| Grand Theft Auto 3 | | | | Developer(s) | Rockstar North (PS2, PC); Rockstar Vienna (Xbox) | | Publisher(s) | Rockstar Games | | Engine | RenderWare | | Release date(s) | | | Genre | Action | | Mode(s) | Single player | | Rating(s) | ESRB: Mature (M)
ELSPA: 18 | | Platform(s) | PlayStation 2, PC, Xbox | | Media | | | System requirements | Pentium III 450MHz CPU, 64MB RAM, 16MB Direct3D video card, DirectX-compatible sound card, 8x CD-ROM drive, 500MB hard disk space, Microsoft Windows 98/ME/NT/2000/XP, DirectX 8.1 | | Input | Keyboard or game console controller | Grand Theft Auto 3, or GTA 3, is a video game developed by DMA Design, published by Rockstar Games in October 2001 for the PlayStation 2 video game console, May 2002 for Windows-based PCs, and in November 2003 for the Xbox video game console. It is the third in the Grand Theft Auto series. Grand Theft Auto 3: Box cover This is the cover art for a video or computer game. ...
A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual) that creates video or computer games. ...
Rockstar North (formerly DMA Design) is a developer of computer and video games, formerly based in Dundee, Scotland, and now located in the Leith area of Edinburgh. ...
Video game publishers are companies that publish video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer. ...
Rockstar Games is the umbrella name for video game development studios acquired by the game publisher Take Two Interactive. ...
In computing, a game engine is the core software component of a video game. ...
RenderWare (RW) is a three-dimensional (3D) applications programming interface (API) graphics rendering engine used in computer games, Active Worlds, and some VRML browsers. ...
2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
This is listing of computer and video game genres with a brief description and examples from each genre. ...
Action games could be considered the video game equivalent of action movies. ...
In computer games and video games, single-player refers to the variant of a particular game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session. ...
The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is a self-regulatory organization that applies and enforces ratings, advertising guidelines, and online privacy principles for computer and video games in the United States. ...
The Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (or ELSPA) is an organisation set up in 1989 by British software publishers. ...
Games, like most other forms of media, may be categorized into genres based on gameplay, atmosphere, and various other factors. ...
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) (Japanese: プレイステーション2) is Sonys second video game console, after the PlayStation. ...
One of the first PCs from IBM - the IBM PC model 5150. ...
The Xbox is Microsofts game console, released on November 15, 2001. ...
The CD-ROM (an abbreviation for Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (ROM)) is a non-volatile optical data storage medium using the same physical format as audio compact discs, readable by a computer with a CD-ROM drive. ...
DVD is an optical disc storage media format that can be used for storing data, including movies with high video and sound quality. ...
Pentium III logo The Pentium III is an x86 (more precisely, an i686) architecture microprocessor by Intel, introduced on February 26, 1999. ...
A megahertz (MHz) is one million (106) hertz, a measure of frequency. ...
The central processing unit (CPU) is the part of a computer that interprets and carries out the instructions contained in the software. ...
This article is about a unit of data measurement. ...
Look up Random access memory in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Different types of RAM. From top to bottom: DIP, SIPP, SIMM 30 pin, SIMM 72 pin, DIMM, RIMM Random access memory or RAM is a type of computer storage whose contents can be accessed in any (i. ...
A GeForce 4 4200-based graphics card A graphics card or video card is a component of a computer which is designed to convert a logical representation of an image stored in memory to a signal that can be used as input for a display medium, most often a monitor...
A sound card based on VIA Envy chip A sound card is a computer expansion card that can input and output sound under program control. ...
The CD-ROM (an abbreviation for Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (ROM)) is a non-volatile optical data storage medium using the same physical format as audio compact discs, readable by a computer with a CD-ROM drive. ...
Typical hard drives of the mid-1990s. ...
The current official DirectX logo. ...
QWERTY computer keyboard A computer keyboard is a peripheral modelled after the typewriter keyboard. ...
A controller is a person or device that exercises or attempts to exercise control or influence. ...
