There was a game in the gta series. History of the Grand Theft Auto series. Another scandal with GTA: SA

Today it is difficult to imagine a player who has never played any game from the series. Grand theft Auto. She has a multi-million army of fans of all ages around the world. Total sales have already jumped over 125 million copies. This series is criticized by politicians, lawsuits are being filed against its authors, but it continues to be published. GTA has come a long way from top-down 2D action to one of the most famous franchises of all time. Therefore, today, when the release of Grand Theft Auto V is just around the corner, and it seems that there is no strength to wait, I suggest you plunge into nostalgia, or, perhaps, learn something new for yourself about this wonderful series.

I draw your attention to the fact that, starting from the third part, there will also be fan modifications among the screenshots. On the PC, the series has formed a powerful community of modmakers, which is impossible to pass by. Modded screenshots tend to look better than others, or contain real-world elements and brands.

Above, you see art by Australian artist Patrick Brown, famous for his work in the field of computer games. Grand Theft Auto is one of his favorite creative themes. This particular art depicts the main characters from the games in the series.

Grand Theft Auto

  • Developer: DMA Design
  • Publisher: BMG Interactive

Platforms and release dates:

  • MS-DOS and Windows: November 8, 1997
  • PlayStation: December 14, 1997
  • Game Boy Color: November 22, 1999
The first title game was released on personal computers back in 1997. Responsible for the development of the Scottish studio DMA Design, which in 2002 acquired the name familiar to today's player - Rockstar north.

Could anyone at that time have predicted that in the future Gta will become one of the most famous, popular and scandalous brands in the whole gaming industry? That its budgets and "box office" will compete with the loudest blockbusters in the world of cinema? Unlikely. In fact, the first part bears little resemblance to its eminent descendants, and for its time it did not shine at all.

Grand Theft Auto is a 2D top-down arcade game. A lot of games were already 3D at the time, so GTA was part of an endangered genre. However, the game still managed to stand out and attract the attention of the players. To understand why this happened, you need to understand one thing: the vast majority of games of that time were not ... violent. They were created with an eye on the fact that most potential players will be children. They certainly didn’t feature teddy bears or pink ponies, but they didn’t show any ill-treatment against law-abiding taxpayers. The same cannot be said about Grand Theft Auto.

GTA had a rare, for its time, age rating of 18+ and, in truth, was a gangster simulator. Exactly so: under the leadership of the player, it turned out to be a deliberately bad character who was engaged in various criminal activities. First of all, this is car theft, for which the game got its name. And also shootouts with other gangsters, the police, and even attacks on ordinary passers-by on the street.

Second key feature GTA is freedom of movement around the city, which was even more unusual for games of the time. Here you could simply score on all the tasks, steal a wheelbarrow and go wherever you look. And during missions, the city was also not locked: the player is free to choose the path to the goal. There were actually three cities: Liberty City, San Andreas and Vice City, which are based on real New York, San Francisco and Miami, respectively. In the course of the plot, after gaining the required number of points, the player was transported to a new city.

The game begins by choosing one of eight characters. Moreover, some of them are women, which is also not typical for subsequent games in the series. Despite all the scale, the levels are still present in the game. In order to switch from one to another, you need to score a certain number of points. They are given for various actions - for stealing wheelbarrows, for accidents, murders. But the main source is the mandatory story missions. In addition to them, you can also find a number of side ones, for example - missions of "rampage", during which you need to earn a certain amount of points by killing people and blowing up cars with the issued weapons. Interestingly, the number of lives in GTA was limited: died several times - start over. It was impossible to save the game, just like in the old platformers.

The arsenal in GTA was not rich: a pistol, a machine gun, a flamethrower and a grenade launcher. Plus a bulletproof vest that can withstand three hits. But with transport, things are much more fun: the game included cars, trucks, limousines, as well as motorcycles and the holy trinity - police cars, fire trucks and an ambulance.

The relationship with the police in GTA has always been very interesting. As soon as you break the law, the cops immediately start chasing. And the more you violate, the more aggressive they become. There are four levels of pursuit in total, the further you climb, the more difficult it is to survive and escape. To do this, you need to find a police badge, or repaint the car in a car repair shop. But if you failed to escape, the police will arrest you, take away all weapons and body armor, and the accumulated points multipliers.

The original game was ported to Sony playstation and Game boy color... But the easiest way to get acquainted with it is by downloading its free version from our website:

Or from the official site Rockstar:classic R * games... You will need to enter your age and email address, where the link to download the game will be sent.

Grand Theft Auto: London 1969

London 1969 is an add-on for the original Grand Theft Auto. In it, as you might guess, the action moves to London. Surprisingly, without the usual antics, like changing the name of the city to a fictitious one (like New York and Liberty City, for example). The stylistics corresponded to the sixties of the XX century. In the game, you can find a lot of references to the events of that time. For example, outwardly, the main character looked like James Bond, the first film about which appeared in the sixties. Traffic in London, by the way, as it should be, was left-hand.

Grand Theft Auto: London 1961

There was also a third addition to the game - London 1961 of the year. It was released for free, but required the installation of London 1969, which in turn requires the original Grand Theft Auto.

Grand theft auto 2

Platforms and release dates:

  • Windows: September 30, 1999
  • PlayStation: October 25, 1999
  • Dreamcast: July 28, 2000
  • Game Boy Color: November 10, 2000
What's interesting: it was translated and published in Russian by the efforts of Beeches, entitled GTA 2: Mayhem... The translation turned out to be quite funny.

The English version of the game can be downloaded for free from the website classic Rockstar games

Although the second part received a three-dimensional engine, it still had a top view, which delayed world recognition a little more. Nevertheless, the progress compared to the first part inspires respect. DMA Design understood correctly what the players want from them: more violence and lawlessness! GTA 2 came out brighter than the first. Had a switch between day and night in the menu. There was more and cooler in her. But first things first.

The main character of the game has already been determined in advance - his name is Claude Speed... It's hard to say, the same Claude, who later is the main character GTA III, and appears in GTA: San andreas - there his surname is not called at all. But the events of GTA 2 take place many years after these games - in the 2013th year. It's funny, because now is this year. Presumably, in 1999 for the developers, it seemed like something distant, which may not be due to the predicted end of the world. Now Claude has a way to the top of the city's underworld " Everywhere» ( Anywhere City). Presumably, with this name, the developers tried to disown any connections with reality, or from the need to more reliably model the city.

“Anywhere” is traditionally divided into three parts: Downtown, Residential and Industrial districts. As before, the journey goes from one area to the next. To move, you need to accumulate first $ 1,000,000 in the first area, then $ 3,000,000 in the second, and $ 5,000,000 in the third, to end the game. There is a new way of spending money: going to church. You can find her by sitting in a news service minivan with an antenna always pointing to the church. The cost of the hike is $ 50,000, but it's worth it: there will be an exclamation “Hallelujah! Another soul saved! " - and the game will be saved! But if during a visit to the church, Claude did not have the required amount, the swear word “Damn it! No offering - no salvation! "

Gangs that have launched their tentacles into the metropolis play a key role in GTA 2: the Zaibatsu Corporation appears in all districts. In addition to her, the first area was inhabited by: Yakuza and Thugs. In the second district: Scientists of the CDS (Sex and Reproductive Systems) and the Villagers. In the third area: Krishnaites and the Russian mafia.

Each of the gangs has its own characteristics: corporate colors, logo, cars and weapons. But most importantly, they have assignments for Claude that can be obtained from a pay phone. As you can see, the developers did not even suspect that by 2013 this type of communication would practically die out. But to get an assignment from a gang, you need to be on good terms with it. In the corner of the screen, there is a reputation meter for three gangs in the current district of the city. If the counter went to the left, then the gang's tasks became unavailable. When a player killed members of a gang, he worsened relations with her, but improved them with other gangs. At the same time, a gang with a bad attitude towards Claude had more powerful weapons (friendly ones are always armed with pistols). Also, each gang had a boss, and at the end of the events in the area of ​​the city, these bosses decided to remove Claude, but he did it first.

In addition to the representatives of the gangs, there were also two types of independent bandits on the streets: car thieves and thieves. They could act both against ordinary citizens and against gang members, and even against the player! You could simply be pulled out of the car and thrown on the asphalt, or robbed at a rate of $ 10 per second.

Generally speaking, the AI ​​has improved dramatically in the second part. Some drivers have armed themselves with pistols, and after a player steals a car, they may try to get it back. Clashes between gangs, police and civilians can take place in the city - without any involvement from the player!

Vehicles have also been improved. Now their physical qualities are different: the game has learned to take into account their mass. Taxis and buses began picking up passengers. Claude was also now able to earn money as a taxi driver and a bus driver. But for some reason motorcycles were removed from the second part.

The relationship with the law became even more interesting. First, the wanted levels are now 6. At each subsequent level, the authorities are taking increasingly harsh measures to capture or kill Claude. They chase him, set up barricades, SWAT, government agents arrive, and then the army joins in - jeeps, armored cars, and even tanks enter! In order to get away from the police, as before - you need to find an asterisk icon, or repaint the car in the workshop. But you can also hide from sight, then eventually the search will stop.

The arsenal of the second part has become an order of magnitude richer: a pistol, twin pistols, an Uzi submachine gun, an ultrasound with a silencer, a shotgun, a flamethrower, an electric shock, a grenade launcher, grenades, a Molotov cocktail! You can get a new gun by picking it up from the ground or by killing its owner. Also, quite surprisingly, the weapon can be installed on the car! Including: Uzi, mines, machine oil and a bomb that explodes with the car. On some cars, weapons can already be installed: a heavy machine gun in an army jeep and a stationary flamethrower (alas, only in one of the missions). Yes, and you can still find a tank in the game!

Grand theft auto iii

  • Developer: DMA Design
  • Publisher: Rockstar Games
  • Localizers: Buka (2002) / 1C-SoftKlab (reissue 2010)
Platforms and release dates:
  • PC: May 20, 2002
  • PlayStation 2: October 22, 2001
  • Xbox: October 30, 2003
  • iPhone: December 15, 2011
  • Android: December 15, 2011
Finally, we got to the first game in the series, which was 3D and had a third-person perspective. An engine called RenderWare allowed DMA Design(shortly after the release of the game renamed to Rockstar north) to take this small step for the series, which was a big step for the gaming industry. Of course, 3D games with open world were before, for example, or Body harvest from the DMA itself. But Grand Theft Auto III is significantly different from everything else in that it ... well, it was just the same Gta, that is, a reckless simulator of a thug-scumbag, to whom the whole city is given to be torn apart!

It is no exaggeration to say that GTA III left its fat mark on history. Thanks to the three-dimensionality (I say this because "3D" - today, is more associated with movies and red-blue glasses), much more players paid attention to it than to the previous parts. Not to mention, this is how the game looks and plays much cooler. As a result, Grand Theft Auto III sold many millions of copies and gained a lot of fans. But the point is not only this. The game turned out to be so popular that it even formed its own genre, whose representatives began to be called simply: "GTA Clone". For example, these are games and series such as: , , , , , , , and many dozens of others.

But this is not the only thing the game is famous for. And not even numerous awards "Game of the Year", and an average mark in 97% out of 100 possible on the site Metacritic.com though it certainly made an impact. But much more interesting are the numerous scandals and crusades of the public against the game. She was accused of excessively realistic cruelty, that it negatively affects the minds of children and even adults. In it, you can kill police officers and civilians, and also, which greatly outraged the public, it was possible to remove a prostitute who got into the car and, in fact, did her job. Allegedly, after playing GTA III, someone can try to repeat what they saw in real life. Some of the gruesome incidents in the US have been attributed to violent gaming, notably Grand Theft Auto. Politicians talked about this, although scientists have not been able to prove any effect of cruel games on the human mind. And about the trial Jack Thompson against Rockstar I have not heard, probably only lazy. Needless to say, all this has played in favor of the game? It's so interesting to see for yourself, but why is there so much noise? And most of the players were probably satisfied.

The popularity of GTA III, as well as the ease of unpacking files, has led to the creation of one of the most powerful modding communities in history. Everything was changed: models, textures, scripts. The number of new cars, including well-known real models, is many hundreds. Buildings, trees, models of passers-by and other little things were also subjected to changes. There were also a lot of global modifications, for example, bringing winter to Liberty City, or turning the game into a movie “ The matrix", Or the game" ". And, of course, one cannot help but remember Multi Theft Auto- multiplayer, which appeared in the game only thanks to the fans!

The main character of GTA III is a silent guy who doesn't say a word for the whole game. Why, we didn't even know his name - everyone just calls him "guy". True, looking ahead, the guy also appeared in GTA: San Andreas, where did I meet Catalina on illegal races. And there Catalina calls him Claude. Not Claude Speed what was the name of the hero GTA 2, simply Claude... There is no compelling reason to believe that this is one and the same person, although there are also no facts denying such a possibility.

The action of Grand Theft Auto III takes place in the city Liberty City based in New York. Let me remind you that he was also the first city in the first part of the series. Traditionally, the "City of Liberty" is divided into three areas: the islands of Portland and Stanton, as well as part of the Coastal Valley mainland. Initially, only the first of them is available - Portland. Later, in the course of the plot (and not after gaining the required number of points, as before), two more areas open one after the other. Moreover, the forced move to the next district of the city did not block access to the previous one, as it was before. You can move between them through autotunnels, hanging bridges and even by metro. Each of the districts has one apartment, at the entrance to which you can save your progress for free and endlessly. The closest one is always shown on the radar. Unlike previous games in the series, GTA III has a dynamic change of the time of day, as well as weather conditions. Interestingly, one day here is equal to 24 minutes.

