Is GTA IV the grittiest GTA game?

[woggleman]

One of the reasons I love this game so much is that even though it is set in 2008 it really does remind me of the old New York before Rudy Giuliani cleaned it up. There is Graffiti everywhere and in certain parts of town like Hove Beach and Bohan it looks rough as hell and run down. When you do the missions in the projects you can almost smell the piss stained stairwells and you get a sense of the squalor in the more ghetto sections of Liberty City. The industrial part of Alderney looks exactly like the part of North Jersey where they have all those factories and refineries. Contrast that with the parts of Algonquin that look very glityz and glamorous. It captures the feel of an urban jungle perfectly and what better environment for a crime game.

[t3h PeNgU1N oF d00m]

I always considered GTA 3 to be the grittiest. The whole city is desaturated. The buildings are run down and the entire population is overrun with thugs and gangs.

[Vega LVI]

I always considered GTA 3 to be the grittiest. The whole city is desaturated. The buildings are run down and the entire population is overrun with thugs and gangs.

Agreed. III tops IV in 'grittiness'. IV's rendition of Liberty City is very glum and worn down, but it does have Algonquin to balance out some prettiness.

[StormerBoy]

I don't like the 'grittiness'

[Lee Everett]

GTA 2 and III are the most grittiest in my opinion.

[Soccermad21]

Bothe GTA IV and GTA III are the most grittiest in their respective ways. GTAIII atmosphere and city is considered to be really gritty in a dangerous way. On the flip side GTA IV Liberty City can be also considered gritty in a more humorous way in which everyone openly jokes that It is the worst city in the UNited States.

[Official General]

I always considered GTA 3 to be the grittiest. The whole city is desaturated. The buildings are run down and the entire population is overrun with thugs and gangs.

I agree with this

 

I still think GTA III was grittiest GTA, even after GTA IV was released. IV would have been the grittiest if there was actually an element of danger to be felt in the game, but there was not for most part. Which is a great shame, because IV got the gritty environment just right. III looked dangerous, and felt dangerous. The whole city in III was teeming with mobsters, gang members and criminals on the streets that actually committed crimes like rob, steal, kill and attack the both the player and the peds.

[Algonquin Assassin]

I think it's in the details. Sure GTA III was more dangerous in terms of crime, but after playing it the streets are "clean" compared to GTA IV IMO.

 

In GTA IV you see burnt out cars in alley ways, knocked over trash cans everywhere, homeless sleeping on side walks etc. I also think the colour palette adds to it too. It's full of browns and greys. GTA III is very bright in comparison.

[Official General]

I think it's in the details. Sure GTA III was more dangerous in terms of crime, but after playing it the streets are "clean" compared to GTA IV IMO.

 

In GTA IV you see burnt out cars in alley ways, knocked over trash cans everywhere, homeless sleeping on side walks etc. I also think the colour palette adds to it too. It's full of browns and greys. GTA III is very bright in comparison.

Yeah sure, GTA IV has everything in it's graphics to perfect that gritty look, but because the element of danger was severely lacking, the grittiness just did not hit me as hard as it did in GTA III. For me, it's not just about the details, it's also about the atmosphere and things happening around the player that creates that authentic feeling of grittiness. Had IV had much more element of danger, then yeah it would have been the grittiest GTA hands-down, but unfortunately it just did not have it. GTA III for what it was at the time was very gritty, and I still remember and feel that not just because of how it looked, but also because of how very dangerous it was a place to be in - it was amazing to walk down the street minding your own business for the first time and see people get robbed, carjacked and shot at random. That feeling gave III it's classic grittiness, IV just didn't have that.

 

Vice City did not feel as gritty as III in terms of environment, it was nice, bright, colorful and sunny - but VC sure did have that feeling of a being an extremely violent and dangerous place which I loved. I just loved the fact that one could venture into certain parts of VC like Little Havana, Little Haiti, and North Point and see gang members blasting the sh*t out of each other in crazy gunfights, see people get robbed, beaten up and carjacked, or players even being at danger of experiencing these things themselves. IV very much was missing this.

