Grand Theft Auto (GTA) General Discussion Thread

[Blacksite]

Grand Theft Auto (London 1969, London 1961) | Grand Theft Auto 2
Grand Theft Auto III | Grand Theft Auto: Vice City | Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories | Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories

Overview:

Grand Theft Auto (commonly abbreviated GTA) is a video game series created in the United Kingdom by Dave Jones, then later by brothers Dan Houser and Sam Houser, and game designer Zachary Clarke. It is primarily developed by British developer Rockstar North (formerly DMA Design) and published by Rockstar Games. The name of the series is derived from grand theft auto, a term referring to motor vehicle theft. The series has won multiple awards.

The series is set in fictional locales heavily modelled on American cities, while an expansion for the original was based in London. Gameplay focuses on an open world where the player can choose missions to progress an overall story, as well as engaging in side activities, all consisting of action-adventure, driving, occasional role-playing, stealth, and racing elements. The subject of the games is usually a comedic satire of American culture, but the series has gained controversy for its adult nature and violent themes.

The series focuses around many different protagonists who attempt to rise through the ranks of the criminal underworld, although their motives for doing so vary in each game. The antagonists are commonly characters who have betrayed the protagonist or his organisation, or characters who have the most impact impeding the protagonist's progress.

Fictional chronology:

GTA era
1961 - London, 1961
1969 - London, 1969
1997 - Grand Theft Auto

GTA 2 era
1999 - Grand Theft Auto 2

GTA III era
1984 - Vice City Stories
1986 - Vice City
1992 - San Andreas
1998 - Liberty City Stories
2000 - Grand Theft Auto Advance
2001 - Grand Theft Auto III
2003 - Manhunt
2006 - Bully
2012 - Manhunt 2

Locations (GTA III era):

Liberty City, Liberty State
Carcer City, Liberty State
Vice City, Florida
Cottonmouth, (unknown, possibly Louisiana)
Los Santos, San Andreas
San Fierro, San Andreas
Las Venturas, San Andreas
Bullworth, New Hampshire

Links of interest:

Concept art and renders for GTA 2

Beta screenshots and various artwork for Grand Theft Auto III

Flickr account showcasing renders and screengrabs for Grand Theft Auto III

The Advertising Council of Liberty City, Vice City and San Andreas

Vice City's "The Lab" Behind the Scenes (Part 1: Animation)

Vice City's "The Lab" Behind the Scenes (Part 2: Sound)

Vice City's "The Lab" Behind the Scenes (Part 3: City Design)

Videos of interest:











Maps (GTA III era):

Love Fist EP
“Dangerous Bastard”
“Fist Fury”
“Down Down Down”
“Fist Till Morning”

Trivia:

Grand Theft Auto resulted from a glitch in an earlier DMA Designs game, Race 'n Chase. The glitch made the police attempt to run the player's car off the road rather than pulling them over; it was so popular with play-testers that the game was reworked to focus on the behavior.

Grand Theft Auto was the first game to take place in more than one city.

To date, Grand Theft Auto is the only game of the series to have two protagonist options that are female.

Head Radio is the only radio station from Grand Theft Auto that appears in other games; it was also a station in Grand Theft Auto 2 as well as in GTA III and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and was planned to be in Grand Theft Auto IV.

Grand Theft Auto 2 is the only GTA game on two different generation of consoles. PlayStation is 5th generation while the Dreamcast is 6th generation.

GTA Advance is the only Grand Theft Auto game to incorporate a speedometer for cars.

Either an exterior or interior of Liberty City appears in some form in all of the GTA III era games except for Vice City Stories, where Liberty City is at least referenced.

In almost all GTA III era games, the cars have a clutch system by pressing the brake and accelerator simultaneously (as in doing a burnout) while the car is in motion. When you press them, the car seems to be rolling without engine power (except GTA III).

The appearance of Sex Club 7 in the Liberty City scene of The Introduction (San Andreas) is a canonical error. Before 1998, it was called Paulie's Revue Bar. This happened because Rockstar wrote GTA: Liberty City Stories after GTA: San Andreas.

Motorbikes were "banned" in Liberty City between 1999 and 2001 to make room for more cars. This is the game's explanation for why motorcycles were unavailable in GTA III.

Lazlow and Fernando Martinez are said to reside in Upstate Liberty.

Vice City is the only setting in the GTA III era not to feature a Chinatown district.

Vice City is the only city in the GTA III era that did not feature any universities or colleges.

Tommy speaks very little Spanish, as heard between his farewell to Colonel Cortez in ‘All Hands On Deck’.

At 35 years of age during the events of Vice City (50 by the events of Grand Theft Auto III), Tommy is currently the oldest protagonist in the series.

Toni Cipriani is likely an homage to Tony Soprano, the main character from The Sopranos. Aside from their names, both characters also share ongoing problems with their mothers who also ordered hits on them. They would also later go on to have severe weight problems.

Toni is the only protagonist to give another protagonist missions (namely, Claude).

Toni is the only protagonist who can be heard speaking on the radio, as he calls Chatterbox FM to complain about his mother during GTA III.

San Fierro is the smallest city in the GTA III era.

Daniel Lamb, protagonist of Manhunt 2, was born in San Fierro.

Las Venturas is the least populous city in the GTA III era with a population of 500,000.

In Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, after killing Paulie Sindacco, his tombstone in Liberty City cemetery will say Viva Las Venturas Baby.

I am a huge GTA fan - specifically with the GTA III era titles.

