The new GTA Trilogy: The Definitive Edition rerelease is a chance to revisit some all-time classics – but compared to some other remasters I’ve had the pleasure of playing recently, the original source material is really showing its age.
These are some of my favourite games of all time, but still – it’s impossible to entirely ignore just how… ancient these games often feel. Last year we got a collection of Mario games that included the 25 year-old Super Mario 64, and I was blown away by how well that game has aged. Its movement, the feel of it – it’s still tight and satisfying to this day despite being a prototypical ‘blueprint’ 3D adventure. GTA3 is likewise a genre and generation-defining feat that is still emulated to this day… but it doesn’t feel anywhere near as timeless. There’s a sloppiness to the way it moves and handles that betrays its nature as a trailblazer more than with some other games of this era.
Perhaps part of the problem is that open world games have evolved and expanded so explosively since this trio was released. First there were copycats, but then slowly everything became at least a little bit open world, and that surely colors one’s perspective. There’s much since to compare it to, and muscle memory control mannerisms from the last twenty years that are absent here. There’s nothing wrong with games feeling their age, to be clear – but in my mind these three were relatively timeless – so I was surprised to have that view shattered by this remaster. After a bit, I have to admit I just begin to think about reinstalling GTA5.
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