Hey, everyone! This week, I review the three games from the Grand Theft Auto Series from the PS2 library that really put the console on the map, remastered for next-generation systems. Has this trilogy of remasters redeemed itself after its failures at launch?
Let's find out!
(best enjoyed with headphones on!)
BLOG UPDATE
Hey, everyone! How are you all doing? Well, here we are in the most wonderful time of the year, December. Just to keep you guys up to speed on what's going on. This month.
A little date for your diary, well, mine, to be precise! As you may have known, due to my epilepsy, I am in a priority group of the CODID-19 vaccine. My appointment is on 13 December. Apparently, I will be switched from the Astrazeneca to the Pfizer BioNtec vaccine.
Now, I have 110% faith, in those vaccines. The NHS has saved my life more times than can be counted. So, I have every confidence that the switch will be safe, and effective.
Now, the only concern is that I have is my epilepsy. As a precautionary measure, there will be no review week commencing 13 December. HOWEVER, this does not mean that content will be completely dry that week. As I have something special. Instead of a generic review, I will be finishing off a journey that started in September.
Yes, that's right, the concluding part of DGR plays Freedom Fighters will be posted that week, the revolution is going to make a make or break attack on Governor's Island to kick the Soviets out of New York once and for all!
So, I will end this blog update with an open question. I know that it would seem a bit cliched, but, never were in December, what would you say is on the top of your wish list from Santa Claus this year? Let me know in the comments!
With our blog update aside, on with this review.
The grand theft auto series is one of the most recognisable, successful, nowadays, repetitive (GTAV has been ported, a grand total of four times, including the up-and-coming port for Xbox series S &X). The series started out, similar to the combo system in fighting games- just a glitch! Dundee-based developer DMA design (at the time) was working on a top-down street racing game, in the same vein as Micro Machines, this game is was originally to be called Race and Chase.
However, during playtesting of this game, I glitch became apparent. During encounters, the police were too aggressive towards you, especially while trying to run your car off the road. So, DMA design The glitch intact, completely redesign the game around becoming a criminal.
And so, the spike in crime began in 1997 when DMA design released of very first Gand Theft Auto game in the series was released for the PlayStation and PC. The game received a lot of controversy, at the time. Both the British and German governments contended the game, due to its violent content, Brazil, well, banned outright!
The game received two mission packs, inspired by Michael Caines hit film, the Italian job, set in 1989, and in 1981 prospectively. These two mission pack was released in 1999. Also, released that year was the game sequel, GTA2, released on various formats, including the ill-fated Sega Dreamcast. In 2001 grand theft auto franchise, we know and love came to fruition as Grand Theft Auto 3 was released for Sony's behemoth console, the PS2.
FUN FACT: did you know that this game was shaped by the terror attacks on the World Trade Center, on September 11, 2001?
Rockstar's main office was located just a few blocks away from where the towers stood. Obviously, the game had to be delayed and changes had to be made. In an interview with the head of Rockstar Games, Dan Houser stated that the game box art had to be completely redone, the colour's of police cars had to be changed to remove the similarities to the NYPD, also, the flight path of an NPC plane had to be altered. The original flight path was very close to a skyscraper.
Also, there is speculation as to the reason why the game's aircraft, the dodo was so devilishly hard to fly.
This entry of the trilogy was centred around Claude Speed, who was caught in the centre of a bank robbery. It was up to you to work with various gangs operating in Liberty City, and locate, and take vengeance against your girlfriend, Catalina( not of the Tekken variety!)
The next stop on our tour of the Grand Theft Auto series is, of course, Grand Theft Auto Vice City, released to the public in 2002, again, for the PS2, the game was later ported to PC systems, Xbox consoles, and various other formats later on down the line.
The reception from both critics, and the GTA community is nothing but stellar. Some people considered Vice City to be the best game of the franchise. Set in the year 1986, you play Tommy Vercetti a mobster who was recently released from a 15-year sentence in prison for murder.
During his prison sentence, the Mafia, led by Sonny Forelli, who was seeking to establish drug operations in the southern states. He then sent Tommy, and crooked lawyer, Ken Rosenberg to Vice City, Miami to oversee an important drug deal with a Colombian cartel. The deal went sour, as unknown assailants ambushed the deal, took the cash and the "merchandise" with him.
It was up to you to explore vice city's criminal underbelly, and get to the bottom of what happened during the deal before the Mafia comes knocking at your door!
The last stop on our tour of this remastered collection is, of course, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas), released to the public in 2004. Fittingly, in 1992, set in the fictional state of San Andreas, which is loosely based upon sections of California and Nevada.
You play as Carl "CJ" Johnson, who returned to San Andreas to attend his mother's murder, killed in a drive-by shooting. Upon his arrival, the local, corrupt police force arrested Carl and threatened to frame him for murder. During his absence, his gang has lost a lot of influence and territorials from their rival gang, the Ballas. It is up to you to help this family regain influence, and territory, and find out what really happened to your mother.
The accessibility scores are as follows-
Visibility 9.5
In all three games of this trilogy, there is a colourblind mode, this colourblind mode seems to be very accessible for a player with a visual impairment. However, if you extra colourblind modes would make this game a lot more accessible. So, a player with a visual impairment should be able to play this game with no issues.
Audibility 11
There are subtitles available in the access ability section in the options menu. Again, this applies to all three games of this remastered collection. You can also, enlarge the size of the subtitles, and hint text. So, a player with a hearing impairment can read the subtitles without the risk of the player gaining any eyestrain.
So, a player with a visual impairment can play this game very easily.
Mobility 9
There are interchangeable control layouts available. You can set the controls to be more like the classic games, on the PS2, the other two layouts are the people who were accustomed to this generation. However, there is little to no differences between these two layouts.
So, this game is playable for a player with a mobility impairment, but customisable layouts and individual stick layouts would make this game a lot more accessible.
Gameplay 9
Let's be brutally honest here. At launch, the game was a total disaster. The rain effect makes the game harder to see, the lack of a volumetric fog effect makes the map feels a lot smaller when flying around San Andreas. In vice city nd 3's case, it is less important as these two games are merely a city, and that was only scratching the surface here.
However, in its current state (I time of writing) the majority of the teething problems facing the trilogy has been fixed. However, it would have been a lot better if Grove Street games were to delay the launch of the game for a few weeks.
The sheer feeling of nostalgia was flooding in. When I started playing GTA3. I remember playing the original PS2 version when I was lying in my hospital bed in Ayr Hospital. The sheer amount of lifespan. You will be getting is a lot.
What you are getting is three, expansive games, which were genre-defining at the time as you explore the cities, completing missions and, of course, stealing cars and finally, getting into trouble with the police these three games field unique, and fresh. Graphically, these games look a little lacklustre compared to other titles, for example, Microsoft Flight Simulator.
In summary, Grand Theft Auto the Trilogy Definitive Edition is probably the best way to rekindle those childhood memories, in front of a PS2 playing these games.
These three games have a lot of lifespan. Is going to take you to well into the New Year to 100% one of these games. If you are a fan of the grand theft auto series or a PS2 diehard, I seriously cannot recommend this game enough to you!
OVERALL SCORE 96.25%
See you guys in the next review!
SpartanCommander1990 & CRSnake 96 out!
Roll out, Spartan Legion!
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