Gta Vice City Definitive Edition Classic

[Elder Raman]

Thetwo-year development focused on maintaining the look and feel of the original games; the physics code was copied from the originals, and artificial intelligence was used to automatically upscale textures. The development team studied the distinctive qualities of the original games. They added several colouring, weathering, and lighting effects, as well as new assets from Grand Theft Auto V (2013). The team consulted with the original developers at Rockstar North when upgrading the character designs. Prior to release, existing versions of the three games were removed from sale from digital retailers, which led to criticism from audiences and journalists; in response, Rockstar restored the original versions on the Rockstar Store.

The Definitive Edition was released for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on 11 November 2021, and for Android and iOS devices on 14 December 2023. The Windows launch was marred by problems with the Rockstar Games Launcher, rendering it unplayable for three days. The game received negative reviews; critics generally praised the enhanced visuals, upgraded lighting, improved controls, and added gameplay mechanics, but criticised its technical problems, art direction, and character models. It was one of the lowest-scoring games of 2021, and was the subject of review bombing on Metacritic. Rockstar apologised for the technical problems and announced its intentions to improve the game through updates.

Grand Theft Auto III is set in Liberty City, loosely based on New York City;[9] it follows a silent protagonist, Claude, who is betrayed and left for dead by his girlfriend during a robbery and embarks on a quest for revenge that leads him to become entangled in a world of crime, drugs, gang warfare, and corruption.[4] Vice City, set in 1986 in the fictional Vice City (based on Miami),[10] follows mobster Tommy Vercetti who, after being released from prison and becoming caught up in an ambushed drug deal, begins slowly building an empire by seizing power from other criminal organisations in the city.[8] San Andreas is set in 1992 within the fictional state of San Andreas, consisting of three main cities: Los Santos (based on Los Angeles), San Fierro (based on San Francisco), and Las Venturas (based on Las Vegas); the game follows former gangster Carl "CJ" Johnson, who returns home following his mother's murder and is drawn back into his former gang and a life of crime while clashing with corrupt authorities and powerful criminals.[6]

All three titles are remastered for The Definitive Edition, including a rebuilt lighting system, upgraded vehicle and character models, new navigation and heads-up display designs, and improved shadows, reflections, and draw distances. The controls were updated to match those of Grand Theft Auto V (2013), and the checkpoint system was improved to allow for an automatic restart. On Nintendo Switch, the game includes gyro aiming and touchscreen support.[11] Some music tracks and cheats from the original versions of the games were removed.[12][13]

The team wanted The Definitive Edition to maintain the feeling of the original games; as part of this, they copied the original physics code.[16] They originally attempted to rebuild some of the main buildings from scratch, such as the player characters' houses, but noticed a discrepancy in quality compared to other buildings. Some assets were improved from the original games, while others were ultimately rebuilt entirely.[17] The team used an artificial intelligence program to upscale textures before making manual adjustments; producer Rich Rosado estimated over 100,000 textures were changed. The added navigation feature was implemented using pathfinding as well as analysing the routes taken by the non-player characters (NPCs), though it required some manual adjustments; the team found these implementations to be "easy wins" due to the existing technology.[16] They wanted The Definitive Edition to run smoothly across all platforms while taking advantage of the higher-end hardware.[17]

The existence of The Definitive Edition was first reported in August 2021 by Kotaku, claiming its development was led by Rockstar Dundee.[19] Media speculation continued in September after the Game Rating and Administration Committee in South Korea gave the trilogy a game rating,[20] and in early October after an update to the Rockstar Games Launcher included data referencing the game, such as logos, art, and achievements.[21] Rockstar announced the trilogy on 8 October 2021, coinciding with the 20th anniversary month of Grand Theft Auto III's original release.[22] It revealed the trilogy would feature "across-the-board upgrades ... while still maintaining the classic look and feel of the originals".[23]

Existing versions of the three games were removed from sale from digital retailers on consoles and Windows on 13 October 2021.[24][25] Audiences and journalists criticised the move, citing concerns with video game preservation, a lack of choice between versions, and the potential removal of music due to expired licences, which had occurred with previous re-releases.[26][27] Eurogamer's Wesley Yin-Poole called the decision a "blow to video game preservation" and poor for player choice.[27] Upon the game's release, Rockstar confirmed the music matched the trilogy's most recent 2014 re-releases, with over 30 songs missing from Vice City and San Andreas collectively.[12] Some cheats were removed as they "didn't play well" in Unreal Engine.[13] On 19 November, Rockstar announced the original versions would be released as a bundle on the Rockstar Store;[28] they were delivered for free to owners of The Definitive Edition on 3 December, and remained available with all purchases of the game until 30 June 2022.[29] Customers who bought The Definitive Edition through the Rockstar Games Launcher were eligible to receive one free Rockstar game[b] between 20 December 2021 and 5 January 2022.[30]

