Poll: Best of GTA 3 series

[TomLikesGuitar]

Simple question...

What do you think was the best GTA 3 era game, GTA 3, Vice City, or San Andreas, and why?

For me it was Vice City because of the story and the fluidity of the game. It never got boring like GTA 3 and San Andreas sometimes did.

 

[GonzoGamer]

San Andreas had an amount of content I had never seen outside of RPG territory. There was just so much to do, see, and play with, that game kept me occupied for over a year. Besides all the gameplay content, it was all the little easter eggs and things that really made it one of the best games ever...for me.

I have a feeling that we will never see a GTA packed with so much ever again...at least not without buying another $120 of dlc first.

I also really liked Vice City Stories. Maybe even a little more than Vice City (sacrilege, I know) but I'm a big Genesis/Phil Collins fan.

 

[TomLikesGuitar]

but I'm a big Genesis/Phil Collins fan.

I like Genesis (well, the prog-rock stuff) but how does that relate to Vice City Stories? I never played it.

 

[putowtin]

San Andreas for me,
It was huge, it took aver an hour to drive from one end of the map to the other, you could gamble, jump of buildings, pump iron and get ink, and these were just side diversions!

 

[GonzoGamer]

but I'm a big Genesis/Phil Collins fan.

I like Genesis (well, the prog-rock stuff) but how does that relate to Vice City Stories? I never played it.

Me too. Supper's Ready is one of my all time favorite songs. I dig the later work too but my friends and I definitely go to see The Musical Box whenever they come to town and know that Peter Gabriel is really the inspiration behind Lady Gaga.

In VCS there are a couple of missions where you get hired to be Phil Collins' bodyguard. One of them actually has you running around the stadium killing guys trying to kill him while he sings In the Air Tonight. That unlocks the ability to go see him (in game sprite form) perform In the Air Tonight at the stadium at certain times during the game day:
Also. On the radio you can hear In the Air tonight (of course; it's kind of the theme song to the game), Easy Lover, and Turn it On Again. None of the old prog-rock goodness but it certainly bumped up my appreciation for VCS.
I think he's the only celebrity who has played himself in a GTA game but definitely fitting for Vice City...considering all his involvement with Miami Vice.

 

[Smertnik]

Vice City, without doubt. What it lacks in gameplay and story departments it makes up with its theme and soundtrack. The soundtrack is soo goood, every radio channel was like sex to my ears.

San Andreas has tons of features but I kinda think Rockstar went overboard with the whole stats thing and such. The theme is kinda cringe worthy, too.

 

[Kvaedi]

Gameplay: San Andres. Big, open world, with lots to explore. The cities are big, the spaces between them are bigger. It's still my favorite GTA game.

Music: Vice City. The radio stations are the best in any GTA game, the best in any game. What other game can you drive down the street on a motorcycle blasting Iron Maiden while being chased by a helicopter?

 

[PureAussieGamer]

San Andres was the first game i 100%ed. All of the horse shoes, tags and oysters without guides. I even got the gang land on that tiny island on the top left of the map. Great game.

 

[Goofguy]

I have a soft spot for all things 80s so I had to go with Vice City. Sure, I loved GTA3's introduction of the series to 3D sandbox and the magnitude of San Andreas but Vice City is my favourite.

 

[Hazy992]

San Andreas definitely. I've lost count of how many hours I've put into that game.

 

[octafish]

You can't see me but I am doing the Lance Vance Dance. There are lots of reason I like Vice City but I think the main one is Ray "All my life I wanted to be a gangster" Liotta.

 

[ThePS1Fan]

GTA Vice City. SA had some great gameplay improvements but I like the characters and story of VC better. Plus nothing beats listening to some 80's rock while running away from the police. The whole 80's feel was great overall.

 

[Elementary - Dear Watson]

I loved the gangs in 3... All the stereotypes... and I loved the fact you eventually Were either supported by them, or they became hostile! Admittedly this did get a touch annoying after a while, but it was fun!

San Andreas of course had a similar feature, but the gangs were very different, (well, more realistic anyway). And again I loved that... I also loved the size and feel of the 3 distinct cities in SA... although hated the big wilderness areas... some countryside is ok, but they did stretch on a bit too much!! (Anyone else manage to roll a car in the forest and have to walk back?)

Overall I will have to go with San Andreas... I had the most fun on that, and it was the most involved... loved all of the little features like the parachuting, and flying, and the Mil base, and Vegas, and the mother-fucking combine harvester!!!


**Personally I though Vice City was crap! played it loads, but I don't have anywhere near as many fond memories with that as I did with the others!

 

[TomLikesGuitar]

That is so much more bad ass than freaking Love Fist lol.

 

[Plinglebob]

For me its Vice City. I enjoyed 3, but VC managed to add just enough extras to make it better along with a kickass soundtrack.

I have two big problems with SA. The first is that they tried to add too much. The map was too big and just too many extra features that I honestly didn't care about with the whole Gangland Territory bit being the worse. The other was the story. While the PC was ok, most of the surrounding characters really annoyed me. I know this is probably more personal to me, but his brother banging on about family loyalty and how after he got out of prison he cared more that you had abandoned Grove Street then the fact you were a multi-millionaire. I tried replaying it about a week ago and while the graphics and gameplay were fine (I LOVE!! the bicycles), Sweet made me want to beat him round the head with a baseball bat.

 

[Dandark]

San andreas easily.

There was so much to do and the actual missions were a lot of fun, the later ones were awesome too.
part of some street gang at the start, meh whatever. Later on I am stealing jets out of aircraft carriers and robbing casinos with a Jetpack. I just found that game to be so awesome, it's because of this game that GTA: IV was a dissapointment to me, not that I think it's bad. it's a very good game but I am not a fan of the more realistic route they took.

Luckily Saints row 2 was there to fill in the gap, sadly Saints row 3 is a terrible betrayal.

 

[5-0]

I voted for San Andreas cause of the sheer scale of the world and how much there is to do. I own the other two, but couldn't get as much into them as I did with SA. Progress has come to a halt however, as I'm stuck on those GODDAMN FLYING SCHOOL MISSIONS!

 

[Durgiun]

I voted for San Andreas cause of the sheer scale of the world and how much there is to do. I own the other two, but couldn't get as much into them as I did with SA. Progress has come to a halt however, as I'm stuck on those GODDAMN FLYING MISSIONS!

The flying school missions? I think have a few saves backed up right after I finished those.

 

[zelda2fanboy]

Like others have said, the music in Vice City beats all others. I really loved the art style of Vice City a lot, too. The cars also just had an extra undefinable zing to them that the other games didn't have. I really wanted to collect cars in Vice City, where in the other games I didn't really care. I liked the side missions in Vice City more than in any other GTA, especially the races. The storyline was tight, compact, and straightforward, ripping off classic movies better than the other games. The same goes for the city which felt smaller and more accessible than either GTA 3 or San Andreas, so the sense of having to always make a commute from mission to mission was diminished. The characters were more memorable than the other games and the voice acting was stronger.

 

[TomLikesGuitar]

**Personally I though Vice City was crap! played it loads, but I don't have anywhere near as many fond memories with that as I did with the others!

Vice City has so many awesome memories... I honestly can't remember a single part of the San Andreas plot aside from some gang drama. Compare that to Tommy's naive rise to power or Lance's slow mental breakdown and how awesome that was when it finally played out in the end.

I dunno, I think they should have never gone for character customization... It really hurts the plot when your character looks like Fat Albert.