with the controls on the PlayStation2's Dual Shock Analog Controller. However, first-person actions like sniping and shooting are far more comfortable with a mouse and keyboard.

Sound - 9/10
The sound of GTA3 does earn its fair share of praise. The sound of cars honking, pedestrians shouting, explosions and many others have been made perfect. In addition to that, there is a huge variety of radio channels to switch between while driving a car and you will be hearing some songs that would tend to get stuck in your head, plus some hilarious commercial breaks.

Lasting Appeal - 10/10
The missions will just keep you going and you won't want to stop until you've completed it all. Plus, there are some extra optional missions which do not effect the storyline. All in all, this game is a good 50 to 70 hours worth.

Overall - 10/10
The Grand Theft Auto series have come a very long way since the release of the original game. GTA3 - as a successor, continues to enable us to release the bad boy in every one of us, you name it - hijacking cars, ramming objects all over the place, sniping, doing insane stunts - Grand Theft Auto 3 has it.

PLAYSTATION2 or PC?
If you own both systems, take my word for it - get the PS2 version. I'm not saying its more complete, because its just about equivalent to the PC version, apart from the ease of use for the controls.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 12/10/02, Updated 12/10/02