Portland is mostly poor, and the main attractions are: a small park, a port (hence the name), Chinatown and a small mansion on top of a hill, and only Portland has a railroad over the city with several stations. Around the middle of Stanton there is a business center, many skyscrapers, a stadium, a large construction of the Stanton Plaza building and a small pier. In the "Coastal Valley" private mansions prevail, there is a dam, and most importantly - "Francis International Airport", where you can find the only plane in the game that you can use. By the way, so that the players do not try to repeat the incident " 11 September”, The Dodo had shortened wings, which greatly complicated the control. Well, who stopped it? ..

In fact, due to the tragedy that happened almost before the release of the game, its release was delayed by three weeks, due to the need to change some game moments to reduce the similarities between Liberty City and New York. For example, the blue and white colors of police cars have been replaced with black and white. Also, children, school buses, female taxi drivers disappeared from the game. A character named Darkel has disappeared, giving out insane tasks, similar to terrorist attacks. The last reminder of him is the four bums in the Portland tunnel, "guarding" the Molotov Cocktail. However, it is impossible to say for sure whether all the changes were made in the last three weeks, the fact is that part of the content of the beta version was cut. And it's hard to blame the developers for that.

GTA III begins with the fact that the same Catalina, who was with Claude for about 9 years (the events of San Andreas - 1992, GTA III - 2001), unexpectedly betrays him during a bank robbery, shoots him, and leaves with a Colombian named Miguel... So our guy ends up behind bars. He is about ten years old, but while being transported to prison, unknown persons attack a police convoy in order to free one of their own. At the same time, they at the same time free Claude and his fellow traveler with bandaged hands, and then the Callahan Bridge, where all this action took place, suddenly explodes, taking the hijackers with them. So only Claude and the guy named Bald(in original - 8-Ball- the eighth, black, ball in the pool). Together they leave the bridge and stop at Eddie's garage to change their prison clothes and sit out. After that, Claude, on the recommendation of Bald, goes to work for the Italian mafia. And then - a long road in the footsteps of Catalina.

At first, Claude is not very trusted, and is forced to do the dirtiest and most petty work, such as delivering prostitutes and stealing cars. But then, when he catches the eye of people in a higher position, he gradually gains authority and receives the attention of the don himself. Salvatore Leone... However, as you know, being too close to your superiors is not only beneficial but also dangerous. Claude will have to feel this rule on his own skin. Later, he has to work for many very strange characters, such as a torture lover and a man who is hiding from the FBI in a public toilet. The whole thing is demonstrated through small cutscenes at the beginning and end of the mission. By the way, they no longer start at a telephone booth. Instead, Claude needs to come to the point marked on the radar (by the way, he first appeared in the third part), marked with a large red circle.

Although the "phone missions" also remained in the game. Through them, representatives of the gangs call Claude and offer a job that is not related to the plot. There are three such phones in total, and at the end of the tasks of each of them, Claude will quarrel with one of the gangs, whose representatives will now always be aggressive. Also in the presence of the task "Rage", in which it is proposed to exterminate the bandits, or cars, from the proposed weapons. And if you get into a van with the sign "Serious toys" - the task began with the use of small radio-controlled cars filled with explosives, with the help of which it was necessary to undermine the cars of the gangs. And in several cars it is proposed to overcome uneven terrain, collecting checkpoints. It's a risky business, because Claude can fall into the sea, and, by the way, he cannot swim. There are 20 jumps around the city, on which it is proposed to make "unique jumps" - when time slows down and the jump is shown from a cinematic camera. In the last area of ​​the city, you can find a garage, into which you need to drive certain types of cars. As a reward, money is given (the more intact the car, the more), as well as the opportunity to order any of the previously stolen cars here. Well, and, of course, it remains to remember the "professional" missions - they can be activated by sitting in a taxi car, ambulance (now it is clear how they recruit drivers without a license), fire and police. The last of them, "vigilante", can also be played on some other vehicles, for example, on army, and even on a tank!

If you think that the GTA is played for the sake of completing some tasks there, then you are mistaken. The main distinguishing feature of this game is the living city. Here passers-by walk the streets, cars drive along the roads, bandits shoot at each other, the police patrol the city. And they all follow the rules of the road: do not exceed the speed, stop at intersections. This idyll can last forever. Until someone, namely the player, decides to intervene. One shot is enough (if you just walk down the street with a Kalash at the ready - it doesn't bother anyone) to start a chain reaction: passers-by shout and rush away, armed bandits can start shooting in response, and the police are trying to arrest the offender. But after all, the player does not stop there: you can shoot at the escaping civilians, killing them and shooting off the limbs, from which blood gushes like a fountain. Grand Theft Auto III is called a brutal game for a reason. An ambulance immediately arrives at the scene, and doctors are trying to resurrect the victims. If successful, they can get back on their feet, and immediately try to take revenge by attacking Claude! But if the doctors do not have time (they are also mortals), then the bodies on the ground disappear, and in their place there are chalk markings, as if the police had visited the scene of the crime and took the body.

But such crimes do not go unpunished. The police are ready to decisively attack the perpetrator, calling for help as needed. In total, there are 6 levels of wanted list: at the beginning it is only the police itself, from the third level a helicopter is added to them, then special forces, the FBI and the US army with soldiers and tanks. To lower the wanted level, you can hide from sight, find the star icon, or repaint the car. However, the fight itself against the forces of law and order can be very interesting! Cops can be killed, cars can be blown up, helicopters can be shot down, and tanks can be destroyed with a grenade launcher. How long will you survive on the sixth wanted level? I must say that instead of dying, Claude ended up in the hospital, where they took away all his weapons and some money for treatment. And upon arrest - the same, with the amendment of the police station and a bribe. There was no question of ending the game. And then, after all, no one forbids you to simply download the game, so as not to search for all these weapons again.

There were 50 cars in the game, as well as 3 boats and 1 Dodo plane. The most famous GTA III easter egg is connected with the latter: the fact is that on the Dodo you can fly to the "ghost island" - the area with the bank from the opening video. Alas, there were no motorcycles at all. But to be honest, there were quite enough cars. Among them are family clunkers, unpretentious coupes, pickups, minibuses, buses, trucks, limousines, sports cars, and so on. They are all fictional. The physical model is far from perfect, even by the standards of that time. The damage is only visual and does not affect driving performance. When hit points run out, the car catches fire and explodes. The same happens after the coup on the roof.

The weapons in the third part were as follows: own fists, a baseball bat (you can always find it near the save-house), a pistol, an ultrasound, a shotgun, a Kalashnikov assault rifle, M16, sniper rifle, RPG-7, flamethrower, grenade "lemon", Molotov cocktail and detonator for the bomb installed in the car. All of these weapons can be carried with you, and the ceiling of ammo is set to 9999. It was also possible to find armor that gave the character an additional 100 points of damage, which he withstood until it was turned off. All this goodness can be found on the street, bought in stores, or received for free - if you collect hidden packages. For every ten packages found, a new weapon appears near each of Claude's apartments. There are a hundred packages in total, and to collect them it is better to use a map that can be easily found on the Internet.

Grand theft auto: vice city

  • Developer: Rockstar North
  • Publisher: Rockstar Games
  • Localizer: 1C-SoftKlab (2009)

Platforms and release dates:

  • PC: 09 May 2003
  • PlayStation 2: October 28, 2002
  • Xbox: October 31, 2003
  • iPhone: December 06, 2012
  • Android: December 06, 2012
came out just a year after the third part. It's amazing, but Buka no longer translate the game. The fans had to do it and, frankly, they didn't do it very well. The official localization was released only in 2009, when 1C acquired the rights to the entire series.

If you remember Vice city - also called the second city from the first part Grand Theft Auto... The game starts with a splash screen stylized as a computer command line Commodore 64... And soon after the launch, you realize that you are in the past - in Miami 1986 year. In the game, however, the city is called a fictitious name - Vice City, but there can be no doubt which city served as a model. Vice City strikingly different from Liberty City: it is slightly larger and divided into only two areas, and much more colorful. Half-naked girls walk the streets, palm trees sway in the wind, yachts stand on the dock, rich people play golf, and the main character, Tommy Vercetti, judging by his clothes, he was just going on vacation. Everything here is saturated with the "eighties": music and conversations at radio stations, cars on the streets, clothes on bystanders.

Behind the scenes, it is believed that the main inspiration for the creators of the game was the movie “ Face with a scar» ( Scarface). So, on the radio, which you can listen to in the car, you can hear the songs from this film. It also took place in Miami. The slogan of the film can be seen on the airship in the sky: The World is yours... After acquiring a strip club, Tommy can put on the costume of the main character of the film - Tony Montana... Club "Malibu" is a copy of the club "Babylon", the estate of Diaz is very similar to the estate of Tony Montana, and the office is a copy of it, and the drug lord himself Ricardo Diaz, by its impulsive nature, it resembles the main character of the film. Needless to say, the final mission resembles the ending of Scarface?

The basic mechanics have not changed much over the year, but the authors focused on expanding the player's capabilities. So, now it has become possible to buy real estate. Part of it is designed to create additional save points, while the other is profitable. In the second half of the game, the player is tasked with acquiring especially important businesses: a taxi company, an ice cream factory (a cover for drug dealers), a Malibu club, a car dealership and even a porn studio. There are also given tasks related to production and distribution affairs. To prevent the player from getting lost in this huge city, in addition to the radar, a full-fledged map was finally built into the game.

Unlike Claude, Tommy is not averse to changing his wardrobe from time to time, although the standard "Hawaiian" with jeans suits him very much. Many costumes become available after certain missions. Dressing up also reduces the police wanted rate.

Perhaps not the most important, but still quite interesting innovation is the change in the hotel room where Tommy is staying. After some story missions, he brings a "trophy" to the room - for example, a mask, after a bank robbery. And, of course, you can find "endless" weapons here - which still appear as you find hidden things - this time figurines, inside which drugs were transported. And for completing the game at 100%, a t-shirt appears in the issue with the inscription "I passed GTA 100%, and all I got was this idiotic T-shirt."

The weapon has also been seriously reworked. Firstly, it has now become much more. In this regard, not everything can be carried with you - weapons are divided into several types: brass knuckles (instead of fists), melee (bat, knife, chainsaw, as well as an assortment of tool shops) pistols (9mm pistol and revolver), shotguns, etc. shotguns (shotgun, shotgun, automatic shotgun), machine guns (M4, Ingram, Tes 9, Kruger, MP5), as well as heavy weapons (M60, Sniper rifle, PSG-1. Gatling, Flamethrower, Grenade launcher). Taking another weapon from the same cell would throw out old weapons from it.

In addition to hundreds of car models, in Weiss you can find six types of motorcycles, seven aircraft (mainly helicopters) and five boats. Tommy, like Claude, cannot swim, but he flies perfectly. I must say that transport has become more similar to its real prototypes.

Most of the side quests have migrated from the previous parts. First of all, these are "professional" missions in the cars of city services. To them was added the task of delivering pizza, an insane duration - more than an hour. It is also possible to steal cars according to the list, now it is in the car dealership. Rage missions have not changed. There are only more races, as well as various tasks with overcoming obstacles. The game even has a stadium where stunt competitions take place. To earn extra money, it was possible to rob the cash registers of stores, after which it was necessary to hide from the police, as the siren went off in the store. Instead of exploding toy cars, helicopters and airplanes, as well as "neutralized" racing cars, are in vogue now. Racing on them is still fun. At one time, many players struggled to overcome the mission during the plot, in which they had to place explosives using small but deadly radio-controlled helicopters inside a building under construction.

There were more modifications to Vice City than to GTA III... It is also a myriad of new Vehicle, clothes, weapons, buildings, and even locations. The most famous is perhaps Deluxe- it contains a replacement for all (!!!) vehicles in the game, for real highly detailed models. Among them: Mercedes SLR Cabrio, Aston Martin Vantage, BMW X5, Audi RS6, Ferrari 360 Modena, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII, Subaru WRX STI, Nissan Skyline other! Also, new physical characteristics were assigned to the new transport. In addition, Deluxe redraws many buildings in the city. And what's more: adds several new areas, including motorcycle fleets for stunt driving. And finally, it makes over a hundred small changes. Naturally, going through the game will not be very comfortable. But for free play (which, in my opinion, is the most important in the Grand Theft Auto series) - just what you need!

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

  • Developer: Rockstar North
  • Publisher: Rockstar Games
  • Publisher in Russia: 1C-SoftKlab

Platforms and release dates:

  • PC: 07 June 2005
  • PlayStation 2: October 26, 2004
  • PlayStation 3: December 11, 2012
  • Xbox: June 07, 2005

Not so long ago, the founder of the studio Rockstar Dan Hauser, said: "the best games of the generation are released at sunset, not at dawn" - commenting on the fact that Grand theft auto v will be released on consoles Xbox 360 and PS3, just before the release of a new generation of consoles. These words have a weighty argument, in the form of - so far the largest and most scandalous game in the series, released at sunset Playstation 2.

