Grand Theft Auto III
Description official descriptions
After leaving San Andreas and going on a crime spree throughout the country, Claude Speed and Catalina head to Liberty City for a life of crime. During a bank heist, Claude is betrayed by Catalina and her Colombian friend Miguel, and he is shot by her just as they are leaving the scene of the crime. Claude fully recovers....in a prison cell. However, while being transported to a prison, Colombians ambush the prison van for an inmate riding with Claude. Claude and his friend, 8-Ball, escape in the process. Now it is time for revenge. Claude slowly rises through the ranks of the local gangs, gaining trust from local mob bosses and turning on others. Claude gains influence, trust, and most importantly, money along the way. It is time for Claude to rise from the dead and get revenge for what Catalina has done.
Grand Theft Auto III is similar in its concept to its predecessors: the player is cast in the role of a vicious (albeit novice) criminal, who performs tasks for crime lords and gradually raises his rank in the criminal world. Driving is the main gameplay element in the game, though the player can also fully explore the city on foot. For the first time in the series, the entire game is rendered in 3D. Different camera angles are available for driving, and free camera rotation is available when on foot.
As opposed to the previous games, Liberty City is the only city the player can explore in the game. The game puts more emphasis on the story, displaying cutscenes before each mission. In order to complete the game, it is necessary to perform all the main story missions; however, the player often has the choice between several missions at a given moment. The missions include chases, races, short third-person shooter sequences, as well as various mini-game-like activities. Outside of the missions, the player is free to explore the city and undertake sub-missions, for example working as a taxi driver, delivering sick people to the hospital in an ambulance car, etc.
Spellings
- δΎ η车ζ3 - Simplified Chinese spelling
- δΏ ηη΅θ»ζ3 - Traditional Chinese spelling
Groups +
- Gameplay feature: Game completion percentage
- Gameplay feature: Recordable replays
- Games involved in legal disputes
- Games pulled from digital storefronts
- Games referenced in movies
- Games with classical music
- Games with player's sound files support
- Genre: Open world / Free-roaming / Sandbox action and driving
- Genre: Truck racing / driving
- Grand Theft Auto series
- Green Pepper releases
- Middleware: RenderWare
- Physical Bonus Content: Poster
- Physical Bonus Content: World Map
- PlayStation 2 Greatest Hits releases
- PlayStation 2 Platinum Range releases
- Portability Engine: Cider
- Protagonist: Gangster
- Setting: 2000s
- Software Pyramide releases
- Sound engine: AIL/Miles Sound System
Screenshots
Promos
Videos
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Credits (PlayStation 2 version)
213 People (185 developers, 28 thanks) · View all
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[ full credits ] |
Reviews
Critics
Average score: 92% (based on 102 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.7 out of 5 (based on 442 ratings with 27 reviews)
Great game...IF you can get it to run smoothly
The Good
Awesome 3D graphics, realistic vehicle handling, hours upon hours of fun, freedom to do almost ANYTHING, a great game for today's die hard gamer
The Bad
whether or not the game will work is pretty much luck, tech support doesn't help much, game and sounds lag, lack of multiplayer
The Bottom Line
BUY AT YOUR OWN RISK. The specs listed on the box mean nothing at all. My system (AMD Athlon 1300, 256 DDR RAM, ATI Radeon 9000Pro 64megs, 52xcd/dvd, WinME, Sound Blaster 16) fully exceeds recommended specs, and the game is barely playable. Tech support suggested I get a new video card (i had a 32mb Rage Fury Pro previously), which i did and still the game lags beyond playability. R* is slow with patches and their customer service department is slow with help. Many people I know have had many many problems with this game to this date. HOWEVER, if you can get it to run right, enjoy :) because this game kicks some serious rear-end!
Windows · by Nevoc (2) · 2002
I'll mess you the heck up..... and laugh for days about it!
The Good
I'll summarize a story.
I was being chased by a cop after doing some sort of crime that did not go over well. I decided to turn into an ally instead of continuing on the road. I realize, too late, that I am entering the territory of the Mafia, who I've angered enough that they open fire whenever they see me. There is a goon at the end of the ally, but there is a huge cop car behind me, so I hit the gas. As I approach the goon, he opens fire, but realizing I am not being swayed, begins to dive out of the way. He does not see the wall there.
After he hits the wall face-first, he bounces off. Then, as I begin to pass the goon, his head smacks the side of my car, an falls to the ground where he is run over by the cop chasing me.
These are the types of stories you will come away with from this game. You are introduced to a living city, which is a bit rare in a computer game. You can go anywhere and do anything, within limits. The game is truely open ended. The graphics are amazing. The sound of amazing.
This game is truely amazing, and you can do the things you want to do in real life, but would feel terrible for doing, like pulling the guy out of the car next to you and beating him to death, then running over his body with his own car.
