Comparing the gameplay of the GTA Trilogy to the remastered Definitive Edition

The Definitive Edition GTA Trilogy is essentially a remastered compilation of the 3D Universe GTA games. It was recently released to widespread criticism due to the various bugs and technical issues it suffered from.

When compared to the originals, the remastered games are vastly different in some areas but nearly identical in others. The graphics, for example, have been greatly improved, but the gameplay has remained relatively unchanged. The purpose of this article is to compare and contrast the gameplay of the original trilogy and the remastered version.

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How does the GTA Definitive Edition Trilogy differ from the original games in terms of gameplay?

The biggest change in the new Definitive Edition games is regarding the camera controls. This is most obvious in the remastered version of GTA 3. The game now uses a camera system that is similar to that of GTA San Andreas. The original game had limited camera movement where players could not move the camera around Claude.

Players couldn't look around unless they were standing still, and the vehicular camera wasn't free either. All three Definitive Edition games utilize the same free aiming camera that works on foot and when in a vehicle. Manual aiming has also been improved a lot, and yet again, the GTA San Andreas mechanic has been adapted.

The general control scheme, however, matches that of GTA 5. The controller layout and the key bindings are based on the newest game from the franchise. This makes the Definitive Edition Trilogy much more intuitive besides being more accessible to new players of the series.

Meanwhile, the Definitive Edition games have also received some completely new features that were absent in the original games. The waypoint system from the HD Universe games has been added to all three games, which also includes a GPS radar. The original GTA 3 didn't even have a viewable map, whereas San Andreas merely allowed a static waypoint with no navigation system.

Another new feature is the selection wheel system for radio stations (on vehicles) and weapons. This is a much-needed quality-of-life upgrade that has been adapted directly from GTA 5. In the original trilogy, players could only switch between weapons by going back and forth through their entire arsenal. The selection wheels save time and also make combat a lot easier.

Players had hoped for more improvements, such as ragdoll and improved physics, but none were made. Hence, despite the improvements mentioned in this article, gameplay in the Definitive Edition games is similar to that of the original trilogy.

Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the opinion of the writer.