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''Grand Theft Auto III'' ('''''GTA III''''') is a Computer And Video Game Developed by DMA Design , Published by Rockstar Games in October 2001 (''see 2001 In Video Gaming '') for the PlayStation 2 Video Game Console , May 2002 for Windows -based PCs, and in November 2003 for the Xbox video game console. It is the third in the '' Grand Theft Auto '' series. The game centers on a nameless criminal who was betrayed by his girlfriend in a bank heist, and is required to work his way up the crime ladder of the city, before confronting her and eventually revenging her. Like its predecessors, ''GTA III'' implements Sandbox -like Gameplay , where the player is given the freedom to perform various activities in a large city, such as performing missions, exploring the city, committing criminal acts, or completing odd quests. The game concept and gameplay, coupled with the use of a Three Dimensional Game Engine through the use of RenderWare , contributed to ''Grand Theft Auto III'' SETTING AND PLOT ''Grand Theft Auto III'' takes place in ''; because of this name he is theorized to be " Claude Speed " from '' GTA2 ''). The player character is double-crossed by his partner/girlfriend, Catalina , during a bank robbery and sent to jail. While he is being transferred, an attack on the police convoy sets him free. The player character then takes on work as a local thug and rises in power as he works for multiple rival Crime Gang s, a corrupt police officer and a media mogul. In the process, Maria , the mistress of a local Mafia boss, begins to show a liking to him, and saves him from a Mafia death trap, while remaining close to him throughout the storyline. Eventually, his exploits attract the attention of Catalina, now backed by a strong gang, resulting in the kidnapping of Maria. This gives him the opportunity to face Catalina once more, which results in a large firefight and Catalina's death. Maria was rescued, but was suggestively killed by the player character at the end of the storyline, when Maria, overly excited, would not stop talking to him. Characters See Also: List of characters in Grand Theft Auto III The storyline, while not as integral with the game as its sequels, depicts the character development of several individuals and bosses, through Cut Scene s before the start of each mission, as the player progresses though the game. Most of the characters encountered center around corruption, crime and a fictional Drug called "SPANK", which was a growing menace in the city. With the success of ''Grand Theft Auto III'' and its sequels, several of these characters or their relatives reappear in future ''GTA'' titles with major or minor roles, and their personal background expanded, particularly Leone Mafia don Salvatore Leone , Media Mogul Donald Love , Phil, The One-Armed Bandit , 8-Ball and Catalina . The voice cast for the game's characters features several established celeberties. Notable voice actors include Frank Vincent , Michael Madsen , Michael Rapaport , Joe Pantoliano , Debi Mazar , Kyle MacLachlan , and rapper Guru . GAMEPLAY Introduction The core Gameplay of ''Grand Theft Auto III'' combines elements of a Third-person Shooter and a Driving Game , and allows the player a large, open environment to move around in. On foot, the player's character is capable of walking, running and jumping (but is incapable of swimming), as well as utilizing weaponries and basic Hand To Hand Combat ; he is also capable of driving a variety of vehicles, including several boats and a light aircraft. Multiplayer modes from previous ''GTA'' titles were also dropped, favoring single player gameplay only. (However, '' Multi Theft Auto '', a user-made Mod , enable players to play ''GTA III'' online against each other.) The gameplay mechanics of ''GTA III'' are very much based on that of its predecessors, '' Grand Theft Auto '' and '' Grand Theft Auto 2 '', with a three dimensional graphics facelift. Namely, they shared the following features:
''GTA III'' also retained other features that were common to the previous two titles, but largely removed in subsequent ''GTA'' titles. These include, but may not be limited to:
Most of the ''GTA'' titles that follow ''GTA III'' would feature a largely similar gameplay system as in ''GTA III'', including the Heads-up Display (HUD) design that became standard feature to such games, as well as the game engine that would be used for all console and PC versions. However, most of these titles have improved over ''GTA III'''s core design by providing better and improved features, player controls, weapon systems, visual representations, vehicles, and graphics, as well as larger playing areas. Carjacking and vehicles The principal activity in ''GTA III'' is is much faster and able to corner much better than a heavy truck. However, attempting to car-jack a Mafia vehicle often results in pursuit by the former occupant (who is invariably armed). These risk-reward balances give the game more subtlety than the nature of the in-game actions would suggest. A characteristic in this game that was