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{{Chronology}}
'''Grand Theft Auto III''' (also known as '''GTA III''' or '''GTA 3''') is the fifth game of the [[Grand Theft Auto]] series and the start of both the [[GTA III Era]] and the [[3D Universe]].
'''Grand Theft Auto III''', also known as '''GTA 3''' or '''GTA III''', is the third installment of the [[Grand Theft Auto]] series and was released in [[wp:2001|2001]]. The game is the first of the [[GTA III Era]] and introduced many new features and increased the fan base of the series. Originally released on the [[PlayStation 2]], and [[Personal Computer|PC]]. An [[Xbox]] version of the game was also later released.
 
GTA III introduced many familiar features to the GTA series, including the [[3D]] perspective, and turned the series into a huge success. It was developed for the [[PlayStation 2]] and [[Personal Computer|PC]] by DMA Design (now [[Rockstar North]]), with the [[Xbox]] version by [[Rockstar Vienna]], and all published by [[Rockstar Games]].
 
The game was originally released for the PS2 on October 2001, the PC on May 2002, and the Xbox on November 2003. On August 18, 2011, GTA III was released for the [[Apple Mac|Mac]] [http://itunes.apple.com/app/grand-theft-auto-3/id424714589?mt=12 App Store]. To celebrate 10 years since the release of GTA III, a [[#10th Anniversary Edition|mobile version]] was released in December 15, 2011. In September of 2012, [[Rockstar Games]] released Grand Theft Auto III on the [[Playstation Network]] as part of the PS2 Classics lineup.
 
GTA III was the first GTA game to use the third-person over-the-shoulder [[3D]] perspective in gameplay, with the camera located behind and above the [[Protagonist|player character]], as opposed to the [[Top-Down Perspective|top-down perspective]] primarily used in its predecessors ([[Grand Theft Auto 1|GTA 1]], [[Grand Theft Auto: London 1969|GTA London 1969]], [[Grand Theft Auto: London 1961|GTA London 1961]] and [[Grand Theft Auto 2|GTA 2]]). This new perspective has been praised as being a key reason for the success of the series, alongside the new control scheme, both of which have been used in subsequent games.
 
{{tocleft}}
== Game information ==
<div style="float:left; width:150px; margin:15px;">
'''Content'''
*[[Liberty City in GTA III Era|Liberty City]]
*[[Vehicles in GTA III|Vehicles]]
*[[Missions in GTA III|Missions]]
*[[Weapons in GTA III|Weapons]]
*[[Characters in GTA III|Characters]]
*[[Gangs in GTA III|Gangs]]
*[[Radio Stations in GTA III|Radio Stations]]
</div>
<div style="float:left; width:150px; margin:15px;">
'''Features'''
*[[Cheats in GTA III|Cheats]]
*[[Controls for GTA III|Controls]]
*[[Wanted Level in GTA III Era|Wanted Level]]
*[[Safehouses in GTA III|Safehouses]]
*[[Secrets in GTA III|Secrets and Easter Eggs]]
*[[Special Vehicles in GTA III|Unique Vehicles]]
</div>
<div style="float:left; width:150px; margin:15px;">
'''Main Articles'''
*[[Completion in GTA III|Completion]]
*[[GTA III Era Timeline]]
*[[Dialogues in GTA III|Dialogues]]
*[[Businesses in GTA III|Businesses]]
</div>
 
<br clear="left" />
 
== Storyline ==
[[File:Claude-GTAIII.jpg|thumb|left|180px|The [[Protagonist|protagonist]] of GTA III, [[Claude]].]]
 
{{quote|LIBERTY CITY, USA. The Worst Place in America.<br>
You've been betrayed and left for dead. Now you're taking revenge, unless the city gets you first. Mob bosses need a favor, crooked cops need help and street gangs want you dead. You'll have to rob, steal and kill just to stay out of serious trouble. Anything can happen out here.''<br>
-''From the [http://www.rockstargames.com/grandtheftauto3/ official GTA III website]''}}


