Customer Reviews

Grand Theft Auto Double Pack: Grand Theft Auto III / Grand Theft Auto Vice City

5 star:		(106)
4 star:		(33)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

Ok first off, for those who don't know, this is a double pack. It contains two games, Grand Theft Auto 3 and Grand Theft Auto : Vice City. Secondly, they are absolute classics. They have changed the face of gaming and have cause enough controversy to put Eminem to shame, although half of the controversy is blown up by ignorant people who have never played the game. Now the reason I have an un-biased opinion is because I own both, a PS2, and an XBOX. I also had both of these games. The other day though, I traded both of them to a friend because I was so impressed with this version of the game I had to buy it. I thought the XBOX version was going to be exactly the same. Little did I know, it is not. There is a HUGE difference in the graphics. I didn't think I would care, but it really just brings the experience to a whole other level. The characters are just SO much detailed. The graphics on the buildings look alot more realistic and the cars actualy shine. One big complain people had with the PS2 version was that when you were driving down the road, cars would suddenly appear out of nowhere and you would crash. This has definetly been fixed for the XBOX. You can see way down the road, with no problems. The graphical differences are amazing. Another exclusive feature is the custom soundtrack. You can burn your CD's to the XBOX harddrive and play them on the radio in the cars. Just imagine cruising down the streets of Liberty City (aKa NYC), blazing Dr. Dre's "Still DRE". Or speeding down Vice City's (aKa Miami) beaches, blaring Rage Against The Machine's "Calm Like A Bomb". This also makes it a completely different, and better, experience. There are no other extra features besides these, no extra missions,levels,cars,weapons... but there shouldn't be. These are amazing, classic games that every gamer should own. But if you have the choice, buy this version. The improvements really make the difference. As Time magazine says, "Grand Theft Auto 3 is a national obsession, its sequel borders on something more...art."

Two of the best games ever on ps2 have finally come to the xbox. For those of you who have never played either of these games (shame on you) here's the lowdown. Both games are basically about a person rising through the ranks of the local crime organizations. in GTA 3, you fight your way to the top of NY city lookalike, by taking cars and occasionally shooting fools. in Vice City, its basically the samething, but with a fresh 80's coat of paint. you set up a huge crime organization in a fake Miami, much like in Scarface. Both games have there violent moments, but the controversey is blown way out of proportion. The XBOX version is a million times prettier than the ps2 version, with sharper graphics, shiny cars, and the ability to customize your own sound tracks, awsome. It may not be for everyone, but i recomend it to anyone who can get there hands on it.

I've played GTAIII on the PS2, the PC, and now on the XBOX, and the XBOX has much better graphics than even my PC version. It's like they've added a layer of texture. Sports cars shimmer, and the old Jalopy's in Vice City have a flat, weathered look. When it rains, the drops run down the "lens" of the camera that follows you. I haven't fully acclimated to the games yet; I still miss my mouse, but the control interface is one of the best I've seen on a consol system. Rockstar Games not only ported GTAIII and Vice City over to the XBOX, they have significantly improved what were already incredible titles. The fact that you can now buy two full games for the price of one is just icing on the cake. Remember this time people, for we may not see another release like this for a very, very long time.

This is actually 2 great games in one. You get Grand Theft Auto 3 and its sequel Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. I will review them individually. Grand Theft Auto 3 starts off great. You just got busted out of prison. What do you do, steal a car natuarraly. You race across the streets (hitting innocent bystanders)trying to get to your garage. This is like your base. Once their you can go out into the streets and beat up innocents for cash like a small thug. However you can also find work for bigtime crooks. As you complete their small jobs they will begin to respect you and the challenge of your jobs grows. This ia an outline of gameplay of Grand Theft Auto 3. Now for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. This game is a good sequel. It keeps the good points of its predecessor while improving in many ways. You can now own property. The challenges are original, fun, and challenging. The weapons selections ranges from bats to rocket launchers. The graphics on the Xbox version are improved over their PS2 counterparts.If you own the PS2 version of the game this game is not different anough for you to purchase. However for us Xbox owners this is an absolute must buy. Having these games along with Halo on the same system is Awesome.

So many people speak ill of these games. I don't have to tell you that 98% of those people are NOT gamers. They can't appreciate a game like this. A game so open ended you can play it any which way you like. To those people I say this, "Open your ears, just for a moment, and listen to what we, the real movers and shakers of this industry have to say." No other game, ever, past or present, has changed video gaming in the way that the GTA franchise has. Not Mario, not Link, not Sonic, or even the beloved Master Chief. No other game before it gave you the freedom to do anything, anytime, whenever you wanted to do it. Instead of trashing the game, go back to the days of the first gaming system, and follow each and every game and console that has been released since. Maybe then will you appreciate a gaming experience such as the one Grand Theft Auto offers.