[Kuro]

I loved the 3 era ones to specially vice city. 3,vice city and San Andreas were the only ones I've played.

[AaronSOLDIER]

I'm back into San Andreas online atm, good times.

[Cybertox]

For me GTA Vice City is the best GTA game and one of my all time favourite games for sure. Vice City is a great environment for a game like gta, it felt extremely cool and old school as well. Remember driving a red infernus in the beautiful vice city with a lot of palms and nice districts, expensive villas.

Why do you like GTA 3 so much? I found it quiet grey and the story just decent but nothing beyond.

[Blacksite]

I enjoyed all of the GTA III era games but GTA III the most. Liberty City is, in my opinion, the best city. I liked the fall setting too (often with overcast skies) and Claude for being a cold and silent criminal. GTA III was also the first game in the series where I actually paid attention to the story. I didn't progress at all through GTA 2.

[Blacksite]

Rockstar's Advertising Council website has a lot of radio commercials you can listen to.

http://www.rockstargames.com/advertisingcouncil/

[DarkVincent07]

Am I a bad person because the only GTA I enjoyed was IV?

[StaticAge]

Love Vice City, really really like GTA III, couldn't get into San Andreas despite trying lots of times, and GTA IV was alright but a bit disappointing to me.

I must play through Vice City again soon

[Blacksite]

GTA IV was alright. I actually put a lot of hours into the game on my PS3, despite the criticism, playing through the story twice to see the two different endings. The game also utilized Euphoria for its animations which I thought was really cool.



It is a bit overrated though. I'd personally give it an 8/10.

[DarkVincent07]

fair call BS. Since it was my first GTA I really got into I thought it was pretty solid.

Since then I've bought GTA III, Vice City and SA on PS2 and played them all. They were okay, im sure better at the time of release but I guess I just got too used to the driving in IV, which to me was excellent

[Cybertox]

Am i the only one who didnt like GTA SA? I mean the map was big and all but the locations were unimpressive and boring. Also the story was very disappointing. Just some boring gangsta nigga shit. Im sorry for the interpretation but thats how i felt about the story.

[Fon]

Am i the only one who didnt like GTA SA? I mean the map was big and all but the locations were unimpressive and boring. Also the story was very disappointing. Just some boring gangsta nigga shit. Im sorry for the interpretation but thats how i felt about the story.

The story was cool shit when I was young, lol. But what I liked more about the game was the chaos you could do compared to past GTA games. You can fly a variety of planes such as jet fighters and giant passenger planes. There was a jetpack, night vision goggles, myths, body mass(You can be skinny, muscled or fat). You can change your hair style, engage in turf wars to claim ground, ride a bicycle, get into karaoke, low rider mini games, vehicle customization, gambling and more. All this is from the top of my head but San Andreas offered so much, that's why people love it.

I personally love all three Grand Theft Auto's from the PS2 era.

[Sir_Scud]

Am i the only one who didnt like GTA SA? I mean the map was big and all but the locations were unimpressive and boring. Also the story was very disappointing. Just some boring gangsta nigga shit. Im sorry for the interpretation but thats how i felt about the story.

You aren't alone. There were some people I knew that really disliked the map being really big. Personally, SA was my favorite. The jump between III and VC was so minor, but the amount of stuff they pulled off in SA was just amazing. The story wasn't great, but I liked messing around so much with riot mode on and pedestrians with weapons. Trying to drive around the city with citizens firing rpgs...good times.

[Blacksite]

I do think it was the fact that San Andreas was the biggest that its story wasn't as good as GTA III or Vice City, since they had dragged it out with so many missions.

Mike Toreno would have to be my favorite character. You never did find out what government agency he was affiliated with. He was also voiced by James Woods whose voice fit the part, much like Samuel L. Jackson voicing Frank Tenpenny.

[Kuro]

I just love putting on cheat codes in SA and III and just go blow shit up. Those were fun times just screwing around with unlimited ammo and health.

[Blacksite]

I remember when I played San Andreas on the PS2, I would enable the sandstorm and pedestrians rioting cheat codes and pretend it was the end of the world. I'm sure if I could do that stuff again in GTA V that it would look a lot better.

Now I'm so used to playing the PC versions with the omission of auto-aim and the increased resolution that I can't really imagine going back.

[Fon]

I remember when I played San Andreas on the PS2, I would enable the sandstorm and pedestrians rioting cheat codes and pretend it was the end of the world. I'm sure if I could do that stuff again in GTA V that it would look a lot better.

I remember doing that too. Everything was blowing up, it was great!.

[Blacksite]

Some very early screenshots of Grand Theft Auto III:













More screenshots and artwork can be found here.

[DeviousOne]

That looks very N64ish lol

[Blacksite]

Saw this on Rockstar Games' Facebook page:

[Bhindi_Bhajji]

That is awesome!!

[Cybertox]

The infernus in GTA Vice City is probably the most sexy car ever done in a GTA game.

[claud3]

Awesome work on the thread Blacksite.. loving the GTA memories I have and you have brought them back to the surface again and thank you

THIS IS A COOL IMAGE AND GOT THE GAMERS TALKING

[AaronSOLDIER]

The infernus in GTA Vice City is probably the most sexy car ever done in a GTA game.

Vice City had the best artwork IMO. The whole Scarface/Miami Vice feel just made it so much better. Definitely up there in my top 3 or even 2 GTAs.

[claud3]

these are awsome, video of gta 3 pedestrians