A computer game is a game composed of a computer-controlled virtual universe that players interact with in order to achieve a defined goal or set of goals. ...
A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual) that creates video or computer games. ...
Rockstar North (formerly DMA Design) is a developer of computer and video games, formerly based in Dundee, Scotland, and now located in the Leith area of Edinburgh. ...
Video game publishers are companies that publish video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer. ...
Rockstar Games is the umbrella name for video game development studios acquired by the game publisher Take Two Interactive. ...
2001 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December Films: October 5 - Joy Ride October 19 - From Hell See also 2001#October. ...
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) (Japanese: プレイステーション2) is Sonys second video game console, after the PlayStation. ...
The Nintendo GameCube is an example of a video game console. ...
2002 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December A timeline of events in the news for May, 2002. ...
Microsoft Windows is a range of operating environments for personal computers and servers. ...
2003 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December A timeline of events in the news for November, 2003. ...
The Xbox is Microsofts game console, released on November 15, 2001. ...
Rockstar Games Logo Grand Theft Auto (GTA) is a video game series created and developed by Rockstar North (formerly DMA Design), published by Rockstar Games and debuted in 1997. ...
Setting and Gameplay
The player controls a character in Liberty City, a fictitious East Coast city (often said to be very loosely based on New York City), who is never named (though he is referred to variously as "Fido", "The Kid", or "Mr. Black", and "Claude" in a brief cameo in the series' later game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas; he is also theorized to be "Claude Speed" from Grand Theft Auto 2), who is double-crossed by his partner/girlfriend, Catalina, during a bank robbery and sent to jail. While he is being transferred, an attack on the police convoy sets him free. Liberty City is a fictional city in the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series that is loosely based on New York City. ...
The East Coast (also known as the Eastern Seaboard) is a term referencing the easternmost coastal states in the United States of America. ...
Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the United States, and is at the center of international finance, politics, communications, music, fashion, and culture. ...
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is the fifth video game in the Grand Theft Auto series. ...
The unnamed player-controlled character from Grand Theft Auto 3, suggested to be Claude Speed. ...
Screenshot GTA2 (PlayStation) Grand Theft Auto 2 (or GTA2) is a video game released on September 19, 1999 in the United States by developers Rockstar North; it eventually reached a variety of platforms, including the PC, PlayStation and Dreamcast consoles. ...
He then takes on work as a local thug and rises in power as he works for multiple rival crime gangs. The principal activity in the game is carjacking: the player may walk up to the side of a passing car and press a single button to yank the driver out of the car, get in, and start driving. Each car has its own particular performance characteristics; for instance, a "Mafia Sentinel" car is much faster and able to corner much better than a minivan. However, attempting to car-jack a Mafia vehicle often results in pursuit by the former occupant (who is invariably armed). These risk-reward balances give the game more subtlety than the nature of the in-game actions would suggest. A gang is a group of individuals who share a common identity and, in current usage, engage in illegal activities. ...
Dramatised carjacking Carjacking is the crime of motor vehicle theft from a person who is present. ...
A newer minivan (a Plymouth Grand Voyager) Typical early minivan (a Dodge Caravan) A minivan is a type of vehicle developed independently by Matra/Renault and the Chrysler Corporation. ...
The Liberty City Police Department, or LCPD, is the city's largely ineffective police agency. They are underfunded, a situation that has made body armor rare, except for their higher paid SWAT unit and forcing many officers, even Internal Affairs into doing business with organized crime groups, such as the Mafia and Yakuza, to make a living in this dark city. SWAT officers SWAT (an acronym for Special Weapons and Tactics; originally Special Weapons Attack Tactics) is a specialized paramilitary police unit in major U.S. city police departments who are trained to perform dangerous operations. ...
The Mafia, also referred to as La Cosa Nostra (Italian, variously translated as This Thing Of Ours or Our Thing), is the collective name of various secret organizations in Italy, Sicily, Corsica and the United States. ...
Yakuza (from Japanese ã‚„ãã– or ヤクザ), also known as gokudÅ, are members of traditional organized crime groups in Japan. ...
