Large Theft Car III

Grand Theft Auto III (in summary AWG III ) is a Video game carried out by the studio Rockstar Games and developed by Rockstar North, it belongs to the series Grand Theft Auto and dissociates itself some by the appearance of an engine 3D. The first episodes, which proposed a sight of top, did not have the same impact as AWG 3 which was a success as of its exit, becoming even one of the most sold plays 2001. Also, violence and the sex present in the play caused polemic. This play is the third opus of the series and the first of trilogy “AWG III”

History of the development

Successor of Large Theft Car 2 , Grand Theft Auto III is the first AWG to propose a universe in three dimensions. Its formidable success made the series very popular and, in 2006, four continuations proceeding in the same universe were carried out. Its direct successor is Grand Theft Auto: Defect City .

Ports

During two years following its exit on PlayStation 2, two versions of AWG III , one on PC and the other on Xbox, were made available. It is the first opus of the series by which the exit on console precedes the exit on PC. Besides the continuations of the play tend to follow this diagram with a version PC which leaves only seven to eight month after the exit on PlayStation 2.

The XBox version was initially to leave to the Printemps 2002 but the exit was pushed back following an agreement with Sony and Take-Two Interactive for the exclusiveness in the AWG on PlayStation 2 until November 2004. However, the agreement was modified in 2003 and Grand Theft Auto: Double Pack , container AWG III and Vice City , left on PS2 and XBox in December 2003 (but not on PC). The Xbox version of the two plays offers a version optimized on the sounds and graphics. In November 2005, Large Theft Car: The Trilogy , a new compilation leaves on Xbox also including this time San Andreas (but not-optimized).

Version PC supports a more important resolution of screen and, just as the Xbox version, allows to listen to its clean Mp3 S with the radio of the vehicles.

A GameCube version of AWG III was to leave at the same time as the Xbox version but the project was cancelled.

Two titles based on AWG III also left. Initially envisaged like a simple bearing, Grand Theft Auto Advance developed its own history which proceeds in Liberty City approximately a year before the events of AWG III . On Portable PlayStation, Large Theft Car: Liberty City Stories is also held at Liberty City but three years before the history of AWG III .

Gameplay

Grand Theft Auto III inherits the mechanism its two predecessors, Grand Theft Auto and Grand Theft Auto 2 all while improving it by including there elements drawn from the plays of race and plays of objective shooting. It should not be forgotten either that it borrowed much from Driver 2 left one year before and who proposed also the possibility of achieving various objectives, with foot or in car but without any weapon.

The player of AWG III puts himself in the skin of an escaped criminal who must have a name in the fictitious city of Liberty City. Following the example its elder ones, the play offers a great liberty of action to the player who can move in the city as he hears it and can achieve various activities there.

The player can move in the city with foot or in the car. With foot, it has in more the capacity of “sprint er” a few seconds (but still Nage R does not know). The player can lead the majority of the vehicles of the play which many and are based on real models. Those offer a broad variety of choice: family car with that of sport while passing by the Boat X and a Plane (enough hard to control). The absence of motor bike nevertheless was deplored by many players, and this absence is due to difficult programming. The excuse indicated in the play is a law regarding the motor bikes as dangerous means of transport. The developers repeated by indicating the presence of sharks in Vice City to explain impossibility of swimming, but fortunately nothing of that exists in San Andreas.

Also, the interface of this opus was entirely re-examined. The compass is replaced by a mini-chart of the city indicating the key places. An indicator of health and armor as well as a clock indicating the hour of the day in the play make also their appearance.

The “malevolent” acts (flights of cars, Murder S of pedestrians, inter alia) possible and are even encouraged (profit of more or less of money according to the gravity of the act). An index of research, symbolized by a number of stars, indicates to the player if the police force continues it or not. The more numerous the stars are (until six), the more the means implemented by the police force to stop it are important. If the player is killed or stopped, it awakes respectively with the Hôpital or the Commissariat where one removes his weapons to him and part of his money which is transferred in “hospital expenses” or in “wine pots”. Contrary to his predecessors, the player has here an unlimited number of life and can thus never lose the part definitively.

The multijouor mode of old the AWG was abandoned to be centered only on the play simple player. Nevertheless, an not-official MOD, Multi Theft Car , allow the players of entretuer on line.

Weave play

Like all the AWG, AWG III proposes a non-linear gameplay . The Scénario advances with the wire of the missions which the player carries out as he hears it. These missions go from the escort until the Meurtre while passing by the track race or the release of riots. Many additional missions come to be added to the main missions and are not absolutely obligatory to progress. Each mission accomplished is rewarded by an amount of money which increases according to the difficulty of the mission. To note that it is not any more the stored money which opens new sectors of the city but the achievement of the main missions and thus the progression of the history.