GTA III is the first foray into true three dimensional GTA gameplay, with the player taking control of the game via a third person perspective, viewed from behind and above the player character, as opposed to the [[Top-Down Perspective]] in the earlier [[Grand Theft Auto 1]] and [[Grand Theft Auto 2]] [[Grand Theft Auto|games]]. The transition from top town to full 3D has been widely regarded as a great maneuver, proven by its phenomenal sales figures.
The player follows an unnamed criminal (revealed to be named [[Claude]] from internal files in [[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas|GTA San Andreas]]) as he arrives in [[Liberty City in GTA III Era|Liberty City]] with his girlfriend, [[Catalina]], and an unnamed accomplice who commits a [[Introduction (GTA III)|robbery]] at the [[Liberty City Bank]]. When they exit the bank, however, Catalina shoots and kills the unnamed accomplice and shoots Claude, leaving him for dead as she escapes. Claude later recovers and is arrested by the [[LCPD in GTA III Era|police]] to be taken to jail but escapes when the Colombian Cartel attacks the police convoy and sets off a bomb on the [[Callahan Bridge]] making it explode. Claude then begins to climb through the ranks of the city underworld by working for, and eventually betraying or being betrayed by various gangs, in his quest for revenge. At the end of the storyline, Claude [[The Exchange (GTA III)|tracks down and kills]] Catalina in a long shoot out.


The changes made for GTA III marked a defining point in the series' graphical representation and control scheme. More recent GTA titles have stuck with the same 3D control and visual scheme, and all future titles of GTA are likely to remain so, albeit improved in visual quality as hardware improves.
<br clear="left" />


==Storyline==
== Liberty City ==
[[File:Claude-GTAIII.jpg|thumb|left|The [[protagonist]] of GTA III, [[Claude]].]]From the [http://www.rockstargames.com/grandtheftauto3/ official site]:<br />
[[File:LibertyCity-GTAIII-map.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Map of Liberty City]]
''LIBERTY CITY, USA. The Worst Place in America.''
:''Main article: [[Liberty City in GTA III Era]]''


''You've been betrayed and left for dead. Now you're taking revenge, unless the city gets you first. Mob bosses need a favor, crooked cops need help and street gangs want you dead. You'll have to rob, steal and kill just to stay out of serious trouble. Anything can happen out here.''
[[Liberty City in GTA III Era|Liberty City]] consists of three islands - [[Portland]], [[Staunton Island]] and [[Shoreside Vale]] - and tens of areas each with their own distinct set of pedestrians, cars, and environment. The islands are based loosely on the boroughs of New York City - Brooklyn, Manhattan, and New Jersey, respectively - and elements from other major cities such Chicago and Los Angeles.
<br clear="left" />


At the beginning of the game three people are escaping from a robbery, one of them is Claude and the other is [[Catalina]]. Catalina kills off the other robber and Claude gets arrested, later to be set free by another prisoner who was unrelated to the robbery. Claude returns to the outside world trying to locate Catalina and kill her.  
=== Portland ===
This is the old, industrial district, consisting largely of workmen in old cars, the [[Leone Family|Leones]], [[Portland Triads|Triads]], and [[Diablos]]. This is the first area the player can access in the game.


As the Leone Family and Triads pursue him throughout Liberty City, Claude struggles to find Catalina who's already working for a Columbian drug cartel. At the end of the game he finds her and kills her in a long shootout.
{{quote|Here you will find the docks, the [[Red Light District]], warehouses, factories, markets, garages as well as some useful suppliers. The area is populated with [[Prostitutes |hookers]], pimps, labourers, dockworkers, politicians and general scum. Crime is rife in Portland and it has a long history of Mafia control. But this is being challenged by the Triads. A bloody turf war has been underway for several months. A delightful district with something for everyone.<br>
-''From the game manual''}}


==City==
'''Places of interest:''' [[Sex Club Seven]], [[Mr. Wong's Launderette]], [[Belly-Up Fish & Seafood Processing Plant]], [[Momma's Restaurante]], [[Little China Park]], [[Salvatore's Gentlemen's Club]].
''Main Article: [[Liberty City in GTA III Era]]''


<br />There are different districts in [[Liberty City in GTA III Era|Liberty City]]. It consists of three islands - [[Portland Island]], [[Staunton Island]] and [[Shoreside Vale]]. Liberty City is based on New York so the three islands are comparatively similar to Brooklyn, Manhattan and Staten Island respectively.


===[[Portland Island]]===
=== Staunton Island ===
This is the old, industrial district, consisting largely of workmen in old cars, the [[Leone Family|Leones]], [[Portland Island Triads|Triads]], [[Colombian Cartel]] and [[Diablos]].
This is the business district. Business people with their nice cars are located here, alongside resident gangs - the [[Yakuza]], [[Yardies]] and [[Colombian Cartel]]. This is the second area the player can unlock in the game.


