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...?

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.