GTA 3 Retroview

In anticipation of the April 29 release of Grand Theft Auto 4 I decided to attempt the incredible. My goal was simple. I would beat GTA 3, Vice City, and San Andreas with 100% completion by April 29. The following is an evaluation of the games that changed how we looked at gaming, and launched, if not a new genre, then a new gameplay mechanic.

On April 6, 2008 I popped GTA 3 into my 360. I was immediately impressed at how well the game has held up since its 2001 release. The first thing you notice when playing GTA on your 360 is the fact that it is widescreen. Unlike so many other Xbox games GTA was developed to support widescreen and in emulation supports 720p. However, the HD glory is a double edged sword. The upscaling involved creates a very noticeable drop in framerate. It isn’t enough to render the game unplayable but is extremely annoying. I do have to admit that I didn’t reach my goal of 100% completion. I reached 87% and right after that the game became unplayable. The framerate dropped dramatically, into the teens. It started giving me a headache and nothing I did fixed it. Another annoying aspect I encountered was random freezing while trying to save. Aside from these, the game is very playable and kept me busy for 40+ hours.

When you first sit down with a GTA game you’re amazed by the freedom Rockstar gives the player, but after playing the game you realize how superficial the freedom really is. Sure you can choose when you do missions (or to do them at all) and you have a huge variety of mission types. The missions however are extremely limiting in almost every way. Each mission follows a very genaric formula. If you try to be creative you’re punished usually due to the fact that the majority of the missions are timed and you’re deviating from the “right” way to do things. Another issue that tarnishes a great experience is the gunplay. The lack a precision makes the game much more difficult than it needs to be and only serves to take the player out of Liberty City. Not being able to target the gang member that is killing you is the definition of frustration. The experience is still great enough to overcome these shortcomings.

From the drivers in Liberty city to the over the top commercial radio, the world of GTA is a hysterically over-exaggerated look at American culture. So much of what the game does right is found in its humor and without the humor it wouldn’t be worth the frustration cause by the flawed gameplay mechanics.

Playing the game also brought up several questions about GTA 4 and how it will fix the aspects that limited GTA 3. From reading previews we know the game engine has been completely rebuilt to accommodate next gen graphic and physics. This is interesting and needed but my thoughts tended to drift toward the AI of Liberty City’s inhabitants. Do the citizens of LC still have little disregard for their own property? In real life people tend to try to protect themselves and their property. Occasionally someone might try to fight you for stealing their car, but they show little regard for the condition of their vehicle otherwise. They ram you and make no attempt to avoid you. In fact they will hit you head on and not flinch. This characteristic carries over to the police who chase you with reckless abandon. They are suicidal and infinite. I think it would be a much more interesting experience if in between wanted levels if there was a pause when you reached a new level and maybe you could reach a level where the police just give up. It might be interesting and I can’t wait to see how Rockstar has change things with the new wanted system.

Another question I often asked is just how much has the gunplay changed? Can we actively aim? From all the impressions I’ve heard it seems to be the case but without any gameplay footage it’s hard to tell. I know there is still targeting, but several previews have mentioned an active aiming system. We also know that cover plays a substantial role in the new system. I’m excited to see what they have come up with.

Although I ran into several minor glitches and one major game ending glitch I still had a fantastic time playing GTA 3. It is truly a classic, and I am looking forward to playing Vice City again. Check back next week for my impressions on how Vice City stands up today.