User:ZS

Revision as of 18:21, 17 August 2011 by ZS (talk | contribs)

Playlist

  • GTA1, London 1969 and London 1961: First played GTA1 in the mid-2000s after it was officially released for free, the London games a little later.

    You may notice that I have a very small number of in-game shots from these. Well, for starters, the games themselves are fairly hard to screencap, owing to their jerky animation and controls. Worse, they're now nearly impossible to run on current PCs. I have an older PC which has been able to run GTA1 fairly fine, but I have very limited access to it, and London 1969 still crashes when the first cutscene loads after completing the first mission. Game files can still be access from editors with ease, but finding programs that perform perfectly for the task are also nigh impossible, as the GTA1 modscene has completely petered out years ago.

  • GTA2: First GTA game to have seen and played, way back in 2000. Had the free copy since it was available as a free download at the Rockstar Games website in the mid-2000s. Purchased the game again for Steam in a discount bundle this year. Runs well enough for screencaps.
  • GTA3: The game that sold me on the series. First played it on the PS2 when it was released in 2001, got the PC version next year, and then the Steam version in 2011.

    Although the game has run properly for a long time, graphical glitches begin to pop up in computers release no sooner than the mid-2000, with missing textures and problems rendering sprites. The annoying headlight glitch was never fixed until the Steam version was released, but even then it had another visual glitch: Cars with blacken body and trim colors. The desaturated colour scheme that made the PC version less vibrant than the PS2 version was never explained either.

  • GTA Vice City: First played on the PS2 in 2002; obtained the PC version in 2002, and obtained the Steam version in 2011. Aside a few minor visual glitches with sprites and the hole on the stairway to the roof at the Vercetti mansion, the game has by large been reliable after all these years (even the Steam version).
  • GTA San Andreas: First played on the PS2 in 2004; obtained a pirated version of the PC port in 2005 (version 1.0, which contain the sex minigame), obtained a legit copy (version 2.0, patched to remove the sex minigame) in 2008, and repurchased the Steam version (version 3.0) in 2011.

    Largely reliable for screencapping needs, although I tend to favor the 2.0 version for it minor visual refinements (like accumulated dirt on vehicles being displayed correctly, and the ability to "clean" cars at a spray shop), and occasionally use the 1.0 version when mods are used. 3.0 only addresses a fraction of the problems that 2.0 has resolved. Problems with audio after a rainstorm is present in both 1.0 and 2.0 though; I haven't tried 3.0 long enough to confirm this glitch there.

  • GTA Advance: Only began testing the game on an emulator early-2011 for screencaps. I can see why people loath the game; its animation and controls are even worse than the original GTA. The game is in dire need of coverage though, so I might have to properly study it sooner or later.
  • GTA Liberty City Stories: Only played the PS2 version (PSPs were a luxury here) in 2006. Been using an emulator running off the PS2 DVD to take screencaps since around late-2009/early-2010. Screencapping is moderately difficult, and graphical glitches are still common.
  • GTA Vice City Stories: The same as GTALCS, although I first played it in 2007 and began emulating the game later in early-2010.
  • GTA4: Obtained the PC version in 2009; the latest computer was purchased with the game the game in mind, allowing for good quality GTA4 screenshots soon after its release. The Replay Editor also complements existing in-game screencap techniques very well.
  • GTA Chinatown Wars: First played the DS version via an emulation in late-2009, but am only commited to screncapping; haven't tried the PSP or iPhone versions. Screencapping for the DS version is moderately difficult.
  • EFLC: Obtained the PC version in early 2010, and the experience playing The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay is similar to GTA4; although the computer could still run the games well, some of the graphical updates slowed the computer down, and may be responsible for excess heat on the graphic card that led to its now glitchy behavior.

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