5 reasons why GTA Trilogy DE was a wasted potential

Modified Jun 04, 2024 13:51 GMT

The GTA Trilogy DE (Definitive Edition) is highly regarded as a wasted opportunity by the Grand Theft Auto community. While it packs three of the most popular GTA titles ever made, the developers made some avoidable mistakes that downgraded its quality. The Netflix version of the Trilogy is widely popular, but players still criticize the PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC versions of the game.

This article discusses five reasons that made the GTA Trilogy DE a wasted potential.

Note: This article is subjective and only reflects the writer’s opinions.

5 things that made GTA Trilogy DE a wasted potential

1) It has new bugs and glitches

GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition arrived with new bugs and glitches that were not present in the original games. This certainly stunned the player base as the three games included were from the 3D Universe, which has much simpler design structures compared to the HD Universe titles. Yet, the game arrived with lots of problems that appear directly in front of you.

As of this writing, Rockstar Games has patched many of the known issues in GTA Trilogy DE. However, the situation was so bad during the launch that the studio had to take down the title temporarily to fix it.

Also read: GTA Trilogy HD era fan concept

2) The aesthetics is a downgrade compared to the original version

A screenshot of GTA Trilogy from PlayStation 5 (Image via Rockstar Games)

While this might be a subjective issue, the aesthetics of GTA Trilogy DE is considered a downgrade compared to the original version. The original versions of the game have distinctive vibes that separate one location from the other. However, in the remastered trilogy, all of the locations look the same.

The main issue was the removal of lightning that distinguishes Liberty City, Vice City, and San Andreas. The GTA Trilogy Netflix Edition fixed this issue with the Classic Lighting Mode. That said, it is still missing from the other versions.

3) It did not include any new missions

Despite being a remaster and the definitive edition, the GTA Trilogy DE did not include any new missions. The game offers the exact same story missions as before. As a matter of fact, the developers cut some songs, Easter eggs, and other minor things from the latest version.

The definitive version of a game should include everything that the developers have initially planned for it. There are many cut missions in the GTA series that the remastered trilogy could have included.

4) Weak object rendering technology

A screenshot of Liberty City from GTA Trilogy (Image via Rockstar Games)

GTA Trilogy DE has a weird thing going on that creates contradictory situations. While you can see the entire map from a tall building, the game fails to properly load NPCs and other environmental objects nearby. As a result, you can see NPCs and cars popping up randomly due to weak object rendering technology.

Whether you play GTA Trilogy on PS5 or mobile, the issue is persistent in all versions. This problem was tolerable in the original version, but the remastered edition should have fixed it.

5) Requires high-end hardware

GTA Trilogy DE is not a remaster in a true sense, but it still requires high-end hardware to operate. The gameplay becomes laggy if you try to run on low-end PCs. This issue should not have happened considering the studio only changed the graphics of the game.

The Nintendo Switch version of GTA Trilogy also starts to lag if you increase the settings to the higher end. These factors kill the fun of the game. Considering players still have to pay $60 for the buggy game, makes it a wasted potential.

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