Grand Theft Auto Trilogy Review
2021 marks the 20th anniversary of Grand Theft Auto 3, a landmark video game release that created the blueprint for countless open world games to follow. Grand Theft Auto 3 is easily one of the most important video game releases of all time, and so Rockstar Games enlisted Grove Street Games to bring it and its PS2-era sequels to modern consoles in the form of Grand Theft Auto : The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition. Rockstar was strangely secretive about the Grand Theft Auto Trilogy after its announcement, but now that the collection is out in the wild, it’s clear why. The GTA Trilogy features Grand Theft Auto 3, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the critically-acclaimed, trendsetting PS2-era Grand Theft Auto games that are still held up as some of the best game done. Considering how good the games were when they were originally released, one would think that GTA Trilogy would be an easy win for Rockstar and Grove Street Games, but unfortunately, it failed. Before diving into the GTA Trilogy’s many problems, it’s worth pointing out what it does right. Grand Theft Auto Trilogy uses a GTA 5-style control scheme, and it’s all the better for it. Maneuvering the characters, shooting, and overall gameplay is definitely improved with these modernized controls, even if the driving is a bit poor. Many of the vehicles are jerky, and there is no feedback on the trigger controller when driving them, which is hard to get used to.
Other attempts at improving quality of life were received with a little more grace, such as the revised mini-map and the introduction of mid-mission checkpoints in GTA San Andreas and the ability to restart missions after failing these in all three games. This makes failed missions less frustrating in older games, as it eliminates the need for players to travel all the way to the mission marker to start over, though it’s odd that checkpoints aren’t added altogether and are in San Only Andreas. . Quality of life improvements aside, one of the main selling points of the Grand Theft Auto Trilogy is its graphics, with the collection offering remastered visuals for GTA 3, Vice City, and San Andreas. There are good things and bad things about GTA Trilogy’s graphics, with the environments enjoying a significant upgrade but the character models leaving a lot to be desired. Much has been said about the character models of the Grand Theft Auto Trilogy, and they are certainly a mixed bag. The main characters are generally good looking, but sometimes CJ’s character model from San Andreas looks weird as his weight changes, and there are a lot of NPCs in the game that don’t even look human. However, the GTA Trilogy character models are definitely the least of the collection’s concerns when it comes to graphics.
The biggest graphical flub in GTA Trilogy is its rain effects. Whenever it rains in Grand Theft Auto Trilogy, big thick white lines fill the entire screen, making it very hard to see, especially in Grand Theft Auto 3. Modders have started “fixing” the effects of rain in the Grand Theft Auto Trilogy, showing that many players find rain repulsive. With so much rain in the Grand Theft Auto Trilogy, it’s a wonder it wasn’t caught and changed before launch. Grand Theft Auto 3 seems to have gotten the short-end of the stick when it comes to GTA Trilogy graphics, and it goes beyond the rain effects. GTA 3 is noticeably darker than the other two games in the collection, likely in an attempt to replicate the gray skies and gloomy weather from the original game. However, GTA 3 is a bit too dark in Grand Theft Auto Trilogy, even with the brightness cranked up to high. This issue recedes when players are able to visit more GTA 3 islands beyond the first, but still reduces game opening times. A general lack of polish pervades the entire Grand Theft Auto Trilogy. Players will find endless technical hiccups, glitches, and graphical mishaps in all three games. They’ll witness everything from large textures disappearing to cars floating in mid-air to game crashes and more. There are many, many problems with the GTA Trilogy, resulting in an experience that is less reliable than the 20 year old original games. Playing it kills any hopes one might have for potential remasters by Rockstar Games in the future. What makes the whole GTA Trilogy situation worse is that Rockstar has removed other versions of the games from digital storefronts. These include GTA PS4 re-releases that have increased resolution, improved performance, and added trophy support. They offer truly definitive versions of the classic PS2-era Grand Theft Auto games, and it seems like a great move to bring those to more consoles.
After all, PS4 enhanced versions of games are actually more complete in content than the new “definite” versions. For example, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is missing its co-op mode in the Definitive Edition, and while it’s a little tight, it’s still fun. Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – Definitive Edition has a mountain of technical flaws, some of which are quite terrible. Despite these issues, the collection still has some redeeming qualities. All three games are strong, giving players plenty to do if they want to fully complete them. There is also a GTA Trilogy cheat code available for those who don’t care about completing the sandbox game and want to make their own fun. Players can completely ignore the main story missions in the games, do nothing but use cheat codes and explore, and still get their money’s worth, during game time. There are great stories here, memorable characters, fun missions, and the tools players need to create countless hours of their own entertainment. The foundation of the GTA Trilogy consists of three of the best games ever made, and so has inherent value, especially for newcomers. But while the core gameplay of GTA Trilogy is absolutely fantastic, the overall package feels rushed and pointless. Those desperate for old school GTA on modern consoles should check out the collection, especially if the promised Grand Theft Auto Trilogy fix arrives, but everyone else can safely skip it. Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. Today Technology reviewed the game on Xbox Series X.