GTA2

GTA2 was released in 1999 for PC, Playstation, Dreamcast and GameBoy Color. Created by DMA, published by Rockstar, GTA2 added much to the gameplay aspects of the series, though was not overly inovative with the graphics.

Here's the description from Take2's website:

Grand Theft Auto is back. The cars are faster. The streets are busier. The bad guys are nastier. The police are angrier. And now, the FBI and the Army are getting involved… Seven ruthless gangs are involved in a ruthless power struggle and it is up to you to make a name for yourself. Respect is earned, not given.

GTA2 introduced the gang system to GTA. On each level there are three gangs who will offer you work, but only if they respect you. You must earn their respect by performing their more menial tasks, or, in true GTA stylee, blowing seven bells of sh*t out of their enemies (one of the rival gangs). The tag line for the game, and a true statement for gameplay, Respect Is Everything.

Nothing major was offered in the way of graphical changes. The game is still played from a top down perspective, though the environment feels more 3d due to better rendering and a rather spanking light engine. The explosions are impressive, and 2d artwork (building tiles) is outstanding.

The cars were all created and rendered in full 3d, then image captures were used for the game. The 3d models are absolutely awesome, the image captures are quite poor. Compared to the cars made by the GTA fans of the time, the GTA2 cars look positively amateurish.

If you're looking for lots of excellent background blurb on the gangs of GTA2, or just want to see how the traditional official game sites are all about aesthetics, take a look at http://www.gta2.com.

If you want screen shots or more information, check out G!'s GTA2 info section.