Liberty City Nostalgia

[DJ-Jelly-Doughnut]

So I've recently taken some back roads to make my way to the Liberty City of 2001 and I have to say I'm still thoroughly satisfied with this game. Sure the map is small and its missing a lot of the comforts we have with current games, but I am still enamored by the mysteries that surrounded this game when it was released. That's the game that drew me to these forums to begin with.

 

I remember scouring the streets for Darkel, looking for the rumored Carcer City and trying to find out what was past those tunnels.

 

Any other members remember any other conspiracies from back in the early days?

[Evil empire]

There are already many similar threads.

[Mikeol1987]

I remember personally discovering how to fly the tank with the flying cars cheat and made that into an art. I recently went on my own nostalgia trip and completed 3 again on PS4. Liberty City is still awesome, and still closer to the GTA vibe that we all fell in love with these games for. IV & V have become too realistic and they need to go back to that Cartoon-edge. that is what will save GTA. I'm making this into something its not in this topic, haha... sorry just passionate about that.

Overall I love the feel of Staunton Island and Portland. there's nothing better. I always thought Shoreside Vale could of been more than it was though.

 

[DJ-Jelly-Doughnut]

3 hours ago, Evil empire said:

There are already many similar threads.

I've know theres probably a bunch of these threads, but I'd be hard pressed to find a topic about GTA 3 that hasn't been covered on these forums in the past 19 years. I'm just expressing how amazing it is that an old game like GTA3 still has a way of 'wowing' I'm still blown back by it and love revisiting the familiar streets.

 

I agree with you Mikeol1987, I miss the old over the top-ness of the old games. It's still there. But not as much. It's much more subtle these days.

[Yinepi]

I've mentioned this in other threads before, but GTAIII has a magic to me that none of the other games really have. I'm a big GTA2 fan, but even that game doesn't evoke that sense of mystery that you mentioned. I think it is a combination of the clunky dated mechanics, game restrictions and the dark atmosphere that gives it said mystery.

I don't really remember doing much hunting for conspiracies, but I do remember trying my best to fly the dodo so I could see what was on the other side of those mountains. I really wish Rockstar had finished upstate instead of just giving up on it. PS2 hardware is capable of it, so is the renderware engine if San Andreas is anything to go by.

Edited July 13, 2020 by Yinepi

[DJ-Jelly-Doughnut]

These forums were all mystery back then. I tried finding a super old thread but couldn't find anything. I miss those days. I think the gloomy atmosphere definitely added to the mystery like you said. I will always go back to GTA 3. I even modeled my GTAO character after Claude and Misty.. not the most handsome character... but it's homage to an original. 

[Lioshenka]

I remember trying to get into those tunnels and later waiting for them to open, only to be disappointed, way before I joined these forums.

 

I had quite a shock when Stauton Island opened, up until then I thought that it was just a static background, having played games like The Need For Speed and the like.

[Patrizio]

On 7/13/2020 at 1:15 AM, Yinepi said:

I've mentioned this in other threads before, but GTAIII has a magic to me that none of the other games really have. I'm a big GTA2 fan, but even that game doesn't evoke that sense of mystery that you mentioned. I think it is a combination of the clunky dated mechanics, game restrictions and the dark atmosphere that gives it said mystery.

I don't really remember doing much hunting for conspiracies, but I do remember trying my best to fly the dodo so I could see what was on the other side of those mountains. I really wish Rockstar had finished upstate instead of just giving up on it. PS2 hardware is capable of it, so is the renderware engine if San Andreas is anything to go by.

This. III had a mystery that I don't think others captured in the same way. IV's LC definitely did not capture this. 

 

One element of nostalgia was the pedestrians. Less is more to me. In III I knew which pedestrians said what. Can't say that really about the others much. Walking and hearing My Mothers My Sister! and Young man!

 

And of course the loading and intro:

 

[Jade95]

Same here. Me and one of my friends talked about unsolved mysteries in GTA III for months. I am still looking for new mysteries in this game