gta2 is still my favourite of the series. the first game was so damn janky that i could barely play it but the second one is smooth as butter, and with the artstyle they chose it looks really unique.
We'll probably never see a Grand Theft Auto set in a futuristic city like GTA 2 because the team "hated it": "People didn’t connect with the game or its city"
Submitted 2 weeks ago by Agent_Karyo@piefed.world to games@lemmy.world
Comments
lime@feddit.nu 2 weeks ago
aeronmelon@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
You know a game is good when you log many hours playing the demo.
I found a crack online that removed the two minute time -limit and just explored the map. GTA2’s demo has zero mission, it’s just the entire first map with a number of things missing or changed. Still a lot of fun to just cruise around and blow stuff up.
ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
GTA2 was good, it’s just games journalists obsessed with a “3D full immersion VR future”, that they felt threatened by every 2D games made once the first Voodoo cards left the factories. The reviews were not about the games, but endless whining about they losing their “fully realistic games” (past Medal of Honor, they usually envisioned a perfect recreation of Battle of Normandy) because a man made a theme park game with accurate roller coaster physics in assembly.
The 3D push was quite similar to the current AI push, but more successful. Imagine if Microsoft blocked games being released onto XBox if they don’t have a certain amount of AI generated assets and/or “live generated content”.
elvith@feddit.org 2 weeks ago
Imagine if Microsoft blocked games being released onto XBox if they don’t have a certain amount of AI generated assets and/or “live generated content”.
Shhhh! Don’t tell them this idea, please!
False@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Xbox is already dying, they’re in no position to scare developers off.
ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
They likely already have that as plan Z already, knowing that console manufacturers demanded 3D objects in the games developers made for their consoles.
Jaysyn@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
MS is definitely going this route.
lockhart@lemmy.ml 2 weeks ago
GTA 2 didn’t connect not because it looked slightly different than GTA 1. This was the “transition to 3D” era and people gravitated towards such games, like Driver.
Bonesince1997@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
A shame because it was nice when Chinatown Wars came around some years down the road. A nice trip back to 2D, with some modernization.
moonburster@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I recently picked up cw again and it feels like the best aged GTA in the series
Deceptichum@quokk.au 2 weeks ago
GTA2 was the best GTA.
abfarid@startrek.website 2 weeks ago
I started with GTA2, but Vice City is the best GTA.
falseWhite@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I started with GTA, but the best one is San Andreas
thatKamGuy@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
Started with the first GTA on the PlayStation; I used to rank Vice City as my absolute favourite entry in the series - but as I’ve matured over time, I’ve come to find GTA IV (or more specifically, The Ballad of Gay Tony expansion) has taken over the top spot - though VC is still a close second.
If you haven’t played TBOGT in a while, I highly recommend revisiting it - there are a lot of parallels to VC in terms of overall feel and the general “fun” tone.
Deceptichum@quokk.au 2 weeks ago
Vice City is a my second, if only for the aesthetics. I miss the top down fun, it simplified the game in a way that I really enjoyed, it’s just not the same running over hare krishnas in 3D/irl.
Glytch@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
As a high school student I installed a pirated copy on the school network so my friend and I could play it in class. This was at a small town school where the IT specialist was usually too busy being a teacher and track coach to pay attention to what students were able to do on school computers. They removed the ability for student accounts to install software eventually, but I never got punished for what I did.
Deceptichum@quokk.au 2 weeks ago
Oh I loved the days of circumventing early school IT systems. I remember we discovered that we could right click on something in the start menu and get into a shared network folder, we put Halo in it and basically the whole class played matches together but alt-tabbed when a teacher came by.
binarytobis@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
One of my friends pointed out to the teacher that they shouldn’t store the grades on a shared location the students could access and got expelled.
kip@piefed.zip 2 weeks ago
Three weeks into the future. One teeming city. Seven streets gangs. Unlimited criminal opportunity
-gta2 manual
testman@lemmy.ml 2 weeks ago
Funami
FM
fasa dan sound
Thorry@feddit.org 2 weeks ago
I remember I had a Voodoo card at the time of GTA2. Playing the Glide version of that game (if you could get it working) was like being transported into the future. The resolution was higher, the framerate was higher and more smooth, the lighting effects were insane. Especially on a large CRT with vibrant colors that game looked absolutely amazing.
