Grand Theft Auto III might not be as refined as GTA Vice City or Vice City Stories and especially not San Andreas, but it is still a pretty fun game that is a solid entry in the series. Pretty far from "aged badly" like quite a few people say that it is. Sometimes people just don't know what a true "aged badly" game really is.
Okay.
its the best one
>>11491038Back in the day I considered it more of an evolution of Crazy Taxi with how much racing and driving passengers around there was rather than it being some revolutionary open world game that people today hold it up to be. I still think its a fun time but god damn some of those races are real ball busters and I cant win without getting up to some sort of shenanigans like blocking the road up with a bunch of cars before starting the race.
>>114910383 is great, never let any redditors tell you otherwise.
>>11491038GTA 3 is the most atmospheric but feels too short compared to its sequels.Vice City has the best city and the most fun missions. It's not very refined, contrary to what you think I think GTA 3 felt more refined, yet it's the most fun out of the three.San Andreas has the biggest content, the best mechanics and controls, a ton of fun side missions, but it's also the ugliest and most boring. It's ugly probably because the devs needed to cram in a huge world with a ton of details, so the textures and geometry of the models had to be reduced, making the game look washed out. By this time Rockstar was starting to implement more simulation and cinematics, making the missions longer and more boring than the previous arcade oriented GTA games.
>>11491038GTA 3 (on PS2 specifically) is the coolest one. No comedic relief, no wacky over the top stuff. You're just a cold-blooded gangster in a gloomy city.
>>11491583The radio was comic relief. Chatterbox is amazing https://youtu.be/3lPytfSy-04?si=T7zMSp0uAaV-4ozj
>>11491308The NPC ai is dogshit at races though, you can easily get an as-good car for El Burro by doing 2 minutes of vigilante or firefighter. Speaking of vigilante, just use the cop car.The real challenges are the checkpoint missions, aside from the "hidden" multistor[e]y car park.
>>11491308>I still think its a fun time but god damn some of those races are real ball busters and I cant win without getting up to some sort of shenanigans like blocking the road up with a bunch of cars before starting the raceWhy does every topic I see about this game keep bringing up how "difficult" the races are? I always finish Turismo with a Kuruma or Taxi and every race after this is basically "how badly can I destroy the AI this time?"
>>11491843I agree, the races are easy and the AI fumbles by itself more often than not
>>11491597paramedic missions are the real ballbuster of the game
>>11491583> No comedic relief, no wacky over the top stuff. You're just a cold-blooded gangster in a gloomy cityGTA 3 is stuffed with ridiculous missions and humor. You have Marty Chonks luring people to a dog food factory and turning them into chow. Tasks like loading an ice cream truck with bombs in I Scream You Scream and luring the gangsters out with the music. The entire radio lineup is pure comedic relief. Chatterbox is a barrage of bizarre call-ins. Flashback FM and Double Clef FM drop in random commentary that mocks pop culture and politics. Then you have the side activities like rampages. Toni Cipriani is a paranoid caricature of a mobster who freaks out over petty problems and cowers before his mother. Asuka is out there flaunting her dominatrix side at every turn. This is all comedic and over the top. GTA 3 has always been a satire that never takes itself too seriously. This notion you keep spreading about the story and environment being played straight is fucking stupid.
>>11491038I was so obsessed with taxi driving, that i memorized all the locations.
I think I speak for all of us when I concur that 'Stories was the superior sequel. The natural evolution, if you will.
It's unplayable compared to San Andreas.
>>11492238You're on the wrong board if your opinion is >game released later is better
>>11491038I swear for most of the past 20+ years nobody wanted to talk about 3 after VC and especially SA, but now I've seen more praise for it in the past year or so.I've replayed 3 to completion at least twice in the past 10 years and still find it enjoyable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUHs2STZn2k
It’s a lot of fun. I’ve never been a huge fan of the gunplay in the ps2 GTA games but the focus on driving in III makes it a tight almost arcade like experience just hauling ass and racing around.
>>11491038GTA3 is the best GTA game and best overall video game ever made
>>11492442>I've replayed 3 to completion at least twice in the past 10 years and still find it enjoyable.I wish I could do that. I wish I had the original versions of these games on PC but I never bought them.
>>11491856>get to level 11>NPC spawns in the alley by aummunation>get to level 12>move too quickly towards patient NPC jumps in front of ambulanceFUARK
>>11493482If you don't want to just download them for some reason, R* put the original trilogy back on their store. You can easily remove the R* launcher shit from the folders as well if you just download a new EXE.