greatly emphasized in the ''GTA'' series was relations from in-game cars to real cars. A few examples of this are how the "Perennial" Station Wagon resembles an first generation Chevrolet Nova , the "Moonbeam" Minivan resembles a Chevrolet Astro , and the "Banshee" Sports Car resembles a Dodge Viper . Another notable relation is the "Maibatsu Monstrosity" (not present in game, only heard on in-game radio commercials);" this is an obvious parody of the real-life Daihatsu Midget . Law enforcement and result of arrest or injuries The Liberty City Police Department (LCPD) is the city's police agency. Any type of infractions will raise the player's wanted level and thus cause the police to give chase. Minor infractions such as carjacking or fist assaults will cause a one-star wanted level, causing cops to give chase on foot or car. Gunning down pedestrians and destroying cars will further raise the wanted level (the maximum level is six stars) and eventually bring increasingly stronger police enforcement in the form of SWAT teams, FBI agents, and the National Guard . The only methods to rid of wanted levels are to pick up police-bribes or repaint the car the player is driving at one of three local Pay 'N' Sprays in the city. Unfortunately, completing certain missions inevitably causes the player to gain the attention of local police enforcement. Once a player character collapses from their injuries or is arrested, he is respawned at a local hospital or police station, respectively, at the expense of losing all weapons in hand and an amount of money for "medical expenses" or "bribes". This is similar to previous ''GTA'' games, however here the player character is essentially offered unlimited "lives", as opposed to a limited number of lives in ''Grand Theft Auto'' and ''Grand Theft Auto 2''. Thus, this allows the player character to "die" as many times as he pleases. Free roaming gameplay and availability of city areas Like previous ''Grand Theft Auto'' games, ''Grand Theft Auto III'''s gameplay is considerably non-linear. While the game does include a linear set of missions and storylines that involves entering specific Halo -shaped markers to activate missions (shaking down a local business for "protection money", clearing the streets of drug dealers, or assassinating leaders of rival gangs, for example) and completing them in order to advance in the ranks of his current gang, many of these aspects are not mandatory to be performed. Alternately, it is possible to ignore the main missions and play side missions, and the player may choose to explore the city, stealing cars, running over pedestrians, and avoiding (or opposing) the police. If the player acquires a Taxicab , he can pick up designated Non-player Character s as fares and drop them off at different parts of the city for cash payments; obtaining an Ambulance allows the player to pick up injured non-player characters and drive them to the hospital for a cash reward. Fire fighting and vigilante police missions are similarly available. Thanks to the open-ended game design, the player's character has a degree of freedom in his actions that, although heavily inspired by Rockstar North 's (then DMA Design) earlier Nintendo 64 game '' Body Harvest '', was groundbreaking in 2001 and has arguably been only surpassed by the game's sequels. New neighborhoods and districts in Liberty City become open to the player's exploration as missions are completed and the game's story unfolds. However, as new areas open up, access to other, previously accessible areas become more dangerous or less accessible once the player has fulfilled those areas' purposes. Similarly, the player's progress through the story affects his view in the "eyes" of non-playable characters. As the player completes missions for different gangs, rival gang members will come to recognize the character and subsequently shoot on sight. Money system Similar to previous ''Grand Theft Auto'' incarnations, money is partly crucial in ''GTA III'', as it may be used to purchase weapons and body armor, recolor a vehicle in hand to evade police, and allow the player to access a handful of missions. Like earlier ''GTA'' games, successful completion of storyline missions would typically rewards players with large sums of cash, ranging from thousands of dollars for earlier missions to hundred of thousands of dollars for later missions. Side missions also grant the player cash award, although level-based missions (Vigilante, Paramedic and Taxi missions, etc.) actually begin providing small amounts and gradually increase the award money given as the player continues to progresses through these missions, with the addition of Combo bonus cash for completing several successful levels in a row. Other methods of retrieving cash (albeit in smaller amounts) include destroying vehicles, killing pedestrians for scattered money, other minor offenses and vehicle deliveries. Unlike previous ''GTA'' games, the amount of money in the player's possession is no longer a requirement to unlock new levels in the city in ''GTA III''. Instead, key events in the game's storyline