The player has a degree of freedom in his actions that was groundbreaking in 2001 and today arguably has only been surpassed by the game's sequels. He is able to go on missions (shaking down a local business for "protection money", clearing the streets of drug dealers, or assassinating leaders of rival gangs, for example) in order to advance in the ranks of his current gang. Alternately, he may choose to drive around the city, stealing cars, running over pedestrians, and avoiding (or opposing) the police. If the player acquires a taxi cab, he can pick up designated non-player characters as fares and drop them off at different parts of the city for a cash payment; carjacking an ambulance lets the player pick up injured NPCs and drive them to the hospital for a cash reward. Police and Fire Brigade missions are similarly available. GTA 3 Screenshot, walking (PC) Fair use for Grand_Theft_Auto_3 Demonstrates the game and its graphics. ...
GTA 3 Screenshot, walking (PC) Fair use for Grand_Theft_Auto_3 Demonstrates the game and its graphics. ...
Alternative meaning: taxicab geometry. ...
A non-player character or non-playable character is a fictional character in a role-playing game whose role is generally created and performed by the gamemaster. ...
Ambulance An ambulance is a vehicle designated for the transport of sick or injured people. ...
Thanks to the strikingly open-ended game design, it is quite possible—and common—for players to ignore the main missions and play the side missions, or simply cruise around enjoying Liberty City's sights. The game is remarkable for its depiction of what seems to be a very large city with things happening all the time in different neighborhoods. Passing vehicles and pedestrians are not just cosmetic "flavor" for the environment, but are actually part of game play: cars can be stolen and smashed; citizens can be beaten up, robbed, run over, or shot; law enforcement and members of rival gangs can be engaged and will respond with weapons of their own. The game is also noted for the emergent behavior of its non-player characters; pedestrians sometimes get into fights, and car accidents between non-player vehicles may occur on their own, without any player interference to trigger these events.
 Stealing a car on Grand Theft Auto 3 (PC Version) One of the game's subtler inclusions was a series of radio stations: GTA 3 Screenshot, stealing a car (PC) Fair use for Grand_Theft_Auto_3 Demonstrates the game and its graphics. ...
GTA 3 Screenshot, stealing a car (PC) Fair use for Grand_Theft_Auto_3 Demonstrates the game and its graphics. ...
- Head Radio
- Double Cleff FM
- K-Jah
- Rise FM
- Lips 106
- Game Radio FM
- MSX FM
- Flashback 95.6
- Chatterbox
Main article: Grand Theft Auto 3 soundtrack The soundtrack of the game Grand Theft Auto 3 is popular not only with fans of the game, but also with lovers of mid- to late-1990s music. ...
In GTA3, much of the music was specially written for the game (as well as many songs originating from the first two GTAs), however the Xbox and PC ports allowed the player to use their own MP3s, and later games included actual, licenced music. One of the stations was a full-length talk show, and many of the callers were actually characters from the story missions, often demonstrating the same views and eccentricities that had become apparent to the player during the missions. GTA 3 Screenshot, driving a taxi (PC) Fair use for Grand_Theft_Auto_3 Demonstrates the game and its graphics. ...
GTA 3 Screenshot, driving a taxi (PC) Fair use for Grand_Theft_Auto_3 Demonstrates the game and its graphics. ...
mp3 is a cool file format which is interesting ...
All the stations featured commercials at intervals. The commercials often referred to their official websites, such as PetsOvernight.com. All of these sites actually existed, they were set up to tie in with the game; however, although looking very much like genuine online stores, all links to purchase or order the products actually led to Rockstargames.com. The radio ads also gave out their official phone numbers which were also (apparently) registered by Rockstar; however in this case curious gamers only found an answer phone at the other end.
The PC version of the game has been criticized for performance problems, especially in light of the much smoother performance of the next game in the GTA series, Vice City. This was undoubtedly a technical problem; the game engine rendered everything within the draw distance, even things hidden behind buildings or trees, whereas Vice City only rendered what could actually be seen. The PC version had higher resolution textures and a custom option for MP3s. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (released in October 2002) is the fourth video game in the hit Grand Theft Auto series. ...