In addition to that, it is possible to activate special missions in certain vehicles, like the Taxi S or the Ambulance S, which offer particular no-claims bonus if they are successful.

An innovation in the series of the AWG is the appearance of kinematics. Those are done at the beginning of mission, to see during, to give the instructions to the player or to advance the history. During the play, new instructions or messages of assistances can be registered with the screen.

History

The universe of AWG III takes as a starting point many films and series such as the Godfather , the Dead end , the Freed Soprano and the .

The history occurs in 2001. The player incarnates a criminal without name (it is supposed nevertheless that it is called Claude Delia Questia or Claude Speed), straight left the state of San Andreas with his boyfriend and associated Catalina who doubles it and tries to assassinate it at the time of a steering at the central bank of Liberty City.

Given of its wounds, it is taken along to the Prison of Liberty City in a van of the police force when this one undergoes an attack on a Pont by the Colombian Trust come to deliver one as of theirs. Benefitting from the attack, Claude escapes on board a car with the last prisoner, a certain 8-Ball.

8-ball knows world with Liberty City and takes along Claude in front of Luigi, a member of the Maffia Italian which becomes the first contact of long series with the medium of the crime of the city.

To be done a little money, it makes odd jobs, as carrying out the orders of a chief of a company of croquettes for dog (which will be made kill).

Of needle and thread, Claude has a reputation in the medium to end up being engaged by Salvatore Leone in person, the godfather of the Italian Mafia of Liberty City. But when Leone learns that his second wife Maria (one learns that Maria is his wife in AWG: Liberty City Stories, moreover said Salvatore, in AWG III , with his/her son, Joey, a sentence which lets imply that his first wife died) tests feelings for its new henchman, this one decides to eliminate it illico.

In escape with Maria, Claude leaves to work for the Yakuza S. With the wire of the missions, it realizes that his/her former Catalina boyfriend is with the head of the Colombian Trust… Claude will also put herself has to work with the chief of Yakuzas, Kenji which holds a casino.

He also works with Ray Machowski, Rippou cop who asks him to carry out Leon McAffrey, another cop rippou. Ray makes known has Claude Phil Cassidy, a former expert of weapons which lost an arm following an explosion in 1986 has Vice City which will help Claude has to have large weapons (Rocket launcher, grenades…)

He will collaborate with Donald Love, 3ans after his rapid departure in Grand Theft car: Liberty City Stories. This last will require of him to kill Kenji (chief of Yakuzas) in any discretion, order that Claude will carry out, but who will not plunge Yakuras in the disaster. The latter erudite step that Kenji were made kill by Claude (believer that they is the Colombians who eliminated it) continue has to grant any confidence to him and they continue has to carry out their plans together.

Meanwhile, Claude will receive a mysterious call to the telephone saying to him to come in a dark lane. It was only one attempt at Catalina to eliminate it once more. Claude leaves then in the suburbs Shoreside vale to steal various objects and to bring back them Donald Love has. But at the end of one moment, Donald disappears mysteriously.

Ray Machowski must leave precipitately and in any discretion because he is sought by the government for various things. The situation seems desperate, the Colombians took the control of the city… Claude continues has to work with Asuka (of Yakuzas) who try to slow down the Colombians in their race of control of the city.

But the enemies of the Colombians do not leave themselves there and it is now that they ask 500.000 $ has Claude for Catalina… If the South-Americans continue like Ca, they will take the top in other places, San Andreas or Vice city.

But it is during an ultimate stroke of Luck when Claude is trapped by the Colombians, that it is left there. Inversion of situation, it kills has Shoreside Vale, Catalina. Liberty City is saved, not gangsters, but Colombians, as well as the majority of the gangs thereafter in a way or of another…

It is the end of the history of saga “AWG III” of 5 episodes.

To note that all along the play, Claude, the main character, does not say a mot. to make fun or not, CJ, the hero of San Andreas calls it “the dumb man”.

Graphics

The sight by defect with the third nobody is similar to many plays of objective shooting and of led but it is possible to rock on other modes of sight such as the “kinematic” mode placing the camera in low-angle shot. It is even possible to take again the sight of top used in old the AWG, it is besides the last opus of the series has to allow this function (except Grand Theft Auto Advance ).

The version PC allows a resolution of posting of 1600 per 1200 Pixel S while the versions consoles must be satisfied with a lower resolution.

