Overview
Grand Theft Auto 2, or GTA2, is the second major installment in the Grand Theft Auto series. It was released worldwide on October 22nd 1999, by developer Rockstar North (then known as DMA Design), for the PC and PlayStation. Subsequently a version for the Dreamcast console was made available, and later a toned-down version for Game Boy Color.
The PC version of the game is now available for free download [1].
GTA 2 was the first GTA title to adopt early 3D graphics technology present in the Playstation and some PCs. Whilst the gameplay did not shift to the third person perspective, as did GTA III with its full 3D environment, it utilised 3D graphics hardware/software to improve the visual quality.
GTA 2 gameplay was via the top down perspective, as in all GTA 1 titles/expansion packs, but due to the employment of early 3D tech, it exhibited smooth dynamic camera zooming, smooth sprite rotation, and lighting effects from street lamps, car headlamps and police car roof lighting. Strangely, Rockstar Games did not remove the sky camera view, which remains daunting like the first GTA game which means players can't see the front, the back of the vehicles or even the wheels. The cops randomly spawn out of nowhere and attack the player unexpectedly, and even a single hit to the vehicles at high speeds will explode instantly, killing the player.
Gameplay
City
The main character's name is Claude Speed. Action takes place in Anywhere City divided into 3 sectors - Commercial, Residential and Industrial. In each of them there are three gangs, whose bosses give you missions via payphones. Districts differs in type of building (Downtown - mainly offices and blocks of flats, Residential has two villages, and Industrial is filled with factories), maximum wanted level (Downtown - SWAT, Residential - FBI, Industrial - Army), gangs and cars.
Saving
To save the game, you need to find a church. They can only be found by listening out for the organ playing or by hijacking a news van (The antenna on top always points towards it). However, once at the church, you need to pay $50,000 to save.
Respect
Player earns gang respect for killing other gang members (to know which one, player can go to blue phone on gang territory and listen to boss), stealing and destroying their cars, doing missions, failing missions for other gang, or by taking "respect" pickup which is avaliable only in a car crusher. By killing other gang members, the player loses respect, wehreas another gang will gain respect. The more the player kills other gangs, the lower the respect, and by entering a gang territory that the player has killed them, enemy gangs will shoot him on sight by any means neccesary, and it is highlly dangerous to enter their city now.
Missions
There are three levels of mission difficulty: easy, taken from green payphones, medium, from yellow payphones, which pay better but require the player to have some respect, and from red payphones, which pay very well, but usually are very hard, and requires maximum respect. For completing a mission you earn money, respect and a money multiplier. Sometimes during a mission we can be given access to new parts of town, or weapons.
Bonus
Bonus Arenas
After completing each level player unlocks not only next district, but also one bonus arena. There are 3 kinds of competition, each with 3 arenas. Only one of these can be unlocked by finishing on main level. There are three competitions: Destroying Ice-Cream Vans, racing with killing pedestrians and gang members killing.
Bonus Missions
In every city there are some "side" missions, but after completing them isn´t reward. These missions are:
- Kill Frenzies - killing a lot of people or blowing up many cars in appointed time
- GTA2 Tokens - collecting tokens with GTA2 signs (there are 50 tokens in each level)
- Wang Cars - finding 8 GT-A1 cars in Residental sector (only in that second level of the game)
Maps of all these bonus missions are here (PC version):
Gangs
There are 7 gangs in the game:
- Zaibatsu Corporation (symbol: yellow 'Z') - They appear in all of the areas and are a seemingly legitimate corporation who manufacture everything from cars and weapons to medication, but beneath the surface they are involved heavily in narcotics, contract-killing and shadowy politics. Their car, called a Z-Type, is the second fastest gang car available. The Zaibatsu is apparently led by at least three leaders, or at least have three executives through whom they organize their criminal activities: Trey Welsh in the Commercial District, Red Valdez in the Residential District, and Uno Carb in the Industrial District. Their gang color is black. Their name comes from zaibatsu, the Japanese word for conglomerate.
- Loonies (symbol: winking smiley face) - They appear in the first area and they are quite crazy. Their gang car, the Dementia, is a microcar with their mark painted on top and is probably named after their apparent insanity. Their small section of turf is in the vicinity of the city's mental institution, named "SunnySide" after the Mental Institution in Montrose, Scotland, near Dundee, where the game was originally created. Their boss is Elmo. They use surgical green as their gang color.
- The Yakuza (symbol: blue yen '¥') - They also appear in the first area. They make drugs at the so-called J-Lab, one of their strongest "industries". Their boss is Johnny Zoo. Deep blue is their gang color. And their car is a Miara).
- SRS (Sex and Reproductive Systems) Scientists (symbol: a golden shield) - They are headquartered in the Residential District, and are a clandestine research institute involved in slightly questionable practices. Their business is advanced weapon development along with cloning, genetic engineering and robotics. Their leader, Dr. LaBrat, is Icelandic, and all of their 'street' members appear to be genetically engineered clone soldiers. Their gang car is called a Meteor and is the fastest gang car available. Their turf is the Scientist Research Center. Their gang color is pale gold.