>>11493737Oh really? I didn't know they were put back
>>11493741Yeah, they want $30 for it but if you want to legally """own""" them you can.
>>11492723Spittin' troofs
>>11491038Love gta 3 . One of the goats for sure. Recently played through the pc edition
>>11491038Lack of a map kills it for me and some missions are asscancer because of it
>>11491038I don't know, I loved GTA3 on release, but San Andreas and even Vice City aged better.
>>11495182It's definitely the clunkiest of the 3D trilogy but it's vibe is unique and so I still enjoy it.
>>11495174The game came with a physical map, not that you actually even need it. Liberty City is small enough that you can memorize the layout of every island within 15 minutes of first arriving there.
>>11495193>The game came with a physical map, not that you actually even need it. Liberty City is small enough that you can memorize the layout of every island within 15 minutes of first arriving there.This.The only real confusions to be had are:>Shoreside Vale is split in three sections>Staunton Island has a bridge to nowhere
>>11491038the game that RUINED gaming FOREVER. brought the normie dudebros into the hobbies and killed fun colorful games and replaced them with le dark and le mature games
>>11495349GTA3? GTFO. It was Call of Duty that took gaming mainstream.
>>11495379no it was GTA III and Halo CE. COD was inspired by Halo CE fame
>>11495489Provide your source that they were inspired by the fame.
>>11491038will never understand how any self respecting gamer can enjoy any game in the most normie slop franchise ever made.>DOOD HOOKERS AND GUNSwhat are you, fucking 12 years old?
>>11495349based, redpilled, accurate post.
>>11495193>Liberty City is small enough that you can memorize the layout of every island within 15 minutes of first arriving there.You are either superhuman or I've been lobotomized without knowing it. Can't even start to imagine how much less irritating this game would've been if there was an actual map. I'm playing it right now and half of my play time is definetely being taken by figuring out where the hell is anything located alone
>>11491038I'll admit to not having played IV or V but I've played all the PS2 GTAs and for some reason still all these years later III is the only one I've ever liked. Can't explain why but there's just something special about it.I still like Bully way more than any of the GTA games. Back when I first got it in 2007 and still today.
>>11495775You're treating it like a checklist instead of a game. There's a reason the game tells you immediately after the intro to "try "borrowing" a taxi" you're supposed to immerse yourself in the game. learn the roads, walk around look for hidden packages, listen to the street NPC chatter and laugh when they rob, highjack or fight each other. drive a car around and listen to the radio and go find hidden weapons or rampages. Don't just go from mission giver to mission giver like it's some modern crap with nothing to do and a dead static world that just exists as scenary.
>>11495841>You're treating it like a checklist instead of a gameI get why you're saying that, I may have phrased it too harshly because I'm extremely salty over one mission I've been stuck on for over a week now, but I really don't. Liberty City is extremely comfy and immersive, walking and driving around and kinda treating it like a sandbox is my favourite part of the game. A really fun thing to do is getting several wanted stars and randomly driving, searching for collectible bribes and spray shops, the cops in III in comparasion to SA are an actual threat and more "arcade-y" physics really seal the deal. It's just that during some missions I'm timed to get to a place without a distinct marker that makes me want to kill myself. I just can't remember places, not just in gta but anywhere, irl included, and this really spoils some of my enjoyment. The mission I've been stuck on is Espresso-2-Go! where you need to destroy 9 spank stalls that are sprinkled around every island in 8 minutes, and it's the most mentally exhausting vidya-related thing I've experienced in months thanks to my topographical retardation.
>>11491038>Sometimes people just don't know what a true "aged badly" game really is.There's no such thing, it's just what zoomers and midwits say when they don't like something that other people do. They can't understand that people like different things so try to label it as universally bad, but other people were 'tricked' into liking it when it was new.
>>11495884>Espresso-2-Go!You can drive around all three islands to get the stalls on your radar before you blow any up. The timer doesn't start until the first stall is destroyed.
I don't think it aged badly at all. I'm sure that if they never made more GTA games, lots of people who love to hate it would enjoy it.Alas, I don't think the sequels did it any favor. When you have three games that have essentially the same engine and one of them is full of weird quirks, like not being able to fly properly, not being able to move the camera while driving, or not being able to get off a car in flames if it's moving, all those things that could have been ignored if there was nothing to compare them to become problems when you see that the sequels fixed them.I think many people simply don't judge the game for what it is, they merely see it as the clunkiest of a trilogy.
