..Grand Theft Auto III: 10 Year Anniversary Edition..

REVIEW |

When Grand Theft Auto III released for the PlayStation 2 all the way back in 2001, it was a groundbreaking video game. The sheer size of the map, intensity of missions, and flat out fun factor all made it a must-have, no matter how much our parents hated it. Now, you can hijack cars anywhere you are, since it's available on iOS and Android.

GTA III follows the story of our silent, unnamed protagonist as he rises through the criminal underground of Liberty City. He was betrayed by his girlfriend during a robbery gone wrong and works his way to finding her once more for confrontational closure. To get to her, he will end up taking orders from a variety of mob and gang bosses, corrupt cops, and run-of-the-mill criminals. Unfortunately, the story and plot of the game is not as strong as the sequels. This experience is mostly gunning, stealing cars, and escort missions, which at the time of release for the original was revolutionary, but now it just seems underwhelming. 

Graphics and audio in Grand Theft Auto III: 10 Year Anniversary Edition are the same from the 2001 PS2 version. Although visuals look dated, they actually aren't too bad on the small screen of an iPhone. I experienced no lag or slowdown during the course of the game; everything ran smoothly and with great ease. Along with decent graphics, sound quality and voice acting are still strong, helping to immerse you in Liberty City. The huge amount of radio stations and music available is still stunning and a huge bonus.

Unfortunately, GTA III's gameplay is a bit frustrating. Still, foot travel around the city works well, and the button layout allows for easy access to all your basic functions without hindering view of the screen. My biggest issue was with control of vehicles. Driving was already frustrating with joysticks, so imagine how difficult it is with only having a left or right arrow to navigate with. Gun mechanics are just as iffy. Since playing on a smaller screen with no physical controls is hard, combat has been simplified with auto-aiming. This is both a blessing and a curse. If you are being attacked, you don't have to wildly aim around the screen to find your target; however, good luck actually targeting the enemy you're trying to eliminate, seeing as the auto-aim goes for whoever is nearest to you. This could wreak havoc on prioritizing.

Grand Theft Auto III: 10 Year Anniversary Edition for iOS / Android feels like going to a 20 year high school reunion: you're happy to see familiar faces, but some things aren't as amazing as you remember them. It still offers you hours upon hours of fun and exploration, and you are definitely getting your money's worth (contentwise), but a combination of wonky controls and lack of story detracts from the experience as a whole.

GameDynamo's Score for Grand Theft Auto III: 10 Year Anniversary Edition (Mobile)

Truman Alfaro   Followtrumanalfaro After beating The Legend of Zelda before he could walk, Truman moved onto bigger and better things, like critiquing video games on the internet and creating cat memes.

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