Description in Manual:
{{quote|This is the central business district. This is where all the big business takes place in Liberty City and is dominated by the rich, powerful and corporate. During the day the area is bustling with businessmen doing their 9-5 thing - insider trading, taking bribes and selling their grandmothers for ten bucks. At night it is dark, desolate and very dangerous.<br>
-''From the game manual''}}


Here you will find the docks, the [[Red Light District]], warehouses, factories, markets, garages as well as some useful suppliers. The area is populated with [[Prostitutes |hookers]], pimps, labourers, dockworkers, politicians and general scum. Crime is rife in Portland and it has a long history of Mafia control. But this is being challenged by the Triads. A bloody turf war has been underway for several months. A delightful district with something for everyone.
'''Places of interest:''' [[Love Media Building]], [[Bush Stadium]], [[Kenji's Casino]], [[The Shopping Mall]], [[Liberty Tree|Liberty Tree Offices]]


This is the first area you interact with in the game.


===[[Staunton Island]]===
=== Shoreside Vale ===
This is the business district. Lots of rich people can be found here, alongside their nice cars and the resident gangs - the [[Yakuza]], [[Yardies]] and [[Colombian Cartel]].
This is the suburban area of Liberty City. The wealthy live here, along with the middle class residents and gangs. The area is hilly and is home to two gangs: [[Colombian Cartel]] and [[Southside Hoods]]. This is the final area the player can unlock, the setting for the ending of the story in GTA III.


Description in Manual:
{{quote|Suburban bliss and tranquility Liberty City style. Home to many of Liberty City's more affluent gangsters, Liberty City's commuter-belt is a patchwork of swimming pools, picket fences, backyards, basketball nets, street gangs and five car garages. It's littered with ostentatious mansions paid for with blood money, protected by high security guards and gates to keep out gangs of bored teenagers looking for something to do to bring some excitement to their middle class existence. The designer dogs and the station wagons give a shallow serenity to suburbia, but don't be fooled. Violence and corruption are at the heart of every home.<br>
-''From the game manual''}}


This is the central business district. This is where all the big business takes place in Liberty City and is dominated by the rich, powerful and corporate. During the day the area is bustling with businessmen doing their 9-5 thing - insider trading, taking bribes and selling their grandmothers for ten bucks. At night it is dark, desolate and very dangerous.
'''Places of interest:''' [[Cartel Mansion]], [[Francis International Airport in GTA III Era|Francis International Airport]], [[Cedar Ridge Observatory]], [[Staunton View Picnic Area]], [[Hope Medical College]].
<br clear="both" />


Staunton Island is the second of the three districts you will see in the game.
{| align="center"
|<gallery width="auto" perrow="6" style="font-size:95%; padding:0;" widths="120" captionalign="left">
File:Portland-GTAIII-view.PNG|Portland
File:StauntonIsland-GTAIII-view.PNG|Staunton Island
File:ShoresideVale-GTAIII-view.PNG|Shoreside Vale
</gallery>
|}


===[[Shoreside Vale]]===
This is the suburban area of Liberty City. The wealthy live here, along with the middle class residents and gangs. The Francis International Airport is also located here. As are the [[Southside Hoods]].


Description in Manual:
==Reception==
[[File:GiveMeLiberty-GTAIII6.jpg|thumb|right|220px|The aesthetics and gameplay of GTA III was very popular and received wide praise and good reviews.]]
GTA III is commonly regarded as one of the best games of the saga of Grand Theft Auto games and one of the most revolutionary in history. The implementation of unique gameplay in a game with a premise so promising it achieved a great success in both sales and reviews, receiving very positive reception with scores for the PS2 version of:


Suburban bliss and tranquility Liberty City style. Home to many of Liberty City's more affluent gangsters, Liberty City's commuter-belt is a patchwork of swimming pools, picket fences, backyards, basketball nets, street gangs and five car garages. It's littered with ostentatious mansions paid for with blood money, protected by high security guards and gates to keep out gangs of bored teenagers looking for something to do to bring some excitement to their middle class existence. The designer dogs and the station wagons give a shallow serenity to suburbia, but don't be fooled. Violence and corruption are at the heart of every home.
* 10 from Meristation.
* 9.6 from IGN and GameSpot.<ref>[http://ps2.ign.com/objects/015/015548.html IGN.com]</ref><ref>[http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/grandtheftauto3/index.html GameSpot.com]</ref>
* 10/10 from Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine.
* 94/100 from GameSpy.<ref>[http://ps2.gamespy.com/playstation-2/grand-theft-auto-iii/ GameSpy.com]</ref>
* 8/10 from Edge.
* An average score of 95%, according to Game Rankings.<ref>[http://www.gamerankings.com/ps2/466217-grand-theft-auto-iii/index.html GameRankings.com]</ref>


This is where the ending of the game takes place.
The game won several awards, such as GameSpot's Console Game of the Year, Game of the Year from GameSpy and Cheat Code Central, and Best Action Game of 2001 by IGN. The game's average review score of 97% on Metacritic ties it with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 for the highest ranked game in PlayStation 2 history. It was also inducted into GameSpot's Greatest Games of All Time list.


