Grand Theft Auto 3

I have recently gotten my hands on a PS2 again (a few actually, but a story for another day), and have been rediscovering it. It’s been so much fun.

The PS2 is actually the first console I ever purchased with my first ever internship “salary,” (in its entirety, all €200 of it!), so I certainly have some nostalgic feelings towards it.

But I also realized just how many games were available for it that I knew but never actually played on PS2. I either ended up playing them on PC or GameCube, or I watched my cousin play them, something like that.

GTA3 was one of those games, having only really attempted to play it on my then very much underpowered computer. I can still remember that abysmal framerate. And the streaking! Hoboy.

Now that I have a PS2 again, I thought it would be fun to play through all 3D GTA games, in mostly(?) the right order. Yesterday evening I finally beat the final level, and although I missed a few missions due to me not realizing certain missions close off access to others, I feel like I got enough of them.

Some certainly were brutally difficult for me to get through, as I’m by no means a great gamer, and the controls are not always.. lets say ideal. I have died a “few” times.

But I had so much fun. Not only because of the game itself, but because of the simplicity and focus that comes with playing on the PS2. No updates, no reboots, nothing. Just turn it on and bam, you’re in Liberty City.

I thought I would feel happy when I would finally finish the game, after having died perhaps over 10 times trying to complete the final mission. I actually mostly felt a bit sad. Even though I can still drive around and do some more side missions and whatnot, I know the time has come to move on. At least until a future date where I can start again of course, and then finally do those other missions I missed out on this time :).

Up next: Vice City. Oh yes!