Publisher: Rockstar | Developer: Rockstar
Grand Theft Auto III
Grand Theft Auto III is easily one of the greatest games of all time. It was quietly released in 2001 for the PlayStation 2 and after widespread critical acclaim and positive word of mouth, quickly became a cultural phenomenon that forever changed the world of video games. It may seem crude now, but when it was released, GTAIII offered an unprecedented level of freedom and detail, giving rise to terms like "sandbox" and "open world" to describe the entire genre of games that this one inspired. Yes, GTAIII was also violent and controversial, but it isn't the defining game of the PlayStation 2 era because of its success. Rather, it epitomizes its generation because it's an undeniably fun, well-designed, immersive, and hilarious game that broke new ground for future games to follow.
;)
In what might be the most significant leap forward for any video game franchise, GTAIII took the series from a somewhat obscure top-down game of cops and robbers to a fully realized action adventure set in an expansive 3D world. Playing GTAIII for the first time, it's easy to feel intimidated by the sheer scope of the game. You play as a nameless hero who happened to catch a lucky break and avoid going to prison. After a short intro, you're thrust into the streets of Liberty City, where you can do just about anything you want.
You can steal a car and simply cruise through town to check out the sights. Or, you can hop in an ambulance and try your hand at being a paramedic. If that doesn't suit your fancy, you can get behind the wheel of a police car and hunt down criminals to deliver your own brand of vigilante justice. And of course, you can always visit any of the dozens of intriguing story characters to take on special missions and earn some serious loot.
;)
The size of the game's world and the freedom it gave you to explore are the most immediate and striking aspects of GTAIII, but it's more than just a huge maze of streets for you to run around in. Liberty City was so well designed and detailed that it felt remarkably lifelike. Pedestrians strolled down the street muttering to one another; newspapers blew in the wind; gangsters patrolled and protected their territories; hookers propositioned johns on street corners; and through it all, the sun continued to rise and set on the comfortable chaos of life in the big city.
Subsequent GTA games would expand the scope of the playable world to encompass multiple cities and miles of virtual space between, but Liberty City from GTAIII felt just right. It was by no means small; the game had three huge districts and hundreds of miles of roads to explore. The different districts were perfectly distinct--for instance, the hilly suburbs of Shoreside Vale offered a completely different experience from the seedy red-light district on Portland Island.
In addition to the superbly crafted world and top-notch gameplay, Grand Theft Auto III had a fantastic sense of humor. Everything from the dialogue and characters to the radio stations and billboards was infused with a satirical wit that was funny without feeling overplayed--a remarkable feat for a game that easily lasted 100 hours or more. Whether you were laughing out loud at the ridiculous Smokey and the Bandit-like antics of angry police officers or chuckling at the goofy Lazlow as he rambled on about nothing in particular on his talk radio show, there was always humor to be found among the mayhem in Grand Theft Auto III.
;)
Of course, GTAIII generated plenty of controversy when it was first released. After all, a game that lets you pick up a hooker, have sex with her, and then rob and murder her is going to raise a few eyebrows. What you have to understand about the game is that it's not the senseless violence and mature themes that made it fun--violent games have existed for years. What made Grand Theft Auto III fun was the way it was so cleverly designed to keep you entertained despite a relative lack of structure. Essentially, GTAIII gave you the freedom to entertain yourself, which in this case proved much more effective than holding your hand and dragging you through a rigidly organized series of challenges. Grand Theft Auto III defied all expectations of what a video game must be and delivered a gameplay experience unlike any other. And for that, it's without a doubt one of the greatest games of all time.
What are your thoughts on this induction to GameSpot's Greatest Games of All Time? Leave us a comment and let us know!
656 Comments
I still remember when I first played this game. There was no way to describe how great it was, But I thought better games would come along over the years. And here we are 7 years later and this is still one of the greatest games of all time.
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All hail to the greatness.
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Yes, you're right.
Gta is the best game all the time,Thanks Gamespot.
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I play videogames since I was a young kid and the first time I touched this game I was about 7/8 years old and din't have a PS2 yet. However, the revolutionary gameplay, the liberty that the game gave me, continued in my mind for years, until I could buy this console (many years later) and the game and finally play the one game that made me dream about it.
It's a classic, if you don't believe it, just play it and think how can such a game could be done in that time.
Long life for R* and the GTA series!
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I never played anything like this when it came out, and I was completely amazed. Paved the way for the excellent sequels. A must play for anyone but for adults only.
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Grand Theft Auto III deserved this induction. It was an instant classic and created a whole new game experience. Even if San Andreas is better, which one was first? Which one revived the GTA series and kept it going to get to San Andreas?
Have respect for this classic.
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I have recently bought the GTAIII & Vice City double pack.
I am really impressed by GTAIII, many parts of the game I had credited to later GTAs but turns out they were in the original!
I didn't complete the game the first time round so I'm working on it
I loved the style of San Andreas, having some allies is what GTA needed, but GTAIII just seems more gritty and although it's old it has been on the top of my pile since I bought it.
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San Andreas is better than this. But, from the different perspective, GTA III is revolutionary.
