GRAND THEFT AUTO 2
PlayStation review

The original Grand Theft Auto [GTA] caused a lot of controversy at the time of its release, and with car crime escalating as much as it is it's easy to see the concern. However, upon playing the game you can forget everything the parents opposed to the game were saying because it was so much fun. And that's one thing that a lot of games seem to lack these days, either they're far too serious to enjoy, or they lack gameplay.

Grand Theft Auto 2 [Gta2] follows in the same footsteps as the original, but without so much controversy, no doubt because everyone is used to this much violence these days. The setting is now in the not too distant future, with a kind of retro feel to the city and the transportation.

This is good in setting the game apart from the original, but on the downside the cars don't seem so familiar and this tends to remove some of the appeal.

Your character is a thief; simple as that, he is one of the bad-guys, but you love him anyway. The city is split into several sections, with the three main sections being run by the three main gangs; the Yakuza, the Zaibatsu and the Loonies. You don't have any particular loyalty to any of the gangs, you're just in it for the money, and so you're free to work for whomever you please. But obviously, working for a particular gang will result in one of the other gangs taking a disliking to you. On Later levels other gangs are introduced.

It's your job to locate certain telephones around the city to get jobs from each of the respective gang bosses. These can range from picking up drugs and distributing them to dealers in the city to more complex missions like stealing a bank truck, robbing the bank and getting the cash back to the gang's HQ.

Along the way you'll almost always need to steal cars. This is easily done by walking in front of any vehicle in the street and pressing the enter car button. You will proceed to drag the driver out onto the street and speed off in their car. However, doing this in front of any number of the police cars around the city, or even running over too many people will alert the cops to your dastardly crimes and you will be the target of their APB.

Unlike the first game, you are no longer the only Gta'er in the game. There are others just like you out to make some cash and will quite happily run you over if you get in their way, or try to steal the car you just stole if you're too slow pulling away.

The soundtrack also deserves a mention. On foot the only sound you'll hear are your own footsteps and the ambient noise of the city. Once in a car however you'll find the radio on, and different cars are tuned into different radio stations. For example, steal a redneck style truck and some foot-tapping country will be a-playin'; jack a sports car and you can rock out while you try to lose the cops. Also, all of these stations have their advertising in the form of humorous takes on the traditional American radio ad.

The game is viewed from a top down perspective, giving it a 2D feel even though it uses 3D models, making it easier to orientate yourself to the city. This though has its problems, the main one being the control system. When driving north, then the usual left/right controls apply, however, when driving south left becomes right and vice versa. This isn't a major problem, but it is one that takes some getting used to.

My only other gripe with the game is that its a little difficult locating the save point from time to time. It's a humorous and original idea making a save point a large church with a large, flashing neon "Jesus Saves!" sign, but when the cops are after you and you need to save fast it can get a little frustrating finding the place in the vastness of the city.

Gta2 is a great game though, and a little more relaxed than the original's always against the clock gameplay. Now you can explore the city more, which makes it a little more realistic. The police didn't seem a big a problem as in the original either; I didn't hate them as much anyway and felt they were only doing their job :)

Get Gta2 if you can, it's showing up in stores for under £10 lately so make the most of it. It's a very compelling game with great humour.

7/10

david twomey

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