POSITIVE Thoughts & Comments on the Trilogy

[King Vercetti]

Since the forum is overrun with negative threads and comments about the release so far (I’m not saying they aren’t at least partially valid), it would be nice to hear what GOOD things people have to say that have played the games so far. 
 

Clearly the launch has been flawed and there are things about the games that are genuinely questionable, but it’s not all bad either, and there have definitely been things that ARE impressive so far, so I thought it would be nice to have a place to discuss that. 
 

If you have anything negative to say, please don’t do it on this particular thread, as you have practically the entire forum to do so, but for anyone that wants to share things, pics, whatever that they have been happy with so far, it would be awesome to see it.
 

For me, I think a lot of the graphical improvements have been awesome, and there are some areas in each game that look way better than I expected them to. I’m also really enjoying the improved/more modern camera controls. 
 

So let’s hear it, what all have you guys and girls been enjoying so far? 

[G The Generous]

Whoever reworked the maps (buildings, interiors, billboards, etc...) should get a raise, probably the best definitive improvement of the Trilogy. Other visual improvements are primary mixed bag.

 

Ped variations is a great new feature, I love that they retain old ped designs and simply give them more variation.

 

If GSG was given more time to improve this game with actual helpful assist from quality assurance, this could have been a very fine remaster.

 

 

 

[rbix]

Vice Beach is absolutely stunning on night time. Strong 80's vibes + how I felt it was back in the day.

 

 

[Americana]

I like how Liberty City, Vice City and San Andreas look - nevermind the draw distance.

 

Liberty City looks the best, in my opinion.

 

Edited November 14, 2021 by Americana

[King Vercetti]

@Americana definitely, Liberty City looks awesome from what I’ve played so far. I was also really impressed with how San Andreas looked overall, and I think it had some really cool improvements. 
 

@rbix Vice City is my favorite of the original trilogy, so the first thing I did was head to the beach, and I think they did an awesome job of modernizing it without losing the feel of the original setting. 
 

@G The Generous totally agree on the maps, they did awesome with that. And the led variation was something I always hoped for back in the day but I understand why it couldn’t be done 20 years ago. To me, that was a cool addition they didn’t “NEED” to do, but it really makes a difference. 

[Americana]

Yes, and I've never liked how Vice City looked but now I like how sunny it is.

[Xerukal]

I've genuinely enjoyed my time back in Vice City. I think it's a massive improvement visually, aside from the mixed bag of models. The checkpoint system is also simply invaluable for some of the tougher missions, though I've actually had an easier time with nearly all of them this go around. 

 

The only massive issue I've personally had so far is the cut songs, but even with the somewhat gutted lineup; the atmosphere of the game is still there. Emotion and Flash still have the majority of my favorites, and I still can't bring myself to leave my vehicle whenever one of them is on. 

 

There's a lot of perfectly valid criticism you can throw at all three of these games, nevermind the awful dumpster fire of a PC launch that's still going on rn. The games themselves though, when you actually play them, are not as bad as many make them out to be. They're perfectly workable and salvageable, assuming GSG commits to patching all 3.

 

All of that said, they never should have launched the way they did, especially not at the price they did. Nevertheless, I've found a lot to love in VC Definitive. It's pretty much the same game I remember playing, minus some unfortunate cuts and weird bugs. But a LOT better looking and feeling, IMO.

Edited November 14, 2021 by Xerukal

[King Vercetti]

2 minutes ago, Xerukal said:

I've genuinely enjoyed my time back in Vice City. I think it's a massive improvement visually, aside from the mixed bag of models. The checkpoint system is also simply invaluable for some of the tougher missions, though I've actually had an easier time with nearly all of them this go around. 

 

The only massive issue I've personally had so far is the cut songs, but even with the somewhat gutted lineup; the atmosphere of the game is still there. Emotion and Flash still have the majority of my favorites, and I still can't bring myself to leave my vehicle whenever one of them is on. 

 

There's a lot of perfectly valid criticism you can throw at all three of these games, nevermind the awful dumpster fire of a PC launch that's still going on rn. The games themselves though, when you actually play them, are not as bad as many make them out to be. They're perfectly workable and salvageable, assuming GSG commits to patching all 3.

