This year brought Rockstar into the 10th anniversary of their first 3D Grand Theft Auto game; the game that some say defined Rockstar and elevated them to their superstar status. In celebration of that momentous year, they’ve re-released their huge hit on iOS devices (Editor’s note: 10 years ago, can you imagine thinking you’d be playing GTAIII on your phone?).
If you’ve played GTA III before, you’ll notice that the look and feel are almost identical to the original release, but that isn’t necessarily a good thing. The story is still as great as it was ten years ago and gameplay remains the same, but the sound quality seems like it’s been directly ripped from the original game and is quite poor compared to modern standards, with the exception of the radio stations sounding superb. Graphically, the game is virtually identical to its console counterparts, which is slightly disappointing considering modern day iOS games look far superior to the last generation of home consoles. It doesn’t look terrible; I just think it could’ve greatly benefited from a high resolution update to spruce it up a little.
Looks just like the 2001 original!
Being the first official 3rd person Rockstar game on iOS doesn’t mean it has no competition. Many games tried to get a ride from some of the success of the GTA franchise by making similar clones to emulate the GTA experience, like Gangstar by Gameloft. Compare this with other similar games and you’ll start to see striking similarities but also subtle differences. It’s quite clear that Grand Theft Auto III is a port and not tailor made for iOS devices unlike other similar games that are. This doesn’t ruin the gameplay, or the game as a whole, but if you’ve played any other good iOS games like this, you’ll notice that the experience isn’t as smooth as it could be.
That being said, the large open world renders perfectly in real time and everything works together well. The trains run great, the police are unnecessarily reckless, civilians are nonchalant and apart from spots where it seems like there is a lack of people, Liberty City seems like a living, breathing place. It really is something to admire at times, and without this game, we might not have the advancement of 3rd person sandbox games we have today. This game is meant to be a celebration of a gaming milestone, and it’s definitely a fitting tribute.
Overall, the Grand Theft Auto III 10 year anniversary edition on iOS devices stays true to the original experience, but some parts of the experience that were breathtaking at the time seem quite dated now. If you’ve played GTA III and want to relive those days of Liberty City, this is a great nostalgia trip. But if you’re unfamiliar with this title and used to high quality open-world games it might seem a bit underwhelming. It’s a solid title that could’ve done itself justice with a bit more of an update to keep up with the times.
Other sites you might also enjoy:
Loading tweets...