==Alternative Artwork==
In 2009, Game Informer put GTA III 4th on their list of "The Top 200 Games of All Time", saying that it "changed the gaming landscape forever with its immersive open world sandbox".<ref>[http://www.nintendoeverything.com/?p=28230 Game Informer’s top 200 games of all time]</ref> GamesRadar named it 'the most important game of the decade'. The game was also ranked 4th in IGN's best video games and computer games of the decade 2000-2009. <ref>[http://uk.ign.com/decade/best-games-decade.html]</ref>
In some [[PAL]] territories, Grand Theft Auto III was released with different cover artwork, despite there being no major differences in the game itself. Below are examples of several box arts.
<br clear="both" />
 
==Other Releases==
===Game Boy Advance===
Following the success of GTA III, Destination Software Inc. and Crawfish Interactive developed a version of the game for Nintendo's handheld [[Game Boy Advance]], which was canceled for unknown reasons. It was likely going to be very similar to what was later [[Grand Theft Auto Advance]], but with the story of GTA III.


{| align="center"
{| align="center"
|<gallery width="auto" perrow="6" style="font-size:95%; padding:0;" widths="120" captionalign="left">
|<gallery width="auto" perrow="6" style="font-size:95%; padding:0;" widths="120" captionalign="left">
Image:Gta 3 USA art.jpg|United States Greatest Hits Artwork.
File:GTAIII-GameBoyAdvance-boxart.jpg|Boxart of the planned Game Boy Advance version of GTA III.
Image:Gta 3 UK art.jpg|English Artwork.
File:Menu-GTAIII-GBA version.png|The game's menu screen.
Image:GTA3PALBoxartWithDMALogo.jpg|The English Boxart with the DMA Design Logo. (See trivia below)
File:GTAIII-GameBoyAdvance.png|Gameplay. Notice similarities to GTA Advance.
Image:Gta3 aus cover.jpg|Australian and New Zealand Box Art.
File:GTAIII-GameBoyAdvance2.png|Ditto.
gta3_gta_III_gtaIII_lyberty_city_PS2_pochette.jpg|European Box
</gallery>
|}<br clear="both" />
 
===10th Anniversary Mobile Edition===
[[File:GTAIII-Anniversary-Cover.jpg|thumb|200px|Promotional art for GTA III 10th Anniversary Edition.]]
 
In October 2011, [[Rockstar Games]] announced<ref>[http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/19201/announcing-grand-theft-auto-iii-10th-anniversary-edition-for-sel.html Rockstar Games]</ref> a 10th Anniversary Edition of Grand Theft Auto III would be released for mobile phones and tablets, including the [[iPad]], [[iPhone]] and a selection of [[Android]] devices. The game was released on December 15, 2011. A week later, Rockstar announced updates which fixed some gameplay issues and also added support for more mobile phones. Support for further devices may still be announced.
 
'''Supported Devices:'''
*'''Apple iOS Devices''': Any iOS device with an A4 processor or newer. These include the iPhone 4 and later, iPod Touch fourth generation and later, and all versions of the iPad.
*'''Android Phones''': HTC Rezound, LG Optimus 2x, Motorola Atrix 4G, Motorola Droid X2, Motorola Photon 4G, Samsung Galaxy R, Samsung Galaxy S II, Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, T-Mobile G2x, Galaxy Nexus, Droid Bionic, DROID RAZR
*'''Android Tablets''': Acer Iconia, Asus Eee Pad Transformer, Dell Streak 7, LG Optimus Pad, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 and 10.1, Sony Tablet S, Toshiba Thrive, Medion Lifetab, Asus Transformer Prime
 
;Differences from Original Version
Due to the technical limitations of mobile devices, a number of cosmetic features have been altered or removed from the game. However, the iPad version does not have these limitations.
 
Many lights do not show, including vehicle headlights, brake lights, lightbars on [[:Category:Emergency Vehicles|emergency vehicles]], street lights and traffic lights. However, the game still operates as if these lights were correctly functional - so vehicles move over when a siren is sounding, and stop in turn for a red light that does not show.
 
This functionality was present in the iPhone version of [[GTA Chinatown Wars]], and in all other versions of GTA III. However, GTA III is a more resource-heavy game than GTA Chinatown Wars due to its age and featureset, so it appears this functionality was removed to reserve the limited resources on those mobile devices for other, more important functionality.
 
