-=-The Story-=-

One quiet afternoon, the main character is being shipped off the prison, due to his previous crimes that were committed. But due to a stroke of luck, and a timed attack on the police vehicle that you are in, an escape is made. And from there, you begin making the story… You start out by hijacking a car and taking your cellmate-to-be, ‘8-ball’, to one of his friends. After that, his friend begins giving you assorted jobs to complete, which you get paid upon completion.

The story takes place in a city known as ‘Liberty City’, a corrupted place ruled by gangs and mobs, where a life of crime can either make you very rich, or very dead. You take the role of a ‘driver’’, for the most part… Sometimes acting as the getaway driver, sometimes sabotaging certain rival gang supplies, and sometimes just a simple assassination, all for the right price. And what can one do with this hard-earned money? Well, that’s easy… First of all, you can buy weaponry that is used to destroy cops, bad guys, or just general people you cross on the street. Failing that, you can always make an investment in your safety, as being busted by the cops or healed by the hospital takes a decent sum of money away. But the choices are nearly endless…

-=-Graphics-=-

While not quite as flashy as other PS2 titles, such as Metal Gear Solid 2, or Final Fantasy X, Grand Theft Auto 3 gets the job done. The real beauty is within the layout of the city… There are gas stations and fire stations, grocery stores and gun shops… All with a nice amount of detail contained therein. But why stop there? The bridges, trees, people, and gunshots are remarkably clean looking, and it doesn’t detract from the general entertainment factor of the game.

-=-Sound-=-

What? Music? There is none! At least, not until you get into a vehicle, which allows you to witness the nice bands that have been included on the radio. And along with the radio, comes the different radio stations, which include rap, rock, techno, and even a hilarious talk show station, which still sends me into bouts of laughter just thinking about it. Outside of the background music, though, is the sound effects and the voices. Every person has a voice, although the only unique voices are from those occurring within jobs, or attached onto those wonderful folks hiring your character. But every person you walk by on the street has something (usually funny…) to say. And outside of that, are the bullets, the footsteps, and the sound of cars exploding. All, which I might as well point out, are nicely done.

-=-Control-=-

One button goes forward. Another for reverse. A certain button locks on, another shoots. Honk horn. Really, this game is rather simplistic when it comes to control, and that makes it that much better when you cruise around the game with no hitch in the control department.

-=-Overall-=-

There are those who think that this is one of the best games of all time, and I do believe that they may be right in their assumptions. With multiple things to do, this game takes a massive amount of playing just to stop your addiction to it, much less get boring. This title belongs in a hall of fame, both for the interesting display of gameplay, along with the gripping story and addicting action. This is a game that your grandchildren will play, and not laugh at you for it.