Okay, so either this has been entirely patched or the Switch version of this piece of the compilation simply isn't as bad as it is on the other consoles. Like many, I'm well aware of the backlash these remasters have received and seen plenty of footage on the various technical issues responsible for it. In fact I only picked up the package because I thought it would be a shoo-in for my Video Game Hell list. So imagine my surprise when I find that the first game I've touched in this collection so far is not just completely functional, but incredibly enjoyable as well.
Now, GTA III is pretty simplistic by modern standards. There's barely a plot, the player character never speaks, and all you're really doing is commiting a bunch of random crimes for a handful of named NPCs. Yet, you almost can't tell while playing it. That's because this is one of the titles that helped shape the open-world experience as we know it, and it's DNA is still noticeably present in the genre to this very day. So while this may not have the rich storytelling or heaps of side-content that its many offspring do, it won't feel like you're picking up some old relic from a bygone era of game design. Plus, it might even have a little something over its more recent successors due to the freedom, flexibility, and room for experimentation its structure allows for giving it a slight sandbox vibe I've felt is becoming rarer in current times.
That's not to say it doesn't show any age at all. You can tell the team at Rockstar North (formerly known as DMA Design when this originally launched) were kind of acting as pioneers here, and as such hadn't quite figured out the best way to make each of the various mechanics work in their introductory foray into a new style of Grand Theft Auto. Thus things like the combat, driving, and penalties for death or messing up a job are more dated than anyone would prefer. That's where this rerelease's improvements come in.
Say what you want to about the cartoonish graphical update, which I personally don't think is a downgrade in the slightest, but the additions of a weapon wheel, the choice between different methods of shooting, and most significantly checkpoints are massive, undeniable enhancements that increase the overall quality and playability. The last of them in particular. Plenty of gamers will (and already do) take issue with how they aren't placed liberally throughout missions, instead strictly at the beginning forcing you to restart from their opening cutscenes upon failure, but the majority of them are so short anyways and they serve their intended purpose of preventing you from losing your items respawning at a hospital that it ultimately isn't a problem.
Look, I can't attest to what state this is in on other hardware or if its also upgraded siblings included with the bundle perform just as well (at least not yet). Running on Nintendo's handheld/home console hybrid however, paired with the various helpful changes, this is without a doubt the best way to play the third numbered entry in the series. Allowing it to live up to its moniker as the "definitive" version.
8/10
Now, GTA III is pretty simplistic by modern standards. There's barely a plot, the player character never speaks, and all you're really doing is commiting a bunch of random crimes for a handful of named NPCs. Yet, you almost can't tell while playing it. That's because this is one of the titles that helped shape the open-world experience as we know it, and it's DNA is still noticeably present in the genre to this very day. So while this may not have the rich storytelling or heaps of side-content that its many offspring do, it won't feel like you're picking up some old relic from a bygone era of game design. Plus, it might even have a little something over its more recent successors due to the freedom, flexibility, and room for experimentation its structure allows for giving it a slight sandbox vibe I've felt is becoming rarer in current times.
That's not to say it doesn't show any age at all. You can tell the team at Rockstar North (formerly known as DMA Design when this originally launched) were kind of acting as pioneers here, and as such hadn't quite figured out the best way to make each of the various mechanics work in their introductory foray into a new style of Grand Theft Auto. Thus things like the combat, driving, and penalties for death or messing up a job are more dated than anyone would prefer. That's where this rerelease's improvements come in.
Say what you want to about the cartoonish graphical update, which I personally don't think is a downgrade in the slightest, but the additions of a weapon wheel, the choice between different methods of shooting, and most significantly checkpoints are massive, undeniable enhancements that increase the overall quality and playability. The last of them in particular. Plenty of gamers will (and already do) take issue with how they aren't placed liberally throughout missions, instead strictly at the beginning forcing you to restart from their opening cutscenes upon failure, but the majority of them are so short anyways and they serve their intended purpose of preventing you from losing your items respawning at a hospital that it ultimately isn't a problem.
Look, I can't attest to what state this is in on other hardware or if its also upgraded siblings included with the bundle perform just as well (at least not yet). Running on Nintendo's handheld/home console hybrid however, paired with the various helpful changes, this is without a doubt the best way to play the third numbered entry in the series. Allowing it to live up to its moniker as the "definitive" version.
8/10