Grand Theft Auto 2
&emdash;Basic Info. &emdash;Release Date: October 26th, 1999
Developer: Rockstar Games
Publisher: DMA Design Ltd./Take Two
Number of Players: 1
System: Playstation
Genre: Action
Vroom. Bang. Vroom.
…HeHeHe…
There are critics who think Hamlet is a bad play. There are music critics who think The Beatles were a waste of records and television time. And there are people who never liked It's A Wonderful Life. And there are people who don't agree with Grand Theft Auto 2. Particularly, the politicians.
I don't get it.
Your birds-eye view presents you in a city. And each city is home to three different gangs, all of whom have staked out their turf well. And you raise money, by doing jobs for these mugs or just creating natural destruction of anything and everything you get your hands on.
Allow me to make a list of ways you can earn simple cash:
*Shooting People *Running People Over *Burning People *Pushing People off Cliffs
*Stealing Cars *Creating Car Accidents *Blowing Up Cars *Performing Car Stunts
*Performing Jobs For Gangs *High-jacking Cars and Selling them on the Black Market *Setting Fire To Anything *Performing Free-Lance Jobs
Okay, so maybe the little blood stains the people make on the sidewalk when you run them over upsets the politicians?
Yes, it's a very violent game. However, the graphics are so horrible for the Playstation system, that you can't even tell what you are running over. It looks like a green box with a black circle in it. But, DMA is a British developer. And like all good developing companies, they concentrate more on content and game play than graphics. Good for them.
And this game is not lacking in content. You can spend as much time playing GTA as you can playing an RPG. Each gang has a list of missions for you to complete for them so you can gain their loyalty. As you complete more missions, they become dramatically more difficult. Not to mention the free-lance jobs you can get by answering random telephones or checking out your beeper. But you have to be careful! Make sure you know where your loyalties lie. Don't answer a ringing phone in the Yakuza territory if you are loyal to the Zaibatszu Corporation. And if you don't want to spend you time risking your life and doing jobs, you can just do needless slaughter (My personal favorite, is getting a weapon and walking around killing anyone in a green shirt. But hey, that's just me) as so listed above.
And you don't only have to worry about the Gangs, you have to worry about the Cops. Depending on how many crimes you commit, a greater force comes after you. At first, it's just a few cops. Little squad cars, no big deal. Out run them. Then, you get a lot of cops… and they begin to pop up everywhere. Keep going, and the secret service will come after you. Men in little black suits, with fantastic aim and sleek black cars. And finally, if you go too far (and you're still alive due to some miracle of God) they send the Army after you. I'm talking tanks, bazookas, road blocks&emdash;everything. But don't worry too much, you can still escape due to the car-stake outs. Outfit your vehicle with flamethrowers or machineguns in the headlights. Or, to escape the law, change your plates and the color of your vehicle. Beware though: Not all vehicles can change.
GTA 2 has a great variety of vehicles. Th Bread Truck and the Ice Cream truck are personal favorites of the "non-standard" vehicles. Oh, and the Cassie… that's my pet. The tires squeal, the breaks shriek, the people curse and yell. It's a nice life to rip people out of cars and drive away with them…. Anyway. GTA2 is a gigantic step up from the original: More levels, more gangs, more missions, more variety, more cities, more bonuses, more weapons, greater chance of death, more things to destroy, more cars, more things to do. It's a fantastic game.
Not to mention, each car has a radio. You can even change channels. You get such variety as the Zaibatszu Corperation channel: "It's me, it's you: The Zaibatszu" To good oldies! But: Beware the Country Station!!
&emdash;Scores&emdash;
Graphics: 4........I like them. But, they bite.
Control: 9.........Takes some getting used to.
Plot: 7..........Technically, the game never ends.
Difficulty: 10 (To play the game the way you're supposed to. Otherwise, it's like a 1, or &endash;4)
Music/Sound Effects: 10
Replay: A katrillion and twenty-nine.
Originality: 5.........It's a sequel.
Overall: 7.9
Lower score than I'd like to give it--- Trust me. It should be a perfect. See, I don't care about graphics. Nor the controls to much&emdash;but it's just so much fun!!
::tromps away giggling:: Needless destruction, needless destruction!~