The Bad
The game has high system requirements, though that is easily forgetable once you start playing.
I thought the game ended abrubtly. I wished I could do more, find another 100 missions, even random ones.
I didn't like that the game was banned in Australia.
The Bottom Line
The best game I've played in ages, and extremely free-form. You can be as evil or nice as you want, kill more or less people than the next guy, and play chase with the cops. This game is everything you'd expect and more. It is what you WANT to play.
Windows · by Eduardo Gabrieloff (23) · 2002
Computer asks man: "Is that what you want?" Man replies "Hell yes!"
The Good
Rockstar games have made some pretty intriguing titles in the past. The Grand Theft Auto series has a cult following to rival Doug & The Slugs, at least among the computer saavy. Well, Grand Theft Auto just fell out the window. Whether this game is allowed to even wear that moniker is still under debate for me.
I don't know what game engine this runs on, but it's awesome. There is linearity in the story and gameplay, but you can mess around with Liberty City as much as you feel you need to. It's a living, walking, talking, and driving city. Realism? You don't even have to go outside anymore, if you're a criminal.
Just as in the real world, there are consequences. If you steal a car in front of a cop, don't expect the cop not to notice. If you punch someone, they punch you back, and they may even pull out a gun. Don't screw with the mafia, or they'll screw with you. Same goes for the gangs. You steal a gang car, and you're in deep.
But damn, is this addictive. Hours can fly by just painting the town red. You steal a sports car, bomb around until you trash it, steal a cop car when they're not looking, cause havoc with the cops, kill some pedestrians, and whadya mean it's eleven o'clock? I don't wanna go to bed yet.
The Bad
As with almost every game, it could use some improvements. Along with this strenuous realism comes a cost, and that cost is PC hardware. You need a real decent system to run this game. Celerons, video cards with 16mb ram, of computers with less than 256mb RAM need not apply. Windows XP beahviour with NVidia cards sucks, but thats because Windows XP sucks. I run AMD700 with 64MB Geforce4 and 320Mb RAM and I just squeeze by at a decent frame rate, for instance.
The Bottom Line
Overall, this is probably the best game for game addicts to come along in a long time. Just don't apply with anything more than a year old, or like me, you'll be frustrated that this fictional world suffers a devastating case of frame-rate indigestion.
Windows · by The Cheshire (5) · 2003
Discussion
Subject | By | Date |
---|---|---|
Pirates / unofficial cover | PavelDAS (1390) | Nov 22nd, 2021 |
Terror attack date wrong in trivia. | CheerioDM (32) | May 7th, 2014 |
Holy crap! What just happened? | Beep (197) | Nov 25th, 2010 |
Trivia
1001 Video Games
Grand Theft Auto III appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.
Australian release
Grand Theft Auto III has been banned in Australia due to displays of graphic acts of violence. Rockstar/Take-Two are working in conjunction with the Office of Film and Literature Classification in Australia to release a revised version of the game in January 2002. A few copies of the game were sold there before the ban was put in place.
After lengthy talks with the Office of Film and Literature Classification, DMA removed certain sexual content and the final version has been approved. However, many people are asking for an R18+ rating to be added to the games rating system (which currently only goes up to MA15+, meaning restricted to over 15) so this will not happen again.
Cancelled port
A 2D driving-based version was in the works for a release for the GameBoy Advance, but it was ultimately cancelled.
Controversy in Japan
Shortly after several Japanese prefectures planned to legally ban GTA III's sale to minors, a 17-year-old Japanese fan of the game stabbed his parents. The coincidence of these two events sparked an effort in the Japanese game industry to work on an ESRB/PEGI-style rating system.
Cut content
- A multiplayer mode was planned for the PC version, but later cut.
- Originally, the player had to solve missions for a homeless man named Darkel. There are many rumours about him being a terrorist with missions like blowing up a bus full of children or flying the dodo into a building (sometimes connected to Donald Love's sudden disappearance). Because of the last bit, it is rumored that the character was removed shortly before release because of the terror attacks of 11 September, 2001. The official line is that the mission rumors are baseless, the character was cut because he didn't fit into the game and his missions were sub-par, and he was removed several months before release.
Flashback radio
The playlist for Flashback radio is:
Rush Rush - Deborah Harry
Shake It Up - Elizabeth Daily
Scarface (Push It To The Limit) - Paul Engemann
She's On Fire - Amy Holland
I'm Hot Tonight - Elizabeth Daily
If it sounds familiar, that's because all five songs come from the 1983 movie Scarface.
German release
The German PC version is censored - no blood or gore is to be seen. Also missing are the rampage missions, the possibility to hurt people with melee weapons when they lie on the ground and money left behind by killed people.
Protagonist
The silent main character formerly known as "Fido" (among various other aliases) is actually named Claude. This is discovered if you listen carefully during one of the phone calls in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. It is rumored that Claude is the same Claude as Claude Speed, from GTA2.
