For months it was rumoured to be a thing, with the GTA Forums teasing it even before then. Whether you believed it or not, it was a dream to get fully operation versions of these classic games on modern hardware. Or so I’d seen. I really have no memories, no nostalgia, for the 3D era. But I knew of them. I knew of their impact within gaming. While I might have played a bit of San Andreas once when young, and enjoyed wandering around the map of Vice City Stories, it wouldn’t be until GTA V where I’d get involved fully with the GTA series.

But by the time I felt it would be worthwhile to play older games of the series, there wasn’t much chance of that happening. I had the Trilogy of III, Vice City, and San Andreas on Steam, but the latter broke on me early on in the game, and I never wanted to touch the others in case of that happening with them. Sure, there’s mods that could help, and while there’s guides to help with such to get the best experience of these games, I knew where I’d much rather experience them.

Turning to consoles for the experience of those games is futile unless you own the original consoles they were released on. From what I’ve heard, the PS4 ports of the PS2 games run bad, and for all the talk of the Xbox 360 version of San Andreas that can be bought from the Microsoft Store also running bad, I never had much of a problem. Except for the – to me – outdated controls. Which is why I was hoping for such rumours of remastered versions to be true.

And they are! And better yet, they’re coming to the Switch. The first time a Nintendo console will see the main series GTA games (at least, the 3D ones) release on them. Announced two weeks ago, we’ve now got new information and a trailer so we can see what the Definitive Editions look like. The games have seen a facelift in terms of visuals, with the cartoony style really popping even on what I assume are the old models. A new lighting system is implemented that looks to add new life into these worlds.

The general experience is improved, with the website detailing GTA V-styled controls for all three games, with gunplay and targeting mechanics being reworked – as well as drive-by controls in San Andreas. Updated mini-maps and enhanced navigation are sure to help players within the worlds. Failing a mission is also less of a problem, as you’ll be able to instantly restart it without the need to travel back to its start point.

It does feel as though these games are being brought into the modern age – even if not completely remade. And it’s something I don’t mind. If the idea was to bring them into the modern age while keeping the classic feel to them, this is something I would have expected from any developer. Those franchises under Activision have certainly gone above and beyond in their remasters, but to hold everyone to that standard will leave you disappointed more often than not.

Would completely updating the models have looked better? Absolutely. There’s things that look a bit distorted on characters – likely from the clothes still being part of the models, but when in motion I’m sure it won’t be as noticeable. The vehicles look great, as do the worlds. I’m sure there’ll still be some issues in things not looking as great as they could be, but until players get into the worlds to look for themselves, we just won’t know. Even then, I doubt it will be anything that drastically effects the experience.

For those on the fence about these games, there’s a chance to play them as it seems each will be getting time to shine on both Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Now. San Andreas is currently available for pre-load on Game Pass, while III has been confirmed to be arriving on Now. How long they’ll be on these services remains to be seen, but doing so is a great way to tempt new players into giving them a chance – especially if the price is something holding them back.

For someone who has yet to fully experience these greats, The Definitive Edition will be a great way for me to do so – and on a portable machine with dedicated controls. I can’t wait to get back to Vice City and explore once again the 3D era world I have the most memories of. I can’t wait to see all of San Andreas and experience what many hold up as the best world Rockstar have created. I can’t wait to head into the Liberty City of the 3D era and experience the world that changed the nature of open world games forever.

Images Taken From:
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition Trailer