PC Articles/Reviews

What does everyone think about GTA3:PC?

Looking for GTA3:PC articles and reviews? Stilton takes a look at some of the best on the net.

Gamespot :: 9.3 / 10

An extremely well-written and thorough review, one of the best I've read to date. Picks up on various good points that other reviews seem to miss out;

We tested the game on the "recommended" system--a 700Mhz CPU with 128MB of RAM and a 32MB graphics card--and were required to turn every detail to its lowest setting to make the game playable. And even then, it stuttered enough that the PS2 version seemed like the better alternative. It's hard to imagine that Grand Theft Auto III would run at all on the so-called minimum specs.
[...]
Fortunately, a replay option has been added to the PC port. Unfortunately, it's not very good. [...] No camera controls-- other than a free look around your position--are available during the replay, nor are there any video controls, such as fast forward, rewind, pause, or frame advance. What's more, the replays are often more of a close approximation of what happened rather than a strict re-creation. The replay system is so absurdly bare-boned that it feels like more of a hastily thrown together afterthought than a significant additional feature.

Perhaps those quotes don't give an overall view of the reviewers opinion - they do go on to praise the crap out of the game and award it a 'superb' rating. If you're going to read one review of GTA3, this is the one you should check out. They have also uploaded 31 new screenshots of the game, and, if you're a Gamespot Complete user, you can watch their 'Video Review' of the game. Good stuff.

GamesDomain.com :: 5/5

The gameplay is sublimely balanced, varying between infuriatingly difficult and enjoyably slick, but thanks to the beauty of the game design, if at any point it becomes too much, you can move away and enjoy another area. The game also adapts well to the PC interface, particularly where weapons are concerned - the frustrating business of attempting to aim accurately using the PS2 joypad has been replaced with the far more controllable mouse.

MonkeyReview.com :: (no rating)

Well the game is obviously a hit with most of the staff here at Monkeyreview as well as many many other individuals of the series. I cant say I have been the fan of the GTA series as many others are but this particular title has grabbed me and left me at the end of it bruised battered and begging for more. I would recommend this to anyone who has liked previous versions or those looking for a few hours or even days of steady hardcore gaming, because of it�s open ended game play it�s replay ability is through the roof and each time you play things will be different and you will definitely like some of it�s more difficult missions which will have you playing the level over and over again

This is a pretty good review, goes in to a lot of detail - the review spans 3 pages. They make a couple of slip ups (blaming R* for requiring an XP patch where it's actually XP's fault) but overall it's a good review.

GameRankings.com :: 99%

Politicians, Christian groups, and parents alike have bashed GTA 3. But Rockstar Games has given them all the finger, and you should too, especially now that what some consider the greatest game ever created is that much closer to perfection. Just make sure your system's got what it takes, kid.

Ok, GameRankings win the award for highest review score % yet. Not one bad word to say. Good stuff.

ActionTrip.Com :: 90/100

As I went deeper into GTA3, I realized that even with all the things that the designers thought of and put in the game world - all the urban buzz you can experience in this world, there was so much there, and yet so much more room for additions and improvements, it's a bit scary. Even if we totally disregard the main story one could make a great game out of GTA3 just by adding more stuff to buy, more secrets to unlock and some experience points to gather. This game definitely has the potential of becoming an evil-Sims game or something like it.

SpinXero :: B+

Pros: open ended mayhem, tons of missions, over the top violence. Cons: Semi-Repetitive, some missions downright impossible, radio stations repeat too much

Yup, you read it right, GTA3 gets a sub-brilliant review. Now obviously I could pick into this reviewer going over his critical points. I could, for example, say that the game being semi-repetitive (he goes on to say it "does suffer a bit in the replay department") is a load of rubbish. I, for example, explain how the game is completely open-ended, and has 100s of hours of gameplay if you just had imagination to try different things. I could also pick apart his point that "radio stations repeat too much" is also rubbish, being that there is 3 hours of music. I could ask him what other games he knows have 3 hours of music and chat on them. But I won't do any of that, as it's all his opinion. However wrong it maybe.

EuroGamer.net :: (no score)

If you're thinking about buying GTA3, you have to ask yourself two questions - do I already own the PS2 version, and is my PC much more than a year old. If the answer to either of these questions is yes, you can probably forget about it. If you have yet to witness the splendours of GTA3 though and have the hardware to handle it, you're in for a real treat. GTA3 looks great, sounds great and plays great, will keep you busy for months, and has the kind of production values most PC games can only dream of.

Battle-Fields.com :: 9/10

The graphics and sounds compared to the PS2 version are a vast improvement. On my machine I can run the game with full graphic enhancements at a resolution of 1280x 1024, with only a slight lag at moments where there is a lot going on in the screen. But needless to say, it looks very pretty, and with details such as reflections in puddles in the road, as well as a complete weather and night/day system, it all adds to a spectacular experience.