Preorders for The Definitive Edition began on 22 October 2021, alongside the release of the first full trailer and screenshots demonstrating the graphical enhancements.[11] The game was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on 11 November 2021.[31] Physical versions were initially scheduled to release on 7 December[11] but were delayed to 17 December for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X,[32] and to 11 February 2022 for Switch.[33] The Windows version supports Nvidia DLSS, while the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X versions display at 4K resolution with up to 60 frames per second.[11] The game was made available on Steam on 19 January 2023, allowing Steam Deck support,[34] and on the Epic Games Store on 15 February.[35]

Android and iOS versions of The Definitive Edition were originally scheduled to be released in the first half of 2022.[22] Rockstar's parent company Take-Two Interactive updated the release window for the mobile versions in May 2022 to its 2023 fiscal year, ending 31 March 2023,[45] and in November replaced the release date with "TBA".[46] In November 2023, Netflix announced The Definitive Edition would be released for Android and iOS on 14 December via the App Store and Google Play, available for Netflix subscribers and individual purchase.[47] The mobile ports, developed by Video Games Deluxe,[2] addressed additional bugs and added a lighting option to match the original games.[48]

The Definitive Edition received "mixed or average reviews" for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, and "generally unfavorable reviews" for Nintendo Switch and Windows, according to review aggregator Metacritic,[49] and 13% of critics recommended the game, according to OpenCritic.[50] It was one of the lowest-scoring games on Metacritic in 2021.[62] Jordan Middler of Video Games Chronicle described the collection as "far from 'definitive'",[59] and Chris Shive of Hardcore Gamer wrote "these games are all masterpieces and as such deserve a better collection than this".[53] GameSpot's Justin Clark was confused as to why Rockstar Games, known for its high-quality and detailed games like Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018), would publish a remaster "that turns its most iconic games into app store shovelware".[52] Jeuxvideo.com's Jerome Joffard felt the games maintained their original charm and feeling of freedom.[55]

Destructoid's Dan Roemer wrote the updated visuals "look pretty solid", particularly praising the neon signs of Vice City.[63] Screen Rant's Christopher J. Teuton said the games "look better here than they ever have before", excluding mods, though noted the increased draw distance in San Andreas made the map feel simpler and smaller.[64] Several critics echoed the latter sentiment;[51][65] Video Games Chronicle's Middler said it "feels like something you were never supposed to see",[59] and IGN's Tristan Ogilvie wrote it "completely shatters the convincing illusion of scale".[54] Zack Zwiezen of Kotaku described the improved graphics as "at times stunning and distracting", praising the improvements and additions of trees and foliage, but noting some broken or improperly-upscaled textures.[66] VideoGamer.com's Josh Wise found the improved draw distances and lighting removed the dirtier mood of the originals, with Grand Theft Auto III and San Andreas missing the "grey-green murk" and the "beer-tinted haze", respectively.[61] Clark of GameSpot echoed this sentiment and stressed the importance of art direction, noting the mood and personality of the games, cities, and characters had been largely lost.[52]

Jeuxvideo.com's Joffard felt the improved lighting system highlights the themes of each game: the darker atmosphere of Grand Theft Auto III, bright colours of Vice City, and dusty roads of San Andreas.[55] Sam Machkovech of Ars Technica called the lighting the "best part" of the game,[67] and Middler of Video Games Chronicle felt it "captures the vibe perfectly", especially in Vice City, though noted the sunlight was occasionally too bright.[59] NME's Jordan Olomon wrote the improved lighting effects "make it feel like what you imagined these games looked like when you were a kid".[65] IGN's Ogilvie thought the lighting was inconsistent, enjoying the neon lights of Vice City and the general reflections in cars and puddles, but criticising the intense shadows and distracting rain effects;[54] The Guardian's Keza MacDonald called the rain effects "so ugly that they obscure your view",[58] and GameSpot's Clark said they render the games "virtually unplayable".[52] Several critics found the lighting changes would often make scenes too dark.[53][66][68]

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