2. Grand Theft Auto III
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrTmcsnBIi0 All the GTA games have their very own unique voice and themes. The shifting cultural balancing board of the 90's is on display in San Andreas, while the free-wheeling fun of the 1980's is all over Vice City. So where does that leave GTA III? It's the Godfather of them all. The Leone crime family bear more than a few resemblances to the Corleones, and it isn't just their name; Patriarch Salvatore can clearly be traced back to Marlon Brando's Vito, granting GTA 3 a very strong focus on the Italian Mafia. The soundtrack combines a string of house and hip-hop with 90's-style alternative pop, owning up to the decade it seems inspired by. 2001 was part of a time that saw a tremendous rise in new technology, where the internet was still a little shaky and even we as people were trying to figure out what the heck cell phones were good for. The music has a sort of rebellious feel to it, as if it has all the answers and its just letting you along for the ride, so sure of itself in the same vein as a Y2K 'survivor'. It is championed by Chatterbox, a talk radio station hosted by Lazlow. The scripting of the Chatterbox station is outstanding, anchored by the insane, yet believable parade of callers. Whether it's a warning about killer bees or someone wanting to tell Lazlow about how much she hates phones, Chatterbox will make you smile on even the worst day. Then there's Double Clef FM, a classical music station that completely sells the gangster movie vibe too. It's a brilliant effort by Rockstar all around.