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Grand Theft Auto 3 Review
00/12/0000
Is GTA3 more then just the controversy suggests? You better believe it...
Weâve been waiting for what seems like years to play Grand Theft Auto in true 3D, and now the time has finally come with GTA3. Please buckle up and get ready for a drive youâll never forget, as Stephen takes GTA3 for a spin round Liberty City.
When the original Grand Theft Auto hit the shops it caused quite a lot of controversy. The gamers loved it, however the politicians hated it, why? Probably because the objective of the game was to steal cars, assassinate people and just generally be an all round bad guy. If a pedestrian got in the way, it was adieus amigo, and blood would splatter from under the car. The game allowed you to do pretty much any criminal activity that you wanted. It was one of those games that came from nowhere and amazed everyone, it shouldnât have been fun but it certainly was.
When the sequel was in the pipeline, Rumours suggested that the developers DMA Design (based in Scotland) wanted to create a full 3D living town instead of the 2D original. However due to restraints on the current technology it was never going to be possible, so we were left with a âdecentâ top-down 2D version with partial 3D effects. Thankfully with the release of the âPlayStation 2â Grand Theft Auto 3 is here, complete in lush 3D with living, breathing cities of enormous proportions. And this is where our review will begin.
The game takes place in Liberty City, USA. The worst place in America. Youâve been betrayed and left for dead by your partner in crime, who also happens to be your partner in bed. Itâs your time to take revenge. Throughout the game youâll need to rob, steal, and kill just to stay out of serious trouble, the cops will chase you and the opposing gang members will want your head on a stick, think youâve got the guts to play?
After the spectacular intro sequence where we see part of the Liberty City bridge explode, you and your friend need to escape from the Prison vans to a safe hideout where you can start your missions. It is from this point that everything just keeps getting better and better. As a âCriminalâ it is your day-to-day job to carry out missions for different gangs throughout the cities. They range from simple âPick Upsâ to dramatic explosions and car chase sequence. However it isnât until you get deep into the game that the hard missions begin, thanks to a well laid out learning curve the game unfolds teaching you new moves when required. As you complete different missions, opposing gang members will start to use you as a target practice. You may be driving down the street and suddenly your car will become plastered with gun holes, or in the most extreme conditions you can even get pulled out of the car and get beaten up. So you need to choose wisely who you work with.
If you want a bit of time-out from all of your nefarious activities, simply steal the nearest taxicab and you can earn some money picking up fares - X-rated Crazy Taxi style; the same thing happens when you steal the ambulances or police cars. Of course you could just take a stroll around Liberty City, and try to find the 100 Hidden Packages that are located in the hard to find places.
The city is huge with three main parts to it, Portland, Staunton Island and Shoreside Vale. Portland is where you begin however you cannot progress to the other areas without completing enough tasks as the Bridge is still damaged. The sheer size of the game environment is fantastic, whilst the graphics arenât exactly the most crisp seen, when you take into consideration the amount of people on the screen, cars, buildings, special effects at anyone time it really is a technical masterpiece. Special mention must go to the moody lighting effects that help to set the gangster scene perfectly.
The city plays independent to your action, you may be walking down the street and someone will get robbed, or killed the paramedics will then come to clear the seen up and take the body away. A scene we witnessed was a massive pile-up that had nothing to do with our character. There were around 6 computer-controlled cars in a crash, which then suddenly exploded causing mass destruction. Funnily enough people then rushed to the scene to see what happened, followed shortly by the ambulance and the police. The sense is that DMA have created a fully living and breathing world for you to wreck.
The missions are vast and varied; gang members will give you set missions, detailing what you need to do in a cut-sequence. However other missions can also be obtained by answering phone calls, like in the previous GTA versions. One of our favourite missions requires you to kill a gang leader (we wonât mention who), there are a number of routes you can go about doing this. Do you blast him with bullets, drive a car into his car forcing him off the road, chuck a grenade at him, drive by his car and blast him with bullets from your Uzi, or sit on top of a building opposite to where he leaves and quietly take him down with a sniper rifle. We played this mission for hours, each time dying or failing it. At first the instincts are to get into a powerful car and ram him of the road, however there are two other cars that will do anything to stop you, and they will. Then we tried shooting him with a normal gun, but as soon as you do about 10 of his members kill you within seconds. Our last option was to pull up outside the building he leaves get into a dark alley and get the sniper rifle out. We waited until we could see the whites in his eye and as the rain fell down we pushed the trigger hitting him right in the head, causing a fountain of blood to stain the floor. Mission successful here is $25,000.
The sound is again a major accomplishment for DMA Design. Whilst you are in a vehicle you can choose from 9 different radio stations, all with their own unique style and songs, our personal favourite is the âDouble-Clefâ station, providing a nice bit of classical to complement your carnage! Apart from the radio the sound effects are equally as impressive, people will shout abusive words at you, people will splatter as you run over them, and the police will shout at you to stop. Thankfully like many other games the sound hasnât been overlooked in GTA3.
The main allure behind GTA3 is the gang life-style that DMA have created, at times youâll get so sucked in that youâll be left thinking itâs a Guy Ritchie or Quentin Tarintino movie unfolding before your eyes. It certainly makes a welcome change for so much attention to be paid on the script and dialogue in a videogame.
The game is generally more scripted then before; youâre not as free to switch allegiance between gangs as that found in GTA2. However because the plot and storylines are so strong this doesnât really matter, completing certain missions will trigger plot points, and whilst its possible to skip missions and thus affect your allegiance youâre generally pushed along the route that the developers want you to. Not a bad thing, when you see what the game has in store for you!
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