 

All of that said, they never should have launched the way they did, especially not at the price they did. Nevertheless, I've found a lot to love in VC Definitive. It's pretty much the same game I remember playing, minus some unfortunate cuts and weird bugs. But a LOT better looking and feeling, IMO.

 

I couldn't have put it better myself. My experience has been far better than I expected, and no it's not perfect and I'm not excusing the issues either, but it's not NEARLY as bad as everyone is letting on, and overall, the games have been a pretty good experience for me. I feel the same way about the cut songs, but I know that even with their finances, it wouldn't make sense for Rockstar to relicense some songs that would directly cut into the profit of the game. It suck that they're gone, but it's not the end of the world, the majority of the best tracks are still there. Besides, I have a full Vice City playlist on Spotify and YouTube that I can listen to while I'm playing, so it's not a dealbreaker. 

 

I don't really like how most of the models look (some are much better than others), but nearly everything else looks way better from a graphical standpoint. Overall, I'm pretty happy. 

[.Ryan.]

I could go on with how much I love the way the games look, but as for raw gameplay I like the changes the made to shooting. I mean it's not a huge overhaul, but the fact we can choose between auto and free aim (or classic) is a welcomed change. It also feels better and not as frustrating with the GTA V style layout.

 

Also a point of discussion that was fairly heated prior to release was the "censorship" because of the removal of the Confederate Flag, but I'm happy that nothing else seems to have been censored other than what was already censored in the past. They could've cut/edited missions, satire, the crude jokes etc, but that all seems to be relatively intact.

 

Overall I'm happy with the games and don't regret preordering them. It's a shame the launch has been a catastrophe on a PR and consumer level (On the PC front at least) and there's clearly issues that need to be ironed out, but I don't think the games deserve to be rated 0 like I've been seeing all over Metacritic. At the very least they're still good games that objectively do improve on the original versions with some design/technical flaws.

Edited November 15, 2021 by MiamiViceCity1986

[lil vader]

I can actually play it on PC now

[Carbonox]

From the video footage I've seen, I guess there's now a few more nice-looking storefronts in North Point Mall making it look more populated, so there's that...

[Lonely-Martin]

The best compliment I think I've got is, it's like your favourite brand of trainers/shoes, but a new pair. You love them because you know they're gonna be comfy, but you need to just spend a little time wearing them in and you know you'll be all set. It's nothing life changing but more a safe bet, and those are often just what's needed.

 

The games aren't without flaws, but neither were the originals, and I've got some bits to add to the respective B&M threads, but I won't dwell on them. I'm having a much more positive time than not.

 

I love the way the games look. It's the same maps I've played many times, but they look much sharper. I can understand what people say regarding the fog of war/draw distance, but it doesn't bother me too much because aside when needed on missions, I generally don't fly too much so I'm at ground level far more often than not and seeing mount chilliad is no eyesore for me. I like the driving too, it's just quirky enough but also easy to just get on with things too.

 

I like the pause menu's as well, nice and sharp and having a map in the pause menu for III is a nice addition (even though I know where I'm going and don't need it for planning routes). And I like how the melee combat has kept that arcade-like feel too. Quite funny to just spam the punch button and go ballistic on NPC's out there. Quite like that there's new achievements either in the trophy lists or the pause menu too. 

 

And I like how with these I'm just enjoying the games again that I'm in no rush to progress or unlock other parts of the map. San Andreas for example, I'm just unlocking things bit by bit like the tattoo shops, gyms or clothes stores and taking my time exploring those aspects again to have a good look at things in these editions. With the older editions I have I'm either reloading an old save or starting over and rushing through to a certain point to unlock what I wanted to play (like other islands, the casino's in Las Venturas etc), but here I'm rewatching cutscenes, killing drug dealers to buy clothes, or trying to remember collectables before I consider any help from old game guides or what-not.

 

It's just fun to re-explore.

[Kerminator369]

The lighting and explosion effects are kinda nice. Can we get a centralized B&M thread like there is a praise thread tho? Doesn’t seem fair to split B&M into 3 threads when a lot of the issues people have with the games aren’t exclusive to any single game 

[Skyhightreees]

I was loving the game with all it’s minor faults and lack of attention to detail, but the level of pop-in you get on the countryside in SA made me drop it and refund it PRONTO! 
 

i dearly hope they fix it as the game has amazing potential if they fix the glaring issues

[Collibosher]

I've mostly played SA and since the controls and physics are pretty much the same how they've always been, I mostly just have issues with some of the artistic decisions taken, like lighting and character models. Even then I think at least 50% of the characters look just fine in SA and I have't seen a really bad/incorrect looking ped yet. In GTA 3 and VC the character models are less decent, which I think is somewhat understandable given the more crude models to begin with and the necessary artistic freedom needed to "fill the gabs".

 

I've only encountered handful of bugs (which is still handful more than on PS2) and most of them being quite minor, so I feel these are being a bit over exaggerated in public discourse. I'm sure they happen, but I don't really recognize the DE I'm playing from those bug compilation videos (sure compilation means compilation ) These bugs don't seem to be fundamental errors either, they look easily fixable. 

 

I was worried that the new high poly/texture assets like trees will clash with more arcade style assets and aesthetics, but I haven't found this to be an issue and the countryside looks generally nice, even with the new (less cinematographic) lighting. Cars turned out like I hoped them to turn out, original looking models, but just nicer finish and canonically older/beater cars still look consistently less shiny like they're supposed to (I was sure they're gonna make everything just super glossy for the sake of it)

 

It's hard to justify the doubled price from the previous versions, but I guess if you slice it to three, 20 bucks for a GTA is not that bad imo.

[IVCavalcade]

My only positive comments are: the analogue throttle/brake control on vehicles using the triggers, tbh I'm not sure if this existed in the mobile port to Xbox, but it's nice to have more control over the vehicles. Also some of the textures and assets look nice, but it's kinda ruined by it being inconsistent and lots of visual glitches introduced. Everything else that is positive about playing this 'definitive edition' is just a result of the underlying game being a fundamentally good product, and those same positives can be found in the original releases.

[.Ryan.]

2 hours ago, Collibosher said:

These bugs don't seem to be fundamental errors either, they look easily fixable. 

Those are my feelings too. Nothing I’ve personally witnessed can’t be fixed in patches/updates and should be salvageable, but I do think SOME are being blown out of proportion.

 

They’re the kind of bugs/glitches I’ve been seeing in these games for years (falling through the map, floating objects etc). There are definitely parts of these games that feel undercooked, but in the grand scheme of things I feel like most of these issues are fairly minor on their own. It’s just they keep piling up. They don’t bother me that much though.

 

In saying that I can’t lie. Some of these bugs and glitches can be hilarious. Like the one when CJ’s on a quad in first person and when you look back all you see is his emotionless face/head moving from side to side lol. Funnily enough this works with Tommy too. It’s just not as freakish.

[jaljax]

It seems to be Vice City is the most beautiful looking out of the three games while GTA 3 still holds it’s dark atmosphere, but in a different tone now 

[MrNukki]

Before launch, the trailer first impressions, for me, were solid. I had zero expectations before seeing it, so I got pleasantly surprised with it. GTA III and San Andreas looked like how I saw them when I first played them as a little baby me. Going into it, I was sorta excited, even if if looked like it lacked polish.

 

Post launch, well... I do love the lighting in Vice City and San Andreas, the dark, grim atmosphere of GTA III and the increased draw distance for all three games. The audio quality of the radio stations has also been improved if I'm not mistaken? The reflections on some surfaces were also a neat touch.

 

Here's hoping that the other technical and graphical issues get remedied asap, cause this remaster trilogy has the potential to be great.

[Xerukal]

6 minutes ago, jaljax said:

It seems to be Vice City is the most beautiful looking out of the three games while GTA 3 still holds it’s dark atmosphere, but in a different tone now 

Definitely agree there. I feel as if San Andreas sort of got the roughest end of the deal, primarily when it comes to details in models varying heavily (like CJ's barber and whatever the hell happened to Denise). But also odd choices, like the complete removal of fog/smog from the map, making the entire thing look like a bizarre, miniature version of the OG map, shattering the illusion of scale. 

