"The
hype finally got to me. I dusted off my PS2 and
skipped the rental and headed right for a purchase. With
seemingly no bad reviews on the game, I had to
give it a shot... "
Storyline
The whole concept behind GTAIII is completely
marketable. Sure, this is the third in the series, but
none have gone to the extremes as this one does. Sure,
you've heard from friends telling you how you can bash a
prostitute, and you can run over a little old lady, but
what about the depth of the game? This was my biggest
fear in my purchase, and anarchy could only take a game
so far.
To my surprise, and after playing the game for the first
six hours I realized that I only dipped my toe into the
game. It took a good three or four hours, just to get a
feel for the gameplay. For those looking for a three
dimensional game, this is for you. Or, if you would
rather just beat an innocent yuppie to death... this
game is for you.
The story takes place in the booming city of Liberty
City. Quite ironic, but this city has a diverse
arrangement of places and sites to see. You start off as
a small time criminal trying to make your way up the
ranks in the underground militias. The story starts off
in classic Goodfellas style, but the game ends up
more like an old "Choose Your own
Adventure" book. There are three
"mafia" rings, each with different
characteristics and personalities. Your homage is to no
one, and deciding how to play your cards right is a
must.
Taking a "job" from one group, can mean
certain death when passing by a neighborhood controlled
by a rival. Depending on your style, the role-playing
elements play a vital part of where the game will take
you. I choose to play all three for chimps, and take
missions where I wouldn't be too threatening to
another clan. However, you could go solo and favor one
group only, but treading through rival turf will bring
an onslaught of gunfire whenever you pass by.
The jobs taken are increasingly complex and at times
difficult. They can range from simply delivering a
"package" to "killing the boss man".
The missions are very inventive, and require more than
just luck. The game starts off at a break-neck speed,
but ease you into the mission types. Aside from standard
mission play, you can wonder the streets jacking cars,
trucks, police cruisers and ambulances. Since this is a
"free world" for gaming, there are no
limitations.
Gameplay
As mentioned, the depth of the mission based gaming is
your bread-and-butter, but there is so much more for you
to tackle. This can include just walking around causing
chaos, to "vehicle specific missions". These
missions you can become a vigilante, so to speak, or
even a good guy. Stealing a police car you can go Dirty
Harry and bust the punks roaming the streets.
Jacking an ambulance will also give you options to go
and save the poor sots injured in the city. These
"secondary" games, are nearly as fun as the
standard missions, and can easily consume hours and
hours of gametime.
I never understood the addiction to causing harm to
people undeservingly. I still don't understand,
but dang is sure is fun. Jacking a car, rolling through
the "Red Light" district with you Uzi out the
window mowing down a corner of prostitutes is a
rewarding feeling. To top it off, getting out of your
vehicle and bludgeon the pimps with a bat also gives you
warm tinglies. How about that little old lady who walks
like a lemming into the sea? Ever want to just give her
one good wack in the face? We are a demented people my
friends, and this game will satisfy your darkest desires
of anarchy and revenge. Don't be surprised to nickname
some of the guys, and beat them up and laughing...
I've heard mixed reactions when speaking of gameplay. I
know one reliable source, who didn't care for the
targeting system. After a few hours of play, I felt the
targeting fine and very useful. However, I did find that
the camera angles were at times obscure when trying to
target moving objects. If you have played the Squaresoft
game, Parasite Eve, then you will have no
problems controlling Grand Theft Auto III. Taking
a three quarters perspective, allows you to visualize
most things on the screen. To target a person simply
press the R1 button and hold it in. The target
will stay highlighted until out of range. Fire away when
targeting and get a direct hit. You can flip through
targets by pressing your L2 and R2
buttons. Once a person is targeted, don't expect them to
give you a warm hug. They will do anything from run,
scream in panic or opt to attack you first. Pulling your
weapon out will scatter a crowd and you will hear them
yell "He's got a gun!".
Using your left analog controller moves your character
around, and you can run by holding in the
"square" button. The "triangle" is
used to car jack a vehicle, and you will use this a ton.
When a vehicle is stopped, most of the time you can jack
it with no problems. Speed away too fast, and the door
will fly open until you let off the gas and he has time
to close it. Controlling your new wheels take a little
time to master, since each vehicle drives completely
different. Vehicles range from a Humvee to an El
Dorado. Each vehicle also has different stamina. Too
many whacks, and the sucker will blow. Get out by
hitting "triangle" and run away, because an
explosion is inevitable.
Your right analog controller is used to change to a
first person perspective, and is useful for
investigating your surroundings. R2 allows you to
switch weapons, and "square" will make use of
it. You running speed is also determined on which weapon
you have armed, so choose carefully.
