Welcome to a double cover story on a triple game package. We are giving you six reviews for the price of your time! We covered both the Nintendo Switch version (Nick de Reiger) and the PlayStation 5 version (Lander) of the G.T.A. trilogy and are trying to give you a more contextual review of the games since there’s a lot of hate online. And no, we weren’t sponsored by Rockstar to give an anti-message. Just our two cents on three games from our childhoods.
People that read my reviews know that I love to do a bit of a backstory to the games I write about. I don’t think I need to introduce the series we’re writing about today, but just in case… do a quick rundown of what G.T.A. is all about. Just in case you want to explain it to your kid, grandparents, or that one kid who only could play weird knockoff titles found in the local flea market.
Grand Theft Auto (G.T.A.) is a series of action-adventure games created by David Jones and Mike Dailly. Later titles were developed under the oversight of brothers Dan and Sam Houser, Leslie Benzies, and Aaron Garbut. It is primarily developed by British development house Rockstar North (formerly DMA Design), and published by its parent company, Rockstar Games. The name of the series references the term “grand theft auto”, used in the United States for motor vehicle theft.
Personal History
My history with Grand Theft Auto started with G.T.A. 2, which I borrowed from the local library after playing it at some friend’s house. He gave me a copy of cheat codes, which I could copy on a piece of paper (which was later replaced by the Gamefaqs lists). Back then, I didn’t get what the game was about – I just loaded it up, entered a lot of codes, and had fun causing mayhem. Saving your game was way too expensive, so I always started a new one, did some missions, and went on Elvis hunts (that kind of stuff). Fast forward, and we got both G.T.A. 3, Vice City, and G.T.A. San Andreas; I think these titles, especially Vice City, got me hooked on the G.T.A. series. They were fun, engaging, grand, and got excellent replay value. They showed me a side of the world I hadn’t seen yet, except for movies and series on tv. It felt strange since I had nothing like this in the Netherlands (lucky me). Combine this with an incredible soundtrack, and you know how we spent our hour gaming after school.
I could never get into G.T.A. 4, nor have I played G.T.A. 5 (even though it has been published across almost every platform, most likely since these games don’t tend to run on the hardware I own. I’m a Nintendo guy, always have been and always will be (probably). When my P.C. died, I gave up on playing G.T.A. 4 (and I couldn’t run 5, so yeah); so when the G.T.A. remasters were announced, I was overjoyed. I could play the G.T.A.’s from my childhood again, in remastered style – just like the Super Mario collection from the past. Sure, remakes would have been tremendous as well, but I wouldn’t be able to play those since they wouldn’t be published on a Nintendo console, even though the Switch is capable of running pretty nifty stuff.
The elephant in the Room
Before I dive into the actual games, let’s address the elephant in the room first. Yes, the reviews are mostly negative and winey about bugs, glitches, and old crappy graphics. Are there bugs? Yes. Are there glitches? I haven’t seen that many, only some weird long fingers? Are the graphics something you can expect n 2021? Yes, they are remastered, not remakes. They touched up the games you played way back, so what did you expect. G.T.A. 5 graphics on a G.T.A. 3 game? Hell no, Rockstar did a decent job remastering these titles since I had fun with all three of them (and will be having fun with them after writing this review). So if you still want to read my thoughts, keep reading; otherwise, you’ll have to press the cross on your browser now; thanks.
G.T.A. 3 – Vice – San Andreas – Gameplay – Nintendo Switch
The Grand Theft Auto series has a pretty straightforward gameplay plan, which focuses on an open world where the player can complete missions to progress an overall story and engage in various side activities. Most of the gameplay revolves around driving and shooting, with occasional role-playing and stealth elements. The series also has features of the earlier beat-them-up games from the 16-bit era. The Grand Theft Auto series games are set in fictional locales modeled after real-life cities at various points in time from the early 1960s to the 2010s. The games featured in this collection have a total of three cities, namely Liberty City (based on New York City), San Andreas (based on San Francisco), and Vice City (based on Miami). The series centers on different protagonists who attempt to rise through the ranks of the criminal underworld, although their motives for doing so vary in each title. The antagonists are commonly characters who have betrayed the protagonist or their organization or characters with the most impact impeding their progress.
Liberty City
Based in New York City, Liberty City is one of the three original cities introduced in Grand Theft Auto. The city encompasses two landmasses (a large one in the southeast and a smaller one in the northeast) and a Manhattan-like central island; two smaller islands are featured along the river that separates the three main islands. The setting also incorporates the neighboring state of New Guernsey (a parody of New Jersey), which occupies the northwest portion of the map. All four major islands are divided into multiple districts, inspired by New York and New Jersey’s boroughs. A redesigned version of Liberty City was introduced in Grand Theft Auto III (set in 2001). This iteration is only loosely based on New York and incorporates other U.S. cities, such as Philadelphia, Detroit, Boston, Chicago, and Baltimore. The town encompasses three main islands, which are gradually unlocked as the game’s storyline progresses: Portland (based on the industrial areas of Brooklyn and Queens, with additional elements from Manhattan and Long Island), Staunton Island (based mainly on Manhattan), and Shoreside Vale (loosely based on North Jersey, The Bronx, Staten Island, and Upstate New York). The islands are connected by road bridges and an underground tunnel system.
