Earlier this month, Rockstar announced the Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition. This announcement came after a list of upcoming games leaked following a Nvidia update. The Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition will contain Grand Theft Auto 3, Vice City, and San Andreas. Yesterday morning, Rockstar revealed that Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition will release digitally on November 11th; a physical release of the remastering will be available on December 7th. Before the Trilogy rereleases, you must ask yourself is this worth picking up over Skyrim 10 Year Anniversary Edition or Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.
Before we dive into the yes and no’s of the remasterings, we should go over what Rockstar announced.
Rockstar Announcement
Experience the games that started it all — introducing unprecedented freedom and immersion through three living, breathing worlds filled with hilarious action, rich, cinematic storytelling, classic characters, and unforgettable music.
Bringing the classic worlds of Liberty City, Vice City, and San Andreas to modern platforms, Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition debuts new GTAV-inspired modern controls, plus across-the-board visual enhancements such as resolution upgrades and improved visual fidelity across the world, and much more to faithfully tune and improve upon all three games, while also maintaining their distinct original aesthetic.
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition introduces wide-ranging modern control upgrades, including improvements to targeting and lock-on aiming, updated Weapon and Radio Station Wheels, updated Mini-Maps with enhanced navigation allowing players to set waypoints to destinations, updated Achievements, Trophies, and more. The Nintendo Switch version also features Switch-specific controls including Gyro aiming, as well as touch screen camera zooming, pans, and menu selections, while the PC version includes support for NVIDIA DLSS and additional new Accomplishments via the Rockstar Games Social Club.
Additional enhancements across all three titles include a completely rebuilt lighting system; improved shadows, weather, and reflections; upgraded character and vehicle models; along with new higher resolution textures across buildings, weapons, roads, interiors, and more. Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition also features a range of environmental upgrades including all new foliage, smoother surfaces, and increased draw distances to provide a new level of depth and clarity throughout the world.
Players will be able to experience Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – The Definitive Edition with Xbox Game Pass starting November 11. Grand Theft Auto 3 will be available to play on PlayStation Now.
The Yes and No.
When the Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition was first announced, we were excited about the prospects of an HD remastering for the Grand Theft Auto Trilogy. Since the release of the comparison trailer, this excitement has died down a bit. Character and vehicle models have been updated but look unusual. Like other remasterings, the games have received a quality of life update; however, these updates feel like a cash grab rather than a well-thought-out project. Certain parts of the game look like a true remastering whereas others seem like an independent artist’s attempt to recreate the game.
When watching the official trailer, the building updates to The Trilogy feel like they are from GTA V. Meanwhile, character models look like they are straight out of a Telltale game. As someone who loved GTA Vice City and San Andreas growing up, this remastering feels like a fast cash grab rather than giving fans what they want.
Slight Disappointment
When you compare this update to other remasterings and remakes, it is a bit insulting. If EA and Activision can do a good job with Mass Effect and Tony Hawk, why shouldn’t Rockstar take the time to remake the Grand Theft Auto Trilogy? Will I ultimately play this Trilogy? Yes, only because of wanting to experience something I loved when I was younger. If you can get past the graphics, The remastered trilogy should rekindle your love of the three games or make you feel nostalgic.
According to Rockstar, The Trilogy will feature the same music and voice acting as the original. It will be exciting to hear some of the iconic lines once again. Hopefully, Rockstar will eventually release a remastering of Vice City Stories and Liberty City Stories.
With that said, will you pick up the remastered Trilogy? If you do, which of the three games will you play first? Personally, I will start out with Vice City. If you are not fully sold on the Trilogy, it may be a good idea to wait until it goes on sale. If you do not like the updated graphics, push for improvements like the gaming community did with Sonic.
