Join us as we take a trip down memory lane and look back at the very first game in the Grand Theft Auto franchise.

Name: Grand Theft Auto

Genre: Open world action adventure

Release Date: 1997

Developer: DMA Design

What was it all about?

Grand Theft Auto was an open world action-adventure video game which required players to complete missions that involved bank robberies, assassinations, and other crimes.

Essentially, gamers had free licence to do what they wanted across three fictional cities, with the more mayhem caused, the higher the score achieved. In order to complete the game, a series of missions had to be passed, with each mission being initiated from a telephone box and becoming harder and harder as you moved through them.

At the time, the game was frowned upon for its use of graphic gameplay which allowed players to kill anyone and mow down innocent people using cars and other vehicles.

Despite the opposition to the game, this original title sparked a massive franchise, with the latest title in the series, ‘Grand Theft Auto V’, released in 2013.

Unlike the newer versions of the game, the original was played from a top-down view, with the graphics being grainy and raw.

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Best part about the game?

This ultimately depends on who you speak to.

Many will say that the fictional gore and rampages were a lot of fun, while others will admit that being able to explore the cities in your own time and without restriction was what made the game so special.

It is difficult to justify the graphic nature of the game, but the ‘fun’ that is had is undeniable.

For me, it was the ability to explore that made this game so much fun, while the array of guns and vehicles gave that exploring a depth not seen in a video game before. Oh, and the soundtrack was pretty sick, too.

There is little wonder as to why this game sparked a franchise that does not seem like slowing down anytime soon.

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The game in glorious colour…

Videos below contain graphic images and may not be suitable for sensitive viewers.

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