TemplaerDude@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
Weird article. GTA2 came out in 1999. That’s a long time ago. I doubt most of that team still works there. The idea that they had an issue making it somehow meaning that, over two decades later, the same issues will remain is an odd conclusion.
It’s just a weird comment, I get what he’s saying back then, but Saints Row had multiple games come out in pseudo-futuristic setting that were batshit crazy and fun to play, so obviously it can be done.
Lets be honest, we won’t see a futuristic GTA at this point because shark cards are a money-printing machine and Take Two will never approve anything like that because it would be too risky.
blimthepixie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
I liked the weapon mods to the vehicles - oil spills etc
Also the car crusher that gave out items and cash iirc
Rakonat@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
The gang/faction system was lot of fun, I recall one of them was just straight rednecks so ton of fun to just rampage against them.
Also loved the nice touch of the 5 minute gameplay demo being enforced your character wearing a bomb vest set to blow in 5 minutes.
Klear@quokk.au 2 weeks ago
The spray shops were called “Max Paint”, a reference to a game that would come out two years later.
saimen@feddit.org 2 weeks ago
It’s some 20 years ago I played it but I don’t remember it as being futuristic at all? Seemed like a normal city to me or what am I missing?
njm1314@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Apparently it had some weird weapons, which we’ve never seen in other Grand Theft Auto surely…
TimeNaan@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
It was more like retro-futurism of the 1970s
Comrade_Squid@lemmy.ml 2 weeks ago
I played the hell out of GTA 2, had a 3 disk box containing 1 2 and London. And only now I’m bring told it was set in the future!
justaman123@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Yeah I thought it was just a mismatch of all different kinds. Like the 20s and 30s gangster cars and then random car styles from other eras
funksoulkitchen@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
The London one was awesome!
hOrni@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I liked GTA2. Probably because it was the only one I played. I would love to play it today, but the tank controls are too horrible. Does anybody know of an analogue controller mod or something like that?
LasseKB@sopuli.xyz 2 weeks ago
You could try this mouse support mod: github.com/h0x91b/gta2-mouse
I haven’t tried it myself, so I have no idea how good it is
LasseKB@sopuli.xyz 2 weeks ago
Or this twin stick mod: gtamp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1150
Kolanaki@pawb.social 2 weeks ago
We probably won’t see a GTA doing it anyway because Watch Dogs, Crackdown and Cyberpunk are already basically that.
EarMaster@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Am I the only one who never realized it was supposed to be a futuristic city? To be honest my English wasn’t that good at the time I played it, but that information never clicked with me.
aeronmelon@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
One of the districts in GTA2 is Funabashi, the name of a city to the west of Tokyo.
If you want to make a GTA set in the “future” that still resonates with people, set it somewhere in Japan.
Considering how often police chases and gang activity occur there, despite Japan’s extremely low crime rate, why not use Nagoya?
dukemirage@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
If your game relies heavily on cultural details, you probably shouldn’t make something outside of the culture you know.
the_crotch@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
Rockstar is a British company making games about the US.
aeronmelon@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
_chris@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
The guy they’re interviewing seems so detached from reality, the article links to another with more from the same guy, he’s quoted saying that “it doesn’t make sense to go to some left field location for novelty” specifically in regards to Tokyo, then goes on to say “it’s too easy to do what we know again” which sounds negative? But then follows that up with “nobody is[…]not going to play gta 6 because it’s in vice city”
It’s a really odd take tbh.
MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
police chases and gang activity
Japan’s extremely low crime rate
How does this mix?
supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz 2 weeks ago
I actually really liked the weird scifish city of GTA2 a lot, it has surprising strange vibes.
It clearly wasn’t the developers strength though, they are far better at making cities that are heavily inspired/woven together from chunks of real places.
In my opinion the game that captures GTA 2 vibes best is Skillshot City previously known as Gene Shift Auto.
Gameplay is fast and fun and it is a genuinely good free to play multiplayer game with fast rounds.
Agent_Karyo@piefed.world 2 weeks ago
I also really that it was a straight up sci-fi/cyberpunk setting. It alluded to such themes, but it wasn’t all that explicit.
