These cities look better than ever before, but they don’t quite feel right. Coupled with the lack of hazy fog and orange tones of the original, which is actually quite representative of Los Angeles, and these touted improvements disrupt the colour palette and dilute the atmosphere of San Andreas GTA 3 and Vice City suffer a similar fate. I’ve had to dial the contrast slider down to zero just to see what I’m doing, and while that helps, it’s a solution to a problem that shouldn’t exist.
It’s a case of newer isn’t necessarily better, as the new lighting effects create substantial shadows, which make all three games, but especially GTA 3 and San Andreas, way too dark in outdoor scenes – and that’s most of the gameplay – at least playing with HDR. Worse is the new dynamic lighting, which in theory should revitalise these three worlds that many of us still know like the back of our hands. All of a sudden, it’s a very small world - that CJ falls into far more than I recall. Lifting the veil allows you to see the entire map from the sky, or even atop a tall building, which completely breaks the illusion of size. Much has been made of San Andreas losing its fog.
GTA SAN ANDREAS CAST FULL
These games never intended for you to see everything, and now the rough edges are on full display. The refinements to GTA The Definitive Edition balance improvements with diminishments. Such clarity should allow for a more immersive world, but that is where the good starts to meet the unintended side effects. These three games have clearly gone to Specsavers, with it being far easier to navigate when you can actually see what lies ahead. The originals only allowed you to see a couple of blocks – if that – ahead, and cars and pedestrians would often pop-in almost as you were on top of them. The increased draw distance, reduced pop-in, improved frame rate and slightly modernised controls form the bulk of improvements to gameplay. Not to modernise them to 2021 standards, mind you, but to create something that looks decent on modern displays, akin to your exaggerated memories.
GTA SAN ANDREAS CAST PS2
They look like a relic from three generations ago, but bouncing between the Definitive Editions and the now delisted PS2 Classics range on PS4, the textures and key assets have been given a significant upgrade. Developer Grove Street Games has done a commendable job of modernising these three worlds just enough to match your memories. Across all three games, the environments do look much better, especially in motion. Here, I am simply considering the quality of the remastering of the GTA Trilogy as a package, as this is now the only version that Rockstar will permit you to buy.įirst impressions are very much dependent on which of the three games you launch first – and being on Xbox Game Pass, for many I suspect that will be San Andreas.
GTA SAN ANDREAS CAST PS4
But that has been well covered across the last two decades, and I have played these games many times on their original platform, PC, PS4 and even the compromised mobile ports. It really is astonishing that three such ambitious and genre-defining games could be released within a single generation, across such a short timeframe from 2001 – 2004. They are a product of a three-year golden period on the PlayStation 2.
All three games are masterpieces of their time, each bringing something unique to a formula few others dare to touch nowadays, such is their prestige. This isn’t a complete review of Grand Theft Auto 3, Vice City and San Andreas played afresh in 2021. Yet, there’s no sugarcoating that these are some of the weakest remasters we’ve played in a long time. All three games look better than they ever have before, and there are some much appreciated quality of life improvements that modernise these old-timers just enough to appease your current-day gaming brain. Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition is a package of all-time classics returning with some improvements, but also some mystifying choices and an unusual lack of quality control, especially considering their legendary status. Grand Theft Auto 3, Vice City and San Andreas return with a much-needed coat of paint, but have clearly been rushed out without the full respect they deserve. Unfortunately, upon release, the secrecy and sudden launch were evidently for good reason. In this, the year of remasters, remakes and re-releases, none tickled my fancy more than the long-awaited return of the most iconic gaming trilogy from my childhood – the reason I spent months cobbling together every cent I could muster to buy a second-hand PlayStation 2 in 2004 – and we didn’t even officially know it existed until a few weeks ago. Far from definitive, the best-looking versions of the GTA Trilogy are spoiled by being rushed out the door with a 'that'll do' attitude.