Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy

[Cube]

 

A port of sorts of 3, Vice City and San Andreas.

 

[Helmsly]

I really hope they did a good job with these, I absolutely loved Vice City and would love to play through it again. Hopefully they manged to get all the original licensed tracks back as it was such an huge part of the atmosphere of that game.

 

 

[Happenstance]

Been a few years since I last played them. Probably be some good ones to play on the Steam Deck when I get it.

[Dcubed]

Wow! It finally happened… End of an era for Rockstar.

This would never have happened if Dan Houser was still at Rockstar.  His absence is an absolute sea change for the company.

Edited October 8, 2021 by Dcubed

[Glen-i]

1 minute ago, Dcubed said:

Wow! It finally happened… End of an era for Rockstar.

This would never have happened if Dan Houser was still at Rockstar.  His absence is an absolute sea change for the company.

3D GTA on a Nintendo console… what a time to be alive!

I mean, after Final Fantasy 7 was finally put on a cartridge, it was the next logical step, really.

[Dcubed]

4 minutes ago, Glen-i said:

I mean, after Final Fantasy 7 was finally put on a cartridge, it was the next logical step, really.

The Houser brothers actively hated Nintendo though ever since the fall out over Body Harvest on the N64.  This is an even more unlikely and surreal release than FF7!

There is absolutely no way in hell this would’ve happened if Dan Houser wasn’t kicked out of Rockstar last year.  Take Two have managed to wrestle control of the company from the Houser brothers and this is the first real major sign of change that’s come as a result.  This is HUGE for Rockstar.

Edited October 8, 2021 by Dcubed

[Glen-i]

1 minute ago, Dcubed said:

The Houser brothers actively hated Nintendo though ever since the fall out over Body Harvest on the N64.  This is an even more unlikely and surreal release than FF7!

There is absolutely no way in hell this would’ve happened if Dan Houser wasn’t kicked out of Rockstar last year.  Take Two have managed to wrestle control of the company from the Houser brothers and this is the first real major sign of change that’s come as a result.  This is HUGE for Rockstar.

Oh, trust me. I'm fully aware.

Next landmark steps tend to be more impressive then the previous step. So it seems fitting to me.
Not being able to play GTA has always been a weight holding down Ninty consoles. I imagine Nintendo are very chuffed with this development.

[killthenet]

Great that it's definitely happening, GTA III is the only one I've completed so I'm looking forward to playing Vice City and San Andreas. 

Disappointing that they haven't shown off what it looks like though, especially if it's supposed to be coming out in a few weeks. What's the betting they looks identical to the originals save for a bump in resolution? 

[Dcubed]

1 minute ago, killthenet said:

Great that it's definitely happening, GTA III is the only one I've completed so I'm looking forward to playing Vice City and San Andreas. 

Disappointing that they haven't shown off what it looks like though, especially if it's supposed to be coming out in a few weeks. What's the betting they looks identical to the originals save for a bump in resolution? 

I wouldn’t expect anything more than that.  Most likely these are based on the previous mobile ports.

[Cube]

Rumours suggest that these ports are running on unreal engine, but my guess is that it will be minor improvements and that it's easier for them to port the game to unreal then it is to port the original engine to lots of platforms.

[killthenet]

They should just put in the effort and port Renderware to Switch, opening the way for native ports of Tony Hawk 3 & 4 to be released 

[Cube]

46 minutes ago, killthenet said:

They should just put in the effort and port Renderware to Switch, opening the way for native ports of Tony Hawk 3 & 4 to be released 

I would actually love ports of Burnout and Burnout 2.

[LazyBoy]

4 hours ago, Dcubed said:

The Houser brothers actively hated Nintendo though ever since the fall out over Body Harvest on the N64.  This is an even more unlikely and surreal release than FF7!

There is absolutely no way in hell this would’ve happened if Dan Houser wasn’t kicked out of Rockstar last year.  Take Two have managed to wrestle control of the company from the Houser brothers and this is the first real major sign of change that’s come as a result.  This is HUGE for Rockstar.

What’s the story with Body Harvest? Haven’t heard this before.

[Josh64]

17 hours ago, LazyBoy said:

What’s the story with Body Harvest? Haven’t heard this before.

I hadn't heard this until yesterday either. I always knew Body Harvest was somewhat of a precursor and some parts of it feel very much like GTA3. Something along the lines of Nintendo weren't happy with it and dropped them when they were meant to be publisher but thankfully someone else stepped in. 

Quote

It was intended to be a Nintendo 64 launch title, but was delayed due to its original publisher, Nintendo, having issues with the game's violent themes, and eventual dropping of the title, leaving DMA to find a new publisher.

