{"id":295497,"date":"2021-11-13T11:00:43","date_gmt":"2021-11-13T17:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jbsgame.com\/?p=295497"},"modified":"2021-11-13T20:22:42","modified_gmt":"2021-11-14T02:22:42","slug":"review-in-progress-grand-theft-auto-the-trilogy-the-definitive-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jbsgame.com\/review-in-progress-grand-theft-auto-the-trilogy-the-definitive-edition\/","title":{"rendered":"Review in Progress: Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition"},"content":{"rendered":"
Before I jump into each individual game, let’s discuss the high-res textured elephant in the room that is this collection’s visuals. If, by some miracle, you aren’t aware yet, basically, the graphical fidelity of the Definitive Edition<\/em> for these three games is all over the place in terms of quality.<\/p> At their worst, developer Grove Street Games either re-used original textures or attempted to recreate the asset entirely to very mixed results. We’re talking utterly botched character models<\/a> for certain characters (that arguably look worse now than their original models), bizarre spelling errors<\/a> in various signs, and downright distracting rain effects<\/a> across all three games.<\/p> <\/p> Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy \u2013 The Definitive Edition<\/em> (PS5 [reviewed] PS4, Xbox Series X\/S Xbox One, Switch, PC)<\/strong> At their best, many of the updated environments look pretty solid (at least from what I’ve seen so far). The bright neon signs in Vice City<\/em> look stunning in 4K HDR, and they’ve also added some cool effects like parallax interiors<\/a> for a lot of the windows and storefronts across all three games.<\/p> For the most part, the updated visuals make revisiting these iconic locations an absolute trip. Once I actually got knee-deep into playing each of these games again, I began to realize that \u2013 outside of the visuals \u2013 the all-around gameplay enhancements are pretty trivial for the most part. So, with the graphical talk (mostly) out of the way, let me recap my experiences with each of these games so far.<\/p> <\/p> I adore Grand Theft Auto III<\/em>. I have so many fond memories of spawning a tank, going on a rampage, making the gun on it fire backward to propel even faster (or even literally fly off ramps while doing so). However, outside of the rampages and cheat codes, following the basic mission structure and story alongside the other games in this collection, it really becomes evident just how basic Grand Theft Auto III<\/em> feels by comparison.<\/p> I love Tommy Vercetti and CJ, but I’ve always viewed Claude Speed as just some mute dude who took Catalina off CJ’s hands and ultimately paid the price for it. Admittedly, even the supporting cast of characters range from somewhat interesting (like Toni Cipriani and his mom constantly yelling at him in the background during cutscenes) to downright trope-filled – like a lot of the other mission givers you encounter.<\/p> <\/p> I’d also consider Grand Theft Auto III<\/em> the most challenging game in the collection in terms of missions because so many of them involve timers, and the controls \u2013 for the most part \u2013 are still very rigid and janky all around. If you were expecting some crazy overhaul to the combat, then you’re going to be disappointed. Combat is still pretty much the same run-around-and-lock-on affair that it was in the original, and it can be incredibly rough and unforgiving at times.<\/p> In terms of improvements, the updated weapon wheel now slows down time when switching weapons, which is an absolute godsend, but you should still fully expect the Triad to blow up your car the moment you enter Chinatown. Thankfully, the inclusion of a proper in-game map (waypoint markers and all) can help you avoid that. It’ll also make finding those pesky bridges during later time-based missions that have you going across them far less stressful, thanks to GPS routes like in Grand Theft Auto IV<\/em> and V<\/em>.<\/p> <\/p> Vice City<\/em> is easily my favorite GTA<\/em> game from the original PS2 trilogy. This game was pretty much my introduction to the ’80s growing up (a decade I wasn’t even born in). Despite that, though, I still fell in love with the radio mix. Hall & Oates, Megadeth, A Flock of Seagulls, Vice City<\/em> was my introduction to nearly all of this music.<\/p> So, if you’re like me, the first question that was on your mind when this collection was announced was whether or not Rockstar renewed the license to bring back the complete soundtrack for these games. Sadly, they didn’t (and possibly couldn’t, no matter how much money they tossed at them). This is purely speculation, but it wouldn’t surprise me if some of these artists just don’t want their music associated with Grand Theft Auto<\/em> anymore. So that means no “Billie Jean” \u2013 which is absolutely criminal (and not in a smooth way).<\/p> <\/p> Do you know what’s even more<\/em> criminal, though? Tommy Vercetti (and I don’t even mean literally). I’m specifically referring to how he looks now. It’s one thing to botch random NPCs or side characters, but it’s a whole other thing to mess up the look of the actual protagonist. Obviously, this is a subjective take, and some folks may not care at all, but I just can’t get over the updated model for Tommy. He looks weirdly younger and more like a bloated Ken doll now.<\/p> Outside of the visual and audio hiccups, Vice City <\/em>remains a more action-packed GTA III<\/em> in terms of missions. It has bigger set pieces (and thus more people shooting at you), and a fair bit of them are set within interior areas now, which – when combined with the still clunky lock-on shooting system – makes for some downright frustrating moments. Thankfully, the Definitive Edition<\/em> iterations of these games also introduced the ability to restart failed missions without the need to drive all the way back to the mission marker. I’d argue that this new feature is probably the best quality-of-life update across the entire collection.<\/p> However, when this collection was initially announced, outside of the soundtrack stuff, I had one other question on my mind…<\/p> <\/p> Outside of the possibility of a restored soundtrack, I only had one other question on my mind when this collection was announced: What if they added Bigfoot!?<\/a> Unfortunately, before I could even access the areas required for my investigation, I nearly forgot these earlier GTA<\/em> games gated off the other parts of the game behind story progression. So, I had to spend a whole evening doing nothing but story missions in Los Santos before I got access to the entire countryside required for this investigation.<\/p> Hell, I even followed the damn train on my first attempt without any issues. I’m not sure whether that was pure luck, skill, or maybe Grove Street Games legitimately tweaked some missions across this collection to make them more manageable. Thankfully, with the help of save abusing and horse betting, I secured myself a small fortune as well. More than enough to purchase as much firepower and body armor I needed to pretty much breeze through most missions, and witness CJ’s face become a horrifying pixel monstrosity during a cutscene.<\/p> <\/p> There were three rumored areas Bigfoot would supposedly appear: Back O’ Beyond, Mount Chiliad, or the Shady Cabin. So, after putting on The X-Files<\/em><\/a> theme to set the mood just right, I began my search in the deep woods of the Back O’Beyond to truly see if some bored developers decided to make one of the most iconic San Andreas<\/em> myths a reality (I don’t count the one in GTA V <\/em>because that was just a dude in a costume).<\/p>
Developer: Grove Street Games, Rockstar North<\/strong>
Publisher: Rockstar Games<\/strong>
Released: November 11, 2021<\/strong>
MSRP: $59.99<\/strong><\/p> Grand Theft Auto III<\/span><\/em><\/h3>
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City<\/span><\/em><\/h3>
Dan’s DEFINITIVE Bigfoot Hunting Escapades in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
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