Grand Theft Auto 3 PS2 Review

The new game from Rockstar and DMA Designs is definitely one to look out for, as they have put in some of the best efforts seen in a PS2 game to date. They have improved all aspects – sound, including the people actually talking, unlike in it’s predecessors. Graphics, boasting a new 3-D engine. Life span, including some of the hardest missions I have ever seen in a game. And Gameplay, with new weapons for you to use to dispose of all those unwanted people in Liberty City.

Graphics

It has been given a new 3-D engine to run on, helping you to cause more terror in more possible ways. The views are excellent, such as views over the sea, or from the top of Saint Mark’s in Portland, they all look beautiful, and have been worked on thoroughly. Some of the best graphics to be seen yet on PS2, however, if they were to get perfect graphics, they would have to take the designs from Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec, as that is THE most beautiful game available, but this comes in somewhere near Gran Turismo.

Sound

It is host to several radio stations, all with hilarious songs, presenters and advertisements. The stations include:
Head Radio (Pop-Rock), Double Cleff FM (Classical), K-Jah (Carribean), MSX FM (Dance), Lips 106 (Pop), Flashback FM (Pop-Rock) and Chatterbox FM (A chat show). All have hilarious songs (Such as “She’s on fire”) and hilarious advertisements (Such as “Pogo The Monkey” and “The Maibatsu Monstrosity”). It has been worked on thoroughly, and the end result is generally hilarious.

Lifespan

It is one of those games which is bound to take ages to complete, and will want you coming back for more. People are addicted to this game, all because of teh difficulty of some of the later missions, and the extras you need/can find (eg. Hidden packages for extra weapons and extra missions in police cars; ambulances and fire trucks). There is so much to do, and with some missions requiring you to have a large amount of money to spare, you may well be doing some of the sub-missions to be able to complete it!

Gameplay

The gameplay is excellent, with a wide range of weapons at your disposal, starting out with nothing, on to baseball bats, then getting a pistol, and eventually building up to an M-16 or a rocket launcher, all of which are just crying out to be used. There are also helicopters used by the police at times, which shoot slowly, but powerfully at you, and the only way to stop them is to get rid of your wanted level, or by shooting it down with a rocket launcher. There is so much fun to be had in this game, despite it’s certificate. It shall remain a masterpiece for games to come on PS2.

Overall

Overall it is one of those “Must have” masterpieces. It is a classic game, and has a nice learning curve. It’s got a few glitches (Such as falling through a wall, and getting stuck inside a building on Staunton Island), but it does not always deter from the gameplay. A fine piece of gaming art, well deserving of it’s mark. I am suer you will love the weapons, as they have easy controls, (after a while) and gives a nice tutorial during some of the first few missions. It is a good game for newbies of the genre to try ot, and is well worth picking up, just to wreak havoc, even in 15 minutes.

Worth picking up if you can afford it, maybe even if you can’t! GTA3 will go down as one of the greatest games made for PS2, and it certainly should go down n your list of games.

9 out of 10