This is one of the greatest games ever made. Seriously. You are free to do anything you want to, from beating up a pedestrian to flying a helicopter through a huge city. But first, let me get one thing cleared up: This game is NOT about killing innocent people. It is basically about a small time mercenary who gets hired by different people to do jobs for them. Yes, some of the jobs are about "wacking" a certain individual, but they are usually people who did or were going to commit a crime that someone would be angry about. You could do all the missions in this game without hurting any innocent people. It isn't the game that's bad, it just matters who's playing it. And about the prostitutes, you can pick them up and the car does bounce up and down, but you can see inside the car and clearly see that the people are just sitting in their seats. Yes, I know the concept is that they are... you know.... But, it really wouldn't mess a kid up that much. And there is some language, but come on, it is the same as what you would see in a movie. So if there's an 11-13 year old who wants to get this game, it should be OK, as long as they understand that it's just a video game.

I really enjoy the Grand theft auto series, and I've actually been playing it since the original titles. Whereas it is completely true that this game is ground-breaking in almost every way, these games have some major setbacks too.

I bought the double pack almost immediately when it came out, because I had played GTA3 before and I desperately wanted to play Vice City. The game was absolutely phenomenal. The new freedoms were amazing--the helicopters are fun, the motorcycles are amazing--and all the new gameplay elements contribute to your feeling of taking over the town.

I had some problems with the graphics--most of the time they are nice, but occasionally clipping or other glitches became too much. The areas are also too crowded, you never got much opportunity to just unleash that engine and fly around town. It was fun buying property--but there are bugs in the game on some of them. Some save points don't work right, and some safe houses are useless.

The most annoying factors occur when you desire a certain car: it just seems like the game knows what car you want and purposefully hides it from you. My BIGGEST beef with the game is this: after putting in well over 20 hours of gameplay--my game just became corrupted. I saved in the mansion on Shellfish Island (which is a small island between the 2 larger ones), and every time I tried to leave that island, the game froze and made an annoying noise. I thought maybe my disc was damaged, but when I tried another copy I was dismayed to learn that it had to be my save.

The game is too long to rent, so my recommendation is to buy it for another system or don't pay much for it. I've also heard that using codes and then saving corrupts your save as well.

Sound:4/5: Both of the games in this pack have great music and sound fx. While you are in a car or on a bike you can choose between many different radio stations. The radio stations have a variety of songs and advertisments. My only complaint about the sound fx are when you can here people on the street talking. They say the same things over and over again and can get on your nerves.

Graphics:5/5: The graphics of these games need no work. The car models and detail of the people and objects are about as good as it gets. Definately not plain or boring at all.

Gameplay:5/5: I have played vice city and gta 3 both on ps2 and xbox. To me, the xbox versions have much better gameplay. It is simple and easy to learn but at the same time, there are many different actions to take.

Features:5/5: There are many things to do in this game. First off, there are about 70 or 80 missions to do which are all very fun. Even after you beat the game there are more things to do such as purchase properties and do side missions or even just screw around and kill people for fun.

Overall: Xbox definately deserves this game because they are gonna sell alot of copies and go big. For only 50 bucks you get 2 of the best games ever made. This double pack can keep you busy for months(or at least weeks). So if you dont have it already, get your @$$ to wherever you buy games and pick it up.

Grand Theft Auto: Double Pack - Circa 2003

GOOD:
- You get Grand Theft Auto: 3 and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, in one package (two different discs and cases)
- Some of the graphics and models have been improved (like car engines, rain effects, and some structures)
- Play all your custom sound track from your Xbox hard drive
- Quicker loading then Playstation 2 versions

BAD:
- While some of the graphics and models have been improved some look just as bad as the Playstation 2 versions
- For some reason this game has a habit of lagging at certain times (usually when a lot is going on at the same time)
- While you can play your custom sound tracks from your Xbox hard drive there is no random play option and all song are broken up the way you left them on your hard drive
- Targeting for shooting is odd to say the least, and not half as good as it should be

IF IT FITS YOUR TASTE:
- Adult or at lest mature themed world and story, comes off like a crime themed comedy
- The world famous go any-where do any-thing "crime simulator" which has you doing missions that range from killing mob members to selling ice cream
- "Sand-box" gameplay allows you to follow missions at your pace and when you want as well solve missions the want you feel fit
- Ability to steal cars plans boats tanks and other vehicles

GAME ITS MOST ASSOCATED TOO:
- Grand Theft Auto: 3 (PS2)
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PS2)
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

ADDITIONAL NOTES:
- These are basically the same games from the Playstation 2 sold together as one package deal with some minor improvements
- You can find similar versions of these Grand Theft Auto's on the P.C., which there is a ton of custom user made content on the Internet

Finally this game series is transferred over to the most powerful gaming system in the world. Wasn't that the obvious decision from the beginning? Now instead of the characters looking freakishly deformed, you can actually see fine detail. You can see separate fingers instead of the hand mittens that you were subjected to. If you have ever played the PC version then you will notice that the area of the city you can see is bigger. As is such with the Xbox version. The game also supports the higher resolution setting of 720p HDTV, and there will be real time lighting and better looking elements such as rain and smoke. The cars will appear glossy and waxed. There is the custom soundtrack feature where you can play your tunes from your hard drive into the radio of your car (any car with a radio i.e. no cop cars). There is also Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound support so you can hear different pedestrians around you saying "In the navy" and other funny phrases. Also gunfire will be of the same effect. Another cool feature is that the button layout is customizable, but i assume that there is a default layout as well.