SlartyBartFast@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
GTA2 was the best, this is a true fact
dontsayaword@piefed.social 2 weeks ago
I’ll add to the chorus here saying I really liked GTA2. I dunno where the article got the idea people ‘hated’ it
WagnasT@piefed.world 2 weeks ago
People seem to like cyberpunk 2077 so maybe people still had hope for humanity when gta2 came out, it was just before its time.
axh@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
And that’s the real reason why they won’t make GTA in the future soon. That part of the market is already taken by CD Projekt, and Cyberpunk 2077 was not a clear success, so other CEOs won’t force their teams to fight for that market. Too much trouble, too much risk.
Copy what already worked, add a minimum innovation and maximum microtransactions and repeat until money stops flowing.
Agent_Karyo@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I believe Cyberpunk 2077 was a success. 35 million copies 35 million units and $750+ M revenues.
False@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
At this rate we won’t be seeing another GTA game after 6 until 2040 anyways
PumaStoleMyBluff@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
At least they’ve already finished the engine it will run in.
phaedrus@piefed.world 2 weeks ago
Just please put the random string of Elvis impersonators trolling the streets back in there
Fredselfish@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Bullshit I loved the hell out of that game. I definitely play a version just like it.
absquatulate@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I mean, the historical and geographical context of the newer entries definitely adds to the satire, but GTA2 wasn’t a bad game at all. I def liked it more 1 and 3 at the time. Interesting that the dev team wasn’t fond of it.
qevlarr@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I remember loving GTA2 but wanting a 3D GTA, then when they came out I never played GTA ever again
rollerbang@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Man, what memories. I’ve also enjoyed the London(?) version.
Agent_Karyo@piefed.world 2 weeks ago
I think that was an expansion pack for GTA1?
I could be wrong, it’s been ~25 years since I played it.
rollerbang@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Boy oh boy, you’re right 😂
tetris11@feddit.uk 2 weeks ago
XTL@sopuli.xyz 2 weeks ago
A second, freeware expansion, Grand Theft Auto Mission Pack #2: London 1961, was released for personal computers in July 1999, to coincide with the release of the Grand Theft Auto games on the internet. It is much shorter in length, and features the same map and characters as London 1969, but takes place eight years prior.
NewDawnOwl@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I loved the faction angle for GTA2 , alongside the improved controls. I want to make a game inspired off it.
DrSleepless@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Good thing we have Cyberpunk 2077
DudeImMacGyver@kbin.earth 2 weeks ago
Wouldn't that just be Saint's Row 4?
NewDawnOwl@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
No wonder I loved the later Saints games.
DudeImMacGyver@kbin.earth 2 weeks ago
I liked 2 and 3
W3dd1e@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
GTA 2 is my favorite of the series.
Agent_Karyo@piefed.world 2 weeks ago
I am honestly surprised that so many people thought GTA2 was the best.
I understand that a significant portion of the Threadi demographic probably grew up on the first two games, but even wit that factor I wouldn’t have thought it was that popular.
Agent_Karyo@piefed.world 2 weeks ago
Funnily enough that’s actually why it is my favourite GTA game (I haven’t played 5 and I won’t play 6), although nostalgia probably plays a big role too.
I also liked that it had a cold, clinical feel compared to the later GTAs. You are in “Anywhere City” and it feels like society has entered a permanent state of decline.
I also think the relatively lite cyberpunk and retro-futuristic elements added a bit of flair to the concept.
That being said, I can understand why they will never make a game like GTA2 again; bad market fit and the futurism of GTA2 is many ways a product of the 90s/early 2000s.
kshade@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Yeah, I don’t get it either, why am I supposed to connect with the city? I’m playing a violent criminal in an arcade-y top-down action game. Setting was perfect.
What I absolutely couldn’t connect with is GTA 5: The mechanics are stale, the game doesn’t respect my time and Michael and especially Trevor are just nasty, unpleasant pieces of shit. Zero enthusiasm for GTA 6 from me, it’s just going to have all the same flaws as any GTA since 3 and will surely be more tailored towards online money extraction schemes.
Meanwhile Cyberpunk 2077, with a somewhat similar dystopian setting, has become my favorite game in large parts because of the characters.