The Grand Theft Auto franchise has had a fair amount of ups and downs. The original title on the Playstation brought on a new genre of playing in a Mafia type environment, while at the same time introducing controversy to a supposed child run entertainment industry. The second game, which also appeared on the Playstation, did not impress both media and gamers alike. People wanted to see the GTA world in full 3D with stunning visuals and enhanced gameplay. Rockstar took the criticism well and went quietly to work on what the people wanted in the form of Grand Theft Auto 3. Little about the game was released up until a few months prior to its release. Many in the media wondered if the development had gone on too long or the "vision" was too complicated to bring to life. The game was delayed a few weeks partly due to the events of September 11. This was a good move on Rockstar's behalf as they themselves are located in New York. The game did ship at the end of October and we haven't stopped playing it since. The requests of gamers have been addressed and enhanced. What you end up getting is a solid interactive film experience that is definitely not for children.

The best way to describe the visual experience in GTA3 is to recall all of the classic gangster films: Godfather, Good Fellas, Scarface and the modern day Sopranos. Their influence is clearly evident here in how the streets are organized, the detail of each location and how the people dress and act. Just thinking of the number of hours that must have gone into the graphic design alone is mind numbing. Each part of Liberty City is fully explorable and represented in fine detail right down to street signs and working billboards. A number of locations are accessible such as hospitals, stores and a plethora of gang hideouts and chop shops. Since Liberty City is more or less a dramatical representation of New York, it has its own unique cultural neighborhoods. Wander into China Town and you really feel like you are somewhere in the middle East. A lot of people are roaming the busy market streets and it is noisy. Enter the Red Light District part of town and you will find a run down neighborhood filled with prostitutes and thugs. The design of all of the vehicles used in the game are very highly detailed and take appropriate damage if you are rough on them. Carjack a car in a heated moment and your character will forget to close the door, thus it sways in the wind as you round corners at high speeds. Hit something with it and the door flies off into the street. Real-time weather and lighting conditions are brilliantly conveyed. The sky gradually changes to magnificent tones of red as both night and morning roll in. Rain causes city streets to become slick and as a result you will have to modify your driving skills during these times. When engaged in activities that involve speed, the game runs along at a brisk pace with no slowdown or pop-up. Frame rates are easily consistent at 60 frames per second refresh rate. Lighting effects are used nicely throughout the game and the numerous weapon fire and explosions are highly detailed. The violence which occurs in the game is visually represented right down to the blood splattering that occurs from being bludgeoned to death buy a baseball bat. The only visual flaw we could find was in the character designs. They lack the high polygon count that the PS2 can handle but they are by no means awful, just a little rough around the edges.

Very few games have been able to utilize the aural experience as presented in GTA3. The game sports 9 radio stations for your listening pleasure while you drive around Liberty City doing your various tasks. Each radio station plays 5-10 songs that are particular to the chosen format of that radio station. For example, on Chatterbox FM you will listen to a number of talk shows aimed at current events in the news, while Double Cleff FM gives you the sounds of Mozart and Pavarotti. Our favorite is Flashback FM where you are treated to 80's tunes taken directly from the Scarface soundtrack. As you enter each vehicle you have the option to flip through the stations at your own will. Rockstar also went out of their way to hire on some of the best 'Mafia' voice talent available. Interestingly enough, Rockstar did not use their names to publicize the game but rather used them to give the overall feel of the game more authenticity. The talented cast includes: Guru, Joe Pantoliano, Michael Rapaport, Michael Madsen and Frank Vincent. Round all of this off with fantastic sound effects that bring Liberty City to life.

There has never been a game like GTA3 in terms of the gaming world represented and gameplay. The story begins with your character being transported in a corrections vehicle when suddenly the bridge explodes causing the van to flip over and kill the drivers. The guy being transported with you, 8-Ball, has made arrangements for this accident. He now draws you into the under belly of Liberty City. You are in effect playing a bad guy in a screwed up world. This approach in itself has never been done in a game as you are usually asked to play a good guy. After you get 8-Ball to his destination, you begin to get offers from Mafia and gang types to take on various tasks. These some 80 tasks range from deliveries to assassinations to simple favors. As your status in the city becomes more popular, more lucrative offers begin to show up. Along with this comes a number of plot twists to keep you on the edge of your seat. Controlling your character on foot and in the various vehicles is quite simple to do. Of course you will have to adjust to the type of vehicle you are in as driving a taxi is different from driving a bus. Our only complaint is with the combat controls which can be difficult at times to maneuver. This results in some frustrating moments and untimely deaths. The fighting controls are just awkward and should have been tweaked further before finalizing the game. Learn the combat mechanism and you can get past this quirk as the game as so much to offer in the overall scheme of things. As you complete each tasks you are awarded cash which can be used to purchase items like weapon upgrades and paint jobs you may need for stolen vehicles. The gameplay has so many intricate elements that when combined make the experience smooth sailing. You will be hard pressed to find any load times and as a result you find yourself playing hours on end without putting the controller down. Not only do you have to take on tasks that involve illegal activity but you also have to avoid the authorities. Drive too erratically or disobey traffic rules and you will find the police hot on your heels, complete with air support to take you down. If you get caught, you end up at the police station and are released after paying a fine from your earnings. Then it is back to work again. We enjoyed (not sure why) carjacking police cars and having the whole force chase us around the city. This is what you will find with GTA3, there is so much to do that has nothing to do with the main objectives. We wasted hours upon hours just driving around causing havoc and pulling off jump stunts which are awarded for distance and technique. Add to this the ability to take a taxi, police car, ambulance or fire truck and become a civil servant. In the taxi, things become reminiscent of Crazy Taxi as you must get fares to a location under a specified time limit. In the ambulance, take patients to the nearest hospital. Your reward for these actions is greenbacks. It is just staggering the detail in terms of gameplay that has gone into this game. For example, beat down a pedestrian and then go across the street and observe the aftermath. You will see people surrounding the victim and talking about the poor chap's demise, then you will see an ambulance arrive to take the victim away.

There is no doubt that GTA3 will invoke strong reactions from people and court controversy among politicians and parent groups. Understand from the beginning, that this game is not for children or immature teens, just in the same way that The Sopranos are not for these age groups either. Rockstar has gone ahead to prove that the gaming public has grown up and has a desire to play games that represent popular culture in the same way that movies, records, books and magazines do. Everybody likes the fast cars, hot women and the money and fame that comes with the easy life portrayed in gangster multimedia. GTA3 is the first giant step towards realizing this goal and giving the gamers who made this industry what it is today, what they desire.

Grand Theft Auto 3 is testament that adults do in fact play games. It is a place that many people would never want to go but now have the ability to role-play such scenarios. In fact, GTA3 and what is Liberty City manage to suck you into this underbelly to the point where you never want to leave. We have found it utterly difficult to put this one down and as a result we have a slew of games in the wings waiting to be played and reviewed. Grand Theft Auto 3 is a must have for your collection. Put this one on at a dinner party and watch your guests be amazed. Let us reiterate, this game is not for children but rather for mature audiences looking for a mature and enthralling gaming experience.