The best GTA game ever made

[simpsons number 1]

I think it is Vice City. I don't know why, i just thought it was better than San Andreas.

[billi vanilli]

yeah, i gotta agree with this guy. the music, environment, characters, even cars... everything just seemed a little more enjoyable in VC. i loved san andreas, but i just liked VC a little more.

but they're both great games.

[simpsons number 1]

Dont get me wrong, i loved san andreas as well but i though it had too many glitches to be a 'real game'.

was there any such thing as gold or silver.

feel free to add any ive missed if i have missed any.

[Adamm R)))]

GTA3 is the only one I liked. The PS1 games were just too basic, but GTA3 was fantastic for forgetting about the missions and just causing a huge riot, using all the cheats and getting tonnes of police after you. VC was good, but after the novelty wore off of bikes (pretty much the only difference), it just wasn't as fun as GTA3 because it was like you'd done it all before. I don't really like San Andreas for similar reasons to VC falling down and I've never played Liberty City Stories. But I suppose, I've never owned any of these games, I just played them frequently at a friends house and rarely did the missions, so who am I to judge.

[simpsons number 1]

anyone who has played it can have their say and judge on it, Adzzzzzzzzzz.

[Adamm R)))]

Well of course I can really, but I just meant I can't add stuff like plot and mission repetitiveness into my decision.

[Veryjammy]

The only one I've played thoroughly is San Andreas and I think it's very mixed. The missions are very repetitive, the lock-on is shit, and the games biggest draw, its dynamic gameworld, can also be its biggest failing. It is incredibly frustrating when you fail a mission because of something outside of your control, like a random pile-up; it robs the game of a decent difficulty curve and completing missions often seems more to do with luck than skill. The superficial RPG elements such as eating food and working out at the gym are incredibly boring. The gameworld is much too big and god forbid you get stuck in the middle of the sea or countryside on foot; you'll have a ten minute swim or walk ahead of you trying to find another car.

On the other hand it is genuinely fun just running around and causing havoc, driving anywhere, randomly slitting prostitutes throats *cough*. But it impresses me far more as a sandbox, go anywhere simulation of a real-life than in its actual game mechanics.

Oh and the radio stations are hilarious.

[Drew]

Vice City

[Tetsujin]

vice city fo life. with #2 in second only because I had so much fun with it (before GTA blew up with #3)

[Gunstar]

It had its issues, but San Andreas blew away its predecessors in every aspect except the soundtrack.

Dont get me wrong, i loved san andreas as well but i though it had too many glitches to be a 'real game'.

Vice City is easily the glitchiest of the 3D GTAs. Also, GTA Silver and Gold = lies.

[skittlebrau]

San Andreas is easily the most enjoyable and frustrating of the games.

But Vice City is better as far as missions, fun factor and the soundtrack go.

Both are equal in my eyes, but I'll go ahead and pick SA.

[garret]

San andreas, I still havent beaten it, but I enjoyed it most, I'm stuck on flight school.

[Greased Scotsman]

CUM ON FEEL THA NOIZE GIRLZ ROCK YA BOYZ WE GET WILD WILD WILD...

VC all the way. Best game EVER made, purely for the music (as I have said multiple times :D).

I actually found the seven-disc set on Amazon for £18. How jammy is that?

So take these broken wings, and learn to fly again, learn to live so free...

And it's not just the music. The voice acting is the best I've ever heard, the story is gripping and shocking, the missions are fantastic fun, and four letters: V, C, P, R.

PS. Crockett's Theme > all. (Emo 98.3)

[Magnum]

I blew all replay value in 3 looooooong ago
and to be honest the 80s were a little fruity

San Andreas all the way

[kevin]

3

san andreas a close second. i didn't care for vice city as much.

[That Jerk]

San Andreas tried too hard to push the envelope with swearing and violence. I also wasn't feeling the RPG elements of it. Vice City FTW.

[H Thompson]

I think I'm one of the few that didn't quite like the whole vice city vibe and feel, it's hard to explain what I mean exactly though. And San Andreas just had a much bigger world to be drawn into. Vice City just had a very basic plot to tie the missions together and a lot of the characters they thought were funny weren't funny to me.
In San Andreas I actually had some intrest in what was happening.
And of course San Andreas has much more variety so it easily wins for me.
I would say the talk radio was a little funnier in vice city, but it had terrible music though.

[kupomog]

Vice City is my personal favorite in terms of the look of the cars, the soundtrack, the atmosphere...

3 had better characters/bosses and missions than VC though, and the layout of Liberty City was more interesting. Vice City was too flat. The soundtrack was pretty good, too for mostly fake music on the stations that I loved.

