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Released in 2001, GTA 3 was Rockstar Games’ most ambitious project at the time. The gaming industry changed once Claude and Catalina burst out the back door after robbing a bank. The game's structure and subsequent success paved the way for how open-world games are made today.
Back then, the word video game had a rather childish connotation. What was to follow after that, however, really showed the world what was possible within that realm. 22 years on, we look at five ways GTA 3 was ahead of its time.
How GTA 3 revolutionized the gaming industry
1) Mature story
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Back in 2001, video games were mostly meant for kids, as far as the simplest connotation of that word was concerned. GTA 3's release showed a global audience why they were wrong to think so.
Rockstar Games wrote a story of betrayal and revenge in which the players could get engrossed. There were elements to it that had never been seen in the gaming industry before, at least not at this scale.
One wouldn't be wrong in saying that this audacious effort is partly why we have so many mature and gritty storylines today, like The Last Of Us, Red Dead Redemption, and subsequent GTA games.
2) Detailed cutscenes
Today, video game cutscenes are made keeping every little detail in mind. With the help of advanced technologies like motion capture, the portrayal of characters is almost life-like.
20 years ago, this was unthinkable. However, Rockstar Games still managed to create some very detailed cutscenes for GTA 3 that added to the seriousness of the game's story. The characters had subtle nuances to their design and execution that didn't make them look like mere animated figures.
Add to that the top-notch voice acting by A-list actors that brought those characters to life and made it feel like a big theatrical release.
3) Big open world
Open-world games have their origins rooted as far back as the 1980s. Before Rockstar Games, however, no other developer had been able to craft an open-world game comparable to GTA 3.
The map of Liberty City, based on New York City, was not just big and full of buildings and places to go, but it was full of residents who made it feel like a living, breathing world.
4) The people of Liberty City
Each NPC in the game had a seemingly varied reaction to the events occurring in their surroundings. Rival gangs recognize and shoot at the main character as they roam around Liberty City, for example.
All of this might seem simple, but by 2001's standards, it was a giant leap, eventually leading to the ultra-realistic NPCs in their most recent release, Red Dead Redemption 2.
5) Freedom to the players
It's not just the focus on the in-game elements of GTA 3 that helped the game achieve great success, but also the focus on the person on the other side of the screen.
Players can do almost anything they wish to in-game. They can steal any car they want, have gunfights with gang members, drive around the city, save their in-game progress whenever they desire, and much more.
Grand Theft Auto 3's success paved the way for the gaming industry as we see it today. The overwhelming success it achieved at the time inspired Rockstar Games and many other developers to create many of the most wonderful and memorable games we play today.
