All Articles: Grand Theft Auto III

World Video Game Hall of Fame Class of 2016 announced: Legend of Zelda, GTA3, Sonic, Space Invaders, Oregon Trail, The Sims

Posted on May 5, 2016 by John Scalzo

worldvideogamehalloffame

The votes have been tallied and the results are in, the Strong Museum is ready to announce the induction committee’s selections for the World Video Game Hall of Fame Class of 2016.

This year’s shortlist includes many well-known names, but only six were able to secure the support of the committee, which weighed each title on its ability to appeal to an international cross-section of players, longevity in the eyes of the public, iconic status, and influence on the industry as a whole.

After much thought and deliberation, the committee chose to honor the following games with induction into the the World Video Game Hall of Fame:

  • Grand Theft Auto III, Rockstar’s operatic open world crime saga.
  • The Legend of Zelda, Link’s inaugural adventure and one of the first open world RPGs.
  • The Oregon Trail, a revolutionary educational game that also taught a whole generation of kids about dysentery and cholera.
  • The Sims, Will Wright’s “virtual dollhouse” is one of the most popular PC games of all time.
  • Sonic the Hedgehog, Sega’s blue blur starred in several classic side-scrollers and served as a foil to Mario in the 90s.
  • Space Invaders, the originator of the iconic “Invader” design and one of the first space shooters.

The World Video Game Hall of Fame was established in 2015, and this year’s class will stand alongside last year’s class, Tetris, Super Mario Bros., Pong, Doom, World of Warcraft, and Pac-Man, as some of the best that video gaming has to offer.

A few days ago, I attempted to play oddsmaker for this year’s finalists, and I’m happy to say that I pegged three of this year’s inductees as “Sure Things” and two more as “Coin Flips.”

Nine other games, Elite, Final Fantasy, John Madden Football, Minecraft, Nurburgring, Pokemon Red/Blue, Sid Meier’s Civilization, Street Fighter II, and Tomb Raider, came up short during the induction process. But all of them will get another chance next year, and the Hall of Fame is already accepting nominations for their Class of 2017.

The World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2016 will be on permanent view in the Strong Museum’s “eGameRevolution” exhibit. And congratulations to all designers and developers who helped bring each of them to life.

Posted in News, PS2, Retro | Tagged , , ,

PS4 owners can now download PS2 games from the PlayStation Store

Posted on December 5, 2015 by John Scalzo

Sony is getting back into the backwards compatibility game with the announcement that PS4 owners will now be able to download PS2 games from the PlayStation Store. Eight titles, most priced at $14.99 apiece, will be included in the first wave of releases, which features the famed Grand Theft Auto III Trilogy, Twisted Metal Black, Dark Cloud, and several others:

  • Dark Cloud
  • Grand Theft Auto III
  • Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
  • Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
  • The Mark of Kri
  • Rogue Galaxy
  • Twisted Metal Black
  • War of the Monsters

So what do you get for your $14.99? Sony has confirmed, in a post on the PlayStation Blog, that all PS2-On-PS4 games will be uprendered to 1080p and include support for Trophies, Remote Play, Live Broadcast, Share Play, and Activity Feeds. For the Trophies, Sony consulted with the original development teams to ensure that they “capture the spirit and feeling” of each game.

Sony plans to add new PS2-On-PS4 games to the PlayStation Store “on a regular basis,” and will be showcasing many of them during this weekend’s PlayStation Experience. So if you’re in San Francisco for the big show, you’ll be able to play most of the games listed above (minus GTA3 and Twisted Metal Black) on the show floor, along with future releases PaRappa the Rapper 2 and The King of Fighters 2000.

In case your memory of these games has been lost to the mists of time, more information on all of them can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, PS4 | Tagged , , ,

Here’s the first trailer for The Gamechangers, a behind-the-scenes look at the making of GTA

Posted on September 3, 2015 by John Scalzo

Embedded above is the first trailer for The Gamechangers, a made-for-TV movie that’s set to depict Rockstar’s rise and the development of Grand Theft Auto III, Vice City, and San Andreas. Starring Daniel Radcliffe as Sam Houser, the movie will also showcase the developer’s legal battle with the dreaded, and now disbarred, Jack Thompson (played here by Bill Paxton). Scheduled to air in the UK on BBC Two on September 15, the film’s plot description seems to play a bit fast and loose with the truth:

[T]he game’s violent gameplay leads to fierce opposition: from parents worried about its impact on children; from politicians, fearful of its influence; and, above all, from campaigners fighting to prevent the game being played by minors.

At the vanguard of this crusade is the formidable Christian lawyer Jack Thompson, a man determined to do whatever he can to stop the relentless rise of the game and its influence on children. The Gamechangers tells the story of how British game designers pushed boundaries into uncharted territory, of how those fighting GTA became consumed by a battle which overwhelmed their lives, and how the subsequent fallout threatened to bring down leading players on both sides.

While I suppose that all of that is technically accurate, it gives Thompson a much bigger role than he had in the real-life tale. However, I’ve got my fingers crossed that the film ends with Harry Potter yelling “Game over, man!” at Hudson after his courtroom defeat.