But...San Andreas pretty much took everything I disliked gameplay-wise and made it much better. The hand-to-hand combat, the aiming (which was still not the best but WAY better than the other games), general "platforming" around the city (swimming, bitches), and even driving was a little bit better despite having to build your skill at first. I went back to play 3 and VC after SA once and I just couldn't stand the controls at first (and the trails). I felt like I was driving around with zero driving skill acquired and combat was just sad. But of course, after adjusting back to those games again, I was able to fully enjoy them, no question. The characters were funny as hell, too. Catalina...annoying as shit but still friggin' hilarious.

But SA, while still really far from perfect, just had so much for me to do. The cities were huge as hell and I'm surprised at the amount of detail everything had. I'm not talking about details in the graphics like "OMFG you can see his shadow reflecting off the wall and his hair strands blow in the wind FTW!" but the surroundings. Just walking around the city and looking at how the buildings are laid out, what stairs you can climb, what all the signs say. That stuff was in the previous games but this time it's on a much larger scale and it's still just as good.

Only problems I really had were that the final missions in Los Santos were the same boring gang war shit over and over (I hate Sweet, he's a shithead). And I wish they programmed more missions for San Fierro and Las Venturas.

[Kuje]

GTA3 was fucking revolutionary.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

http://images.5star-network.com/screenshots/large/g/t/gta2.jpg
only acceptable answer. everyone else is wrong. all of you.

[DAntae]

san andreas just had so much going on. vice city has the more enjoyable environment. vice city but slightly.

[Tetsujin]

http://images.5star-network.com/screenshots/large/g/t/gta2.jpg
only acceptable answer. everyone else is wrong. all of you.


yes! #2 was hella fun. I sometimes switch III to that view just so I can get the same vibe.

[phil]

i only really know San Andreas but I really enjoyed it, took me a few weeks to beat which I liked because I beat something like Call of Duty 2 fairly quickly.

since i've beaten the game i just ride around in a tank or the fighter jet causing mayhem or jumping off mount chiliad.

my only problems with the game was aiming with some of the guns and the storyline gets really convoluted.

[Haoie]

VC, but mostly because of the 80s music, and the fact that SA is quite slow on my PC.

[Spartan]

surprisingly, 2 has the most replay value to me. my personal favorite is III

[H Thompson]

*Picture of GTA2 I've deleted because it'll get annoying to keep scrolling past*

only acceptable answer. everyone else is wrong. all of you.

Well I'm not wrong about how I like San Andreas more than Vice City.
And I never played 2. But thinking about it I might actually have played 1 the most. But the fact that you can't save except after completing the first level of each city made it suck quite a bit though.

[Son of Bomber]

Gotta be Vice. San Andreas was better in a technical sense, but it didn't have the feel of Vice. After playing it the 80's seemed like the greatest decade ever. And San Andreas was so anti-drugs which was disappointing. I know it was part of the story, but CJ was such a pussy for not blazing with Smoke and Ryder.

[simpsons number 1]

Also, GTA Silver and Gold = lies.

I thought the little bastard was a shit stirer. When i get my hands on him...

[HellKat666]

I'm going to have to go with Vice City. I loved the 80's atmosphere and it nearly improved on everything in GTA3 (which was a damn good game in its own right). The city was laid out nicely and it didn't take too long to get from place to another. The missions were fun and could be quite challenging at times (for example, the missions at the Malibu Club). The only problem I had was that the story (and, in a sense, the missions) lacked the coherency of GTA3. GTA3's missions just seemed to flow together more, while Vice City sometimes felt disjointed.

San Andreas, while it has much more replay value than the other two, is just too big. Getting around can be frustrating since the map is so large. I haven't even finished the main part of the game yet. Flight School is just so irritating, and really should have been optional. Also, there's quite a bit of useless stuff in the game. Girlfriends add nothing to the game. Neither does the ability to purchase clothing. I'd rather have Vice City's pre-made unlockable outfits than having to run around town finding clothes that look good. Finally, does anyone else have a problem with the huge orange glare on your screen when you're driving around? I appreciate the realism, but come on.

[Veryjammy]

Did anyone have trouble with the dancing game on the beach in San Andreas? I thought it was really easy and did it first go but I've heard that a lot of people hit a brick wall there and just couldn't do it. I presume they have no rhythm and are tone deaf.

[Jolly Bengali]

Did someone just say a game being anti-drug was a bad thing? We're not talking about pot here, we're talking about serious drug dealing... it was a really refreshing aspect of San Andreas that you were oftentimes going after the people who were ruining your town.

