GTA III is the first game of its kind, completely re-inventing the series with a freedom not seen in many other games.
User Rating: 9 | Grand Theft Auto III PC
Grand Theft Auto III is the first game of its kind, completely re-inventing the series, and although there may be many imitators in the future, there's a good chance that there will never be anything quite like it again. GTA 3 follows the story of an insignificant hood (the player), who, after being betrayed by the girl he loves in a robbery gone bad, moves up the ranks of the crime world by performing various missions for Liberty City's numerous gang leaders. These missions, of which they are over 70, drive the main story forward. And although some are only unlocked after finishing others, there is a great degree of flexibility of when and in what order the player wants to finish those missions. The main gameplay involves driving, a lot of it, and most missions involve use of a vehicle, from which there are many to choose. When the player begins driving a car which he in most cases either hijacks at gunpoint or steals from a parking lot, what is most striking is just how vast the environment is. Liberty City is virtually teeming with life: pedestrians walk the streets, gangs inhabit the corners, police cruisers are on patrol, and each neighborhood has its own unique and memorable feel. While its all overwhelming at first, the player eventually memorizes the lay of the land and is as comfortable driving around each neighborhood as if it was his own. And although there is a limit to the size of the city, nothing becomes repetitious or boring, because each mission brings a new context to an area, and most of the time, points out something the player might not have noticed before. Although the graphics are not revolutionary, they work to sufficiently recreate the look and feel of a real city, and real vehicles. The character animations are sometimes rudimentary, but once again they don't detract too much from the gameplay. The weather effects are particularly nice, and the difference between sunshine, fog, and rain add even more variety to the game. The sound adds more depth to the game, pedestrians make comments when they are passed on the street, and there are a number of radio stations available while driving that are almost always hilarious. You can tell a lot went into finding great voice talent and writers for the radio. And judging by the big names who make up the voice talent for the main characters, a lot of money went into that aspect of the game as well, with voiceovers by Robert Loggia, Joe Pantoliano, Kyle MacLachlan, and Michael Madsen. The save system leaves something to be desired, however. It would be nice to restart a mission directly at the mission start rather than being required to travel back to that mission's start point. Even better would be a quicksave feature within a mission. The repetition of certain hard missions and the points leading up to them can be frustrating. The health system, consisting of life and shielding, is pretty straightforward. Free health powerups are available in select locations and outside hospitals. Shielding can be purchased from gun shops scattered through the city. There are many extracurricular activities available outside of the main missions and each have rewards which may help in completing the harder main missions. There are taxi, ambulance, and fire truck missions if feeling charitable, vigilante missions for meting out swift justice, timed gang killing sprees, off-road rallies, and hidden packages scattered through the city. The more of these miscellaneous missions completed, the more rewards for the character. All in all there is plenty to do in Liberty City, an immersive enough world in which you won't mind spending well over 20 hours exploring. The key is that you can choose to do pretty much anything you want to do in the city, and it all will most likely be a blast. 
