GTA Trilogy vs Original Trilogy: Comparing the graphics between the two games

GTA: Definitive Edition Trilogy is less than a week away from release, and Rockstar has only released a trailer and a few screenshots so far. While this isn't enough to determine the quality of the gameplay, fans can still judge the graphics from these.

Some players have already begun juxtaposing screenshots from the previous trilogy with those from the new games to demonstrate the differences. These prove how much effort went into improving the visuals in the remastered trilogy. This article presents such a comparison by discussing some of the changes that Rockstar has made in the Definitive Edition GTA remasters.

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Graphics of the original GTA Trilogy compared against the remasters

Fans from GTAForums have analyzed all the screenshots and footage from the trailer for the Definitive Edition trilogy. They have made detailed observations of the updated graphics and found several details. Here's a snap from the original GTA San Andreas taken during the cutscene for Tagging Up Turf:

The characters are barely visible in this cutscene (Image via GTA Series Videos, YouTube)

Here are the screenshots from the Definitive Edition of the game, showing the same scene:

This version definitely looks better (Image via Rockstar Games)

Some of the key differences that can be discerned from this scene are:

• Big Smoke's hands now grab the basketball properly; it doesn't float between his hand and body anymore.
• The spray-paint can has better details, as paint can be seen dripping from the nozzle.
• CJ's face is now much more detailed, and it seems that his eyes will now move around. The details have been spotted by some fans by zooming in.
• Most importantly, interiors can now be seen through windows. However, it is not yet certain if this is merely a visual effect or not.

However, many fans are of the opinion that the GTA Vice City Definitive Edition screenshots look worse compared to the rest. Tommy doesn't look like his old self, and seems to be a completely different character instead. According to some fans, this might have been due to Rockstar using some Unreal Engine tool and not in-game footage.

The latest screenshots have raised many questions regarding the remasters. The major question is whether the interiors will be seamless like in the HD Universe or not. The original trilogy used a different hidden universe for accessing the interiors. This was less obvious in Vice City, which had working windows inside buildings.

The graphical changes are most obvious in GTA 3, which was the least visually appealing game in the original trilogy. The screenshots make Liberty City look much better, as the higher draw distance makes the skyscrapers (and their lights) visible from far away.