My GTA 3 Full Review

Hi, I\'ve owned the game for a week now so i\'d thought i\'d do the review, like usual. Posted it here rather than the GTA 3 boards because thats what I always do with reviews its a more general thing than a game specific post in a board asking for help on a level or something.

The Review

In GTA 3 you play this thug who goes around commiting crimes for money. You can get work from different sources like phone booths and people. Most people will be familier with this concept if they have played any of the previous titles.

In short GTA 3 is no different. The missions may have been spiced up a bit but the underlying fact is that its the same game that we seen back in the 90s on the PC and Playstation, well prehaps...

Ok so its not entierly the same. The whole world this time around is in 3d. This is one of the most major factors to me liking this game. As well as putting the GTA series into 3d, DMA have also made the game one of the most involving and relastic games ever.

Prehaps being shot and only loosing a bit of health isn\'t relastic. Prehaps cars appearing in the same place also isn\'t relasitc. However once you accept these little facts you could almost class GTA 3 as a crime sim. You can go anywhere you like in the city. Ride subways, trains etc. Steal cars and do in car shootings. Beat up anyone you like. Become a taxi driver, a ambulence driver etc. Except work from different people. Cause gang rivalries etc. Prehaps the most involving things are the little things however. When someone dies people crowd around. You see gangs fighting each other, not just you. All these little things make this game seem very special.

You get the usual array of weapons at your disposal with some extra ones like the sniper riffle, which works very well. You can purchase weapons from the ammo store.

One major downfall for GTA 3 is the graphics. The graphics themselves are average at best but worst is the slowdown. Simply put this game is slow. Ok some people claim they haven\'t noticed but they must be blind not to notice. Although it could be worse in the PAL version. The game chugs along once you are in a car. Worse in the bigger areas of town. I myself have been able to see past this slowdown where I wasn\'t able to do this with SSX. This is probably because this game is much more involving. The slowdown is still there and it is a factor which will give this game a lower rating than I was expecting to give it.

The music is great. You can choose radio stations all of which have funny Djs. My personnal favorite is chatterbox where people call into the show with stupid comments. I just wish chatterbox was longer. I heard the whole show in about 3 goes at the game.

Forgetting about the slowdown though GTA 3 is one nice acheivement. I love games which make the player feel involved and GTA 3 is definatly up there with the best of them.

Like I said earlier though. If you never liked the GTA series don\'t bother getting GTA 3. It may be more involving and be in 3d but essentially its the same game as before.

GTA 3 - 8.5 / 10

I don\'t personally agree with the part of you saying if you don\'t like the past GTA games then don\'t get this one.


I thought the past GTA games were boring but GTA3 is not like past GTA games except for the obvous part of jacking cars. Theres so much more to do and what not. GTA3 is extremely different from its predecessors but on a good level.

And on top of it all the game is fun. In the end over gameplay/graphics weather the gamer enjoys the game is what counts.

I reccomend this game to anyone who wants to play something addictive and orignal.

And about the slowdown ( I ment to write this down in your last thread but never got around to it ) I don\'t see it. I\'m not sticking up for the game and i\'m not blind but it doesn\'t slowdown for me.

Not once, even when i\'m in the tank and got a lvl 6 wanted and theres some of the most action in the game on screen it hasn\'t slowed down for me yet.

In short GTA 3 is no different. The missions may have been spiced up a bit but the underlying fact is that its the same game that we seen back in the 90s on the PC and Playstation, well prehaps...

Ok so its not entierly the same. The whole world this time around is in 3d. This is one of the most major factors to me liking this game. As well as putting the GTA series into 3d, DMA have also made the game one of the most involving and relastic games ever.

I have a problem with this.  First, you say that this game and previous GTA\'s have the same underlying tone, yet you go off and say that because the world is living and breathing in 3D, the game is very different.  Well, make up your mind.  Is it the same game or is it different?  DId you like previous GTA\'s?  If its so similar, is that a good thing or a bad thing?   Even though it\'s not similar, is that a good thing or a bad thing?  Be more clear on this point, the contradicition is frustratingly annoying.