 

Fortunately, this is something that can easily be patched, and hopefully will be. I think SA will look really good with just a couple of tweaks. Here's hoping we get them sooner rather than later.

[jaljax]

1 minute ago, Xerukal said:

Definitely agree there. I feel as if San Andreas sort of got the roughest end of the deal, primarily when it comes to details in models varying heavily (like CJ's barber and whatever the hell happened to Denise). But also odd choices, like the complete removal of fog/smog from the map, making the entire thing look like a bizarre, miniature version of the OG map, shattering the illusion of scale. 

 

Fortunately, this is something that can easily be patched, and hopefully will be. I think SA will look really good with just a couple of tweaks. Here's hoping we get them sooner rather than later.

I was going in chronological order with the three games so I started with Vice City (sitting at 98% just need Taxi & Cherry Popper mission) & then recently just started San Andreas last night & so far I wasn’t really liking the overall look of the game.. , but I’ll still play it anyways.

 

Definitely agree with the look of San Andreas so far from what I’ve seen. 

1 minute ago, Piro said:

Ok I have something positive to say. I love how almost every screenshot from the trilogy turns into a meme, its amazing! Its gonna be a goldmine for the next couple of months, a gift that keeps on giving!
 

  Hide contents

 

Are those tall doors located in Little Havana?  

[DEALUX]

The most positive thing to come out of the botched launch was the fact that R* noticed when people review bombed and trashed the product for the subpar quality it delivered. This is why there's never been an instance of unfair criticism of a game on launch given the state of some of these releases these days. The more negative the reactions the more likely it is that they will notice and do something about it. Now I'm keeping my fingers crossed that most of these issues will be fixed. Only then will I reconsider buying the trilogy again.

[kasaGG]

I was skeptical (and a bit vocal about the Trilogy in general) about San Andreas until I started playing it. All the criticisms that were in my head pretty much went away. Just about to get into San Fierro and so far I have no complaints except for Denise and the awful rain. Other than that it's been great. 

EDIT: Just ran across another bug which I don't remember if it was a thing in the original (maybe it was). The underground police (?) station garage in San Fierro is unenterable. So that's another little complaint. Still, having a blast playing the game.

Edited November 16, 2021 by kasaGG

[C-Rhee]

While there's heaps of entirely valid criticism being voiced across the web as well as a handful of alterations to each game that make me go: "The f*ck were they thinking?", there is also a CONSIDERABLE amount of circlejerking on social media between folk whom after all this time don't understand the difference between a Remake and a Remaster and it shows completely. I've kept my mouth shut though because I know I'll get stomped on by Bandwagoners if I dare point this out.

[WanteD1]

This Remastered package in UE will make GTA Modding community bigger!!!

[King Vercetti]

I’m pleasantly surprised to see I’m not the only one enjoying the remasters lol. I spent most of last night in Vice City and San Andreas, and I have been having a blast. The experiences have been overall pretty great, and there haven’t been any game breaking bugs for me - not to mention all the original games had their fair share of bugs too. 
 

Graphically, all three games look way better than I expected them to, and I honestly think a lot of the anger is coming from people that don’t understand the difference between remakes and remasters. I’m not saying that to be rude, I fully understand a lot of people think we deserve total remakes at this point and I agree. It would have been awesome to see all three games remade from the ground up. But this is the next best thing, and for remasters, they came out pretty great. 
 

Above all, they look like I remember them looking when I played them 20 years ago, so I think GSG did an awesome job of modernizing the games without changing them so much they lost their identity. And the improved controls, camera movement, and other gameplay improvements more than make it a worthy investment to me. 

Edited November 15, 2021 by King Vercetti
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[leon505]

5 minutes ago, King Vercetti said:

I’m pleasantly surprised to see I’m not the only one enjoying the remasters lol. I spent most of last night in Vice City and San Andreas, and I have been having a blast. The experiences have been overall pretty great, and there haven’t been any game breaking bugs for me - not to mention all the original games had their fair share of bugs too. 
 

