Sacred Symbols+, Episode 309 | Is Grand Theft Auto III the Perfect Video Game? (Patreon)

Recently, I (Colin) was looking for a bit of a digital time-waster. Final Fantasy XVI was on the horizon, there wasn't really much else I wanted to play that wouldn't require a grander commitment, and so my mind settled on what I figured would be a good 'podcast game' as I whittled the days away: Grand Theft Auto III. I was there when GTA3 launched on PlayStation 2 in the post-9/11 fall of 2001, cash-in-hand. And we all know how seminal and influential it was, and continues to be. But the more I played, the more riveted I became. I loved Rockstar North's romp through Liberty City then, yes, but now, 22 years later, I started to ask myself... is Grand Theft Auto III actually the perfect video game? In a lot of ways, it feels like it. Not too big or small, very little bloat, lots to do, but nothing repetitive or out-of-sorts. How could something so vast come off as something so quaint only two decades later? To dissect it, I welcomed Ian from 616Entertianment back to Sacred+. I hope you enjoy our chat.