>>11495951>The timer doesn't start until the first stall is destroyed.Yeah I know, helped but I still ran out of time every time. I ended up pussying out and just watching a guide, this shit is ridiculous
>>11495775>Can't even start to imagine how much less irritating this game would've been if there was an actual map.There would have been less trial and error when doing missions for the first time, that's about it. The only mission that will really fuck with you in terms of sending you to other islands is "Espresso 2 Go", all others will spell out in the briefing where you are going.
>>11496390What about that one where you have to blow up the drug plane as it's landing at the airport?
>>11495841>>11495884You shouldn't be stuck on any mission for a week due to the map layout. Combat maybe; some of the later ones are a bitch and GTA 3's combat is clunky on a good day. An in-game map would be helpful, but it's not necessary. GTA 3 has smallest city in the 3D games by far. Like I said; the only mission that will fuck with you is Espresso 2 Go because the time-limit is not generous and you won't know how many coffee stands are on each island the first time. However, you can simply wait a couple of minutes for all of them to appear which makes it easier. Or with repetition you'll memorize where they are (they are there even before they show up on the map). I'm not saying your complaint is baseless, just that it is exaggerated.>>11496393That one isn't hard either. Head toward the marker. Realize it is in the ocean. Go to a boat. Go to Asuka's apartments which are near there, and have boats. Like I said, these earlier GTA games do involve a bit of trial and error.
>>11495613>He didn't fuck the hookers and then waste them to get his money back
>>11495349>>11495379>>11495489Pong or Pacman or some shit brought gaming 'mainstream'.
>>11492232Liberty City Stories was made on a stripped down San Andreas engine wasn't it?
>>11496169>I don't think it aged badly at all.I love GTA 3, but come on. The combat is horrible. It wasn't good even back in the day, but it was acceptable being clunky and bad because the open world that was relatively interactive with NPC's and cars you could steal and dynamic police chases was acceptable to receive at the cost of bad combat and character models that weren't very good. Thankfully, the combat improved a little bit with each game.If Rockstar had put the effort in they should have re-worked GTA 3 and Vice City to have San Andrea's combat mechanics, and the climbing on stuff, update all the character models in 3 and VC to match San Andreas, and maybe add helicopters and motor cycles to GA 3 (and re-work the map to account for this). I love GTA 3 in spite of its limitations for three reasons:1.) cool radio (RISE FM especially)2.) Immersion/vibe/atmosphere 3.) More open ended gameplayChunky Lee Chong is a good example with Youtube videos talking about it. These old GTA games let you problem solve much more than the new ones, which often don't let you do that at all.
>>11496415I've never played it but my impression of it is that it suffers from having a kind of bad story and the presentation of that story is cheap in places. Understandable considering what it is. Though, I will admit it is close to what I describe here: >>11496417The Definitive Editions should have updated 3 and VC to line up with SA's graphics and game play. Maybe not the leveling skills for weapons, driving, the weight lifting, ect, but just the basic gun play. Assume that Claud and Tommy are like mid-way through those gun skills I suppose.
>>11496417>>11496423The only thing bad about the gameplay in 3 is the targeting system, and that blows in all three PS2 games, so I don't get what improvements you're talking about in SA. SA has free aim on console but it's usually even worse and slower than the lock on. Other than that it's just a bunch of RPG-lite mechanics that are honestly a shitty addition. Oh and I guess swimming of course.
>>11496482>so I don't get what improvements you're talking about in SAThen you have a bad memory or just aren't very observant. The calculation done for targeting in Vice City and SA is not the same as GTA 3. It prioritizes nearby NPC's with weapons, in addition to just being much easier to see, and I think favoring things in front of the player. It's definitely improved some in each game. Mainly the improvement to SA is being able to move and aim a weapon.
>>11496492You can move and aim in 3, and it prioritizes center camera targets.
>>11496507Maybe in the PC version, but not in the PS2 version, which are the versions that the auto-aim is most important.In the PS2 versions of 3 and Vice City you can only move and target with light weapons like 9mm pistol/.45, uzi, tech-9, ect.
>>11496512I have been playing the PS2 version of GTA3 since Christmas like I do every year. Not being able to move with heavier weapons like the AK or shotty was a design choice, not some inherent flaw
>>11496515Well, that depends on how you want to define it. It was a deliberate design choice, but it was something they changed their minds on later. Probably because it wound up not really being something that enhances GTA 3's combat, or Vice City's.
