For the financial district, see City of London.
And just because London swings like nowhere else on earth, doesn't mean we've been left behind by the world. Yes, here at the dawn of the 1970s, London is prepared to meet demands of the international visitor, oh no, siree!
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom that appears in Grand Theft Auto: London 1969 and Grand Theft Auto: London 1961. The city is based on the real-life capital city of the same name.
Despite only appearing in the two expansion packs for the original Grand Theft Auto, London and its surrounding areas are mentioned numerous times in the 3D Universe and HD Universe games, implying that the city exists in all three canonical universes.
To date, London and Manchester (also located in England, United Kingdom) have been the only real-life cities to physically appear in the Grand Theft Auto series, as all others (with the exception of Anywhere City) have been fictional cities based on real American cities. Other real cities, however, have been mentioned.
London's physical appearance also makes Grand Theft Auto: London the first title to feature a non-American setting, followed by Grand Theft Auto Online.
Overview[]
The game map is based on Central London, although of course heavily condensed and mostly geographically inaccurate. The city is divided into north and south by the River Thames, which cuts through the center of the map; flowing from the bottom left up to the middle and out to the central right. The river is crossable by several road bridges and passenger walkways. Law enforcement is carried out by the Metropolitan Police Service.
The temporal setting has been exploited through a number of cultural and historical references, including 1960s architecture, 1960s traffic, the appearance of a James Bond-like character and the use of relatively accurate and authentic slang. In addition, the cars drive on the left-hand side of the road, as is the case in Britain, the pound replaces the dollar as currency, and authentic London place names are used.
Areas[]
In total there are 14 different areas of the map. These include:
North[]
City[]
- The "Square Mile" financial district of central London is simply referred to as "City" in-game, as it often is in the real-world. In-game, also as in real-life, it is located central to the map, north of the River Thames. To the South is the river, Soho borders to the West, Angel to the North, and Bow and Mile End to the East.
- There is a bomb-fitting garage in the North of City.
Hyde Park[]
- Hyde Park is located at the north-western corner of the map, bordering (north-south) Camden Town, Soho, Westminster, and Chelsea. Although there are small areas of greenery scattered around the map, Hyde Park is one of two actual parks in the map, and the only one of significant size; the other being a very small park in Battersea. Hyde Park is verdant, wooded in areas and has a large lake and a small lake.
- A heavily armored vehicle, a Royal Pain, can be found parked up here and when stolen will initiate a kill frenzy.
Camden Town[]
- Camden Town is located in the north-western part of the map, east of Hyde Park, west of Angel, and north of Soho. Camden Town is based on the real-life Camden Town and Camden Market.
- The area features Jehad's Department Store, which is based on Harrods, although the real Harrods is not located in Camden Town but in Knightsbridge.
Angel[]
- The "Angel" district is located central-north of the map, above City. To the east is Camden Town and to the west is Mile End. Angel is presumably based on the real-life Angel, located in the borough of Islington on the northern fringes of Central London.
- Angel is the location of one of the stations of the London police. As with the Grand Theft Auto, the protagonist may spawn here if "nicked" by the police.
Mile End[]
- Mile End is located in the north-eastern area of the map, bordered to the west by Angel and to the south by Bow. It is based on the real-world Mile End in the East End of London.
- Mile End features a car bomb shop. There is also a Hospital where the protagonist may respawn if killed. This is presumably based on the real-life Mile End Hopsital.
Bow[]
- Bow is located on the eastern edge of the map, in the center. Bow is north of the river, bordered to the west by City and to the north by Mile End. It is based on the real-world Bow in the East End of London.
- The Tower of London can be seen here. It is connected to Bermondsey to the south, across the River Thames, by Tower Bridge.
Soho[]
- Soho is located in the north-west of the map, bordered to the north by Camden Town, to the east by City, to the west by Hyde Park, and to the south by Westminster. Soho is based on Soho, the area of London well-known for its nightlife. In the game it also the location of many bars and clubs, one of which is owned by Jack Parkinson, the biggest nightclub owner in the city.
- A Pay 'n' Spray garage, a police station, a large junction and a small park can be visited here.
Westminster[]
- Westminster is located central-west on the map, north of the river. It is bordered to the south by the River Thames, to the west by Chelsea, and the north by Soho. It is based on Westminster, the center of the British government.
- The area contains the most recognizable London landmarks in the game. In 1969, there is a bomb-fitting garage in the Southwest. Eight years earlier, in 1961, this is instead an Armour Shoppe owned by Bobby.
Chelsea[]
- Chelsea is located on the west edge of the map, in the center, and north of the river. It is bordered to the South by the River Thames, to the East by Westminster, and to the North by Hyde Park. It is based on Chelsea.
- The area features a Hospital, presumably based on what was then the St Stephen's Hospital.
