The three legendary Grand Theft Auto games for the PS2 (which were later released on PC and Xbox) recently were re-released on modern consoles with a slew of changes and upgrades. Some fans are upset with the changes they made and the technical issues many are experiencing. It is unfortunate this re-release has not lived up to expectations because there are probably many younger gamers who are jumping into these classics for the first time.
Anybody who has only played Grand Theft Auto 5 should know a few things about these older games and how they were upgraded before jumping in. Even though there are a lot of problems with these new releases, people are still bound to have a lot of fun in them.
8 They Are Way Harder Than The New Grand Theft Auto Games
With Grand Theft Auto 4 and 5, Rockstar Games streamlined the open-world experience with checkpoints, smoother controls, and easier missions. As such, going back to the older games is going to be a big challenge. Grand Theft Auto 3 in particular has some ridiculously hard missions.
Sometimes it is by design, but more often it is because of the controls. Firefights in these games are especially difficult. It is also a test of patience because failure means having to restart the mission. At least in this re-release players can restart a mission immediately after failure.
7 The Control Differences Between The Older Versions
It is important to understand the differences between the re-release and the original editions of GTA 3, Vice City, and San Andreas. Most notably, the control scheme is way different and mirrors the way GTA 5 plays.
In the older games, the face buttons were used to drive and shoot instead of the shoulder buttons. Additionally, the weapon and radio wheels were non-existent. Aiming in 3 and Vice City was also exclusively done through auto-aiming, and now players can aim freely with any weapon.
6 How It Looks Different
Whether the remasters look good or bad is up to personal preference. However, if this is someone's first encounter with the older Grand Theft Auto games, they should understand how the original games looked like on the PS2. The lighting was not so advanced and the textures were not in HD.
It is recommended to take a look at videos of the trilogy running on older hardware to understand how people would have played it in 2001, 2002, and 2004. The frame rate was certainly way below 60 frames per second. A more controversial change is the fog in San Andreas. This was seen as a stylistic choice and removing it severely changes the game's aesthetic.
5 The Stories Get More Involved As The Games Go On
Rockstar Games is known for crafting excellent stories. However, it was not always like this. Playing the games in order of release shows how the stories become more complicated and interesting through each entry.
Grand Theft Auto 3 is a simple tale and the protagonist has no personality. Vice City has a more involved, if cliched, tale about organized crime in the 1980s and has Tommy Vercetti as an iconic protagonist. San Andreas' story takes numerous twists and turns with a huge cast of characters.
4 There Is No Multiplayer Of Any Kind
Grand Theft Auto started off as a purely single-player affair, but Grand Theft Auto 5 has an incredibly popular online multiplayer mode. Don't go into this remastered trilogy expecting anything of the sort, however.
San Andreas had a local multiplayer mode, but this has been taken out entirely. It feels strange to take out a feature. All the same, this collection will still take up well over 50 hours of playtime to go through.
3 San Andreas Is The Whole State, Not Just Los Santos
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas covers the entire state of San Andreas. This is in large contrast to GTA 5, which only covers the city of Los Santos and the surrounding rural areas. It is an interesting choice to cover a smaller area in GTA 5, but make it more detailed and iconic.
Even though San Andreas is supposed to be the whole state, it is small in comparison to GTA 5. Comparing the two Los Santoses, they look a lot different but some landmarks remain.
2 No Characters From Grand Theft Auto 5 Show Up, Except For Radio Personalities
Rockstar seems to have a pretty hard and fast rule about characters showing up in different games. Nobody from the PS2 trilogy of games shows up in Grand Theft Auto 4 and 5.
There is an exception, however. Radio personalities have made the crossover between generations. Most notably, Lazlow Jones and Fernando Martinez have shown up in almost every 3D Grand Theft Auto.
1 All Of These Games Were Absolutely Revolutionary
Playing the games today without the proper context might show them as pretty quaint. They are all almost 20 years old, after all. Just remember, Grand Theft Auto 3 changed everything when it came out in 2001.
Open-world games existed beforehand, but not in the same way and with the same level of freedom. Further on, Vice City and San Andreas heavily expanded on the ideas and used the open-world genre to tell stories in a way gaming had not done before. Maybe younger gamers cannot enjoy them in the same way as those who did when they first came out, but they should never forget just how important they are to the medium.
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - Definitive Edition Is Out Now For PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.