===Alternative Cover Art===
In some PAL territories, Grand Theft Auto III was released with different cover artwork, despite there being no major differences in the game itself. Below are examples of several boxarts.
 
{| align="center"
|<gallery width="auto" perrow="4" style="font-size:95%; padding:0;" widths="120" captionalign="left">
File:GTAIII-PALBoxart2.jpg|British boxart.
File:GTAIII-PALBoxart.jpg|British boxart with the DMA Design logo (see trivia below).
File:GTAIII-Boxart-Australia.jpg|Australian and New Zealand boxart.
File:GTAIII-Boxart-Europe.jpg|European boxart.
File:GTAIII-Boxart-GreatestHits.jpg|United States Greatest Hits boxart.
File:GTAIII-Anniversary-Cover.jpg|GTA III 10th Anniversary promotional art.
File:GTAIII-Anniversary-Cover2.jpg|GTA III 10th Anniversary promotional art.
</gallery>
</gallery>
|}
|}


==Trivia==
==Trivia==
* GTA III was the first GTA title to feature a [[Third-Person View|third-person perspective]].
[[File:DMADesign-logo.jpg|thumb|left|220px|DMA Design logo before becoming Rockstar North.]]
* GTA III was the first and last game to have a top-down camera view in third-person perspective.
[[File:GTAIII-logo-beta.jpg|thumb|right|222px|The Beta logo of Grand Theft Auto III before Rockstar chose to revert the logo to its present day format.]]
* GTA III was the last game to have the artwork on the cover not being a collage of different images (though only for Europe (excluding Germany), Australia and New Zealand).
* Some early copies of GTA III still featured the logo of [[DMA Design]], the original name of [[Rockstar North]], during the opening credits.
* Some early copies of GTA III still featured the logo of [[DMA Design]], the original name of [[Rockstar North]], during the opening credits.
* The cash rewards for missions are very rewarding, although there isn't really anything to buy with the money; except weapons, vehicle bombs and [[Pay 'n' Spray]], even though Pay 'n' Spray cost an amazing $1,000 per use, the highest ever in the GTA series.
* The Grand Theft Auto III Logo was originally supposed to be "GRAND THEFT AUTO 3" written in white block writing on a black background with the "3" being orange in colour. The logo was then changed to its current Pricedown font and uses the Roman numeral "III" instead of the Hindu-Arabic numeral 3.
* On the [[radar]], there are no [[Ammu-Nation]] "gun" icons; nor are there any [[Pay 'n' Spray]]-can icons. These icons only appear in certain missions.
* In GTA III, hijacking particular cars, hitting particular cars, and destroying vehicles and aircraft will grant the player varying sums of money. However, from [[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City]] onwards, this feature is absent, possibly to increase realism.
*Although many GTA games have been sold in an edited form in [[Australia]] in order to pass [[OFLC|Australian classification laws]], the 10th anniversary edition of GTA III is the only game in the series to be officially marketed under a separate name. The full name of the game in the Australian iTunes store is ''Grand Theft Auto 3: Australian Edition'', and the caption below the application's icon is ''gta3aus''. This may be due to limitations preventing developers from releasing separate applications under the same name.


==See also==
==Trailers==
*[[Characters in GTA III]]
<youtube>lCyiW882D7U</youtube>
*[[Vehicles in GTA III]]
<youtube>bDUXrd5cCvw</youtube>
*[[Weapons in GTA III]]
<youtube>IFOC1dTOiss</youtube>
*[[Radio Stations in GTA III]]
<youtube>mKlW2OuYFa0</youtube>
*[[Missions in GTA III]]
*[[Gangs in GTA III]]
*[[100% Completion in GTA III]]
*[[Secrets and Easter Eggs in GTA III]]
*[[Dialogues in GTA III]]
*[[Safehouses in GTA III]]
*[[GTA III Era]]
*[[Cheats in GTA III]]
*[[Businesses in GTA III]]


==Trailers==
{{Chronology}}
 
== External links ==
;Official
* [http://www.rockstargames.com/grandtheftauto3/ Official GTA III website]
 