The Russian version appeared quite recently - only in February 2010, almost five years after the game was released. Traditionally, only subtitles have been translated. However, fans have already managed to translate the game very well on their own. True, this does not apply to the very first machine translation, which produced phrases like "spent", "cackling rooster is not ready yet", "signs have been thrown out", etc.

The game attracted a big public scandal: among the resources of the game, an erotic mini-game cut from it was discovered. Cut so badly that craftsmen instantly returned her working capacity - just drop a few files into a folder and press the launch combination in the game, after which you can go on a date with one of the girls. After a successful date, the girl could invite C-J"For a cup of hot coffee" (for which this episode was named Hot coffee). Without modification - the girl's house will simply be shown, from which unambiguous sounds are heard, while the camera staggers in different directions. With the modification, everything is much cooler: we can observe an erotic scene inside the house. During it, the girl completely undresses (although Karl for some reason remains in his clothes), after which a mini-game of fast and frequent keystrokes begins, the purpose of which is to satisfy the girl. The outcome, by the way, influenced the final outcome of the date.

After the discovery of content on discs with the game, a big scandal erupted, because the game was sold with an age rating Mature in the USA (17+), which does not provide for such explicit scenes. The rating of the game quickly changed to Adults Only(18+, that is, you just had to wait a year ...), under which many stores were forced to move the game to the section with pornography, or even return all copies to the publisher. Later, a new edition came out with the old Mature rating, which no longer contained controversial content. For the PC version, along with patch 1.1, which contains some fixes for game bugs, the Hot Coffee modification was also disabled, thanks to which the patch is also known as "No More Hot Coffee".

Rockstar explained this content only as an experiment of its employees, which it was decided to abandon in favor of a lower age rating. In fairness, it should be noted that without the intervention of hackers in the archives of the game, this content would never have become available to the player. To activate it, you need to download a modification from the Internet called Hot Coffee and drop the files into the game folder. But, is the process very different from installing numerous erotic modifications for many other games? In both cases, the user was aware of what exactly he was installing, and what changes would occur in the game.

A new one was soon added to the Hot Coffee scandal: in 2006, a well-known prosecutor and lawyer Jack Thompson, opposing violence in games, drew attention to GTA. He accused the game of provoking violence in reality, encouraging people to take weapons and leave the house with them. Such episodes really were, and still take place in the United States, but Jack Thompson was seriously convinced that the games were to blame for everything. He has repeatedly demanded to ban the sale of the Grand Theft Auto series. However, already in 2008, the Florida State Supreme Court stripped Thompson of his lawyer's license for distortion of facts, insults, including a judge, after another rejection of his lawsuit. This was the end of Jack Thompson's public career.

How did all this affect GTA: San Andreas and Rockstar? Oh, they have built a unique reputation. And although the legal costs were clearly dear to the publisher, their game received incomparable PR. Many people bought the game just to see for themselves what is so cruel and terrible in it. If you believe Kotaku, then according to information as of September 2011, the game was sold in general circulation 27.5 million copies. Perhaps the comments are superfluous.

GTA: San Andreas takes place in 1992 in a fictional state San Andreas... Presumably, it was named so in honor of the eponymous fault in the earth's crust in the state of California. If you thought that San Andreas, like the third city in the very first part of Grand Theft Auto, is based on San Francisco, then you are somewhat mistaken. The fact is that the game no longer has one city, but three: Los Santos, San Fierro and Las Venturas... Moreover, in addition to each of them, there is also a countryside (in the case of Las Vernturas - deserted), which for the most part in the game are used as tracks for illegal races. Thus, the total area of ​​the game world of San Andreas is five times larger than in GTA III and at four than at GTA: Vice City... The cities and the surrounding area are separated by a wide river, across which many bridges have been built. Railway runs between all three cities, where it has several stations. You can also quickly move between cities using airports.

Los Santos is based on Los Angeles... There are a lot of completely different areas in it. It is full of real-life Los Angeles references. What are the only avenue of fame and a huge inscription “ Vinewood»On a hill, behind which is also located the district of the same name, consisting of rich villas of celebrities. But there is also a dysfunctional ghetto, where dysfunctional families live, many of whom are forced to steal from childhood in order to survive. Los Santos breaks up the confrontation between gangs of blacks and Mexicans. There are many skyscrapers in the business center of the city, from the highest of which you can jump with a parachute. The stadium hosts miniature races in Nascar cars. The countryside around Los Santos is not particularly distinctive. Just a farm, a factory, and a few small villages.

San Fierro is the name of the city based on San Francisco. Most of all, it is interesting for its hills - it is very cool along them, you can jump from top to bottom in a fast car or on a motorcycle, but you can go up for a long time. It also has its own tram system. The tram cannot be destroyed or slowed down. At the docks there is a ship that buys up stolen cars according to the lists. San Fierro is the state's automotive capital. There is a driving school for extreme driving, after which CJ is invited to take part in illegal races. As for the legal ones, the derby is held here at the stadium. The city is run by the triad families, as well as pimps and thugs who have ties to the Los Santos gangs. The countryside is interesting only for the presence of a real mountain - Chiliad, from the top of which the most difficult championship is held - mountain biking.

Las Venturas, as the name suggests, is a local Las Vegas. The main and only attraction, like the famous prototype, is the very long main street occupied by casinos and hotels. In the casino, by the way, you can play some gambling winning or losing up to a million dollars at a time. These very casinos are run by three families of the Italian mafia, Leone, Forelli and Sindacco, as well as triads familiar from San Fierro. There is also a stadium where two disciplines are held at once, depending on the day of the week: motocross and extreme stunts on a motorcycle. Not far from the city, there is a huge mining quarry where you can earn extra money on a dump truck (useful if you just lost a couple of million in a casino). But the fun begins further, in the hot desert. There is an abandoned airport turned into a graveyard of aircraft, a highly classified military base "Zone 69" and a huge hydroelectric power plant on the dam.

The main character in GTA: San Andreas is Carl Johnson, or just CJ ( CJ). He is black and grew up in a dysfunctional family in the Los Santos ghetto. The game starts with CJ arriving from Liberty City, in which he lived for the past five years, for his mother's funeral. Upon arrival, he is immediately attacked by corrupt cops, accused of killing an officer (which they themselves committed) and throwing a hostile gang on the street. Late for the funeral, Karl, nevertheless, finds his brother Sweet and sister Kendl in the cemetery, as well as friends from childhood Ryder and Big Smoke. From them, he learns about the plight of the Grove Street gang, after which he decides to stay to help put things right. Then he will face several shocks, an escape from his hometown into the countryside, and further in all three cities of San Andreas.

The plot may not have enough stars from the sky, but how else could you have dragged so many unique and dissimilar characters onto the stage! There is an old hippie here who sees government conspiracies everywhere, as well as a government agent who knows about so many things and has impressive connections. There is a strict boss of the Chinese triad, two black warring rappers who are afraid to leave the house, a 27-year-old genius who creates very dangerous toys, a casino croupier who changes his formal suit for latex at night ... it goes on for a long time.

Also, the game has a lot of references to the previous parts of the series. In fact, GTA III, Vice City and San Andreas are often referred to as a trilogy as they take place in the same universe and their events often overlap. So, the hot Mexican Catalina meets Karl for the sake of committing a couple of robberies, and then leaves him for the sake of an illegal racer Claude who takes her to Liberty City. How this novel ended, we know from GTA III. One of the owners of the casino in Las Venturas in the future will also go to the "City of Freedom", his name is Salvatore Leone, and in front of CJ in the Caligula casino, he meets the waitress Maria Latore, which he is married to during GTA III. Salvatore is also giving CJ a short visit to Liberty City, Marco's Bistro. And straight from Vice City a lawyer arrives in Las Venturas Ken Rosenberg and record producer Kent Paul... And that's not all of the references.

For the first time since GTA 2, the series returned the ability to interact with the gang. Los Santos is divided into four of the largest: " Groove Street"(This is the gang of CJ and his family)," Varrio Los Aztecas"(Friendly)," Ballas"And" Los Santos Vagos". With the latter two, just a war is ahead: Los Santos is divided into sectors, the colors of which are marked on the map, depending on the gang that owns them. The ultimate goal is to completely “green” the entire map. You will have to start with a small piece, including the streets around CJ's home. To conquer at least one new piece, you need to unleash a war with the gang on it: kill several of its members, and then withstand three attacks of this gang, one more powerful than the other.

You can take a few comrades from the Grove Street gang to help you - the higher the authority (increased by capturing territories), the more you can take fighters. They can also climb into the car with Karl, or sit in the back seat of a motorcycle. After the seizure of the territory, members of the Grove Street gang begin to patrol it. It will also be possible to collect profits from the held areas near Karl's house. But not everything is so simple: enemy gangs often try to recapture their territories - you need to go and suppress the riot, otherwise the territory will be lost. But when the whole map turns green, the riots will end immediately, and there will be no more Ballas and Vagos in Los Santos.

Interestingly, strip clubs have appeared in the game, which Karl can visit, and where he can even order a private erotic dance. Prostitutes, who can be “filmed” while in the car, are not canceled either.

But even more interesting, Karl can now have girlfriends. They are found both in cities and in rural areas. Two of them meet during the storyline, but the rest must be found on your own. Naturally, none of them suspects the existence of the rest. The benefits of a good relationship with girls can be obtained even without the Hot Coffee modification. So, a girl from San Fierro has connections in a medical facility, thanks to which Karl will no longer have his weapon taken away if he goes to the hospital. The same goes for a girl from a deserted village near Las Venturas, she has similar ties to the police. In addition, each of the girls can allow Karl to take her car, and can also donate a unique costume. CJ looks great in a police outfit, next to the corrupt cops Tenpenny and Pulaski, and in a country outfit only on a tractor and ride.

But in order to get these bonuses, you have to work hard. Each girl requires personal attention: you need to go on dates with her (for example, to a bar, restaurant, eatery, or to a night club where you have to go through a mini-game with dancing), give gifts and drive expensive cars at a certain speed. All girls have different tastes and mores.

There are a lot more side quests than before, even though the rage missions have been lost. But the "professional" tasks have not gone anywhere: an ambulance, a taxi, the police, and firefighters are still waiting for their hero. They were also joined by pimps (delivering prostitutes to clients, as well as their security) and even local train drivers (they can be hijacked!). In addition, you can earn extra money as a burglar, truck driver, courier, valet driver, mining dump truck driver and motorcycle racer at stadiums. There are also amazing activities such as triathlon (swimming, cycling and running), jumping on a high-powered motorcycle at the docks and biking on a BMX site at a construction site, and mountain biking from Mount Chilliad. Plus, there are several dozen race tracks, including flights on various aircraft.

The game also added in the number of mini-games. So, going to the bar, you can play billiards for money. Several ancient video games can be played using a slot machine, or a home console in CJ's house. Having entered the basketball court, you can pick up the ball and try to set a record for hits from different points on the court. You can dance in clubs, and some cars can be equipped with hydraulic suspension, after which you can participate in low-rider competitions.

Gambling can be mentioned in a separate line. Already in Los Santos, you can find machines that accept bets on horse racing. But the most interesting thing awaits Karl at the Las Venturas casino. Here you can play roulette, blackjack, poker, the wheel of fortune and numerous "one-armed bandits". In the beginning, Karl is not allowed at the tables with high stakes. First, you need to win or lose a lot of money, thereby gaining a reputation, after which you can bet millions. Of course, the risk of losing is very high, but after all, no one canceled the ability to load save until fortune smiles at you.

It is worth noting that CJ knows a lot more than the heroes of previous games. Much has been borrowed from the previous Rockstar game - (in San Andreas, by the way, there is one location from this game). The sight no longer hangs permanently in the center of the screen - it only appears when holding down the right mouse button. Karl knows how to covertly move while crouching, and sneaking up behind with a knife, he can kill the enemy by cutting his throat. Can jump and climb over obstacles such as multiple fences. Karl can learn one of three types of martial arts from the masters in the gyms. He is also not afraid to fly a jetpack, jump with a parachute and even ... he can swim and dive!

Karl can expand his wardrobe by shopping at numerous San Andreas clothing stores. Purchased clothes are immediately duplicated in the closets of all (well, almost) houses that can be purchased in the game. What's even more interesting: not suits are bought, but individual elements: top, bottom, shoes, hats, glasses, watches and chains. They can be worn in any order, making Karl look like a clown, cowboy, or a gentleman, for example. Or completely ridiculous - in shorts with hearts, cowboy boots, a hockey mask and a chainsaw in hand ...

There are two more ways to make your CJ unique (or just make fun) - a trip to the hairdresser, where you can choose one of the many hairstyles for a modest fee, and also - a tattoo parlor, where you can cover most of Karl's body with different tattoos.

Well, once they were mentioned at home. CJ prefers to purchase residential buildings for himself, personally for himself. Both luxury and cheap country apartments. All of them can be saved. Yes, you can still get housing during the course of the story. But buying a new one is also very desirable: it is convenient, because the game world has grown a lot, and dragging through the whole city to the only save point is long and often dangerous.