[Algonquin Assassin]

 

I think it's in the details. Sure GTA III was more dangerous in terms of crime, but after playing it the streets are "clean" compared to GTA IV IMO.

 

In GTA IV you see burnt out cars in alley ways, knocked over trash cans everywhere, homeless sleeping on side walks etc. I also think the colour palette adds to it too. It's full of browns and greys. GTA III is very bright in comparison.

Yeah sure, GTA IV has everything in it's graphics to perfect that gritty look, but because the element of danger was severely lacking, the grittiness just did not hit me as hard as it did in GTA III. For me, it's not just about the details, it's also about the atmosphere and things happening around the player that creates that authentic feeling of grittiness. Had IV had much more element of danger, then yeah it would have been the grittiest GTA hands-down, but unfortunately it just did not have it. GTA III for what it was at the time was very gritty, and I still remember and feel that not just because of how it looked, but also because of how very dangerous it was a place to be in - it was amazing to walk down the street minding your own business for the first time and see people get robbed, carjacked and shot at random. That feeling gave III it's classic grittiness, IV just didn't have that.

 

Vice City did not feel as gritty as III in terms of environment, it was nice, bright, colorful and sunny - but VC sure did have that feeling of a being an extremely violent and dangerous place which I loved. I just loved the fact that one could venture into certain parts of VC like Little Havana, Little Haiti, and North Point and see gang members blasting the sh*t out of each other in crazy gunfights, see people get robbed, beaten up and carjacked, or players even being at danger of experiencing these things themselves. IV very much was missing this.

I agree, but a lot of the "grittyness" in GTA IV comes from the environment itself. I like the OP's description that you can almsot smell the piss stained walls in the projects.

 

I don't know, but when it rains especially in the rougher neighborhoods it feels real dirty. Like I said before homeless sleep on sidewalks and I forgot to mention the drug delaers in various places around the city. It makes you feel like a bottom feeder and when you go to Algonquin it's a completely different contrast.

 

I've never understood why people keep saying everywhere looks and feels the same, but I suppose it is what it is.

 

 

Edited October 12, 2012 by Miamivicecity

[cidamelo]

I think GTA III is the grittiest, but I admit I feel scared in some places in GTA IV's Liberty City, for example Schottler and the area next to the Alderney's safehouse

[Official General]

I think GTA III is the grittiest, but I admit I feel scared in some places in GTA IV's Liberty City, for example Schottler and the area next to the Alderney's safehouse

Can I ask why ?? I cannot understand why you would feel scared in any area in GTA IV, no one will attack you unless you start trouble. You can go to Schottler, anywhere in IV's Liberty City or in Alderney and NOBODY will harm you if you were walking on the streets minding your own business. What is there to be scared of ?? In GTA III's Liberty City, the Triads and Mafia will blast you to pieces on sight after a certain point in the game, now that is something to be scared of whenever going through their territories.

[Fisciletti]

Yes, it is.

Edited October 15, 2012 by Fisciletti

[Official General]

Yes, G.T.A. IV is the best. Here is scale of the best G.T.A. games, from the greatest to the worst:

• Grand Theft Auto IV.
• Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony.
• Grand Theft Auto: The Lost and Damned.
• Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
• Grand Theft Auto III.
• Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
• Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories.
• Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories.
• Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars.
• Grand Theft Auto: Advance.
• Grand Theft Auto II.
• Grand Theft Auto I.
• Grand Theft Auto: London 1969.

I'm considering only those from the official Grand Theft Auto home page: http://www.rockstargames.com/grandtheftauto/.

Can you speak English or read properly ?? No insult, just asking.

 

This thread is NOT about which GTA is the best, it's about which one is the grittiest. Your enthusiasm and energy is appreciated, but please read the post first before commenting so you don't get it wrong.

[Fisciletti]

Yes, G.T.A. IV is the best. Here is scale of the best G.T.A. games, from the greatest to the worst:

 

Grand Theft Auto IV.

 

Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony.

 

Grand Theft Auto: The Lost and Damned.

