Grand Theft Auto 3 (GTA3) has not only come to represent an era in gaming, but its impact, style and of course the astronomical sales continue to resonate in an industry that is still maturing and finding its feet. Perhaps for the first time, GTA3 gave gamers a glimpse of a world that wasn’t just about a linear progression. Choice in the past had often seemed to be limited to the size of the gun or, if you were lucky, the order in which you tackled missions or worlds. But GTA3 was different; more open, less constrictive. Jumping in a car and just driving around the city wasn’t penalised, in fact, the world encouraged exploration, offering hidden bonuses and a greater chance of evading the ever-present police. Aiding and quite possibly abetting the notion that this was a game that wanted you to look at the nooks and crannies from its third person perspective was the attention to detail shown in the game's now legendary radio stations. A mixture of brilliantly scripted, satirical conversation, original songs and licensed material meant that cruising around in your favourite jalopy was sheer entertainment.
Of course exploration would have been no fun at all had the world in which GTA3 was set not been so well realised – a city of a size never before seen in console games was available to explore and unlock. This was a world that hinted at a life going on both around the player and despite him. The first two Grand Theft Auto games had attracted attention for some slightly questionable missions, ultra violence and an appealing sense of fun, but they were indisputably in a different class to the third in the series. Top-down and limited, the controversial moments in these games never truly garnered the kind of attention that they potentially could have because they largely flew under the radar. Of course, when GTA3 hit the shops this all changed in a heartbeat. The press seized on moments that were always designed to be provocative: the option to take a prostitute into your car, have (out of sight but heavily implied) sex with her and then mug her for the money she charged, for instance, or the encouragement to participate in senseless OTT violence.More information:
http://tech.uk.msn.com/features/article.aspx?cp-documentid=7770849