GTA 3: for mature audiences only
By BOB MASTERS
Scene Writer
When Pope John Paul II called 20th Century Western society a "culture of death," he may have anticipated a time when the average American could experience car-jacking, gang warfare, prostitution, drug use and homicide from the comfort of their own couch.
With Rock Star Games' holiday release of Grand Theft Auto 3 for Sony PlayStation 2, that time is now.
Following the same plot of Rock Star Games' previous Grand Theft offerings, Grand Theft Auto and Grand Theft Auto 2, players take on the role of a small-time crook in the corrupt metropolis of Liberty City. Set-up by his girlfriend during a heist, the player manages to escape from the police after a gang of thugs overtakes the police car he is traveling in.
Aided in his escape by a member of a local criminal outfit, the player begins doing odd jobs for Liberty City crimelords in his quest to become a "made-man." GTA3 carries a mature rating and it definitely earns it, with missions ranging from tailing suspected informants to gunning-down rival gang leaders.
Graphically, GTA3 is in a league of its own. The previous Grand Theft Auto games, GTA and GTA2, were two-dimensional cartoons. Updated for a more powerful system, GTA3 is a stunning visual extravaganza. The action takes place in three large playable environments, each with their own unique aspects including harbors, airports, major business centers, armories, red-light districts and residential areas. The visuals are incredibly crisp; buildings are three-dimensional and sleek, cars are detailed down to hood-ornaments and the player receives a make-over into a leather-jacket, cargo-pant clad hood.
The game is set in real time so the player will see the sun rise, watch thunder storms roll in, and experience the setting sun give way to the darkness of midnight.
If the player jumps into a car too fast, the door will remain open until he reaches out and close it. If a cop comes too close, the player will flip him the bird.
Bullet-wounds and beatings produce oozing blood, so stunningly realistic a mature rating may seem tame. All these graphical extras add up to make GTA3 a visual experience like no other game on the market.
Game time is divided spending half the time on foot and half the time inside a car. GTA3 offers both first and third-person character control and plays about as well as most next-generation role-playing games.
Once inside a car, however, GTA3 transforms itself from a RPG into a top of the line auto sim. Mini-vans and sedans handle just as awkwardly and slowly as their real-life counterparts. Sports cars and performance vehicles are a true pleasure to handle, offering a high speed get-away vehicle that includes a hand-break for increased control.
GTA3 by Rock Star Games for PlayStation 2 is an incredibly entertaining game light-years away from any other competitors on the market. The intriguing story-line and easy to handle interface make it enjoyable to play and the graphics will leave the players jaw dropped in astonishment.
Its one detraction may be the mature rating, with GTA3 becoming at times little more than a blood-bath. If you're easily offended by mobster movies such as "Goodfellas" or "Casino," this may not be the game for you. But if you enjoy a little suspension of reality and a chance to express your violent side in a way that won't land you in jail, GTA3 is a must-own.
Contact Bob Masters at amasters@nd.edu.
All Scene Stories for Wednesday, December 5, 2001
