When the original "Grand Theft Auto" was announced it shocked people with its premise, involving gameplay elements such as gang affiliation and car jacking. However, when the original 2D game was released, it was a bit of a letdown. It failed to live up to its outrageous premise.
With the third installment, the potential of the franchise is finally realized, giving gamers a fully fleshed-out 3D world that is one of the most interactive and intense ever to be seen on a console system, and one that is definitely not intended for children.
Like "The Sopranos" or "GoodFellas," "Grand Theft Auto 3" takes you inside the seedy world of organized crime. You start the game after a bank robbery gone bad. One jail break later, you're on the streets of Liberty City, looking to get revenge on your former girlfriend who set you up. To do this, you must regain standing as a criminal, working for various organized crime factions throughout a variety of missions. Like any good crime drama, the story plays out slowly, and the game features over a hundred separate missions to complete.
Perhaps what is most fascinating is that this unfolds in a fully interactive 3D city, where you can explore every street and interact with its inhabitants, seamlessly switching between walking and driving. True to the game's title, you will be required to commission vehicles on demand. Simply approaching them and yanking the driver out of the car seemed to work best when we played the game.
The game features dozens of vehicles of varying speeds and abilities that get you where you need to go around the city. However, you will spend half of the game walking around, exploring tight spaces and taking the hands-on approach to thugs.
The game takes place over three sections, each its own part of this interactive world, and there are truly over a hundred hours of gameplay to be had, completing tasks such as escorting, enforcement, and intimidation.
The characters and story line are fairly developed, and an impressive cast of voice talent supplies the dialogue for the game's 3D-animated characters: Joe Pantiliano, Robert Loggia, Michael Madsen, Debi Mazaar, and Michael Rappaport are just some of the talent whose voices you will recognize. At times "Grand Theft Audio 3" feels more like a computer-animated Mafia story than a game.
In fact, the audio as a whole is pretty amazing. The city comes alive with sound effects and random dialogue, and each car features an array of radio stations, complete with hours of original (and hilarious) commercials, plus a mix of new and licensed music, including tracks from -- we kid you not -- Pavarotti.
One thing is clear, any content and shock value aside: This game will stand on its own. "Grand Theft Audio 3" is definitely not for everyone, but with its dark content and fully realized world, Rockstar and development house DMA present a revolutionary game that plays out like a truly interactive, adult crime drama.
"Grand Theft Auto 3" ships for the PlayStation 2 in October, and the Xbox early next year.
Screenshots
