Grand Theft Auto III

"Wow."

[Review version 2.0]

Grand Theft Auto...even the title brings back fond memories of exploding cars and motorcycles as you crashed through police roadblocks, or simply running them over in the mighty tank. It also brings back not-so-fond memories of the annoying timed missions in the original, and the over-the-top ''adult content'', which was overused to the point of being silly. Thankfully, the second installment of the series featured a great many improvements, including a fewer number of those timed missions, and the ability to do jobs for different gangs, affecting the loyalty of each. So, does the newest Grand Theft Auto game improve on the second? In a word: YES.

Graphics: 8
Okay, okay, so they're not Shenmue-caliber, but they still look darn nice. You can tell all the cars apart, and the different areas of Liberty City look pretty unique. You can even tell what the different people on the street look like, so you won't accidentally mug a mafia hitman when you wanted a shaky old man. My only complaint is that some of the trees are paper-thin, but this doesn't really affect the gameplay, so it's not that bad. They graphics certainly aren't the best, but they get the job done.

Audio: 8
The audio's pretty good, whether someone's screaming at you to get off the road or you're just cruising to some tunes in the fire truck you just jacked. The crunch of the cars as you slam through traffic is always crisp and clear, and -what a pleasant surprise- the voice acting in the game is wonderful. Rockstar actually hired on some experienced actors to do the voices. My only complaint is that a lot of the radio stations [read: Chatterbox] repeat themselves over and over each time you play. They're not so bad as long as you keep a little variety in the stations you listen to, though.

Control: 10
Yeah, baby. I have no problems with GTA3's control. None at all, my friend.

Gameplay: 10
Wow. There's almost no limit to the kinds of things you can do in this game, whether you want to go around and complete all the missions right away or just run through the city clubbing everyone to death with a bat. That's always been the beauty of the GTA games: The nonlinearity. You don't really have to do anything you don't want to do. It's just as fun to mug old people as it is to perform mob hits.
The gameplay in this installment of GTA actually reminds me more of the original than it does of Grand Theft Auto 2, since you pretty much stick to one gang in the beginning levels of the game. However, you still form rivalries with other gangs, so you'd better not take a stroll through Chinatown after performing a few hits on the local Triads, or you're bound to end up with a face full of lead. And hey, if they do manage to land a few shots, you can always grab a car, pick up a hooker, and, uh...''revitalize'' yourself in a back alley someplace. Seriously. When that van's a-rockin'...you gain back health. And if you spend a long time ''gaining back health'', your escort will stop and take a breather after she gets out of the car. Cool!
Also, in addition to the run-and-gun gangster adventure, some vehicles have secondary missions you can accomplish for a little extra dough. For example, the taxi has you picking up and delivering fares, the ambulance has you pick up and deliver injured people, the fire truck lets you go around putting out fires, and the police car lets you hunt down criminals and blow them away. Also, there are little ramps strewn about the city that allow you to do crazy jumps and stuff for extra cash. Fun!

Fun Factor: 10
I'd give this a score of eight billion if it wouldn't mess up my rating scale. This is the most fun game I've played in a long time. The only problem I have with this game is the stupid A.I. of the police, who seem more interested in utterly destroying your car or cutting you in half with a constant stream of bullets than actually bringing you to justice. Oh well, it just forces you to stay on your toes. Needless to say, if you don't like violence or ''adult situations'', you won't find this game nearly as entertaining as I did. Your loss, I guess.

Replay Value: 10
Sure, I'll admit it: This game has almost infinite replay value. I mean, come on...who could get tired of tearing down the road in a stolen ambulance, gunning down people on the street while the cops try to hunt you down?

Bottom Line:
If you're not offended by violence, bad language, or any of the other things I've described above, then you NEED this game. BUY IT NOW. Seriously.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/07/01, Updated 11/08/01