The game that changed the world, and continues to do so every time it's included in any retrospective look back at the games that have shaped the industry, GTA III remains the quintessential crime spree-lovers experience, thanks in no small part to giving us a blank slate as a protagonist. While the actions in-game would clash with that of Niko's in cutscenes (also called Ludo-narrative dissonance if we're being fancy) meant GTA IV lacked that necessary layer of weight that could cement it as a bold new direction for the series - and GTA V is the embodiment of this style of gameplay taken as far as it can go - it's GTA III where every single element meshed together perfectly. With a fantastic supporting cast voiced by legendary stalwarts of the crime genre such as Michael Madsen and Joe Pantoliano, that unmistakeable sense of exploration we all had when unlocking one island at a time back in the day still means that unless you're looking for the pure heft and polish of GTA V - that easily dwarfs this 2001 iteration - it's part three that's the real high-point of the series. For all GTA V does right, when you've got problematic and divisive player-characters like Trevor putting certain gamers off, GTA III remains the greatest modern-day achievement Rockstar would ever put out, -and today it's easy to see why.
