Is GTA III underrated/forgotten?

[Haoie]

You'd better mean overrated!

This game certainly did singlehandedly usher in the age of the GTA clone.

[Menegrothx]

You'd better mean overrated!

This game certainly did singlehandedly usher in the age of the GTA clone.

If you want to talk about overrated, I dont see why you mention III over Vice City and San Andreas

[D.D.D.]

You'd better mean overrated!

This game certainly did singlehandedly usher in the age of the GTA clone.

I've found people who tend to claim GTA as overrated are ones who didn't play it when it came out. So, didja?

[SpaceBooger]

Because of the anniversary, I was thinking about getting and playing one of the three versions of GTA III.
Based on everything in this thread and I grew up watching Miami Vice I should probably start with Vice City, is this correct or should I start with the one that started it all. BUT I was, and still am, a fan of 90's hip-hop and it's culture, so maybe San Andreas...
I will probably only play one of the three games right now and unless it knocks my socks off I probably will only play one GTA game. Which one should I start with?

[MrPopo]

The original GTA III has the least personality. If you're on a Miama Vice kick I'd say definitely go with Vice City.

[Menegrothx]

should I start with the one that started it all. ?

Yes
http://www.rockstargames.com/classics/

[Luke]

I'm a little surprised with all the love for Vice City.

To me it was a cheesy clone of GTA III that added a boat and motorcycles. I'll revisit it soon, and my opinion may change, but I don't remember it being anything special. That and jumping into boats in that game is tricky business

I've always chugged the San Andreas juice. It's close to perfect (PC version).

The tone is set immediately, and the mirroring of the environment during the Watts riots is in my mind one of the most ambitious things done in gaming history. To add, it added a sense of paranoia to the game. People were looking to jack your car, gangs were out to kill you.

Also enjoy the minigames. They're not anything super special, but the fact you can "hustle" a pool player in a video game kind of blows my mind.

Yes the RC plane stuff wasn't that well thought out, but there is one flying sequence that I think makes up for all of the flying missions.

I might love SA because of all the hours I put into it while playing with friends. Not but a month ago I was grocery shopping and heard "Hey! CJ!" from across the aisle. I spotted my old neighbor and friend of mine Nathan Summers (not the X-Man) and we exchanged head nods and SA quotes "I've been drinking again". The humor in SA is knee slapping.

[Gunstar Green]

I'm a little surprised with all the love for Vice City.

To me it was a cheesy clone of GTA III that added a boat and motorcycles. I'll revisit it soon, and my opinion may change, but I don't remember it being anything special. That and jumping into boats in that game is tricky business

For me it's the 80's style and setting that make it one of my favorites.

[BurningDoom]

I'm a little surprised with all the love for Vice City.

To me it was a cheesy clone of GTA III that added a boat and motorcycles. I'll revisit it soon, and my opinion may change, but I don't remember it being anything special. That and jumping into boats in that game is tricky business

For me it's the 80's style and setting that make it one of my favorites.

Indeed. In particular, the inclusion Motley Crue's "Too Young To Fall in Love" was just awesome.

[CRTGAMER]

San Andreas is the best, but I do like Vice City, because of all the 80s music.

What about Grand Theft Auto clones? I recently discovered PS2 Starsky and Hutch and love the Lightgun shooting while driving with a Steering/Pedal controllers, all at the same time.