The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X have been out for a year, but some of the best games available on these next-gen systems are well over a decade old. 2021 has seen classics like Mass Effect, Diablo II, Crysis, and Alan Wake receive the remaster treatment, offering fans prettier, definitive takes on some of their all-time favourites.
Shockingly, Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition can’t make this claim. Despite its subtitle – not to mention the fact Rockstar Games is practically synonymous with quality – this remastered bundle falls far short of being the end-all be-all way to tear up Liberty City, Vice City, and San Andreas.
The remastered trilogy’s not without its improvements – from a fresh coat of polygons and enhanced shooting mechanics to modernised mini-maps and a more forgiving checkpoint system – but their implementation is inconsistent at best and broken at worst. The visual updates reflect a prime example of this hit-or-miss approach: many of the environments and lighting effects are noticeably easier on the eyes, but a staggering amount of the “improved” character models run the gamut from laughably cartoon-y to disturbingly creepy.
Spend a decent stretch of time with any of the titles, and you’ll find yourself appreciating some of the advertised tweaks. Shooting, for example, is undoubtedly tighter and more satisfying than it was in the original versions. Still, you’ll likely be yanked just as swiftly from the experience by a mission-halting bug, visual glitch, or just a glaring lack of polish that suddenly curb-stomps your immersion.
Unfortunately, the ability to re-deliver familiar pleasures in no way makes these editions feel definitive.
Despite the upgrades being a total crap-shoot, there’s still tons of mayhem-fuelled fun to be had in all three games. Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas aren’t just timeless classics, but pioneers credited with laying the ground work for one of the medium’s most popular genres. That core DNA is still very much intact here – these obscenely over-the-top sandboxes are still more than capable of stretching a smile across your face.
Unfortunately, the ability to re-deliver those familiar pleasures in no way makes these editions feel definitive. In fact, if you’re solely craving a quick nostalgia fix – without bugs, bizarre character models, or a £50 bite out of your bank account – you needn’t look any further than the previous iterations of these same games.