GRAND THEFT AUTO (SERIES)

'''Grand Theft Auto''' ('''GTA''') is a video game series created and primarily developed by Scottish developer Rockstar North (formerly DMA Design), published by Rockstar Games and debuted in 1998. It includes eight stand-alone games and two expansion packs for the original. ''Grand Theft Auto III'' and subsequent games in the series have been best-selling blockbusters which have also gained critical acclaim, including several ''Game of the Year'' awards from various sources. In addition, the series has emerged as being so popular and profitable that a long list of Hollywood stars have lent their voices to the games. Gangster film veterans such as Michael Madsen, Samuel L. Jackson, James Woods, Joe Pantoliano, Frank Vincent, Robert Loggia and Ray Liotta have all voiced major characters. The name of the series and its games are derived from "grand theft auto", a term referring to motor vehicle theft.

Contents

Overview

History

''Grand Theft Auto''

''Grand Theft Auto 2''

''Grand Theft Auto III''

''Grand Theft Auto IV''

Locations

Cities and states

Characters

Protagonists

Others

Similar games

See also

Soundtracks

In-game radio stations

Official soundtrack releases

Notes and references

External links

Official sites

General resource

Overview

The games allow the player to take on the role of a criminal in a city, typically a lowly individual who rises in the ranks of organized crime over the course of the game. Various missions are set for completion by the figureheads of the city underworld, generally criminal, which must be completed to progress through the storyline. Bank robberies, assassinations and other crimes feature regularly, but occasionally taxi driving, firefighting, pimping, street racing, or learning to fly an airplane are also involved as alternate adventures, which can be done at any time during the game, with the exception of the periods performing main missions.
In later titles, notably those released after ''Grand Theft Auto 2'', the player is given a more in-depth storyline, in which they are forced to overcome an unfortunate event. This served as a motivation for the character to advance in the criminal ladder, and eventually leads to the triumph of the character by the end of the storyline. Furthermore, the storylines tend to intertwine with one another, creating a vast network of associations between people and locations that results in the appearance of certain characters and locales multiple times throughout the series.
The ''Grand Theft Auto'' series is notable for the large amount of freedom given to the player in deciding what to do and how to do it through different methods of transport and weapons. Unlike most action games, which are structured as a single track series of levels with linear gameplay, in ''GTA'' the player can pick and choose which missions they want to undertake, and their relationships with various powers are changed based on these choices. The vast cities of the games can also be roamed freely at any point in the game, offering many accessible buildings and minor missions. There are exceptions: Missions follow a linear, overarching plot, and some city areas must be unlocked over the course of the game.
''Grand Theft Auto: III'' and subsequent games have been notable for their storylines, high quality of voice acting, and "radio stations," which simulate driving to music with satirizing DJs, radio personalities, commercials, talk radio, popular music, important news breaks, and American culture. All of this is seamlessly integrated in the realistic setting of a dysfunctional urban environment which parodies a real-life city. Players also often cite the music and humor of the series in explaining its appeal.
The game's influence on teenagers and adults alike has created a "cult" scene of GTA fans that see past the merits of the game itself and appreciate the retro feel and the ''good-old-days'' vibe the game emanates. People remember or imagine the time the games are set in and can enjoy the music, the atmosphere, the fashion, the slang and the cities from their favorite decade, such as the 1980s or the 1990s.
The use of vehicles in an explorable urban environment provides a basic simulation of a working city, complete with pedestrians who obey traffic signals. Further details are used to flesh out an open-ended atmosphere that has been used in several other games, such as ''The Simpsons Hit & Run'' and the '' series, which have less emphasis on crime or violence. Some compare this to open-ended RPGs such as ''The Elder Scrolls'' series, and foresee action games using a similar design.
The series has courted a great deal of controversy since the release of ''Grand Theft Auto III''. This criticism stems from the focus on illegal activities, in comparison with "hero" roles that most other games offer. The main character can commit a wide variety of crimes and violent acts while dealing with only temporary consequences, including the killing of policemen and military personnel. Opponents believe that players will try to emulate this behavior, while proponents disagree for a variety of reasons. For specific incidents, see the individual game articles.

