Short And Sweet Review: Grand Theft Auto 3 iOS

If you've never played GTA 3 either you're Amish or you have been living under a rock for the last decade. I guess Rockstar wants this game on every single device known to man.  I haven't played this since I last beat it on the PS2. I still had a great experience overall with the game, but not as much as my original playthrough back in 2001.  

Presentation/Story:
Visually the game looks a little sharper than the PS2 counterpart, that's probably because of the small screen of the iPhone.  The textures appear smoother, and the animations still look impressive on a 10 year old game.  The game has all the original radio stations and music, which is great fan service and had me reminiscing of the old days. The story, for those who don't know,  follows a silent protagonist who gets left bleeding after a bank robbery gone wrong. From there, he works his way up the criminal ladder, earning more money and getting to drive cooler cars.  The presentation overall, is great and i was very impressed.

Core Gameplay:
Sadly, the touchscreen controls make half the experience frustrating and had me loathing controlling the game.  The ridiculous faux-joystick is tiny and makes some of the gameplay tough and even sometimes broken.  Sniping is a huge problem for me, with inaccuracies occurring a little too often for me.  Driving is solid, pulling off huge jumps is very satisfying with the over-the-top action scenes.   Grand Theft Auto 3's overall gunplay suffers with many reasons.  The auto-aim is a big reason for this, even when you're going up against a hefty number gangsters who are trying to kill you, you'll automatically aim and fire on any pedestrians who happen to be closer to your gun.

Missions are your standard mix of driving and action sequences, but the controls just continue to hinder the experience.  Especially the missions with heavy gunfire, will take you out of the game and make you take an unexpected break from the game.  Chase sequences are still boring but the solid driving doesn't make it a problem.

Final Thoughts:
It may seem like I'm bagging on the game but I'm not.  I just have a few problems with this remake of one my favorite PS2 games.   The $4.99 price tag is a steal with all the packed content squeezed on the iPhone.  Even though the combat may hold the experience from perfection, its still a blast to run a muck through the streets of Liberty City.

Final Score: 7.75/10