- Rednecks (symbol: the Confederate flag) - Led by Billy Bob Bean, they appear in the second area, are rabid fans of Elvis Presley, and specialize in explosives and vehicles. Their business is the brewing, running and selling of moonshine. Their car is a wide pick-up truck. The Rednecks' turf is the trailer park at the northwest of the Residential Area. Their gang color is light blue.
- Russian Mafia (symbol: a red star) - They appear in the third area and specialize in contract-killing and gun running. Their car is the Bulwark, a station wagon, which is the most durable gang car in the game (capable of surviving one direct hit from a rocket propelled grenade, hand grenade or Molotov cocktail, if the car is in perfect condition). They can be seen in the seaport areas. Jerkov is the name of their boss. They use red as a gang color.
- Hare Krishna (symbol: an orange flower) - They appear in the third area and their car, the Karma Bus, is a big love bus with flowers painted on its roof. The Krishna's turf is around their temple. Their boss' name is Sunbeam. They use orange as a gang color. This gang also appeared in the first Grand Theft Auto game (called the Gourangas), but were not involved in criminal acts.
Radio stations
Each area features five radio stations from a pool of eleven, in which one of them would be played as the player drives most vehicles in game. Changing radio stations for preference was also possible in the PC version by using the "F1" function key." "Head Radio" was present in the original GTA, Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. Each gang also has its own radio station that transmits within a limited area.
- Head Radio — The city's largest commercial radio station. It can be received in all areas of the game. The DJ's names are Phanny Joe Styles and Johnny Riccaro. Head Radio plays modern pop and rock.
- Rockstar Radio — A commercial radio station in the Downtown Area. Sammy Starock is the name of the DJ. The station plays pop and rock and occasionally features on-air phone calls from "listeners".
- KREZ — The Residential Area's commercial station which plays hip hop and rap. The DJ is Richie T.
- Lo-Fi FM — A commercial station in the Industrial Area that plays oldies and pop. The DJ (DJ Die/Dye — Dai is a Welsh abbreviation for the name 'David') is Welsh and seems to have no ties to gangs in the area.
- Futuro FM — The Zaibatsu gang's station. It can be received in all three areas. The DJ, Dean Franz, plays dance, jazz-oriented pop and Funk.
- Funami FM — The Yakuza gang's station in the Downtown Area. The music is drum and bass-type electronic music. The station is hosted by a Japanese man and a frantically screaming Japanese woman (in a varied high-pitch voice) calling herself Teriyaki-chan, whose speech is unintelligible apart from a few random phrases of English.
- Lithium FM — The Loonies' station. Features a totally insane DJ, Spaz Funbags, as well as some oldies and dance-music.
- Rebel Radio/KING — The Redneck gang station in the Residential Area. The DJ, Marshall Nash, has a thick Southern accent. The music of choice is modern and classic rock.
- Osmosis Radio — The Scientists' station, transmitting in the Residential Area. The DJ "Mama Doc", who is Icelandic or Scandinavian, plays modern dance music.
- Heavenly Radio — The Krishnas' gang station, transmitting in the Industrial Sector. The music is a mix of Jesus-pop and soft music. Listeners are continuously urged by the station's DJ, Venus Ordelia, to convert.
- KGBH — Radio station of the Russian Mafia with DJ Bombatumba. KGBH frequently encounters both technical and personal problems that interfere with their broadcasts. The station primarily plays classic rock.
Multiplayer
GTA2 was the last PC GTA with built-in multiplayer. It supported up to 6 players and connections via internet, LAN, serial cable or direct modem connection. There are also 3 small multiplayer maps designed for smaller number of players, as well as 3 districts with modified locations of weapons and parked cars.
Playing via internet using only built-in tools is quite difficult. First you need to choose "tcp/ip connection", then enter server IP and you will be able to join only if host is in hosting menu. That's why programs like GTA2 Game Hunter, or GTA2 Gamer were made. They provide one-click joining without entering anybody's IP, chat and some other useful options which makes playing GTA2 online as easy as any other modern game.
GTA2: The Movie
The live-action rendition of Claude Speed, played by Scott Maslen, from the opening cinematic of Grand Theft Auto 2
The opening of the game was pieced together from live film-material that was taken from an 8 minute GTA2 short-movie created for the purpose of advertising the game. This movie has since been made available to the public and is downloadable from the game's web-site. This depiction of Claude Speed (the playable protagonist) is somewhat different from his appearance in later (but chronologically earlier) titles as he displays a wide array of emotions and appears to be quite verbal, though since the only audio heard during the movie are music and sound-effects his lines are unintelligable (though the events are easy enough to follow).
Whether the movie can be considered canonical is debatable as it appears to show Claude getting killed at the end (shot by a Zaibatsu hitman while trying to break into a sports car). But in the game(s), Claude would always recover, ready to commit more crimes.
Various scenes of movie were shot in New York City, and also featured a blue-and-white NYPD Chevrolet Caprice police car as a pursuit vehicle. Claude Speed was played by Scott Maslen.
Trivia
- There are only few commercials and musics on the second game. Just like the first game, it does not have talk radio stations, until GTA III