John White
Grand theft auto…where do i start with Rockstars master of the sandbox franchise?
Yes i was one of those gamers i despise nowadays,I begged my mum to buy me the latest 18 rated game that was released and guess what i turned out okay.
Well one of those games was Grand Theft Auto on the PS1 released back in 1997 i was just started secondary school with a backpack bigger than me, but after all those sums and annoying poems I had to read home was where I wanted to be so I could drive like a maniac around the three cities Liberty City, Vice City and San Andreas yeah this was the only game to feature all cities Rockstar later released into fully pledged games.
GTA did have a release on the PC and also the Gameboy Colour but it was the Playstation 1 where it got most coverage, controlling from the bird’s eye view and moving a pixelated person in a yellow shirt while he collected as much points as he could to progress to the next area. When you collected $1m you were allowed to progress. Personally I never got to complete it as at that age i weren’t the best at these games and liked the whole feel for them against the actual gameplay for it.
Now at the time this was an amazing game and had heaps to do but then they released what in my opinion would be an amazing game nowadays it was a expansion for GTA 1 and that was GTA London. It was truly class, looking like you were working with Austin Powers in his Shaguar (Union Jack Porsche) zooming around Liverpool street, the graphics were still the same and the game’s physics stayed also but it was a new area and new levels. The fact it was set in 1969 was even better.
The following game also kept to the bird’s eye view with GTA 2 but this time implemented Gangs and allowed you as the player to follow certain gangs and work for them all the while pissing off their rivals which resulted in turf war whenever you passed through their part of town. This was the last in the series of games that was set in this style of play as in 2001 rockstar defined themselves as top dogs in the gaming world with GTA III in 3rd person gameplay and a great but mediocre protagonist.
In GTA III, You played as a slick no talking bloke who was wronged by the Colombian Cartel, Rockstar did well implementing actual gang/factions in everyday real life with the Mafia, Yardies, Triads and the Yakuza all of whom you can work with but the end goal was to get your revenge on that one person that wronged you. The game set the path on the way to be one of the biggest titles in history.
It has had recent revamps and has been remastered for iOS but to me it’s not the same.
Next up was GTA Vice City which took you back to the 80’s and was released a full year after GTA III, although this time you controlled Ex Con Tommy Vercetti voiced by Ray Liotta who has been sent to rockstars version of Miami to set up the Mafia in the sun and sands of Vice City, the game had a very Scarface element to it and really was a great game as it introduced classic 80’s music from Duran Duran and more. It also allowed you to take over businesses and earn money that way as well as missions it also allowed you to drive bikes and also fly planes. The whole feel to GTA Vice City was remarkable at the time and was a great follow on from GTA III.
Unlike Vice City, rockstar took a little longer to release what probably is their best ever game GTA San Andreas took two years to get released after Vice City but like its predecessor took place in 92’ in the height of the west coast of california and the rise of their gang culture. You controlled CJ who was part of the Grove Street family, CJ was living in Liberty City but after the death of his mother he returned to Los Santos to bury her and reconcile with his street family and help them gain former glory. CJ voiced by Young Maylay is in a constant struggle with the police and mainly Officer Tenpenny voiced by Samuel L Jackson, San Andreas had a massive map and was by far the best GTA game i personally played, they implemented Los Angeles (Los Santos) San Fierro (San Francisco) and Las Venturas (Las Vegas).
New additions to the franchise were Bicycles, Turf Wars (previously in GTA 2) the stamina system which you had to follow otherwise your character would get fat and slowly lose health as he ran around. The gym was your friend in GTA San Andreas Rockstar replaced the actual Latin Kings, Bloods and Crips with Ballas, Grove Street Family and Vagos but each shared similar tendencies.
This game had it all and it was far too long until Rockstar released a new game there are a few honorable mentions with GTA Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories which were both released on the PSP and then later on the PS2 but it wasn’t until 2008 until Rockstar finally brought the franchise to its peak it has hit now.
Rockstar announced GTA IV which was set in modern times in a fully captured New York City…some say this was the reason it took so long to make plus the fact it was out on Xbox 360 and PS3 for the first time. They hit on the immigrant issues America faces and let you control Niko Belic an eastern european fresh off the boat after being sold the american dream by his cousin, however he has to fight his way to the top with Irish Mob families, Mafia Bosses and Russian Mobsters all getting in on the action. The visual aspect of GTA IV was stunning and really showed the distance Rockstar and Gaming as a whole had come since GTA San Andreas.
They introduced a phone system into GTA IV which was used to contact games friends and online friends…to me this was probably the main issue surrounding this game if you weren’t getting asked out on dates by in game characters your cousin Roman wanted to go Bowling…seriously dude i’m shooting hookers here!!!!
Go forward five years and Rockstar have released a masterpiece in GTA V which let players control Three protagonists in Michael, Franklin and Trevor all with their own agendas which all crosses each others. You planned bank heists and dabbled in the stock markets oh and it was 50mins to install on the PS3 and Xbox 360, the game was set in again a fully scanned Los Santos (Los Angeles) This time Rockstar only included one city as it was so detailed i’m not sure the consoles would be able to contain it.
It was later released on the PS4 and Xbox One and PC which included 1st Person mode which was amazing but took a bit of getting used to. The story is about Michael in witness protection from a failed bank robbery, Trevor a drug dealing nutter living in the desert who is the former friend of Michael and Franklin who is just trying to find himself and looks up to Michael for guidance.
GTA V also had a fully immersive online mode which in itself was a new game and took a while to get right, fans wanted online heists and had to wait quite some time before they could do so, but when they could they were really fun to do but the payout was slightly poor for amount of work you put in, players thought they could earn the money they earned off heists in the story mode but the most you could get would be around $1m which was split across four of your friends. Friends oh yeah you need three of them to even attempt a heist, you could do it with randomers but if like me you don’t want to be speaking to a 14 year old whose ball ain’t dropped whilst playing a 18 rated game you will need to call on those said friends…i know i’m a hypocrite but i don’t care!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0AFvpSdQac
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings