Why some people find the atmosphere kind of creepy?

[Psychotron2]

I've read many comments saying that Gta 3 is one of the creepiest looking games from the franchise

despite i played it years ago i want to know why people find it scary

[Sunglasses]

Strange inhabitants, the already darker atmosphere present in the game, a silent protagonist whose true thoughts you may never know about, and the general feeling of loneliness give the game a creepier vibe than most GTAs, and that's what I love about it.

[Psychotron2]

Good points, i remember finding Claude kind of creepy asshole after finishing the Waka-Gashira Wipeout! mission.

[Pyrrhic]

I agree with them to a certain extent. GTA III has a dark and gritty atmosphere that isn't present in any of the other GTA games from that era. GTA IV comes close, but I think it's an overall different vibe.

 

Think of Vice City and San Andreas in particular. There aren't really any areas on those maps that have a dark, urban atmosphere. Some of the countryside and desert is creepy, but again it's a completely different mood to GTA III. Portland, in particular, has a kind of polluted, dingey ambience from the industrial area and docks to the gangs that inhabit the island. This probably extends to Staunton too, all seems to be pretty gloomy.

 

I think a lot of it comes down to the lack of detail provided by the game. Whether this was a result of hardware limitations at the time or an intentional decision, well it was probably a mix of both.

 

This applies to both the environment and the characters, I think. Not much is revealed about the history of the city or the backgrounds of characters, leaving it up to the player to fill in the blank spaces. Like mentioned, Claude's lack of emotion makes it difficult to decipher his character and his ultimate intentions.

 

I think generally 90's urban culture does have a strange, alien feeling to it. This combined with the goal to set out to create the "Worst Place in America" and the limitations of technology in 2001 all setup the perfect game for urban creepiness.

[Dr_Sprunk]

Maybe because this game reminds some people of 9/11.

Edited June 14, 2019 by Leone_Son

[Beato_dim]

There is some sort of 'loneliness' feeling in this game. Maybe there isn't as much NPC life.

[gts.]

Creepy? I don't find it this way. This game have a real urban atmosphere. Dark, dirty, cold and lonely. Set in the autumn of 2001. You can feel all of this stuff with just watching it, leaving a full day cycle happen in-game and you can feel it.

 

By the way, the "trails" setting from the pause menu it makes it even darker. This is one of all of the reasons I have and makes me love GTA3.

Edited June 14, 2019 by gts.

[Sunglasses]

12 hours ago, Beato_dim said:

There is some sort of 'loneliness' feeling in this game. Maybe there isn't as much NPC life.

It’s not only just the lack of NPC life or anything like that but it’s mostly due to the story. Throughout the story, most of Claude’s associates end up leaving him anyway so that probably adds to the loneliness of the game.

[TheSantader25]

Other than the things LC Legend mentioned, this mission:

 

Edited June 15, 2019 by TheSantader25

[Psychotron2]

On 6/15/2019 at 3:54 AM, TheSantader25 said:

Other than the things LC Legend mentioned, this mission:

 

Altough that i find the madmen Yardies kind of funny i understand why some people find it funny.

I mean scary

[KiwiAlpha]

The general atmosphere of Liberty City, the pedestrians and their bizarreness, the gore, the blocky, vaguely realistic graphics, the rampage missions, the overaggressive gangs, the deserted beaches, and the unpredictable weather, just to mention a few reasons.

 

Not to mention Claude, who is arguably the creepiest and most coldhearted protagonist in the series. You don't know what he believes in except for money. He has no family or friends, and by the end of the game practically every gang in town hates him. 

 

I always felt the difficulty in GTA 3 contributed to the general "scariness" of the game. The later games let you run and gun into basically every gunfight with little resistance as long as you're well-equipped with body armor and ammunition. But in GTA 3, the enemies are ridiculously deadly and precise. The Cartel members armed with M16s can obliterate Claude in half a second. I would argue it's the most realistic GTA game simply due to how lethal the gunfights are, and it adds to how brutal life in Liberty City is.

 

A lot of the things that made GTA 3 unique, such as the mysterious, creepy atmosphere, the difficulty, the gore, etc. were heavily toned down in the later GTA games. Really I think the later games, especially Vice City and GTA 5, lost some of that uniqueness that made GTA 3 so brilliant.

 

The only other place I really got those GTA 3 creepy vibes were in the woods in San Andreas and that's not even entertaining their extensive myths and legends...

[Auditore]

A bleak open world crime action game set in a moody new york in 2001 released right after a global catastrophe

[Guest]

Even if the sun is shining bright the city still maintains it's bleak, nefarious landscape. From the onset of the game there's heavy negative vibes coming from the initial bank robbery, the headlines on the newspaper in the introduction, the attack on Callahan bridge and then being thrust directly into the criminal underworld - Liberty is never promoted in a positive light and all it's associated with is crime, sex, drugs and all the other hallmarks of a gang ridden city. The level design also factors into it somewhat; the very blocky, low quality and in some cases repetitive textures add to the grainy desolate landscape. Claude doesn't form any particular bonds throughout the game, or show any emotions either as he's simply out for his own end which is just another factor that contributes to the gritty vibe of the game.

 

I wouldn't say GTA3 is a scary game by any means, but the atmosphere is definitely negative and almost depressive to an extent.

[KGBeast]

2 and III both have what I call a 'dark cartoon' style. They mix moody ambience, dark themes, and extreme violence with general cartoonishness, like exaggerated and frantic personalities/characters. I think it's the combination and juxtaposition of the grim and the cartoony that really sells that dark creepy feeling. Like the chuckling spanked up madmen trying to ambush you in Kingdom Come, that's a perfect example. Or seeking out gang members to fry with the flamethrower in Trial By Fire. Manhunt had a very similar quality to it. 

[GTA_CAT]

Try to drive at 2:00-4:00AM with heavy fog and you will truly see what's creepiness.

[Helegad]

Apart from Kingdom Come, which did unnerve me the first few times, there's nothing creepy about GTA III. I don't understand the lonely angle, Liberty City is well populated in all areas except deliberately off-track ones, and it feels alive in a primitive but still impressive way. On the other hand, when I first played San Andreas with all the Bigfoot and Leatherface and Loch Ness Monster myths etc. out there, I had a few moments where I was a bit on edge traveling through places like the Panopticon, the countryside lake with the rolling Glendale, and some areas in the desert. It can get mighty quiet in those parts.

[Deep Verma]

This game is crepy because it shows you future, like more pollution, rise in theft meter, everyone is sad, betrayal,etc. 

[gtafaninwest]

I have noticed the lack of humor when it comes to American culture, compared to subsequent games. The commercials are less comical and the game has a more serious tone.

[.Ryan.]

I wouldn't describe the atmosphere as "creepy" persay, but I think the fact Claude's basically a felon living on the run in lowkey safehouses and eventually most of the gangs in the city want to rip off his head and sh*t down his neck along with the abundance of hookers, pimps, hobos etc make it feel gritty (Which I love).

 

The Red Light District was an area when I first played the game in 2001 I felt a little uncomfortable to hang around. It's not really "creepy" as say as the feeling you'd get from playing a horror game or watching a horror movie, but it feels like you could get jumped at any moment. As much as I love GTA IV to death even it struggles trying to recapture this feeling. It's what makes GTA III unique and still worth playing IMO.

[Guest]

21 hours ago, Helegad said:

Apart from Kingdom Come, which did unnerve me the first few times, there's nothing creepy about GTA III. I don't understand the lonely angle, Liberty City is well populated in all areas except deliberately off-track ones, and it feels alive in a primitive but still impressive way. On the other hand, when I first played San Andreas with all the Bigfoot and Leatherface and Loch Ness Monster myths etc. out there, I had a few moments where I was a bit on edge traveling through places like the Panopticon, the countryside lake with the rolling Glendale, and some areas in the desert. It can get mighty quiet in those parts.

 

I somewhat agree but population doesn't mean the atmosphere isn't a dark one. As SonOfLiberty said above me it's not that it's creepy in the traditional sense, but it definitely feels a little despondent. The atmosphere in general from the repetitiveness of the pedestrians, traffic, weather cycles, the low quality radio etc. Claude doesn't really form any alliances or have interactions with peds etc and for the most part he's just a lone wolf focusing on the tasks that benefit him.

[tranceking26]

I don't find it creepy, but sometimes it feels a tad too quiet. For a first 3D era game they did a fantastic job, I really do get immersed with this game too.

[Max.pain]

there was one or two parts i found creepy, the side mission claude gets from phone then robot made people try to blow him up. also torture of miguel may be a bit disturbing too.  max payne is what i’d actually call creepy tbh.

[Guest Billy Russo]

I wouldn't say I found this game "creepy" but I did find it really dark/unnerving. Liberty City is generally really bleak and depressing, and even when it's sunny the game still feels pretty dark. I don't think creepy is the right description. I think what really adds to the atmosphere is Claude, you feel like you've legitimately been plopped in to this world and need to fend for yourself. There's no real humour sprinkled in like Vice City or San Andreas. I think if Claude had a voice actor, the game would have felt way different. 

[Evil empire]

Like many other forumers wrote it the atmosphere is more dark and gritty than creepy. Liberty City is filled with inhabitants who don't seem at all to care about each other, you see many tramps, hookers, pimps, gangsters. Corruption is everywhere and those who lead the city are psychopaths who consider the other persons as tools they manipulate then get rid of depending of their calculations and interests. The missions you are given well show everyone is ready to kill anybody for any petty reason and Claude is just like them ; an emotionless killing machine thirsty for revenge.

Edited September 14, 2019 by Evil empire

[Lioshenka]

I don't think it's creepy, GTA SA is creepy at times.

 

But I sort of understand why people think that, GTA 3 is very realistic, and it probably breaks that gap between the game and reality, making you feel uneasy. E.g. a lot of locations in GTA 3 are empty, which would naturally make you panic to some extend.

Edited September 12, 2019 by Lioshenka

[universetwisters]

Because they're sissies 

[MurdaCopsEveryday]

The only thing creepy is the amount of people who like this game like what the hell! How can you like a blocky ps1 game (released for the ps2 lol) with no good missions and graphics? It's insane and mind boggling.

Play GTA 5.

[LowTierDude]

8 hours ago, MurdaCopsEveryday said:

The only thing creepy is the amount of people who like this game like what the hell! How can you like a blocky ps1 game (released for the ps2 lol) with no good missions and graphics? It's insane and mind boggling.

Play GTA 5.

Maybe because it's a game that brings a sense of nostalgia for those who have started on the series before V?

 

Besides, graphics aren't everything. You can have really good graphics in a game and it can still be sh*t.

Edited September 14, 2019 by DownInTheHole

[BurntTamale]

One thing I found creepy when I was younger was the homeless people in the tunnel by 8 balls shop. Now, its just a place I go to for unlimited molotovs.

[dictatorial]

On 6/14/2019 at 10:28 PM, LCLegend said:

It’s not only just the lack of NPC life or anything like that but it’s mostly due to the story. Throughout the story, most of Claude’s associates end up leaving him anyway so that probably adds to the loneliness of the game.

Also, the fact Claude kills Maria at the end of the game.