Perhaps one of the most amazing innovations in GTA: San Andreas is the parameters of the main character. CJ has the following metrics: Fat, Stamina, Respect, Lung Volume, Appearance, Muscle, Driver Skills, Pilot Skills, Motorcyclist Skills, Cyclist Skills, as well as gambling experience and the ability to shoot each weapon individually!

If suddenly you imagined scattering skill points when you level up, like in some role-playing game then forget it right away. To build muscle and become more enduring, you need to go to the gym and do exercises, which consist in very frequent pressing of one or more keys. At this time, Karl on the screen raises dumbbells, or rides an exercise bike, losing fat. So that the fat does not run out (it will pull the health indicator along with it), you need to go to the eatery and gobble up junk food. This is done for a long time and tediously, but the results are visible: Karl becomes muscular. And if you just get drunk, he will get fat like Big Smoke. With the rest of the parameters by analogy. Some of the side quests gave bonuses to the characteristics: the ambulance mission increased health, the burglar - endless running, and to improve the driving skills, you need to attend special schools.

CJ's arsenal is almost the same as in GTA: Vice City. However, explosives now include things like a gas grenade and a C4 with a remote detonator. Some useful items have appeared: a fire extinguisher, a spray can of paint and a film camera. In connection with the appearance of girls, you can find gifts for them: a bouquet of flowers, a cane, a dildo and a vibrator. For fun, they can be used in combat. And finally: a night vision device with a thermal imager, as well as a parachute (disposable).

As mentioned earlier, there is a separate skill scale for each type of firearm. The higher the skill, the more accurately the weapon shoots, and on maximum level one-handed barrels (9mm pistols, sawn-off shotguns, micro-ultrasound and TES-9) - you can take them one in each hand! The fastest way to improve your skills is in the shooting range, in the Ammu-Nation chain of traditional weapons stores.

Instead of the usual 100 hidden things, San Andreas had many unique collectibles. So, in Los Santos, it is proposed to paint over 100 graffiti of enemy gangs, for them four types of weapons appear in CJ's house. In San Fierro, there are 50 camera angles - icons that are only visible in the camera lens, and four weapons appear behind them near the garage workshop in Doherty. In Las Venturas, 50 lucky horseshoes were scattered, for which four types of weapons appear near the casino of the Four Dragons, and also increases your luck in gambling. Also, 50 seashells were scattered throughout the state (you need to dive for them, and the reward is an increase in lung volume and attractiveness) and 70 unique jumps for which you pay money.

If suddenly it seemed to you that there were too few vehicles in the previous games of the series, then the same cannot be said for San Andreas. And it's not even about the banal addition of new cars and motorcycles, although the game is fine with that. The main thing is that whole new categories have appeared: these are two bicycles, many planes (including a huge passenger liner, a smaller passenger plane, a corn plant, an airplane and a military fighter armed with homing missiles), trailers with trailers that detach and attach, a tow truck with a controlled crane, harvester, ATV, kart and even a train, even if you can ride it only on rails. And there is also a wonderful thing called a jetpack. Having put it on, you can fly, and even shoot, aiming, as if you are outside the vehicle. For your understanding, there are a total of about two hundred vehicles in San Andreas!

All transport is conventionally divided into the following categories: cars, motorcycles, bicycles and aircraft. A separate skill is responsible for each category. The more you skate, the better Karl gets it. This is most noticeable on bicycles, and in the case of cars and motorcycles, high skill is the key to entering stadiums. There is, however, one more category - swimming aids, but there is no skill for them.

Starting from San Fierro, it will be possible to find special schools for extreme control of cars, boats, motorcycles and aircraft. Performing tasks in them, CJ improves his skills. In each school you can get medals: bronze, silver and gold. If there is at least one bronze among them, then there will always be one wreck near the school. If there is no bronze, but there is silver, then something better will be added to the wreck. And for gold - you can get really cool transport. So, for gold at the driving school, you can get the only game copy " Hotknife", based on Ford Model A(1920s-30s), of which there are only a few units left in the real world. And at the flight school you can get a military helicopter at your disposal.

In addition to the usual painting station, you can visit the workshop, where most cars can be "pumped" to the fullest. Body parts, rims, spoilers are subject to replacement, a roof can be installed on convertibles, a hydraulic suspension is installed on some cars, nitro acceleration can be set, a color for the interior and exterior paint can be selected separately, and even a vinyl pattern can be selected!

Karl's relationship with the police is not much different from his "colleagues in the shop" from previous games. Unless now, to get rid of the chase, it is not necessary to look for stars - you can hide from sight, and then they will quickly go out on their own. Also, cops no longer use spiked tapes. But, generally speaking, thanks to the scale and vastness of San Andreas, the war with the forces of law and order is acute and interesting here like nowhere else!

If there were just a lot of modifications to the previous games in the series, then to San Andreas - there are just insanely many of them! More than a few thousand. And they are still coming out! Among them there are not only numerous replacements of cars, textures of everything and everything, but even new locations with their own stories! Of course, the vast majority of them are of very low quality, but still. There are many mods about other games and universes, like the many lightsabers. And the most interesting and original, in the author's opinion, are modifications containing Russian content - Soviet and Russian cars, clothes, and so on.

On a separate line I would like to mention the well-known add-on called ENBSeries... This is a graphical improvement that adds many new graphical effects to the game, such as shaders version 3.0 (in the game, only version 2.0 is used) and many others.

Nevertheless, the main achievement of folk craftsmen can be safely called modifications that add multiplayer modes to the game. The most famous of them: Multi Theft Auto and San andreas multiplayer which are also used on website (GTA.ru) and support up to a hundred (!!!) players at the same time! Fortunately, the scale of San Andreas allows it.

In the desert near Las Venturas, near a row of huge satellite dishes, not far from Site 69, you can find the "U Leal Prob" eatery. Next to her, a flying saucer is spinning on a pillar, hinting at the contents of the tavern. Inside it, the walls are decorated with numerous photographs of UFOs, and in the back room there is a certain apparatus for detecting UFOs, as well as a map of San Andreas with dots marked on it.

Presumably, from something like this was born the idea that in GTA: San Andreas there really must be a UFO somewhere! Or something otherworldly like Bigfoot and Nessie. Many players simply began to invent that they saw this or that strange event in the game, forcing other players to spend time checking these ridiculous legends. But take my word for it: there are NO UFOs in San Andreas! This is all just fiction. Yes, and there is no "Zone 69" either, and it cannot be. It's true, but if it were otherwise, the government would not hide similar information from their taxpayers.

Grand theft auto advance

  • Developer: Digital Eclipse
  • Publisher: Rockstar Games
  • Platform and Release Date: Game Boy Advance: October 25, 2004
Grand theft auto advance is a game designed for a handheld console Game boy advance from Nintendo.

The action takes place in Liberty City of GTA III, with minor modifications such as no slopes, no tunnels and no subways. This is because the game was two-dimensional, with a top view, like Gta and GTA 2... Well, what did you expect from the Game Boy Advance? Nevertheless, the game should be of interest to fans of the third part. The action in GTA Advance takes place a year before GTA III. Among the characters there are old acquaintances, "The Eighth Ball" and King Courtney, as well as previously poorly disclosed gangs of the Yardies and the Columbia Cartel, and others. You will play as a petty criminal Mike, who, with his friend Vinnie, tried to make money to get out of Liberty City. The last thing was to work for the Mafia Salvatore Lyon, but Vinnie was killed, and Mike decides to take revenge on the killers. In the game, there were still "outbursts of rage", hidden packages and jumps that were moved. And there were also professional missions - police, ambulance and others. And also an expanded set of weapons.

Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories

  • Developers: Rockstar Leeds
  • Publisher: Rockstar Games

Platforms and release dates:

  • PSP: October 25, 2005
  • PlayStation 2: 06 June 2006

The action takes place in Liberty City 1998, the game is a prequel to GTA III... The main character is Toni Cipriani already familiar to GTA III players. There in the future (relatively LCS), he held a high position under Don Lyon and gave Claude missions against the triad. He was also a real mama's son: an elderly mother scolded him even in front of subordinates. Interestingly, it seemed quite complete, although it was not yet in LCS. Apparently, my mother has fed.

But back to Liberty City stories ... Here, Tony just arrives in the city, where he enters the service of Don Salvatore Lyon and other mafia bosses. Generally speaking, the storyline campaign is quite long - 70 missions. In addition to Salvatore, there are other old acquaintances: Donald Love, Phil Cassidy, Maria Latore, « Eighth ball"And Miguel(Colombian, future ally Catalina).

Interestingly, Liberty City here is not the same as we see it in GTA III... Still, the difference is three years. To the great horror, the city's districts are still isolated from each other, but only the tunnels and subways will not be completed during this game. As well as the Callahan Bridge, which can only be crossed by trampolines. It turns out that the islands have been strongly isolated from each other and from the mainland for a long time. In addition, many buildings and institutions have undergone changes, which at different times belonged to different owners.

The LCS had the following side missions: garbage truck driver (delivering bodies to the landfill), "Carmegeddon" (Karmageddon, probably a reference to the famous game -) - you need to make riots on a fire truck, deliver pizza, sell cars (exactly a sale, not a theft ), sale of motorcycles, a guide to Liberty City, "angel of revenge" - a costume mission to catch troublemakers, shooting from a seat on a motorcycle at the specified machines. In addition, old acquaintances have survived: professional missions, outbursts of rage, races, phone missions, hijacking, unique jumps, collection of secret packages.

Generally speaking, it's amazing, but there are motorcycles in LCS! Later, their absence in GTA III is also explained - the public insisted on a ban on motorcycles. Arsenal was practically copied from GTA: San Andreas.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories

  • Developer: Rockstar Leeds
  • Publisher: Rockstar Games

Platforms and release dates:

  • PSP: October 31, 2006
  • PS2: March 6, 2007
- prequel to the original GTA: Vice City... The action takes place in Vice City in 1984, two years before the events of the original. You have to play for Victor Vance, brother Lance Vance familiar from GTA VC... Moreover: Victor was one of the dealers in the opening video of the original. He was killed by Diaz's men while Lance and Tommy Vercetti leave, leaving drugs and money on the spot.

But it will be after, and in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories- Victor Vance is an honest guy entering the military service at Fort Baxter, under the command of a sergeant Martinez... Unlike Victor, Martinez knows firsthand the Vice City underworld. He even hires Victor on a few dirty things. At the end of the last assignment, Martinez substitutes Victor, for which he is fired from the army. After which he has no choice but to continue to join the criminal world of Vice City. IN a certain moment, he begins to build his own criminal empire with his brother Lance. They are involved in many cases together, including racketeering, usury, robbery, drug trafficking, pimping and smuggling.

To the traditional missions of a policeman, ambulance, taxi and firefighter, new ones have been added: a medical helicopter, a helicopter for extinguishing fires, and the work of a beach patrol. It was also necessary to deliver vehicles according to the lists, as well as collect 99 balloons to get free weapons, complete rage missions and unique jumps.

The city in VCS is somewhat different from the original. Some of the buildings can be found unfinished, or not at all existing. Now you can ride a Ferris wheel, visit the trailer park. A floating restaurant appeared in the port.

Grand theft auto iv

  • Developer: Rockstar North
  • Developer: Rockstar Games
  • Localizer: 1C-SoftKlab

Platforms and release dates:

  • Xbox 360: April 29, 2008
  • PlayStation 3: April 29, 2008
  • PC: December 19, 2008

The first thing that catches your eye when looking at is the graphics. At the time of its release, the game was very technologically advanced and demanding on the hardware. So, having recently bought a system unit for a thousand dollars, you had to put up with the fact that you will not see the maximum graphics settings. However, soon a lot of patches appeared for the game and the brakes, for the most part, disappeared, and the dynamic shadows only became more beautiful.

What is surprising, because before the games in the series have always seriously lagged behind others in terms of technology, taking in scale and gameplay. This was primarily due to the weakness of the prefix Playstation 2, and the scale was incomparable with other games. Now there were no such restrictions, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 allowed to make a much more detailed and technologically advanced game world. The game was used new engine proprietary development: RAGE (Rockstar Advanced Game Engine). He supported the technology DirectX 9 and used it to the fullest. The game also had an outstanding physical model of the behavior of vehicles, and even some destructible objects. For the first time in Gta the suspension was felt, and the cars received very realistic external damage.

In addition, the game used innovative technology Euphoria, on which the animation of the characters was made. For example, now in a head-on collision at high speed, you can fly out through the windshield, constantly hitting objects, gradually losing speed and health. What can we say about realistically knocked down pedestrians. Also, very efficiently, the reaction to wounds from firearms was implemented.

The game takes place again in Liberty City... Not in the one that was in GTA III... IN Gta iv a new "era" starts: the game no longer overlaps with the events of the previous parts. There are no old characters in it, not even mention of them. Although at the same time, the game retained many previously invented parodies of brands. Mostly these are the names of the vehicles, which are now unambiguously similar to some real models. There are also fashion brands that sell clothes, names of eateries like Burger shot or Cluckin bell, beverages Sprunk and eCola, and much more.