Quote

After two years of hard slog DMA eventually presented an action game to Nintendo. Unsurprisingly, it was not what Nintendo had seen in the design document and more importantly, it was not to its taste. A crack team of Nintendo experts, including a producer from the Zelda series, flew over to sort out the mess. It was suggested that the game be reincarnated as an RPG – not what DMA wanted to hear. For the following year, Nintendo worked closely with the developer. Richard Ralfe, Body Harvest’s designer, describes it as a turbulent time. “[Nintendo’s] input was greatly appreciated, but provided massive headaches for us – its focus for the game was very different from the original concept,” he remembers.

At the time, the N64 was missing a big RPG and was being embarrassingly outsold by the PlayStation. Nintendo made plans for Body Harvest to plug the crucial RPG space and DMA grudgingly accepted. “We had problems with their reasoning initially, but after sitting down and discussing the possibilities we came on board.” A series of strange meetings ensued with a Japanese interpreter translating peculiar sci-fi terminology. With DMA’s broad Scottish accents the tense collaboration was at least lined with comedy. Sadly, things weren’t improving very fast and Nintendo didn’t see the funny side.

When Nintendo felt that DMA had suffered enough, the team was taken out to dinner in a traditional Japanese restaurant. [Shigeru Miyamoto] was present but he didn’t say much and looked somewhat solemn – probably still searching for meaning in the profound image of bug and car.

Body Harvest landed in stores courtesy of publishers Midway Home Entertainment and Gremlin Interactive during the release windows of Nintendo's own Banjo-Kazooie and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.  Needless to say, there was no Body Harvest 2

Quote

The language barrier between the Japanese publisher and British developer added to the difficulty of implementing these changes, as the developers sometimes struggled to understand what Nintendo wanted from them; Whyte cited as an example a message in which Nintendo told them to make the graphics "more materialistic."^[7] DMA Design's head, David Jones, described their relationship with Nintendo:

It's fine. It's hard. It's a very hard relationship because their quality is so high, that it's so hard to match the quality of the products they do. And they really want you to focus on making Nintendo products. It's very hard to write games that you're not writing for yourself, which is traditionally what I've done. ... And basically, we just have to listen to them because we're not as good as they are. Nobody in the world is as good as they are, so we'd be daft to try and say, "We think you're wrong." So we just have to work with them, and we implement everything that they ask for.^[8]

via pressthebuttons

 

 

I'm really excited for this, I loved playing GTA 3 back when it first came out, I was a little young for it then so didn't own it myself but often played my brothers copy on his PS2. I remember really enjoying punching the public onto train tracks and waiting for the train to come by... looking back I can see why some of the public and all of the media were concerned about kids playing it but it's honestly still quite comical and slapstick in its presentation 

As for this remake I can't see why there wouldn't be a physical version as it would sell like crazy, especially the Switch version, but after what happened recently with Kingdom Hearts I guess we can't take anything for granted. The dream scenario would be the whole package on one cart but given what LA Noire was like and some of the other retro game compilations from elsewhere like Crash and Spyro, I think we may have GTA3 on cart with the other games being downloadable. 

I wouldn't hold out hope for original soundtracks, I'm sure some of the music may stay in but I'm sure a vast majority won't, it's not as east licensing music as it was back then and I also don't think Rockstar will go to the effort when they know it will just be the hardcore nostalgia fans complaining compared to the millions of casual players not noticing the difference. 

Graphically you're all likely right about it just being a resolution bump but we may at least see some cleaned up character models, I got the iOS port for my iPhone and Pad years back, like 2013 ish, and the overworld all looked the same but the characters did look nice and clearly had updated textures and even higher poly models, they have actual hands in that version unlike the comical N64 style blocks with lines seen in the original PS2 version of 3. 

I never played the other two as much, I was too knee deep in Melee and Sunshine by the time Vice City came out and wasn't too fussed but I do remember by the time San Andreas rolled around I did get my first pang of jealousy and wondering whether the grass is greener on the other side as all my friends had a blast in Andreas while I was picking noses on WarioWare and bangin' bongos on Konga 2 (love both obviously but there was clearly a lot to be envious of in what seemed like such a huge sprawling world back then). 

I'm rambling anyway, yeah I'm looking forward to it lol. 

[Julius]

PSA: Rockstar are today removing the ability to purchase the ports of the PS2 games previously available on the PlayStation Store and the original versions of the game available on digital storefronts today, as outlined here. 

Quote

Question: Why can't I find digital versions of Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for sale?

Answer: With the October 8, 2021 announcement of Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and the Rockstar Games Launcher, previous versions and bundles featuring these titles will be removed from console and PC digital retailers as of the week of October 11, 2021.

Players who purchased these titles previously will still be able to download and play them on their respective purchase platforms.

Considering that we haven't even seen these Definitive Editions in action - heck, not even in still screenshots! - before the ports of the originals are removed is quite frankly disgusting. It's terrible for video game preservation, and it's a gross business practice, considering these ports are available on, for example, the PlayStation Store for £28.99 in a bundle currently, and these so-called Definitive Editions which we haven't seen anything of could well be released at a hefty and modern price of around £60. And the fact that they refuse to show anything of the Definitive Editions before pulling this means it's probably just an updated control scheme and updated - but not truly modern - textures and assets. 