History

The ''Grand Theft Auto'' series may be divided into eras, based on the inclusion of a numbering after the recognizable title name (e.g. ''Grand Theft Auto III'') after the original ''Grand Theft Auto's release, and to a certain extent, the type of graphics engine used. For further information on each title, see their respective articles.

''Grand Theft Auto''

'''Grand Theft Auto''', the first title in the ''GTA'' series, released for DOS, Microsoft Windows and PlayStation in 1997/1998^[1] as well as a reduced Game Boy Color port, and subsequently two expansion packs were offered:
Main articles: Grand Theft Auto: Mission Packs


★ '''' (1999), an expansion pack of the original game, set in 1969 London. Available in PlayStation and DOS/Windows boxed versions.

★ '''' (1999), another expansion pack of ''Grand Theft Auto: London, 1969'', with missions taking place in 1961 London. ''London, 1961'' is a free download for use only with the DOS or Windows version.

''Grand Theft Auto 2''

'''Grand Theft Auto 2''' for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation and Dreamcast, was released in 1999. Set in the unconfirmed future,^[2] it featured updated graphics and somewhat different gameplay based upon the player's appeal to various criminal organizations. A reduced Game Boy Color port was also produced.

''Grand Theft Auto III''

★ '''Grand Theft Auto III''' (2001), set in fictional Liberty City (based on New York City) during the release of the game (October 2001),^[3] brought a third-person view to the series, rather than the traditional top-down view of earlier titles (although the view is still made available as an optional camera angle). Graphics were also updated with a new 3D game engine. While not the first of its kind, the gameplay engine had expanded the explorable world of ''GTA III'', doing away with a traditional game structure where the player faces a "
boss" at the end of the level and moves onto a new level, opting instead for more realistic mission-based approach. Multiplayer was discarded (third party mods were later released, allowing for multiplayer gameplay) but ''GTA III'' improved in many other areas such as voice-acting and storyline (before, there was speech only in short animated cut scenes between levels, other communication was simply subtitles running on the bottom of the screen). Pop culture also is cemented into ''GTA III'', drawing many aspects and ideas from popular films and shows such as ''Scarface'', ''Goodfellas'', and ''The Sopranos''.

''Grand Theft Auto III'' sold very well and became the first blockbuster game in the series, setting the precedent for subsequent ''GTA'' titles to be very successful. ''GTA III'' also attracted heavy criticism for its violence against police and its indifference to innocent bystanders, making future games in the ''GTA'' series synonymous with violence. Following the success of ''GTA III'', the following titles released are stand-alone sequels (though all take place before ''GTA III'' chronologically):

★ '''' (2002), set in 1986 in Vice City (based on Miami). Influences for the game include movies such as ''Scarface'', ''Carlito's Way'' and the TV series ''Miami Vice''. In fact, the entire basic storyline of the game is an homage to ''Scarface'', including the climactic gun-fight in the main character's mansion at the end.

★ '''' (2004), set in 1992 in the fictional state of San Andreas (based on California and Nevada, specifically Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Las Vegas), inspiration comes from movies such as ''Boyz N the Hood'' and ''Menace II Society'', and early 90s west coast gangsta rap culture and groups such as N.W.A..

★
★ ''San Andreas'' also attracted controversy when a sex minigame that was cut from the game, but remaining in the game code, was discovered in both the console and PC versions of the game (''See Hot Coffee mod''). As a result, ''GTA: San Andreas'' was pulled from a number of retail outlets and was re-rated from "M" (Mature) to "AO" (Adults Only) by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB); the first game in the series to be given an AO rating. Rockstar has since released an edited version of the game for the PC, Xbox, and PlayStation 2, and has reclaimed the "M" rating.

★ '''Grand Theft Auto Advance''' (2004), originally intended to be a topdown conversion of ''GTA III'' for the Game Boy Advance, it ended up becoming its own completely original adventure, set roughly a year before ''GTA III''.

★ '''' (2005), a PlayStation Portable ''GTA III'' prequel set in 1998 Liberty City. A PlayStation 2 port was released by Rockstar on June 6, 2006.

★ '''' (2006), the second PlayStation Portable game, was released on October 31, 2006 and set in 1984 Vice City. A PlayStation 2 port was released by Rockstar on March 6, 2007.
Rockstar North has also developed the controversial ''Manhunt'' video game (2003), which is set in Carcer City, a city within ''GTA III'' canon.

''Grand Theft Auto IV''

The next installment of the series, '''Grand Theft Auto IV''' (''GTA IV''), was originally slated to be released in October 2007 worldwide for the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360, the first ''Grand Theft Auto'' game to be released simultaneously on the PlayStation and Xbox platforms. However, it was announced on August 2 2007 that the game will be delayed until Rockstar's Q2 2008 (which ends April 30 2008)^[4].
It has been confirmed that episodic content will be released on the Xbox 360 exclusively. Microsoft officially announced a ''strategic alliance'' with Rockstar Games over the rights to episodic content through their Xbox Live service at their X06 event. An announcement regarding the release of episodic content for the PS3, however, is still expected, whilst fans speculate that each console will receive its own exclusive episodic content via their respective download services (Xbox Live for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation Network for the PlayStation 3).
''GTA IV's game engine is the Rockstar Advanced Game Engine (a.k.a. RAGE) used in ''Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis''. The game once again takes place in a redesigned Liberty City that very closely resembles New York City, much more than previous renditions.^[5]

Locations

Cities and states

'Fictional'

★ ''Liberty City'' - A city based on New York City. Setting of ''Grand Theft Auto'', ''Grand Theft Auto III'', ''Grand Theft Auto Advance'', '' and ''Grand Theft Auto IV''. Appears in one mission in ''.

★ ''Vice City, Florida'' - A city based on Miami. Setting of ''Grand Theft Auto'', '' and ''; the ''Vice City'' and ''Vice City Stories'' renditions of the city reveal ''Vice City'' to be located in the state of Florida.

★ ''San Andreas'' - A state based on California and Nevada. Setting of ''Grand Theft Auto'' and ''. Note that the ''GTA1'' version of San Andreas is significantly different from the ''GTA: San Andreas'' version: The ''GTA1'' version is a city based on San Francisco, while the ''GTA: SA'' version is a state.

★
★ ''Los Santos'' - Los Angeles, California

★
★ ''San Fierro'' - San Francisco, California

★
★ ''Las Venturas'' - Las Vegas, Nevada

★ ''Anywhere City'' - Setting of ''Grand Theft Auto 2''. Unknown location.

★ ''Carcer City'' - Most likely Newark or Detroit. Said to be neighboring Liberty City. ''Manhunt'' takes place in Carcer City; mentioned in ''Grand Theft Auto III'', '', '', '', and ''.

★ ''Reddick, Florida'' - city or town outside of Vice City. Mentioned by Lazlow in '' as the location of the V-Rock transmitter.
'Non-fictional'

★ ''London'' - Setting of both (London, 1969 and London, 1961)

★ ''Manchester'' - an add-on, multiplayer-only city featured in ''

★ ''Salford'' (featured in '', a ''Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'' prequel film)

Characters

Protagonists

★ Claude Speed - The name of the ''Grand Theft Auto 2'' character, as revealed by the FMV introduction's credits.

★ Claude - ''Grand Theft Auto III''. In '' a phone call upon completion of the game reveals his first name is in fact Claude. In ''GTA III'', he is only referred to by nicknames ''Fido'' and ''(The) Kid''. Since the release of ''San Andreas'', many players speculate that Claude is in fact Claude Speed, the protagonist in ''GTA2'', though this is unknown.

★ Tommy Vercetti - ''.

★ Carl "CJ" Johnson - ''.

★ Mike - ''Grand Theft Auto Advance''.

★ Toni Cipriani - ''.

★ Victor Vance - ''.

★ Niko Bellic - ''Grand Theft Auto IV''.