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Chaosctf2k, how can you think your opinion matters if you speak it incorrectly? You spelled "appalled" completely wrong. Obviously, your brain does not function very well, and you can't see depth in games, or proper spelling. You should really consider playing Barbie and The Twelve Princesses, because that has no prostitutes, and making your character become as "glam" as possible seems a worthy quest for the young, adventurous minds such as yourself.
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I have to play this again D:
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it is and when it comes on ps3 . it will be soooo good
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The reason I bought my PS2. I ate ramen for about 2 months after buying this things. At the time it broke my bank account.
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No game will ever be as big or popular as any of the modern gta games just which one do you pick?
GTA III
GTA Vice City
GTA San Andreas
its hard to say i love them all but it has to be GTA III just bcoz it was a revolution for all games that we play today !!
BRING ON GTA IIII
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i still play this game and love every minute of it....
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I still remember when I first played this game!
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Ithink that san andreas is better
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THIS GAME STARTED IT ALL & MANY YEARS LATER THE ARE 100'S
OF GAME THAT NOW FOLLOW WHAT GTA BROUGHT INTO OUR HOMES
DEFI_ THE BEST EVER MADE GAME IN THE WORLD TO DATE...
INTENCLY GROUND BREAKING FOR ITS DAY
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Out of all the games I still think GTA III is the best of the series.
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this game is legendary but san andreas is where its at.
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yea...GTA 3 is a classic...and i am proud they picked this game as the greatest..
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"where are the other greatest games of all time?"
Features->Greatest Games
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I played this game and loved it. GTA SA was just a bit too much, I actually got bored of it because of this after the first week or two and never played it again. GTA III gets my vote - it was just right.
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where are the other greatest games of all time?
Thanks,
mscrisostomojr2003
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Hard decision: San Andreas or 3
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yep set a new bench mark for the rest of the world with its freedom within a game do as you wish & open the gate for the series gta to a much greater lvl
there would be no san andreas if it was not for this game so anyone who says sa is the best think about it SERIOUS.........
the time of the game the ability & pathed a new era in gaming history
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This game totally deserves this induction - it changed the way games were made forever. WIthout it we wouldn't have GTA SA or the fantastic looking GTA IV. Rockstar deserve all the recognition they get for making superb games.
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It's Max Payne's alter ego..
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it deserves it
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Damn! PS2 news is slow. This article has been on the bulletin since June and we are now in July.
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in gta sa the guy in gta 3 is cluade speed, and this was a 4.5 game in like what 2001 it came out. i jus regret selling it
but still this was one of many franchise games built
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Well, GTAIII was a very good game. I wasn't GTA I&II fan, but I bought 3rd reincarnation of GTA after I saw some issue on TV about violence and there was some fragments from GTAIII gameplay (headshot by sniper rifle). No good, no good... but, when all exams were over I got this game and bought a new video card for my PC too. Vice City was good too: 80s music, bikes, helicopters, boats... Amazing game, but it is a very long game and it p*ssed me off very much in the end... GTA:SA... I didn't play it very much, finished only 7 or 8 missions and understood that there can't be too much GTA... So, GTAIII is my "great love" still and I'm not optimistic about GTA4. Maybe I'm just tired of GTA
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i agree with phantom5813
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That article summed GTAIII up perfectly
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I haven't gotten my hand on it yet. I was turned off by the violence. Modern crime isn't as interesting to me as bashing someone's face in with a sword. I'm not quite sure why...
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Luv IT!!!!!!
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it wasen't that great of a game but i like it 8/10
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nice this was the 1st game i played on ps2 it still holds up till today
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It´s the best game ever made, it just Fantastic !
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Good game but not great
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This game is so remarkable. The others (Vice City, San Andreas) may be better in terms of weapons,cars,etc. but gameplay wise this game owns all of them. i am actually surprised that it took this long to be realised as one of the grestest. I realised this once I opened the box. All 3d free-roaming game are built on this engine and needed this game to be successful even though alot of them were not. Anyone who does not like this game is a fool who does not appreciate sheer brilliance in gaming and should be avoided and ignored at all costs.
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One damn fine game, I still play it to this day.
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definitely one of the best and most influential games of all time. it doesn't spring to mind as one of my all-time favourites as quickly as Ocarina of Time, Perfect Dark, and Half-Life 2 do, but the more i think about it, the more i remember the unprecedented amounts of fun i had playing this game when it was released.
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At the time I had never played anything like it. It totally took me to another world. Indeed I was intimidated by the size of it, the ability to go all over the place and just do stuff. I reinstalled it every time I got bored playing the usual games.
No doubt about it... you don't get to see a game come and revolutionize things very often and for that, this is one of the best games of all time... now which car should I drive?
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This is a great game, because it pushed the limit of what we thought games were. This brought a gaming experience that we had never played until we played GTA3. It was a do anything go anywhere game that was never done before. Gaming toook a huge step forward with this game, ignore the whole controversy this game started,because this game pushed the industry forward. Games had become more than a standard beat um up game
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Best game of all time...
.ı loved its mood and script....
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It Certainly Is The Undisputed LORD OF ALL GAMES.
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nice thsi was a good choice
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This game impacted video games the way that the Beatles or Led Zeppelin impacted music. When it was released it was far beyond anything that had ever come before it, and it has influenced so many great games that I play today. Although my favorite GTA to-date is Vice City, this game started everything and made it possible. Great induction. Only a complete nitwit would dispute that.
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