Grand Theft Auto 2 | PC Gameplay / Walkthrough / Playthrough
Grand Theft Auto 2 (GTA 2 for short) is the second part of the Grand Theft Auto computer game series by the Scottish developer Rockstar North (DMA Design until 2001). It was released in 1999 for Windows, PlayStation, Dreamcast and Game Boy Color. The publisher is the Take 2 label Rockstar Games. Like the first part, GTA 2 was also offered by Rockstar Games as a PC version for free download.
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The game principle and presentation correspond to those of the predecessor, but the interactions between the player and the game world have been intensified. For example, orders are given by several rival gangs in the city. The degree of popularity with a gang has an effect on the quantity and quality of the orders the player receives from that gang. If he successfully works for one of the gangs, the respect of one of the others decreases, up to open enmity in the form of physical attacks. There are a total of seven gangs in the game, with only three appearing per level: Zaibatsu Corporation, Loonies (from loony crazy), Yakuza, SRS Scientists, Rednecks, Russian Mafia, Hare Krishna.
With GTA 2, the possibility was created to save one's game progress in a church against payment of 50,000 dollars. The three districts (Downtown District, Residential District and Industrial District) in GTA 2 are entirely fictional this time, and there are hardly any parallels to the real world in terms of content either. The place of action is also called Anywhere City to underline the arbitrariness. The action also takes place in the future. The game world has been made livelier than in the first part of GTA; for example, there are pickpockets and car thieves, which the player can also feel. Driving a taxi is added as a new side job.
The vehicles are limited to land vehicles; in contrast to the predecessor, there are no motorbikes. However, for a certain amount of money, vehicles can be repainted or have their number plates changed in order to deceive the police. In addition, the player can equip his vehicle with machine guns, mines, oil syringes and car bombs.
Unlike in the predecessor, the entire game world (but not the objects within the game world, such as game characters and vehicles) has been modelled in 3D. However, due to the bird's eye view, the effects on the graphic representation are only noticeable in details. For example, the streets are dynamically illuminated by street lamps and the headlights of the vehicles if dawn is selected as the time of day instead of midday in the game's options. In the PlayStation, such effects and the maximum number of passers-by and cars were reduced to compensate for the weaker hardware. In terms of artificial intelligence, the developers relied on simple subroutines as in the predecessor, which, however, show emergent behaviour in interaction that seems unpredictable. Over 50 % of the processor time was deliberately shifted to the game logic in order to present a living game world.
Ulrich Steppberger criticised the brutality, but acknowledges that the nonlinear structure and innovative basic principles of the predecessor still work. The graphics were already outdated at the time of release, but the soundscape was exceptional. Stephan Freundorfer advises not to take the macabre game seriously. He praised the German translation and the considerably smarter police pursuers. Andreas Sauerland (PC Games) judges that the boundaries of good taste have been overstepped. However, the depiction of violence is so exaggerated that the satire is clearly recognisable. The game is fast-paced and clearly improved compared to its predecessor. For Ralf Müller (Power Play), driving physics, numerous detail improvements and the improved game balance are positive. Jochen Rist (PC Player) praised the fact that the bird's eye view was retained and the varied soundtrack. The high level of difficulty and the camera work were rated negatively.