Claude!
Time to meet small-time criminal Claude, who is betrayed and shot by his girlfriend Catalina (voiced by Cynthia Farrell) during a bank heist outside Liberty City. Claude is arrested but escapes during his transfer to prison when members of the Colombian Cartel ambush his transport to abduct another prisoner. During his escape, Claude befriends explosives expert and fellow convict 8-Ball (Guru). 8-Ball shelters Claude and introduces him to the Leone Mafia family for work.
It’s a decent story and follows a specific story setting. You climb up in the ranks, meet people, unlock new weapons, cars, and options to get more money. The game ran decently on the Nintendo Switch and suffered from a bit of frame drop now and then. Still, I completed one of the most challenging missions of the G.T.A. series, called Turismo, on both the handheld and docked mode of the Nintendo Switch. Yes, it took me a few tries, but I made it work with a Patriot, not even the Banshee. This shows that the Nintendo Switch is a fine console for said port. I think this version needs a bit of polish and elbow grease, but keep in mind that the game was released in 2001! Twenty years ago, and the series took a giant leap from going from top-down action to this. G.T.A. 3 aged pretty well, still has a decent soundtrack and a story that wanted me to go back to playing the Godfather game (part 1).
Vice City
Based on Miami, Vice City is one of the three original cities introduced in Grand Theft Auto. The town encompasses one giant landmass, divided into eight districts which form the city’s core, and a smaller island, Vice Beach, in the northeast. Like its real-life counterpart, Vice City is depicted as a tropical city, easily distinguished from the other two in the game by its beaches and palm trees. A redesigned version of Vice City has introduced in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (set in 1986). The city consists of two main landmasses, Vice City Beach and Vice City Mainland, separated by a large body of water and connected to two smaller islands, Starfish Island and Prawn Island, by road bridges. At the beginning of the game, the player only has access to Vice City Beach, with the rest of the city being gradually unlocked as the story progresses.
Hey Tommy!
In 1986, mobster Tommy Vercetti (voiced by Ray Liotta) was released from prison after serving a fifteen-year sentence for murder. His boss Sonny Forelli (Tom Sizemore), seeking to establish drug operations in the south, sends Tommy to Vice City to oversee a vital drug deal alongside crooked lawyer Ken Rosenberg (William Fichtner). However, the deal is ambushed by unknown assailants, with Tommy and Ken barely escaping it. Angered upon hearing the news, Sonny orders Tommy to recover the drugs, alongside the money he gave to him, under threat of consequences. Seeking information, Ken points Tommy towards Colonel Juan Garcia Cortez (Robert Davi), who helped set up the exchange. Expressing regret for the ambush, Cortez promises to find out who masterminded it.
Vice has a special place in my heart. It feels like one big fever dream of Miami Vice x Magnum P.I. I love the setting, I love the story, and it felt good to step back into Vice. It runs pretty smooth on the Nintendo Switch and offers the player a decent, reworked control scheme that makes the helicopter mission a bit easier to control. Sure, it didn’t provide me the cheat codes I used to snipe the golfcart guy, which led to taking a lot more time to complete a specific mission, but it still has its charms. The same goes for this version. It needs a bit of work, a little bit of elbow grease to polish up some rushed parts, and you have a decent port. Grand Theft Auto Vice City is one for nostalgia and shows Rockstar’s growth coming from G.T.A. 3.
San Andreas
San Andreas, based on the city of San Francisco, is one of the three original cities introduced in Grand Theft Auto. The locale encompasses two landmasses: a large northern portion, divided into fifteen districts and generally considered the city’s core, and a smaller island in the southeast, consisting of only one district, which acts as the city’s docks area. The northern landmass is further divided by Aye Valley, which cuts through the heart of the area from the east to the west. A reimagined version of San Andreas was featured in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (set in 1992) as a state rather than a city. Based on California and Nevada, the state encompasses two landmasses, separated by a river and surrounded by a large body of water. The southern portion of the map features the cities of Los Santos (based on Los Angeles) and San Fierro (San Francisco), separated by vast forest and mountain areas. By contrast, the northern portion is one giant desert region and incorporates only one city, Las Venturas (Las Vegas).
Follow the damn train, CJ!
