Grand Theft Auto III (GTA3) blew my mind. There were some game design issues, and the graphics were sub-average, but there was so much to do, and so few limitations how to do it, I really enjoyed trying to get through as near to 100% as I could manage. (The most memorable mission for me in GTA3 was killing the snitch in protective custody, after throwing a Molotov through his 2nd story window. The first time I tried it, he came jetting out of the garage and took off, and I lost him in the ensuing chase. The next attempt on the same mission, I lost him again. Finally I parked a semi in front of that garage, and when that door opened, they couldn’t get past the truck. I threw a bunch more grenades into that garage, and viola, mission cleared. I felt like all they’d have to do is release expansion packs for this game ad infinitum, and they’d have me permanently.)
GTA: Vice City came out not that long after its predecessor, but looks significantly better than GTA3. While Rockstar extolled the size of the game, all of the terrain was so flat as to make driving through it boring. In contrast, the third (and final) island in GTA3 was so hilly as to make navigation nearly impossible; Vice City overcompensated for this by seemingly performing a 10% scale on the Y-axis on all terrain. The addition of big name actors for voice talent was nice in the cutscenes, but I missed the voiceless protagonist from GTA3 -- I’d rather choose exactly how my character responds in a game that is so focused on freedom. Still, there were a number of additional sub-missions (R3) added to the game, and some balancing. Somehow though, with all the flat terrain, and over-attention to crassness overlaid on the ’80’s as a theme, I felt a bit distanced from the game.
GTA: San Andreas, somehow, has reversed this feeling, and I’m now back to thinking that I’ll buy more of the same as long as it’s not just more of the same. Maybe it’s the addition of non-urban locations, and how the countryside has been used to generate a feeling of SIZE that lends the whole game world more validity and immersiveness. Maybe it’s the way they’ve nailed the genuine feeling of location and made the popular gang-culture theme work in an interactive environment. Maybe it’s a dark sense of humor that pervades all the dialog, especially with the pedestrians. Maybe it’s the fact that they went back and re-thought some of the game mechanics and ramping that didn’t work in the last two, and revised game systems to make it all more accessible. Maybe it’s all this stuff put together. It’s been said before, more concisely than I’ve managed: “GTA is greater than the sum of its parts.”
It’s not perfect. I’m occasionally stunned at how primitive some of the graphics appear, and within that, some pretty lame glitches that destroy immersiveness. I’ve crashed the game three times, and encountered other bugs that have prevented me from completing missions. This happened 5 times in San Andreas before completing the game; it only happened once in Vice City. The new “girlfriend” missions are poorly explained, very frustrating in terms of progressing the completion gauge, and generally seem out of place. It is one of the worst-implemented features I’ve ever encountered in a game I otherwise love; I should simply thank my lucky stars that they had the common sense to remove the sexual intercourse mini-game. The new Burglary missions are repetitive, and don’t offer much reward. Speaking of repetitive, this new Fat-vs-Muscle workout thing is not frequently needed, but ’s a far cry from being fun.
Still, the places where they’ve improved gameplay subtlely have really impressed me. Unlike the last two games, the fact that money is useful and means something to one’s progress. Early missions are played for Respect only, forcing the player to find a way to fund his “ammo habit.” The variation in the lock-on distances for weapons make each of them feel very different, as opposed to having a powerful weapon that can’t be easily aimed (as in 3 and VC). The idea that doing things makes one better at them is cool, and has kept me playing during sessions where I’ve raised stats, rather than just reloading, which has increased my feeling of immersion. Oh, and having earned a very high Bike Skill means that I almost never fall of the mother-fucking-motorcycle, which was one of the lamest things about the implementation of motorcycles in Vice City — and what’s more, I feel like I’ve earned that skill. The previous games had the main character gradually suffering from increased enmity from rival gangs, making it increasingly difficult to impossible to complete some missions. San Andreas takes the reverse approach; it is common to face some opposition anywhere one goes early in the game, but through Gang Warfare, players can establish complete dominance over an area, eventually leading to complete ownership of all disputable territories.
In all, GTA: San Andreas is a fantastic installment in a groundbreaking series. One can only wonder what setting, and what change in scope will be managed for future installments.
(Largely written in January, prior to completing the game, and significantly prior to experiencing the even more progressive Mercenaries.)
