' (') is a video game series created and developed by British developer Rockstar North (formerly DMA Design), published by Rockstar Games and debuted in 1997. It includes seven stand-alone games and two expansion packs for the original, and . and subsequent games in the series have been best-selling blockbusters which are also critically acclaimed. The series has won many awards, including several game of the year awards from various sources. In addition, the series has emerged as being so popular and profitable that a long list of Hollywood stars have lent their voices to the games. Gangster film veterans such as Michael Madsen , Samuel L. Jackson , James Woods , Joe Pantoliano and Ray Liotta have all voiced major characters. Other famous voices that have been incorporated in the games include Axl Rose , Burt Reynolds , Chris Penn , Danny Trejo , David Cross , Deborah Harry , Dennis Hopper , Faizon Love , Gary Busey , Ice-T , Jenna Jameson , Luis Guzman , Miss Cleo , Philip Michael Thomas , Robert Davi , Shaun Ryder , Tom Sizemore , and The Game .
Series overview
The games allow the player to take on the role of a criminal in a big city, typically a lowly individual who rises in the ranks of organized crime over the course of the game. Various missions are set for completion by the figureheads of the city underworld, generally criminal, which must be completed to progress through the storyline. Bank robberies, assassinations and other crimes feature regularly, but occasionally taxi driving, firefighting , pimping , street racing , or learning to fly an airplane are also involved as alternate adventures.
The series is notable for the large amount of freedom given to the player in deciding what to do. Unlike most action games, which are structured as a single track series of levels with linear gameplay , in the player can pick and choose which missions they want to undertake, and their relationship with various powers are changed based on these choices. Players also often cite the music, humor, and "stress relieving factor" of the series in explaining its appeal. The vast cities of the games can also be roamed freely at any point in the game, offering many accessible buildings and minor missions. There are exceptions: Missions follow a linear, overarching plot, and some city areas must be unlocked over the course of the game.
and subsequent games have been notable for their storylines, high quality of voice acting, and "radio stations," which simulate driving to music with satirizing DJs, radio personalities, commercials, talk stations, popular music, and American culture. All of this is seamlessly integrated in the realistic setting of a dysfunctional urban environment which parodies a real-life city.
The game's influence on teenagers and adults alike has created a " cult " scene of GTA fans that see past the merits of the game itself and appreciate the retro feel and the vibe the game emanates. People remember or imagine the time the games are set in and can enjoy the music, the atmosphere, the fashion, the slang and the cities from their favourite decade, such as the 1980's or early 1990's.
The use of vehicles in an explorable urban environment provides a basic simulation of a working city, complete with pedestrians who obey traffic signals. Further details are used to flesh out an open-ended atmosphere that has been used in several other games, such as , which have less emphasis on crime or violence. Some compare this to open-ended RPGs such as series, and foresee action games using a similar design.
The series has courted a great deal of controversy since the release of . The series generally revolves around the focus on illegal activities, in comparison with "hero" roles that most other games offer. The main character can commit a wide variety of crimes while dealing with only temporary consequences. Opponents believe that players will try to emulate this behavior, while proponents believe it provides an emotional outlet, as such actions in real life would have serious consequences. For specific incidents, see the individual game articles.
History
The series may be divided into eras, based on the inclusion of a numbering after the recognizable title name (e.g. ) after the original 's release, and to a certain extent, the type of graphics engine used.
Grand Theft Auto-era
The first title in the series, , appeared on the PC and PlayStation in 1997 as well as a reduced Game Boy Color port, and subsequently two expansion packs were offered:
* ( 1999 ), an expansion pack of the original game, set in 1969 London . Available in PS and PC boxed versions.
* ( 1999 ), another expansion pack of , with missions taking place in 1961 London. A free PC download.
Grand Theft Auto 2-era
for the PC, PlayStation and Dreamcast, was released in 1999 . It featured updated graphics and somewhat different gameplay based upon the player's appeal to various criminal organizations. A reduced Game Boy Color port was also produced.
Grand Theft Auto III-era
( 2001 ) brought a third-person view to the series, rather than the traditional top-down view of earlier titles. Multiplayer was discarded but improved in many other areas such as voice-acting and storyline. The game sold very well and became the first blockbuster game in the series, setting the precedent for subsequent GTA titles to be very successful. also attracted heavy criticism for its violent content, making future games in the GTA series synonymous with violence. Following the success of , there have been three stand-alone sequels (though all three are technically prequels to ):
* ( 2002 ), set in 1986 in a city inspired in many ways by the movie and TV series . It is a loose spin-off of with some returning characters shown as their younger selves.
* ( 2004 ), set in 1992 in a fictional state resembling California , and features some of the first attempts at series continuity , and included many new Computer role-playing game elements. Throughout, there are references to previous games, most notably the main character from and several posters referring to . received particular attention by the public when a sex minigame that was cut from the game, but left in the game code, was discovered in both the console and PC versions of the game (). As a result, was pulled from a number of retail outlets and was re-rated from "M" (Mature) to "AO" (Adults Only) by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB); the first game in the series to be given an AO rating. Rockstar has since released a sanitized version of the game for both PC and Playstation, and reclaimed the "M" rating.
* ( 2004 ), originally intended to be a topdown conversion of , it ended up becoming its own completely original adventure featuring both new and familiar characters.
* ( 2005 ), an entirely new adventure for the Playstation Portable set in 1998 Liberty City (fictional)/Liberty City .
* ( 2006 ); a new Grand Theft Auto is scheduled to come out in October 2006 for the Playstation Portable . Details at the moment are unknown.
Rockstar North has also developed the controversial video game, which is set in the world (Carcer City, mentioned on one of 's radio stations as a neighboring city)
Grand Theft Auto IV-era
*, hints by Rockstar to be released for PlayStation 3 in October 2006 *
Time periods of games
* 1961 -
* 1969 -
* 1986 -
* 1992 -
* 1997 -
* 1998 -
* 2000 - (also covers a part of 2001 , up to the time when List of characters in Grand Theft Auto III8-Ball was arrested on October of that year)
* 2001 -
* Unknown -
cities and towns
Cities
* = New York City (, , , and )
* = Miami ( and )
* = A city based upon San Francisco, California/San Francisco ()
* = A state based upon California and Nevada in .
** = Los Angeles ()
** = San Francisco ()
** = Las Vegas ()
* = Unknown ()
* = Newark or Detroit , said to be neighboring Liberty City (; mentioned in Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas )
* = ( and )
* = appeared in , a short machinima included in the double-CD soundtrack set revealing the events leading up to the start of the game itself.
Towns
* (Red County)
* (Red County)
* (Red County)
* (Red County)
* (Whetstone)
* (Tierra Robada)
* (Tierra Robada)
* (Tierra Robada)
* (Bone County)
* (Bone County)
* (Tierra Robada)
* (Bone County)
Known protagonist s in the series
* List of characters in Grand Theft Auto: Vice CityTommy Vercetti/Tommy Vercetti -
* List of characters in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Carl "CJ" Johnson -
* Claude Speed , also known as "Fido" and "Kid" - and
* Mike -
* Toni Cipriani -
* Grand Theft Auto III soundtrack
* Grand Theft Auto: Vice City soundtrack
* Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas soundtrack
* Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories soundtrack