;Teaser
* [http://www.rockstargames.com/grandtheftauto3/flash/ammunation/ Ammu-Nation]
* [http://www.rockstargames.com/grandtheftauto3/flash/capitalAutos/index.html Capital Autos]
* [http://www.rockstargames.com/grandtheftauto3/dormatron/ Dormatron]
* [http://www.rockstargames.com/grandtheftauto3/flash/francisAirport/index.html Francis International]
* [http://rockstargames.com/grandtheftauto3/flash/gameRadio/index.html Game Radio]
* [http://www.rockstargames.com/grandtheftauto3/flash/casino/index.html Oicho-Kabu Casino]
* [http://www.rockstargames.com/libertytree/index.html Liberty Tree]
* [http://www.rockstargames.com/grandtheftauto3/flash/loveMedia/ Love Media]
* [http://www.rockstargames.com/grandtheftauto3/petsOvernight/ Pets Overnight]
* [http://www.rockstargames.com/grandtheftauto3/pogo/ Pogo the Monkey]
* [http://www.rockstargames.com/grandtheftauto3/flash/libertyCityCollege/index.html Liberty City College]


<div style="float:left;"><youtube>6AvIqS_62xA</youtube></div>


<div style="float:left;"><youtube>bDUXrd5cCvw</youtube></div>
== References ==
<references/>


{{GTA}}
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[[Category:Games]]
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[[Category:GTA III Era]]
[[Category:GTA III Era]]

Latest revision as of 23:05, 4 October 2013

GTA III
GTA III
GTA III box art
GTA III box art
Set in 2001
Location Liberty City, State of Liberty
Protagonist Claude
Platforms PS2 Xbox PC iOS Android PS3
Developers DMA Design/Rockstar North (PS2/PC)
Rockstar Vienna (Xbox)
Publishers Rockstar North
Engine RenderWare
Ratings

ESRB: M
BBFC: 18
ELSPA: 18+ (PC only)
OFLC: MA 15+ (originally RC)
OFLC (NZ): R18
USK: 16+
SELL: 16
aDeSe: +18
VET/SFB: 18 (Square)
DJCTQ: 18

CERO: Z
ADVERTISEMENT

Grand Theft Auto III (also known as GTA III or GTA 3) is the fifth game of the Grand Theft Auto series and the start of both the GTA III Era and the 3D Universe.

GTA III introduced many familiar features to the GTA series, including the 3D perspective, and turned the series into a huge success. It was developed for the PlayStation 2 and PC by DMA Design (now Rockstar North), with the Xbox version by Rockstar Vienna, and all published by Rockstar Games.

The game was originally released for the PS2 on October 2001, the PC on May 2002, and the Xbox on November 2003. On August 18, 2011, GTA III was released for the Mac App Store. To celebrate 10 years since the release of GTA III, a mobile version was released in December 15, 2011. In September of 2012, Rockstar Games released Grand Theft Auto III on the Playstation Network as part of the PS2 Classics lineup.

GTA III was the first GTA game to use the third-person over-the-shoulder 3D perspective in gameplay, with the camera located behind and above the player character, as opposed to the top-down perspective primarily used in its predecessors (GTA 1, GTA London 1969, GTA London 1961 and GTA 2). This new perspective has been praised as being a key reason for the success of the series, alongside the new control scheme, both of which have been used in subsequent games.

Game information


Storyline

The protagonist of GTA III, Claude.

LIBERTY CITY, USA. The Worst Place in America.

You've been betrayed and left for dead. Now you're taking revenge, unless the city gets you first. Mob bosses need a favor, crooked cops need help and street gangs want you dead. You'll have to rob, steal and kill just to stay out of serious trouble. Anything can happen out here.
 -From the official GTA III website


The player follows an unnamed criminal (revealed to be named Claude from internal files in GTA San Andreas) as he arrives in Liberty City with his girlfriend, Catalina, and an unnamed accomplice who commits a robbery at the Liberty City Bank. When they exit the bank, however, Catalina shoots and kills the unnamed accomplice and shoots Claude, leaving him for dead as she escapes. Claude later recovers and is arrested by the police to be taken to jail but escapes when the Colombian Cartel attacks the police convoy and sets off a bomb on the Callahan Bridge making it explode. Claude then begins to climb through the ranks of the city underworld by working for, and eventually betraying or being betrayed by various gangs, in his quest for revenge. At the end of the storyline, Claude tracks down and kills Catalina in a long shoot out.


Liberty City

Map of Liberty City
Main article: Liberty City in GTA III Era

Liberty City consists of three islands - Portland, Staunton Island and Shoreside Vale - and tens of areas each with their own distinct set of pedestrians, cars, and environment. The islands are based loosely on the boroughs of New York City - Brooklyn, Manhattan, and New Jersey, respectively - and elements from other major cities such Chicago and Los Angeles.

Portland

This is the old, industrial district, consisting largely of workmen in old cars, the Leones, Triads, and Diablos. This is the first area the player can access in the game.