GTA: Vice City came out not that long after its predecessor, but looks significantly better than GTA3. While Rockstar extolled the size of the game, all of the terrain was so flat as to make driving through it boring. In contrast, the third (and final) island in GTA3 was so hilly as to make navigation nearly impossible; Vice City overcompensated for this by seemingly performing a 10% scale on the Y-axis on all terrain. The addition of big name actors for voice talent was nice in the cutscenes, but I missed the voiceless protagonist from GTA3 -- I’d rather choose exactly how my character responds in a game that is so focused on freedom. Still, there were a number of additional sub-missions (R3) added to the game, and some balancing. Somehow though, with all the flat terrain, and over-attention to crassness overlaid on the ’80’s as a theme, I felt a bit distanced from the game.
GTA: San Andreas, somehow, has reversed this feeling, and I’m now back to thinking that I’ll buy more of the same as long as it’s not just more of the same. Maybe it’s the addition of non-urban locations, and how the countryside has been used to generate a feeling of SIZE that lends the whole game world more validity and immersiveness. Maybe it’s the way they’ve nailed the genuine feeling of location and made the popular gang-culture theme work in an interactive environment. Maybe it’s a dark sense of humor that pervades all the dialog, especially with the pedestrians. Maybe it’s the fact that they went back and re-thought some of the game mechanics and ramping that didn’t work in the last two, and revised game systems to make it all more accessible. Maybe it’s all this stuff put together. It’s been said before, more concisely than I’ve managed: “GTA is greater than the sum of its parts.”
It’s not perfect. I’m occasionally stunned at how primitive some of the graphics appear, and within that, some pretty lame glitches that destroy immersiveness. I’ve crashed the game three times, and encountered other bugs that have prevented me from completing missions. This happened 5 times in San Andreas before completing the game; it only happened once in Vice City. The new “girlfriend” missions are poorly explained, very frustrating in terms of progressing the completion gauge, and generally seem out of place. It is one of the worst-implemented features I’ve ever encountered in a game I otherwise love; I should simply thank my lucky stars that they had the common sense to remove the sexual intercourse mini-game. The new Burglary missions are repetitive, and don’t offer much reward. Speaking of repetitive, this new Fat-vs-Muscle workout thing is not frequently needed, but ’s a far cry from being fun.
Still, the places where they’ve improved gameplay subtlely have really impressed me. Unlike the last two games, the fact that money is useful and means something to one’s progress. Early missions are played for Respect only, forcing the player to find a way to fund his “ammo habit.” The variation in the lock-on distances for weapons make each of them feel very different, as opposed to having a powerful weapon that can’t be easily aimed (as in 3 and VC). The idea that doing things makes one better at them is cool, and has kept me playing during sessions where I’ve raised stats, rather than just reloading, which has increased my feeling of immersion. Oh, and having earned a very high Bike Skill means that I almost never fall of the mother-fucking-motorcycle, which was one of the lamest things about the implementation of motorcycles in Vice City — and what’s more, I feel like I’ve earned that skill. The previous games had the main character gradually suffering from increased enmity from rival gangs, making it increasingly difficult to impossible to complete some missions. San Andreas takes the reverse approach; it is common to face some opposition anywhere one goes early in the game, but through Gang Warfare, players can establish complete dominance over an area, eventually leading to complete ownership of all disputable territories.
In all, GTA: San Andreas is a fantastic installment in a groundbreaking series. One can only wonder what setting, and what change in scope will be managed for future installments.
(Largely written in January, prior to completing the game, and significantly prior to experiencing the even more progressive Mercenaries.)
I'm currently playing San Andreas. I think it's just OK. I much prefer Mercenaries and the soon to be released Total Overdose.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest complaints with San Andreas: the map inset is terrible (poor choice of colors), the mission brief screen is a near unusable mess, the player path / goal is sometimes obscure, and I HATE having to feed a character.
There have been times, playing through Mercenaries, that I'm really happy that I'd played all the way through San Andreas first. Mercenaries is much more of a creative evolution of this gamplay than SA.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the pointer toward Total Overdose. Anything that has "loco powers" and awards for "spicy moves" sounds pretty interesting. I wonder if it will be player-chosen and free-roaming play, or linearly received missions (like Mafia).