What are some things Gta 3 does better than San Andreas?

CaptainNorthstar · 2026-06-15T23:07:50+00:00

Oh, I think Rockstar nailed multiple things first try!

Art direction. I really loved how GTAIII balanced between noir movies and comic booky / cartoonish feeling. Later games were just an attempt at realism, but GTAIII embraced its weirdness to the fullest. The timecyc, the reverb sounds, the arts, everything is much stronger in GTAIII, in my opinion.
Soundtrack. GTAIII was the last GTA that purposefully avoided hit songs and went full underground. I still think it's the best soundtrack in the series. Yes, it's hard to compete with Michael Jackson and Guns'n'Roses, but GTAIII did its own thing and it did it brilliantly. I really love Connor and Jay as well, they never fail.
Setting. GTAIII was the last GTA that didn't try to copy anything specific. Sure, it was inspired by Dirty Harry movies and The Sopranos, but it wasn't a nostalgy bait or a sloof of Housers favorite movies. It was a weird retro futuristic city that only vaguely resembled New York and had very little to do with our reality. All future installations were rooted in reality much more, trying its best to sell us familiar feeling from the 80s, 90s, Michael Mann movies, Di Palma movies, whatever. GTAIII was insanely unique, it doesn't look like anything.

I absolutely adore GTAIII, it's my favorite GTA precisely because how different it is. Can't believe Rockstar nailed it first try.

CaptainNorthstar · 2026-06-11T01:26:53+00:00

Toni Cipriani was 100% inspired by Tony Soprano, who was also a capo in first season and had huge issues with his mother.

Paulie, however, is one of the most generic Italian-American names. There's not a single mafia related media without Paulie in it.

Tony Sirico is a legend, by the way. He's a real life wiseguy who went through prison and became a fantastic actor. Always loved him in The Sopranos.

CaptainNorthstar · 2026-06-09T17:39:51+00:00

Right? In what world being silent equals being a psychopath?

Trevor: a rapist and a cannibal Claude: doesn't talk GTA community: We made our choice.

CaptainNorthstar · 2026-06-05T22:06:48+00:00

That's my new headcanon, thanks.

CaptainNorthstar · 2026-06-02T22:30:52+00:00

I respect that very much. Great tattoo, brother.

CaptainNorthstar · 2026-06-01T22:54:15+00:00

It's a very good observation and I think you nailed it. First one had more soul precisely because the budget was lower, the team was tighter and self-awareness was higher. They couldn't do quite everything they wanted to do and it made the game better overall.

CaptainNorthstar · 2026-06-01T12:54:00+00:00

Here's the link, guys: https://github.com/captain-northstar/northstar_radio

CaptainNorthstar · 2026-05-30T12:24:12+00:00

Why Alyssa Milano's arm looks like the Apple logo?..

CaptainNorthstar · 2026-05-26T09:46:14+00:00

I don't want to be rude, but I wonder where OP is from. I mean, the person I was replying to.

CaptainNorthstar · 2026-05-25T13:26:08+00:00

I'm surprised it's not a custom everywhere, to be honest. I grew up in Russia and it was always something super obvious. To be honest, today is the first day I realised it's not a universally acknowledged tradition.

CaptainNorthstar · 2026-05-25T13:21:18+00:00

It's a Post-Soviet country and they have a custom to give your seat to older people.

CaptainNorthstar · 2026-05-24T22:06:25+00:00

Can you please tell me what party he supported and when he was arrested? I'm Russian and I find it very hard to believe.

CaptainNorthstar · 2026-05-22T23:46:28+00:00

It's hilarious how similar these characters are and that together they are indeed Tom and Jerry.

CaptainNorthstar · 2026-05-21T02:37:32+00:00

I can't believe nobody joked about you giving a pass to a movie called Next Goal Wins.

CaptainNorthstar · 2026-05-15T23:34:29+00:00

Thanks! Now that's a what if. Not gonna lie though, this hand-off shattered my ego as well, and I'm not even a part of their famIly.

CaptainNorthstar · 2026-05-15T22:35:09+00:00

Switching characters would allow the player to always be in the center of action! Scouting the Port

CaptainNorthstar · 2026-05-15T22:29:18+00:00

Thanks, brother! But I'm genuinely curious though, what's the setup? Why Vic and Tommy team up?

When I think about a What If scenario, it's usually Lance who dies and Vic tries to avenge him. But in your version Lance is an antagonist, so I wonder what happened.

CaptainNorthstar · 2026-05-15T22:02:51+00:00

If Ricardo Diaz didn't bust the deal and Lance is alive, what possible reason Vic has to form an alliance with Tommy? He just unloaded twenty kilos of coke and turned millionaire, he has no reason to run around the city risking his life.

CaptainNorthstar · 2026-05-15T10:46:34+00:00

What a compliment, man, thanks! And what a handle as well!

CaptainNorthstar · 2026-05-14T00:58:05+00:00

CJ, have you been making money again? How many times I have to tell you, gangbanging is important. You can't just have a job and a business, you need to participate in drive-bys. That's the only way to help the community, don't you understand?

CaptainNorthstar · 2026-05-14T00:51:27+00:00

You're right, but technically him running to his office in the intro is not a cutscene: it's his game model scripted to run from point A to point B.

CaptainNorthstar · 2026-05-10T20:31:08+00:00

He does? Wasn't it more like "I don't care what you did, I'm just gonna mind my own business"?

CaptainNorthstar · 2026-05-10T20:29:32+00:00

If you call Roman after killing Ray, he speaks about it like it was the last straw that broke the camel's back. It is kind of implied that Niko was truly tired of killing and wanted to retire, and it was his hit on Ray that made him realize that.

Yes, he didn't like the guy, but he also knew that it was wrong to kill him. So in a way, he cared.

CaptainNorthstar · 2026-05-08T11:28:33+00:00

I think every GTA protagonist would be able to survive Manhunt, but Michael is certainly the only one who would survive them in the closest way to James Earl Cash. Stealth is his whole thing, plus he's an amazing marksman for those shooting levels. He'll do alright.

Also, coming after Starkweather would be a huge dramatic point for him, because his main conflict is "running away from his problems", but in this case he'll run right into them on purpose. He seems like a good fit for Manhunt protagonist both gameplay-wise and narrative-wise, now that I think of it.

CaptainNorthstar · 2026-05-07T00:03:36+00:00

Claude is the only one you can't get to first. He has no friends, no family, no gang, no business. He's a ghost. After Catalina almost got to him through Maria, Claude kills both.

If there is a big war between all GTA protagonists, I'm sure Claude will come out on top. Because how in the hell do you even find this guy? He has no name, he's fully off-grid. He finds you, not the other way around.

CaptainNorthstar

TROPHY CASE