Here you will find the docks, the Red Light District, warehouses, factories, markets, garages as well as some useful suppliers. The area is populated with hookers, pimps, labourers, dockworkers, politicians and general scum. Crime is rife in Portland and it has a long history of Mafia control. But this is being challenged by the Triads. A bloody turf war has been underway for several months. A delightful district with something for everyone.

-From the game manual


Places of interest: Sex Club Seven, Mr. Wong's Launderette, Belly-Up Fish & Seafood Processing Plant, Momma's Restaurante, Little China Park, Salvatore's Gentlemen's Club.


Staunton Island

This is the business district. Business people with their nice cars are located here, alongside resident gangs - the Yakuza, Yardies and Colombian Cartel. This is the second area the player can unlock in the game.

This is the central business district. This is where all the big business takes place in Liberty City and is dominated by the rich, powerful and corporate. During the day the area is bustling with businessmen doing their 9-5 thing - insider trading, taking bribes and selling their grandmothers for ten bucks. At night it is dark, desolate and very dangerous.

-From the game manual


Places of interest: Love Media Building, Bush Stadium, Kenji's Casino, The Shopping Mall, Liberty Tree Offices


Shoreside Vale

This is the suburban area of Liberty City. The wealthy live here, along with the middle class residents and gangs. The area is hilly and is home to two gangs: Colombian Cartel and Southside Hoods. This is the final area the player can unlock, the setting for the ending of the story in GTA III.

Suburban bliss and tranquility Liberty City style. Home to many of Liberty City's more affluent gangsters, Liberty City's commuter-belt is a patchwork of swimming pools, picket fences, backyards, basketball nets, street gangs and five car garages. It's littered with ostentatious mansions paid for with blood money, protected by high security guards and gates to keep out gangs of bored teenagers looking for something to do to bring some excitement to their middle class existence. The designer dogs and the station wagons give a shallow serenity to suburbia, but don't be fooled. Violence and corruption are at the heart of every home.

-From the game manual


Places of interest: Cartel Mansion, Francis International Airport, Cedar Ridge Observatory, Staunton View Picnic Area, Hope Medical College.

  • Portland

    Portland

  • Staunton Island

    Staunton Island

  • Shoreside Vale

    Shoreside Vale


Reception

The aesthetics and gameplay of GTA III was very popular and received wide praise and good reviews.

GTA III is commonly regarded as one of the best games of the saga of Grand Theft Auto games and one of the most revolutionary in history. The implementation of unique gameplay in a game with a premise so promising it achieved a great success in both sales and reviews, receiving very positive reception with scores for the PS2 version of:

  • 10 from Meristation.
  • 9.6 from IGN and GameSpot.[1][2]
  • 10/10 from Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine.
  • 94/100 from GameSpy.[3]
  • 8/10 from Edge.
  • An average score of 95%, according to Game Rankings.[4]

The game won several awards, such as GameSpot's Console Game of the Year, Game of the Year from GameSpy and Cheat Code Central, and Best Action Game of 2001 by IGN. The game's average review score of 97% on Metacritic ties it with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 for the highest ranked game in PlayStation 2 history. It was also inducted into GameSpot's Greatest Games of All Time list.

In 2009, Game Informer put GTA III 4th on their list of "The Top 200 Games of All Time", saying that it "changed the gaming landscape forever with its immersive open world sandbox".[5] GamesRadar named it 'the most important game of the decade'. The game was also ranked 4th in IGN's best video games and computer games of the decade 2000-2009. [6]

Other Releases

Game Boy Advance

Following the success of GTA III, Destination Software Inc. and Crawfish Interactive developed a version of the game for Nintendo's handheld Game Boy Advance, which was canceled for unknown reasons. It was likely going to be very similar to what was later Grand Theft Auto Advance, but with the story of GTA III.

  • Boxart of the planned Game Boy Advance version of GTA III.

    Boxart of the planned Game Boy Advance version of GTA III.

  • The game's menu screen.

    The game's menu screen.

  • Gameplay. Notice similarities to GTA Advance.

    Gameplay. Notice similarities to GTA Advance.

  • Ditto.

    Ditto.


10th Anniversary Mobile Edition

Promotional art for GTA III 10th Anniversary Edition.

In October 2011, Rockstar Games announced[7] a 10th Anniversary Edition of Grand Theft Auto III would be released for mobile phones and tablets, including the iPad, iPhone and a selection of Android devices. The game was released on December 15, 2011. A week later, Rockstar announced updates which fixed some gameplay issues and also added support for more mobile phones. Support for further devices may still be announced.