are now responsible for this role. Because of the wide array of methods to earn money, the large amounts of monetary awards given in many occasions and the lack of methods to sufficiently spend the collected cash, it became easy in ''GTA III'' to accumulate large amounts of money and never run out of cash if the player continues to perform missions or creating chaos in the streets outside missions . This became a point of criticism from a handful of players as it made the game easier to complete than previous games in the series . The money system was subsequently revised, beginning from the next game in the series, 2002's '''', in which the average amounts of money awarded and several service costs are reduced to one tenth of those of ''GTA III'', more options (some of which are costlier) are given to spend the given money, and several non-mission activities are no longer given cash awards. Weapons The selection of weapons provided in the game consists of Firearm s and Explosive s, with the addition of two forms of Mêlée attacks. The weapons themselves are largely similar to the selection of weapons from other ''Grand Theft Auto'' and ''Grand Theft Auto 2'', such as fist attacks, the Pistol , the Machine Gun (which has been expanded to include one Submachine Gun and two Rifle s in ''Grand Theft Auto III''), the Rocket Launcher and the Flamethrower from ''GTA'', and the Shotgun and thrown weapons from ''GTA2''. The porting of the ''GTA III'' into a three dimensional environment also allowed for the inclusion of the Sniper Rifle and First-person aiming using the M16 and rocket launcher. In addition, it becomes possible in the game to perform Drive-by Shooting using the Uzi submachine gun. Weapons may be purchased from local firearms dealers and businesses, retrieved for free from certain dead gang members, mission-specific characters and law enforcers, or picked up in certain spots in the city. The varied nature of the weapons is prevalent in play; in addition to the severity of damage that each weapon may inflict on an individual or objects, certain weapons, while wielded, may restrict movement when carried or when fired, while other weapons create wider Splash Damage , especially those utilizing fire or explosives, placing the player at risk of injuring themselves while using such weapons. The console versions of the game allowed the player to Auto-aim with the push of a button, holding human targets at gun point using most firearms, with the exception of first person aiming for the spiner rifle, M-16 and rocket launcher, which are controlled by the Analog Stick as the player presses the same autoaim button. Because the PC version allows the player to aim targets with a Mouse , the autoaim system was removed. This control difference is also seen in the console and PC ports of ''Vice City'' and ''San Andreas''. The list of weapons, as sorted by the weapons' in-game slots, is as followed: Environment simulation The game is remarkable in its simulation of a large, active city, with three different neighborhoods populated, which is largely credited by the use of Levels Of Detail (LODs) to display distanced environments, and minimize memory use while doing so. Passing vehicles and pedestrians are not merely cosmetic parts of the environment, but actually play a significant role in gameplay. Cars can be smashed or stolen, and citizens can be beaten up, robbed, run over, or shot, allowing the player to extract money and/or weapons. Law enforcement and members of rival gangs can be attacked and will return fire, while medical worker in Ambulance s arrive to revive certain dead murder victims and fire fighters in Fire Engine s arrive to put out fires. The game is also noted for the emergent behavior of its non-player characters. Pedestrians sometimes get into fights, and car accidents between non-player vehicles may occur on their own; there are even other carjackers in the city. The city also undergoes a 24-hour time cycle, which allows for both day and night time periods, as well as cycling weather, including overcasts, rain and heavy fog. RADIO STATIONS See Also: Grand Theft Auto III soundtrack One of the game's subtler inclusions was a variety of radio stations (part of the official Soundtrack ). Much of the music was specially written for the game (as well as many songs originating from the first two ''GTA''s), however the Xbox and PC ports allowed the player to use their own MP3 s, and later games included actual, licenced music. One of the stations was a full-length talk show, and many of the callers were actually characters from the story missions, often demonstrating the same views and eccentricities that had become apparent to the player during the missions. Each station featured various commercials at intervals. These ads often referred to their advertisers' official websites, such as Petsovernight.com . All of these sites actually existed; they were set up to tie in with the game. However, although looking very much like genuine online stores, all links to purchase or order the products actually led to Rockstargames.com . The radio ads also gave