2021 marks the 20th anniversary ofGrand Theft Auto 3, a landmark video game release that created the blueprint for the countless open world games that would follow.Grand Theft Auto 3is easily one of the most significant video game releases of all time, and so Rockstar Games enlisted Grove Street Games to bring it and its PS2-era sequels to modern consoles in the form ofGrand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition. Rockstar was bizarrely secretive aboutGrand Theft Auto Trilogyafter its announcement, but now that the collection is out in the wild, it’s clear why.
GTA TrilogyfeaturesGrand Theft Auto 3,Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, andGrand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the critically-acclaimed, trendsetting PS2-eraGrand Theft Autogames that are still held up as some of the finest games ever made. Considering how good the games were when they were originally released, one would thinkGTA Trilogywould be an easy win for Rockstar and Grove Street Games, but unfortunately, it’s been botched.
Before diving intoGTA Trilogy’s many problems, it’s worth pointing out what it does right.Grand Theft Auto Trilogyuses aGTA 5-style control scheme, and it’s much better for it. Maneuvering the characters, shooting, and general gameplay are definitely improved with these modernized controls, though driving does feel a bit off. Many of the vehicles are jerky, and there’s no feedback in the controller triggers when driving them, which is difficult to get used to.
Other attempted quality of life improvements are pulled off with a bit more grace, like the revamped mini-map and the introduction of mid-mission checkpoints inGTA San Andreasand the ability to restart missions after failing them in all three games. This makes failing missions in the older games much less frustrating, as it eliminates the need for players to travel all the way to the mission marker to start again, though it’s odd that checkpoints weren’t added across the board and are only inSan Andreas.
Besides the quality of life improvements, one of the main selling points ofGrand Theft Auto Trilogyis its graphics, with the collection offering remastered visuals forGTA 3,Vice City, andSan Andreas. There are good things and bad things aboutGTA Trilogy’s graphics, with the environments enjoying a significant upgrade but the character models leaving much to be desired.
A lot has been said aboutGrand Theft Auto Trilogy’s character models, and they are certainly a mixed bag. The main characters usually look pretty good, but sometimes CJ’s character model fromSan Andreaslooks rather outlandish as his weight fluctuates, and there are many NPCs in the game that don’t even look human. However, theGTA Trilogycharacter models are really the least of the collection’s worries when it comes to graphics.
The biggest graphical flub inGTA Trilogyis its rain effects. Whenever it rains inGrand Theft Auto Trilogy, big bold white lines fill the entirety of the screen, making it very difficult to see, especially inGrand Theft Auto 3. Modders have already started work on “fixing” the rain effects inGrand Theft Auto Trilogy, which goes to show that many players are finding the rain to be obnoxious. With how obviouslyoverbearing the rain is inGrand Theft Auto Trilogy, it’s strange that it wasn’t caught and changed ahead of launch.
Grand Theft Auto 3seems to have gotten the short-end of the stick when it comes toGTA Trilogygraphics, and it extends beyond the rain effects.GTA 3is noticeably darker than the other two games in the collection, likely in an attempt to mimic the grey skies and dreary weather from the original game. However,GTA 3is a little too dark inGrand Theft Auto Trilogy, even when the brightness is cranked all the way up. This issue relents when players are able to visit moreGTA 3islands beyond the first one, but still brings down the game’s opening hours.
A general lack of polish permeates throughoutGrand Theft Auto Trilogy. Players will spot endless technical hiccups, glitches, and graphical mishaps in all three games. They’ll witness everything from large textures disappearing to cars floating in mid-air to game crashes and more. There are many, many problems withGTA Trilogy, resulting in an experience that’s far less reliable than the 20 year old original games. Playing it dashes any hopes one may have had for potentialfuture Rockstar Games remasters.
What makes the entireGTA Trilogysituation worse is that Rockstar removed the other versions of the games from digital storefronts. This includes theGTAPS4 re-releases that upped the resolution, improved the performance, and added trophy support. These offered the truly definitive versions of the classic PS2-eraGrand Theft Autogames, and it seems like it would have been a better move to simply bring those to more consoles.
After all, the PS4 enhanced versions of the games were actually more content-complete than the new “definitive” versions. For example,Grand Theft Auto: San Andreasis missing its co-op modein theDefinitive Edition, and while it was fairly restrictive, it was still fun.
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Editionhas a mountain of technical flaws, some of which are pretty egregious. Despite these issues, the collection still has some redeeming qualities. All three games are beefy, giving players plenty of things to do if they want to fully complete them. There are alsoGTA Trilogycheat codesavailable for those who don’t care about completing the game sand want to make their own fun. Players could completely ignore the main story missions in the games, do nothing but use cheat codes and explore, and still get their money’s worth, playtime-wise.
There are great stories here, memorable characters, fun missions, and the tools players need to create countless hours of their own entertainment. The foundation ofGTA Trilogyis comprised of three of the best games ever made, and so there is inherent value, especially for newcomers. But while the core gameplay ofGTA Trilogyis truly incredible, the overall package feels rushed and haphazard. Those desperate for old schoolGTAon modern consoles should check the collection out, especifically if the promisedGrand Theft Auto Trilogyfixescome through, but everyone else can safely skip it.
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Editionis out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. Game Rant reviewed the game on Xbox Series X.
