5 ways GTA Trilogy Remastered Edition could have been better

Modified May 01, 2024 23:57 GMT

Rockstar Games released GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition, also referred to by some as GTA Trilogy Remastered Edition, in November 2021. There was a lot of excitement around the remasters of three of the most popular Grand Theft Auto titles - GTA 3, Vice City, and San Andreas. However, the end product was a mess, riddled with bugs, glitches and other issues, disappointing fans of the series.

This article takes a look at five ways GTA Trilogy Remastered Edition could have been better.

Note - This article is subjective and only reflects the writer's opinions.

Using the RAGE engine and other ways GTA Trilogy Remastered Edition could have been better

1) Taking more time with the development

Rockstar's Definitive Edition announcement tweet (Image via X/@RockstarGames)

Rockstar Games announced the GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition remasters in October 2021 and launched them the following month. However long the development took, the state of these games at launch clearly suggested that more time was required.

Since GTA 6's release date was nowhere near, developers should have taken their time to test the three titles and sort out bugs or glitches.

2) Rockstar developing the remasters

Tweet from Grove Street Games about the remasters (Image via X/@GroveStGames)

Rockstar Games originally developed GTA 3, Vice City, and San Andreas, but the GTA Trilogy remasters were done by a studio named Grove Street Games. The job might have been outsourced since most of the former's workforce must have been busy with the development of GTA 6 and GTA Online updates.

Nevertheless, Rockstar Games is among the best in the business. The studio has a personal connection with these titles, and the GTA Trilogy Remastered Edition could have possibly turned out much better had it been developed by it.

3) Using the RAGE engine

A screenshot of the upcoming GTA Vice City RAGE mod (Image via YouTube/Revolution Team)

Taking nothing away from Unreal Engine 4, which was used for the GTA Trilogy Remastered Edition, utilizing Rockstar's proprietary game engine - RAGE - could have resulted in a very different outcome, not just in terms of visual effects but also general gameplay.

GTA 4, 5, and Red Dead Redemption 2 are some of the best games ever made, and they all use this engine. Even unofficial mods of classic GTA titles on the RAGE engine have captured the imagination of fans, with a GTA Vice City RAGE engine mod set to release later this year.

4) Better character models

Comparison between the original and remastered models of CJ's girlfriend Denise (Image via X/@AlpekYt)

Among the most disappointing things about GTA Trilogy's Remastered Edition are the character models. Major and minor characters looked terrible at launch, and it goes without saying that this upset fans of the series.

The characters lacked the necessary details and looked very cartoonish, adding on to the problems with these games. The damage could have been controlled to some degree had the remastered models of at least the GTA protagonists looked like proper upgrades of the originals.

5) Inclusion of multiplayer/co-op

GTA 5's multiplayer mode is called GTA Online (Image via Rockstar Games)

The importance of a multiplayer mode in video games has grown in recent years. Rockstar Games itself prioritized GTA Online over GTA 5 story mode DLCs, which is why the inclusion of even a very basic form of multiplayer or co-op mode could have made these remasters feel like a new experience.

There are already some fan-made multiplayer mods for GTA San Andreas. Hence, there is little reason to believe that a studio like Rockstar would have faced much problem in adding something similar to the official remaster.

FAQ:

On which platforms is the GTA Trilogy Remastered Edition available?

GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition/Remastered Edition is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Android, and iOS.

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