out their official phone numbers which were also (apparently) registered by Rockstar; however in this case curious gamers only found an answer phone at the other end. The list of ''Grand Theft Auto III'' radio stations is as followed: PORTS AND REMAKES and Ireland release (here for the PC version), sporting a significantly different box art.]] The ''. This was due to technical issues; the Game Engine rendered everything within the Draw Distance , even things hidden behind buildings or trees, whereas ''Vice City'' only rendered what could actually be seen . The PC version does, however, support higher Screen Resolutions and a custom option for MP3 s playback in cars. The '' containing both ''GTA III'' and ''Vice City'' was released for PS2 and Xbox in December 2003. The Xbox version of the ''Double Pack'' has improved audio, Polygon Model s, and reflections over the PC and PS2 versions of the game. The ''Double Pack'' was not released for PC. In addition, a Nintendo GameCube port of ''GTA III'' was planned to be released alongside the Xbox version {Link without Title} , but was cancelled for unknown reasons. Two handheld titles based on ''GTA III'' have also been released. '''' (2005) was released for the PlayStation Portable , which is also set in the same location as ''GTA III'', but takes place in 1998, three years before the events in ''GTA III''. MARKET PERFORMANCE AND CRITICAL ACCLAIM Upon its release, ''Grand Theft Auto III'' ''. This was a remarkable achievement in an industry where most games experience strong drops in sales despite price drops, as gamers have a strong tendency to purchase only the "next new thing". ''GTA III'' continued to enjoy strong sales as part of the Xbox ''Double Pack'', even though it was two years old when the ''Double Pack'' hit shelves in December 2003. The ''Double Pack'' ''GTA III'' was the first game in the series to feature a deep storyline with high quality voice acting and navigable '' (2003), and '' The Simpsons Hit & Run '' (2003). The game was touted as revolutionary by several game review websites and publications, and received such rewards as Game of the Year from GameSpot , GameSpy , and Cheat Code Central, and Best Action Game of 2001 by IGN , receiving an average of about 95% from the review websites and publications. [http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/466217.asp?q=Grand%20Theft%20Auto CRITICISM Aside from its violence (''see Controversy ''), there was criticism, often for the "lack of criticism" that surrounded the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series after the launch of ''Grand Theft Auto III''. In other words, ''GTA III'' and especially subsequent ''GTA'' games following the ''GTA III'' formula were so sure to be critically acclaimed blockbusters that they were not seriously scrutinized (most flaws were downplayed) during early reviews. Alternatively, many reviewers were biased in favour of the ''GTA'' series. While ''GTA III'''s sequels undoubtedly improved on many aspects of gameplay, many technical glitches were also carried over. One example were the "ugliness" and simplicity of ''GTA III'' characters and objects which became especially noticeable if the main character was walking around instead of driving. Such graphics are similar on the level of '' Half-Life '' (1998) and subpar to '' Quake III '' (1999), but this was rarely criticized and ''GTA III'' and its sequels routinely received higher graphics scores than other smaller-scaled yet better-looking games. There were also serious recurring problems such as clipping (when characters and objects get "half-stuck" in walls and the ground), and another bug which caused vehicles to often disappear without warning. The response to the dynamic living city environment was mixed; there were few cars or pedestrians on screen, short view distances and "disappearing" cars, and very short-term street damage. ''. Part of ''GTA III'''s technical problems was due to the need to accommodate the relatively underpowered PlayStation 2 (compared to the Xbox , PC and even Dreamcast in certain respects) . Also, it was widely believed that ''GTA III'' lacked the vast development resources of its sequels, since it was considered a risky gamble at the time . CONTROVERSY ''GTA III'' is ic attitudes toward others. Several minors arrested for car theft in the United States claimed their motivation was derived from playing the game . It was because of ''GTA III'' that the Wal-Mart chain of retail stores announced that, for games rated "M" by the ESRB , its stores would begin checking the identification of purchasers who appeared to be under 17 . After its initial release in (OFLC), the body that, among other things, rates videogames according to their content in Australia. Lacking a suitable R18+ rating (the highest rating being MA15+), the game was "Refused Classification" and banned for sale because it was felt that the game was unsuitable for an audience older than 15, but younger than 18. Australia still does not have an R rating for videogames like it does for movies. Interestingly, while the sequel '''' was