By Sam Coles:
It’s hard to believe that Grand Theft Auto III came out 16
years ago I was still in primary school at the time and was far too young to
play it, not that stopped me but my parents would not be pleased if they
spotted me playing it. The game defined for the next 10 plus years of how open
world games are made and its influence can still be felt today, at the time we
had nothing like it. It truly felt like a living and breathing city with
pedestrians going about their business and high density traffic. Does still
hold up today? No but it is still a lot of fun to play and it is an important
game in history.
Grand Theft Auto III takes place in Liberty City and you
play as Claude Speed who is being transported in a prison van after he was
arrested as he took part in a heist gone wrong where he was double crossed and
shot in the face. The story is rather minimal in this game compared to later
instalments because the main character is a silent protagonist as he just
serves as a vessel for the player, as it just basically a 3D interpretation of
the original game. Not to say that there are no notable characters you have the
loveable and friendly mafia don Salvatore, but most of them are represented in
typical stereotypes as usual with a Rockstar production.
GTA III is an open world game and this was during a period
where open world games were not that common and they were exciting when a new
one was announced or released. In a typical Rockstar open world game you do missions
for certain characters as you progress through the story. These missions can
range from stealing cars and repainting them for money, assassinating targets,
tailing missions (the worse type of missions) and racing. There is a lot to do
in this game however it does feel a bit anaemic compared to later titles with
activities feeling a tad repetitive.
This is a PS2 game and the visuals have aged terribly with
motion blur which you can turn off in the options menu, coupled with muddy and
blur textures. The cars look too clean with damage detail that is rather
minimal with basic particle effects when cars explode, to be fair this game was
an early PS2 title so I can give it the benefit of the doubt. If you really
want to play this game I would suggest playing the PC or Original Xbox versions
as the graphics are cleaner and more appealing to the eye.
The only problem I have with this game is that the controls
are very stiff especially when it comes to the shooting as this was a few years
before Gears of War came along and perfected the third person formula. You can’t
take cover and aiming at enemies is an absolute chore as there is no manual aim
system with the exception of three weapons the M16, Sniper Rifle and the RPG. It
feels jarring going back to this game after playing Grand Theft Auto IV and V.
Is Grand Theft Auto III worth playing today? Yes of course
but just bear in mind the controls can be a bit awkward and stiff and the car
physic are a tad floaty too. However it is a land mark title that defined how
open world games are shaped today and is great to look back on to remember its influence.
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