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| GTA 3 (PC PS2) I was never a fan of the original Grand Theft Auto games so I wasn't too sure if I was going to like this game or not but after just a couple minutes play time I knew this game was a real winner. In case you have no idea what this game is like I will clue you in, you play a criminal who's just escaped the police, you are on the streets of a large unfamiliar city and you must find a way to earn money and respect. You work for various people doing jobs such as assasinations, car jackings or providing a simple escort service. The map itself is huge and is split up into three islands. At the start of the game you are restricted to Portland, a very industrial area. Soon you will unlock the next two areas, Stauton Island, a bustling commercial district, and Shoreside Vale, a suburban residential area. There are all kinds of vehicles at your disposal, you can throw people out of cars while they are driving and get in or you can find a car park and steal one there, just watch out for car alarms. You can jack convertables, vans, trucks, police cars, anything! You'll even be able to find a tank, drive different boats or fly the dodo at the airport in Stauton. The one thing missing in the vehicles department is motorcycles, which are nowhere to be found in the game, but this isn't a major drawback, they will feature in GTA 4: Vice City though! Anyway, if you don't feel like driving you can always take the subway or walk to your destination. In the weapons department you have all the standard stuff, pistols, machine guns, a rocket launcher and so forth. But be warned, if you use these too much the cops will be after you. There is a wanted level that rises every time you commit certain crimes, it ranges from one star to six stars. At first you will only be chased by officers on foot, who are easy to escape, but raise your wanted level slightly higher and police cars will ram you, higher and the FBI will give chase, even higher and the army will be on your tail! On some missions it is impossible to avoid the attention of the police and this can be annoying at times but it is possible to bring your wanted level down by collecting star icons, by driving to a remote location and laying low or by going to your hideout. You will have one hideout per island and this is where you can go to save your game, your character will go to sleep and your wanted level will decrease. You can leave a car in your garage to drive the next day, if it was damaged it will be fully repaired when you wake. If you steal and police car, fire engine, taxi, tank, FBI car or ambulance you can do certain missions, apprehend criminals, put out fires, provide a taxi service or save injured citizens on the street, these missions are interesting but very tough. On the regular missions you will be given an assigment and after carrying it out you will be rewarded with a large sum of cash, by working for certain gangs you will gain their respect but you will lose your respect with other gangs who will attack you if you come across them, so always be on your guard. If you kill any of them, or any one else who happens to be walking down the street, you will be able to take their cash, certain characters, like the hookers, carry more cash than others. You don't have to leave your car to kill people though, you can always run them over or perform a drive by. Either way just grab the money and escape! Visually this game is stunning, it is the first GTA title to be in full 3D and it will blow you away. There is so much detail, I can't even begin to go into it, there's just so much to say, basically the graphics on show here are great and it's the little details that really make you go wow! If you don't have a high end PC I don't recommend this game, it is very demanding. You'll also be amazed with the sound, hop in a car and switch to one of nine different radio stations, crash into someone else and hear their hilarious complaints, bump into somone on the street and listen to them swear at you. The sound really helps make the game come to life, it's truly awesome, from the music, to the speech, to the sound effects, you'll be in awe. The gameplay itself is also great. It may take a little while to get used to the controls but you'll soon find them incredibly simple and logical. There is so much you can do in the game though and you'll often find yourself leaving the main missions to try out other things like doing insane stunts, looking for sectrets or trying to master flying the dodo. Also, as the time in the game chenges the weather will change, some missions are only available at certain times of day and police are more likely to come out at night and in the early hours of the morning. The in game clock is definately a great inclusion, and is certainly used effectively in making this game as realistic as possible, even if some things, like the violence, are over the top. Overall this is one game you cannot miss out on if you liked the previous GTA games or if you are a fan of games such as Driver, even if you aren't and just like action games in general then you might as well give this a go, you'll most probably love it. Graphics- 8/10 Gameplay- 9/10 Value- 10/10 Overall- 9/10 |