Posted in Etcetera, News, Retro | Tagged , ,

PSN Today: Grand Theft Auto III, Tokyo Jungle, Dead or Alive 5, Hell Yeah, more

Posted on September 25, 2012 by John Scalzo

Even if there were replacement referees judging a contest between the PlayStation Store, the Xbox Live Marketplace, and the Wii Shop, Sony would come out way ahead. And they proved why again today by dumping a massive quantity of quality games onto the PlayStation Store. All told, 17 new games are now available on the download service, and here’s a few highlights, starting with one of the greatest games of all time:

  • After a slight delay, Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto III joins the store as part of the PS2 Classics line.
  • FIFA Soccer 13 corner kicks its way onto the store in three different versions (PS3, PSP, and Vita).
  • It’s the end of the world as we know it, but the animals found in the Tokyo Jungle (PSN) are cool with that.
  • The futuristic Starhawk (PS3) is now available to download in both a full version and a special multiplayer only edition.
  • EA’s underappreciated classic, Mirror’s Edge (PS3), is also available to download.
  • A pair of fighting games, Marvel vs. Capcom: Origins (PSN) and Dead or Alive 5 (PS3) will battle it out for your affections.
  • The absolutely insane Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit would make a hell of a download.
  • And LittleBigPlanet PS Vita is now available to download, wait for it, on the PS Vita.

You can find even more new releases after the break along with a ton of new game add-ons at the PlayStation Blog. (more…)

Posted in News, PS3, PSP, Vita | Tagged , , , , , , ,

PSN Today: Expendables 2, Growlanser IV, War of the Monsters, more

Posted on July 31, 2012 by John Scalzo

Sad news, Grand Theft Auto III was originally planned to be added to the PlayStation Store today, but it’s been delayed. A new release date will be announced soon. Moving on…

This week marks the start of Sony’s PSN Play 2012 promotion and it begins with a bang with The Expendables 2. The plot of the tie-in game will actually lead into this Summer’s blockbuster movie that stars Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Chuck Norris, Jean Claude Van Damme, and many, many more.

On the PS3 Full Games side of the store, Namco Bandai has added the Burnout-inspired Ridge Racer Unbounded to the PlayStation Store.

Also available this week is a PS2 Classic that is definitely deserving of the label: War of the Monsters. The monster battling game was a bit of a sleeper hit back in the day, but it developed a huge cult following that is sure to be thrilled about it’s appearance among the PS2 Classics.

Finally, Atlus has brought their PSP RPG (yes, they still make those) Growlanser: Wayfarer of Time to the PlayStation Store.

Hit the jump for more information on all of this week’s releases and head over to the PlayStation Blog for more details on all of this week’s new game add-ons. (more…)

Posted in News, PS3, PSP | Tagged , , ,

Rockstar answers your questions: Is GTA3’s Claude a mute?

Posted on December 17, 2011 by John Scalzo

In honor of Grand Theft Auto III‘s release on iOS and Android devices, Rockstar has decided to answer your burning questions about one of the most famous video games ever. They even reveal that truth about Claude’s lack of vocality. Turn back now if you don’t want to know THE TRUTH…

Rockstar says:
It may now seem obvious that people should all talk in games, but this was not necessarily the case in 2001, certainly not in an open world game. We were making up a lot of procedures as we went along, and we decided that the NPCs (Non Playable Characters) should talk and we would have to figure out how to make them talk (using motion captured cutscenes, something that had never really been done before, at least not on the scale we were doing it). So we decided that the game’s protagonist would not talk, partly to aid people identifying with him, but mostly because we had so many other problems to solve and this did not seem like a major issue. […] Oh and in San Andreas, CJ calls Claude a mute because he does not talk and CJ finds this unnerving.

So there you have it. Claude isn’t a mute, he just the original Johnny Tightlips.

Rockstar also confirmed that the three GTA “eras” are completely separate universes and will never cross over. So if you’re hoping to see Claude again, you can forget it:

[T]he “universes” are the worlds interpreted at different definitions, 2d, 3d and high definition, so we felt brands and radio / back ground characters would exist in both, but 3 dimensional characters would not. This is the logic (as far as it could be considered logical) behind it – so no, we don’t believe any GTA3 characters could exist in the GTA4 universe.

But following Rockstar’s logic, this means that Grand Theft Auto IV and Grand Theft Auto V will take place in the same “universe.” So who knows, we might get to see Niko one more time.

Posted in Mobile, News, PS2 | Tagged

Grand Theft Auto III goes mobile next week

Posted on December 6, 2011 by John Scalzo

So you’re on the lam for a crime you most definitely did commit, and you need something to pass the time. Why not check out the December 15 release of Grand Theft Auto III: 10 Year Anniversary Edition on Android and iOS devices?

Available for the low, low price of $4.99 (some might say its a steal), the mobile version of GTA3 will be supported by the following devices at launch:

Apple iOS Devices: iPad 1 & 2, iPhone 4 & 4S, iPod Touch 4th Generation
Android Phones: HTC Rezound, LG Optimus 2x, Motorola Atrix 4G, Motorola Droid X2, Motorola Photon 4G, Samsung Galaxy R, T-Mobile G2x
Android Tablets: Acer Iconia, Asus Eee Pad Transformer, Dell Streak 7, LG Optimus Pad, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 and 10.1, Sony Tablet S, Toshiba Thrive

Five bucks? Like GTA3’s protagonist, I’m speechless.

Posted in Mobile, News | Tagged

Grand Theft Auto III hijacks mobile platforms for 10th anniversary re-release

Posted on October 13, 2011 by John Scalzo

Grand Theft Auto III reshaped the video game landscape when it was released in 2001. You might say that Liberty City left us speechless (rimshot).

This Fall, in commemoration of the game’s 10th anniversary, Rockstar plans to bring GTA3 to a new generation of gamers on select iOS and Android devices:

Apple iOS Devices: iPad 2, iPhone 4S
Android Phones: Droid X2, HTC Evo 2, LG Optimus 2X, Motorola Atrix, Samsung Galaxy S2
Android Tablets: Acer Iconia, Asus Eee Pad, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

Support for additional devices will be announced at a later date.

Posted in Mobile, News | Tagged