 

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

 

Grand Theft Auto III.

 

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

 

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories.

 

Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories.

 

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars.

 

Grand Theft Auto: Advance.

 

Grand Theft Auto II.

 

Grand Theft Auto I.

 

Grand Theft Auto: London 1969.

 

I'm considering only those from the official Grand Theft Auto home page: http://www.rockstargames.com/grandtheftauto/.

Can you speak English or read properly ?? No insult, just asking.

 

This thread is NOT about which GTA is the best, it's about which one is the grittiest. Your enthusiasm and energy is appreciated, but please read the post first before commenting so you don't get it wrong.

I'm sorry. I was a bit sleepy yesteday.

[Algonquin Assassin]

I think GTA III is the grittiest, but I admit I feel scared in some places in GTA IV's Liberty City, for example Schottler and the area next to the Alderney's safehouse

Can I ask why ?? I cannot understand why you would feel scared in any area in GTA IV, no one will attack you unless you start trouble. You can go to Schottler, anywhere in IV's Liberty City or in Alderney and NOBODY will harm you if you were walking on the streets minding your own business. What is there to be scared of ?? In GTA III's Liberty City, the Triads and Mafia will blast you to pieces on sight after a certain point in the game, now that is something to be scared of whenever going through their territories.

Encountering Eddie Low was pretty creepy hahaha and Jeff.

[jpm1]

i think R* wanted to enlighten the craziness of the huge cities . i think lazlow comment says it all "why people want to live in overpriced , without trees dump" lol . yeah crap is everywhere in LC and i cleaned it all up so i know what i'm talking about , there's not 1 m² without crap in LC . same for the sea full of rubbish . don't know if it's realistic but hope for NYorkers it's not . on a point of view of the details the city has too many crap IMO i don't think any city is such dirty , i mean LC is really really dirty , maybe in "ghettos" zones and even there i think you won't see rubbish tires or gas cans every 10 meters . so grittiest don't know but crappiest obviously

[Los Santos Pedestrian]

GTA III's timecyc made it seem like it was midnight the whole day, and there wasn't much difference between day and night; though that might be because of the smoggy sky over the city. IV was much sunnier, but the massive amount of detail added in IV that III lacked made the city feel more "alive". Sort of what Miamivicecity said.

[Cyper]

GTA III.

 

I only partly agree that GTA IV felt more gritty. Obviously, in terms of visuals, GTA IV is superior because it's run on a more modern engine.

 

However, GTA III did feel gritty in terms of visuals aswell. Especially the docks in Portland. It's something with the ambient sound in the city, aswell as the rain effects, the saturation (back then games didn't use green or blue colour filtering and sh*t). Not to speak of how the buildings looked in certain places and all these newpapers with ''Elvis is alive'' all over the place. Portland beach felt really gritty and dirty.

 

In GTA III there was, at least for me, always a sensation of fear and suspection. The atmosphere felt so gritty... especially in Portland's Red Light District. You heard the sound of nightclubs, a distant sound of the train, and then voices echo through the streets sometimes from civilians, other times from gang members. The sound of ''Gimme yo wallet!'' followed by someone being beaten, ended with a weak scream as the last kick or punch ended someone's life. Then you heard all these gunshots and beating from baseballbats. My worst fear was the sound of shotgun rounds hitting my car as I drove to the mafia district in Portland.

 

Also, listening to Double Cleff FM just made it more epic and somehow made the game feel more gritty. Especially when you were mowing down people listening to Rigoletto - La donna e mobile.

 

Just listen to this and you'll crap your pants.

 

 

Edited October 19, 2012 by Cyper

[Official General]

I think GTA III is the grittiest, but I admit I feel scared in some places in GTA IV's Liberty City, for example Schottler and the area next to the Alderney's safehouse

Can I ask why ?? I cannot understand why you would feel scared in any area in GTA IV, no one will attack you unless you start trouble. You can go to Schottler, anywhere in IV's Liberty City or in Alderney and NOBODY will harm you if you were walking on the streets minding your own business. What is there to be scared of ?? In GTA III's Liberty City, the Triads and Mafia will blast you to pieces on sight after a certain point in the game, now that is something to be scared of whenever going through their territories.

