REVIEW : Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition (XBOX Series X)
Grand Theft Auto Trilogy definitive edition has been rather quiet since its announcement. But that’s it, it came out, and we were able to look at this compilation which is much more than a simple port, but without being a remake. We will tell you everything we think about it in this TEST!
Ah, the Grand Theft Auto PS2 episodes! Titles are probably part of the catalogue of legendary games inseparable from Sony’s second home console (even if they were also released on Xbox and PC). And here they are coming back from improved versions on current machines. Did we test Grand Theft Auto The Trilogy Definitive Edition on PS5. and so, is it still so legendary, or have these games aged? Let’s see that right away!
Grand Theft Game
At the helm of this trilogy, we find the studio Grove Street Games, which are specialists … in the porting of Rockstar games. HD version of old episodes or mobile versions; if you’ve played them, you’ve already put your feet up on one of their games. The matter should therefore be in pretty good hands. But this time, the challenge is a little more important since we are not in the presence of a simple portage, precisely …
For the moment, the compilation will only be available in dematerialized version, without retail sale (and this even if Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas will be available on Microsoft’s Game Pass…), and it will be necessary to wait until December to be entitled to a disc in a box. The bousin is released on all machines of the moment, and even the Nintendo Switch! Once it is not customary, it is on the Nintendo console that the compilation will cost you the least (50 €) since the bill climbs a little more on Xbox and PS4 / 5, or you will have to pay 60 €. After downloading, you will have on the home screen three different applications, which weigh 5 GB, 12 GB, and 23 GB for the GTA III, Vice City, and San Andreas.
It’s in the old pots …
All three games included in Grand Theft Auto The Trilogy Definitive Edition have helped make video games today. From a somewhat obsolete but very funny series when viewed from above, GTA III will pass the saga to posterity with its move to 3D; Vice City could have been called “Scarface, the video game”, and has become a real social phenomenon thanks to its atmosphere and its scenario; San Andreas finite drive the point by offering what is to date the episode of GTA’s most comprehensive in terms of customization, even before GTA IV and GTA V.
They are still very close today, whether in terms of atmosphere or playability, even if we find a little fault on this last point. In 2021, they remain quite insane, even if they have aged a little in certain areas …
Life, all that …
With this GTA The Trilogy Definitive Edition, we are indeed not in the presence of a remake. It is not a simple port either, but a real remaster: a bit like for Mass Effect Legendary Edition, if all the content of the original game has been kept (the animations, the staging of the cutscenes, and the overall construction of the game, settings, missions, and secrets), a lot of polish work has been done on the graphics: all the 3D models have been reworked – we like or not the pronounced cartoon aspect of the characters – the improved textures and the light effects turn out to be shinier than ever.
Overall, when we compare its old PS2 version with a game from this compilation, it’s night and day. We feel that we are dealing with a “modern” product and the whole thing looks rather pretty even if it remains rather dated in itself! Please note that the graphics engine has completely changed: where the first versions of the GTA PS2 used the house Rockstar engine, this time, Unreal Engine 4 is in control!
The same player, play again.
Suppose the games are almost identical, except for a few songs that have disappeared from radio stations, probably due to copyright issues. In that case, the graphic overhaul means that these three episodes of this GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition still require some significant resources. Even our latest generation machines will not work miracles: two graphics modes are available, and in “Fidelity” mode, if we can have a 4K display and tutti-quanti, level images per second, this is not the panacea.
We cap at 30 fps maximum, and frame rate drops are legion, sometimes very violent, even on PS5, where we still benefit from loading times close to nothing. The appearance of scenery elements in the distance – the depth of field is greatly improved – and close is very common. It is better in “Performance” mode since the display is very stable and touches 60 fps, and the drops are much less numerous but still present, just like popping. But overall, despite these faults on the latest generation consoles, the whole is still pretty and pleasant for the retina.
And the controls?
This GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition remaster also promised us a control overhaul. If the “open-world sandbox” gameplay still works and driving various vehicles is still quite enjoyable, in terms of shooting, it is still very dated if it is a little better. No cover system has been integrated, only a “lock” that targets enemies on its own, often making confrontations much simpler. But that is not enough to thoroughly modernize the action playability, which suddenly remains a little dated.
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