Radio stations
A number of the fake radio advertisements that fill the game's wonderful made up radio stations have real websites registered by the designers.
For example, www.pogothemonkey.com will take you to a small website where you can play with Pogo and listen to all the 'reviews' of his new 'game'.
References
In one mission for Asuka Kasen you have to stop an undercover cop named Tanner. Tanner is also the name of the main character in the Driver games, where he is an undercover cop.
References to the game
In August 2006, Coca Cola launched a new TV commercial inspired by the scenery and gameplay of GTA III. At first, you seem to witness car chases, robbery and theft, but the tables are turned and the main character pays for his products, helps old ladies, and extinguishes fire. The link to the video can be found in the related links section.
Sales
- The Playstation 2 version of Grand Theft Auto III has sold over seven million copies, and is now known as the highest selling game ever for the console. Sony has signed a deal with Rockstar making sure all future GTA games are PS2 exclusive until 2004.
- Grand Theft Auto III is listed by Guinness World Records as the first full sandbox action-adventure and the biggest selling game of 2001.
Secrets
- If you look hard around the city, you'll find little notes pasted on walls or signs like the infamous 'You weren't supposed to be here you know' sign on the wall, or the secret website links.
- In Staunton Island, look for the internet cafe, and go inside. Check out what's on the computers.
Stadium
It is impossible to enter the stadium via normal means. Although by using several cheats you can get the tank to fly over the stadium.
If you look at the layout of the seats within the stadium the different colours spell out "Cocks"
Windows version
The PC version allows players to use their own MP3 files for ingame music. You can copy the files to a directory in the game directory, the game will then add the radio station "PLAYER'S MP3" which will be automatically used in random cars (or can be selected with the change radio button).
Awards
- 4Players
- 2001 - Game of the Year
- 2001 - Action Game of the Year
- Computer Games Magazine
- April 2003 (Issue #225) β Game of the Year (Editors' Choice)
- April 2003 (Issue #225) β Game of the Year (Readers' Choice)
- April 2003 (Issue #225) β Funniest Game of the Year
- March 2003 (Nr. 148) - #6 in the "10 Best Games of 2002" list
- Computer Gaming World
- April 2003 (No. 225) - Game of the Year 2002
- EGM
- February 2006 (Issue #200) - #9 on the "Greatest Games of Their Time" list
- Electronic Gaming Monthly
- April 2002 - Game of the Year (Readier's Voting)
- Game Developer's Choice Awards
- 2002 - Game of the Year
- 2002 - Excellence in Game Design Award
- Game Informer Magazine
- October 2004 (Issue #138) - One of the "Top 25 Most Influential Games of All Time"
- GamePro (Germany)
- 2011 - #3 Handheld Game of the Year (Readers' Vote)
- GameSpy
- 2001 β Game of the Year
- 2001 β PS2 Game of the Year
- 2001 β Most Offensive Game of the Year
- 2001 β Best Use of Radio of the Year
- 2002 β PC Action Game of the Year
- GameStar (Germany)
- Issue 01/2007 - One of the "Ten Most Influential PC-Games". It is the first action game that adopted free worlds from Role Playing Games. Grand Theft Auto III stands for the connection between game and pop culture and is the role model for a new kind of games where not only the player reacts to the world but the world also reacts to the player's actions.
- PC Gamer
- April 2005 - #12 in the "50 Best Games of All Time" list
- Retro Gamer
- September 2004 (Issue #8) β #95 Best Game Of All Time (Readers' Vote)
Information also contributed by Archagon, Big John WV, Bob Shand, Entorphane, jaXen, Kartanym, Macintrash, MegaMegaMan, PCGamer77, phlux, Ray Soderlund, Sciere and Zack Green
Related Sites +
-
Capital Auto Sale$
Existing homepage mentioned ingame. -
Coca Cola commercial
Video of the Coca Cola commercial inspired by Grand Theft Auto III -
GTA III at GTAGaming
Information site about all things GTA III. -
Grand Theft Auto III
Official website -
IGCD Internet Game Cars Database
Game page on IGCD, a database that tries to archive vehicles found in video games. -
PetsOvernight.com
Real existing homepage mentioned ingame.
Identifiers +
- MobyGames ID: 5189
- Steam App: 12100
- Wikipedia (en)
Contribute
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by Syed GJ.
PlayStation 4 added by Flapco. PlayStation 3 added by Sciere. Macintosh, iPhone, Android, iPad added by Kabushi. Windows added by phlux.
Additional contributors: nullnullnull, Archagon, Unicorn Lynx, JL3001, phlux, Apogee IV, tarmo888, Sciere, Alaka, Yoshy, formercontrib, Paulus18950, Patrick Bregger, Victor Vance, FatherJack.
Game added November 5th, 2001. Last modified October 15th, 2023.