What Is Grand Theft Auto 3?

Grand Theft Auto 3 is the next title in the Grand Theft Auto series, currently in development at DMA Design's Edinburgh office. It will be published by Rockstar Games, a division of Take-Two Interactive Software.

GTA3's plot sounds roughly similar to GTA, in fact the whole game sounds a little more like GTA than GTA2. While GTA3 will share similarities with the other titles in the series, it will not just be GTA in 3D. GTA3 will be more story driven than the past two GTAs. You still have the same freedom of movement, but now you are actually doing this stuff for an overall reason, driving the plot forward with each new job. Doing missions to advance the plot doesn't mean you are required to do all the missions in a specific order.

During the game you will interact with well over 60 different characters, some of which will be crime bosses and characters returning from GTA, GTA: London, and GTA2. Gang's will also be returning to GTA3, but GTA2's respect-o-meter will not. The Mafia, the Yakuza, the Yardies (a Jamaican gang), and the Colombians are the only gangs that have been announced so far. Unlike GTA and GTA2, you aren't in this game alone. Your criminal ally is Eight-Ball, a demolitions expert. Eight-Ball will accompany you on your first mission and later in the game he will help you by restocking your munitions.

GTA3 is set entirely in Liberty City, which is sectioned off into three parts, Portland (mostly industrial), Staunton Island (mostly commercial), and Shoreside Vale (suburban). Each of these sections is ruled by a different gang, but very little information has been given about which gangs will inhabit which sections of the city. So far we only know that the Mafia will inhabit the industrial area (where you start the game) and that most of your first missions will be Mafia related. You can travel from one section to another via trains, tunnels, bridges, and even ferries. Each section of the city will have one safe-house where you can hide out, save your game, and store a vehicle. These safe-houses will start out as complete dumps and gradually improve in appearance as you complete more missions and earn more money. As you progress through the game you will unlock different parts of the city. Complete enough missions in the industrial area and the radio will announce that the long closed Liberty City bridge has just been opened, giving you the opportunity to check out some new jobs downtown in the commercial area. Each of the subsections of Liberty City is broken down into smaller areas with posh districts, run down streets, ethnic neighborhoods, docks, etc. Some sections will have names unique to them, like Chinatown and the red light district. As you pass through these areas a message will pop up indicating which area you have entered. Each of the city sections features different quests, civilian AI, architecture, and landscape. These sections also have a different variety of cars and pedestrians. You won't see many sports cars in the industrial section, nor will see any business men walking around.