Review: GTA III 10 Year Anniversary (iOS/Android)

When I heard that Rockstar Games were porting one of their all time greatest games over to the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, I was more than a little sceptical, and for good reason. Now, unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past ten years, then you’ll all be pretty familiar with the Grand Theft Auto franchise, but for those who aren’t, I’ll provide a quick rundown of the third instalment.

Originally released on October 1^st 2001 for the PlayStation 2, GTA III is set in the infamous Liberty City, a fictional metropolis loosely based on New York City. The game follows the story of the equally infamous Claude, a criminal who was betrayed by his girlfriend during a bank heist and who is now required to work his way up the crime ladder of the city before confronting her. Obviously, as this is a direct port, the portable edition hasn’t deviated from story, so you’ll experience the same plot points, missions and characters you did when you first played GTA III all those years ago.

Graphically, GTA III: 10 Year Anniversary is surprisingly good. The iOS port mirrors, if not betters the graphics of the original PlayStation 2. The cut scenes look and feel the same and really hit you with a nostalgia factor that very few games can provide these days. One of my initial concerns was that because of the smaller screen the graphics and general look of the game would feel limited, but I’m happy to say that I was wrong. At this point I should probably mention that I played GTA III on the iPhone 4S and would recommend that if you have the choice to play it on either an iPhone or an iPad then go for the latter, primarily due to the extra space that the bigger screen provides, so the onscreen controls don’t obscure the gameplay as much.

With regards to the controls of GTA III, it’s really a mixed bag. Sadly, I really struggled to get to grips with the way in which you manoeuvre Claude around Liberty City. It was simple enough to walk around on foot but when it came down to the fast car chases, drive-bys and races, it became just that little bit more… fiddly, for the lack of a better word. As you can see below, the on-screen buttons on the bottom left of the screen are used to manoeuvre your car around the city. You can also take advantage of the iPhone’s gyroscope controls, although these can sometimes interfere with your driving skills with the touch buttons if you’re not holding it exactly horizontal. When walking, you’re provided with an on-screen analogue stick, but these controls can be mixed and matched in the options menu. The part where the iOS version really does come unstuck is the Auto Aim function. When confronted by more than one or two enemies, which is often, you’re put at a serious disadvantage as you struggle to shoot at the correct person.

When it comes down to GTA III’s audio, I was left wanting. Using both the default iPhone headphones and the internal iPhone speakers, I felt that the audio of the cut scenes in particular sounded tinny. The ambient noise of the city, mixed in with the odd gunshot, didn’t seem as affected, which is one good thing. It may not be the most important aspect of a game like this, but it can certainly make a difference when playing for long periods of time.

Overall, I think that Rockstar’s iOS port didn’t quite live up to the masterpiece they delivered to the PlayStation 2 but in all honesty, who expected it to? Despite the controls, I believe that GTA III: 10 Year Anniversary is definitely worth your consideration.

 

 

GTA III 10 Year Anniversary Edition is currently available from the iOS AppStore and the Android Marketplace. Due to the game’s size and scope, it’s recommended that you play on one of the supported devices below –
Apple iOS Devices: iPad 1 & 2, iPhone 4 & 4S, iPod touch 4th Generation
Android Phones: HTC Rezound, LG Optimus 2x, Motorola Atrix 4G, Motorola Droid X2, Motorola Photon 4G, Samsung Galaxy R, Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, T-Mobile G2x 
Android Tablets: Acer Iconia, Asus Eee Pad Transformer, Dell Streak 7, LG Optimus Pad, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 and 10.1, Sony Tablet S, Toshiba Thrive