Cops
Now, we have to give it to the local law enforcement,
for the do try to make the city livable. In your
top right hand corner of the screen there is something
called an "arrest meter". This meter shows
five blacked-out stars. Depending on your crimes, the
meter goes up. The naughtier you are, the more stars you
will get. Sure it sounds alluring, but with more stars
comes more boys-in-blue. Three stars will earn a
helicopter skewering the streets for you along with
shoot-to-kill policemen. Four stars will call the FBI
in, and five stars... calls in the National
Guard.
The onslaught of the police is never ending. Most of the
time, they will ignore you unless you feel the urge to
bash a cop in front of their barracks. They could care
less about blasting a few pimps or prostitutes, and
unless you really make a nuisance of yourself they will
stay out of your way.
One glitch I found was the super-intelligence of the
dispatch. I would be deep in a train tunnel, with only
scum around me. I would bash a few guys with my bat,
steal their money and move on. However, you can hear the
police dispatch call on their radio "Suspect is
on foot". Many events like that were puzzling,
just don't let it ruin the game for you, ok?
Weapons
You are given a variety of weapons during GTA3.
You first start off with a bat that still becomes a
primary source of anger-release even after hours into
the game. Wield your bat to an unsuspecting pedestrian,
will bring them to their knees. Standing over them
beating them with it, is another story.
Soon, you will gather guns of all types. Handguns, can
be picked up rather quickly, yet tend not to be as
"surprising" as others. Shotguns are always a
blast, and you have to try this trick. Jump onto
a cars hood, and ride the car around town. Target
pedestrians and blow them away. Maybe it was the wine
that night, but I kept laughing and laughing like it was
comedy or something.
You will also encounter some heavier artillery like,
assault rifles, sniper rifles and rocket launchers.
Grenades and flamethrowers also compliment your arsenal
well. The sniper rifle is quite a blast, and allows you
to target and kill objectives from a safe distance.
Rocket launchers, however, have no tact whatsoever, and
will keep you grinning from ear to ear. Oh, and don't
forget that your car can be used as an effective means
of termination of life. Running people over is as
learning your A-B-C's.
Graphics
On a visual standpoint, the graphics in GTA3 is a
mixed bag. On one hand, the attention to detail is
unmatched. Things like dynamic damage to vehicles and
surroundings, realistic physics and exploding cars
really make the detail phenomenal. Other things,
however, really plague the system. There is ton of
slowdown when the action becomes too intense, and
experience high framerate loss when I was surrounded
with gunfire. It doesn't affect the gameplay that much,
but still was noticeable. I also wasn't impressed with
the actual pedestrian graphics. The seemed very two
dimensional, and carbon copied. I realize that if the
detail was on the same level as most of the game, it
would choke like Pittsburgh Steelers.
The detail in most things still out shadow the
performance issues, and the environment will put you
right into the action. Things like storefronts, and
realistic pedestrian activity, make sure to keep the
"city life" completely active. Prostitutes and
pimps line the corners in the red light district, and
business types roam the commercial areas. Lighting
effects are also amazing, and looking into the light
will cause your character to shield his eyes. Not only
are the lighting effects dramatic, the use of night and
day is equally impressive. During the day, expect a
different venue of people as opposed to the night crowd.
All of these add up to a rewarding and impressive
experience.
Audio
I was most impressed with the audio in GTA3. Rockstar
produced an amazing soundtrack and brilliant sound
effects with Hollywood big name actors to do some
voice-overs. The voices are amazing and comical. The
voices portray events realistically in an animated
manner. Crashes, shooting and screaming is also at an
all time high, setting the stage for intense realism.
If that wasn't enough, the soundtrack is to die for.
There are nine radio stations spinning anything from
hip-hop to rock, to talk radio and classical. Most
amusing is the talk radio, where you have Jerry
Springer style gabbing and will keep you rolling.
Without hesitation, GTA3 has the most spectacular
use of audio, effects and music of any game ever.
Retrospect
First and foremost, this game should be monitored by
whomever the game is purchased for. This is not
something for influential youth or those disturbed by
highly realistic violence. I avoided playing this around
my six-year-old daughter, and wouldn't recommend this to
any child under the age of thirteen. As much as they
beg, I wouldn't give into their rants. If fact, I
wouldn't truly recommend this game for anyone under 18.
It might sound extreme, but so is the game...
This is a must buy for mature Playstation 2
owners. Expect dozens of hours in the game, with an
almost endless replay value. I know many stores are
"banning" the game, and it wouldn't surprise
me if it was taken off the market altogether. Now
is the best time to grab this game before it is too
late.
As great as the game is for the PS2, it really
pushes it to its limits. The game fits the PS2
persona perfectly, but might be better matched for the
power of the XBOX. Would I like to see this on my
GameCube? Heck yea! Will it ever? Heck no!
Rockstar has really open the gates for a level of
gaming. I expect their upcoming release to be even more
offensive. I'll be sure to reserve a copy of it before
it's release no matter what platform it is going to be
on...
9.8