South[]
Camberwell[]
- Camberwell is located in the south-east corner of the map, bordered to the north by Bermondsey and to the west by Brixton.
Bermondsey[]
- Bermondsey is located to the east of the map; south of the river, and bordered by Southwark to the west, and Camberwell to the south.
- Both a spray shop and vehicle import crane are located near the river, at the South end of the Tower Bridge.
Brixton[]
- Brixton is on the south end of the map, bordered by Battersea to the west, Camberwell to the east, and Southwark to the north.
- Two bomb shops and a Hospital are located here.
Southwark[]
- Southwark is located centrally and south of the river, bordered to the north and west by the river; Bermondsey is to the east and Brixton to the south.
- A spray shop is located here.
Battersea[]
- Battersea is located in the south-west corner of the map, south of the river and bordered to the east by Brixton. Battersea is the smallest area of the map, although it contains two landmarks; Battersea Power Station and the relatively small Battersea Park, which contains a boating lake.
- There are docks/cranes along the river in Battersea for vehicle import/export.
Landmarks[]
A large number of famous landmarks from the real-life London have their own renditions in GTA London. These include:
Piccadilly Circus (3D Model View) |
Piccadilly Circus is a road junction and public space of London's West End. It was built in 1819 to connect Regent Street with Piccadilly. It is located at the conjunction of Soho, Camden Town, City and Angel. | |
Tower of London (3D Model View) |
Tower of London is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It is located in Southwest Bow, adjacent to Tower Bridge. | |
Tower Bridge (3D Model View) |
Tower Bridge is a distinct landmark that aesthetically complements the Tower of London, which it adjoins. The bridge spans the River Thames between Bow and Bermondsey. | |
Buckingham Palace (3D Model View) |
Buckingham Palace is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom, the unnamed Queen of England during the events of the game. | |
Westminster Abbey (3D Model View) |
The Westminster Abbey is a large, mainly Gothic abbey church in Westminster, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. | |
Palace of Westminster (3D Model View) |
The Palace of Westminster is where the two Houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (the House of Lords and the House of Commons) meet to conduct their business. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames in Westminster. One of London's top tourist attraction, Big Ben, is also present in-game, at the north end of the Palace. | |
Trafalgar Square (3D Model View) |
Trafalgar Square is a public square in Westminster, laid out in the early 19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. Due to hardware limitations, the statue of Admiral Nelson commemorating the victory at the Battle of Trafalgar is absent in-game. | |
National Gallery (3D Model View) |
National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square, Westminster. It houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. | |
Battersea Power Station (3D Model View) |
Battersea Power Station is a coal-fired power station located on the south bank of the River Thames, in the neighborhood of Battersea, near the cranes. | |
Battersea Park (3D Model View) |
Battersea Park is a green space in the Battersea neighborhood. It is situated on the south bank of the River Thames opposite Chelsea. The Chelsea Bridge is located between the park and the Battersea Power Station. Battersea Park in-game is a relatively small park in Battersea with a boating lake. | |
St. James's Square (3D Model View) |
St. James's Square is a garden square located in the St James's district in real life and in the neighborhood of Soho in-game. The statue of William III is absent in-game due to hardware limitations. | |
Jehads' Department Store (3D Model View) |
Jehads' Department Store is a department store located in Camden Town, facing Hyde Park. It is based on the real-life Harrods Limited department store in Knightsbridge, also facing Hyde Park in real life. | |
The Serpentine (3D Model View) |
The Serpentine is a recreational lake located in the Hyde Park. Apart from the River Thames, the Serpentine is the biggest body of water in the game. It is in a different direction to it's real-life equivalent (instead of mostly West-East it is more at a 90-degree angle), wider and shorter than in real-life; the lake/river takes the the form of erect male genitalia on the game map. There is a also a smaller round lake to the South of the Serpentine. |
Gallery[]
Future Appearances[]
- Ever since its initial appearance, London has been a popular and much-speculated location, and some fans have expressed a desire to see a new game in the series set in the city itself or in a city based on London.
- In 2013 there were rumors in the video game community of a possible remake of GTA: London 1969, or London featuring in a future HD Universe game set in the UK. Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser (a Brit himself and writer of the GTA: London games) said that he would like to see a Rockstar game set in London with a British bent. Houser later downplayed the rumors in interviews saying that although the GTA: London games were right for the 2D Universe a remake is unlikely, and the HD Universe is likely to stay in the United States of America.[1][2][3][4]
See Also[]
References[]
- ↑ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-gta-london-unlikely-says-houser/1100-6414688/
- ↑ http://uk.ign.com/articles/2013/09/19/grand-theft-auto-wont-return-to-london
- ↑ http://metro.co.uk/2013/09/20/rockstar-rules-out-gta-london-gta-is-america-4060440/
- ↑ http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/sep/17/grand-theft-auto-5-gta-dan-houser-interview