Graphically, all three games look way better than I expected them to, and I honestly think a lot of the anger is coming from people that don’t understand the difference between remakes and remasters. I’m not saying that to be rude, I fully understand a lot of people think we deserve total remakes at this point and I agree. It would have been awesome to see all three games remade from the ground up. But this is the next next thing, and for remasters, they came out pretty great. 
 

Above all, they look like I remember them looking when I played them 20 years ago, so I think GSG did an awesome job of modernizing the games without changing them so much they lost their identity. And the improved controls, camera movement, and other gameplay improvements more than make it a worthy investment to me. 

 

100% agree with this comment. I'm about 20 hours into San Andreas and having a great time with it, it feels and plays exactly how i remember but with an extra coat of paint.

 

Yeah some of the models arn't great but that isn't enough to stop me having fun. I haven't come across any game breaking glitches. I'm currently playing SA on Gamepass but will be purchasing the trilogy when the physical edition drops. 

[King Vercetti]

@leon505 EXACTLY, thank you! I’ve had several people tell me I’m either blind for not acknowledging “all the terrible things they did to the franchise” or I’m not a real fan. That’s crap, these are some of my favorite games of all time, I’ve played them since their original launches more times than I can count. 
 

Are the remasters flawless? Of course not, but why is it so hard for people to accept that you can still enjoy things that may not be “perfect”. Just like you said, none of the negatives I’ve run into are enough to ruin my experience. 
 

And call me crazy, but I thought the most important thing is for a game to be FUN. And to me, these remasters have been a lot of fun, and have done a great job recapturing the feeling of the originals, but with some much needed improvements. 
 

The single biggest issue for me is the missing songs, and even that’s not a huge problem because I have complete playlists of all the songs on Spotify and YouTube already and can listen to those when I play, plus most of the original radio stations are on YouTube as well.

 

Idk, for me the games are great, and there have been more positives than negatives. Which is the main reason I made this thread, because I figured it would be nice to see what others are enjoying too.  

[leon505]

8 minutes ago, King Vercetti said:

@leon505 EXACTLY, thank you! I’ve had several people tell me I’m either blind for not acknowledging “all the terrible things they did to the franchise” or I’m not a real fan. That’s crap, these are some of my favorite games of all time, I’ve played them since their original launches more times than I can count. 
 

Are the remasters flawless? Of course not, but why is it so hard for people to accept that you can still enjoy things that may not be “perfect”. Just like you said, none of the negatives I’ve run into are enough to ruin my experience. 
 

And call me crazy, but I thought the most important thing is for a game to be FUN. And to me, these remasters have been a lot of fun, and have done a great job recapturing the feeling of the originals, but with some much needed improvements. 
 

The single biggest issue for me is the missing songs, and even that’s not a huge problem because I have complete playlists of all the songs on Spotify and YouTube already and can listen to those when I play, plus most of the original radio stations are on YouTube as well.

 

Idk, for me the games are great, and there have been more positives than negatives. Which is the main reason I made this thread, because I figured it would be nice to see what others are enjoying too.  

 

You've hit the nail on the head there! While it isn't perfect i am having a great deal of fun just like i was when they first come out and thats the most important thing. Could things be improved yeah of course, but i went into this remaster not expecting much more than an a better resolution and slightly improved graphics and they have delivered with that.

 

What has really annoyed me is that i've been called a dork/idiot/fanboy/shill simply for enjoying the game. In certain places its become the "in" thing to blindly hate on the game without having played it themselves or make up completely fabricated lies/glitches about it.

 

Tbh i'm really glad i've found someone that shares the same sentiment. 

[King Vercetti]

@leon505 one thing I’ve learned from being in this forum for nearly 13 years now is that every time a new game comes along, there’s a weird tendency to hate on it irrationally, but that the trend eventually dies down and people move on. The same has happened with GTA IV, GTA V, and even to an extent RDR II.

 

It seems like the cool thing to do to spend the first few months dwelling on negatives and attacking anyone that dares enjoy the game. I’m used to it at this point but it still sucks.
 

But I’m with you, it’s nice to find others that actually share the same positive views on the games and that are having a good time with them as well.