not, despite featuring more "mature" content (although, later, ''San Andreas'' was once given a Refused Classification rating amid the " Hot Coffee " controversy), leading many to conclude that the only reason the game was banned in the first place was that the OFLC was angry at Rockstar for not submitting the game for review . Among other things, the censored version removed the ability to pick up prostitutes; however it was later found that standard gore (where limbs may actually be shot or blown off a non-player characters) was still available if unlocked by entering what in other countries' versions was a "nasty limbs" Cheat Code , and the uncensored version was also playable by changing the computer's time zone to that of the United States . On on October 29 , 2003 that the "ideas and concepts as well as the 'purported psychological effects' on the Buckners are protected by the First Amendment 's free-speech clause." The lawyer of the victims, Jack Thompson , denied that and is trying to get the lawsuit moved into a state court and actioned under Tennessee 's consumer protection act {Link without Title} . The lawsuit is still pending as of the end of 2004. For similar reasons, a lawsuit has erupted over ''Grand Theft Auto: Vice City''. CUTS AND CHANGES Prior to the 2001 release of the final game, several modifications were made on ''GTA III''. The changes were apparent as several promotional materials had previously displayed features that would be absent in the final version of the game. While cuts and changes are frequent during Game Development , the changes in ''GTA III'' were of interesting discussion as they were made around the time when the September 11, 2001 Attacks occurred; this led some gamers to speculate that at least some of the changes were motivated by the attacks. Although little was disclosed about the types of changes to be made and when they were conducted, Sam Houser , the president of Rockstar Games (based in Manhattan , New York City), was quoted September 19, 2001 in mentioning a review would to be undergone for ''GTA III'', in addition to confirming the delay of the game's release by three weeks (the original, rough release date was suggested to be October 2 [http://www.gouranga.com/september01.htm#h419 ): (top), among several gaming websites, and the official ''GTA III'' website ('''bottom'''). GameSpot's version depicts police cars resembling those of NYPD pre-2000, while the official, modified version resemble those of the LAPD .]] The most evident sign was the change of the Police Car s' paint scheme; the new color scheme of the LCPD which is modeled after the black and white like the LAPD , while the old color scheme of blue with white stripes (seen in previews and the manual map) resembles that of the NYPD . Pre-release screenshots in the game's official website depicting police cars had also undergone modifications, around a week after the attacks {Link without Title} . The NYPD-like paint scheme would eventually be reintroduced in ''Liberty City Stories'', but uses black instead of NYPD's blue color. Another notable change is the removal of Darkel an in-game character, for the final version of the game. Mentioned in several early video game publications and websites, Darkel was to be a revolutionary urchin who vowed to bring down the city's economy. One mission involved stealing an ice cream van, using it to attract pedestrians, then blowing it up (this mission would eventually be given by another character in the game). Darkel was also originally expected to give out Rampage-esque missions and even had his voice recorded for this part [http://www.gouranga.com/nf-info-gta3.htm [http://ps2.ign.com/articles/091/091649p1.html]. Rockstar later decided that they would like to go back to the original system of giving out rampages as featured in ''Grand Theft Auto'' and ''Grand Theft Auto 2''. Although Darkel and his missions were removed indefinitely, the character remains listed in the manual's credits, as well as having a character texture retained in the game's data files. Although often rumored, no airplane missions were altered or changed in the wake of 9/11, as there were no missions to remove. The Dodo airplane, the only aircraft in the game, was also a point of discussion; the wings of the vehicle were significantly shortened and, although possible to fly continuously around Liberty City, the Dodo was considerably difficult to control, and a full winged version could be seen flying around the city. Other changes included stopping the selection of certain character models when using cheat codes in (the generic South Asia n cab driver, for example) and removing the aforementioned ability to blow limbs off non-player characters the PlayStation 2 version of ''GTA III'' (which may be activated using the "nasty limbs" cheat code. Though there are no on-screen confirmation when entered successfully like other cheat codes, the cheat is still activated) . SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS Official sites
Third party resources
Fan sites
Modding sites
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