Supported Devices:

  • Apple iOS Devices: Any iOS device with an A4 processor or newer. These include the iPhone 4 and later, iPod Touch fourth generation and later, and all versions of the iPad.
  • Android Phones: HTC Rezound, LG Optimus 2x, Motorola Atrix 4G, Motorola Droid X2, Motorola Photon 4G, Samsung Galaxy R, Samsung Galaxy S II, Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, T-Mobile G2x, Galaxy Nexus, Droid Bionic, DROID RAZR
  • Android Tablets: Acer Iconia, Asus Eee Pad Transformer, Dell Streak 7, LG Optimus Pad, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 and 10.1, Sony Tablet S, Toshiba Thrive, Medion Lifetab, Asus Transformer Prime
Differences from Original Version

Due to the technical limitations of mobile devices, a number of cosmetic features have been altered or removed from the game. However, the iPad version does not have these limitations.

Many lights do not show, including vehicle headlights, brake lights, lightbars on emergency vehicles, street lights and traffic lights. However, the game still operates as if these lights were correctly functional - so vehicles move over when a siren is sounding, and stop in turn for a red light that does not show.

This functionality was present in the iPhone version of GTA Chinatown Wars, and in all other versions of GTA III. However, GTA III is a more resource-heavy game than GTA Chinatown Wars due to its age and featureset, so it appears this functionality was removed to reserve the limited resources on those mobile devices for other, more important functionality.

Alternative Cover Art

In some PAL territories, Grand Theft Auto III was released with different cover artwork, despite there being no major differences in the game itself. Below are examples of several boxarts.

  • British boxart.

    British boxart.

  • British boxart with the DMA Design logo (see trivia below).

    British boxart with the DMA Design logo (see trivia below).

  • Australian and New Zealand boxart.

    Australian and New Zealand boxart.

  • European boxart.

    European boxart.

  • United States Greatest Hits boxart.

    United States Greatest Hits boxart.

  • GTA III 10th Anniversary promotional art.

    GTA III 10th Anniversary promotional art.

  • GTA III 10th Anniversary promotional art.

    GTA III 10th Anniversary promotional art.

Trivia

DMA Design logo before becoming Rockstar North.
The Beta logo of Grand Theft Auto III before Rockstar chose to revert the logo to its present day format.
  • Some early copies of GTA III still featured the logo of DMA Design, the original name of Rockstar North, during the opening credits.
  • The Grand Theft Auto III Logo was originally supposed to be "GRAND THEFT AUTO 3" written in white block writing on a black background with the "3" being orange in colour. The logo was then changed to its current Pricedown font and uses the Roman numeral "III" instead of the Hindu-Arabic numeral 3.
  • In GTA III, hijacking particular cars, hitting particular cars, and destroying vehicles and aircraft will grant the player varying sums of money. However, from Grand Theft Auto: Vice City onwards, this feature is absent, possibly to increase realism.
  • Although many GTA games have been sold in an edited form in Australia in order to pass Australian classification laws, the 10th anniversary edition of GTA III is the only game in the series to be officially marketed under a separate name. The full name of the game in the Australian iTunes store is Grand Theft Auto 3: Australian Edition, and the caption below the application's icon is gta3aus. This may be due to limitations preventing developers from releasing separate applications under the same name.

Trailers

<youtube>lCyiW882D7U</youtube> <youtube>bDUXrd5cCvw</youtube> <youtube>IFOC1dTOiss</youtube> <youtube>mKlW2OuYFa0</youtube>

Grand Theft Auto series
chronology of events

2D Universe
GTA 1 Era

1961 – London 1961
1969 – London 1969

3D Universe
GTA III Era

1984 – GTA Vice City Stories
1986 – GTA Vice City
1992 – GTA San Andreas

2D Universe
GTA 1 Era

1997 – Grand Theft Auto 1

3D Universe
GTA III Era

1998 – GTA Liberty City Stories

2D Universe
GTA 2 Era

1999 – GTA 2

3D Universe
GTA III Era

2000 – GTA Advance
2001 – GTA III

HD Universe
GTA IV Era

2008 – GTA IV

– The Lost and Damned
– The Ballad of Gay Tony

2009 – GTA Chinatown Wars

GTA V Era

2013 – GTA Online
2013 – GTA V

External links

Official
Teaser


References

  1. ↑ IGN.com
  2. ↑ GameSpot.com
  3. ↑ GameSpy.com
  4. ↑ GameRankings.com
  5. ↑ Game Informer’s top 200 games of all time
  6. ↑ [1]
  7. ↑ Rockstar Games
Locations
Characters
Characters | Claude (Protagonist) | Catalina | 8-Ball
Information
Missions


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