New Liberty City is much more like the real one New York, than ever. It is traditionally divided into three parts: Broker (based in Brooklyn), Algonquin (Manhattan) and Alderney (New Jersey). In addition to them, there are also "islets", such as Bohan (Bronx), the largest of them, as well as an island with " Statue of Happiness"(Parody of Statue of Liberty- in the game she has a face Hillary Clinton, and holds a glass of coffee in his hand). Together, they are connected by numerous bridges, tunnels and a high railroad. In addition, for the first time in the series, it became possible to take a taxi, which could take you to any object marked on the map (including the player's pins anywhere on the map). The main character got into the car, chose the route and speed (faster - more expensive), after which the taxi started to go, and the player could look at the streets around, throughout the trip. You can also book a bird's eye tour of Liberty City at the helicopter station. Well, or hijack one, and inspect everything yourself.

The following problem became the subject of players' jokes and indignation: only taxis could drive in the city. This happened when there was a lack of RAM, the variety of traffic directly depended on the number of gigabytes. However, this made Liberty City more like New York - there are also a lot of taxis.

The protagonist in Grand Theft Auto IV was an immigrant from Eastern Europe - a Serb by name Niko Bellic(in fact, the Serbian surname Bellic is read Belich, but Bellic is better for an English ear). He sails on a ship to the "Land of Great Opportunities" to start life from scratch. In the past, he had a chance to fight in a real war, where he saw enough of everyone, after which he began to see the world very cynically. And when he returned to his homeland, Niko could not find an honest job - no one wanted to hire a soldier. Then he had to deal with criminal matters - in particular, smuggling, transportation of illegal goods, and even ... slaves. But one of the enterprises fell through, the ship sank along with all the goods. Niko miraculously managed to escape, but his boss, by name Ray Bulgarin, thought that Niko owes him money. And then he had to go to Liberty City, where his cousin has lived for ten years in a luxurious mansion, surrounded by supermodels, and with many sports cars in the garage. Roman Bellic... At least that is how he described everything in his letters.

Stepping off the ship on solid ground in the port of Liberty City, Niko finds Roman, dirty, drunk and driving a taxi. Instead of a mansion, he lives in a dirty one-room apartment, and from his cars he only has a taxi from his small taxi company. Yes, and he still only miraculously remains afloat: Roman owes money to the moneylender, and besides, he often plays at cards. It is not difficult to guess that now Niko will have to take care not only of himself, but also of his bad cousin. The plan to start a new life quickly turns into the same blue dream as Roman's mansion. He will have to work for a moneylender, then for his boss, and then for drug dealers, the mafia ... yes, for anyone who has money.

Rockstar loves to cover topics that are often overlooked. This time they turned towards immigrants from Eastern Europe and Russia. The south of Bohan, the first of the regions of the game, is completely given to the Russians. There are such establishments as the Perestroika cabaret and the Comrades bar. Here passers-by on the street often talk in Russian, with Niko or just by phone. And in the first clothing store you can buy different types of sweatpants, and even a hat with earflaps with a hammer and sickle on the forehead. As Niko notes, "these clothes look like they came from our homeland." A very nice feature of the game is the radio station Vladivostok FM, on which only Russian songs are played! The DJ was a Ukrainian singer Ruslana and the rapper Seryoga recorded for the game an exclusive track called "Invasion".

GTA IV took up quite a few gigabytes. It took two dual-layer DVDs to fit. In fact, the lion's share went to music for radio and ... television. In his apartment, Niko can just sit in a chair or sofa and start watching TV. It had several channels and TV shows, including historical chronicles, animated series, glamorous TV shows, and more. All this was performed on the game engine and voiced by the actors. Like everything else in the game, the TV programs were chock-full of satire, parody, and just plain funky humor.

Two more important innovations are mobile phone and the internet. If earlier the phone could only receive calls (and Claude had only a pager at all), now there are more functions than an example. Firstly, now you can call all familiar characters yourself. So you can invite a girl on a date, or a friend for a binge. The phone also has a camera, pictures of which can be saved. With the help of a mobile phone, it was possible to enter the video editor and multiplayer game mode. Well, and also enter cheat codes.

If GTA: San Andreas and previous games only brought new missions to the series, then GTA IV lost most of them. Of the professional ones, only the tasks of the police and taxis (for Roman's taxi company) remained. There are still numerous (although not as unique as in San Andreas) races and car theft missions. The latter have now changed somewhat: Niko's phone receives a picture of the car and the name of the street where it stands. So the player had to first identify the place and the car, and then drive it to the garage. From a well-forgotten old, missions returned through a telephone booth, which consisted of contract killings. That's all. Unless, there are unique jumps and hidden things, which this time are played by 200 pigeons ("flying rats" - flying rats - in English version), cooing when approaching, and who need to be shot. Surprisingly, there is no free weapon bonus after pigeon extermination.

But not everything is so bad: there are many side quests with a plot. There are many characters on the streets who need Niko Bellic's help. As a rule, tasks are monosyllabic - give a lift, or kill someone. What's more interesting: in the course of the main storyline, there is an opportunity to keep the "ordered" characters alive. In this case, you can find these characters somewhere in the city, and get a task from them.

In addition to the dates from the previous part, hangouts with friends were also added. Niko can get to know his friends during the plot. But the girls will have to look on the dating site. Both are practically the same, in fact, with the exception of the beginning (each girl has different tastes in terms of clothes and Niko's car) and the ending - Niko does not go home to his friends for a cup of coffee. The purpose of these events is to gain favor, in numerical terms. When it gets high, the characters begin to render services to Niko: they will organize a well-paid job, bring and sell weapons at a discount (because now there is practically no point in looking for them on the streets), load a bomb in the car, drive off the police, organize a discount at a fashion store and that spirit.

To arrange a meeting, you need to call the character and indicate the place where you intend to take him (her). You need to meet different characters at different times, because everyone has a different schedule of life, and if you wake them up, they are offended. They can also call and invite Niko to hang out. Dating and meeting can take place in the same places. In a diner, in a club, in a bar, in a cabaret where shows are shown and even in a strip club where you need to order a private dance. There were also mini-games: bowling, billiards and darts. In one meeting or date, you can visit several places, after which you need to take the character home.

The most profitable, in terms of improving relationships, is going to the bar. There Niko and a friend or girlfriend get drunk and begin to tell what they really think. Very interesting at times. And at the exit, both are drunk so much that they start walking backwards and constantly fall. It is very difficult to drive a car in such a state - the camera sways, the car turns itself wherever it wants, so the police also start chasing if they see it.

Because of this feature, another small scandal erupted around GTA IV. Some people saw this as propaganda for drunk driving. Allegedly, the game teaches people how to drive a car while intoxicated. A video even appeared on the Internet: a man played GTA IV for two weeks, where Niko was driving drunk. After which he drank himself and tried to drive a car in the game. Result: the game does not provide any drunk driving skills at all.

In terms of customization of the protagonist, GTA IV is much inferior to San Andreas. There are no longer any hairdressing or tattoo parlors in Liberty City. And the assortment of clothing stores is not amazing. However, the trip in them is more interesting: you can approach any product and try it on. All clothing is still available in the wardrobe at Niko's apartment.

In terms of arsenal, the fourth part is again inferior to San Andreas in quantity - only 15 weapons. Gifts and almost all types of cold and heavy weapons have completely disappeared from the arsenal. See for yourself what is left: a knife, a baseball bat, Glock 22 and Desert Eagle pistols, Uzi and SMG, pump and combat shotguns, AK-47 and M4, two sniper rifles, RPG-7, Molotov cocktail and a frag grenade.

But the combat system has undergone significant changes. First of all, this concerns the introduction of the increasingly popular system of shelters from. Niko and his enemies can hit almost any obstacle, including cars. Shooting became much more realistic, tactful, although at the same time they lost in excitement and dynamics. However, in your free time from missions, no one will prevent you from taking an RPG and going to blow up all oncoming cars and helicopters, although Niko in this case will not live long. However, it is no longer necessary to get out of the car to engage in targeted fire. Niko can break glass and pop out a light weapon (pistol or submachine gun), as well as throw grenades and incendiary mixtures. But as for shooting: when you hold down the button, a crosshair now appears on the screen, allowing you to shoot at 360 degrees, although previously you could only left and right.

There are also fewer vehicles in GTA IV. All guided planes, bicycles, an amphibious hovercraft, a parachute, a jetpack and even the holy of holies - the Tank - have disappeared from the game! However, we still have: cars, motorcycles, boats and helicopters. In GTA IV, they are more like their real-life prototypes than ever. It became quite obvious where Mercedes, Lamborghini or Ferrari were. The physics model is also much more realistic, the suspension feels good, and accidents have never looked so realistic. And yet, tuning disappeared from the game. But a car wash has now been added to the paint shop. Well, is it really going to replace tuning and customization? TO interesting features transport in GTA IV can be attributed to the appearance of GPS cars. During missions, the shortest path to the target is marked on the radar. You can also put your own mark on the map. In expensive cars, GPS is even sounded, it can warn about turns in advance.

Together with the tank, the military forces disappeared from the fourth unit. Nevertheless, the police are still assisted by agents of the FIB (the game analogue of the FBI) ​​and special forces. And the tracing system itself has undergone major changes. On the radar, during the chase, you can see a circle measuring the search area. The higher the wanted level, the larger the territory. To get away from the police, you need to hide from sight, leave the marked area and for some time not be seen by the forces of law and order. If Niko is spotted, the search area moves and centers on him. There are no more police stars, but you can still repaint the car. This action will now rewind the time forward six hours.

Rockstar has finally heard common sense and have now developed the multiplayer mode for the game themselves. It includes 15 interesting modes supporting up to 32 players. Among these modes there are death matches, racing, mafia missions, bandits against cops, bandits against special forces, capture of control points, hunting for "goods", industrial theft, planting a bomb on a ship, and, finally, the good old "Free regime".

The system was used as a platform for multiplayer Microsoft Games for Windows Live... And it was also mandatory to register in an incomprehensible service. Rockstar Games Social Club... As copy protection - SecuROM... The game also built in additional protection against NoDVD, nicknamed by the players nothing more than "a drunken camera and a brick on the gas pedal." It consisted in the following: if the game decided that you were using NoDVD, then getting into the car, soon found it smoking and with the brakes turned off, while the camera staggered just like after taking alcohol! To be fair, all owners of licensed copies escaped such a fate, in addition, they could download an alternative launch file, which allowed them to run the game without a disc, while maintaining multiplayer. At the same time, registration of the game remained mandatory.

It's no secret that the most frequently released fan add-ons have always been new cars. You can see many of them here in the screenshots. And if the ones already in the game were very similar to real ones, then what can we say about fan models of transport, whose creators were not bound by any legal restrictions. For example, now, at the behest of the player, the Banshee's car could become more than just Dodge viper, she literally became her, as if she were.

You can also remember the real tuning created by the craftsmen, with blackjack, vinyl and neon lighting! And the most important thing is the huge number of graphical modifications. Often, looking at their screenshots, you seriously doubt - is this a photograph?

Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City

  • Developer: Rockstar North
  • Developer: Rockstar Games
  • Localizer: 1C-SoftKlab

Platforms and release dates:

  • Xbox 360: October 29, 2009
  • PlayStation 3: April 13, 2010
  • PC: April 13, 2010
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City are two big story additions to the original Grand theft auto iv... The first one is called The lost and Damned and the second is The ballad of gay tony.

The episodes take place in the same Liberty City that and Gta iv... The city is almost identical, except for some important places. The add-ons contain their own protagonists, new characters, and story missions. The connecting link is the line about diamonds belonging to Ray Bulgarin. They slip out of his hands, after which they are trying to take possession of each of the heroes - Niko Bellic from GTA IV, Johnny Klebitz of TLAD and Luis Lopez of TBOGT, for their own reasons. In addition, all three heroes are also associated with a large consignment of drugs, which are closely monitored by the police. Together, the three plots form one, shedding light on many of the white spots in each other's plots. In terms of the duration of the storylines, each expansion is roughly equal to 1/3 of the GTA IV storyline.

In addition, they add some new features to the game, such as mini-games, Additional tasks, new weapons and vehicles. And also new sites on the Internet, new programs on TV and new tracks on the radio, including several new radio stations. Interestingly, in Episodes, all areas of the city are initially open and available for research, unlike GTA IV.

According to the author, Episodes from Liberty City is a great addition that neutralized most of the claims to the original. It greatly expanded its capabilities, diversified the arsenal and fleet of vehicles. In addition, GTA IV, together with the episodes, forms a common plot. Each of the heroes has a different perspective on Liberty City. Niko Bellic is an immigrant who is trying to settle down in an unfamiliar world, having no friends and relatives here, with the exception of a cousin, and not owning a peaceful profession. Johnny Klebitz is a biker for whom the motorcycle and the well-being of his Lost Ones are the raison d'être. The atmosphere in TLAD is so thick that you start to get used to the role - a stern biker who despises four-wheeled vehicles and Japanese fakes, and Liberty Rock Radio must be played on the radio. Luis Lopez, on the other hand, sees Liberty City as one big glamorous hangout full of majors, queers and whores. Playing as him, you start stealing only sports cars and dressing in expensive suits. The great thing about Ballad is that she brought Tank back into the game!

It came as a surprise to many that Rockstar originally released the first episode, The Lost and Damned, exclusively for the Xbox 360. Only many months later came the announcement of a port to PC and PS3. History repeated itself with the second expansion, The Ballad of Gay Tony. Two versions of Episodes were released in Russian: Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City - it contains two workable episodes, without the original GTA IV, as well as as part of the "Full Edition", which included both Episodes and the original GTA IV. However, 1C again translated only the text, and besides, it was far from the best way, on the net you can find much better quality fan-made Russifiers.

Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned

The plot "" starts at a time when Niko Bellic starts working for Mikhail Faustin. This is evidenced by the story of one of the bikers that he meets the daughter of some Russian, which is Mr. Faustin.

The main character of the game, Johnny Klebitz (yes, he is a Jew), is the vice president of the biker club The Lost. The Lost Ones are a real gang of armed thugs who prefer chopper-style motorcycles. They are armed not with some kind of clubs, but with real firearms... You need it to protect yourself from other gangs, or to attack them, then how it goes. The gang has its own club, The Lost Liberty, with booze, strippers, a pool table and other attributes of a biker club. Johnny sleeps right here on a mattress in the back room, which also houses a computer and TV.

The president of the club and the gang is Billy, who is just getting out of prison after undergoing a rehabilitation course. Prior to his return, Johnny was doing a good job with the duties of a manager: he negotiated peace with another powerful gang - the Angels of Death, and also kept the business afloat. But now, after the return of Bill, he again takes over the reins, first of all declaring war on the "Angels of Death". He also makes Johnny do the dirty work for the Jewish mafia. Thus, the game focuses on the confrontation between Johnny and Bill. Other gang members also have their own attitudes towards both leaders.

The first and most important innovation in TLAD is the emergence of its own gang, ready to come to the rescue at the first call. These are not faceless clones like in GTA: San Andreas. You will know the name of each of them, and even ... the level. Levels are accumulated for surviving during raids on enemy gangs, which were also added to TLAD. The deceased comrade is replaced by a newcomer, leaving behind a photo on the wall, in the club of the Lost Ones gang.

If the gang has left, then Johnny's escorts will try to follow him in strict order of battle. Also, in some missions, Johnny himself needs to follow Billy, in this case he will restore health and armor, and will also be able to talk with other bikers riding nearby.

In addition to his "comrades", Johnny also has friends with whom he can spend time. They can also provide services from the very beginning - customizing motorcycles and weapons.

Air hockey was added to entertainment and competitions. In addition, in the club you can play a card game "more-less" and compete in armwrestling. And in the city you can take part in biker races, in which you can also use a baton. Interestingly, Johnny doesn't shop. It's impossible to change his club leather jacket, and why? It would be ridiculous. The interface has also undergone changes, it has "aged" and acquired in detail. In addition, the city's palette has changed a lot: now it is completely yellowish-gray, and there is little that breaks it. And instead of pigeons, now you need to kill 50 seagulls, the "Innovation" motorcycle will become available as a reward.

The TLAD add-on is primarily about motorcycles. Therefore, it is not surprising that the most of them were added - as many as 17 pieces. Near the club Johnny is always waiting for his faithful chopper - "The Witcher" (Hexer). In addition, 4 trucks and 2 cars were added.

Johnny's trademark and first available weapon was a double-barreled sawed-off shotgun, which was not in the original GTA IV. In addition to it, were also added: a billiard cue, a new semi-automatic pistol, an assault shotgun that shoots bursts, a real grenade launcher that shoots 40mm projectiles flying in a parabola, and homemade explosives.

The supplement also touched on the multiplayer mode, adding five new types of competitions at once: chasing an armed helicopter for a motorcycle (in the English version there is a play on words - Chopper vs. Chopper), a number of tasks for the club, "hunting the wolf" - when all players are trying to kill one biker , a war of gangs for territory, and the last - the battle of the "Lost" against the police special forces.

Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony

"" Begins at the moment when Niko Bellic, along with the McReary family, robbed the bank of Liberty City.

"Ballad" is entirely dedicated to everything glamorous and dirty. Gay Tony, aka Blue Tony, aka Anthony Prinze, owner of two nightclubs in Liberty City, one for gay men and one for heterosexuals. But we are, fortunately, not playing for him, but for his bodyguard and partner Luis Lopez, a Hispanic of traditional orientation. Luis helps Tony by working in clubs as a bouncer and carrying out many illegal affairs under his orders. The fact is that Tony owes a lot of money here and there, and if he does not pay off, he may lose his business. In addition, Louis has to take care of his family and friends, who now and then get into trouble.

A distinctive feature of "Ballad" is a bias away from realism. Unlike GTA IV and TLAD, she no longer tries to be serious. TBOGT is much more like Vice City and San Andreas in this regard. She is bright, colorful and very funny. Finally, she got the Tank back! Almost. An armored personnel carrier is an armored personnel carrier with a turret with a large-caliber gun mounted on it. It is much faster than any tank, and also has a high rate of fire, so it is just great for aiming rustle in Liberty City.

In Ballad, Rockstar continued to actively make up for the shortage side missions in original. So, "drug wars" were added - tasks for the transportation of drugs, for the execution of every ten pieces in which weapons were delivered to Louis's apartment. In the home area of ​​Luis, hand-to-hand combat without rules takes place, in which you can participate for money. Now you can play real golf. And the "triathlon" here is not the same as in San Andreas: first, Luis jumps with a parachute, then gets into a boat and floats on it to the car in which he finishes. Yes, the parachute is back. New tasks are also associated with it - you need to fly through the "crowns" marked in the air, and then land at the indicated place, or even on a moving truck. Also worth mentioning is working in a nightclub. Louis can take over as a bouncer. There is also a mini-game with drinking champagne, as well as dancing (again we wave the handle to San Andreas), where you can pick up a girl.

The weapon that Louis initially carries with him is a very powerful .44 caliber pistol. Also added: a shotgun with explosive bullets, an assault submachine gun, a gold (!!!) Uzi, a light machine gun, a new improved sniper rifle and sticky bombs. In addition to weapons, several dozen vehicles, music tracks, and several changes to the multiplayer mode were also added to the game.

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

  • Developer: Rockstar Leeds
  • Publisher: Rockstar Games
Platforms and release dates:
  • Nintendo DS: March 17, 2009
  • PlayStation Portable: October 20, 2009
  • iPhone and iPod Touch: January 18, 2010
  • iPad: September 10, 2010
Is a handheld platform game originally exclusive to the Nintendo DS. History Liberty City of Gta iv does not end with Episodes... Act GTA: Chinatown Wars takes place a year after the events of the fourth part, in 2009. The Chinatown Wars uses the Broker, Bohan and Algonquin districts, but Alderney has been slaughtered. The main character, Huang Li, flew to Liberty City by plane to give his uncle the sword of his deceased father, the former boss of the triad, in order to strengthen the family's position. But before he had time to descend from the ladder, he fell into an armed ambush, was kidnapped and almost killed. A power war is brewing in Chinatown, in which Huang Li will have to take a direct part. The initial release of the game on DS could not but affect the graphics and gameplay. So, although the graphics in the game were three-dimensional, the camera was isometric with a top view, but with the possibility of horizontal rotation by 360 degrees. In addition, the game looks very cartoonish on the outside. The plot was broadcast in the form of unvoiced comics. The gameplay of Chinatown Wars differs in some places from other games in the series. So, to steal a car from the parking lot, you need to go through a mini-game, which differs depending on the age of the car. Once something similar was announced for GTA IV, but disappeared from the game by the time it was released. I must say that they pay very meagerly for plot tasks. To appreciate the whole tragedy: Juan can rummage through garbage cans in search of food, as well as money, weapons and drugs. Also, Huang is forced to go into the drug business, buying and reselling goods, finding other dealers using the PDA. You can also try to win the lottery. In addition, the game featured ambulance, police, taxi, racing, car theft and random encounters. In the game there is a multiplayer for two people (a little bit (nada istcho)). Rezhymov six (or twelve ya scored): ganks, a racing championship, hijacking a van (he can only get one), wars for territories, either on one side, or against each other, and, finally, deathmatch, but there are no divushets. In addition, the game supported social features. Rockstar Games Social Club.

Let's start by first there was no Rockstar Games, and no GTA didn't even smell. Under the leadership of David Jones, a native of Scotland, the DMA studio was created, in 1988, having signed a contract with the British publisher Psygnosis, DMA released its first games, Menace and Blood Money, no one would have thought that space shooters will be able to interest not only players but also critics. DMA later ported its games to Commodore 64, DOS and Atari ST.

The real breakthrough for DMA in the gaming industry came in 1990 with the release of Lemmings (a logic game). Lemmings has sold over 20 million copies worldwide and has been ported to 20 different systems.

While the DMAs became famous for their games all over the world, the Nintendo team took an interest in them, which offered to help them with the development of the Nintendo 64 along with other well-known developers Rare, Paradigm, Midway Games and LucasArts.

And finally, in 1997, the first part of the Grand Theft Auto game was released, which opens our article about GTA history. It was similar in mechanics to the Body Harvest game that was previously released by the developers. The game was released only on two platforms, this is PC and PlayStation. In the game, the user was assigned the role of a bandit who worked for various bandit groups. Naturally, there was a lot of controversy and disagreement after the release, "it hurts a lot of violence", but thanks to these controversies and indignations, DMA was provided with PR and advertising for a so lacking young company. DMA has released the most successful game since Leming. The freedom of action! This is what amazed the audience in this game, because there was nothing like it in the gaming industry, of course, the DMA company became famous for this particular game.

After a successful the release of Grand Theft Auto, DMA became interested in the British edition of Gremlin Interactive, GI successfully negotiated with DMA, and bought the company, after which Jones became the creative director of both companies. IN 1999 Years later, Gremlin Interactive closed and was sold for $ 40 million and renamed Infogrames Sheffield House to the French international holding company Infogrames. After the company was renamed to Rockstar Games. And then, Infogrames sold the DMA to the publisher Take-Two. In the same year, Rockstar Games released GTA 2 for PC, PlayStation and Dreemcast, and after the game was released, former DNA founder David Jones left the company and created a new studio in Dundee (Scotland), one of the subsidiaries of Rage Software.

In 2001 a new part of the game comes out Grand theft auto iii, it was not like its predecessors, in the third part about the car thief it was made on the new RenderWare engine, which was developed by everyone nowadays like Criterion Games. GTA III was a Playstation 2 exclusive, making the PS 2 the best-selling console in the US and Europe. In 2002, GTA was ported for PECA, while Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was released on PS2, which used the same engine and gameplay details as Grand Theft Auto III added only a few innovations. And also in voice acting of the heroes of Vice City world stars participated:

Ray Liotta and Tommy Vercetti

Tom Sizemore and Sonny Forelli.

William Fitchner and Ken Rosenberg.

Philip Michael Thomas and Lance Vance.

Robert Davi and Colonel Juan García Cortez.

Danny Dyer and Kent Paul.

Danny Trejo and Umberto Robina.

Dennis Hopper and Steve Scott.

Lee Myers and Mitch Baker.

Gary Basey and Phil Cassady.

Faruza Balk and Mercedes Cortez.

Jenna Jameson and Candy Sachs.

Gta vice City was ported to PEKA in 2002, and a Collector's Edition was released which included the Xbox editions of Grand Theft Auto III Grand and Theft Auto Vice City. The Xbox port was handled by Rockstar Vienna (a division of Rockstar Games based in Vienna, Austria).

A year later, in October 2004, it comes out Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on PS2, the third 3D game in the series, and the fifth in the line of other projects. In 2005 the game was ported to PC and xbox. The game added innovations that the public really liked, added a new means of transportation, now it was possible to ride a bicycle around the city, and it would be possible to fight with enemies not only in the gateways and on the streets, now the battle can be fought in auto-transport, in the car it was possible to plant three more of their people from the group who also opened fire on the enemy.

After a long break from the company, on April 29, 2008, Rockstar North releases Grand Theft Auto IV, which was released on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Six months after the release on the console, the company pleased PC gamers and released a computer GTA version IV, December 2 in America, December 3 in Europe. The new part of GTA was made on the new engine Rockstar Advanced Game Engine (Abbreviated RAGE), the game completely renewed its appearance, changed the mechanics, Liberty City, outwardly copied from New York. And also added different options for the endings. New means of communication have been added to the game: telephone, Internet, police computer, television. Just like Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories (PSP and PS2 exclusives), there is the possibility of multiplayer play. After the release of the original game, it was followed by two DLCs (additions), Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned was released on February 17, 2009. The main hero was a biker named Johnny Klebitz, a member of The Lost gang. Second addition The Ballad of Gay Tony was released on October 29, 2009. In this part, we have to play for Luis Lopez. In the first, as in the second add-on, they made a change in the form of vehicles and ammunition, which were not in original GTA IV.

IN DMA history there were several announced but never released projects: ports for the Nintendo 64 Wild Metal Country and the original GTA; Clan Wars (3D strategy game about medieval Scotland); Attack! (platformer about cavemen for N64); and a port of the Epic Games hit shooter Unreal for Nintendo.

A popular series of games that has been pleasing gamers with its projects for more than 20 years. Rockstar is working on it. The history of "GTA" began in 1997. In each part, the gamer is offered to become a criminal who must carry out the tasks of the mafia. The player will have to virtually kill, rob banks and earn credibility.

Scale of the series

Despite the fact that the last game of the project, released in 2013, was GTA V, the developers presented 12 games in total. This does not include a couple of additions to the first and second parts. Thanks to the quality and popularity of the entire series, Grand Theft Auto sales have long exceeded 120 million copies.

First part

The history of the GTA games began in 1997. It was then that the first came out, under named Grand Theft Auto for PC. At that time, it was still difficult to imagine that the project would be globally popular. It was hard to imagine that literally in 15-20 years "GTA" will become a brand. The series will be frequently mentioned not only in the gaming industry, but also in other industries.

The first episode is a two-dimensional top-down arcade game. Despite the fact that it came out before the 2000s, at that time there were already more advanced projects. Nevertheless, something caught the attention of players and in the future helped to become one of the most popular series in the world.

What was the main reason for the success? The fact is that at the end of the last century, games were developed taking into account the fact that children would play them. Therefore, many were sweet, kind and simple. Grand Theft Auto appeared immediately with an 18+ rating and, in fact, turned out to be a gangster simulator.

The players were also attracted by the possibility that it was possible not to follow the game blindly, but to influence the game process themselves. Although there was no open world here, freedom of movement around the map was still a novelty then. Therefore, many gamers decided to abandon tasks and just drive aimlessly on the roads.

After the release of the first part, the developers decided to continue the story - "GTA" was replenished with a couple of new series. The London 1969 add-on was released, which allowed for a plunge during the sixties. And later there was DLC London 1961. It differed from the previous part only in that it opened up new missions and the area.

The second part of

The history of the creation of "GTA" continued in 1999, when the second main part came out. A little later it was translated into Russian, and it was named "GTA 2: Lawlessness". The novelty was released on a three-dimensional engine, but it still had a top view. Thanks to the players who left feedback on the first part, the developers tried to do whatever they wanted from them.

In the second part, the hero received a name. Claude became the protagonist of the series. He fights for the authority of the gangs in three districts. The players noted that the story of the new part turned out to be interesting. Developers have also worked on AI. The mechanics of the gameplay have changed, a lot of new opportunities for the gamer have appeared.

Breakthrough: third part

Grand Theft Auto III was released in 2002. She became the main breakout of the series. A feature of the project is three-dimensional graphics and a third-person view. Despite the fact that 3D open-world games had already been presented, players knew that Rockstar would not betray its style and would continue to promote the gangster theme.

Now we can definitely say that the project has turned out to be cult, even if it has long been outdated and very few people will now find it interesting. Thanks to its new engine, the game was able to attract the attention of newcomers. Therefore, the fan base has grown significantly.

The story of "GTA 3" and its characters interested millions of gamers, who helped it break the sales records of the previous installments. Immediately, dozens of new games began to appear that tried to repeat the success of Grand Theft Auto. And although some of them became more or less popular, they did not succeed in becoming cooler than the cult series.

In the first year, the third series received a lot of awards and almost the highest scores from reputable gaming publications. But even this did not make her the most popular. The new game attracted public attention to itself, and it turned out that not everyone is ready to put up with the fact that teenagers get acquainted with excessive cruelty.

Of course, in this sense, such disputes were justified, since the gameplay really forced the gamer to kill police officers and civilians for the sake of profit and authority in the gangs. Some were outraged that a prostitute could be removed in the game to join the protagonist. Some of the events that took place in the United States began to be associated with the harmful influence of the project on the minds of young people. As a result, even politicians started talking about the game. But since black PR is also PR, the number of players has increased exponentially. All the scandals played into the hands of Rockstar - the company received so much money that it could think about the following developments.

New story

The new project was not long in coming. Now the players were able to get acquainted with the history of GTA: Vice City. In 2003, a new part was released, which was translated into Russian only in 2009. Before that, fans had to settle for custom localization.

The player is transported to Miami 1986. Naturally, we can only guess that this is Miami, since in virtual world this city was named Vice City. Around the palm trees, beaches, half-naked girls and cool cars.

The main character of this story was Many players believe that this project appeared thanks to the film "Scarface", because there are too many references to this film.

The graphics or mechanics of the game have barely changed. The developers have focused on expanding the capabilities of the protagonist, as well as on a new story. By the way, now in "GTA" it became possible to buy real estate.

Iconic project

At that time, few gamers could have imagined that something could be done better, since the third series turned out to be really successful. But the history of GTA: San Andreas proved the opposite. In 2005 this game was released and instantly captures an even larger audience. They transferred to the Russian project in 2010.

This time again it was not without a scandal. It turned out that cut-out erotic mini-games could be found in the resources of the game. But they were cut so badly that common hackers easily restored them to go on a virtual date. After the meeting, the lady invited the protagonist to "go for coffee", after which the episode was named Hot Coffee.

If you do not use the modification, then the player sees only the house from the side, the wobbling camera and characteristic sounds. But when this episode is hacked, you can get inside the house, where the gamer sees a naked girl. The essence of the mini-game is to quickly click on a key to satisfy your lady.

When this spicy story was discovered in GTA: SA, the game of the series immediately received an age limit of 18+, and some stores sent the game to the section with pornography. Some sellers even removed the disks from their shelves.

Since it was not profitable for the developers to narrow the audience, they fixed bugs that permanently removed the opportunity to go “for coffee” to a girl. This update was popularly called No More Hot Coffee, and the game was sold with a Mature rating.

Another scandal with GTA: SA

A new scandal again influenced the history of GTA: San Andreas. In 2006, Attorney Jack Thompson opposed the project. He tried again and again to prove to the public that the game provokes violence in reality. He believed that many, "playing a gangster", will go out into the street and start copying the virtual protagonist.

At that time, as, indeed, now, in the United States there were frequent cases of murders and unjustified aggression on the part of adolescents and adults. Many attributed this to computer games. Thompson demanded a ban on the sale of Grand Theft Auto. But the scandal did not last long. In 2008, Thompson lost his lawyer's license for trying to frame Rockstar in every possible way, insulting the developers and even rude to the judge for denying him a lawsuit.

How did the scandal affect the project? Although the developers spent a lot of money on the trial, it also became their main advertising campaign. The game interested everyone who heard Thompson's story. Many bought the series only to see with their own eyes the "cruelty and violence" against which the lawyer fought. As a result, almost 28 million copies were sold by 2011.

Cities and locations

The history of GTA: SanAndres takes the gamer to 1992, to a fictional state. The player could have heard about San Andreas in the first part. Then this location was based on the real San Francisco. In the new series, things are a little different. The fact is that the events in the game take place in Los Santos, San Fierro and Las Venturas. As a result, the virtual location has become five times larger than in the previous part.

Los Santos is Los Angeles. The developers managed to implement many references to a real place. Instead of the famous "Hollywood", on the hill is the inscription "Vinewood", behind which is the district of the rich. There is a dysfunctional ghetto in the city. there are many gangs in Los Santos who want to take over this place and its inhabitants.

San Fierro is San Francisco. The peculiarity of this area is the hills. Many players have tried extreme hill driving. There are trams in the city that cannot be blown up or stopped. The place has proven to be iconic thanks to its collection of cars and 24/7 racing.

Las Venturas is Las Vegas. Here, as in reality, there is a huge street with casinos and hotels everywhere. The protagonist here can gamble and risk large sums.

Characters (edit)

The history of the GTA: San Andreas characters is very interesting. The developers tried to make C-Jay interesting protagonists, which would have caused a lot of emotions at once. His real name - He was born in the Los Santos ghetto and grew up there. His story begins with the fact that he arrives in Liberty City to bury his mother. But he is arrested by corrupt cops who are trying to frame the hero.

Having got rid of the police, CJ goes to the funeral, where he meets his brother and sister, as well as a couple of acquaintances. He is told about the bad deeds of the local gang, and the protagonist decides to help.

Of course, the plot is not the coolest. Claude's story seems much more interesting. But the developers managed to make unique characters. Everyone got their own character and can easily both fall in love with themselves and alienate the gamer.

The player meets an old hippie on his way, who behaves strangely, lives with paranoia, but knows a lot of what is happening inside the gangs. The boss of the Chinese triad turned out to be interesting, fully realizing his image. The rappers, croupiers and many others turned out to be excellent.

Passing

There are few scary stories in GTA: San Andreas. CJ gets into trouble a couple of times, but he can handle it. All the most dangerous events will be associated with the gangs that are in the game. Thanks to them, CJ will advance through the game. There are four gangs in the game location: one of them includes the protagonist, the second will be friendly, but the other two will be very dangerous.

The essence of the passage is to "green up" the map. The entire location is divided into sectors of different colors. Depending on the shade, you can determine where the territory of the rivals is. the color green belongs to Grove Street, Carlos's gang. After he unleashes a war, he will need to clear the area from rivals.

To make the passage easier, the player can invite virtual comrades to the showdown. The more credibility a gamer has, the more and stronger the assistants will be. To capture one of the sectors, you need to start a war, then kill the enemies and reflect three attacks from their assistants. When the territory is under the control of "Grove Street", allies begin to patrol it.

But after the victory, do not relax. Over time, the gangs will want to take their location, so you have to go and now defend yourself. When the gamer "greens" the entire map, enemy attacks will stop.

100% Walkthrough Guide

To cope with the passage of this game 100%, you need to complete the main story quests. There are six of them in the game. In addition, the gamer needs to complete missions in the store and auto repair shop. Trucker and courier missions will also become available. After that, you need to become a parking attendant of level 5, and then go to the quarry: there the player will have 7 missions.

Next, the player is waiting for a new movement in three gyms, several hidden tasks and competitions. Then you will need to get 12 levels as a paramedic, policeman, firefighter, and also an employee of an arms store.

The player must breed 50 taxi passengers, get 10 levels as a pimp and 2 levels as a machinist. You will also need to graduate from a boat, flying, motorcycle and driving school. Buy real estate throughout the location. Win all races in the state. After that, it remains to paint over graffiti in the city, take 50 photographs of attractions, find 50 horseshoes and oysters each.

System requirements

To play GTA: San Andreas, you needed a Pentium 3 or higher processor, 256 MB of RAM, any video card, a sound card, and 3.6 GB of free hard disk space. There were also recommended requirements: a Pentium 4 processor, 512 MB of RAM, a video card, a sound card, and 4.7 GB of free hard disk space.

If the fifth part of the game turned out to be very demanding, and many PCs did not cope with it, then San Andreas was available to many players.

Console Exclusive

GTA: The Stories of Liberty City is a console project that was released in 2005. A year later, this part was recognized as the best-selling one. At first, it could be played on the PSP, and then all subsequent generations of PlayStation began to support it. In 2015-2016, this part became available for smartphones.

Virtually no cardinal changes have occurred with the new product. In the new part, the protagonist was who, in one of the parts, gave tasks to Claude. The player can receive all missions from authorities and other characters. In the new history of GTA, characters appear that were already known to the fans of the project.

It's not hard to guess that the game takes the gamer to Liberty City. This city at that time was already known from the previous parts. Events begin in 1998. The location is slightly modified and differs from the one presented in the third part.

A new story for the console

GTA: The Stories of Wai City is a video game that was released in 2006. The developers have not touched any mechanics or gameplay. The only thing they decided to work on was a new plot.

The gamer is transferred to 1984. The story is about Corporal Victor Vance. The man must move to Vice City to serve at another base. But there he meets a sergeant who is closely associated with crime. A couple of illegal services and Victor loses his job. It remains for him to go to his friend Phil Cassidy.

In "GTA: The Stories of Wai City" the player will have to get involved in the gang business again. In addition, to complete the passage, you will again have to get the required level of a policeman, firefighter, paramedic and taxi. But these tasks have become more varied. Now it will be possible to fly a medical helicopter, extinguish a fire from the air and patrol the beach.

You can use cheats for "GTA: Wai City Stories" to quickly cope with missions. For example, if you install the appropriate pack of codes, you can open a certain percentage of multiplayer content. You can also repaint all the cars in the game black, get armor and the necessary weapons.

There are also codes for clear weather, explosion of all cars, fast time and gameplay, a certain amount of money, etc. With cheats for any part of the GTA, you can significantly simplify the passage of the game.

Reboot

In 2008, the game "GTA 4" appears. The project became really good as the developers reworked the graphics. But innovations prevented many players from enjoying the project, since there were high requirements for the hardware. And if before each new series lagged behind other projects in technology, and took only in scale and by the very idea, then such innovations had a significant impact on sales and popularity.

The gamer finds himself in Liberty City again. But this is no longer the location that was encountered before. Yes and new story does not intersect at all with those that were before. This time, the developers tried to make an exact copy of New York from Liberty City, while distorting the names of key locations.

In the new part of GTA, scary stories now take place with Niko Bellic. The protagonist is originally from Eastern Europe. He arrived in the United States to start a new life. The authors of the game made him a former military man who could not find a job in his homeland, so he was engaged in smuggling there. Due to the incident, Niko had to leave the country to avoid reprisals from his boss.

After this part, there were a couple more for consoles and PCs that were not very memorable. But the real breakthrough was the release of the fifth episode.

Gta v

The scariest stories in GTA began in the fifth part. The game was released in 2013 for consoles, in 2014 for new consoles, and in 2015 for PC. The player is transported to San Andreas. Now the passage is available at once for three people. Each of them is ready for the most terrible things. They rob, kill and wreak havoc.

