Grand Theft Auto III
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| Set in | 2001 |
| Location | Liberty City, State of Liberty |
| Protagonist | Claude |
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| Developers |
DMA Design/Rockstar North (PS2/PC) Rockstar Vienna (Xbox) |
| Publishers | Rockstar North |
| Engine | RenderWare |
| Ratings |
ESRB: M |
| ADVERTISEMENT | |
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Grand Theft Auto III (also known officially as GTA III or GTA 3) is the third installment of and fifth game of the Grand Theft Auto series developed by DMA Desing now Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. GTA III is the first game in the GTA III Era, which introduced many new features to the GTA series and saw the fan base of the series expand. The game was originally released for the PlayStation 2 and the PC on October 22, 2001, with an Xbox version which was released in November 2003 by Rockstar Vienna.
GTA III was the first GTA game to use three-dimensional gameplay, as opposed to the top-down perspective used in GTA 1, GTA London 1969, GTA London 1961 and GTA 2. The player views Liberty City from a third person perspective, with the camera located behind and above the player character. The three-dimensional gameplay 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
Game Content
Game Features
Main Articles
Storyline
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.
In GTA III the player follows an unnamed criminal (revealed to be named Claude in GTA San Andreas) as he arrives in Liberty City with his girlfriend, Catalina, and an unnamed accomplice who commit a bank robbery. When they exit the bank, however, Catalina shoots and kills the unnamed accomplice and shoots Claude, leaving him dying as she and her new accomplice, Miguel of the Colombian Cartel. Claude later recovers and is arrested by the police but escapes when the Colombian Cartel attack a police convoy. 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.
City
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Grand Theft Auto series
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Main Article: Liberty City in GTA III Era
There are different districts in 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 New Jersey respectively.
Portland
This is the old, industrial district, consisting largely of workmen in old cars, the Leones, Triads, Colombian Cartel and Diablos.
Description in 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 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.
This is the first area you interact with in the game.
Staunton Island
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.
Description in 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.
Staunton Island is the second of the three districts you will see in the game.
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:
- 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.
This is where the ending of the game takes place.
Alternative Artwork
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.
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Trivia
- GTA III was the first GTA title to feature a third-person perspective.
- GTA III was the first and last game to have a top-down camera view in third-person perspective.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Trailers
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