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Grand Theft Auto III

EMAIL PRINT pc

8.6 User Score:

Universal acclaim

Based on 20 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 65 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Rockstar Games

Developer: DMA Design

Genre(s): Action

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Release Date: May 21, 2002

Summary

The PC version features enhanced 3D audio. Environmentally scaled and referenced from the player's perspective. Create your own customizable Liberty City radio station, using the built-in mp3 player. State-of-the art visuals utilizing the latest PC hardware render the city more beautifully than ever in 32 bit color. The skinnable player character enables fans to create and upload their own skin textures and to use a scanned-in photo to play as themselves. [Rockstar]

Also On Metacritic

GAMES: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

Cheat Codes & Hints: Adrenaline Vault Cheat Code Central Game Revolution GameSpot Guide IGN Insider Guide

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

2404.org

If you’re an action gamer like me you will probably play every last penny of this AWESOME game!

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100

Computer Gaming World

GTA 3 is the crack cocaine of gaming: You know it's bad for you, but you keep using it. [Sept 2002, p.74]

100

Yahoo! Games

The perfect gaming experience. Anyone who doesn't like it is a pansy wuss who needs sense beating into them with a baseball bat, and that's a fact. Capiche?

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netjak

The interaction between player and environment sets the bar so high for other games, that it is nearly inaccessible.

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Armchair Empire

A stunning, involving experience that, though not for everyone, will appeal to both the gamer looking for a long, structured action/adventure game and the one looking for loosely organized chaos.

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PC Gameworld

I hope you’re not some sissy, the sort of guy who’s afraid to commit crime or see a little (bleep)ing blood splattered around every once in a while. It’s part of the job. If you don’t like it, I hear there’s a new (bleep)ing Barney game and a nice Britney Spears action-adventure out.

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Game Informer

Instead of desperately switching through the clumsy auto-targeting, now you're capping fools with a simple flick of the mouse. It's awesome. [August 2002, p.89]

GameSpy

It's a game you could play for weeks -- maybe even months -- and still discover something new every day.

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IGN

It's simply huge, and just gets better and better as players dig deeper into it, and the intense open-ended gameplay, believable Artificial Intelligence, pumpin' soundtrack, and total immersion in the cityscape make GTA 3 a delight to play.

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GameSpot

Other than the addition of mouselook--whose beneficial impact on gameplay cannot be understated--nothing much has been added...But--and this is a big "but"--GTAIII is a faithful port of a truly exceptional game.

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PC Gamer

One of the very best things about this game is its almost total lack of any visible interface. [July 2002, p.56]

GameZone

The sound in GTA III is phenomenal - nothing was overlooked in this department.

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ActionTrip

GTA3 suffers a bit from console porting syndrome, and the designers could've worked a bit more on the whole side-quest concept, but I think you'll find that in the end, this is one addictive, intelligent and original game that's definitely worth your money.

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Electric Playground

The number of different ways you can play GTA III is astonishing.

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GamePen

What started out as a 10-minute compatibility check turned into an all-night rampage, after I got past all the bugs that is.

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All Game Guide

Fun with impressive character development, replay, variety, and gore.

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Media and Games Online Network

One thing the PC version does have over the PS2 version is the fact players can re-skin the main character, and no doubt in given time people will create modifications and new missions, cars etc for the game.

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Game Over Online

It’s not deep and it’s not teaching our children good things about being productive members of society, but it’s fun, and personally that’s all I expect a game to be.

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FiringSquad

There’s more senseless violence in GTA3 than there are bleeps in an episode of "The Osbournes."

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G4 TV

As shocking, unsettling, and addictively compelling as a viewing of HBO's "The Sopranos." It's just that brilliant of a game. Capiche?

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 8.6 (out of 10) based on 65 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Daniel V. gave it a10:
I first played it on PS2 and couldn't get enough. When I saw it on PC, me being a PC gamer, I *bought* it without hesitation. At first, I was sorta flustered about the lock-on system, or, rather, lack thereof, but after a while, I came to find the aiming system was far better. Rockstar made the right move. And with the option of skins, mods, and the very cool mp3 radio station, it makes the PC version better than even its PS2 counter-part.

sammy h. gave it an8:
Although I always found this game fun, and sometimes annoying. later on in the game you are shot at, and sometimes blown up by diffrent gangs (which you tick off). The only other problem in his tame is Money, What is it for after you have all the weapons and ammo (not using cheats). Can't buy anything. Only two things this game has a problem with. Money, and gangs always shooting you every where!

Ryan C gave it a10:
This game was my favorite for a long time, and still is one of my favorites. Maybe it can't stand up to more recent releases of the GTA series, but for its time, best of the best.

Becky B. gave it a10:
I GTA3 I started to play this game and found it has great graphics challanging objectives and it's just peer adictive. I could sit and play for hours..lol tell my legs cramp up. Any how I give GTA3 a ten GO GTA3.

Ciaran G. gave it a9:
Have had many an hour playing this super game. Lots to do. I love the huge living breathing city. Was the first game I've played which has such a huge environment and so much to do.

Aditya S. gave it a10:
G-R-E-A-T! Thats all I can say. I know its bad for children and it is not useful but the game entices us so so deeply that we are fascinated and we end up playing the entire game even though we say that is not good for our children.

Vid M. gave it a 10:
What can I say? You gotta play the game to realize that the hype isn't only all true but actually doesn't do the game justice. The world is so organic/chaotic that there are always several ways to complete a mission that the developers probably never even considered. One of the few games I've ever played where it's just and fun and addicting to lose as it is to win.

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Grand Theft Auto III

Game Info

Summary

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What The Critics Said

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