The world in the new part turned out to be huge, so it is not surprising that many needed codes to pass. The history of "GTA 5" turned out to be interesting to everyone. The players were glad that at any time they could switch from one character to another. The surrounding landscapes have become the idea for hundreds of desktop wallpapers. The virtual world turned out to be very large-scale. It could be overcome by any type of transport. Many were happy to fly a military helicopter and crush vehicles on a tank.

The fifth part turned out to be very expensive. The developers have invested a lot of money both in the game itself and in its promotion. As a result, she became the most popular in the series. By 2018, sales of copies of the game exceeded 95 million. Only Tetris and Minecraft are ahead.

Due to this popularity, a huge number of mods were invented for GTA V. They did not affect gameplay or storyline. For example, you could install the Toy Story mod. In GTA 5, the main characters turned into the characters of this cartoon. The modification looks funny, but despite this, it is still not suitable for children, since the essence of the game does not change. It's just that cartoon characters begin to run around with weapons and kill and rob everyone around them in the same way.

Cult game

Among the people who are interested in computer games, there are definitely no ones left who have not heard about the Grand Theft Auto series. Many have gone through at least 5 main parts of the project. There are those who know almost all the series, not considering the console options. The developers managed to create their own style that everyone remembered. Despite numerous scandals, the project remains afloat. He does not seem to many players as dangerous as some activists say about him. And numerous awards say quite the opposite.

Hello friends, today I will tell you about how the game was created Gta san Andreas, let's touch on the history, as well as draw conclusions about what the game has achieved throughout its existence.

Let's start with the fact that the game is an Action genre, which was developed at the Rockstar North studio, famous for such games as: "Grand Theft Auto (1997 - 2013)", "Manhunt", "Wild Metal", "Red Dead Redemption "," Agent "," Tanktics "and many others, numbering in dozens.
The first version of the game was released on October 26, 2004 in North America and on October 29, 2004 in Europe on the Play Station 2. For us familiar users of personal computers, the day of the start of sales of the game on Windows and Xbox platforms in Europe was June 10, 2005 of the year.

In Russia, for its localization into “partial” translation, the 1C company took upon itself the responsibility, which at the moment has a leading position in the field of translating games into various languages ​​of the world. I would also like to note that the company has been on the market for a long time, its successes and achievements still state that no company on the Russian market is capable of such great achievements. In other words, we will not deviate from the topic and continue talking about the history of the creation of the Grand Theft Auto game.

More recently, namely in December 2013, the game became available for mobile versions iOS and Android (more on this in the next article).

The world seemed to come to life as in those days when the game was appreciated in all qualities better than those games that came out several years later. There are still people who are loyal to her, namely the players of the project "SA: MP" (more in the next article).

The game is the sixth in a lineup of GTA games developed by Rockstar North, preceded by versions such as:
Grand Theft Auto (1997)
Grand Theft Auto: London, 1969 (1999)
Grand Theft Auto 2 (1999)
Grand Theft Auto III (2001)
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002)
Of course, fans of this genre in games will undoubtedly recognize the "hits" from this list, which were at one time quite popular.

Many people wonder why all the well-known cities of the San Andreas are called as: “San-Fierro”, “Las-Venturas” and “Los-Santos”? The answer is simple! It may seem strange, but the names were almost copied from such famous cities in America as: Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas.

We will continue to talk with you about the history of the creation of the GTA San Andreas game in the next chapter, stay with us, watch, download and read the information project - www.site.

Popularity is different not only in show business, but also in the world of computer games. Civilization made history forever thanks to clever gameplay. DOOM remembered by everyone as the first network and first three-dimensional game (although this is not entirely true). The sims and its numerous add-ons have grabbed the lead in terms of the number of copies sold. And the most scandalous popularity in the entire history of the industry won, of course, Grand Theft Auto... Moreover, unlike the aforementioned "champions" Gta became famous and popular far from immediately. Before getting into the game charts, appearing on the pages of newspapers, causing legal proceedings and falling under a barrage of puritanical criticism, she had to go, albeit not a very long, but very entertaining way. The path from an ugly two-dimensional “duckling” to a hardened black “swan”.

20 million lemmings can't be wrong

"Preparation" for the greatest car theft game began in the Scottish town of Dundee in the early 80s. Despite the fact that the history of MS at that time totaled only a couple of years, and Dundee himself was not at all considered the center of civilization, there was a computer club even in this small town. This place was called KACC (Kingsway amateur Computer club), and it was located on the territory of the local technical college Kingsway ( Kingsway Technical College).

Its regulars were not only college students, but also quite adult uncles, such as Dave Jones- company member Timex, which supplied components for Sinclair Research Ltd... Often visited KACC and boys, including fourteen Mike Daly... Despite the age difference, Dave and Mike were united by one hobby - computer games. Moreover, both of them were more interested not in games as such, but in their development. The same was carried away by two more regular visitors of the club - Russell Kay and Steve Hammond... All these “magnificent four” met each other precisely at the KACC club, and by 1984 they had become bosom friends.

Interesting fact: at the University of Ebertey ( University of Abertay Dundee), located in their hometown, at the time some of the world's first game programming courses were opened. Jones, who went straight out of school to work at Timex without graduating, decided to take the opportunity. After some deliberation, he quit his job and entered Ebertey for the aforementioned courses. The preparation was not in vain: before finishing his studies, Dave started developing his first projects. His first gaming experiments in the early 80s - arcade Moonshadow and a couple more similar games for Commodore 64 and Amstrad- did not represent anything remarkable. However, they made it possible to earn some good money and acquire the most valuable thing - experience.

At the same time, Mike Daley also took the first steps in game development, but his achievements were even more modest - playing Freek Out, a black and white clone of the famous Arkanoid.

Finally, Jones decided that it was time to move from handicraft experiments to serious business. And so in 1987 he opens a company called DMA Design(with the money he earned through the sale of his first projects), the original composition of which, in addition to him, includes Kay and Hammond. A little later, Mike joins them. DMA originally stood for Direct Mind Access("Direct access to the brain"), thus playing on the well-known technical term Direct Memory Access... However, a few years later, DMA Design employees began to decipher the name of their company even more amusingly - how Doesn "t Mean Anything(“Doesn't mean anything at all”).

The first DMA games were games Menace and Blood money- classic side-scrollers with a space theme. Gamers appreciated the graphical appeal of these simple shooters, but quite rightly criticized them for their brutal complexity.

The first notoriety came to DMA already in 1990, with the release of the game Lemmings... The original strategic gameplay with interesting puzzles and a healthy sense of humor did not leave players indifferent, and in the first year the game sold over 60,000 copies in one version for Commodore 64... You can read more about Lemmings in the previous issue “ Gambling addiction”In the heading Game Over?, let's just say that with all the sequels and re-releases, this game has sold a total circulation of more than 20 million copies. We can rightfully say that up to the mid-90s, DMA earned its main money (and name!) Precisely on "Lemmings".

The key to start!

Grand Theft Auto

At the end of 1994, at the suggestion of Dave Jones, DMA Design begins work on a new project - Grand Theft Auto, or, in an abbreviated form, GTA. It was developed for two platforms at once (PC and PlayStation ) almost three years. And in November 1997, the game went gold. On this day, one of the most important revolutions in the gaming industry took place. True, no one has noticed this yet, including the "revolutionaries" themselves. What was the very first GTA?

Run fresh GTA: San Andreas, switch the camera to top view. Now remove from the game a good half of the possibilities, reduce the resolution to 640x480, and replace the 3D graphics with a typical sprite engine of the mid-90s. This is the original GTA.

Nominally, GTA was considered an ordinary arcade, but in fact it was mixed with many different elements: 2D races, action, quests and even (unprecedented for an arcade!) Non-linear campaign. For the most accurate description of the newborn genre, the term “simulator of banditry” would be suitable. But this definition is lame on both legs, because the reckless arcade nature of what is happening has been preserved even in the latest versions of the game, not to mention the first part.

The main highlight of GTA from the very first part of it was freedom, and most of all it was in the first part of the game. There was not even a plot here, only a set of loosely connected missions that could be performed in almost any order. Moreover, one could not give a damn about tasks at all and earn money in any convenient way. And money in the first GTA was given out for everything. Hijacked a car? Get a cash bonus. Sell ​​your car? Get even more. Moved a pedestrian? Keep your pocket wider - literally. Two pedestrians at once ?! Open it even wider!

After a certain amount was collected as a result of the paid lawlessness, access to a new city was opened. By the way, do you know what the cities were called in the first GTA? Liberty city, San andreas and Vice city.

Unfortunately, the graphics in GTA were far from perfect even by 1997 standards. The only significant achievement of the engine was the ability to change the scale depending on the speed of movement, which made it possible to expand the field of view at high speeds (by the way, the mini-map works in exactly the same way in GTA III and later). There were obvious problems with rendering everything else: flying bullets were displayed in tiny heaps of pixels (just like in prehistoric shooters), crushed pedestrians most of all resembled cockroaches slammed with slippers, and the animation was simply terrible. The sound was not impressive either: the effects were made on a C, there was no speech at all - it was replaced by meaningless muttering in one of the dialects of Sims-gibberish. Only the soundtrack was good, which included more than an hour of music from the most popular directions of those times: techno, funk, hip-hop, industrial, country and heavy.

But despite its technical backwardness, GTA was fascinating. It was a game from the series "love at first sight" - she either did not like it at all, or liked it right away, and then she could be forgiven for all the shortcomings. And unpretentious graphics, and the lack of voice acting, and high complexity, and inconvenient navigation in a huge virtual world, and much more.

Game editions greeted GTA quite predictably - with coolness. In the days of total insanity on three-dimensional graphics, games were usually greeted by their clothes, or rather, by the engine. However, the "drain" of GTA was also "not counted", appreciating its original gameplay, dark humor and perfectly sustained style. At the same time, a stable community of fans began to form around the game, without which no more or less worthy project can do. And no one doubted that GTA was a successful project, which means it was worthy of continuation.

While some of the DMA Design employees were busy finishing the PlayStation version, the rest began to develop the first add-on - GTA: London 1969 - and the sequel Grand theft auto ii.

At the same time, another significant event took place. The publisher of the first GTA was bought by one of the industry giants - Take2 Interactive... And the rights to GTA, respectively, passed to her. Take2 was not going to stop there and openly expressed interest in buying DMA Design itself. Dave Jones, who still did not understand what kind of diamond he found in a heap of ... uh-uh ... lemmings, decided that it would be a sin not to take advantage of such a tempting offer, and in 1999 he sold the company. DMA was acquired by Take2 and incorporated into the studio Rockstar games.

If Jones could appreciate the genius of his own gameplay, he would now be a millionaire. But Dave bet on the wrong horse by founding a new company in 2002 Real time worlds who released only one mediocre shooter Mobile forces... Meanwhile, a game locomotive called GTA was picking up speed.

Three huge virtual cities.

Countless roads, highways, boulevards and streets with a total length of almost 10,000 kilometers.

Hospitals, banks, strip clubs, military bases, police stations, ports.

There are 20 types of cars in each city, all with their own unique behavior and speed.

Availability of city services: police, firefighters, doctors and public transport.

Different levels of police aggressiveness depending on the player's actions - from complete ignorance to the hunt for complete destruction.

Supports up to four players when playing over a network or modem.

More than an hour of music in the styles of techno, dance, funk, hip-hop, industrial, heavy metal and country.

Over 200 different missions, including car thefts, drug smuggling, kidnapping, terrorist attacks, contract killings and robberies.

Bloodshed!

Weapons: pistol, machine gun, grenade launcher, flamethrower.

Game bonuses: armor, extra lives, police bribe, "excuse" from prison, "multiplier" (all money received is multiplied by a factor), booster (running, driving and shooting become faster).

GTA: London 1969

A whole virtual London, including the Tower, Big Ben and other architectural landmarks.

More than 20 new cars in the style of the 70s.

New soundtrack, also in the style of the 70s.

New missions, more varied, even more difficult.

Bloodshed! Bigger and more realistic!

There is a small break between the first and second

The first addon to GTA appeared just a year after the original game was released. The innovations in London 1969 could be counted on the fingers of one hand: a new virtual city (almost an exact copy of London), 20 new cars, crushed pedestrians lying in pools of blood began to look a little more believable, the soundtrack was completely updated. Everything else hasn't changed one iota.

In 1999, GTA III came out with the Rockstar logo on the cover. However, in the sequel, the dosage of innovations was more than modest: the graphics were a little prettier, the sound effects improved, and again there was a new musical accompaniment. In GTA II, there were no longer three cities, but one huge metropolis of three parts with a unique set of cars in each district. There were 40 cars in the game's fleet in total.

Unlike the first part, GTA II was received much more hostilely by both the press and the players. The novelty effect was already absent, and the main shortcomings of the series - inconvenient navigation and backward video sequences - were never eliminated. Carried away by criticism, almost everyone overlooked another interesting innovation in GTA II - the presence of six different and often warring criminal clans, each of which the player could join at will.

Grand Theft Auto: London 1969

Grand theft auto ii

After the second part, it became finally clear that the ingenious concept is simply cramped within the existing technological framework. Free-spirited gameplay needed another degree of freedom - visual. And Rockstar began developing a new, fully 3D Grand theft auto iii... Its release was scheduled for 2001 ...

To be continued...