Three years ago, when GTA: Trilogy – Definitive Edition launched in 2021, things were notoriously rough. From severely upscaled textures, to shoddy character models, to broken animations (and more), three games that defined the modern open world were butchered. Now, Rockstar Games has done a complete 180 and left everyone in awe.
The final Collection update on PC and consoles on November 12, 2024 (older gen and Switch will update a day later) does more than just fix the problem a lot of Something that was destroyed. It also brings back classic lighting (now enabled by default) that tied together the entire visual presentation from the original console version.
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I immediately dove into Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, a title I’d been meaning to quickly revisit for a while to check out the new content, and found myself quickly drawn into its world. A magical hour. Back in high school, I barely made any story progress. Just driving around and taking in the renewed scenery is a treat of the past.
I’ve actually played a lot of San Andreas over the years, but mostly on PC, starting with the original version in 2005. That version was always considered the most reliable (and it fostered a vibrant modding community), but it always missed out on being more colorful than the OG console version, and therefore felt visually flatter, or at least More “real”, which feels strange to anyone who played the 2004 version on PS2 (or later on Xbox).
For some strange reason, despite all the ports and re-releases the classic GTA trilogy has received over the years, Rockstar has never been able to offer the “ultimate” way to enjoy these games. The initial console version had a rough frame rate that could only be “fixed” through advanced emulation. The aforementioned PC ports are not exactly the same, this also applies to GTA 3 and Vice City. Late ports to modern consoles always mess something up, and the 360 is the only exception. You also know how the final version originally went.
Now, with original developer Grove Street Games removed from the collection’s credits and Video Games Deluxe taking over, the final release feels one step closer. The atmosphere has been restored, and even though you might say modern lighting looks better at times (especially at night), restoring the fog and giving each city its own unique weather and sky, along with the much-needed color grading, really makes for a different world.
After playing the PC version of San Andreas for so many years, I had simply forgotten how great it was. real The original version looks. Sometimes (I’m afraid too often), large portions of the original artistic vision are removed in the pursuit of sharper imagery and realism through remasters and remakes, and the Definitive Edition series is a perfect example of this. Even if it felt fine for a while – like it wasn’t completely broken – this huge rework and visual refresh is a reminder of everything we’ve lost.
Los Santos just “pops” in a way that more brutal approaches to modern graphics can’t, it’s just a matter of getting the colors right and restoring the moody fog to the game. Maybe younger gamers who never played the original will be put off by the highly saturated look of San Andreas back in the day, but it’s hard to go back to the pointlessness after realizing that the old GTA was never clean or authentic. visual presentation. . After this patch it’s hilarious to look at the still rusty upgraded textures and UE4 render models through the very desaturated modern filter, I can’t believe we’ve been stuck with something that looks like this for so long .
Mind you, I’m ready At least Vice City Definitive recently, as that game and GTA 3 always felt like there was a lot less post-processing, but this patch also made me realize they were missing that extra “otherworldly” spark. Modern lighting also looks too clean on them now, lacking hazy horizons and making their admittedly small maps feel even smaller. I don’t want to have the full content on the screen right away, it’s never meant to be like that!
Other small but welcome improvements include the ability to move around in GTA 3 and Vice City while aiming heavier weapons than pistols and submachine guns, which essentially makes many of their missions easier, but this is all in order to be able to use them when needed Making the right upgrades when needed should be the main driving force behind every remaster. Preserving the past while preparing for the future…without diluting who they are.
I’d say this final version is still a few smaller patches away from being perfect, and it’s hard to predict whether Video Games Deluxe will stick around for much longer, but it’s suddenly become an easy recommendation for new and old players alike. As long as you ignore some residual stuttering and some plasticky, overly Unreal Engine-esque textures, this feels like the best, most relaxing way to experience these games two decades after their original release.
The funniest thing about this whole story is that we have to thank the recent Netflix port of Definitive Edition (yes, really) for these updates to the console and PC versions, since most of the new improvements are brought over from that version. Gaming is so weird right now, man.
