Grand Theft Auto III (Original Release: 2001, PS2)
Best: Improving The Formula: If the first game created the basic blueprint for open-world action games, Grand Theft Auto III improved it, adding side content, more missions, and a larger, more cohesive open world to explore. Even 22 years later, you can still find brand-new, open-world video games that are essentially just doing the same thing Grand Theft Auto III did back in 2001: create a sandbox, and let you loose in it.
Worst: The Radio Stations: I may get some nasty replies for this, but I hate the GTA III radio stations. There are a few memorable songs, like “Rush, Rush” and “She’s On Fire”, but so much of the music is forgettable and it all feels random. Later games would feature incredible radio stations that felt perfectly suited for the game and world. This time though, eh…
