Can you believe it has been over ten years since Grand Theft Auto III came onto the scene
with the subtlety of curb stomping a hooker.
Grand Theft Auto III is one of those games that you remember the first time you saw it.
The Grand Theft Auto games were solid titles for the original Playstation but when they
decided to move into 3D with the PS2, all things stopped.
It was a new way to look at what a video games could be.
The industry changed after its released and it was clear there was no going back.
You play as an unnamed, silent tough guy.
You are betrayed by your girlfriend during a bank robbery, leaving you with nothing and
in prison.
But you soon escape and are on the run in Liberty City, searching for revenge and the
American dream.
Liberty City provides you with what every American and gamer is looking for: Freedom.
Do you want to continue the story?
Then drive around to the map makers and go through the missions.
These start off with simple driving missions, but soon will have you starting gang wars
to drive down real estate prices and killing drug dealers in the park.
But say you don’t want to do these missions, then you don’t have to.
This is what made the game so new to me.
I was used to games like Mario.
If I didn’t run right, the game would not continue.
But here, you can play the game for hours and not even touch the story missions.
There was enough fun to be had just by driving on the sidewalks, or sniping from rooftops.
The entire city was your vessel to live out your fantasies.
There were also hidden packages to find, jumps to go off, and hookers to hire.
All in the name of having a good time.
If you ever need a car, just walk out in front of one and rip the person right out of it.
This sometimes causes the police to notice you, leaving you with a decision.
Get out of sight and lay low, or turn things up and start a chase.
The game leaves you with these choices.
The game also has some great voice acting.
You will recognize more than one of the famous voices as you play through the game.
And the characters they play are all completely their own, from momma boy Tony, to explosives
expert 8-Ball.
But my favorite character in the game is Liberty City itself.
From the radio commercials and billboards to the three very different islands, Liberty
City feels completely its own.
When you go back and play GTA3 you remember what you felt the first time you played it,
and not what it is like when you play it now.
This is a good thing because let’s face it, the game has not aged well.
With all the additions that later games in the series provided, GTA3 can be rough to
play.
The shooting can be kind of hit or miss and by that I mean, you will miss a lot because
the lock-on system is not that forgiving.
Also the walking and driving controls feel kinda sluggish.
But this is only brought to my attention because of the advancements of later games.
When this first came out, I could not imagine it being any better.
Grand Theft Auto 3 is one of those rare games where I don’t know too many people who actually
beat the game.
But this is not because of controls or difficulty, but rather because it was so easy to get distracted.
It holds its place in history, and for good reason.
It was great ten years ago, and I’m sure the mayhem will be just as fun in another
ten years.