{"id":2631,"date":"2013-03-22T18:14:09","date_gmt":"2013-03-22T18:14:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.controlpadblues.com\/?p=2631"},"modified":"2013-03-22T18:14:09","modified_gmt":"2013-03-22T18:14:09","slug":"my-top-100-6-grand-theft-auto-iii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.controlpadblues.com\/?p=2631","title":{"rendered":"My Top 100: #6 – Grand Theft Auto III"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"2001<\/a>

2001 – Rockstar Games (PlayStation 2, PC, Xbox, Mac, iOS, PlayStation Network)<\/p><\/div>\n

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Here’s another series that really made the transition into 3D nicely.<\/p>\n

I remember playing the first Grand Theft Auto<\/em> game on a PC in\u00a0Technology class.\u00a0\u00a0Not only did you learn a bit\u00a0about\u00a0computers,\u00a0but it also\u00a0had various modules that explored building engines, wood sculptures, rockets,\u00a0among other things.\u00a0 For some of them (like the Lego robot-building one), a computer was\u00a0required for you to issue commands.\u00a0 I’d always sign up\u00a0for these modules with my friend Tyler, who was\u00a0quite the computer-savvy individual.<\/p>\n

Before too long, Tyler had an NES emulator running on the PC’s in the classroom.\u00a0 We’d have to minimize it whenever the teacher\u00a0came around, but it was pretty fun to play NES games\u00a0once we had finished the module’s exercises.\u00a0 GTA<\/em> was\u00a0also one of the games he installed.\u00a0 It was cool too, I guess, but there was always too much going on at once, and the camera perspective made driving\u00a0controls a little wonky.\u00a0 I wasn’t really a fan, and I ignored the handful of PC sequels it got.<\/p>\n

By the time the PS2 rolled around, everyone was talking about Metal Gear Solid 2<\/em>.\u00a0 I still have all those EGM<\/em> and Official PlayStation Magazine<\/em> issues from the Summer of ’01, and previews for Grand Theft Auto III<\/em> didn’t take up more than a page in either one.\u00a0 The concept of a\u00a0free-roaming environment sounded pretty cool, but it got a bit lost in the hype surrounding MGS2<\/em> and the new Nintendo and Microsoft consoles.<\/p>\n

It was released to immense critical acclaim in October of 2001…\u00a0 I guess?\u00a0 Maybe?<\/p>\n

I was still busy playing Gran Turismo 3<\/em> in those moments I wasn’t studying like a mad man, so I wasn’t really aware of any hype at the time.\u00a0 The next month saw the release of the GameCube and Xbox, so I was completely oblivious to the apparent awesomeness of GTA3<\/em> until early December or so.\u00a0 My friend Wil mentioned that he’d been playing it non-stop, so I figured I’d at least rent it to see what all the apparent\u00a0fuss was about.<\/p>\n

So, I rent it…\u00a0 and I like it…<\/p>\n

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\"I<\/a><\/p>\n

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Gone was the awkward camera angle from the previous games, replaced with\u00a0the over-the-shoulder view commonly seen in most third person shooters.\u00a0 That was a big deal, because that was the only hurdle in the first few games that I couldn’t overcome.\u00a0 It was awful, but this new third-Claude-perspective worked great!<\/p>\n

While doing the missions was definitely quite fun, I had a blast just driving around, looking to see what I could or couldn’t do, where I could or couldn’t go, and what ramps I could turn into slow-motion super jumps.\u00a0 Hidden Packages, Rampages, random weapons, armor, police bribes…\u00a0 I found a ton of stuff that I could eventually come back to if I needed it, and the completionist in me absolutely loved looking around for little secrets.<\/p>\n

And then, to top it all off, getting the Callahan Bridge back open gave me\u00a0that same kind of feeling I had gotten after defeating\u00a0Bowser for the first time in Super Mario 64.<\/em><\/p>\n

“YOU MEAN THERE’S MORE???!??!?\u00a0 HOOOOLY FRIG.\u00a0 Amazing.”<\/p>\n

There was more\u00a0lurking around every corner on the second island, and even more stuff to find on the third.\u00a0 The game’s missions were also getting more and more intense, and had you taking on a variety of different weapons and vehicles.<\/p>\n

The simple fact that you had freedom to do what you wanted, when you wanted to, was pretty damn amazing.\u00a0 I’ve played it more than any other GTA<\/em> game to date, and despite the fact that you can do much, much more in later games, this is by far my favourite.<\/p>\n

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