Grand Theft Auto III

"Two games for the price of one"

You already know that this is the most controversial game available for the PS2. You already know that it has you running about an entire city wreaking havoc. And you already know that it is considered by many to be gaming perfection. You already know so much about this game that even those of you who haven't played it (And why not?) could probably write a detailed review of it. But you'll never quite believe it until you see it. Until you yourself machine gun the head off a policeman and watch it land on the floor, or watch your sight go weird as you go into fight drugged up, you'll never know quite why the game is so loved, it will all be just words here.

I'm sure any GTA3 aficionados are currently recalling their favourite moments of civilian decapitation, but the rest of you need to know why you need to have this game. The game has a mission-based structure whereby you come across important people in the city (Either they are a friend of a friend or you bump into them on another mission or something like that) and they tell you do a wide range of jobs for them. This ranges from dropping prostitutes off at a police ball to killing old bosses to make new friends.

Examples like that last one are what makes the missions quite clever. There's a lot of variety in what you have to achieve and they usually require a lot of skill and, more importantly, fire power. Some of them are just plain funny and bizarre, like picking up dropped porno mags and delivering them to a place called 'XXX mags'. Now, although they are very enjoyable and often very inventive, the missions are just a fraction of the game's appeal.

Enjoying the GTA series has never been about doing what you're supposed to do, it's been about letting your sick little mind create any twisted scenario you can think of. It's been about savoring the world around you. And now, with the Power of the PS2 behind it, that last part is more significant than ever. The bustling Liberty city is the most 'real' place I've ever seen in the game. The design and layout is amazing, and the epic scale and realistic touches are staggering.

The city is realistically bleak and moody in in the industrial part, while you'll find the usual generic cheery houses with surrounding pretty little trees in the suburban area. A system where you could stop and be picked up by taxis and taken to various destinations would have been a cool, if unnecessary addition, but that's all I can think of that isn't here. You can pick up prostitutes to boost your health, you can steal a cab and play a fun, less crazy 'Crazy Taxi'. You can also help eliminate street crime by hijacking a police car and becoming a vigilante (After taking it to a car re-spraying garage so no-one will notice. Oh yes, there are those as well).

And the whole world shifts in attitude and volume as the day passes. Each minute is an hour in this game, and you'll notice more people will stay at home during the night, but also more gangs will come out, and you are more likely to be mugged. It's absolutely ridiculous the amount of detail that has been squeezed into the game. If you practice running a lot (Done by tapping the X button) then you'll gain more stamina and will be able to run for longer periods of time. Yes, you can exercise!

The world doesn't just revolve around you either. You'll see rival gangs fighting each other as you walk idly by, and you'll see people's cars stolen by other criminals. And let's not forget where the series got it's name from, stealing cars is a big part of the game and requires a little thought. You might want to steal them just for fun, but if you want to do the best you can in your missions, you're going to have to be a lot more selective than the average car stealing bum. For a mission where you must ram another car until the occupant submits and surrenders, you'll want something heavy, but if you need to dart around the town in as short a time as possible to find a large number of prostitutes, you'll need something smaller with good handling. It isn't just a case of being told what to do and running into every area, guns blazing. You'll need a lot of common sense to get by.

But no game can be perfect, there must be shortcomings. Grand Theft Auto 3 is no exception. Much as I enjoyed shooting people, doing so up-close was an awkward and unsatisfying experience. The mechanics for close-range combat are a little slow and messy, and (Keeping surprisingly out of sync with the rest of the game) it doesn't seem as if much thought was put into it. This can be overcome and close-range gun fights aren't thrown up at every corner, but it's still an annoying niggle that brings you out of the game and back into reality.

Also, there aren't nearly enough different types of cars. There are a LOT of cars (And a funny hidden one) but I would have liked more. Same goes for the weapons, the sniper rifle is a nice new addition (Providing some of the more stylish and cinematic assassinations in the game) and the grenades are good, if sloppy fun. But I would have liked something a little more bizarre. Firstly something a bit meatier would have been appreciated. Peppering people with bullets is all well and good but I want to FEEL the power of their death by chopping them in half with a machete. And something such as a tranquiliser dart gun would be good too. I can imagine missions where you must use it on the a security guard of a warehouse, go in and steal some stuff and be out before the effects wear off on the guard. Something for the next game perhaps?

And GTA3 impresses with it's looks almost as often as it does with it's wildly creative atmosphere. The rudimentary character models occasionally look a little out of place, but without them the deaths would perhaps hit a bit too close to home. The city is consistently convincing and painfully well realised. you could imagine yourself walking down these streets you really could. The graphics occasionally get a bit much for the console and things chug along, but not too often. The night day feature also offers some impressive moments of lighting, seeing the tree's shadows cast across the roads, the effects of the lights at night time etc. It has a gritty and vast sense of style that only serves to further persuade you that you're living another life.

It's obvious that a lot of work has been put into the sound, and it shines through brilliantly. There are ten actual radio stations to listen too. There are actual whole SONGS that have been created just for this game and there are a lot of them. You can get an hour or two of entertainment just flicking through all the channels and seeing what's on. The voice work is also outstanding. Heavily authentic and done with enthusiasm and experience, the dialogue scenes are well crafted and mercifully brief. The game has a huge cast of twenty four actors, some of whom you'll recognise.

The game lasts forever. There are tonnes of missions (And I'm sure there are a couple of secret ones that I haven't uncovered yet) some of which will take several attempts to beat (I swore a whole lot towards the end). And if you do happen to be crap there are always the cheats to give you a helping hand (I managed to avoid them while playing through, but I'm now using them for much gore with little hassle). And even when they are done Liberty city will be there, and so will you. You'll never get tired of of being a violent, dangerous little bastard with tendencies towards arson and car theft. And we all have that side, you know we do.

The need to do everything that's illegal and have a lot of fun doing so has never been catered for more than it has been here. It offers you one game packed with brilliantly structured, well presented missions that offer a shocking amount of variety. It also offers you another game, one that you can create yourself. No-one can dictate how it is run apart from you, and the freedom and power is limitless. So if you like a beginning and an end to your game, this game has both, but there's a whole other side to GTA3 where you can call the shots as well as fire them.

A grand old time
+ Unrivalled freedom
+ Excellent missions handed out by excellent characters
+ A LOT of missions
+ Lots of variety and challenge in all of them
+ Unbelievable amounts of stuff that you haven't been able to do until now
+ Too many excellent realistic details to list. They are what make up the game's unique charm
+ I doubt I've mentioned even half the cool things here
+ Unlimited replay value
+ Good selection of weapons
+ Excellent character interaction. Aim your gun at people and they'll throw their hands up and shout 'I have a family!'
+ It's all fun

It 'auto' be better
- Close range combat is very awkward
- I would have liked more vehicles and weapons
- A controllable camera would be much appreciated
- Sometimes sparse, more people and different types of them would be good

If you like this....
Grand Theft auto - Playstation/PC: It seems primitive now, but it's still massively entertaining
Grand theft auto 2 - Playstation/PC: Not different enough but it has evolved ideas that are shown in this game like gangs.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 01/26/02, Updated 01/26/02