The third in a line of games from DMA Design, Grand Theft Auto III’s gameplay mechanics are built around the acts of theft (namely carjacking) and battery. The first two games featured diverse and open-ended gameplay, but the 2D delivery limited the concept’s execution. The release of Driver for the original PlayStation and PC showed that it was feasible to create an open world 3D rendered world on consumer hardware, Although you were limited to staying within your car, Driver 2 then allowed you to leave the car and carry out mission’s on foot. The original GTA and GTA2 used a top-down perspective view, With GTA3, the premise and plot are fleshed out to a fully realized story line against the backdrop of a 3D world that literally lives and breathes around you. DMA crafted a large virtual city for players to explore on foot or by car and has filled it with enough detail and nuance to continually surprise and impress you as you dig into the game’s hundred-plus hours of gameplay.

GTA III takes place in Liberty City, a metropolis with three distinct sections that are unlocked as the game progresses which is designed in the same image as New York City. At the game’s start you find your character in a robbery gone wrong. Flash forward to an escape from a prison transport, and the actual gameplay begins as you acquire a car and attempt to make a fresh start working for the mob. GTA III introduced players to Liberty City, an expansive and interactive city where players could roam freely. Liberty City is depicted as a place of economic disparity and decay, with visible signs of poverty, urban blight, and the stark contrast between different neighbourhoods. This setting mirrors real-world issues in major cities where economic policies have led to visible divides.

This freedom was unprecedented at the time, allowing players to explore, complete missions, or engage in chaotic antics at their discretion. The early missions familiarise you with the game’s controls, and give you ample opportunity to explore the city on foot or by car. However, if you want to get anything done in the game, you are going to have to get your hands dirty, inflict some pain, or stop a vehicle, pull out the driver, and take off before the police catch you. Missions ranged from carjacking to assassinations, providing a broad spectrum of criminal activities. The narrative drove players through a series of increasingly complex objectives, intertwining with diverse characters, each adding to the games storyline.

You choose how violent you get to be. Very little about the game is linear, though you can progress through all of Grand Theft Auto III sticking to the basic missions and just taking on fellow underworld criminals. But to really get the full effect of the game’s seemingly endless possibilities, you can cause some mayhem of your own, indulge in many of the game’s side missions or just go on a virtual crime spree. Though walking into a park and shooting at civilians will result in your character finding himself on the receiving end of a police assault rather quickly.

GTA III is often credited with popularizing the sandbox or open-world genre in video games. Many side missions involve stealing a taxi and collecting fares, or carjacking a police car or fire truck to give back to the community, and for some extra cash to purchase weapons or armour.. There is also something quite satisfying about rising up within the ranks of the underworld — at least for anyone who appreciates a good mafia movie or The Sopranos, which the game takes a lot of cues from. That said, its best to complete these side missions as early as possible, since the rewards they offer will help massively in completing missions, but a s the story progresses, the fans will become hostile to you which will cause them to open fire on your vehicle, making it very difficult to complete since the missions over once your vehicle is destroyed.

The actual execution of gameplay is quite amazing, and the play control seamlessly blends the walking and driving interfaces. Moving throughout Liberty City takes some getting used to at first, but it is rather easy to get the hang of things within the game’s first hour. Walking can get tiresome after a while, but each car has its share of nuance throughout that keeps driving around rather fresh. The gameplay mechanics allowed for chaos—carjacking, explosions, and general lawlessness—which might have been cathartic for some in a world where real-life violence had just taken a new, terrifying dimension. However, this also stirred debates about the morality and impact of such gameplay in the wake of real-world tragedies like 9/11 and the Columbine massacre.

The game’s radio, with its satirical news reports and DJ commentary, often touched on a cynical view of society, which could resonate with a post-9/11 audience feeling cynical about government, media, and the state of the world.

Grand Theft Auto III looks quite good as well for it’s time, though it never depicts violence in an overly graphic manner. The 3D world has an amazing amount of detail, especially considering how large each section of the city is, and while you can’t enter every building that you see, they at least offer plenty to look at up close. Every in-game movement, even switching back and forth between walking and driving, is smooth and the game feels rather polished. The game’s cut scenes are quite solid as well, moving the story along while not overdoing it and are rendered in engine, something that was becoming more common with the sixth generation of consoles.

Versions

PlayStation 2: This was the original release and contains a few RenderWare splash screens showcasing the new technology. This version can get a bit ropey in the framerate department, with it slowing down when there are a lot of cars or explosions on screen. There is also some pop-in with the buildings, or blurry texture’s momentarily before they load which can be off putting. Using a soft-modded PS2 with OpenPS2loader, along with a hard drive is recommended which helps reduce the draw in massively. This version was made available on the PS3 as part of the PS2 classics, it lacks trophy support but is indeed the original ROM of the game. Since it’s emulated, the slowdown is more pronounced and isn’t really recommended unless you don’t have access to the PC version. This version was also used for the PS4, and is a lot more smoother not eh account of better emulation.

Also, this version is limited to 480i (Interlaced) or 576i only, progresive scan isnt supported in this version.

Xbox: The recommended version since this has involved textures and models compared to the PS2 and Windows versions, also supports custom music if they are installed to your hard drive. This version also benefits from analogue controls for steering and aiming, and better audio quamility, being encoded in 128k WMA format audio. This version was also playable on the Xbox 360 if a hard drive is installed, but not on the Xbox One or Series consoles. On the 360, the frame rate does suffer mostly when turning into a new street.

Windows: This version works well and is playable on modern versions of Windows, but lacks the improved details that the Xbox version had. But you can change your characters skin if desired, and can be modded. Some of the enhancements from the Xbox version have been adapted into the PC version using this method.

This version was also adapted for Mac OS X, which was implemented into a Wine DirectX wrapper (Developed by TransGaming Cider/Cedega) and released onto Steam.

Android: Released on GTA III 10th anniversary, This version features improved graphics, providing you set the graphics settings high. This has Android gamepad support, and plays very well on the Nvidia Shield console.  This version is alas playable on the Amazon Fire platform, but you will need to side load it to play.

iOS: also release for the iPhone and iPad platforms, but not Apple TV? As far as I’ve played is pretty much the same as the Android versions.

There is also a definite version of GTA III, which is the original mobile version that has been upscaled mostly using AI. The result is pretty poor and isn’t recommended.

While some people may be turned off by this innovation in Mature-rated games, Grand Theft Auto III was very well received, and surely one of the most impressive and ambitious ever released for the early sixth generation systems. The storyline, extensive gameplay, and excellent presentation make for an amazing experience, and older gamers will find themselves drawn into the seedier world the game depicts in a post 9/11 world.  Newcomers might appreciate it more through the lens of its historical significance rather than pure entertainment value today. Even though some people may see the violence as a novelty, once you get past the first few missions, this is a game you will not want to stop playing until you’ve explored everything it has to offer.