Grand Theft Auto 2

by Rockstar Games

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00001ZUL7
• Item Weight: 5 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: October 25, 1999
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (65 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,608 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

Platform: PlayStation | Edition: Standard

Editorial Review

Grand Theft Auto is back--and the popular mission-based driving game is nastier than ever! Grand Theft Auto 2 plays much like its predecessor, and that is not necessarily a good thing.

The graphics in the original were terrible, and GTA 2 does little to amend this deficiency. The game camera looks straight down on the action, making it difficult to judge relative heights. The grainy game objects don't help matters much, either. Plus, the game's missions mainly consist of fetching things for crime lords, with a few assassination missions thrown in every so often.

Still, Grand Theft Auto 2 is a terrific game to boot up for 30 minutes if you want to blow off some steam. You don't necessarily have to take on any missions. Instead, you can brainlessly roam around the enormous city environments performing random acts of violence. (However, we don't recommend that you try this at home!). Few games of any type offer this sort of reckless, open-ended mayhem.

Police chases are wilder than ever thanks to new units with improved interception techniques. New weapons also add some much-needed variety to the carnage that players are bound to create. If you never played the original, skip it and pick up this version. You might also consider getting some therapy, if time permits. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Artificial intelligence is somewhat improved
• Controls are a little better than the original

Cons:

• Few gameplay improvements from the original
• Less than impressive graphics
• Gameplay suffers from slowdown

GameSpot Review

Everyone's favorite jack-move simulator is back for another round. Grand Theft Auto 2 is, for the most part, a collection of enhancements to the original game. The graphics have been redone, the music is different, there is a slew of new weapons, the mission structure is a bit more complex, and the city feels a bit more alive. But at its core, GTA2 is the same old game.

There are three levels in GTA2. Each level is divided up into three areas of turf, controlled by a different gang. The gangs range from the ever-unpopular megacorporation, Zaibatsu, to the dirt-road mobile-home-owning Rednecks. But regardless of personal philosophies, the gangs' methods are roughly the same. You, as a budding young criminal always on the lookout for the next big score, need to earn some respect from the gangs in the city. Since the gangs are constantly at war with each other, the only real way to earn the respect of one gang is to roll over to their rival gang's turf and start smoking as many gang members as you can find. Once you've earned a little positive respect from a gang (an onscreen meter lets you know where you stand with all three gangs), you can start answering that gang's pay phones and going on missions. The missions are similar to those in the original GTA. They force you to blow up buildings, shoot informants, deliver narcotics, and all other types of ill deals. The better you do in one gang, the more that gang's rivals will hate you. The more they hate you, the angrier they will get when you roll into their area. Angry gangs will simply open fire on you the minute they see you. Luckily, you've got a health meter this time around, so you can withstand a few shots before going down.

The police are also a constant factor in GTA2. In the original GTA, "the man" was content to simply set up roadblocks and hope you'd wreck your car. This time around, the 5-0 can get downright devious. They'll swerve in front of you and cut you off. They'll send a van full of armored SWAT guys your way. In later levels, the feds will pick up your trail, and, if you're really a miscreant, those cop-car roadblocks might just get replaced with tanks.

Even though the gameplay is largely the same as in the previous GTA, it's still a lot of fun. The game gives you plenty of freedom to pick which gang you ally yourself with, though if you want to actually finish a level, you're eventually going to have to side with each of the level's three gangs. Once you get tired of running errands for the gangs, it's still fun to just drive around, running people over, blowing up cars at random, mowing down innocent bystanders with your machine gun, and waiting for the cops to arrive on the scene. This gives the game a "pick up and play" style to it, so you can sit down, turn on the game, cause a ruckus for ten or 15 minutes, and go back to whatever it was you were doing before. Excelling at GTA2 takes work, since you need a ton of points to proceed from level to level. This forces you to get really good at the missions, since completing missions is the only way to get your score multiplier up. Without having all your points doubled and tripled, you could be stuck on one level for days - and you can only save the game when you complete a level. To help you score those points (and to help keep you alive), you can get a lot more weapons this time around. Now you can wield things like hand grenades, Molotov cocktails, and tasers. New guns include a shotgun, a silenced machine gun, and pistols akimbo.

Graphically, the game looks better than the PlayStation version of Grand Theft Auto, but it still falls short. The entire game is very blocky, and it runs at a less-than-breakneck speed. Even the fastest cars in the game feel sluggish. Even though the graphics may look a bit plain, the game has a great soundtrack, closely mirroring the station-style of the original game. This time around, the musical stylings are a little more modern, having been provided by Moving Shadow records.

GTA2 provides the same comically violent gameplay as that of the original. If little blocky guys peeling each other's caps with a variety of weapons easily offend you, or if exploding cars and police sirens turn you off, then don't waste your time with GTA2. However, if you loved the first game but wished there was just a bit more variety in the mission structure, then by all means steal a car, drive it down to your local game retailer, and slap around the owner until he gives you a copy. OK, it might just be easier for you to buy one, instead. --Jeff Gerstmann
--Copyright ©1999 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited. GameSpot and the GameSpot logo are trademarks of GameSpot Inc.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Really cool game!, December 2, 1999

By A Customer

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Grand Theft Auto 2 (Video Game)

Grand Theft Auto was very cool. It is a game which you just play for fun. You can steal cars, work for gangs, and other stuff. I like the tanks in this game. I also like to make the police mad but you need a code which will make you hard to kill. The parents probably hate this game because of the language they say.

The bad things: graphics are terribly. You can hardly see where you are shooting. Second, it is so easy to die. Third, the game at first is really cool but it does get boring after you play the games a few times. So in other words, this game is cool for the people who like wild games.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a true must buy, go out and buy this game!, November 14, 1999

By A Customer

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Grand Theft Auto 2 (Video Game)

GTA 2 was surprisingly awesome. at first, just by looking at the graphics behind the box tells you that its going to be a crappy game, but think again. the graphics in the game may look old but it doesn't kill the game. being able to join one of the three gangs, you put yourself in the streets of nyc as you try to get a reputation at one of the gangs. you can hijack cars with a simple push of a button and be the most wanted crimnal. though, this game should not be played by kids under 12 because it does have some certain adult content such as going out on the streets and giving out illegal drugs and alot of violence. the music in the game is very good as it has good liquid and rock music, but it could only be heard if youre in a vechile. the intro fmv gets you hyped up for this game. i say its a true holiday must have.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GTA 2, June 23, 2000

By A Customer

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Grand Theft Auto 2 (Video Game)

I have played GTA and GTA london, but neither of those compares to the quality, new graphics and realism of being a ganster. Join a variety of gangs and follow their orders to gain maximum respect and points then you are their man. Missions range from simply stealing a car to planting explosives out side a building and then killing 20 of your rival gangs men. If you cant be bothered with missions and rules then just simply kill as many innocent people and cops, and steal as many cars as possible before you get wasted by the cops.

For me, GTA has the best quality music I have ever seen in a playstation game and when in a car you can pick from a variety of radio stations.

This game is fully recomended to you by me. ( You can also see my review on GTA London, those of you that are interested)

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