Revisiting a Classic: Grand Theft Auto

By Yoyo

Grand Theft Auto has existed since 1997 (I wasn't alive yet) and as a franchise, they've had their ups and downs. Spanning from parental controversy, being too violent or having too much sexual content. 2001 is where Grand Theft Auto really took off and became the game that we all know and love today.

Grand Theft Auto III was named the best selling game in 2001, with over 17 million copies on the PlayStation 2, Windows and Xbox. GTA 3 redefined what it meant for a game to be an open world sandbox. Instead of following your cookie cutter linear layout, GTA 3 gave you the option to abandon your missions and go on your own way.

I didn't play much of the story of GTA 3, considering I was in diapers when it released. A lot of my time was spent driving around, blowing people up, shooting at cops or meeting women on the streets. There's a strange fondness to that type of game, being able to do whatever and go wherever. I'm a die hard believer that PlayStation 2 is one of the best and most versatile consoles to ever be released (along with the GameCube).

I sunk a lot of time into GTA: San Andreas. It has a lot of charm to it but taking off my rose colored glasses, I don't think it held up as well as most titles. Now it has nothing to do with the story or the characters, but rather the ability to play it. I've mentioned this in one of my other posts but Rockstar has probably some of the worst ports in all of gaming, and I'm not being dramatic. If you don't have a copy of San Andreas on the PS2, you might as well kiss your chances of playing it good bye.

Before GTA 6, I wanted to dive into each game. Starting with GTA 3 and ending with a final playthrough of GTA 5. Yeah...that dream was crushed almost immediately when I couldn't GTA 4 to work. I have an old laptop but in what world is my 3060 not able to run GTA 4...it came out in 2008 for the PS3.

I have nothing but love for the GTA franchise and when I get to properly revisit them, I know that love will continue to grow. For now, I'll look back at all the hours I've spent listening to the radio, driving around fake Portland, Miami, LA, shooting at the police and most importantly, just having a amazing time in Grand Theft Auto.

If GTA 6 is your first or second GTA game, enjoy it. You're arguably playing the best and most definitive version of a GTA game. If not, well, still have a great time. I'll see you all in Vice City.

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