Lono's Got A Steam Backlog: Grand Theft Auto 3

DudeistBelieve

TellEmSteveDave.com
Sep 9, 2010
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My name is Nick "@UncleLono" Rehfeldt and like most PC gamers I have a steam backlog. I've resound to play & beat them all and chronicle it in a series of reviews. Today we are looking at Grand Theft Auto 3.

We all know by now the pedigree of Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto series, so I'll save you the introduction about how revolutionary Grand Theft Auto 3 was when it came out 16 years ago. This review isn't about that, or it's historical value, far from it. We're here to answer a simple question, is the game worth playing in 2017? Is it worth the full price of 9.99 on Steam?

If you had asked me when I first stepped out on to the bridge in Liberty City, Portland, hearing 8 Ball's line about how he couldn't drive because his hands were all messed up, that would've been an easy yes. Having only prior played this on Playstation 2, playing on PC with a mouse and keyboard made it feel almost like a completely different game. Gone is the need to lock on to enemies with a button inaccurately, and in it's place is precise mouse control and the ability to strafe.

It plays like a proper 3rd person shooter. Missions early on that had frustrated me I was now easily dominating. I could down right say I was enjoying myself as I blazed through the first island's missions and moved on 2nd, Staunton Island (the games version of Manhattan)

But it's at this point the good nostalgia vibes end and the glaring wart of this being the first "modern" Grand Theft Auto game comes into play. The developers didn't have a grasp on how to ramp up the difficulty.

By late in game the missions turn from fun 3rd person shooting segments to race against the clock challenges with 5-6 star wanted levels... and while yes, we all remember how fun it was trying to escape the suicidal police smashing into your car until it goes aflame, it stops the game from being about skill and throws it up to sheer luck.

And I can hear the hardcore crowd screeching off that wail that I should gitgud, however I'm an old man at this point. I'm playing games for fun, and when the bullshit to fun ratio gets out of whack thats when I start thinking about better games I could be playing, and trust me, as I slogged from the save point back to the mission point after each failure I was wishing for the greener pastures of Vice City and San Andreas.

By the way, the far biggest sin in this game and the thing that ultimately broke me was the final mission that proceeds to completely stack the deck against you by taking your weapons away. It was here I broke and finally made use of cheats, and the game wasn't fun anymore. It was something to be completed.

ultimately, however, I can't deny that fun was had playing Grand Theft Auto III but nothing that warrants the full price of entry even with the added nostalgia. Buy it on sale or not at all.

(Edit- http://www.theoatsodafactory.com/game-reviews/2017/7/31/uncle-lono-reviews-grand-theft-auto-3 )
 

DudeistBelieve

TellEmSteveDave.com
Sep 9, 2010
4,771
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Link in need of editing
Exclude that right parenthesis to be golden

Best of luck clearing that backlog of yours