In computing, a game engine is the core software component of a video game. ...
Draw distance is commonly used in the computer versions of Grand Theft Auto, it determines how far the game draws buildings and objects in a players view. ...
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (released in October 2002) is the fourth video game in the hit Grand Theft Auto series. ...
The Xbox version was initially supposed to be released in spring 2002 but it was shelved when Sony signed an agreement with Take-Two Interactive (Rockstar Games' parent company), making the GTA series a PlayStation 2 exclusive until November 2004. However, the agreement was amended in 2003 and the GTA Double Pack containing both GTA3 and GTA Vice City was released for Xbox in December 2003. The Xbox version has improved audio, polygon models, and reflections over the PC and PS2 versions.
Market Performance and Critical Acclaim Upon release, GTA 3 unexpectedly emerged as a smash hit at its initial US$49.95 price and became the #1 selling video game of 2001 in the United States. Later discounted to $19.95 as part of Sony's "Greatest Hits" program, it continued to sell well and went on to become the second best-selling video game of 2002 (behind only the next game in the series, 2002's Grand Theft Auto: Vice City). This was a remarkable achievement in an industry where most games experience strong drops in sales despite price drops, as gamers have a strong tendency to purchase only the "next new thing". GTA 3 continued to sell well as part of the Xbox GTA Double Pack (GTA 3 and GTA Vice City), even though GTA 3 was two years old when the Double Pack hit shelves in December 2003. The Double Pack's success for Xbox was due to several factors, the critical acclaim (not just for the GTA series but also for the Xbox improvements) and controversial game content, two games in one, graphical improvements, and lastly the Double Pack debuted at half the price of a regular Xbox game. A dark horse candidate is one who is nominated unexpectedly, without previously having been discussed or considered as a likely choice. ...
Sony Corporation (Japanese katakana: ソニー) (TYO: 6758), (NYSE: SNE) is a global consumer electronics corporation based in Tokyo, Japan. ...
2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (released in October 2002) is the fourth video game in the hit Grand Theft Auto series. ...
The game was touted as revolutionary by several game review websites and publications, and received such rewards as Game of the Year from Gamespot, Gamespy, and Cheat Code Central, and Best Action Game of 2001 by IGN, receiving an average of about 95% from the review websites and publications. [1], [2]
Controversy
 The player flees from police pursuit GTA 3 is controversial because of its graphic content, and it generated moral panic upon its release. For examples of video game violence, many TV news channels often show a play session of GTA 3 where the main character is gunning down pedestrians and blowing up police cars. The player is rewarded with cash for various illegal and immoral actions: one allegation, frequently cited in the press, was that in the game, players had to carjack a car, pick up a prostitute, have (implied) sex with the prostitute, and then kill her and steal her money. This action, while permitted ("sex" restores the player's health, up to 125% of its normal maximum), is never actually required and like all in-game crimes incurs the wrath of the police. Non-mission crimes such as this also lower the player's criminal ranking in the statistics screen. It is theoretically possible to play without committing any actual criminal acts. GTA 3 Screenshot, police trouble (PC) Fair use for Grand Theft Auto 3 and Grand Theft Auto (game) Demonstrates the game and its graphics. ...
GTA 3 Screenshot, police trouble (PC) Fair use for Grand Theft Auto 3 and Grand Theft Auto (game) Demonstrates the game and its graphics. ...
Critics say that games such as Grand Theft Auto 3 advocate real-life crimes, like carjacking. ...
A moral panic is a mass movement based on the perception that some individual or group, frequently a minority group or a subculture, is dangerously deviant and poses a menace to society. ...
Prostitution is the sale of sexual services (typically manual stimulation, oral sex, sexual intercourse, or anal sex) for cash or other kind of return, generally indiscriminately with many persons. ...