Rockstar, 

Now to figure out if I'm going to pick up the ports...

Edited October 11, 2021 by Julius

[Julius]

Please be excited and pre-order this game you haven't seen yet for full price! £54.99 on PC, PS4, and Xbox; Switch and PS5 price TBC. Releasing 11th November digitally, 6th December physically. 

Quote

Three iconic cities, three epic stories. Play the genre-defining classics of the original Grand Theft Auto Trilogy: Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas updated for a new generation, now with across-the-board enhancements including brilliant new lighting and environmental upgrades, with high-resolution textures, increased draw distances, Grand Theft Auto V-style controls and targeting, and much more, bringing these beloved worlds to life with all new levels of detail.

Purchase Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition from the Rockstar Store via the web or Rockstar Games Launcher by January 5, 2022 to receive $10 off a product priced at $15 or more (exchange rates apply). Discount expires January 16, 2022.

 

Edited October 22, 2021 by Julius

[Dcubed]

Made by Grove Street Games, the same developer behind the mobile ports?

 🚩Well this is on brand🚩

[Dcubed]

Well, there it is.

It's... a much bigger visual overhaul than I expected! It's almost like a large-scale fan-made remaster; very odd looking, but surprisingly faithful to the original art style of each game despite the pretty large increase in fidelity.  I'm impressed! I think it captures the original intended look & feel rather nicely.

Quote

GAMEPLAY ENHANCEMENTS:

• GTA V style controller layout
• Improved gunplay and targeting controls, with upgraded drive-by controls in SA
• Updated weapon and radio selection wheels
• Updated mini-maps with enhanced navigation allowing players to sett waypoints to destinations
• The ability to immediately restart a failed mission

VISUAL ENHANCEMENTS:

 

• Higher resolution textures from characters to weapons, vehicles to roads, and much more for greater detail
• A completely rebuilt lighting system with enhanced shadows, reflections, and more
• Improved water and weather effects
• Enhanced detail in trees and foliage
• Increased draw distances to provide a new level of depth and definition

PLATFORM SPECIFIC FEATURES:

 

• 4K-resolution support with up to 60 FPS performance for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X systems
• NVIDIA DLSS support for PC
• Touch screen camera zooming, pans and menu selections as well as Gyro aiming for the Nintendo Switch

Nice to see that they're putting in some effort into the Switch version.  Touch screen support and gyro aiming are really nice to see (not all that common for a 3rd party multi-platform release!)

Edited October 22, 2021 by Dcubed

[Helmsly]

wow, yeah it's certainly a lot more then what I was expecting. Pretty great overall!

although few things I am unsure of, such as how Tommy Vercetti looks now:

Spoiler

I'm going to wait for impressions on how well it runs on switch before buying though.

[killthenet]

It seems as if Nintendo are publishing/distributing the physical version on Switch. According to a Target listing there will be a download required though, so it appears that all 3 games won't be on the game card. 

I like the look of the new visuals, it looks as if they have added larger numbers of vehicles and NPC's which will certainly help to make the world's feel more alive - I played 3 on Android years ago and besides the clunky controls, the lack of traffic in the city was really jarring. Not sure if I'll pick it up digitally at launch or wait for the physical release to come down in price. The full price is justified with all the changes but it's still pretty steep when there are plenty of other releases to spend my money on

[Julius]

1 hour ago, killthenet said:

It seems as if Nintendo are publishing/distributing the physical version on Switch.

This basically ensures minimal price reductions, it's inclusion in sales, and the physical price not really budging, right?

adds to PlayStation wishlist

Nintendo publishing a remake of a Rockstar game is a match made in NPD heaven (or hell?), so I'm sure Mat Piscatella's going to be having a great day when we start seeing this turn up. 

[S.C.G]

GTA: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition is coming to the Nintendo Switch

Now up on the main page.

Press release and reveal trailer.

- - - - -

[Helmsly]

Some screenshots of the Switch version:

 

Edited November 7, 2021 by Helmsly

[Julius]

39 minutes ago, Helmsly said:

Some screenshots of the Switch version:

A bit surprised that this visually looks quite a bit compromised compared to what we've seen in the trailers and other promotional images? Is it just me? Some of those textures and the lighting just looks really flat, like the resolution has been reduced (you'd hope meaning a pretty solid frame rate). Probably not the best composition for promo images in general, though. 

Interested to see what the differences are exactly if Digital Foundry cover the release, because going off these images (and how little has been shown of the Switch version so far), unless you really want the portability the version releasing on dedicated home consoles and PC will likely be the definitive Definitive Edition. Which I guess shouldn't be very surprising? 

[Happenstance]

Sounds like the game isn't running all that well with framerate drops and some of the new graphics aren't exactly amazing. I think I might wait until the PC version gets a nice discount before I buy it. 

Spoiler