Game: Grand Theft Auto
Console: Sony Playstation
Developer: DMA Design
Release Date: 30th June 1998
Looking at the title screen for the first game in the series, you'd be forgiven for thinking you'd got hold of some sort of cheap imitation of the game. Originally titled Race'n'Chase it isn't the well oiled, high budget production we're used to, having played the more recent games in the series, but it's always nice to explore the origins of such a big franchise. Upon selecting a new game, you're given a choice of 4 characters (there's very little difference between them) and placed in Liberty City to begin your reign of crime and chaos.
The game kindly provides you with a car and tells you to make your way to some phone boxes in "South Park" to accept jobs from Bubby, the local crime boss. These jobs usually involve driving to somewhere, to kill someone, pick up some sort of goods and deliver them somewhere or cause some kind of chaos for the benefit of a gangster. You're rewarded with points for completing missions and after earning enough points, you're allowed to move onto a new city.
There are 3 cities featured in the game, which will be familiar to fans of the series; Liberty City, Vice City and San Andreas. These aren't anything like their later installment counterparts, but they do feature some rather amusing district names and fairly large street maps for this kind of game. There's a few different types of cars, and even motorcycles on the streets (which is impressive considering the 3D games didn't get motorcycles until Vice City). The handling whilst driving is something you have to get used to, its neither good nor bad really, although being able to see a little more of the road whilst driving might be helpful.
The on-foot controls also take some getting used to, as you have to rotate your character in the direction you wish him to go, before making him run directly forwards or backwards. It's not so much a bad control scheme as one that's not often used by games in this day and age. Using weapons is fairly easy, with the circle button being used to shoot in the direction you are facing, and L1 and L2 swapping between the weapons you're in possession of.
There's a lot of missions featured in the game, perhaps even too many since there's not a whole lot of variation in what you're required to do. You're allowed to take some time out from completing missions and cause chaos around the city, as with the other GTA games, which is good for exploring the map and testing the limits of the game. Graphically there's a lot of pixels visible in places, and most items and vehicles don't have a whole lot of detail to them, but this would have been even worse, had the developers tried a 3 dimensional approach. The sound in the game is generally good when in vehicles, the radio stations give some humour and entertainment, but when you're without the radio (roaming the streets, etc.) it feels a little empty.
Overall there's a good amount of fun to be had with both the missions in the game, and attempting to cause massive amount of chaos. The controls are outdated but not impossible to master, and the missions whilst samey do provide some entertainment. It's easy to see why this became popular, even if it's not the refined version that we know and love today.
Rating: 64/100
Grade: C
Game: Grand Theft Auto
Console: Nintendo Gameboy Colour
Developer: Tarantula Studios
Release Date: November 1999
When I first saw that there was a release of the original Grand Theft Auto game on Nintendo's Game Boy Colour, I had presumed it'd be a terrible watered down version of the Playstation game, as a lot of conversions are. In one respect I was correct; a lot of the gore, profanity and adult themes have been removed from the game to leave it rated Teen instead of Mature, however it features the exact same maps and missions as the PS1 version, 4 female characters in addition to the male choices, and most of the other game features from the original.
This version isn't without it's faults; for a start there's no punch command, no music outside of vehicles whatsoever, a lot less traffic on the roads, incredibly slow running and possibly the most difficult challenge in the game is getting into cars (you have to press select and A, whilst at the correct angle to the car), but for a Gameboy version of a PS1 game to be as close as this gets to the original is quite an achievement.
Obviously the graphics are more basic and the sound is also watered down, but the game plays smoothly, you can complete missions as if you were playing the original and the city is just as big. Overall its almost a worthy alternative because while a chunk of the humour is missing, you can play it on the go and the original isn't so advanced that you miss too many of its features.
Rating: 60/100
Grade: D
Game: Grand Theft Auto Mission Pack #1: London 1969
Console: Sony Playstation
Developer: DMA Design
Release Date: 30th April 1999
Just under a year after the original GTA for Playstation came the 1969 London mission pack, which featured a new map, missions, vehicles and soundtrack. It's definitely more of an expansion than a sequel, as the graphics and gameplay remain almost the same as the original. There's a lot of London based humour featured in the games such as British accents, themed missions, cars and place names.
Funnily enough the first difference you'll notice from the original is that the cars are on the other side of the road, which takes a little getting used to. The missions themselves seem more engaging, perhaps due to the theme overall, I'm not sure they're any more interesting in what you're being asked to do. The locations have some recognisable landmarks, moreso than the original which was based on New York. The selection of cars and characters in the game are good and I enjoyed it more than the original.
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| (The car selection in GTA London: 1969) |
Rating: 70/100
Grade: C
Game: Grand Theft Auto 2
Console: Sega Dreamcast
Developer: DMA Design
Release Date: 30th April 2000
The final 2D game of the main series, GTA 2 made its way to the Dreamcast as well as Playstation, PC and Gameboy Colour. While the formula remained basically the same as that of the previous games, there were some new additions such as the respect meter, and gang areas in different parts of the cities. The missions have more variety than any of the previous installments, with added humour much like that of the London Missions Pack.
The controls for Dreamcast are superior to those on the Playstation, as the analog stick is used for directional movement and so is more precise. The left trigger is used to fire weapons, making it easier to fire and aim at the same time. The graphics are also impressive compared to the original and the Playstation counterpart of GTA 2. I haven't heard the radio stations from the Playstation version, but they're very impressive in the Dreamcast version with good music and radio hosting, even if they do still reset when you get in and out of cars.
With more explosions, mayhem and carnage than the previous installments, GTA 2 was a great send-off to the 2D games. Although the gameplay is similar in all 3, there's a sense of progression and the game becoming more refined from the original to GTA 2. As a player there's still a lot of fun to be had with this game, whether or not you're a fan of the franchise. It's admittedly more basic than the games on the Playstation 2, but at the same time there's an unrivalled sense of chaos. Overall these are all worth checking out, especially GTA 2.
Rating: 74/100
Grade: B
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