Others

★ From ''Grand Theft Auto III''

★

★

★ From ''Grand Theft Auto Advance''

★

★

★ From ''Grand Theft Auto IV''

Similar games

Main articles: GTA clone

Because of the success of the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, notably ''Grand Theft Auto III'' and subsequent games, several other developers have attempted to emulate ''GTA's driving/shooting formula and open-ended sandbox play. Notable games that are often seen as doing so include ''DRIV3R'', ''The Getaway'' series, '', '' and ''^[6][7], ''Saint's Row''^[8], ''^[9], ''The Simpsons Hit & Run'', ''Just Cause'', '' and ''Total Overdose''.
''.]]
As a result of such similarities, Rockstar has placed several Easter eggs to mock the competition. One such Easter egg in ''GTA III'' references Tanner, the protagonist of several games in the ''Driver'' series. In a mission called "Two Faced Tanner" players must kill a "strangely animated" undercover cop who is "useless out of his car" (they even go so far as to give the pseudo Tanner a female pedestrian's walking animation).
In ''GTA: Vice City'', during the mission "Autocide", the targets that the player must kill are subtle references to the main characters of ''Driver 2'' (Dick Tanner, after Tanner), ''The Getaway'' (Marcus Hammond and Franco Carter, after Mark Hammond and Frank Carter), and ''True Crime: Streets of LA'' (Nick Kong, after Nick Kang Wilson). ''DRIV3R'' responded by sticking floatie-wearing characters named Timmy Vermicellis, after the protagonist of ''Vice City,'' Tommy Vercetti, since none of the protagonists in the ''GTA'' series could swim before ''GTA: San Andreas''.
In ''San Andreas'', while breaking into mansion, players will see a man playing a video game and making fun of the way the main character walks stating "How could Refractions [a parody of Reflections Interactive] mess up so bad? Tanner, you suck ass!!" (Tanner's walking animations were often criticized). Another ''San Andreas'' Easter egg mocks ''True Crime'', which was depicted on several billboards in the city of Los Santos, in addition to the "TRUEGRIME" garbage truck cheat code, which also mocks the game.

See also

★ Media in ''Grand Theft Auto''

★ List of gangs in ''Grand Theft Auto'' series

★ List of ''Grand Theft Auto'' voice actors

★ GTA clone

★ Video game controversy

Soundtracks

In-game radio stations

★ ''Grand Theft Auto 2'' soundtrack

★ ''Grand Theft Auto III'' soundtrack

★

★

★

★

★ ''Grand Theft Auto IV'' soundtrack

Official soundtrack releases

★ '' available on Epic Records

★ '' also available on Epic Records

★ '' available on Interscope Records

★ '' also available on Interscope Records

Notes and references

1. The actual release date of ''Grand Theft Auto'' is not clear. While Rockstar Games asserts in its official website that the game was released in October 1997, GameSpot and IGN indicated that the game was only released on February or March 1998, respectively.
2. ''Grand Theft Auto 2'''s manual uses the phrase "three weeks into the future", and phrases such as "X weeks into the future" or "X minutes into the future" are common phrases meaning "near future"; fictional journal entries on the game's official website, however, suggest 2013 [1].
3. According to the final entry of the official ''Liberty Tree'' "online newspaper", ''Grand Theft Auto III'' is implied to be set around the first release of ''GTA III'', specifically, October 2001.
4. Take-Two Execs Explain GTA IV Delay
5. 'GTA IV' Revealed: Game Returning To City That Made It Famous
6. True Crime: Streets of LA, ''IGN'', October 31, 2003
7. Gameranking PS2 Average 77%
8. Douglass C. Perry, Saints Row Review, ''IGN'', August 28, 2006
9. Chris Roper, Scarface: The World is Yours Review, ''IGN]], October 6, 2006

External links

Official sites

★ Official ''Grand Theft Auto'' website

General resource

★

★ GameSpot: The History of ''Grand Theft Auto''

★ ''GTA'' storyline, a detailed explanation of the ''GTA'' storyline by chronological order of its timeline

★ The Meaning and Culture of ''Grand Theft Auto'': Critical Essays, an academic book published by McFarland Press that collects essays examining the meaning and cultural implications of the ''Grand Theft Auto'' video game series.

★ Grand Theft Auto: The Phenomenon, a timeline of the Grand Theft Auto series and the controversy spawned from the franchise.