With Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition launching soon and promising enhanced and improved versions of three of the best open world games of all time, excitement surrounding the release is at a fever pitch. With that release right around the corner, there are millions right now who’re daydreaming about things they can’t wait to do in those games- and you can count us in that group. In fact, that’s exactly what we’ll be doing in this feature.
ACTIVATE CHEAT CODES
There aren’t a lot of franchises out there that have consistently emphasized and even encouraged cheat codes and really tried to have fun with them, but GTA is surely one of them. From giving yourself infinite health to giving yourself a terrifying arsenal of weaponry, from summoning a helicopter to making everything around you instantly explode, the GTA games offer players plenty of ways to mess about in the open world in unique ways, and we can’t wait to do just that.
TORTURE NPCs
As awful as it might sound, unleashing unnecessary and excessive violence on innocent bystander NPCs for no rhyme or reason is a time-honoured tradition that GTA fans have been following for decades- and it’s not gonna change anytime soon. From minor annoyances, like simply parking a car in front of a civilian and obstructing their way, to more outward displays of aggression, like beating an NPC to death for no reason and running away, torturing NPCs in GTA is never not fun- and you can be sure we’ll be doing plenty of it in the three remasters.
GET IN A COP CHASE
This sort of goes without saying, but given how embedded into the GTA formula this is, we’re going to say it anyway. Being a general prick and then getting in trouble with the cops for it is something you can’t help but do in GTA games, and the excellent chases that escalate in intensity as you wreak more havoc tend to be some of the most fun you can have playing these games. We’ll definitely be tearing through the streets of Liberty City, Vice City, and San Andreas as the cops chase after us every chance we get.
GO ON A RAMPAGE
Speaking of escalation- getting noticed by the police for your crimes and leading them on a merry city-wide chase is as fun as it is because of how out of control these situations can get. You kill more NPCs, destroy more police cars, and more police cars chase after you. Destroy those as well, and then SWAT teams arrive. And then choppers, and then tanks. So yeah, we can’t wait to watch that Wanted level go up and see how long we can survive before the cops waste us.
JUMP OFF SKYSCRAPERS (WITH PARACHUTES)
For as pointless as this activity is, it’s surprising how universal it is in the GTA playerbase. Rockstar has always filled its sandboxes with tall skyscrapers, and by that same token, players have always loved jumping off of them. High on our list of priorities for when we play either of the three remasters is getting a jetpack or a chopper or what have you, getting to the top off a skyscraper, and then jumping off of it just for the heck of it. If we have a parachute with us, that’s a nice bonus.
BUY NEW CLOTHES (IN SAN ANDREAS)
GTA: San Andreas really pushed the envelope with customization options when it first launched back in 2003, and even though those options seem pretty by the numbers by today’s standards, there’s still quite a bit of depth there. Clothing, for instance, is something that San Andreas players can (and have) spent hours poring over. With all the different clothing and cosmetic options that are available in the game, we can’t wait to dive back into it and deck out CJ all over again.
GO TO THE GYMS AND RESTAURANTS (IN SAN ANDREAS)
Of course, GTA: San Andreas’ customization options aren’t just limited to the cosmetic kind. The game’s RPG mechanics really stood out when it launched back in the day, with players being allowed to manage CJ’s physical stats and skills (and by extension, appearance) in a variety of ways. There’s plenty of restaurants and gyms scattered all through that map that are focused purely on that, and we’ll be spending a lot of time in all of those locations in the remaster.
GO TO ICONIC LOCATIONS
Beyond the restaurants and gyms in GTA: San Andreas though, there are plenty of other locations throughout the three games that we can’t wait to see once more. Whether its the Ocean View Hotel or Vice Beach and in Vice City, or Grove Street in San Andreas, or the Callahan Bridge and Cochrane Dam in Liberty City, there are a lot of memorable locations and landmarks in each of those three games that we’re excited to see in all of their remastered glory.
SURF THE RADIO
Surfing the radio stations in GTA game is something that the series’ fanbase has loved doing for as long as it’s been an option in video games, thanks not only to excellent playlists of songs, but also excellently written radio conversations that come around every now and then. GTA: The Trilogy’s radio playlist has now been officially confirmed as well, and barring a few omissions, the original list is largely intact, which means that side of the experience is looking quite promising.
HUNT FOR NEW EASTER EGGS
Open world games and easter eggs are always a wonderful combination- the former lends itself really well to the former, after all. Easter eggs and secrets in GTA games in particular are always a highlight, and while we are, of course, excited to hunt down all of that stuff in the remasters as well, we’re hoping that there will be some new easter eggs in the remasters as well. It’s not guaranteed by any means, but one can always hope.
DO PARAMEDIC MISSIONS
There’s a plethora of side content to dive into in every GTA game, and of the many, may optional activities that are available in these three in particular, Paramedic Missions tend to be quite a lot of fun. Racing against time limits while trying to get an ambulance from place to place is always a blast, especially because you end up running over countless NPCs as you’re trying to save one’s life. And yes, we’ll still be doing that in the remasters.
DO STUNT JUMPS
Aimlessly driving about in the open world is what truly defines the GTA experience, and while there’s no shortage of ways to have fun while doing just that, one particular way that stands out is doing stunt jumps. Jumping off of ramps strategically scattered throughout the map and watching your car fly through the air never stops being fun, and we’ll be hunting down the chance to do that quite often in the GTA remastered trilogy.
PURCHASE SAFE HOUSES
This is one for all the completionists out there, but still a lot of fun. Making money and tracking down and purchasing assets and safehouses scattered throughout the game (or games, in this case) is an inherently engaging activity, not least because there’s some really cool properties and assets to buy in these games. Hopefully, there will be some new additions here and there, but even in the absence of that, we’ll just be happy to go back to this activity as is.
FOLLOW TRAFFIC RULES
What GTA player hasn’t at one point tried to drive around the map like an ordinary law-abiding citizen? Don’t drive too fast, make sure you don’t hit anything (or anyone) around you, don’t bang into other cars, stop at red lights- that sort of stuff. It shouldn’t be fun owing to its very nature, but somehow, it always is. We never can resist doing this at least once in any GTA game, and you can bet we’ll be doing plenty more of it in the remastered trilogy as well.
CREATE A TRAFFIC JAM
Of course, on the flipside, causing traffic jams by being an absolute menace on the road is also always quite enjoyable. No matter what method you adopt – block a road completely with a convoy of stolen cars, or simply shoot oncoming drivers in their heads to cause a massive pile-up – there’s just something undeniably fun about causing these traffic jams.