Encountering Eddie Low was pretty creepy hahaha and Jeff.

That Eddie Low thing was real crazy, for real. I enjoyed blasting the sh*t out of him when the time came to kill him though !! I only encountered him on my second playthrough. I'll admit that it was one of those many newly-discovered things for me about GTA IV that made me realize the game was not as bad as I initially thought it was.

[iiCriminnaaL]

Bump.

 

Well, GTA IV is indeed one of the darkest and grittiest titles in the series, but I believe GTA III is slightly darker and grittier. Not in terms of emotions and tragedies, but the environment, characters and overall atmosphere.

 

Of course, that doesn't necessary mean that GTA III objectively has a better done atmosphere than GTA IV. It relies on the personal references. As for me, I slightly prefer GTA IV's and TLAD's atmospheres to GTA III's, which is a very close second, just after the first two tied.

 

As far as grittiness goes, excluding the top-downs, I'd arrange the titles in the following way:

1. GTA III
2. GTA IV & The Lost and Damned
3. Vice City
4. San Andreas
5. Liberty City Stories (but in case we're talking only about the city's atmosphere, and not the entire game's along with the story's tone, then it would top Vice City, which also applies to TBOGT)
6. Vice City Stories & The Ballad of Gay Tony
7. GTA V

[Bolototu]

I think it's gta 3

[Max.pain]

the reason i’d say gta 3 because, i feel the soulless violent story more with its protagonist.

Edited December 14, 2019 by Max.pain

[Algonquin Assassin]

Now a few years have passed I think GTA III is only more gritty when it comes to the story since Claude's basically a felon on the run. He never talks so we don't know what he's thinking, characters are pretty dry for the most part, he never forms close relationships with anyone.

 

Despite some of the confronting themes in GTA IV it still manages to balance comic relief along with some of the difficulties Niko faces, but I'd say GTA IV is superior in the regard because it takes the grittiness of GTA III and carefully balances it with some light hearted/optimistic scenes.

 

When it comes to the game worlds GTA III only feels more "gritty" to me when it comes to the homicidal gangs. It feels as "gritty" as an episode of South Park other than that. This isn't a knock on the game. For its time and compared to other games in the 3D era it feels gritty, but GTA IV does a better job aesthetically. Infact I've seen the new Joker movie a handful of times already and it pretty much feels like I'm watching GTA IV's Liberty City in a movie. Or atleast that's how it would be presented in GTA IV was a movie.

[billiejoearmstrong8]

I think III is the most cold and ruthless GTA game. III and IV are both gritty in terms of story and atmosphere, III in that more cold/ruthless/brutal way and IV in a more dark and emotional way. As far as the city itself I'd characterise IV's Liberty City as the most gritty GTA city for sure. I'd describe III's Liberty City as dangerous rather than gritty. Hard to compare really, they're both on the dark side of things (as opposed to the more light hearted/silly GTA games) but just different. 

Edited December 22, 2019 by billiejoearmstrong8

[Guest]

Don't know if choosing it is cheating but tbh TLAD feels the grittiest to me, its got that raw, from the streets vibe and even the grimy yellowish atmosphere of TLAD's Liberty City contributes to that gritty feeling for me.

[Americana]

Grand Theft Auto IV is just... normal. There are sad moments, but there are also happy moments. Some neighborhoods are modern, some are old. Some are scary, some are not, and these scary ones constantly change due to people changing. I mean, Grand Theft Auto IV balances everything. Whenever you feel abandoned in Liberty City just go to Algonquin, plenty of people there. When it comes to Alderney... damn, even though it's such a mess, it's not so bad, because you there are also some, hmm, normal areas, so to say.

 

Grand Theft Auto III is like... scary and sad. There are no happy moments, only murders. Every neighborhood is... you know, weird. There is no such a balance in Grand Theft Auto III.

 

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Edited December 22, 2019 by Ronald Reagan