4. Grand Theft Auto 3 - The World Is Your Playground
Grand Theft Auto 3 changed the face of video gaming in a number or profound ways, and its impact on the industry landscape can not be ignored. Unlike most of the other games on this list, its magic didn't lie in a singular game design gimmick or a clever bit of programming wizardry, but in the way Rockstar placed us in this intricately realized sandbox world and gave us the keys. Never before had we been faced with so much freedom - this was the epitome of "I wonder if I can do that?... Oh, snap! I can!" gameplay. Cinematic and vividly detailed, whether you were on-track with the tense, varied storyline missions or just wreaking absolute random havoc, a "quick" GTA3 session would inevitably turn into hours upon hours of Liberty City rampage. It says a lot for the outstanding game design at play here to see how often the core philosophies of Grand Theft Auto 3 have been aped since its 2001 release. From straight-forward me-too clones like Sleeping Dogs and the True Crime franchise, to more outlandish takes on the concept like Saints Row, the vast success of GTA 3 was quickly jumped on by competing developers wanting a piece of the action. Fast forward to today, and the Grand Theft Auto franchise has grown to be among the biggest names in the industry, and while the clones are still out there trying to catch some of the limelight, Rockstar's flagship franchise is proving hard to beat.
Game-obsessed since the moment I could twiddle both thumbs independently. Equally enthralled by all the genres of music that your parents warned you about.
