In the decade that has passed since Grand Theft Auto 3 burst into our living room with its 3D graphics, immersive terrain and fast cars, powerful guns and deadly explosives, it spawned the attempts by several video games to copy the formulae for what was soon to become known as the "sandbox" series. Some developers, admirably, succeeded in taking elements of Rockstar's GTA franchise and making more exciting and compelling games out of them by adding their own unique features. Others, however, simply tried to sell a GTA Rip Off, and these titles became known as "Grand Theft Auto Clones". Here, What Culture! examines five games similar in style to GTA, and breaks them down into the good and the just plain bad.
The Good
5. State of Emergency (2002)
Released a year after Grand Theft Auto 3, this ultra-violent game was developed by VIS Entertainment and released onto the Playstation 2, Xbox and PC. In many ways, it was just like GTA 3. The player could freely roam around areas teaming with hapless civilians, and unlock new ones to explore. Buildings could be set on fire and even blown up with grenade launchers, and as explosions ripped through the city, victims limbs and heads would rain from the sky in scenes of total bloodbath. The player could even pick up victims severed arms and use them as weapons, something of which we have never been able to do in any GTA game to date. For added fun, gamers could also interact with the environment and use metal chairs and recycling bins as weapons, another feature Rockstar are yet to utilize. It wasn't all about maiming innocents though. The player at times had to escort "freedom agents" to safety, and having successfully achieved this, said agent would be unlocked as a playable character. It was a lot of fun, mainly for the ridiculous amounts of gore and ability to kill and maim just about anyone you pleased. It spawned a sequel, which was far less successful.