In 1992, following his mother’s murder in a drive-by shooting, C.J. returned to Los Santos to attend her funeral. Upon arrival, he is intercepted by C.R.A.S.H., who threatens to frame him for the recent murder of a police officer (actually killed by them for trying to expose their corruption) unless he cooperates with them. After leaving them, C.J. reunites with Sweet, Kendl, Big Smoke, and Ryder at the funeral and learns that the Grove Street Families have lost most of their influence and territories to their main rivals, the Ballas. Nevertheless, C.J. agrees to stay in Los Santos until the gang’s problems are resolved and work closely with his brother and friends to restore the Families’ strength.
Many reviewers consider Grand Theft Auto San Andreas to be one of the greatest video games ever made; San Andreas received critical acclaim upon release, with praise directed at its music, story, and gameplay, and criticism for its music, story, and gameplay graphics and some aspects of its controls. It was the best-selling video game of 2004, and with over 27.5 million copies sold worldwide as of 2011, it is the best-selling PlayStation 2 game and one of the best-selling video games of all time. And it is still one of the greatest Grand Theft Auto games out there. It’s packed with many things to do, from gang wars to Burglary, street racing, mini-games, gambling, modding your car, etc. The story is heartfelt and hits all the right places. However, it’s also the version in which I encountered the most annoyances. Long strained fingers, cars were popping up out of nowhere (which is pretty frustrating when doing the OG Loc mission). Can these problems be patched out, including the missing songs and the hot coffee code that’s still there? Of course, they can. So do we have a decent port of one of the most important ports of the G.T.A. franchise? Hell yeah, we do!
Conclusion (Nintendo Switch)
I play games because I want to have fun with them. I had fun with the G.T.A. trilogy, even though some aspects of the game need work. It isn’t the unplayable monstrosity people are making it out to be. Even the Switch port is a decent one and runs great on both handheld and docked mode. Yes, it takes getting used to the aiming system and other aspects of the game, but overall, I’m happy I can play these games on the go. Like I mentioned before, these are remastered versions of the old games. Are they rushed for the holiday season? Probably, but they can patch these things out. I loved my time with the games and want to share my love for the series with the rest of the world. However, due to the weird bugs and glitches, I won’t be giving the game the initial score I wanted. Combined with the pretty steep pricepoint for 20-year-old games (just like with Mario), it feels like Rockstar could have done a bit more work. When they patch them out and lower the price to 30-40 bucks, I’m sure there will be much more fans of the game. So for those on the fence about buying the Nintendo Switch version, it’s okay – just lower the expectations you have of G.T.A. because this isn’t G.T.A. 5. It’s G.T.A. 3, Vice, and San Andreas, games from your childhood, okay? Wake up; it’s time to get to work!
7/10
Tested on the Nintendo Switch
The PlayStation 5 version
Before diving into the PlayStation 5 version, let me start by saying I agree with Nick on this one. He already explained the main content of this Definitive Edition and what’s included in the three main games, so I won’t repeat that. Instead, let’s focus on the PlayStation 5 version itself. First thing first, I grew up with Grand Theft Auto 2 and remember how impressed I was the moment I started playing the third installment. Going from 2D mayhem to 3D mayhem was mindblowing back then and even today, Grand Theft Auto 3 still offers an interesting blueprint for modern games in its genre. Due to my love for the franchise, I tried to replay the original trilogy in the past on my old consoles but never was able to have fun. To be fair, Grand Theft Auto 3, Vice City, and San Andreas are rather unplayable in their original form so I’m extremely thrilled Rockstar found a way to make them playable again after all those years.
With this being my main focus while replaying the trilogy, I must say I’m pretty okay with how this version is ported. It’s important to know that this is a remaster and not a remake. The games aren’t recreated from the ground up using all modern technologies. Instead, it’s a console port of a mobile remastered version of the original trilogy. The developers added better renders, better shading, and overall better visuals to make the old games come back to life to modern-day standards, including modern aspect/ratio and so on. This means that the games certainly look better than before but aren’t on par with the other games, a difference that’s clearly noticeable while playing on the powerful PlayStation 5 console. Compared to my other PlayStation 5 games, this game simply doesn’t look good but that’s also not really the point. The point of the Definitive Edition is offering a playable version of the original trilogy so more gamers get the chance to understand the roots of the franchise. At its core, this Definitive Edition certainly is successful. By adding modern mechanics taken from Grand Theft Auto V and by improving the visuals, the team really managed to bring back the original trilogy to life. Is it perfect? Far from it.
I’m pretty sure you’ve read other reviews before and yes, the framerate isn’t always as optimal as it should be, and yes I often suffered from needless pop-ins or disappearing buildings and while this did take me out of the immersion, it was nothing really game-breaking. In all honesty, I had a lot of fun, and I’m still having a lot of fun with this trilogy. The only major downside to the deal is its price. As Nick already stated, the price is perhaps a bit too steep to really motivate gamers from buying it without feeling ripped-off. Due to the many bugs still presented and the fact that it’s a remaster and not a remake, this trilogy would have been perfect for half its price. Since it’s a bit overpriced and needs some patches to work to perfection, I agree with Nick’s score completely.