>>11496519You can disagree with their decision on it, but its disingenuous to pretend it's a mistake or flaw when it's entirely intended. There are multiple weapons in SA where you still can't move and shoot as well
>>11496526Take your meds. All I said was that combat gradually improved over the games. As in it generally became more fun and less clunky. You are free to disagree or whatever autistic hang-up you want to have, but I am done engaging with it.
>>11496529It's literally the same combat, as I have just proven to you, but nice meltdown I guess.
>>11492232>I think I speak for all of us when I concur that 'Stories was the superior sequel. The natural evolution, if you will.I have both, but I fell in love with the jump code for GTA3 and was disappointed that the one for LCS didn't handle the same.
>>11496406>he didn't roleplay as a simp for hookers and slowly cruise next to them watching out for them, making sure to scare off the muggers, and if a mugger DID manage to steal from one of m'ladies, he didn't chase him down and recover all the money on behalf of the lady of the evening
>>11496536No, it's not the same. The formula for how targeting was changed to better prioritize attacking enemies. You are wrong.
>>11496403>I'm not saying your complaint is baseless, just that it is exaggerated.I posted >>11495775 right after failing Espresso 2 Go like 6 times in a row, so yeah that was an exaggeration because I was on the edge of my seat atm for sure. But it's true that I've been trying to clear it for 1-4 hours a day in the span of a week and failed over, over, and over again because of the minimap being way less useful than I'd prefer. Even when every stall is on the map, you still have to keep count of how many there are on each island because miss one and you won't have enough time to complete the mission in time. Not hard to do, but when you're limited on time and have to keep close attention to the road, it's pretty easy to get overwhelmed, god forbid lost. Markers don't show how close or far away they are from you AND some paths take more time to traverse than others so you have to find a 'winning' one first, making things all the more complicated. This mission aside, I still wish you could see weapon stores and pick-ups on the minimap and think that a physical map is near-necessary for a "proper", non-painful playthrough
>>11496551The physical map helps. Better to have it than not to. Though I must ask, why not just look it up online? If you are having trouble with a mission look it up online. I think back in the day I looked up some advice on how to best beat Espresso 2 Go. It seems you are just struggling to memorize the map itself. Which, fair enough. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. Might just be how our brains work. For example, my whole life I have been lousy with remembering addresses and street names. I don't think that way. I don't think, "Left on Johnson Road and then right on East Street". I think in terms of landmarks. Visuals. Left at the McDonalds, right at the strip mall. That kind of thing. GTA 3 is definitely improved with an in-game map and more locations of interest on the mini map/map. I won't argue against that. (but I will subtly imply my superiority for mastering the game without such ;) )
>>11496551>right after failing Espresso 2 Go like 6 times in a rowPro-tip: If you drive around the cities, you can spot all the stands before the time limit starts. The timer only starts after you attack the first stand.
>>11496558>why not just look it up onlineWhen I was on a trip to a mountain not far from my city, I couldn't understand where I was going unless I rotated the map according to the direction of where I was looking. Basically, when I look a map, I imagine a dot, that dot is me, and if I don't go "along with it" in the same direction, I get confused. None of the online interactable Liberty City maps I found support rotation and I "need" it for it to be useful>I think in terms of landmarks. Visuals. Left at the McDonalds, right at the strip mall. That kind of thing.Yeah I try to go off landmarks but I still struggle. The way I navigate is that I keep driving around the outlines of the island, seeking certain points of interest. This way I can't get lost and will get where I need eventually since I'm not taking any detours. For example, on Staunton Island there is Asuka's mansion that you can very easily see on the map thanks to a dock with boats being right next to it. There is a sports car and a health pick-up, and a little further from it an area that looks like a chair on the minimap that has an ammu-nation and a bridge to Shoreside in the opposite direction. Another one is Phil's weapon store with a health pick-up near, located on the outlines as well. Basically it's fine as long as it's coastal but the city itself is a complete maze to my brain, so I don't bother>I will subtly imply my superiority for mastering the game without such ;) )I respect that, good work>>11496583I know but even with that in mind this mission infuriating enough
>>11496640Well fair enough. Like I said; some people's brains work differently. I can navigate pretty well without any map at all. Just how my brain works. Not perfect by any means, but enough to get the job done really. In my job I have to do this pretty commonly actually (I work in surveying). What do you think of GTA3 over all?