Gangs

  • Leone Family: an Italian family of the Maffia.

  • Triad: representative of the Maffia Chinese.
  • Yakuza: representative of the Maffia Japanese woman.
  • Diablos: Hispanic gang of street.
  • Hoods: it is about a " union" between two gangs of street the Red Jack and the Nines .
  • Trust of the Colombians: very disorganized Colombian gang and violent one.
  • Yardies: gang of street jamaïcain.

The city

Liberty City is an imaginary big city inspired of New York of 4 million inhabitants. It counts 3 parts: Portland cement (Island), Staunton Island and Shoreside Vale, among which several districts:

It should be noted that there exists also a phantom city located at the north of Shoreside Vale, accessible only in Dodo (plane), where one can see the bank directed by the hero in the first kinematics of the play.

The official journal of the city is the Liberty Tree .

Urban simulation

The environment of AWG III is able to reproduce and animate a big city. The vehicles and the pedestrians do not play a simple part of environment but form integral part of the gameplay . The cars can thus be flights or destroyed and the molestés pedestrians. When a pedestrian “is killed”, an ambulance arrives for the ressusciter (!) while the firemen undertake to extinguish the burnt cars and that the police officers leave to the continuation the culprit (the player thus).

Sometimes, the pedestrians interact between them, insult themselves or fight, the enemy gangs draw above, and of the car accidents occur, all this without inevitably the intervention of the player. It there capable other “insane of the wheel” on the road.

In the play, one minute is equivalent to one hour. The cycle of time is thus also respected with the day which alternates with the night according to the hour of the play. Also, of the weather events, like the Rain or the Fog, are implemented by chance.

Weapons

In the play, the weapons can be bought in specialized stores (whose offer grows bigger according to the progression of the player) or being collected during the missions of seeing in certain corners of the city. When the player drives a car, only the Uzi is usable and can draw only laterally.

Various weapons of the play:

The version PC of the play allows a catch in hand much easier of the firearms thanks to the control of the mouse contrary to the versions comforts which must aim their target while pressing on a button before drawing.

The rifle with telescopic sight, M16 and the rocket launcher are used motionless, in sight with the first nobody. With a lever, the directional stick plays the part of mouse.

Radios

One of the great innovations greeted of the play was the existence of several radio stations which can be listened when the player lights the car radio of his vehicle. Each radio has its own musical style and, so of the songs were written especially for the play (see arisen from the first both AWG), others are extracted from albums of music which existed already front. Chatterbox 109 is an exception since it is only about one continuation of emissions (in English not subtitle) where intervene sometimes of the characters of the play.

The list of the radios of the play:

The program of each station is intersected with false publicities (not translated) by interval. Publicities often return to Internet sites (such as Petsovernight.com), those were creates especially for the play and, if they resemble truths sites of sale on line, a click to buy or order products pleasing with the real site Rockstargames.com. A publicity gives even a supposedly official phone number, it seems that the few curious players who tried themselves to call fell on a responder.

Note: Flashback 95.6 was given in Vice City under the name of Flash FM, and Kjah Radio in San Andreas, under the same name.

Post- September 11th

Before its exit the October 22nd 2001, many modifications were brought to Grand Theft Auto III . If the modifications of last minute are frequent during the development of a play, the changes carried out on AWG III were made shortly after the Attentats of September 11th carrying out the players to establish the link between the two events.

If the developers remained discrete on the types of changes, Sam Houser, the president of Rockstar Games (based with Manhattan, place of the attacks) declared the September 19th 2001 that AWG III was going to undergo a “ review ” and that the exit was going to be shifted three weeks (the left coming out date supposed by Houser was the October 2nd).

Change the most obvious remainder the painting of the police cars. Whereas the current cars of the LCPD (to include/understand Liberty City Organizes Department ) post colors similar to the LAPD ( Los Angeles Police Department ) black and white, old painting, visible in the official first screenshots, approached the NYPD ( New York Police Department ) with blue and white lines. The colors of the NYPD were taken again for Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories but by using black instead of blue.

Another modification relates to Darkel, a character of the play. Mentioned early in several magazines and sites, Darkel was a Révolutionnaire which sought to destroy the economy of the city. One of its mission implied to steal a truck of Ice cream, to attract the pedestrians towards him and to explode it (this mission could be given to El Burro which proposes a similar means to kill a group of gangster). It was also envisaged that Darkel entrusts missions “rodeo” (i.e. to kill the most possible world in a given time) as in AWG 2. Although Darkel and its missions were removed, there remains quoted in the appropriations of the handbook and the texture of its character remained in the files of the play. Players thus continue to seek Darkel in the play, persuaded which there always exists, and of many rumors and more or less credible easy ways to find it still circulate on the discussion forums.

