3D or not 3D?
The PS2 games and series evolution: 2001-2004
“San Andreas was much bigger than anything that had come before.”
GAMES RELEASED GTA III, GTA: VICE CITY, GTA: SAN ANDREAS
2 001’s GTA III was the final game to be developed under the name DMA Design (with help from Rockstar’s New York division) but that, of course, is not the most notable thing about it. This was the first game in the series in full 3D, making the open world gameplay more enticing than ever.
The protagonist causing havoc in Liberty City was mute, but the NPCs weren’t. The fully-voiced story boasted highprofile actors in the cast, including Kyle MacLachlan and Michael Madsen. It must’ve been costly to develop, but it paid off; GTA III was the best-selling game of the year.
The next game in the series arrived just one year later. The legendary Vice City was also the best selling game of its year, and it’s little surprise, really. Not only was it riding on the phenomenal success of the previous game, the excellently curated licensed soundtrack and neon-happy visual design practically screamed 1980s at players. Another all-star cast certainly didn’t hurt, with actors including Gary Busey, Dennis Hopper… and the late Ray Liotta as Tommy Vercetti.
In 2004 came the big one (literally); in terms of map size, San Andreas was much bigger than anything that had come before, over twice as big as Liberty City and Vice City put together. Despite this, there were – unlike in the previous two games – no loading screens while exploring the open world. Some still treasure it as the best GTA, and it was certainly met with a warm welcome on release. As is tradition for the series by now, it outsold all other games that year. It introduced stealth, hopping over walls, and the ability to swim. It was the first game in the series to feature character customisation via haircuts and the like, and RPG-style skill improvement.