I'd say 3 was the most enjoyable one for me... Vice City is a distant third, I never really felt a sense of connection. San Andreas is easily the best "game", just never felt as personally connected with it as I did with the really tight, focused story of GTA3... there was such a sense of discovery and fun in 3 that I can forgive all its shortcomings relative to the later SA updates. Plus, as Luke said, the innovation earns it major points. San Andreas was loads of fun though. Vice City was basically porn, and while I enjoyed it gameplay-wise the story was so over-the-top, as was everything else about the game, that it made me feel somewhat degraded to play it sometimes. Plus the gangs were truly terrible in terms of clear delineations, something neither of the other 2 games had a problem with.

[Wonderboy]

I'd have to say a straight up tie between GTA3, Vice City, and San Andreas. I really can't decide. Each game just brought so much to the table.

[skittlebrau]

Did anyone have trouble with the dancing game on the beach in San Andreas? I thought it was really easy and did it first go but I've heard that a lot of people hit a brick wall there and just couldn't do it. I presume they have no rhythm and are tone deaf.
Dancing is ridiculously easy. I love to go into the dance clubs and see if I can improve my skills. Can't see how anyone couldn't dance...

My only problem with a similar game as dancing is the lowrider car hop. Again, ridiculously easy to do, but I hate hopping diagonally because it never registers right and I lose points and that pisses me off, even though I know I pressed diagonal correctly. I usually win, but that stupid diagonal hop gives me a loss every now and then. Grrr.

[H Thompson]

Vice City was basically porn.

Can you expand on this a little.

[simpsons number 1]

Liberty City Stories is basically GTA III, from what i've seen and played of it.

[Jolly Bengali]

Can you expand on this a little.

The story felt very flimsy, basically as a means to an end in terms of throwing as much possible violence and sex on-screen as possible. The porno missions, the porno posters everywhere, the strip club, etc., etc... plus all of the carnage, and the general attitude of the game. This stuff was in the other games too, to some extent, but it wasn't thrown in your face as much. It was more of an option if you wanted it, which was something I could avoid, rather than something permeating a good chunk of the missions. It's just amped-up to a degree where it loses all class. I realize it's tongue-in-cheek, and it's sending up an era, but still ... I'm not one of those people who can separate what I'm doing within the morality of a video game entirely from real-life morality, and the way of doing things in Vice City bothered me.

This was lessened in GTA3 because you have a main character who is essentially a lackey, and you're basically taking out criminals and witnesses, this is in the comfortable area of Mafia morality. In San Andreas, you have a main character who you sympathize with and you're fighting for an overall good cause. In Vice City... just didn't feel that sense of purpose. Just felt like I had to make a shitload of money doing whatever sleazy shit I could. It's difficult to articulate, but there's something about Vice City that is innately slimy in a way that the two other games are not. As if in GTA3 you were the mischievous little anarchist, whereas in Vice City you were playing as the fat bully from 4th grade. I can give another go at this if you want, but I hope I'm getting my general point across.

[sikkbones]

vice city.. i think it's because i'm italian, do coke, and listen to 80's rock.

[Son of Bomber]

I'm not one of those people who can separate what I'm doing within the morality of a video game entirely from real-life morality, and the way of doing things in Vice City bothered me.



Was it just the omnipresence of porn that made you uncomfortable? I would've thought the constant slaughter of innocent bystanders (in every GTA game) would be more upsetting. Funny how sex is still largely a no-go area for a lot of gamers but endless destruction is acceptable.

[EspanolBot]

Best music - VC
Best overall game - SA

[skittlebrau]

Totally off topic, but EspanolBot's sig reminded me of this:

http://content.ytmnd.com/content/7/6/76a6d9649cf5c00af27c4a53cab1c793.jpg

[Lounge Fly]

vice city kills sa on all levels..sa is criminally overated...pardon the puns

[sikkbones]

vice city kills sa on all levels..sa is criminally overated...pardon the puns

wouldja prefer yer first vehicle be a car or a bicycle before you can complete the next mission?

personally i like being able to check out the scenery before i go on a mission... esp when i have to wheel around like a toddler on a bike...

[H Thompson]

. I can give another go at this if you want, but I hope I'm getting my general point across. No that's fine, I think I agree with you.

[Toli]

San Andreas is my favorite. It's the one I really go into and couldn't stop playing until I finished it.

[Your_Hero]

does VC or SA still have Jah Radio?

if not then GTA3 for me

[skittlebrau]

K-Jah West can be heard in San Andreas and is the west coast affiliate of K-Jah in Liberty City. Vice City doesn't have a reggae station.

Click (http://music.ign.com/articles/574/574559p1.html)

[Your_Hero]

the SA wins hands down for me, even though i havnt played it :P

[JimmytheGeek]

GTA 3 for me. SA is easily the most frustrating game I'v ever played, plus I hate the whole rap gangsta culture. SA was good, but didn't do much to expand on 3. 3 also was more about the mafia than the other 2.

[The General]

San Andreas FTW

[phil]

Glory Hole!
Where strangers become friends!
Glory Hole!
You don't need to know names!