However, the spread idea as what of the missions in the plane were removed following the attacks is false, simply because there was nothing to remove. Dodo, only plane of the play, questions also the spirits because the wings of the vehicle were appreciably shortened and, although it is realizable, it is very difficult to control Dodo while a version of Dodo with long wings could be seen in flight around the city.

Another change relates to impossibility of choosing some skin characters by using the codes of cheating of the play as well as the censure of certain elements violent one and shocking (like the pulling up of member or the Sang) even if the english language version of the play on PlayStation 2 or a patch on PC makes it possible to restore these criteria.

Development team

  • Producing: Leslie Benzies, daN To cover, Jamie King, Renaud Sebbane

  • Art Director : Aaron Garbut
  • Realizer technical: Adam Fowler, Obbe Vermeij
  • Design : Craig Filshie, William Millets, Chris Rothwell, James Worrall
  • Scenario: daN To cover, Paul Kurowski, James Worrall
  • Characters: Ian McQue
  • Animation: Alex Horton, Lee Montgomery
  • Car Design : Paul Kurowski
  • 3D Artist : Keiran Baillie, Adam Cochrane, Gary Mcadam, Michael Pirso, Andrew Soosay, Alisdair Wood
  • Programmers: Alan Campbell, Mark Hanlon

Distribution of the original voices

Several known people lent their voices to the characters of the play.

Sales and criticisms

As of its exit, Grand Theft Auto III became a hit, becoming the video game more sold with the the United States in 2001 and the second play best sold 2002 just behind its continuation Vice City . AWG III continued with good to be sold two years later with the exit of the Double Pack on XBox.

Criticisms of the press were overall very positive (for an average of approximately 95%); only some relative minor problems to graphics and the jouability were noticed. Considered to be revolutionary per many magazine and Web sites, AWG III was named Game off the Year by GameSpot, GameSpy and Central Cheat Code, and Best Action Range off 2001 by IGN.

AWG is an immense success, due certainly to the quality of the title but also to its originality: no play until there proposed to play in this way, that it is in the choice of the realizable acts (one can roll very well prudently and not crush nobody, or quite to the contrary try to make a carnage, free be made continue by the police force and the army) or in the freedom left to the player walk anywhere in the city.

Polemics

Because of its extreme violence, even if filled of second degree, Grand Theft Auto III made, like its predecessors, a great noise at its exit and became the object of lawsuit. It was, and still, is not only shown to be too violent, but also to encourage the Discrimination towards certain communities (and in particular Haitian community).

AWG III became one of the emblems of violence in the video games, often taken in example by the media. Many associations of families judge that a child who would play this play could develop an asocial behavior.

It is because of AWG III that the chain of American Large distribution Wal-Mart announced that, for any play classified as “M” by ESRB, a Indentity card would be requested from the purchasers who would seem to have less than 17 years.

After its exit in Australia, the play was interdict during a time before being available in a censured version. If Rockstar chose this policy, it is because the company did not subject AWG III to the Office off Film and Literature Classification , company charged to evaluate the contents of the video games in Australia. The estimate suitable “R18+” not being available (the maximum being MA15+), the play was “Refused Classification” and interdict with the sale because considered not-suitable, even with a public between 15 and 18 years. Australia still does not have classification “R” for the video games as it has it for films.

With the the United States, the lawyer Jack Thompson, already known for its actions against the video games, declared that, according to his police sources, a 16 year old teenager, who prepared a shooting in his school to revive the shooting of Columbine, had as a favorite play AWG which would have been used to him as drive. He added that gangs would make use of the play like simulator of urban murders. The lawsuit was still in hand in 2004 and a lawsuit of the same type took place for Vice City .

External bonds

Official sites

  • the official site of the play
  • the site of Liberty Tree, the fictitious newspaper of Liberty City. The newspaper, which belongs in the play to Love Media, gives precise details on the history of AWG III with articles gone back to February in October 2001.
  • the site of Coils Media, group of media fictitious directed by Donald Love. He is evoked in false publicities of AWG III .
  • International Francis Airport, the site on the airport of Liberty City.
  • Dormatron, produced forgery evoked in publicities of the play to lose weight while sleeping.
  • Overnight Farts, also fictitious animalist store heard on the waves radios.
  • the site of '' Pogo The Monkey '', fictitious video game.

Sites of fans

  • Gta-mania.com

  • Liberty-tree.net
  • GTAWorld-fr.com

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