GTA 2 Appreciation

[lil vader 2]

GTA 2 deserves a lot more recognition for its brilliant atmosphere. Rockstar North née DMA Designs were able to convey an incredibly dark and dystopian world impressively, especially given the hardware limitations. From the way that Zaibatsu has seemingly infiltrated all aspects of the everyday world and criminal underground, the ruthless gangs that control the streets, the excellent design of vehicles, the radio stations and their DJs, and just an overall atmosphere of a dangerous, dark, and crime-filled city. From a conceptual standpoint, it's surprising that GTA 2 went for presenting its world through a retro-futuristic lens when GTA 1 was played entirely straight (as in, it was designed to feel like a city that could conceivably exist, but I'm glad it did because in many ways GTA 2 is undoubtedly one of, if not the most, unique GTA games.

I wish Rockstar would do a modern GTA game with a similar aesthetic. GTA 3 was the last GTA game to try and replicate this atmosphere by presenting Liberty City as equally dark and dangerous (the worst city in the USA). However, unlike GTA 2, 3D-era Liberty City still feels pretty tame.