>>11496650>What do you think of GTA3 over all?Visually stunning. Dark, foggy, almost gothic look of Liberty City is nothing short of beautiful, reminding me of batman's Gotham and the crow's Detroit. A small but awesome moment is when you're driving at night right towards the moon. And when the rain hits? Man, that feels amazing. Definetely prefer Liberty to SA.Characters are not very fleshed out, mainly because we play as Claude and don't get very personal with anyone. Not a bad thing but the grove street bros are just closer to heart. Ray is my favorite one, I already took him to the airport so I'm guessing I won't see him again, cool dude. Kenji was fun but Claude didn't seem to like him very much, RIP. Asuka is alright, also the fast food guy in Portland who wacked everyone you dropped off at the back entrance gave me a good laugh, the rest I'm not a fan.Music is 10/10, whoever made the playlist know their shit. Rise, MSX, and Lips are my go-tos.Missions are kinda hit or miss imo. Weird but I don't have any that particularly stood out to me.In general, 6.5/7 so far, with the city definetely being the highlight. I don't know how much there is left until the ending but it feels pretty close, considering that all three islands are long unlocked. There's still place for surprises so I guess we'll see
>>11496795Sounds pretty fair to me. Leaps in each game in this trilogy. Since it is on my mind again. A definitive version of GTA 3 would have been this.>Gunplay from SAAs in move while aiming, can move with some of the heavier weapons at reduced speed>motorcycles>helicopters>dodoJust add to the geometry of the city so there is collision, maybe add some hidden weapons or something that can only be found this way>propertiesGive the player one or two option hideouts on each island they can purchase. Also maybe tiny franchises the player can complete for a little passive income or some other reward. Like the bicycle drug delivery job in SA that generates $2000. In addition, re-work mission rewards and the cost of guns/armor/vehicles so that the player does have to think about money at least a little bit>interiorsOpen up a few burger shots, punk noodles, clunk'in bell, if only as options to restore health>modelsUpdate all models to match SA's polygon count>climbingLet you grapple onto fences and low roofs like in SAOtherwise, it's really not huge changes to he game. Just the conveniences of San Andreas and Vice City.
I don't think gta3 needs properties. Traversing the islands and the safehouse locations are never too inconvenient. Their layouts, especially Staunton make getting to missions very easy.
>>11491583Is there slowdown? Coming from the Xbox I was shocked by the slowdown in San Andreas (PS2).
>>11496865I don't know, I think some alternate safe-house on Shoreside Vale you can unlock would be warranted
>>11492442Which season do you tend to replay it in? Looks like a decent Winter title.
>>11496795 (me)>I don't know how much there is left until the ending but it feels pretty closeCompleted it, 6.7 seems about right to me. Any particularly fun cheat codes to try out before I move on?
>>11497305Steam says the last time I played it was 29th December 2021 so yeah guess so lol.
>>11497304You can basically save state it to whatever location you're standing at on the Switch version can't you?
>>11496795>>11498196>>11497305It's set in late fall so whenever I'm on the US North East coast that's when I'll whip out GTA III.In winter, I'll play San Andreas on PC with a snow mod that makes San Andreas snowy and Christmasy as fuck (and the roads slippery as fuck).
>look up racing strategies for GTA III, VC, SA on GameFAQs, etc>most of them just tell you to get the Rhino tank, rotate the turret backwards and fire the cannon repeatedly for propulsion to beat the races
>>11491038>blocks your path
>>11498223I don't know but I don't like save states.
>>11498226Just git good, or get creative. Parking some vehicles in front of the other racers does help.
>>11498225Snow in Los Santos? Wouldn't fire be more fitting?
>>11491038It's my favorite one, though I can see that it almost felt like a tech demo at times. I see why they had the main character be voiced and more active in the plot from Vice City onwards but in many ways I preferred the blank slate mute silent protagonist for this kind of gameplay.
>>11491950The story and characters in GTA 3 almost felt incidental, like they came up with it all as an afterthought and didn't dwell on it too much, it felt like a bunch of bullshit thrown together in the last week of production. The trademark GTA humor that they started doing more and more as the series went on has really never done it for me, they just try too hard to be funny with characters like Trevor.
>>11499823That's even easier. Just enable the peds riot and everything on fire cheats on whatever version
>>11500026Vice City was really the only GTA that had a real plot.
