Never played any GTA titles; where to start?

Daimyo

Daimyo

Sonny, I Watched the Vault Bein' Built!
Orderite
Hey, guys.

By searching the General Gaming and Hardware Forum the closest I got to answering my question was this, but I don't think it gives me all the info I need so to speak so I'm making a new thread ...

So basically: I have heard so much about the GTA series over the years and now I am curious, and since Steam is so handy I was thinking about playing GTA for the first time.

Where to start? Should I get GTA 3 because it is the cheapest and then see if I like the style, or will I have to go back to the original GTA and work my way up?

Some input would be nice ...
 
GTA II and VC are the best. In all likelyhood, VC is the best from the entire collection, as the over-the-shoulder perspective complements the intended gameplay way better than the helicopter view did.

In a lot of ways, you can see GTA I/II and III-VC-SA-IV as separate series, and it's kind of a question of which one you want to get into. The latter series is certainly much easier to get into, not in the least because of the changed mission system.

I'd probably just start with III. Honestly, while the core concept of GTA I/II is fine and they're great games, the 3D series is a lot more intuitive and a better starting point.

Also, please note that while GTA III is the cheapest at 10 bucks, Steam has a full pack that includes everything except IV for 30 bucks (Steam doesn't sell I/II individually). I'd freely advise you to just get that, because it's a rare person that doesn't dig GTA.

Note GTA:SA is a bit of a piece of junk on PC, tho'. And don't buy IV.

Also, you're an idiot for considering this just 2 days after the 30% discount deal for Rockstar games closes. Idiot.
 
Brother None said:
Also, you're an idiot for considering this just 2 days after the 30% discount deal for Rockstar games closes. Idiot.
Click to expand...

Damn. Idiot indeed. I had no idea :cry:
 
Oh yeah, here

Just keep in mind while playing them that while the core gameplay concepts remain fairly intact between II and III, the feel of the game changes quite a bit because of the switched camera angle. SA and IV change a lot of the core gameplay as well, in their own individual ways. Also mission system.
 
And the fact GTA 2 is set in a cyberpunkish, mildly 'retro' futuristic city.
 
Just bought the Classics package at 29.99 €.

Decided to go to the beginning of series; part to understand the developemnt as the series progress and part to understand what everyone is on about...

Edit: I might play GTA3 first though; then go back ... :)
 
You might want to play 3 and 1 at the same time. They're so different from one another, it's not like they will rob you of an experience.

The games are pretty fun though if you're like me, you'll get tired after just on eof them.
 
Also, wait until GTA IV hits the bargain bin if you ever really consider buying it...Even I who only paid 12 bucks for it feel like I was robbed ( despite it being a wonderful game ).
 
Brother None said:
Note GTA:SA is a bit of a piece of junk on PC, tho'.
Click to expand...

I may have missed something.. Why is that? GTA:SA PC seems perfectly fine to me, except for the sound bug when it's raining.
SA and VC are my favorites of the series.
But regarding that particular gameplay, Mafia is the game that beats all GTA games combined for me.
 
I personally started with GTA Vice City. You might wanna start with GTA 3 though, but if you do start with GTA 3 then you should go directly for Vice City and San Andreas after that.You could also start with IV since it has almost nothing to do with the older games.
To my shame i must say that i have never played GTA I or II so i can't say anything about them.
 
Kilus said:
Obviously start with GTA I and II as they are free to download after registering at Rockstar's website.

edit: http://www.rockstargames.com/classics/
Click to expand...

I'd recommend those as well, since they're free, and are still great games.

If you want one of the 3D games, I'd recommend Vice City. It's my favourite in the series, mainly due to the 80's setting and excellent soundtrack. I haven't played the latest one, though, so I can't comment on that.
 
I hated GTA IV (too much "American titties" phonecall's).

GTA III through to SA (although SA on PC sucks) are excellent, with VC probably being my favourite.
 
Multidirectional said:
Brother None said:
Note GTA:SA is a bit of a piece of junk on PC, tho'.
Click to expand...

I may have missed something.. Why is that? GTA:SA PC seems perfectly fine to me, except for the sound bug when it's raining.
Click to expand...

Unfortunatly just because it works on your computer doesen't mean it works on others. I have SA and have never managed to get it to work on either my laptop or my computer. Crashed a lot on my lappy and doesen't recognise my mouse on my pc.
Though oddly it works on my brother's older computer except it crashes every hour or two.

VC does have a charm the other ones lack. The main character is quite a funny guy and the game strikes a nice balance between it's mechanics.
GTA I is quite a laugh as well but pretty simple now. Still need to play II as that and London are the only two I haven't played, as well as the psp one but I don't have a psp.
 
London had some funny missions ( for instance, you had to blow a the bus of a soccer team before it reached the stadium ) and GTA 2 had cool graphics and an original setting when compared to the first one. Oh and multiplayer was fun as hell !

Now as regards IV, I've got to admit that I love this game for what a lot of GTA fans didn't like : it's realism. I've played all GTAs and never was a great fan even though I quite enjoy the series. However the realism of IV ( physics, atmosphere, gameplay, social interactions ) got me hooked ( even though I admit Roman's titty calls got on my nerves in the end ). Oh and IV has great writing overall.
 
Serge 13 said:
MrBumble said:
Oh and IV has great writing overall.
Click to expand...
yup, i really loved the characters, especially Packie!
Click to expand...
I hate pakis...err...ummm....

GTAIV is pretty damn good, though it would probably be best if you got it on consoles. Also you might want to play it after GTAIII and GTAVC. In my opinion GTASC is much closer to the leap that 3 was from 2. Not that that's the direction I think GTA should go in...
 
Multidirectional said:
I may have missed something.. Why is that? GTA:SA PC seems perfectly fine to me, except for the sound bug when it's raining.
Click to expand...

The biggest issue with SA is how badly optimized it is; it has a shoddy frame rate limiter that worked fairly well when the game was released but was not properly programmed for future developments, which means you occasionally blast into PS2-based framerates (i.e. superspeed) if the frame limiter collapses on itself.

It also causes numerous bugs, the best-known one being the "can't swim under water" bug.

Serge 13 said:
You could also start with IV since it has almost nothing to do with the older games.
Click to expand...

Nonsense, it's the same principle but with tighter narrative structuring and a gloomier setting.

Conceptually, there are breaks between I/II, III/VC, SA and IV. It's just not that tightly knit a series, though it always keeps one foot firmly on the sandbox gameplay playgrounds. The big change in mission structure broke II from III, the adaptation of controls and change in core mechanics broke VC from SA, and IV is different for the reasons named above. To say IV is more different from the rest than, say, SA is, is bullshit. It's a matter of which element you loved most.

GTA IV's story makes up for so much of it. The characterization of GTA games has always been pretty good, but GTA IV is the first with a really good central character, and the peripheral characters are a bit better too.
 
'A bit better' is a bit of an euphemism, in my opinion. The smallest IV NPC has more personality and credibility than anybody in say, F3.

Such as the profiles on the dating website. Epic lulz.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top