Information about Grand Theft Auto (video Game)

This article is about the videogame. For other uses, see Grand Theft Auto.

Grand Theft Auto
Grand Theft Auto UK box art, PC version
Developer(s)	DMA Design, Tarantula Studios
Publisher(s)	ASC Games, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.
Release date(s)	PC and PlayStation 1997 Game Boy Color 1999
Genre(s)	Action
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer
Rating(s)	BBFC: 18 ESRB: M ESRB: T (GBC) OFLC: MA15+ OFLC: M (GBC
Platform(s)	PC, PlayStation, GBC)
Media	CD-ROM, Cartridge

Grand Theft Auto (GTA) is a computer and video game created by Scottish company, DMA Design (now Rockstar North) and published by ASC Games in 1997/1998. The game allows the player to take on the role of a criminal who can roam around the city freely. Various missions are set for completion, such as bank robberies, assassinations, and other crimes. It is the first in the Grand Theft Auto series that has thus far spanned eight standalone games, and two expansion packs for the original. The game was originally named "Race N Chase".^[1]

Gameplay

Grand Theft Auto is made up of a series of levels each set in one of the three cities in the game. In each level, the player has a target number of points to achieve, and five lives to attain the score. The player is free to do whatever he wants. The player can gain points by causing death and destruction amid the traffic in the city, or steal and sell cars for profit, although to get to the large target money amount to complete a level, players will usually opt to complete some missions. Even during missions there is still some freedom as most of the time the player is free to choose the route to take, but the destination is usually fixed. It is this level of freedom which set GTA apart from other action based computer games at the time.^[2]

Locations

The three cities in which the game is set are modelled after real cities, in terms of landscape and style. They are Liberty City (New York City), San Andreas (San Francisco) and Vice City (Miami).

These three cities would later become the settings of Grand Theft Auto III, , , , , , and Grand Theft Auto IV.

Soundtrack

Grand Theft Auto has seven 'radio stations', plus a police band track, which can be heard once the player enters a car, however, each vehicle can only receive a limited amount of these radio stations. In the Playstation port each car only had one station.

Also when playing the Grand Theft Auto missions for the Playstation, you can take the disk out and replace it with your favorite music CD,so next time you steal a car it will randomly play any song from the CD.

The game's title track is "Gangster Friday" by Craig Conner (who played all instruments on this track), credited to the ficticious band Slumpussy, and doesn't appear on any of the radio stations.

With the exception of Head Radio FM, the names of songs or the radio station names are never mentioned in-game. However the soundtrack is listed in the booklet which comes with the Grand Theft Auto game.

N-CT FM (Hip-Hop/Rap)

Da Shootaz - Grand Theft Auto (Craig Conner)

Slumpussy - This Life (C.Conner/Robert DeNegro)

CCC Featuring Robert DeNegro - Blow Your Console (C.Conner/R.DeNegro)

Radio '76 FM (Funk/Retro) (This radio station's name is also mentioned in-game although it is not the same - Funk FM. It might be a nickname, or just an error.)

Ghetto Fingers - On The Move (Colin Anderson)

Ashtar - Aori (C.Anderson)

Stylus Exodus - Pootang Shebang (C.Anderson)

Head Radio FM (Pop/Rock)

Reality Bubble - Days Like These (C.Conner)

Meme Traders - Automatic Transmission (Grant Middleton)

Ohjaamo - Complications (C.Conner)

The Fix FM (Techno/Apartment)

Animal Testing Centre - DSP (C.Conner)

Rotorman - Ride (C.Conner)

Technophiliak - Lagerstar (G.Middleton)

It's Unleashed FM (Alternative/Soft Jazz)

Stikki Fingers - 4 Letter Love (C.Anderson/B.Baglow)

The Hounds - Let It Out (C.Conner)

Bleeding Stump - Just Do It (C.Anderson)

The Fergus Buckner Show FM (Country)

Sideways Hank O'Malley (and The Alabama Bottle Boys) - The Ballad of Chapped Lip Calquhoun (C.Anderson/B.Baglow)

Brooklyn Underground FM (Trance)

Retrograde - Benzoate (C.Conner)

Government Listening Post - E104 (C.Conner)

Trancefer - Figiwhiz (C.Conner)

Ports

The original Grand Theft Auto was developed in DOS, and then later ported to Microsoft Windows, Sony PlayStation, and Game Boy Color. Surprisingly, the Game Boy Color version was unabridged, which was quite a technical achievement due to the sheer size of the cities, converted tile-for-tile from the PC original, making them many times larger than most Game Boy Color game worlds were because of the handheld's limited hardware. To cater for the target younger generation, however, the game was heavily censored, with gore and swearing removed.

The PC version comes in several different executables for DOS and MS-Windows, which use single set of data files (except for 8 bit dos version which uses different but similar graphics)

A port was in development for the Nintendo 64 but was quickly cancelled without ever having a public appearance. It was essentially a port of the PlayStation version, with enhanced graphics and extra levels. ^[3]

See also

Notes

External links

• Grand Theft Auto official site
• Free download of GTA and GTA2 as Rockstar Classics
• Original GTA prototypes
• at MobyGames
• Gouranga

•  • [ e] Grand Theft Auto
Games	Grand Theft Auto () GTA2 GTA III GTA Advance GTA IV
Protagonists	Claude Tommy Vercetti Carl "CJ" Johnson Mike Toni Cipriani Victor Vance Niko Bellic
Characters	GTA III GTA Advance GTA IV Gangs
Locations	Liberty City Vice City San Andreas (Los Santos San Fierro Las Venturas) Carcer City
Soundtracks	GTA2 GTA III GTA IV
Other	Media