Grand Theft Auto 2 (PlayStation)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.0 stars Good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 6.9 (3.0 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Jeff Gerstmann
• Reviewed on: 10/22/1999
• Updated on: 06/25/2003
• Released on: 10/25/1999
• Originally published on GameSpot: Grand Theft Auto 2 (PlayStation) Review

Everyone's favorite jack-move simulator is back for another round. Grand Theft Auto 2 is, for the most part, a collection of enhancements to the original game. The graphics have been redone, the music is different, there is a slew of new weapons, the mission structure is a bit more complex, and the city feels a bit more alive. But at its core, GTA2 is the same old game.

There are three levels in GTA2. Each level is divided up into three areas of turf, controlled by a different gang. The gangs range from the ever-unpopular megacorporation, Zaibatsu, to the dirt-road mobile-home-owning Rednecks. But regardless of personal philosophies, the gangs' methods are roughly the same. You, as a budding young criminal always on the lookout for the next big score, need to earn some respect from the gangs in the city. Since the gangs are constantly at war with each other, the only real way to earn the respect of one gang is to roll over to their rival gang's turf and start smoking as many gang members as you can find. Once you've earned a little positive respect from a gang (an onscreen meter lets you know where you stand with all three gangs), you can start answering that gang's pay phones and going on missions. The missions are similar to those in the original GTA. They force you to blow up buildings, shoot informants, deliver narcotics, and all other types of ill deals. The better you do in one gang, the more that gang's rivals will hate you. The more they hate you, the angrier they will get when you roll into their area. Angry gangs will simply open fire on you the minute they see you. Luckily, you've got a health meter this time around, so you can withstand a few shots before going down.

The police are also a constant factor in GTA2. In the original GTA, "the man" was content to simply set up roadblocks and hope you'd wreck your car. This time around, the 5-0 can get downright devious. They'll swerve in front of you and cut you off. They'll send a van full of armored SWAT guys your way. In later levels, the feds will pick up your trail, and, if you're really a miscreant, those cop-car roadblocks might just get replaced with tanks.

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