It’s not surprising that controversy surrounds a game in which you can pick
up prostitutes and have sex with them in a stolen car before murdering them.
Fortunately there is more to Grand Theft Auto than mindless violence,
although it has to be said that it is a big part of the game. Big enough that
GTA was banned in Australia
and is rated 18-plus everywhere else.
Welcome to Liberty City
You begin GTA 3 on the run in Liberty
City after the Yakuza spring
someone form the same police truck you are in and in doing so sets you free.
It isn’t long before you are doing small jobs for the local mafia and then
climbing up the criminal ladder crossing paths with crooked cops, the Yakuza,
the Colombian Cartel and the Jamaican Yardies, to name but a few of the seedy
organizations and individuals you share Liberty City with.
Weapons
While you spend your time escorting prostitutes and performing mafia hits,
you will be breaking the law every step of the way. To help you do this
effectively and build a reputation as a hardened criminal (now you know why the
game has been banned some places) you have at your disposal an increasing array
of weaponry.
At the outset of the game you have only your fists and then a baseball bat,
but you can quickly gain access to guns, rifles and explosives, as well as
bonuses and armor.
Cars, cars, cars
Whatever the nature of each mission you undertake, you can be pretty sure
cars will be involved; it is Grand Theft AUTO after all.
From standard road vehicles to fire trucks, ambulances, yakuza sport scars,
SWAT cars and even tanks, if you are going to do well in Liberty
City; you are going to have to
learn how to drive and how to navigate the streets.
The Verdict
Violent, bloody and certainly not fit to be played by anyone under the age
of 18, GTA 3 is nevertheless a great game. Even as a driving game it can stand
alone as a top quality piece of work, but with the added missions and
criminality GTA 3 is a classic.