| Grand Theft Auto 2 | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | DMA Design Tarantula Studios |
| Publisher(s) | Rockstar Games |
| Series | Grand Theft Auto |
| Version | 9.6 |
| Platform(s) | PC, PlayStation, Dreamcast, Game Boy Color |
| Release date(s) | PC
Game Boy Color
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| Genre(s) | Action-adventure, Open world |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Multiplayer (only on PC version) |
| Rating(s) | |
| Media/distribution | CD-ROM, GD-ROM, cartridge, Download |
Grand Theft Auto 2 (abbreviated as GTA2) is a video game that was released worldwide on October 25, 1999, by developer DMA Design (now Rockstar North), initially for the Windows operating system and the PlayStation console. The game was later ported to the Dreamcast console and the Game Boy Color. It is the sequel to 1997 hit Grand Theft Auto. The PC and Dreamcast versions of GTA2 are both rated M by the ESRB. The language and violence were toned down for the PlayStation and Game Boy Color versions which received a T rating.[1] Rockstar now offers the PC version as registerware for free download at their website with free subscription to their mailing list.[2] GTA2 was preceded by the original Grand Theft Auto and ultimately succeeded by Grand Theft Auto III. The game was made available on Steam on January 4, 2008.[3]
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GTA 2 is set in an unspecified time in a retrofuturistic metropolis referred to only as "Anywhere, USA",[4] but the game's manual and website uses the phrase "three weeks into the future";[5] fictional journal entries on the GTA2 website suggest the year to be 2013.[4] Radio host Johnny Riccaro mentions in the game that "the millennium's coming," which would set the game shortly before 2000.
The City is split into three levels, or "districts." The first level, Downtown, is a hub of business activity as well as the site of a large mental institution and university. The second area, the Residential District, contains the city's prison, a trailer park with an Elvis-themed bar dubbed "Disgracelands", a shopping mall, and a giant hydroelectric power plant. The third and final area is the Industrial District; it holds a large seaport, a meat packing plant, a Nuclear Power Plant and a Krishna temple.
There are a total of seven criminal gangs in the game: the Zaibatsu, a corrupt corporation, is present in all three areas. The Downtown area is also home to the Loonies, a gang of mentally ill people who have taken over the city asylum, and the Yakuza. In the Residential area, the gangs include SRS Scientists and the Rednecks, who live in a trailer park and drive around in pickups with large Confederate flags. The Industrial area contains the Russian Mafia and the Hare Krishna. Each gang has their own special characteristics, car, and behavior.
The game can be played in two modes (only in the PC version), noon or dusk. On the noon setting the lighting is bright making the game clear to see (also lowering the graphics overhead on low-end hardware because of the fewer lighting effects). On the dusk setting the game is darker, with multiple dynamic lights from explosions and car headlights. The Dreamcast version of the game can only be played in the dusk setting. The PlayStation version of the game can only be played in the noon setting. This feature was expanded further in Grand Theft Auto III where the daylight changes with the time of day in the game.
GTA2 retained the overhead viewpoint of GTA, as well as the car-stealing/telephone-answering formula of the original. The player has the ability to explore cities on foot or in various vehicles. The aim is to achieve a certain score. On achieving this goal the player then can proceed to the next level. Doing missions awards the player more points than any other method but are not essential for completion of the game.
A new feature introduced in GTA2 was doing missions for separate gangs, of which there are two new gangs for each of the three levels of the game, and one faction which is present in all levels. Being employed by one gang can cause distrust from others (working for gang #1 will incur the wrath of gang #2, working for gang #2 will cause enmity with gang #3, etcetera). In the original GTA, only the local police pursued the player. In GTA2, SWAT teams (4 Copheads) are introduced in the Downtown District, Special Agents (5 Copheads) are introduced in the Residential District, and the army (6 Copheads) is introduced in the Industrial District. These additional types of law enforcement begin chasing the player as his or her wanted level increases. The wanted level is represented by images of a cop's head, and vary between the Windows and PlayStation versions.
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Grand Theft Auto series |
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1961 – London, 1961 1999 – Grand Theft Auto 2 1984 – Vice City Stories 2008 – Grand Theft Auto IV 2009 – Chinatown Wars |
GTA2 introduced an improved saving technique, unlike GTA1, which saved only when finishing a city. If the player entered a church with $50,000, a voice announced "Hallelujah! Another soul saved!". This notified the player that the game had been saved. If the player did not have enough money, the voice would say "Damnation! No donation, no salvation!". These messages are not heard on the PlayStation version.