After its initial release in Australia, the game was banned—the only country to do so—and a censored version of the game was released in its place. A key reason why this course of action was taken was that Rockstar did not submit GTA3 to the Office of Film and Literature Classification, the body that, among other things, rates videogames according to their content in Australia. Lacking a suitable R18+ rating (the highest rating being MA15+), the game was 'Refused Classification' and banned for sale because it was felt that the game was unsuitable for an audience older than 15, but younger than 18. Australia still does not have a R rating for videogames like it does for movies. Interestingly, whilst the sequel Vice City was censored, the next sequel San Andreas was not (despite featuring more 'mature' content), leading many to conclude that the only reason the game was banned in the first place was that the OFLC was angry at Rockstar for not submitting the game for review. Australia, like all countries, has rules that restrict or ban the production, sale, and distribution of some creative works, including books, magazines, movies, television, computer games, web site content, live theatre, music and other forms. ...
Among other things, the censored version removed the ability to pick up hookers; however it was later found that standard gore was still available if unlocked by entering what in other countries' versions was a "more gore" cheat code, and the uncensored version was also playable by changing the computer's time zone to that of the USA. Cheat codes are codes that can be entered into a video game to change the games behaviour. ...
Various critics hypothesized that if children were to play the game, they might acquire sociopathic attitudes toward others. Several minors arrested for car theft in the United States claimed their motivation was derived from playing the game. Antisocial personality disorder (APD) is a personality disorder which is often characterised by antisocial and impulsive behaviour. ...
It was because of GTA 3 that the Wal-Mart chain of retail stores announced that, for games rated "M" by the ESRB, its stores would begin checking the identification of purchasers who appeared to be under 18. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. ...
The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is a self-regulatory organization that applies and enforces ratings, advertising guidelines, and online privacy principles for computer and video games in the United States. ...
On October 20, 2003, the families of Aaron Hamel and Kimberly Bede, two young people shot by teens William and Josh Buckner (who in statements to investigators claimed their actions were inspired by Grand Theft Auto 3) filed a USD$246 million lawsuit against publishers Rockstar Games and Take Two Interactive Software, retailer Wal-Mart, and PlayStation 2 manufacturer Sony Computer Entertainment America. Rockstar and its parent company, Take Two, filed for dismissal of the lawsuit, stating in U.S. District Court on 29 October 2003 that the "ideas and concepts as well as the 'purported psychological effects' on the Buckners are protected by the First Amendment's free-speech clause." The lawyer of the victims, Jack Thompson, denied that and is trying to get the lawsuit moved into a state court and actioned under Tennessee's consumer protection act. The lawsuit is still pending as of the end of 2004. October 20 is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 72 days remaining. ...
2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Rockstar Games is the umbrella name for video game development studios acquired by the game publisher Take Two Interactive. ...
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. ...
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. ...
Sony Computer Entertainment is a division of Sony Corporation which produces PlayStation, Playstation 2 and PlayStation 3 hardware and games including online games. ...
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. ...
October 29 is the 302nd day of the year (303rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 63 days remaining. ...
2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The first ten Amendments to the U.S. Constitution make up the Bill of Rights. ...
John B. Jack Thompson is a controversial and outspoken attorney often cited in the media for his views on the effects of obscenity and violence in popular media. ...
State nickname: Volunteer State Other U.S. States Capital Nashville Largest city Memphis (largest metropolitan area is Nashville) Governor Phil Bredesen Official languages English Area 109,247 km² (36th) - Land 106,846 km² - Water 2,400 km² (2. ...
2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
External links Cheats Screenshot GTA2 (PlayStation) Grand Theft Auto 2 (or GTA2) is a video game released on September 19, 1999 in the United States by developers Rockstar North; it eventually reached a variety of platforms, including the PC, PlayStation and Dreamcast consoles. ...
Rockstar Games Logo Grand Theft Auto (GTA) is a video game series created and developed by Rockstar North (formerly DMA Design), published by Rockstar Games and debuted in 1997. ...
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (released in October 2002) is the fourth video game in the hit Grand Theft Auto series. ...
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