Did we really put up with GTA when it sucked like this?

They say you should never go back. But in GTA's case it's surprising how well the old adventures have aged. GTA III, for example, doesn't look half bad, and can occasionally outshine even the more recent San Andreas in the visual department. Especially when compared to the flat, cardboard desert outside of Las Venturas.

But how in the hell did we put up with all the ways it sucked? We're talking GTA's many glaring or recurring flaws that, because the rest of the game was so ruddy awesome, we chose not to notice. The little niggles, the gameplay flaws. Did we really put up with Grand Theft Auto when it sucked like this...?

PIG-HEADED POLICE

Grand Theft Auto III's policemen are a confusing bunch. On the one hand, they can idle on street corners in their squad cars, acting totally indifferent as you drive headlong into their rear end. And then ram their doors off.

But then, in other moments, if you so much as accidentally scrape a millimetre of virtual police car paintwork the uniformed goons will be bursting out in fury, blasting away at you like Magnum PI. Lord above, guys-make your minds up!

Ben Richardson is a former Staff Writer for Official PlayStation 2 magazine and a former Content Editor of GamesRadar+. In the years since Ben left GR, he has worked as a columnist, communications officer, charity coach, and podcast host – but we still look back to his news stories from time to time, they are a window into a different era of video games.