5 reasons why GTA Liberty City Stories was better than GTA 3

Some GTA fans would consider GTA Liberty City Stories a superior counterpart to GTA 3.

GTA 3 was a legendary game for its time, so it was surprising for some GTA fans to see how badly it has aged. It's not a terrible game by any means, but certain aspects of the game don't hold up well for modern GTA fans. Fortunately, GTA fans looking to get into the 3D universe of Liberty City can play GTA Liberty City Stories.

GTA Liberty Stories is a non-mainline GTA game that has a lot of quality-of-life features which make it stand out compared to GTA 3. GTA fans can consider either game to be better than the other, but this list will solely focus on five aspects that GTA Liberty City Stories did better than GTA 3.

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Five ways in which GTA Liberty City Stories was better than GTA 3

5) Graphics

Naturally, the younger game tends to have better graphics than its predecessor (Image via Pinterest)

While GTA Liberty City Stories won't win any awards for its graphics, it's still far more pleasing from an aesthetic standpoint. By comparison, GTA 3's graphics are the worst within the mainline GTA titles.

Visually speaking, GTA Liberty City Stories is quite similar to GTA San Andreas. It isn't amazing by any means, but it looks good enough that a player can tell what's going on. In GTA 3, some NPC models are rigged in a way that their polygons stand out badly.

4) Costumes

GTA 3 had two costumes, so Claude looked the same throughout the majority of the game. In GTA Liberty City Stories, Toni Cipriani can wear up to 16 different costumes.

It's not as diverse as GTA San Andreas' clothing choices, but it's still a lot better than GTA 3's costume selection. Toni has some cool outfits, but he also has some wacky ones like a giant chicken costume or a bootleg Jason Voorhees.

The costume variety in GTA Liberty City Stories is quite diverse, so there's often an outfit for every kind of player. Plus, the idea of being an Elvis imposter in a GTA game is pretty nifty.

3) Less frustrating gameplay

Whether it's archaic controls or terrible vehicle durability, GTA 3 has numerous flaws that prevent modern audiences from enjoying it. Fortunately, GTA Liberty City Stories fixes a lot of these issues, making it a more memorable city.

Given that several characters are in both GTA 3 and GTA Liberty City Stories, the latter game feels like a more polished title overall. It still has some of the fan-favorites from the first game, but it expands their characters whilst also introducing new ones.

Add in better controls and less frustrating missions and one has the recipe for a good GTA game. GTA 3 isn't a bad game per se, but GTA Liberty City Stories is easier to get into for modern GTA fans.

2) Side activities

One of GTA 3's biggest flaws was the lack of side activities. GTA Liberty City Stories has a plethora of side activities. In GTA 3, there are various vehicle-based missions, but it isn't the only side mission around.

GTA 3 had a few other side activities, but GTA Liberty City Stories' sheer amount makes it the more diverse game to play through. Like in GTA 3, there's plenty of races, but there are also side missions related to garbage collecting, being a vigilante, and other wacky shenanigans.

In some ways, GTA Liberty City Stories is like a good mix between GTA San Andreas and GTA 3.

1) Protagonist

Toni has a personality players can relate to (Image via GTA Wiki)

GTA 3's Claude is a silent protagonist, which greatly limits how much a player can be engaged in his story. The only thing to really understand about Claude is that he wants revenge on Catalina.

Silent protagonists work from a storyline perspective when the player is allowed to make choices. Hence, the silent protagonist tends to be an avatar character for the player's own actions. There is no decision-making to do in GTA 3, so Claude doesn't really work in that department.

By comparison, Toni Cipriani has a defined personality. Players don't have to like him, but they can easily understand his motives and relationships with other characters in GTA Liberty City Stories.

Note: This article reflects the writer’s personal views.