Grand Theft Auto 2

aka: GTA 2
Moby ID: 1097
PlayStation Specs
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Description official descriptions

Lie, cheat, and steal your way through three districts of a huge city in the follow-up to Grand Theft Auto. Earn the respect of 7 different gangs as you demolish the town in your attempt to make lots of cash.

The game takes place at an undisclosed time in the near future. Unlike the first game which featured three different cities, Grand Theft Auto 2 only features a single town, but it's divided in three districts which are unlocked one at a time: downtown, residential and industrial. Like in the original the player goes around answering phones to initiate various missions. The game uses an overhead camera in a 3D landscape and allows the player to freely explore the city and steal any vehicle the player sets his or her eyes on. To unlock new districts the player must reach a certain score which is done by committing crimes and finishing missions.

Because the game now features multiple criminal gangs, the player must choose allegiances. Performing missions for one gang, will decrease the player's reputation for another. When the player commits crimes he also becomes wanted by the local police, but as more crimes are committed without shaking the police, they will give way for first SWAT Teams, then Special Agents and finally the army.

New features include the ability to save at the church, when donating enough money, and various side missions, such as becoming a taxi driver to ear money. There are also many new cars with weapons attached such as a firetruck with a flamethrower and a car with machine guns.

On the PC version the player can change the time of day from noon to dusk to allow for more moody lighting. On the PlayStation the game can only be played at noon, and on the Dreamcast only at dusk.

Spellings

  • GTA 2 Беспредел - Russian spelling
  • 侠盗车手2 - Simplified Chinese spelling
  • 俠盜獵車手 2 - Traditional Chinese spelling

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Screenshots

Promos

Credits (PlayStation version)

173 People (158 developers, 15 thanks) · View all

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 76% (based on 54 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.5 out of 5 (based on 194 ratings with 7 reviews)

GTA revisited...

The Good
Rockstar made a number of improvements with GTA2. There's an added police threat, as your wanted level goes up you'll be chased by F.B.I. agents and eventually the army. The new concept of respect within the rival gangs works well at times, if you're really respected within one group, for example, they'll attack any the those pesky police officers attempts to catch you. The introduction is great to watch. To be honest it's one of the best features of this game. It's just what GTA would be as a movie really. As always the soundtrack to the game is above par. While the music might not be up the standard of the first game, it is the advertisements that you're bound to remember. Where else can you hear about "Orgasmo bars" or the burgers at "Crazy Cj's"!

The Bad
The missions for GTA2 are pretty weak when compared with the first game. Expect no surprises really. The idea of having rival gangs is a good one, but the fact is that that there are no real differences between any gang's missions. There's no improvement on the graphics. Usually a sequel attempts to improve on the standards set in the previous game. Sadly with GTA2 this is not the case.

The Bottom Line
Really when it comes down to it, this game is just a repackaged GTA. If you're a huge fan of the original or if you want to have the complete GTA series, it's worth a look. Just don't expect to be surprised.

PlayStation · by Ciarán Lynch (84) · 2004

If Only The New Ones Could Have Been This Good

The Good
The Entire Feel of the game is cool, violent, and mature (well, somewhat). The Music is simply awesome with perfect timing. The weapons are fun and different from a normal game. The controls are generally solid. The cities are huge with really nice looking buildings and streets. The Cops have good AI, There not to tough nor are they easy.

The Bad
The View you could say is outdated (epically since its on a 6th gen console). I'm fine with the "tank" movement, but a full 3D behind the back view would have been nice. The lack of a map makes it pretty difficult to find the phone, so your gonna do a lot of walking.

The Bottom Line
Overall, this is one of the coolest games you'll ever find. Despite its view, its still a cool looking game that doesn't seem to disappoint.

Dreamcast · by Devin Walters (2) · 2010

About as much fun as can be had with a five-year old hand-held machine

The Good
The GTA series has always aimed to offer total freedom, and GTA 2 continues this perfectly. You can wonder around anywhere in the city, killing civilians, hijacking cars... The guns and cars are some of the best points of this game. There may not be many more than twenty weapons to use, but they are all a good laugh to use. The cars are equally as good, and it is good to experiment with different types of car since some handle better than others. The music which you listen to when you enter the car - presumably to simulate a radio - is good. The controls are simple to use (if positioned in odd places such as Select to get in/out of cars) and the cities you play in are gigantic. It's not just killing which is fun, either. Just simply nabbing a car and seeing how well I can drive it is enough to keep me enthralled.

The Bad
The view of the game is slightly irritating. It's top-down, meaning that you can only see your head and everbody else's head. Driving - while on the whole good - can be slightly difficult to control at times. The AI is alright; when you fire a gun people will run away from you and the driving of the AI is alright, but the rest of the time it is just stupid. The coppers will try and catch you by walking up to you, but they just walk into anything in between you and them. The same applies for cops trying to get to you in their cars and people trying to shoot you. Also, there is no save function, and I cannot work out the password system. Therefore, I have not been able to advance any further than the first city.

The Bottom Line
Despite its many major flaws, GTA 2 is still a great laugh to play. These flaws might be profoundly irritating, but at least the core principal of the game - the freedom - remains unscathed.

Game Boy Color · by Una Manzana (5) · 2005

[ View all 7 player reviews ]

Discussion

Subject By Date
Doesn't work with a Audio CD Player. Wormspinal (619) Jul 9, 2009

Trivia

1001 Video Games

Grand Theft Auto 2 appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

Freeware release

In December 2004, Rockstar put a full, free version of Grand Theft Auto 2, compatible with Windows XP, on their Rockstar Classics page. Check the related sites section for the link.

German version

In the German version killed enemies don't leave blood behind.

References

In the Residential Sector, two of the city's areas are named Largo and Stromberg, presumably named after James Bond villains Emilio Largo and Karl Stromberg.

Awards

  • PC Player (Germany)
    • Issue 01/2000 - Best Action Game in 1999

Information also contributed by Maw and Sciere.

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by JubalHarshaw.

Game Boy Color added by Kartanym. PlayStation, Dreamcast added by Grant McLellan.

Additional contributors: Trixter, Unicorn Lynx, Jony Shahar, Apogee IV, tarmo888, DarkDante, Stratege, Patrick Bregger, Victor Vance, FatherJack, 一旁冷笑.

Game added March 20, 2000. Last modified March 12, 2024.