Why the 3D Universe is the GOAT

[The Journey]

The fact that every game was a prequel to the first game meant that all characters from it can be fleshed out leading up to where they are in the last game chronologically. The first game (GTA III) was the last one in the timeline (2001). Vice City Stories was the last game (2006) but it was the first one in the timeline (1984).

 

The amount of main characters that make crossovers really makes it feel connected and more like a “series” too. Salvatore Leone, Donald Love, Ken Rosenberg, Phil Cassidy, Catalina. You get to see them across different cities and decades. They actually have an important part in the story and not just as fan service cameos like 4 and 5 characters in GTA Online

 

We even got a reason in LCS why there’s a huge construction site in the main island in GTA III. It was brutal asf but also makes the it even cooler to me, idk maybe I just love prequels and that’s basically what the 3D Universe is in a way, and the Stories games makes it even better.

 

GTA IV with its Episodes were cool asf too and how they all connected and intertwined with eachother made it a masterpiece, GTA V was alright, but GTA Online kinda f*cked up the HD Universe because it’s a mess (The Contract was cool tho). Hopefully VI will fix it and clean it up.

Edited March 13, 2024 by The Journey

[LowTierDude]

I def liked the 3DU because of the nice balance between serious and comedic moments. I also liked how it generally didn't take itself too seriously so as a result gameplay was a lot more fast paced and over the top with some bonkers missions for good measure.

 

Also because the games had smaller budgets and back then the scales and milestones were definitely smaller and the fanbase wasn't as mental compared to now. Couple that with the fact that online gaming wasn't all that mainstream yet meant that devs could focus alot more on story while not stifling gameplay. That and you'd have a lot of the same guys working on previous games working on the current project. That's probably why Rockstar could keep a consistent tone throughout that time.

 

Of course there were some borderline stinkers like advance and lcs but in general it was far more connected and tonally consistent, and this applies to their other games released during that decade as well.

Edited March 13, 2024 by LowTierDude

[The Journey]

59 minutes ago, LowTierDude said:

I def liked the 3DU because of the nice balance between serious and comedic moments. I also liked how it generally didn't take itself too seriously so as a result gameplay was a lot more fast paced and over the top with some bonkers missions for good measure.

 

Also because the games had smaller budgets and back then the scales and milestones were definitely smaller and the fanbase wasn't as mental compared to now. Couple that with the fact that online gaming wasn't all that mainstream yet meant that devs could focus alot more on story while not stifling gameplay. That and you'd have a lot of the same guys working on previous games working on the current project. That's probably why Rockstar could keep a consistent tone throughout that time.

 

Of course there were some borderline stinkers like advance and lcs but in general it was far more connected and tonally consistent, and this applies to their other games released during that decade as well.

I love LCS. Advance doesn’t even count for me, 3D era is the Trilogy + Stories.
 

LCS was the craziest of the 3D era, you blow up an entire f*cking neighborhood. Talk about some crazy bonkers sh*t. Even Trevor doesn’t compare to that mf Toni, he destroyed an entire city.

Edited March 13, 2024 by The Journey

[LowTierDude]

2 hours ago, The Journey said:

I love LCS. Advance doesn’t even count for me, 3D era is the Trilogy + Stories.
 

LCS was the craziest of the 3D era, you blow up an entire f*cking neighborhood. Talk about some crazy bonkers sh*t. Even Trevor doesn’t compare to that mf Toni, he destroyed an entire city.

I personally dont like it for a number of reasons i wont go into. It's still a great game with loads of unique activities to do though, considering its a psp title.

 

I definitely love vcs though, i actually like it more than the og vc.

 

 

[cant remember]

2001 to 2006? Sheesh crazy to think that the entire 3D universe was released across a timespan of 5 years, about the same amount of time between GTA4 and GTA5.

The 3D era was a blast and ended with a bang. They were also released during my formative teenage years and are special to me for that.

 

They're the only games from that many years ago where I regularly still like to start them up to enjoy the city sights and reminisce, as if I were revisiting my former home lol

[Pistol Bobcat]

The 3D era always had a focus on pure fun and madness, good times.

 

I still wish we'd gotten an official follow up to III taking inspiration from GTA 2; futuristic yet also present day city, Zaibatsu Corporation as a key villainous force, an answer to questions like Donald Love's disappearance or what becomes of the Leone family now that the Don got whacked etc

 

GTA III even had a Zaibatsu pharmaceuticals commercial so there was plenty to build from

Edited March 13, 2024 by Pistol Bobcat

[DUNK512]

14 hours ago, The Journey said:

I love LCS. Advance doesn’t even count for me, 3D era is the Trilogy + Stories.
 

LCS was the craziest of the 3D era, you blow up an entire f*cking neighborhood. Talk about some crazy bonkers sh*t. Even Trevor doesn’t compare to that mf Toni, he destroyed an entire city.

LCS was really average, a game that existed for the sake of shipping a GTA game on the PSP, that's the most notable thing about it, that they managed to fit a 3D GTA into a UMD.

 

the rest of the game is by the numbers, VCS had more ambition but even that game felt uneven. 

 

they're still really fun though, which is more than you could say for that piece of sh*t GTA V, am i rite boys? 

 

Edited March 13, 2024 by DUNK512

[The Journey]

37 minutes ago, DUNK512 said:

LCS was really average, a game that existed for the sake of shipping a GTA game on the PSP, that's the most notable thing about it, that they managed to fit a 3D GTA into a UMD.

 

the rest of the game is by the numbers, VCS had more ambition but even that game felt uneven. 

 

they're still really fun though, which is more than you could say for that piece of sh*t GTA V, am i rite boys? 

 

Honestly my favorite thing about LCS because it fleshes out Salvatore Leone so it connects San Andreas and III together. That and Fort Staunton going boom, makes the lore or wtv more interesting.

Edited March 13, 2024 by The Journey

[cant remember]

I still feel cheated we never got a San Andreas Stories.

[Kiro Ivo]

3 hours ago, cant remember said:

I still feel cheated we never got a San Andreas Stories.

 

I dreamed about playing as T-Bone Mendez in 1990, starting in San Fierro. And getting to know his actual name.