One major downfall for GTA 3 is the graphics. The graphics themselves are average at best but worst is the slowdown. Simply put this game is slow. Ok some people claim they haven\'t noticed but they must be blind not to notice. Although it could be worse in the PAL version. The game chugs along once you are in a car. Worse in the bigger areas of town. I myself have been able to see past this slowdown where I wasn\'t able to do this with SSX. This is probably because this game is much more involving. The slowdown is still there and it is a factor which will give this game a lower rating than I was expecting to give it.

Bad graphics make for a bad game?  Why did the SSX comparison fall into place?  What does GTA have to do with SSX?  Secondly, \'blind to not notice,\' Yes you say it could be because of the PAL version... You offer a remark that slanders your audience if they don\'t see any slowdown and then offer a viable explanation as to why they don\'t see it?  It\'s like giving a factual statement that is somehow opinionated, it just should never be done, it\'s either fact or opinion.  If you have slowdown for your game, then try the NTSC version and see if there is any slowdown in that game.  I\'m running the NTSC version and I do see a bit of slowdown depending on the action, but never is it unbearable.  I can still play the game as if there wasn\'t any slowdown, it doesn\'t affect the gameplay.

Forgetting about the slowdown though GTA 3 is one nice acheivement. I love games which make the player feel involved and GTA 3 is definatly up there with the best of them.

Like I said earlier though. If you never liked the GTA series don\'t bother getting GTA 3. It may be more involving and be in 3d but essentially its the same game as before.

This is just plain wrong.  I personally hated both GTA1 and GTA2, but I love GTA3.  Perhaps it\'s the way the game is done and the fact that it exists in a living and breathing world that makes it so great, but to say you must be a fan of the GTA series in order to like this game is wrong.  I actually was not going to pick this one up because I hated the previous GTA games, but if I had not picked this one up, I would have been missing out on a lot of fun.

Your review is good, there\'s just a few glaring faults that need some work.  Good read though regardless.  Almost felt like a short quaint magazine review.

In my defense I wans\'t writing for an award or anything - yes I wanted it to be good but I simply rushed the review and did it in about 10 minutes. Not my style but I was in a hurry.

Not liking GTA 1 or 2 but then liking GTA 3... fair enough thats an opinion. My advice is if you don\'t like either GTA 1 or GTA 2 then don\'t get GTA 3. I didn\'t want to have to write "my opinion is..." at the start of each sentance. The whole review is my opinon and therefore is neither wrong or right, its simply my take on things.

Is the game different? I don\'t see why you don\'t like what I said. What I said doesn\'t contradict itself. The games principles are the same. Shoot, kill, do jobs, get money etc. However I was commenting on how this same prinicple in diguise (with the 3d world etc) feels like a load of new gaming ideas. It doens\'t feel like you have been there and done that even though with the previous titles you did pretty much the same thing.

"Your review is good..." Thank you. Yes more time and I would have done a better one. Want an idea of my reviewing technique then search the boards for my review of Red Faction. I have done about 5 or 6 reviews in my time. I enjoy yours too.

Great Review!!  

Thanks man !

http://www.psera.com/bin/showreviews.cgi?id=8


This is my review. Have fun.

Reviewing GTA3 now is like reviewing a Television set.........almost everyone has one and those who don\'t probably aren\'t interested.  

Seriously though I don\'t agree much with the review because I disliked both GTA1 and GTA2 yet I love GTA3.  Also I hate when reviewers take points away for graphics unless the bad graphics actually affect gameplay.  I have yet to see this game "chug" along and I\'ve never once felt the graphics were a burden to the overall great experience of this game.  I\'m just not much of a graphics whore.

It\'s odd to see a reviewer talk about how different a sequel is from it\'s predecessors, then say I shouldn\'t buy the game if I didn\'t like the predecessors.  Reviews should provide info and insight on the game, not tell me what I will and won\'t like.

Yeah well I presume everyone knew what the game was about already.