Other improvements pertain to city activity. Passing vehicles and pedestrians are no longer cosmetic parts of the environment, but actually play a role in gameplay. Sometimes pedestrians would occasionally enter and ride in taxis or buses. The game is noted for the behavior of its non-player characters. Pedestrians, gang members and the police would occasionally engage in fights, and there are other carjackers (Green sweater) and muggers (Red sweater with white arms) in the city.[6]
This game introduces 'side missions' such as being a taxi driver, bus driver, and a semi-truck driver along with retrieving 'hidden' packages (GTA2 Badges) or Wang Cars (play on 'wankers'), and a health meter. Being a taxidriver would earn roughly 1 dollar per second. When standing still, passengers could get out if they want to, and the earnings will stop. Wang Cars only appeared in the second district. They were well hidden and usually required the player to take a severe amount of highspeed jumps to reach the cars, some of them parked on top of buildings. When the car was entered, the player spawned at the Wang Cars garage, with the garagedoor of the collected car lighting up. Collecting all cars resulted in 8 bonus vehicles parked outside the garage. Among these were cars prepped with oilslicks, integrated machineguns and a firetruck, living up its name as its watercannon was replaced with a flamethrower.
Some weapons in GTA2 feature a "Kill Frenzy" mission when picked up, where a player has a limited amount of time to kill a certain number of people with a particular weapon loaded. Bonuses are rewarded if the mission is successful.Also if a player finds a tank and gets in it a "Kill Frenzy" mission also starts, and finally in random parts of the city are parked special cars, and if the player gets on one he has to either kill people by running them over or kill them with any extra weapon that the car has. There is a bug involving the Kill Frenzy as it is possible to save when having it. When the game is then reloaded, the Kill Frenzy ends, but the almost unlimited ammunition remains until that same weapon is picked up or a more than usually allowed amount of ammunition is wasted.
The PlayStation version of Grand Theft Auto 2 is toned down from the PC version, with lower quotas for the number of kills needed in rampage style missions, and containing no voice acting in the saving interface. The port also includes a feature where the player car will explode after the player kills a large number of gang members. One mission was also changed. Instead of the player tricking civilians into entering a bus to drive them to a meat processing plant to be cannibalized, the victims are Hare Krishna gang members.
As is the case with the original Grand Theft Auto and GTA London: 1969, the player receives bonuses for running his car over certain people without stopping or braking. A string of Elvis impersonators are sometimes spotted walking the streets. Their deaths are awarded with a large money bonus, followed by the bold words "ELVIS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING".
Its buggy and unoptimized multiplayer support, a feature not broadly known, was intended for low latency LAN games of 2 to 6 players. Multiplayer modes are: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Tag, Race. Though often unplayable because of lag, it is possible to connect over the internet. A third-party client created by GTAMP simplifies this process and helps find other players.
There are trains in three versions (PC, PS1, DC), which the players can ride on.
Grand Theft Auto 2 includes a pool of seven gangs, with each of the city's three levels containing only a group of three gangs.[7] The Zaibatsu Corporation gang is included in every level, with the remaining two different gangs. The gangs are as followed:
The opening video of the game was pieced together using live-action footage taken from an eight-minute short film created for the purpose of advertising the game. This film has since been made available to the public and is downloadable from Rockstar's website. Claude Speed (the game's playable protagonist) is played by Scott Maslen in the film.
The short film shows Claude being murdered (shot by "The Cleaner" a Zaibatsu Assassin played by Ian McQue) while trying to break into a sports car. It was shot in 1999 New York City with the World Trade Center in clear view, instead of the game's anonymous city of the future (it should be noted, however, that two fictional locations were mentioned in the film: "Chernobyl Docks" and "Disgraceland", the latter being the name of a district featured in GTA2). The film depicts a blue-and-white NYPD 1991-1992 Chevrolet Caprice police car as a pursuit vehicle, as well as a black BMW 5 Series (E39) driven by Claude, which is later repainted white.
Each area features five radio stations from a pool of eleven, one of which is heard as the player drives most vehicles in game. Changing radio stations for preference was also possible in the Windows PC version by using the "F1" function key and also in the PlayStation version by pressing the "up" directional button. "Head Radio" was present in the original GTA, Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. Each gang also has its own radio station that transmits within a limited area. Police vehicles, ambulances, firetrucks and tanks had no ability to listen to the radio channels. Instead, the player would hear the radio transmitter of the emergency services.
The soundtrack to the GTA2 movie was mixed by Timecode (DJ) who also hosted, produced and mixed the audio on the drum and bass radio station MSX/MSX 98 that was featured in the Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories videogame soundtracks. The soundtrack consist of artist from Moving Shadow Records. All the tracks except 'Flytronix - Past Archives' and 'E-Z Rollers - Short Change' from the movie are on the "E-Z Rollers Presents - Drumfunk Hooliganz" album.[8] These are the songs in order.
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