[Jeff]

i loved san andreas but i think gta3 was just a once in a liftime gaming experience. i remember just being blown away when i first popped it into my ps2 and played it for restless nights.

[simpsons number 1]

I thought San Andreas had lots of thing wrong with it, mine didnt open the parachute properly, and i always fell through the floor. I didnt get that with Vice City, and I respect that. Has anyone completed it 100%. I have. I trying Vice City now!

does VC or SA still have Jah Radio?

if not then GTA3 for me

San Andreas has K-Jah West, same thing really.

[Lounge Fly]

I thought San Andreas had lots of thing wrong with it, mine didnt open the parachute properly, and i always fell through the floor. I didnt get that with Vice City, and I respect that. Has anyone completed it 100%. I have. I trying Vice City now!



San Andreas has K-Jah West, same thing really.

i beat vice city, i got san andreas but im not captivated by it

[Thrillhouse24]

Vice City for its music and storyline but san andreas really improved alot of stuff.

[skittlebrau]

"C'mon, guys. Group hug!"
"I'm an emotionally abused orphan. Can't I get in on any of these group hugs?"
"No, you stupid bitch!"

[Little Kid Lover]

I've played Vice City and San Andreas but never GTA3. Would it be worth it to play GTA3 or is it better to just stick with a new one and not go back?

[kupomog]

Go back. Play GTA3. It won't be disappointing, Liberty City has a completely different feel to Vice City and San Andreas, and the storyline + characters are a treat. It's a nice experience, no matter what order you play it in.

[H Thompson]

I'm planning to get '3' since I've seen it for a quite amazingly low £2.50, I just hope their not sold out of it by the time I go to get it.

[simpsons number 1]

£2.50. hat a deal!!! The character you play doesn't speak, he just nods.

[George]

GTAIII for me.

[Little Kid Lover]

If I buy just one, which one should I buy?

[kevin]

3. especially if you've never played any of them. trust me. you'll be buying the other two shortly after.

[bleedinggums2009]

I'm going with San Andreas due to the fact that it's newer and more is avaliable. There are a lot of extras avaliable to due in your spare time.

[Simpsons is da Best]

No one voted for Liberty City Stories. What a surprise. I'll go for Vice City mainly for the music!

[disco neon]

i have only ver played san andreas and i have completed it :nerd:

Hence its the best

[Kuje]

Nice logic.

[H Thompson]

How can people be voting vice city for the music, I mean hello GTA 3 has a classical station.

[Kuje]

I don't think I've ever had a sweeter feeling than cruising in a Mafia Sentinel listening to Double Cleff FM.

[Simpsons is da Best]

I can't stand classical music.

[skittlebrau]

Fantastic post. Just marvelous.

[Bart2009]

The best GTA game ever is San Andreas. This game is one of my favorite of all time.

[Greased Scotsman]

How can people be voting vice city for the music, I mean hello GTA 3 has a classical station.There is a distinct difference between classic as in masterpieces from hundreds of years ago and classic as in anthems from twenty years ago. I just happen to like the latter more.

The only thing I ain't looking forward to when I get Liberty City Stories on PS2 next month is that it has the GTA III-style radio stations, i.e. pop music that we've never heard of.

[sikkbones]

anyone know if the liberty citys PS2 version is going to be a greatest hit's priced game or a full price game?

[h0mer]

I accidently voted for Liberty City, but I think the real best is Vice City.

[Miguel S]

Is Liberty City Stories coming to PS2?

[kupomog]

Yes.

[Generic]

In terms of size, features etc, I'll have to give the nod to San Andreas. But as others have said, I haven't quite "connected" with it the same way as GTA3, perhaps because GTA3 blew me away when I first got it whereas the others, while impressing me thoroughly, were expanding on something I'd already seen.

[Miguel S]

I might have to buy it if it is on PS2.

Does anyone else think it is quiet sick and funny when you beat someone up with a dildo on San Andreas?

[Jolly Bengali]

Stuff like that seems to me like what filled "Vice City"... it's by far the sort of thing I enjoy least in the series

[sikkbones]

Is Liberty City Stories coming to PS2?
apperently.

[H Thompson]

apperently.

What a useful post.

[Greased Scotsman]

LCS PS2 info:

It's being release in the US in late April (rumours say the 17th) at a cost of $29.99. When it'll be out in the UK in anybody's guess, although Amazon says May 1.

[mickg2928]

I loved San Andreas. I have Liberty City Stories also and i think thats horrible. Were the Creaters to lazy to make another area so they had to use the same one as GTA 3?!?!?

[Greased Scotsman]

LCS PS2 update:

The release date has been pushed back to June 6, or June 9 for Europe. It will cost only $20.