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

Yes, we know Grand Theft Auto has always pushed technological boundaries. GTA III was astounding at the time, and still looks respectable. But, Jesus, what pop-up! Vice City too had suddenly emerging treelines, grass and other scenery, while sometimes even roadside items would materialise in front of you during a high-speed GTA III drive.

But that's nothing compared to San Andreas. Finally, we had planes to pilot - meaning we could travel faster than ever before. However, supersonic flight created new problems, specifically that occasionally you'd be travelling faster than the game could fill in the world around you. Cue mid-air collisions with invisible buildings, trees, bridges...

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.